Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices – circuits – and – Specific identifiable device – circuit – or system – With specific source of supply or bias voltage
Patent
1997-05-15
1999-09-07
Cunningham, Terry D.
Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices, circuits, and
Specific identifiable device, circuit, or system
With specific source of supply or bias voltage
327543, 327546, G05F 302
Patent
active
059492791
ABSTRACT:
A low-cost power supply is connected to an object circuit and to a dummy load circuit. The object circuit sends a dummy load control signal to the dummy load which indicates the current requirement of the object. The dummy load sources an amount of current as specified by the dummy load control signal such that the total supply current from the power supply is constant. According to an aspect, the dummy load is implemented as MOS or bipolar transistors. The dummy load control signals are either analog or digital. The object may produce multiple dummy load control signals. The object may consist of multiple integrated circuits wherein each integrated circuit produces one or more dummy load control signals. Smoothing elements may be included in the power supply. In an embodiment, the object is a system of integrated circuits including a microprocessor. The system communicates via a communication bus. The microprocessor fetches instructions over the communication bus. A decoder within the dummy load monitors the communication bus and derives the present current requirement of the object based upon the present and past instructions seen on the communication bus. The decoder maintains state based upon the past instructions seen on the communication bus, and produces a digitally encoded current value for the dummy load. A digital to analog converter converts the digitally encoded current value into an analog current value. The analog current value is input into a dummy load bipolar transistor with a resistor connected to its emitter.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4317054 (1982-02-01), Caruso et al.
patent: 5132556 (1992-07-01), Cheng
patent: 5519354 (1996-05-01), Audy
patent: 5619163 (1997-04-01), Koo
patent: 5646572 (1997-07-01), Maslied
Advanced Micro Devices , Inc.
Cunningham Terry D.
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