Semiconductor Voltage Sensor for Rapid Load Fluctuation Response
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing semiconductor devices struggle to follow fast voltage changes during rapid load fluctuations, leading to potential system malfunctions due to latency in clock frequency adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A semiconductor device that monitors power supply voltage at a higher sampling speed than assumed frequency fluctuations, using a voltage sensor, voltage drop determination circuit, and clock control circuit to detect and respond to voltage drops by stopping and restarting the clock in a controlled manner, thereby preventing malfunctions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If clock frequency is changed in accordance with power supply voltage fluctuation, then operation speed is improved, but the system cannot follow fast voltage changes such as large voltage drop occurring at rapid load fluctuation due to latency
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage sensor continuously monitors the power supply voltage in advance, detecting voltage drops before they cause system malfunction. This preliminary detection enables the system to prepare for and respond to voltage fluctuations proactively, rather than reactively after the fact.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the clock control function from the normal operation loop by implementing an independent voltage monitoring and clock stopping mechanism. When a voltage drop is detected, the clock is stopped immediately without waiting for the normal frequency adjustment latency, thus isolating the critical response function from the routine operation.
2Measurement precision
If sampling speed is increased to follow fast voltage changes, then voltage drop detection capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage sensor is integrated within the semiconductor device itself, enabling self-monitoring without requiring external monitoring equipment. The device monitors its own power supply voltage conditions and autonomously makes clock control decisions, eliminating the need for complex external monitoring systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The voltage sensor serves multiple functions: it continuously monitors voltage levels, detects voltage drops, triggers clock stopping, and enables system protection. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high detection capability.
Data Source
AI summary
A semiconductor device includes a voltage sensor which samples a power supply voltage at a speed faster than fluctuations in the power supply voltage and encodes the power supply voltage into a voltage code value. A voltage drop determination circuit detects a voltage drop based on the voltage code value, and a clock control circuit generates a clock. The clock control circuit stops the clock when the voltage drop determination circuit detects the voltage drop. The voltage drop determination circuit includes a prediction computation circuit which looks ahead a voltage value from a history of the voltage code value and predicts a variation value, and the prediction computation circuit includes a circuit for masking a prediction value if a differential value of the prediction value is continuously negative for a predetermined cycle.