Patent · US Expired

Tuning programmable logic devices for low-power design implementation

US7549139B1 · kind B1 · utility

14Cited by
48References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 20, 2004
Grant dateJun 16, 2009
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 15, 2024

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
  • CPC primaryH03K3/356173
  • WIPO fieldBasic communication processes
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A method of operating a programmable logic device includes the steps of using a full VDD supply voltage to operate a first set of active blocks of the programmable logic device, and using a reduced supply voltage (e.g., 0.9 VDD) to operate a second set of active blocks of the programmable logic device. A timing analysis is performed to determine the maximum available timing slack in each active block. Active blocks having a smaller timing slack are grouped in the first set, and are coupled to receive the full VDD supply voltage. Active blocks having a larger timing slack are grouped in the second set, and are coupled to receive the reduced VDD supply voltage. As a result, the active blocks in the second set exhibit reduced power consumption, without adversely affecting the overall speed of the programmable logic device.

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