Resonant logic and the implementation of low power digital integrated circuits
US6448816B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 11, 2000 |
| Grant date | Sep 10, 2002 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 11, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH03K17/063
- WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for operating logic circuitry with recycled energy. An energy storage device such as an inductor collects energy that used to operate logic circuitry during a first phase of a clock cycle and returns the collected energy back to the circuit during a second phase of the clock cycle. An adaptive circuit senses the collected energy that is returned to the logic circuit during the second phase of the clock cycle to determine whether the energy has fallen below a predetermined limit. If so, the adaptive circuit supplies any needed energy during the second phase of the clock cycle. The inductor that collects energy used to operate the logic circuitry and the inherent capacitance of the logic circuitry form a resonant circuit that operates in synchronism with the clock cycle, the inductor storing energy during the first phase and returning the energy to the inherent capacitance of the logic circuitry during the second phase. For complex logic functions, a plurality of blocks of logic circuitry are joined together in a pipeline, so that after a given number of clocks the complex logic function is computed. Pipelining also permits the energy restoring time of each blo…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.