Method and device for circuit control
View Patent ↗One disclosed embodiment of the invention is directed to circuit control that comprises sensing a delivered voltage to a portion of an integrated circuit, determining an appropriate frequency for the portion of the integrated circuit, and providing the appropriate frequency to the integrated circuit.
1. A method of circuit control, comprising:
sensing a delivered voltage to a portion of an integrated circuit;
determining an appropriate frequency for the portion of the integrated circuit; and
providing the appropriate frequency to said portion of said integrated circuit.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said sensing, determining, and providing are continuously repeated during the integrated circuit's operation.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein the appropriate frequency is a maximum frequency possible for the portion of the integrated circuit at the delivered voltage.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
applying the delivered voltage to constituent devices of a voltage sensor.
5. The method of claim 4 wherein the constituent devices are similar to devices comprising the portion of the integrated circuit.
6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
further determining a switching speed of the constituent devices at the delivered voltage.
7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:
using the switching speed to determine the appropriate frequency.
8. The method of claim 4 further comprising:
exposing the voltage sensor and the portion of the integrated circuit to the same physical conditions.
9. The method of claim 8 wherein the physical conditions include temperature.
10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:
calculating a value for the delivered voltage.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
using a tabulation of a set of values for the appropriate frequency associated with a set of values for the delivered voltage to determine the appropriate frequency.
12. A device for electronic circuit control comprising:
means for sensing a delivered voltage to one portion of an integrated circuit;
means for determining an appropriate frequency for the portion of the integrated circuit; and
means of providing the appropriate frequency to the portion of the integrated circuits, independent of frequencies provided to other portions of said integrated circuit.
13. The device of claim 12 further comprising:
means for determining the maximum possible frequency for the portion of the integrated circuit at the delivered voltage.
14. The device of claim 12 wherein said sensing means further comprises:
means for testing a switching speed of at least one test device at the delivered voltage.
15. The device of claim 14 wherein the at least one test device is similar to a circuit device comprising the portion of the integrated circuit.
16. The device of claim 14 further comprising:
means for using the switching speed as the appropriate frequency.
17. The device of claim 14 wherein the at least one test device and the circuit device are exposed to similar physical conditions.
18. The device of claim 17 wherein the physical conditions include temperature.
19. The device of claim 12 further comprising:
means for calculating a value for the delivered voltage.
20. The device of claim 19 wherein said calculating means includes analog-to-digital converter.
21. The device of claim 19 further comprising:
means for associating the value of the delivered voltage with a value for the appropriate frequency.
22. The device of claim 21 wherein said associating means includes a tabulation of possible values for the delivered voltage associated with a set of values for the appropriate frequency.
23. A system for circuit control comprising:
at least one voltage sensor to sense a delivered voltage to a portion of an integrated circuit;
at least one logic block to determine an appropriate frequency from the delivered voltage for the portion of the integrated circuit; and
at least one circuitry arrangement to provide the appropriate frequency to the portion of the integrated circuit.
24. The system of claim 23 wherein the logic block determines as the appropriate frequency, the maximum frequency possible for the portion of the integrated circuit at the delivered voltage.
25. The system of claim 23 further comprising: at least one test device to which the delivered voltage is applied.
26. The system of claim 25 at least one test device logic block to determine a switching speed of the at least one test device at the applied voltage.
27. The system of claim 26 wherein the switching speed is used to determine the appropriate voltage.
28. The system of claim 25 wherein the at least one test device is similar to a device that comprises the portion of the integrated circuit.
29. The system of claim 25 wherein the at least one test device and the portion of the integrated circuit are exposed to similar physical conditions.
30. The system of claim 29 wherein the physical conditions include temperature.
31. The system of claim 23 further comprising:
a converter to convert the delivered voltage to a value.
32. The system of claim 31 wherein the converter is an analog-to-digital converter.
33. The system of claim 23 further comprising:
a table of possible values for the delivered voltage associated with possible values for the appropriate frequency.
34. The system of claim 33 wherein said table is a computer readable database.
35. A system for circuit control comprising:
a plurality of voltage sensors arranged to sense a delivered voltage to different
portions of an integrated circuit;
a plurality of logic blocks arranged to determine an appropriate frequency for each
said portion from said delivered voltages; and
a plurality of circuitry arrangements to provide each said portion its associated
appropriate frequency.