Intel Corporation

Jeffrey A Carlson

Edward Paul Osburn

Efraim Rotem

Doron Rajwan

Nadav Shulman

Nir Rosenzweig

Jorge Pedro Rodriguez

Gal Leibovich

Tomer Ziv

Philip R Lehwalder

Amit Gabai

David W Browning

Alexander Uan-Zo-Li

Tawfik M Rahal-Arabi

Soethiha Soe

Jawad Haj-Yihia

Craig S Forbell

Jeffrey Krieger

Ruoying Ma

Jorege P Rodriguez

Sofia C Hao

A method and apparatus for providing proactive current protection. In one embodiment, the method comprises: prior to transitioning to a new state for an integrated circuit (IC), calculating a sum of expected powers for a plurality of domains in the IC by calculating an expected current for each of the plurality of domains based on an individual domain frequency in the new state and multiplying the expected current with its associated voltage for each of the plurality of domains for the new state; comparing the sum to a power limit; and if the sum is greater than the power limit, then reducing the individual domain frequency associated with at least one domain in the plurality of domains to maintain the total instantaneous power of the IC below the power limit.

System maximum current protection

Examples are disclosed for an integrated circuit (IC) device coupled to a battery-operated power supply unit, such as an IC in a mobile computing device or wireless phone, to accurately determine energy usage drawn from the power supply unit under rapidly dynamic circumstances. A current sense signal of a power line from the power supply unit is digitized. The digitized current sense is added to an accumulator at a rate that is approximately proportional to a voltage of the power line from the power supply unit. The accumulator is then outputted and scaled to units relevant to energy measurements. The energy measurement is used to estimate remaining battery life. Triggering the digitization of the current sense signal may be by use of a pulse generation circuit, or by use of an overflow indicator of an accumulator for a digitized voltage sense signal. Other examples are described and claimed.

Power consumption monitoring device for a power source

An electronic device may include a plurality of voltage rails to provide voltages to components of a load, a plurality of voltage regulators, and a buck converter apparatus to separately couple to more than one of the plurality of voltage rails and to provide a voltage to at least a specific one of the voltage rails.

Electronic device having plurality of voltage rails

Examples are disclosed for an integrated circuit (IC) device coupled to a battery-operated power supply unit, such as an IC in a mobile computing device or wireless phone, to accurately determine energy usage drawn from the power supply unit under rapidly dynamic circumstances. A current sense signal of a power line from the power supply unit is digitized. The digitized current sense is added to an accumulator at a rate that is approximately proportional to a voltage of the power line from the power supply unit. The accumulator is then outputted and scaled to units relevant to energy measurements. The energy measurement is used to estimate remaining battery life. Triggering the digitization of the current sense signal may be by use of a pulse generation circuit, or by use of an overflow indicator of an accumulator for a digitized voltage sense signal.

Systems and methods may provide for monitoring a current provided from a voltage regulator to a non-core region of a processor, and asserting a throttle signal to the non-core region of the processor if the current exceeds a supply capability threshold of the voltage regulator. In one example, a specified current supply capability of the non-core region is greater than a current supply capability of the voltage regulator, and the supply capability threshold is less than the specified current supply capability of the non-core region and an over current protection threshold of the non-core region.

Voltage regulator supplying power exclusively to a non-core region of a processor having a supply capability threshold

An integrated circuit die includes a microprocessor and a control circuit to control elements of a voltage regulator to supply power to the microprocessor.

Microprocessor die with integrated voltage regulation control circuit

A voltage regulator has an output path to couple to a load. A first sense point at a first sense location on the output path is to sense a first feedback signal for the voltage regulator. And, a second sense point at a second sense location on the output path is to sense a second feedback signal for the voltage regulator.

Multi-sense voltage regulator

An apparatus includes connectors and a circuit. Each connector is capable of receiving and coupling a different voltage regulator module to a circuit board. The circuit is coupled to the connectors to form a multiple phase voltage regulator system out of the voltage regulator modules that are received by the connectors. The circuit establishes the number of phases of the multiple phase voltage regulator system based on the number of voltage regulator modules that are received by the connectors.

Growing community of inventors

Portland, OR, United States of America

Jeffrey A Carlson