Reconfigurable Level Shifter Circuit With Dummy Stage Wiring
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Solution Overview
Problem
The diversification of electrical devices has increased the designer's workload and manufacturing costs due to the need for diverse level shifter designs, making it challenging to efficiently alter and manufacture level shifters for various applications.
Innovation Solution
A level shifter design that incorporates a circuit with transistors and dummy transistors, allowing for easy alteration between single-stage and two-stage configurations by modifying the wiring, including a first transistor and second transistor for signal inversion and a dummy circuit with short-circuited gate and source terminals to function as a two-stage level shifter when specific lines are removed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If diverse level shifter designs are created for different applications, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal level shifter design where the same circuit structure can function as either a single-stage or two-stage level shifter by simply changing the wiring configuration. The circuit includes transistors that can be connected in different arrangements to achieve different voltage translation functions, eliminating the need for separate designs for different applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic reconfigurability where the level shifter circuit can be altered between single-stage and two-stage configurations through wiring changes. This dynamic adaptation allows the same hardware to respond to different application requirements without physical redesign, maintaining simplicity while achieving versatility.
2Adaptability or versatility
If diverse level shifter designs are created for different applications, then adaptability is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal manufacturing platform where a single circuit design can be manufactured once and then configured for different applications through wiring changes. This eliminates the need for multiple manufacturing processes, tooling setups, and quality assurance procedures that would be required for separate designs, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The dynamic reconfigurability through wiring changes allows manufacturers to produce a standardized circuit and then adapt it to different specifications without retooling or recreating the entire manufacturing process. This significantly reduces manufacturing costs compared to creating separate designs for each application.
3Ease of manufacture
If wiring is modified to alter level shifter configuration, then ease of manufacture is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the level shifter circuit into distinct functional blocks (transistors, voltage sources, connection nodes) that can be independently identified and connected. This segmentation makes the wiring modification process systematic and manageable, reducing the perceived complexity despite the reconfigurability requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a technology for a level shifter that allows the selection of a single-stage level shifter or a two-stage level shifter by a simple alteration to wiring. When the single-stage level shifter is selected, some circuits may remain as dummy circuits.