Microprocessor-assisted auto-calibration of voltage regulators

US9606595B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Intel Corporation · US

Inventors

• Ankush Varma · Portland, US
• Jeremy J. Shrall · Portland, US
• Krishnakanth V. Sistla · Beaverton, US
• Avinash N. Ananthakrishnan · Portland, US
• Vivek Garg · San Mateo, US
• Christopher Allan Poirier · Fort Collins, US
• Martin T. Rowland · Beaverton, US
• Edward R. Stanford · DuPont, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Dec 30, 2011
• Grant date: Mar 28, 2017
• Expiry date: Aug 11, 2033

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F11/3058
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

Dynamic runtime calibration of a processor with respect to a specific voltage regulator that powers the processor or a memory subsystem coupled to the processor can reduce or eliminate the need for guardbands in power management computations. The processor receives a current measurement from the voltage regulator and computes a calibration factor based on the measured value and a stored expected value. The calibration factor can be used in making power management decisions instead of adding the guardband to power readings. A manufacturer or distributor of the processor can compute the stored values with a controlled voltage supply that has a higher precision than typical commercial power supplies used in computing systems. The computed, stored values indicate the expected value, which can be used to determine a calibration factor relative to a voltage regulator of an active system.