Adjustable Power Rail Multiplexing via Chained Mux Tiles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power management techniques for integrated circuits face challenges in efficiently switching between power rails without causing short-circuit currents, maintaining power to circuit loads during transitions, and ensuring reliable operation over large areas.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of multiple power-multiplexer tiles (power-mux tiles) in a chained arrangement, with adjustment circuitry to control the order of power-multiplexing operations, allowing for sequential or out-of-sequential switching between power rails while managing short-circuit current conditions through feedback signals and delay control circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If conventional power switching techniques are used to switch between power rails, then power consumption is reduced, but short-circuit currents occur during transitions
Solution Approach 1:
The power switching function is divided into multiple independent power-mux tiles that operate in a chained arrangement. Each tile handles a portion of the power rail switching independently, allowing for distributed control and reduced simultaneous current paths that would cause short-circuit conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The adjustment circuitry pre-configures the switching order of power-mux tiles before actual power rail switching occurs. By determining the optimal sequence in advance based on circuit state and power rail characteristics, the system prevents short-circuit currents from occurring during transitions.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If power rails are switched sequentially to avoid short-circuit currents, then harmful factors are reduced, but power delivery continuity may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The load power rail serves as an intermediary between the first and second power rails. During transitions, it maintains continuous power delivery to circuit loads while the power-mux tiles switch between power sources, ensuring no interruption in power supply despite the switching operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system maintains continuous power delivery to circuit loads throughout the power rail switching process. The chained arrangement of power-mux tiles ensures that at least one power path remains active during transitions, preventing any interruption in useful power delivery while switching occurs.
3Loss of energy
If multiple power-mux tiles are used in a chained arrangement, then power consumption is reduced and control is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The power management function is segmented into multiple identical power-mux tiles arranged in a chain. This modular segmentation allows each tile to be simple and standardized, reducing individual tile complexity while achieving overall system sophistication through their coordinated chained operation for optimized power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
Each power-mux tile is designed as a universal module that can handle multiple power switching functions. The same tile structure and control logic are reused throughout the chain, reducing design complexity through standardization while providing flexible, multi-functional power management capabilities across the entire system.
Data Source
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AI summary
An integrated circuit (IC) is disclosed herein for adjustable power rail multiplexing. In an example aspect, an IC includes a first power rail, a second power rail, and a load power rail. The IC further includes multiple power multiplexer (power-mux) tiles and adjustment circuitry. The multiple power-mux tiles are coupled in series in a chained arrangement and implemented to jointly perform a power-multiplexing operation. Each power-mux tile is implemented to switch between coupling the load power rail to the first power rail and coupling the load power rail to the second power rail. The adjustment circuitry is implemented to adjust at least one order in which the multiple power mux tiles perform at least a portion of the power-multiplexing operation.