Adaptive voltage scaling power supply for use in a digital processing component and method of operating the same

US7106040B1 · kind B1 · utility

Assignee

• NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR CORPORATION · US

Inventors

• Dragan Maksimovic · Boulder, US
• Sandeep Dhar · Boulder, US
• Ravindra Ambatipudi · Milpitas, US
• Bruno Kranzen · San Jose, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Apr 14, 2003
• Grant date: Sep 12, 2006
• Expiry date: Apr 14, 2023

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05F1/613
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

There is disclosed an adaptive voltage power supply that finely adjusts VDD to an optimum level. The adaptive voltage power supply comprises: 1) a first charging circuit capable of increasing a reference voltage on a charge capacitor in response to receipt of a first VDD control signal; 2) a second charging circuit capable of decreasing the reference voltage on the charge capacitor in response to receipt of a second VDD control signal; and 3) a power supply capable of receiving the reference voltage on the charge capacitor and generating an output power level, VDD, determined by a level of the reference voltage.