Qualcomm Incorporated

Dipti Ranjan Pal

Keith Alan Bowman

Paul Penzes

Matthew Levi Severson

Shih-Hsin Jason Hu

Daniel Yingling

Jeffrey Gemar

Bharat Kumar Rangarajan

Kevin Bowles

Abinash Roy

Mohamed Waleed Allam

Chandan Agarwalla

Bohuslav Rychlik

Christopher Kong Yee Chun

Jaya Prakash Subramaniam Ganasan

Ryan Michael Coutts

Joshua Stubbs

Gordon P Lee

Madan Krishnappa

Harshat Pant

Vijayakumar Ashok Dibbad

Jason Edward Podaima

Steven Halter

Paul Christopher John Wiercienski

Mohammad Tamjidi

Srinivas Turaga

Manokanthan Somasundaram

Sina Dena

Kumar Kanti Ghosh

Shahin Solki

Myil Ramkumar

Wai Kit Siu

Christophe Denis Bernard Avoinne

Mark Kempfert

Nilanjan Banerjee

Noman Ahmed

Ingyeom Kim

Ateesh Deepankar De

Steven John Halter

Paul Ivan Penzes

A method to prevent a malicious attack on CPU subsystem (CPUSS) hardware is described. The method includes auto-calibrating tunable delay elements of a dynamic variation monitor (DVM) using an auto-calibration value computed in response to each detected change of a clock frequency (Fclk)/supply voltage (Vdd) of the CPUSS hardware. The method also includes comparing the auto-calibration value with a threshold reference calibration value to determine whether the malicious attack is detected. The method further includes forcing a safe clock frequency (Fclk)/safe supply voltage (Vdd) to the CPUSS hardware when the malicious attack is detected.

On-die voltage-frequency security monitor

Aspects of the present disclosure related to a method of duty-cycle distortion compensation in a system including a clock generator configured to generate a clock signal. The method includes measuring one or more parameters of the clock signal, determining a duty-cycle adjustment based on the measured one or more parameters, and adjusting a duty cycle of the clock signal based on the determined duty-cycle adjustment.

Adaptive clock duty-cycle controller

In controlling power in a portable computing device ('PCD'), a power supply input to a PCD subsystem may be modulated with a modulation signal when an over-current condition is detected. Detection of the modulation signal may indicate to a processing core of the subsystem to reduce its processing load. Compensation for the modulation signal in the power supply input may be applied so that the processing core is essentially unaffected by the modulation signal.

Power controller communication latency mitigation

Dynamic power supply voltage adjustment in a computing device may involve two stages. In a first stage, a first method for adjusting a power supply voltage may be disabled. While the first method remains disabled, a request to adjust the power supply voltage from an initial value to a target value using a second method may be received. The second method may be initiated in response to the request if a time interval has elapsed since a previous request to adjust the power supply voltage. In a second stage, the first method may be enabled when it has been determined that the power supply voltage has reached the target value.

Two-stage dynamic power supply voltage adjustment

Aspects of the present disclosure related to a method of phase extension using a delay circuit including delay devices coupled in series. The method includes receiving a clock signal, generating multiple delayed versions of the clock signal, wherein each of the delayed versions of the clock signal is delayed by a different number of the delay devices, and combining high phases or low phases of the delayed versions of the clock signal to obtain a combined clock signal.

A method of measuring a clock signal includes launching an edge of a timing signal on a first edge of the clock signal, outputting an edge of a capture signal on a second edge of the clock signal, receiving the edge of the timing signal and the edge of the capture signal at a time-to-digital converter (TDC), and measuring a time delay using the TDC, wherein the time delay is between a time the edge of the timing signal is received at the TDC and a time the edge of the capture signal is received at the TDC.

In certain aspects, a system includes a voltage controller, wherein the voltage controller includes switches coupled between a voltage supply rail and an output of the voltage controller, each of the switches having a control input, and a control circuit coupled to the control inputs of the switches. The system also includes a timing circuit coupled to the control circuit, wherein the timing circuit includes a delay line, and flops, each of the flops having an input and an output, wherein the input of each of the flops is coupled to a respective node on the delay line, and the outputs of the flops are coupled to the control circuit.

Adaptive voltage controller

In certain aspects, an apparatus includes a first power chain, a second power chain, and an enable circuit having an output coupled to an input of the first power chain. The apparatus also includes a multiplexer having a first input coupled to an output of the first power chain, a second input coupled to the output of the enable circuit, and an output coupled to an input of the second power chain, wherein the multiplexer is configured to receive a select signal, and couple the first input or the second input to the output of the multiplexer based on the select signal.

Dynamic power switch control scheme

Methods and systems are disclosed for full-hardware management of power and clock domains related to a distributed virtual memory (DVM) network. An aspect includes transmitting, from a DVM initiator to a DVM network, a DVM operation, broadcasting, by the DVM network to a plurality of DVM targets, the DVM operation, and, based on the DVM operation being broadcasted to the plurality of DVM targets by the DVM network, performing one or more hardware optimizations comprising: turning on a clock domain coupled to the DVM network or a DVM target of the plurality of DVM targets that is a target of the DVM operation, increasing a frequency of the clock domain, turning on a power domain coupled to the DVM target based on the power domain being turned off, or terminating the DVM operation to the DVM target based on the DVM target being turned off.

Hardware managed power collapse and clock wake-up for memory management units and distributed virtual memory networks

A clock signal generator including a fractional clock divider and a frequency ramp control circuit. The fractional clock divider is configured to generate an output clock signal with a frequency being a divider ratio multiplied by a frequency of an input clock signal. The frequency ramp control circuit is configured to provide the fractional clock divider a set of divider ratios so that the frequency of the output clock signal is ramped in steps from a current frequency to a target frequency. The frequency ramp control circuit is configured to produce frequency change steps each having substantially the same duration. The frequency ramp control circuit is also configured to provide the set of divider ratios such as a first portion of the frequency ramp is performed using coarse frequency changes and a second portion of the ramp is performed using at least one fine frequency change.

Fractional clock generator with ramp control including fixed time interval and coarse/fine frequency change steps

Systems and methods for power distribution network (PDN) droop/overshoot mitigation are provided. In one embodiment, a method for activating one or more processors comprises reducing a frequency of a clock signal from a first clock frequency to a second clock frequency, wherein the clock signal is output to a plurality of processors including the one or more processors. The method also comprises activating the one or more processors after the frequency of the clock signal is reduced, and increasing the clock signal from the second clock frequency to the first clock frequency after the one or more processors are activated.

Power distribution network (PDN) droop/overshoot mitigation

Systems and methods for power distribution network (PDN) droop/overshoot mitigation are provided. In certain embodiments, overshoot is mitigated by ramping down a frequency of a clock signal to a processor when the processor is switching clock frequencies and/or the processor is transitioning from an active mode to an idle mode. In certain embodiments, droop is mitigated by ramping up a frequency of a clock signal to a processor when the processor is switching clock frequencies and/or the processor is transitioning from an idle mode to an active mode.

Power distribution network (PDN) droop/overshoot mitigation in dynamic frequency scaling

Systems and methods for dynamic clock and voltage scaling can switch integrated circuits between frequency-voltage modes with low latency. These systems include a resource power manager that can control a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), phase locked loops (PLLs), and clock dividers. The resource power manager controls transitions between frequency-voltage modes. The systems and methods provide dynamic clock and voltage scaling where the transitions between frequency-voltage modes are an atomic operation. Additionally, the resource power manager can control many modules, for example, clock dividers, in parallel. The invention can, due to lower latency between frequency-voltage modes, can provide improved system performance and reduced system power.

Dynamic clock and voltage scaling with low-latency switching

A method for operating an electronic apparatus is provided. The method includes receiving a token, activating a power switch for powering up a core in response to the receiving the token, and outputting the token based on a state of powering up the core. The outputting of the received token is delayed until the state of powering up the core is reached. In one aspect, an electronic apparatus includes a power switch configured to power up to a core is provided. A power-switch control circuit is configured to receive a token, activate the power switch for powering up the core in response to receiving the token, output the received token based on a state of powering up the core. The outputting of the received token is delayed until the state of powering up the core is reached. A plurality of the power-switch control circuits is configured as a ring.

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Irvine, CA, United States of America

Dipti Ranjan Pal