CAMPBELL, CA – The US PTO has awarded Sigrity a patent for the company’s automated optimal sense location capability.

US Patent No. 8,080,897 describes a method for pinpointing the best position to place a remote voltage regulator module (VRM) sense line on a printed circuit board or package. This single design optimization can reportedly increase the ability to meet target voltage thresholds and significantly improve overall voltage margin efficiency by 10 to 30% compared to alternative locations.

The automated optimal sense location capability is implemented in Sigrity’s electrical and thermal simulation tool – PowerDC.

“We are pleased to receive the U.S. patent recognizing our work in automating remote sense location identification,” said Dr. Jiayuan Fang, president at Sigrity. “Even expert-level power engineers can find it difficult to pinpoint the best location for a remote sense line using judgment and experience alone. Simulation with various positioning alternatives can be helpful, but it is time-consuming. Sigrity’s technique efficiently finds the optimal sense line location and significantly shaves DC margins.”