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Apple patents switch design to reduce power loss in chip circuits

Apple has been granted a patent for a specific type of electronic switch, or multiplexer, used to route signals within a chip. The design uses a buffer to hold the voltage at a steady level when a path is not active, which helps prevent unwanted current flow known as leakage.

Why it mattersThis is a routine improvement in chip design that helps make electronics more energy efficient by reducing wasted power in idle components.

In the filing’s own words

A multiplexer circuit includes a plurality of switch circuits coupled between respective input nodes and an output node. The switch circuits include first and second switch elements coupled in series, at an intermediate node, between the respective input node and the output node. A third switch element is coupled between an output of a buffer and the intermediate node. The buffer is configured to generate a buffered voltage based on the output voltage. When a particular switch circuit is selected, its respective first and second switch elements are active while its third switch element is inactive, resulting in a path between its input node and the output node. When the particular switch circuit is not selected, its third switch element is active while its first and second switch elements are inactive. The buffered voltage is driven to the intermediate node via the active third switch element.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. An apparatus comprising: a plurality of switch circuits coupled between an output node and a plurality of input nodes; and a buffer circuit configured to generate a buffered voltage using a voltage level of the output node; wherein a first switch circuit of the plurality of switch circuits includes: a first switch element configured to, in response to a selection of the first switch circuit, couple a corresponding input node of the plurality of input nodes to an intermediate node; a second switch element configured to, in response to the selection of the first switch circuit, couple the intermediate node to the output node; and a third switch element configured to, in response to a de-selection of the first switch circuit, couple the intermediate node to the buffered voltage; and a plurality of driver circuits including a first subset and a second subset, wherein driver circuits of the first subset are configured to generate and provide, to the second switch element, a first plurality of selection signals having a first voltage swing, and wherein driver circuits of the second subset are configured to generate and provide, to the first and third switch elements, a second plurality of selection signals having a second voltage swing, wherein the second voltage swing is less than the first voltage swing.

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc.)
Official title
Low leakage multiplexer
Patent number
US12744529B2
Application number
18820941
Filed
Aug 30, 2024
Granted
Sep 22, 2026
Inventors
2
Claims
20

Classified under

H03K 17/693 Electricity & electronicsH03K 17/6871 Electricity & electronicsH03K 2217/0054 Electricity & electronics
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.