Patent · US Expired

Headswitch and footswitch circuitry for power management

US7279926B2 · kind B2 · utility

20Cited by
4References
46Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateMay 27, 2004
Grant dateOct 9, 2007
Priority date
Expiry dateOct 10, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K19/0016
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

In general, this disclosure is directed to circuitry for implementation of headswitches and footswitches in an ASIC for power management. The disclosed circuitry supports not only effective power management, but also efficient use of ASIC area, reduced complexity, and the use of electronic design automation (EDA) tools. In this manner, the disclosed circuitry can support enhanced performance and simplified ASIC design. In some cases, headswitch or footswitch circuitry may be implemented as a switch pad ring that extends around a hard macro forming part of an ASIC core. In other cases, headswitch or footswitch circuitry can be distributed within an ASIC core by embedding distributed headswitch or footswitch components under metal layer power routing coupled to standard cell rows.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.