Self-aware adaptive power control system and a method for determining the circuit state

Abstract

The present invention provides a self-aware power control system and a method for determining the circuit state. The self-aware adaptive power control architecture comprises of a multi-mode power gating network, a current monitoring translator, a variable threshold comparator, a slack detector, and a bi-directional shift register. The multi-mode power gating network controls the amount of supply current and hence the circuit speed. The power gating network can be composed of either N-type MOSFETs for virtual ground insertion or P-type MOSFETs for virtual supply insertion. The number of MOSFETs in the multi-mode power gating network can be configured according to the supply range and step difference of the supply current. Then, by monitoring the current characteristics drained by target circuit, the circuit state can be determined. No delay matching circuit is required. Together with other peripherals, the supply current can be down controlled to a minimum acceptable level. The circuit will use up all available slack. The smaller current implies lower power consumption as well. Furthermore, the present invention is capable of self adaptation to frequency change. To summarize, the present invention can make the circuit consume least power under various frequency achieving best power efficiency.