Hybrid power switch
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsVivekanandan Venugopal, Ajay Kumar Bhatia
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for controlling a power switch are disclosed. A power switch may be coupled between a power supply signal and a virtual power supply signal coupled to a circuit block. The power switch may be configured to couple the power supply signal to the virtual power supply signal based on a first control signal, and reduce a voltage level of the virtual power supply signal to a voltage level less than a voltage level of the power supply signal based on a second control signal. The power switch may be further configured to change a current flowing from the power supply signal to the virtual power supply signal based on a third control signal.
Claims18
An apparatus, comprising:
- a first device coupled between a first power supply signal line and a second power supply signal line, wherein the first device is configured to couple, based on a voltage level of a control terminal of the first device, the first power supply signal line to the second power supply signal line;
- a second device connected to the control terminal of the first device and the second power supply signal line, wherein the second device is configured to couple the control terminal of the first device to the second power supply signal line using a first control signal;
- and
- a first plurality of devices configured, using the first control signal and a second control signal, to discharge a control node connected to the control terminal of the first device.
A method, comprising:
- coupling a first power supply signal line to a second power supply signal line by activating, using a first control signal, a first device connected between the first power supply signal line and the second power supply signal line, wherein the second power supply signal line is coupled to a circuit block;
- and
- activating, based on the first control signal, a second device connected between a control node and the second power supply signal line, wherein the control node is coupled to a control terminal of the first device.
An apparatus, comprising:
- a plurality of circuit blocks coupled to an internal power supply signal;
- and
- a power management unit coupled to an external power supply signal, wherein the power management unit is configured to:
- activate, using a first control signal, a first device connected between the external power supply signal and the internal power supply signal to couple the external power supply signal to the internal power supply signal;
- activate, using a second control signal, a second device connected to a control terminal of the first device and the internal power supply signal to reduce a voltage level of the internal power supply signal from a first voltage level to a second voltage level, wherein the second voltage level is less than a voltage level of the external power supply signal;
- and
- change a current flowing from the external power supply signal to the internal power supply signal based on a third control signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.