Control apparatus, semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus, and source voltage supply control system
View Patent ↗An excluding unit is controlled by a control signal received from a control unit, and based on the control signal a determination is made for each of circuit blocks as to whether either a voltage signal at a position of its corresponding circuit block or a signal indicating a voltage is outputted to a selection unit. From a circuit block which is not in operation, the voltage, but not a voltage signal at a position of the circuit block, is outputted to the selection unit. By this, the circuit block which is not in operation cannot be judged to have voltage drop, and accordingly, a high supply voltage cannot be supplied. Consequently, a malfunction caused by supply voltages to other circuit blocks being too high does not occur.
1. A control apparatus for detecting voltages at a plurality of positions on an integrated circuit and controlling a supply voltage to be supplied to said integrated circuit, based on the detected voltages, comprising:
selecting means for selecting a voltage at one position of said plurality of positions; and
excluding signal generating means for generating an excluding signal which excludes said voltage at one position of said plurality of positions from the selection made by said selecting means;
wherein said selecting means selects a second voltage from voltages not excluded by said excluding signal, and
the supply voltage to be supplied to said integrated circuit is controlled based on said second voltage selected by said selecting means.
2. The control apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , wherein said selecting means selects a lowest voltage from the voltages not excluded by the excluding signal.
3. The control apparatus as set forth in claim 1 , further comprising identifying means for identifying the position of the voltage excluded from the selection by said selecting means,
wherein said excluding signal generating means generates the excluding signal for excluding the voltage at the position identified by said identifying means.
4. The control apparatus as set forth in claim 3 , wherein said selecting means selects a lowest voltage from the voltages not excluded by the excluding signal.
5. The control apparatus as set forth in claim 3 , wherein said identifying means identifies the position of the voltage excluded from the selection by said selecting means, based on an operation of each of the plurality of positions on said integrated circuit.
6. The control apparatus as set forth in claim 5 , wherein said selecting means selects a lowest voltage from the voltages not excluded by the excluding signal.
7. The control apparatus as set forth in claim 3 , wherein said identifying means identifies the position of the voltage excluded from the selection by said selecting means, based on results of comparison between the voltages at the plurality of positions on said integrated circuit and a reference voltage.
8. The control apparatus as set forth in claim 7 , wherein said selecting means selects a lowest voltage from the voltages not excluded by the excluding signal.
9. The control apparatus as set forth in claim 3 , wherein
said integrated circuit has a plurality of circuit blocks each including one of said plurality of positions,
switching means for switching supply/non-supply of the voltage to each circuit block is provided, and
said identifying means identifies a position of one or more circuit blocks to which the voltage is not supplied by said switching means as a position corresponding to the voltage excluded from the selection made by said selecting means.
10. A control apparatus for detecting voltages at an optional position of each of a plurality of integrated circuits and controlling a supply voltage to be supplied to said plurality of integrated circuits, based on the detected voltages, comprising:
selecting means for selecting a voltage among the voltages at each of the optional positions of said plurality of integrated circuits;
switching means for switching supply/non-supply of the voltage to each of said plurality of integrated circuits; and
excluding signal generating means for generating an excluding signal which excludes said voltage at the optional position of one or more of said plurality of integrated circuits to which voltage is not supplied by said switching means in said plurality of integrated circuits from the selection made by said selecting means;
wherein said selecting means selects a second voltage from voltages not excluded by said excluding signal, and
the supply voltage to be supplied to said plurality of integrated circuits is controlled based on said second voltage selected by said selecting means.
11. A semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus, comprising:
an integrated circuit which is laid out on a board; and
a control apparatus for detecting voltages at a plurality of positions on an integrated circuit and controlling a supply voltage to be supplied to said integrated circuit, based on the detected voltages;
said control apparatus including:
selecting means for selecting a voltage at one position of said plurality of positions; and
excluding signal generating means for generating an excluding signal which excludes said voltage at one position of said plurality of positions from the selection made by said selecting means;
wherein said selecting means selects a second voltage from voltages not excluded by said excluding signal, and
the supply voltage to be supplied to said integrated circuit is controlled based on said second voltage selected by said selecting means.
12. The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus as set forth in claim 11 , wherein said selecting means selects a lowest voltage from the voltages not excluded by the excluding signal.
13. The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus as set forth in claim 11 , said control apparatus further including identifying means for identifying the position of the voltage excluded from the selection by said selecting means,
wherein said excluding signal generating means generates the excluding signal for excluding the voltage at the position identified by said identifying means.
14. The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus as set forth in claim 13 , wherein said selecting means selects a lowest voltage from the voltages not excluded by the excluding signal.
15. The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus as set forth in claim 13 , wherein said identifying means identifies the position of the voltage excluded from the selection by said selecting means, based on an operation of each of the plurality of positions on said integrated circuit.
16. The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus as set forth in claim 15 , wherein said selecting means selects a lowest voltage from the voltages not excluded by the excluding signal.
17. The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus as set forth in claim 13 , wherein said identifying means identifies the position of the voltage excluded from the selection by said selecting means, based on results of comparison between the voltages at the plurality of positions on said integrated circuit and a reference voltage.
18. The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus as set forth in claim 17 , wherein said selecting means selects a lowest voltage from the voltages not excluded by the excluding signal.
19. The semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus as set forth in claim 13 , wherein
said integrated circuit has a plurality of circuit blocks each including one of said plurality of positions,
switching means for switching supply/non-supply of the voltage to each circuit block is provided, and
said identifying means identifies a position of one or more circuit blocks to which the voltage is not supplied by said switching means as a position corresponding to the voltage excluded from the selection made by said selecting means.
20. A source voltage supply control system including:
a semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus comprising:
a substrate on which an integrated circuit having a plurality of circuit blocks and switching means for switching supply/non-supply of a voltage to each circuit block is laid out; and
a control apparatus, arranged on said substrate, for detecting voltages at each of said circuit blocks of said integrated circuit and controlling a supply voltage to be supplied to each of said circuit blocks, based on the detected voltage, comprising: selecting means for selecting a voltage of one circuit block among said plurality of circuit blocks; identifying means for identifying one or more circuit blocks to which voltage is not supplied by said switching means; and excluding signal generating means for generating an excluding signal which excludes said voltage at one or more of said plurality of circuit blocks identified by said identifying means: wherein said selecting means selects a second voltage from voltages not excluded by said excluding signal, and the supply voltage to be supplied to said integrated circuit is controlled based on said second voltage selected by said selecting means;
a source voltage supplying device for supplying a voltage to said semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus; and
a specifying device for giving orders to specify the switching to switching means of said control apparatus of said semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus.
21. The source voltage supply control system as set forth in claim 20 , wherein
said control apparatus has intermittent signal generating means for generating an intermittent signal whose value is intermittently varied,
said selecting means selects a circuit block according to said intermittent signal, and
said specifying device gives orders to specify switching of generation/non-generation of said intermittent signal, to said intermittent signal generating means of said control apparatus.
22. The source voltage supply control system as set forth in claim 20 , further including:
a plurality of said semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus; and
a plurality of said source voltage supplying device for supplying voltage to each of said semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus,
wherein said specifying device gives orders to specify switching, to said switching means of each semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus.
23. The source voltage supply control system as set forth in claim 22 , wherein
said control apparatus has intermittent signal generating means for generating an intermittent signal whose value is intermittently varied,
said selecting means selects a circuit block according to said intermittent signal, and
said specifying device gives orders to specify switching of generation/non-generation of said intermittent signal, to said intermittent signal generating means of said control apparatus.
24. A source voltage supply control system including:
a plurality of semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus on which a plurality of integrated circuits are laid out, respectively;
a control apparatus for detecting voltages at an optional position of each of a plurality of integrated circuits and controlling a supply voltage to be supplied to said plurality of integrated circuits, based on the detected voltages, comprising:
selecting means for selecting a voltage among the voltages at each of optional positions of said plurality of integrated circuits;
switching means for switching supply/non-supply of the voltage to each of said plurality of integrated circuits; and
excluding signal generating means for generating an excluding signal which excludes said voltage at the optional position of one or more of said plurality of integrated circuits to which voltage is not supplied by said switching means in said plurality of integrated circuits from the selection made by said selecting means;
wherein said selecting means selects a second voltage from voltages not excluded by said excluding signal, and the supply voltage to be supplied to said plurality of integrated circuits is controlled based on said second voltage selected by said selecting means;
a source voltage supplying device for supplying a voltage to said plurality of semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus; and
a specifying device for giving orders to specify switching, to said switching means of said control apparatus.