Multiple circuit blocks with interblock control and power conservation
AssigneeHitachi, Ltd.
InventorsTadashi Hoshi, Kenji Hirose, Hideaki Abe, Junichi Nishimoto, Midori Nagayama
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A semiconductor integrated circuit is provided including a plurality of circuit blocks and adapted to cut off the supply of power source voltage to any one of the circuit blocks. The integrated circuit includes an interblock interface circuit provided on a signal path from the elected circuit block to other circuit blocks, wherein a single output of the interblock interface circuit is branched out to other circuit blocks. The interblock interface circuit includes a signal gate for preventing signal transmission to other circuit blocks and includes a storage unit for storing a signal right before the power cut.
Claims7
A semiconductor integrated circuit, including:
- a plurality of circuit blocks,
- wherein a supply of power source voltage to at least one of said plurality of circuit blocks can be prevented to stop operation of said at least one circuit block, and
- at least one interblock interface circuit provided among said plurality of circuit blocks wherein said at least one interblock interface circuit comprises
- signal gate means for preventing transmission of a signal outputted from said at least one at said plurality of circuit blocks, and
- storage means for storing therein a state of said signal right before the preventing operation,
- wherein said at least one interblock interface circuit is formed in a semiconductor area electrically separated from a semiconductor substrate surface where elements constituting said plurality of circuit blocks are formed.
A semiconductor integrated circuit, including:
- a plurality of circuit blocks,
- wherein a supply of power source voltage to at least one of said plurality of circuit blocks can be prevented to stop operation of said at least one circuit block,
- at least one interblock interface circuit provided among said plurality of circuit blocks for preventing transmission of a respective at least one corresponding block output signal, and
- a control circuit for controlling said least one interblock interface circuit,
- signal gate means for preventing said transmission of said signal outputted from said at least one of a plurality of circuit blocks, and
- storage means for storing therein a state of said signal right before the preventing operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.