Distributed Power Management Bus Architecture for Heat Dissipation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power management systems in integrated circuits are inflexible, limited by heat dissipation and pin count, and struggle with isochronous power state transitions, making them unsuitable for diverse market sectors and shared power domains.
Innovation Solution
A power management bus architecture with a single master controller that allows flexible placement and management of power resources across multiple integrated circuits, enabling seamless resource allocation and isochronous power state transitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If power resources are clustered in a single power management chip, then control is centralized, but the number of power resources is limited by heat dissipation and pin count
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the power management system into multiple distributed power management chips, each capable of independently managing power resources. This segmentation allows the system to overcome the heat dissipation and pin count limitations of a single chip while maintaining centralized control through a master controller that communicates with multiple slave controllers via a power management bus.
2Quantity of substance
If additional external power resources are used, then power capacity increases, but control complexity increases and separate control is required
Solution Approach 1:
The master controller is designed with universal control capability that allows it to manage both internal and external power resources through a unified interface. The power management bus provides a standardized communication protocol that enables the master controller to coordinate with multiple slave controllers and external power resources without requiring separate control mechanisms for each.
3Ease of manufacture
If power control is fixed for a specific market sector, then design is simplified, but adaptability to different market sectors is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic power control capabilities that allow the system to adapt to different market sectors and application requirements. The master controller can dynamically configure power resources, adjust voltage and current parameters, and reconfigure the power management architecture based on the specific needs of different markets, thereby maintaining design simplicity while achieving high adaptability.
4Adaptability or versatility
If power resources are placed far from the function they supply, then placement flexibility is reduced, but routing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the power management control dimension from the physical layout dimension to the communication dimension. By using a power management bus for control signals, the system achieves placement flexibility without being constrained by physical routing proximity. Power resources can be positioned optimally near their load functions while the master controller manages them remotely through the bus, eliminating the trade-off between placement flexibility and routing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A power management bus for controlling power over multiple device subsystems includes a master power bus controller which transmits power management information to control one or more power resources through a transmit interface. The transmitted information is received at one or more receive interfaces. A broadcast message can be transmitted to control multiple power resources by subsystem, resource group and resource type. A single address message can be transmitted to control a single power resource. A power down can be initiated at any of the receive interfaces.