Clock Divider Synchronization for Stable Root Clock Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Adjusting the root clock signal in electronic systems with multiple clocked components is challenging due to different divider settings, as changes can affect other components' clock dividers, leading to instability and inefficiency in power flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A synchronization mechanism using sync circuitry that aligns updates to the clock generator divider setting with independent component clock divider settings, ensuring that adjustments to the root clock signal are synchronized across all components, maintaining independent operation of component clock dividers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the root clock signal is adjusted to improve power flexibility, then power flexibility is improved, but system stability deteriorates due to conflicts with other component clock divider settings
Solution Approach 1:
A synchronization mechanism is introduced as an intermediary between the root clock signal adjustment and the component clock divider settings. This mechanism coordinates the adjustments across multiple components, ensuring that when the root clock signal is modified for power flexibility, all dependent clock dividers are同步 adjusted accordingly, preventing system instability
Solution Approach 2:
Before adjusting the root clock signal, the system performs preliminary checks and calculations to determine the appropriate adjustment values for all affected component clock dividers. This preliminary action ensures that the adjustment is pre-coordinated across all components, maintaining system stability while enabling power flexibility
2Adaptability or versatility
If the root clock signal is adjusted to improve performance flexibility, then performance flexibility is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need for synchronization across multiple components
Solution Approach 1:
The synchronization mechanism is designed with universal applicability across multiple clocked components. It implements a general-purpose coordination approach that can handle adjustments across any number of components with different divider settings, reducing the perceived complexity by providing a unified solution rather than component-specific synchronization logic
3Ease of operation
If component clock dividers operate independently to maintain ease of operation, then ease of operation is improved, but system reliability deteriorates due to potential clock signal conflicts
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a feedback mechanism where component clock divider settings are monitored and reported back to the root clock adjustment logic. This feedback enables the system to maintain independent adjustment capability at the component level while ensuring that adjustments are coordinated through the feedback loop, preventing clock signal conflicts and maintaining reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A device includes a clock generator configured to generate a root clock signal based on an input clock signal and a clock generator divider integer setting. The device also includes a first component coupled to the clock generator and configured to generate a first component clock signal based on the root clock signal and a first component divider integer setting. The device also includes a second component coupled to the clock generator and configured to generate a second component clock signal based on the root clock signal and a second component divider integer setting. The device also includes sync circuitry coupled to each of the clock generator, the first component, and the second component, wherein the sync circuitry is configured to perform synchronized adjustments to the root clock signal, the first component clock signal, and the second component clock signal.