Supply Voltage Envelope Detection for Early Droop Response

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Solution Overview

Problem

Integrated circuits face issues with supply voltage droop detection, where existing threshold-based mechanisms either trigger corrective actions too frequently or require severe measures due to the inability to accurately detect voltage droops early enough, impacting performance and power efficiency.

Innovation Solution

A supply voltage envelope detector circuit that identifies the shape or envelope of the supply voltage over time, allowing for earlier and more accurate detection of droop events by comparing expected shapes based on the integrated circuit design, power management unit attributes, and system attributes, enabling less drastic and more timely corrective actions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If threshold-based mechanisms are used to detect supply voltage droop, then detection simplicity is maintained, but detection accuracy and timing deteriorate causing either too frequent or too severe corrective actions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection mechanism complexityVSAvoidvoltage droop detection accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The envelope detector pre-processes the supply voltage signal to extract the envelope trajectory before comparison, preparing the data in advance to enable early and accurate droop detection. This preliminary extraction of voltage envelope information allows the system to anticipate droop events before they reach critical threshold levels.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The voltage envelope acts as an intermediary between the raw supply voltage and the droop detection logic. By comparing the envelope trajectory against expected droop patterns, the system achieves more precise detection than direct threshold comparison, reducing false positives and enabling earlier intervention.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If threshold is set close to actual supply voltage magnitude, then detection sensitivity improves, but false triggering increases causing performance degradation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedroop detection sensitivityVSAvoidfalse triggering rate

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Reliability

If threshold is set far from actual supply voltage magnitude, then false triggering reduces, but corrective actions become too severe impacting performance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvefalse triggering rateVSAvoidsystem performance

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

4Device complexity

If threshold-based detection is used, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but corrective actions must be severe to prevent errors

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedetection circuit complexityVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS9503068B1Supply voltage envelope detection

Publication Date: 2016.11.22 APPLE INC

AI summary

In an embodiment, a supply voltage envelope detector circuit is configured to detect a shape of the supply voltage over time and to compare the detected shape to expected shapes that indicate voltage droop events for which corrective action may be needed. The expected shapes may be predetermined based on one or more of: the design of the integrated circuit that includes the supply voltage envelope detector circuit; attributes of the power management unit (PMU) that is to generate the supply voltage for the integrated circuit; and/or attributes of the system that includes the integrated circuit. The shape of the voltage droop may experience little variation during use, and thus may be used to detect a droop event earlier and more accurately than a threshold-based mechanism, in some embodiments.