Serial Interface Adaptive Voltage Scaling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional adaptive voltage scaling systems require a dedicated voltage regulator for each integrated circuit, leading to increased space and power consumption as the number of circuits grows, which is undesirable for portable devices and multi-chip modules.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a serial interface between integrated circuits allows one master device to control a shared voltage regulator for multiple slave devices, reducing the number of interconnections and voltage regulators needed, and using a procedure to calculate optimal voltage settings based on process, voltage, and temperature information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a dedicated voltage regulator is assigned to each integrated circuit, then each circuit receives stable voltage control, but the quantity of voltage regulators and interconnections increases substantially
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple slave devices are merged into a single AVS system under one master device, allowing them to share a common voltage regulator instead of each having a dedicated regulator. This consolidation reduces the total number of voltage regulators while maintaining voltage control capability through centralized management.
Solution Approach 2:
The master device is designed with universal functionality to manage and control voltage for multiple different slave devices through a single interface. This multi-functional approach allows one voltage regulator to serve multiple circuits, eliminating the need for dedicated regulators for each device.
2Reliability
If a dedicated voltage regulator is assigned to each integrated circuit, then each circuit has independent voltage control, but space requirements and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple slave devices share a common voltage regulator through the serial interface, consolidating what would otherwise be separate physical components into a shared resource. This merging reduces the total silicon area required while maintaining voltage control capability through the communication interface.
3Reliability
If multiple voltage regulators are used for multiple circuits, then each circuit has dedicated power control, but the quantity of interconnections increases
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage control functionality is extracted from individual dedicated regulator circuits and consolidated into a single master device that communicates with slave devices through a serial interface. This extraction eliminates the need for multiple separate control interconnections while maintaining power control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The serial interface acts as an intermediary between the master device and slave devices, enabling voltage control information to be transmitted efficiently. This intermediary communication channel replaces multiple direct control interconnections, reducing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An adaptive voltage scaling system includes first and second devices. Each of the first and second devices includes at least one master serial interface port and at least one slave serial interface port. The first device is operatively coupled to a voltage regulator, and the slave serial interface port associated with the second device is operatively coupled to the master serial interface port associated with the first device. The first device controls the voltage regulator based on information obtained from the first and second devices using the master serial interface port associated with the first device and the slave serial interface port associated with the second device. The first and second devices receive voltage from the voltage regulator. A corresponding method and computer-readable medium are also disclosed.