Interchangeable Power Management Blocks for ICs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Programmable integrated circuits (ICs) face challenges in reducing power consumption without compromising operating speed, requiring custom Power Management Blocks (PMBs) for different market applications, which increases development time and costs.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of interchangeable Power Management Blocks (PMBs) placed alternately with logic blocks across the IC, using power gates between global and local power rails, allowing selection from a library based on application requirements, reducing power consumption without significant speed degradation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If Power Management Blocks (PMBs) are designed to reduce power consumption, then power consumption decreases, but operating speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The IC is divided into multiple columns with logic blocks and PMBs arranged alternately. Each PMB is associated with specific logic blocks in adjacent columns, allowing selective power management of individual columns rather than the entire IC. This segmentation enables power reduction in inactive regions while maintaining full speed in active regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The PMBs provide dynamic power management capability, allowing the IC to switch between different power consumption modes (full power, reduced power, standby) based on operational requirements. The power management is adjustable and can be changed at runtime to optimize the balance between power consumption and operating speed according to actual workload demands.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom PMBs are designed for different market applications, then power and performance requirements are met, but development time and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
A single standardized PMB design is created that can be universally applied across different IC configurations and market applications. The PMB structure is designed to be reusable and interchangeable, eliminating the need to create custom PMBs for each application. The same PMB design can serve battery-operated devices, consumer electronics, and high-speed data processing applications by simply adjusting configuration parameters rather than redesigning the entire PMB.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of redesigning PMBs for different applications, the invention allows adjustment of existing PMB parameters (such as power gate sizes, threshold voltages, and control logic configurations) to meet different power and performance requirements. This parameter tuning approach enables the same PMB structure to adapt to various market needs without requiring custom design efforts for each application.
3Use of energy by moving object
If PMBs are integrated into logic blocks, then power management is achieved, but design complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The PMBs are separated from logic blocks and placed in dedicated columns alternating with logic block columns. This physical and functional separation simplifies the design process by allowing PMBs and logic blocks to be designed, tested, and manufactured as independent modules. The standardized interface between PMBs and logic blocks facilitates easier integration during manufacturing compared to fully integrated designs.
Solution Approach 2:
The power management functionality is extracted from the logic blocks and placed in separate PMB structures. This extraction simplifies the logic block design by removing complex power management circuitry, while the dedicated PMB columns provide centralized power control. This separation of concerns reduces overall design complexity and makes the manufacturing process more straightforward.
Data Source
AI summary
Structures and methods of efficiently implementing power management in integrated circuits (ICs). An IC includes columns of logic blocks and columns of power management blocks (PMBs). The columns of PMBs and logic blocks are placed alternately across the IC, with each PMB being coupled to a logic block in an adjacent column, and the logic blocks are coupled to each other across the columns of PMBs. The PMBs can be implemented, for example, using power gates coupled between a global power rail (either ground or power high) and a local power rail specific to the associated logic block. A PMB can be selected from a library of interchangeable PMBs based on power and performance requirements of a target application. Because the PMB is designed as a separate block, any of the interchangeable PMBs in the library can readily be included in the IC.