Methods and circuits for dynamically adjusting a supply voltage and/or a frequency of a clock signal in a digital circuit

摘要

PCT No. PCT/EP97/04286 Sec. 371 Date Dec. 21, 1999 Sec. 102(e) Date Dec. 21, 1999 PCT Filed Aug. 6, 1997 PCT Pub. No. WO98/06022 PCT Pub. Date Feb. 12, 1998A method and circuit for dynamically adjusting the supply voltage in a digital circuit determines the propagation delay of a signal along a signal path in the digital circuit and adjusts the supply voltage so that the determined propagation delay equals a predetermined period, such as the clock period of the clock signal which clocks the digital circuit. When the determined propagation delay equals the predetermined period, the adjusted supply voltage is applied to the digital circuit. This technique can be used to optimize power consumption and processing capability.