Self-Gating Flip-Flop Circuit for Lower Internal Switching Power
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional flip-flop circuits exhibit internal switching behaviors that consume power even when input signals are non-transient, leading to inefficient energy usage and increased power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of self-gating flip-flop circuits that reduce or eliminate internal node switching unless a change in the input occurs, using modified transistor structures and logic gates to prevent unnecessary state changes during clock cycles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If traditional flip-flop circuits are used, then the circuit operates reliably, but power consumption increases due to internal switching behaviors even when inputs are non-transient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by detecting input signal transitions before clock edges occur. The circuit monitors whether inputs have changed state and only enables internal switching when a transition is detected, preventing unnecessary power consumption during non-transient conditions while maintaining reliable operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The flip-flop circuit performs self-service by automatically detecting its own input transition states and controlling its internal switching behavior accordingly. The circuit monitors its own inputs and enables or disables internal node switching based on whether transitions are detected, eliminating the need for external control logic.
2Use of energy by moving object
If self-gating flip-flop circuits are implemented to reduce internal switching, then energy efficiency improves, but circuit complexity increases due to modified transistor structures and logic gates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the input transition detection function with the existing flip-flop logic structure. By integrating the self-gating mechanism into the conventional flip-flop architecture, the circuit achieves energy efficiency improvements without requiring completely separate detection and control circuits, thus limiting the increase in overall complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The circuit changes the operational parameters of transistors dynamically based on input transition detection. Transistors are enabled or disabled depending on whether input transitions are detected, allowing the circuit to optimize energy efficiency by controlling switching behavior without permanently altering the physical transistor structure.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus are disclosed to improve flip-flop toggle efficiency. An example circuit includes an upper flip-flop latch circuit including a first clock input terminal, a first output terminal, and a first data input terminal, a first gating circuit including a first gating transistor, the first gating transistor including a first power input terminal, a first gating output terminal and a gating signal input terminal, the gating signal input terminal coupled to the first input terminal of the first flip-flop latch circuit, a first clock transistor including a clock power input terminal coupled to the first gating output terminal of the first gating transistor, a clock power output terminal, and a clock signal input terminal coupled to the first clock input terminal of the upper flip-flop latch circuit, and a first latch output transistor including a latch power input terminal, a latch power output terminal coupled to the clock power output terminal of the first clock transistor, and a latch input terminal coupled to an output of a second latch output transistor of the upper flip-flop latch circuit.