Low-power driver with energy recovery
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsJoohee Kim, Marios C. Papaefthymiou
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Abstract
The present invention provides an energy recovering driver that includes a pull-up control, a pull-down control and a transmission gate. The pull up control is responsive to a pull-up control signal and a clock signal to turn the transmission gate ON and OFF and predetermined positions of the clock signal. The pull-down control is responsive to a pull-down control signal and the clock signal to turn the transmission gate ON and OFF at other predetermined locations of the clock signal. The transmission gate transmits the clock signal when at an ON condition and does not transmit the clock signal when in an OFF condition.
Claims38
An energy recovery driver comprising:
- a pull-up control that receives a pull-up control signal and a sinusoidal clock signal;
- a pull-down control that receives a pull-down control signal and the sinusoidal clock signal;
- a transmission gate that transmits the sinusoidal clock signal when in an ON condition and that does not transmit the sinusoidal clock signal when in an OFF condition;
- wherein the pull-up control is responsive to the pull-up control signal and the clock signal to turn the transmission gate ON at a first pull-up position on the clock signal and to turn OFF the transmission gate at a second pull-up position on the clock signal;
- wherein the pull-down control is responsive to the pull-down control signal and the clock signal to turn ON the transmission gate at a first pull down position on the clock signal and to turn OFF the transmission gate at a second pull-down position on the clock signal.
A method for driving a word line or a bit line of an SRAM architecture, the method comprising:
- supplying an energy recovering driver with a ramped or sinusoidal clock signal;
- driving the word line or bit line with the ramped or sinusoidal clock signal when the clock signal reaches a first pull-up position;
- ceasing to drive the word line or bit line with the clock signal when the clock signal reaches a second pull-up position;
- wherein a parasitic capacitance in the word line or bit line maintains a voltage of the word line or bit line at the second pull-up position after the step-up ceasing.
A method for driving a device, the method comprising:
- supplying an energy recovering driver with a ramped or sinusoidal clock signal;
- driving the device with the ramped or sinusoidal clock signal when the clock signal reaches a first pull-up position;
- ceasing to drive the driver with the clock signal when the clock signal reaches a second pull-up position;
- wherein a parasitic capacitance in the driver maintains a voltage of the driver at the second pull-up position after the step-up ceasing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.