Method for controlling the supply voltage for an integrated circuit and an apparatus with a voltage regulation module and an integrated circuit

US8471624B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• International Business Machines Corporation · US

Inventors

• Stefan Bonsels · Stuttgart, DE
• Cedric Lichtenau · Stuttgart, DE
• Antje Mueller · Eppelheim, DE
• Thomas Pflueger · Echterdingen, DE
• Friedrich Schroeder · Stuttgart, DE

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 28, 2011
• Grant date: Jun 25, 2013
• Expiry date: Jun 9, 2031

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G05F1/56
• WIPO field: Control
• WIPO sector: Instruments

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for controlling the supply voltage for an integrated circuit, which is connected to a voltage regulation module via a sense line, a voltage supply line and a bus wherein the supply voltage is provided by the voltage regulation module (10) via the voltage supply line. The supply voltage is composed of a reference voltage and a number of additional voltage levels. The reference voltage is defined by a voltage source and controlled by the integrated circuit via the bus, and the number of additional voltage levels is determined by the integrated circuit and send to the voltage regulation module via the sense line. Further the present invention relates to a corresponding apparatus with a voltage regulation module and an integrated circuit.