Compensation Techniques for Reducing Power Consumption in Digital Circuitry

A voltage supply compensation system, comprising:

• at least one digital circuit to be compensated for variations in at least one of process, supply voltage and temperature conditions to which the digital circuit may be subjected;
• and
• at least one compensation circuit connected to the digital circuit, the compensation circuit comprising:
• a first sample circuit connected to a first supply voltage, the first sample circuit being operative throughout a specified range of process, supply voltage and temperature conditions;
• a second sample circuit connected to a second supply voltage, the second sample circuit being configured to model one or more performance characteristics of the at least one digital circuit, the first and second sample circuits being substantially functionally equivalent to one another but optimized for different regions of operation within the specified range of process, supply voltage and temperature conditions;
• and
• a controller operative:
• to receive respective output signals from the first and second sample circuits so as to monitor a functionality of the second sample circuit relative to the first sample circuit;
• and to adjust a level of the second supply voltage to ensure correct operation of the second sample circuit throughout the specified range of process, supply voltage and temperature conditions, the at least one digital circuit being operative from the second supply voltage.