Electronic device having power-down mode and method of reducing power consumption

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a regulator adapted to convert a power supply voltage to a regulated power supply voltage;

a processor adapted to receive the regulated power supply voltage and adapted to disable the regulator when the electronic device enters a power-down mode; and

an interrupt control unit adapted to receive the power supply voltage and adapted to perform a reset operation in response to a reset signal or an interrupt signal, wherein the interrupt control unit includes a logic gate having input terminals connected to a register and an interrupt controller and an output terminal connected to a reset controller.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein

the interrupt controller is adapted to output reset information in response to the interrupt signal; and

the reset controller is adapted to control the reset operation in response to the reset information or the reset signal.

3. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the register is adapted to receive a signal from the processor to disable the regulator in the power-down mode, and is further adapted to enable the regulator in response to the reset information or the reset signal.

4. The electronic device of claim 3 , wherein the register and the interrupt control unit are adapted to directly receive the power supply voltage.

5. The electronic device of claim 2 , wherein the reset signal and the interrupt signal are input from an input unit.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the logic gate is an AND gate.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the power supply voltage is supplied from a power source.

8. The electronic device of claim 1 , further comprising peripheral circuits adapted to receive the regulated power supply voltage.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the regulated power supply voltage is shut off to the processor and the peripheral circuits during the power-down mode.

10. An electronic device comprising:

a regulator adapted to convert a power supply voltage to a regulated power supply voltage;

a processor adapted to receive the regulated power supply voltage and adapted to determine whether a power-down mode or a power-saving mode has been initiated;

a register adapted to be controlled by the processor and adapted to set the power-down mode or the power-saving mode and a disable/enable state of the regulator; and

an interrupt control unit adapted to perform a reset operation to initialize the register in response to a reset signal or an interrupt signal,

wherein the regulator is disabled in the power-down mode and the register is not disabled in the power-saving mode; and

wherein the interrupt control unit includes a logic gate having input terminals connected to the register and an interrupt controller, and an output terminal connected to a reset controller.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein

the interrupt controller is adapted to output reset information in response to the interrupt signal; and

the reset controller is adapted to control the reset operation in response to the reset information or the reset signal.

12. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the logic gate is an AND gate.

13. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the power supply voltage is supplied from a power source.

14. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein the register and the interrupt control unit are adapted to directly receive the power supply voltage.

15. A method of reducing power consumption in an electronic device, comprising:

detecting whether the electronic device has entered a power-down mode;

disabling a regulator in the power-down mode to shut off a supply of a regulated voltage to a processor in the electronic device; and

supplying direct power voltage to a register and interrupt control unit in the power-down mode,

wherein the interrupt control unit includes a reset controller, an interrupt controller, and a logic gate having its input terminals connected to the interrupt controller and the register and its output terminal connected to the reset controller.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the power-down mode is detected by the processor and the processor controls the register to disable the regulator.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the interrupt controller outputs reset information to the register in response to an interrupt signal, and wherein the register enables the regulator.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the reset controller controls a reset operation in response to a reset signal, and wherein the register enables the regulator.