Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices – circuits – and – Signal converting – shaping – or generating – Slope control of leading or trailing edge of rectangular or...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-08-28
2001-12-11
Nguyen, Matthew (Department: 2838)
Miscellaneous active electrical nonlinear devices, circuits, and
Signal converting, shaping, or generating
Slope control of leading or trailing edge of rectangular or...
C323S266000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06329856
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of power supply monitoring and control. Specifically, the invention relates to tracking and controlling voltage and current supply transitions within specified boundaries from and active or inactive state.
2. Description of Related Art
Many integrated circuits (ICs), such as microprocessors, use a plurality of power supplies of various types and values (e.g., 5.0V, 3.3V, 1.8V) to operate. Power supplies such as regulated linear supplies and switching power supplies may be provided within the integrated circuits supporting circuitry. Additionally, power supplies may be external to the integrated circuits. For example, many power supplies and power supply conditioning circuits (e.g., DC-DC converters, linear regulators) are provided within a bus configuration where the power supplies and conditioning circuits are coupled to a back plane (e.g., “mother-board”). Circuit-card assemblies are then coupled to the bus configuration and are connected to the motherboard to receive power from the external power supplies. Many circuit-cards can then share the same external power supplies.
A rise in the current and voltage levels occurs as a power supply is activated from an off state. Additionally, a fall in the current and voltage levels occurs as a power supply is turned off from an active state. The transitory rise and fall of voltage and current is measured over time and defined as a slew-rate. Different power supplies and conditioning circuits may have different slew rates.
Many integrated circuits require that all of the power supplies and conditioning circuits used to supply the integrated circuit have slew rates within a specific designated range in order for the integrated circuit to operate correctly. Additionally, bus power supply configurations tend to load power supplies differently depending upon the number of circuit-cards attached, and impedance of the bus. Moreover, the variations of the number of circuit-cards on a bus, and bus-circuit impedance, make the slew-rate of the power supplies difficult to control at the inputs to the individual integrated circuits. Therefore, it is advantageous to supply configurable and adaptive voltages and currents in accordance to the requirements of the integrated circuit.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention enables a method for tracking and maintaining transitory voltages and currents between a first or more voltage and current supplies. The method comprising: providing at least a first supply transition, providing a reference transition comprising a defined slew-rate, measuring a differential value between the first supply transition and the reference transition, and maintaining the supply transition within a specific differential value about the reference.
In one embodiment, the present invention comprises an apparatus for tracking and maintaining transitory voltages between a first or more voltage and current supplies. The apparatus comprising: a plurality of detection inputs to receive at least a least one supply transition, a reference to provide a reference transition comprising a defined slew-rate, measuring logic to measure a differential value between the supply transition and the reference transition, and control output to control the supply transition within a specified differential value about the reference.
REFERENCES:
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patent: 5675558 (1997-10-01), Katoh
patent: 5757217 (1998-05-01), Thompson et al.
patent: 5939909 (1999-08-01), Callahan, Jr.
patent: 6031389 (2000-02-01), Fotouhi et al.
patent: 6066971 (2000-05-01), Pappert et al.
Adkins Kenneth C.
Hafner Warren G.
Jenkins Andrew
Myers Theodore M.
Tabler John
Fernandez & Associates LLP
Nguyen Matthew
Summit Microelectronics Inc.
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