Electronic digital logic circuitry – Multifunctional or programmable
Reexamination Certificate
2001-09-27
2004-04-06
Le, Don (Department: 2819)
Electronic digital logic circuitry
Multifunctional or programmable
C326S093000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06717434
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a logic circuit module and a semiconductor integrated circuit having a recording medium storing the module, and more particularly to a semiconductor integrated circuit having a function of controlling a power consumption of another semiconductor integrated circuit.
An example of a conventional method of lowering a power consumption of a semiconductor integrated circuit is described in JP-A-07-20968. With this method, the consumption power of a computer is reduced by dynamically changing the operating voltage and frequency. Namely, by dynamically lowering the operating voltage and clock speed, the power consumption of the computer system is reduced.
An example of an interface to the external is described in JP-A-06-202753 entitled “Method of Stopping Clocks of Computer System and Processor”. A clock control signal input is provided in an external interface of a logic circuit. By inputting a signal to the external interface, clocks of a CPU can be stopped at any time irrespective of an instruction currently executed by the processor, while the defined status of the processor is ensured.
In “Integrated Circuit and Computer System” disclosed in JP-A-2000-132263, a common monitor clock is used for different modules in each integrated circuit and the total power consumption is reduced by a combination of an active power-down control and a passive power-down control.
The above-described conventional methods do not provide, however, sufficient consideration of a system LSI constituted of a combination of a plurality of reusable logic circuit modules (IP cores: IP is an acronym for Intellectual Property). Generally, in configuring a system LSI from a combination of IP cores, which IP cores are to be disposed in the system LSI is not still decided at the time of design (FIG.
22
). Although the above-described conventional methods describe the technique of a power voltage control to control a power consumption, they do not disclose a method of changing the power voltage of only some circuit modules of a system LSI.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a logic circuit module capable of implementing a power consumption control of a system LSI and to a recording medium storing the module.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a logic circuit module capable of controlling a power consumption at an IP core level and a recording medium storing the module.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of facilitating a system LSI designer to input specifications for the power consumption control of a system LSI when the system LSI is configured.
One feature of the invention is that a logic circuit module having a processor has a consumption power control function and an interface to be controlled by another logic circuit module.
Another feature of the invention is that a logic circuit module having a processor has a consumption power control function and an interface to control another logic circuit module.
According to one aspect of the invention, hardware resources such as interfaces and registers for the consumption power control of other IP cores are prepared and controlled by software to implement the consumption power control of a system LSI.
According to other aspects of the invention, the consumption power control can be performed at an IP core level and there is provided a method of facilitating a system LSI designer to input specifications for the power consumption control of a system LSI when the system LSI is configured.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
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Hotta Takashi
Kikuchi Mutsumi
Naya Hidemitsu
Saito Masahiko
Takahashi Yoshitaka
Antonelli Terry Stout & Kraus LLP
Hitachi , Ltd.
Le Don
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