Average voltage band detection and use for tuning of voltages in ASICS

摘要

The timing and power consumption of controller circuits are is dependent on Process, Voltage, and Temperature. If the controller ASIC can measure the average voltage level during run-time, then firmware can use this information to tune the voltages for optimal speed/power performance. A voltage detector generates an output of, for example, 3 bits, where each state of the three bit bus represents a voltage band. These bits can then be used by the firmware to trim the appropriate regulators to boost/lower the voltages. This can be done for both the core voltage and I/O voltages. The firmware can be further optimized to take into account the states of temperature detectors and process detectors along with voltage band detector to optimize the system performance.

主权项

1. A controller integrated circuit for a non-volatile memory system, comprising:
a voltage regulator connectable to a power supply to generate and supply therefrom a first regulated voltage to a first section of the controller circuit, wherein the voltage regulator adjusts the level of the first regulated voltage in response to a control signal; a voltage detector connected to receive a reference voltage and an internal voltage level from the first section of the controller circuit and determine within which of a plurality of voltage ranges an average of the internal voltage level of the first section falls while in operation and generate therefrom a first signal indicative thereof; and a core processing section including logic circuitry connected to supply the control signal to the voltage regulator and connected to receive the first signal and in response thereto trim the value of the control signal.