US Patent:
20160139656, May 19, 2016
Inventors:
- Irvine CA, US
Bruce KAUFFMANN - Santa Clara CA, US
Ray BLOKER - Los Gatos CA, US
International Classification:
G06F 1/32
Abstract:
Systems and methods are provided for reducing surge current in power gated designs. In one aspect, a storage capacitor supplies a portion of the current used to power up a circuit. The storage capacitor may be charged from a power supply or other source. When the circuit is to be powered up, the circuit is connected to the power supply and the storage capacitor. As a result, current is supplied to the circuit from the power supply and the storage capacitor to power up the circuit. Because a portion of the current used to power up the circuit is supplied from the storage capacitor, the amount of current needed from the power supply to power up the circuit can be reduced, thereby reducing current surge through the power supply. The storage capacitor may be shared by multiple circuits.