Delay-Line Voltage Tracking for Instantaneous On-Chip Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Digital logic circuits face challenges in accurately tracking instantaneous voltage levels, which affects power consumption and performance in systems like SoCs and FPGAs, as existing approaches lack efficient methods for dynamic voltage manipulation and noise reduction.
Innovation Solution
A voltage tracking circuit is implemented, utilizing multiple delay line blocks and phase detectors to determine accurate voltage measurements through coarse and fine voltage measurements, allowing for dynamic power management and noise manipulation by setting threshold voltages and adjusting delay line characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional voltage measurement methods are used, then the system can obtain voltage information, but the measurement is not instantaneous and lacks accuracy for dynamic power management
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage tracking circuit segments the voltage measurement process into multiple discrete voltage levels represented by different delay line block configurations. Each segment corresponds to a specific voltage range, allowing the system to determine the instantaneous voltage by identifying which segment the current voltage falls into, thereby achieving both accuracy and speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit dynamically adjusts the delay line block configurations based on the instantaneous voltage level. The delay line blocks are reconfigurable elements that can be selectively activated or deactivated to match the current voltage state, enabling real-time voltage tracking without measurement delay.
2Use of energy by moving object
If dynamic voltage manipulation is implemented to improve power consumption, then power efficiency increases, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit manipulates voltage parameters dynamically by changing the configuration of delay line blocks. Each block can be set to different delay characteristics corresponding to different voltage levels, allowing the system to optimize power consumption by matching the voltage parameter to the current operational state without requiring complex control logic.
3Measurement precision
If instantaneous voltage tracking is achieved through complex circuitry, then voltage measurement accuracy improves, but noise increases
Solution Approach 1:
The delay line blocks serve dual functions: they both track the voltage level and provide inherent noise filtering through their delay characteristics. The distributed nature of the delay line blocks creates a self-filtering effect where high-frequency noise is attenuated while the fundamental voltage signal is preserved, eliminating the need for separate filtering circuitry.
Data Source
AI summary
A voltage tracking circuit includes delay line blocks, a phase detector delay line block, phase detection circuitry, and a controller. The controller determines a first voltage based on a quantity of active delay line blocks among the plurality of delay line blocks and determines a second voltage based on information received from the phase detection circuitry. The controller determines a measured value of a voltage provided by the voltage regulator voltage based on the first voltage and the second voltage.