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.

Date of Patent:
Feb. 05, 2002

Filed:

Apr. 30, 1999
Applicant:
Inventors:

Anthony R. Bonaccio, Shelburne, VT (US);

Howard Kalter, Colchester, VT (US);

William R. Tonti, Essex Junction, VT (US);

Attorney:
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
G06F 1/750 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
G06F 1/750 ;
Abstract

The disclosed invention provides a reduction of voltage noise or bounce in logic chips and does so in a practical way without requiting additional circuit elements that impact on circuit performance or speed. Broadly this reduction in voltage bounce is achieved by forcing the unused Input/Output (I/O) circuits, i.e., those chips not being activated, to serve as alterative paths to the voltage power supply used by the switching circuits. More particularly this is accomplished this by grouping the I/O points on the chips into logical, functional units such as data buses, control lines, the I/O points on switched circuits, i.e., those switched at high frequency and the I/O points on static circuits, i.e., non-switched and interconnecting and using the I/O points on the static circuits and the power supply drives coupled thereto as alternate pats to the power supply used by the switched circuits. In this way the inductance in the switched power supplies can be substantially reduced such that voltage bounce in the circuit is substantially reduced without adversely impacting on circuit speed.


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