1. An integrated circuit comprising:
a first power supply domain;
at least a second power supply domain; and
a radio frequency (RF) decoupling element connected between the first power supply domain and the second power supply domain wherein the RF decoupling element is connected between a portion of the first power supply domain and a portion of the second power supply domain;
wherein the first power supply domain, the second power supply domain, and the RF decoupling element are part of the integrated circuit.
2. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the first power supply domain and the portion of the second power supply domain, are on the same potential.
3. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the RF decoupling element is formed by at least two line portions extending in parallel to each other.
4. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the RF decoupling element is formed by line portions, partly arranged in a meander-like formation.
5. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the RF decoupling element is formed by line portions, partly arranged in a spiral-like formation.
6. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the RF decoupling element is formed as a conductive path in at least one semiconductor device layer of a chip.
7. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the RF decoupling element is formed as an inductive element integrated in a chip package.
8. The integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein the potential of the portion of the first power supply domain and the potential of the portion of the second power supply domain is a ground potential.
9. The integrated circuit according to claim 2, wherein the potential of the portion of the first power supply domain and the potential of the portion of the second power supply domain is a potential different to a ground potential.
10. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the RF decoupling element is formed as an inductive element arranged in different semiconductor device layers of a laminate chip package.
11. The integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the RF decoupling element comprises a low pass filter characteristic.
12. An integrated circuit comprising:
a first power supply domain with a first portion on a first potential and a second portion on a second potential;
at least a second power supply domain with a third portion on a third potential and a fourth portion on a fourth potential;
a radio frequency (RF) decoupling element electrically connecting one of the first and the second portion with one of the third and the fourth portion,
wherein the portions, being electrically connected by the RF decoupling element, are on the same potential; and
wherein the first power supply domain, the second power supply domain, and the RF decoupling element are part of the integrated circuit.
13. The integrated circuit according to claim 12, wherein the RF decoupling element is formed by conductive line portions, partly arranged in a meander-like formation.
14. The integrated circuit according to claim 12, wherein the RF decoupling element is formed by conductive line portions, partly arranged in a spiral-like formation.
15. A chip comprising:
a first integrated circuit disposed on said chip;
at least a second integrated circuit disposed on said chip, each of the first and the second integrated circuits comprising at least one power supply domain;
a radio frequency (RF) decoupling element electrically connecting a portion of a power supply domain of the first integrated circuit and a portion of a power supply domain of the second integrated circuit, both portions being on the same potential.
16. The chip according to claim 15, wherein the RF decoupling element is formed in at least one semiconductor device layer of the chip.
17. The chip according to claim 15, wherein the RF decoupling element is integrated in a package of the chip.
18. The chip according to claim 15, wherein the RF decoupling element is configured to comprise a low pass filter characteristic.
19. A method for manufacturing an integrated circuit comprising:
providing a first power supply domain;
providing at least a second power supply domain; and
providing a radio frequency (RF) decoupling element electrically connecting the first power supply domain and the second power supply domain so that the radio frequency (RF) decoupling element is connected between a portion of the first power supply domain and a portion of the second power supply domain, wherein the first power supply domain, the second power supply domain, and the RF decoupling element are part of the integrated circuit.
20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the portion of the first power supply domain and the portion of the second power supply domain, are on the same potential.
21. The method according to claim 19, wherein the providing a radio frequency (RF) decoupling element electrically connecting the first power supply domain and the second power supply domain is performed by forming line portions with at least partly a meander-like structure.
22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the providing a radio frequency (RF) decoupling element electrically connecting the first power supply domain and the second power supply domain is performed by forming line portions with at least partly a spiral-like structure.
23. The method according to claim 19, wherein the providing a radio frequency (RF) decoupling element electrically connecting the first power supply domain and the second power supply domain is performed by integrating the radio frequency decoupling element in a chip package of the integrated circuit.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A method of protecting a direct injection fuel injector in a multi-fuel engine, said method comprising:
selectively operating said multi-fuel engine with a directly injected fuel introduced through said direct injection fuel injector and a second fuel;
when fueling said multi-fuel engine with said second fuel, selectively commanding a fuel system protection technique when at least one of the following adverse conditions is determined to exist: said direct injection fuel injector requires cooling, an age of directly injected fuel is above a predetermined value, transmission status has changed, an engine shutdown event has occurred, and driving pattern recognition predicts an engine shutdown event will occur, wherein said fuel system protection technique comprises:
(a) suspending fueling with said second fuel and injecting said directly injected fuel for a first predetermined number of engine cycles;
(b) switching back to fueling said multi-fuel engine with said second fuel for a second predetermined number of engine cycles, wherein said first predetermined number and said second predetermined number of engine cycles are selected to keep torque disturbances below a predetermined threshold value.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until said at least one of said adverse conditions is determined to no longer exist.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein fueling with said second fuel is suspended in only one cylinder.
4. The method of claim 1, where said second fuel is a second directly injected fuel.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said second fuel is a fumigated fuel.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said second fuel comprises at least one of methane and natural gas.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said directly injected fuel comprises one of gasoline and ethanol-gasoline blends.
8. An apparatus for protecting a fuel system in a multi-fuel engine comprising:
a direct fuel injector for introducing a directly injected fuel into a combustion chamber of said multi-fuel engine;
a second injector for introducing a second fuel;
an electronic controller programmed to:
selectively operate said multi-fuel engine with at least one of a directly injected fuel introduced through said direct injection fuel injector and a second fuel;
when fueling said multi-fuel engine with said second fuel, selectively command a fuel system protection technique when determining that at least one of said direct injection fuel injector requires cooling, an age of directly injected fuel is above a predetermined value, transmission status has changed, an engine shutdown event has occurred and driving pattern recognition predicts an engine shutdown event will occur, wherein said electronic controller commands said fuel system protection technique comprising:
(a) suspending fueling with said second fuel and injecting said directly injected fuel for a first predetermined number of engine cycles;
(b) switching back to fueling said multi-fuel engine with said second fuel for a second predetermined number of engine cycles, wherein said first predetermined number and said second predetermined number of engine cycles are selected to keep torque disturbances below a predetermined threshold value.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, said fuel system protection technique further comprising: (c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until said at least one of said adverse conditions is determined to no longer exist.
10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein fueling with said second fuel is suspended in only one cylinder.
11. The apparatus of claim 8, where said second fuel is a second directly injected fuel.
12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said second fuel is a fumigated fuel.
13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said second fuel comprises at least one of methane and natural gas.
14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein said directly injected fuel comprises one of gasoline and ethanol-gasoline blends.