US 6,388,509 B2Granted

Semiconductor integrated circuit, operating state detector, and electronic equipment

AssigneeSeiko Epson Corporation

InventorAkihiro Hiratsuka

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Abstract

The present invention relates to a semiconductor integrated circuit having function blocks with differing operating frequencies and to a semiconductor integrated circuit wherein the threshold voltages of MOS transistors that configure these function blocks are different for each function block. In first to Nth function blocks (30-1 to 30-N), which are supplied with constant voltages (VC1 to VCN) generated by a constant voltage generation section (20) as power voltages, any variation in operating speed or in the capability of the transistors is detected by an operating state detector (40) as a voltage (Vfre). Further, an operating state encoding section (50) encodes the voltage (Vfre), a voltage output control section (60) modifies basic voltages (VB1 to VBN) of the constant voltage generation section (20), and constant voltages (VC1 to VCN) for the function blocks (30-1 to 30-N) is modified.

Claims7

Dependent claims

A semiconductor integrated circuit comprising:

at least one constant voltage generation section for increasing or decreasing a power voltage supplied from at least one external power source, based on a basic voltage, to generate at least one constant voltage;
at least one function block to which is supplied said at least one constant voltage generated by said at least one constant voltage generation section;
at least one operating state detection section for generating an operating state data indicating an operating state of said at least one function block, based on a signal including operating speed information of said at least one function block;
and
at least one voltage output control section for modifying said basic voltage of said at least one constant voltage generation section, based on said operating state data;
wherein an operating-setting signal is input to said at least one function block, and said at least one function block supplies said signal to said at least one operating state detection section when said operating-setting signal is active.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.