Semiconductor device including a voltage monitoring circuit
View Patent ↗An semiconductor device includes a voltage-decreasing regulator which converts a source voltage into an output voltage in accordance with a control signal, the regulator supplying the output voltage to an internal module via a power line. An analog-to-digital converter converts the output voltage received from the power line, into an output signal indicating a value of the output voltage. A voltage monitoring circuit has a control register holding a value predetermined for a selected operational mode. The voltage monitoring circuit generates the control signal based on a result of comparison between the value indicated by the output signal of the converter and the value held by the control register, and outputs the control signal to the regulator so that the regulator supplies the output voltage, adjusted to an optimal output voltage for the selected operational mode by the control signal, to the internal module.
1. A semiconductor device in which an operational mode is selected from among a number of operational modes, comprising:
a voltage-decreasing regulator converting a source voltage into an output voltage in accordance with a control signal, the regulator supplying the output voltage to an internal module of the semiconductor device via a power line;
an analog-to-digital converter converting the output voltage received from the power line, into an output signal which indicates a value of the received output voltage; and
a voltage monitoring circuit having a control register that holds a value predetermined for the selected operational mode, and generating the control signal based on a result of comparison between the value indicated by the output signal of the converter and the value held by the control register,
wherein the voltage monitoring circuit outputs the control signal to the regulator so that the regulator supplies the output voltage, which is adjusted to an optimal output voltage for the selected operational mode by the control signal, to the internal module.
2. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the semiconductor device includes a plurality of voltage monitoring circuits, a plurality of voltage-decreasing regulators, and a plurality of internal modules respectively connected to a plurality of power lines, the plurality of voltage monitoring circuits being separately formed on a plurality of semiconductor chips, and the analog-to-digital converter being formed on a common semiconductor chip provided in common to the plurality of semiconductor chips.
3. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the voltage monitoring circuit comprises a comparator which receives the output signal of the converter and the value held by the control register, and outputs a signal indicating the result of comparison between the value indicated by the output signal of the converter and the value held by the control register.
4. The semiconductor device of claim 2 wherein the common semiconductor chip on which the analog-to-digital converter is formed includes a multiplexer which is connected to the plurality of semiconductor chips.
5. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein, when the value indicated by the output signal of the converter is larger than the value held by the control register, the voltage monitoring circuit outputs the control signal, which decreases the output voltage of the regulator, to the regulator, and when the value indicated by the output signal of the converter is smaller than the value held by the control register, the voltage monitoring circuit outputs the control signal, which increases the output voltage of the regulator, to the regulator.
6. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the output signal of the A/D converter is transmitted to the voltage monitoring circuit by using a serial communication.
7. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the voltage monitoring circuit is constituted by using a central processing unit.
8. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the number of operational modes of the semiconductor device comprises a normal operational mode and a low-power mode.
9. The semiconductor device of claim 2 wherein the plurality of internal modules are respectively provided on the plurality of semiconductor chips related to the plurality of voltage monitoring circuits, and each of output voltages of the plurality of voltage-decreasing regulators is supplied to the converter via one of the plurality of power lines.
10. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein a plurality of values corresponding to the number of operational modes are predetermined for the semiconductor device, and whenever one operational mode is changed to another among the number of operational modes, a corresponding one of the predetermined values is written to the control register of the voltage monitoring circuit.
11. The semiconductor device of claim 1 wherein the number of operational modes of the semiconductor device comprises a normal operational mode, a sleep mode and a stop mode.