The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 07, 1999
Filed:
Apr. 10, 1997
Curtis Walter Preuss, Rochester, MN (US);
Robert Russell Williams, Rochester, MN (US);
International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, NY (US);
Abstract
A control system for minimizing and controlling the current slew rate of an output device by using inductance to directly measure the current slew rate is provided. The control system may, for example, be used to control and minimize the current slew rate through signal drivers and allow for faster drivers and/or larger numbers of drivers on integrated circuit chips. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, an inductor is serially coupled with an output device. A predriver is coupled to the gate of the output device for providing a voltage slew rate at the output device gate. A comparator is coupled to the inductor for sensing a voltage indicative of a current slew rate through the inductor and outputing a signal indicating whether the current slew rate exceeds or falls below a desired level. A controller responsive to the comparator is provided for controlling the driver to increase and decrease the voltage slew rate at the output device gate when the comparator signal indicates that the current slew rate respectively falls below and exceeds the desired level, thereby controlling the current slew rate through the inductor and through the output device.