Clock signal stop detection circuit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9712173-B2
Application number	US-201615182221-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 14, 2016
Priority date	Aug 3, 2015
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A semiconductor device detects an edge of input data input into a data retention circuit to which a clock signal is supplied, resets a first count value obtained by counting an edge detection frequency with a clock signal, resets a second count value obtained by counting the edge detection frequency with an inverted clock signal, and thereby detects an abnormality of the clock signal in accordance with a situation that either of the first count value and the second count value has reached a value indicative of an overflow state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor device, comprising:
an edge detection circuit that detects an edge of input data;
a first counter that is reset with a clock signal used to fetch the input data in a data retention circuit and counts an edge detection frequency of the edge detection circuit;
a second counter that is reset with an inverted clock signal that is inverted from the clock signal and counts the edge detection frequency of the edge detection circuit, and
a clock signal stop decision circuit that outputs a clock signal stop detection signal in accordance with a situation that one of the first counter and the second counter has reached an overflow state.

2. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second counter is larger by about 3 or more than the first counter in count value with which the second counter reaches the overflow state.

3. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the edge detection circuit detects the edge of the input data in accordance with occurrence of a difference in logical level between signals at input and output terminals of the data retention circuit.

4. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein when the count value has reached a value that causes the overflow state, the first counter and the second counter each retains the logical level of the clock signal stop detection signal until supply of the clock signal is resumed.

5. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the first counter includes
a first gating circuit that allows passage of an input edge detection signal that the edge detection circuit outputs in a time period that the clock signal is at a first logical level,
a first set/reset flip-flop that resets a first output to the first logical level with the clock signal that is at a second logical level that is reverse to the first logical level and sets the first output to the second logical level in accordance with a situation that a second output from the first gating circuit has shifted to the second logical level,
a second gating circuit that outputs a third output to a first rear-stage circuit, where the third output is the first output from the first set/reset flip-flop in a time period that an inverted input edge detection signal that has been inverted from the input edge detection signal is at the second logical level, and
a second set/reset flip-flop that sets a fourth output to the second logical level in accordance with a situation that the third output from the second gating circuit has shifted to the second logic level and resets the fourth output to the first logical level in accordance with a situation that the clock signal has shifted to the second logical level, and
wherein the second counter includes
a third gating circuit that allows passage of the input edge detection signal that the edge detection circuit outputs in a time period that the clock signal is at the second logical level,
a third set/reset flip-flop that resets a fifth output to the first logical level with the clock signal that is at the first logical level and sets the fifth output to the second logical level in accordance with a situation that a sixth output from the third gating circuit has shifted to the second logical level,
a fourth gating circuit that outputs a seventh output to a second rear-stage circuit, where the seventh output is the fifth output from the third set/reset flip-flop in a time period that the inverted input edge detection signal is at the second logical level,
a weight counter that starts a counting operation in accordance with a situation that the seventh output from the fourth gating circuit has shifted to the second logic level, increments a count value in accordance with an edge of the seventh output from the fourth gating circuit, and resets the count value in accordance with a situation that the clock signal has shifted to the first logical level, and
a fourth set/reset flip-flop that sets an eighth output to the second logical level in accordance with a situation that a ninth output from a final stage of the weight counter has shifted to the second logical level and resets the eighth output to the first logical level in accordance with a situation that the clock signal has shifted to the first logical level.

6. The semiconductor device according to claim 5 ,
wherein the weight counter includes
first toggle flip-flops each of which is reset with the clock signal that is at the first logical level and sets an output to the logical level of a signal to be input in accordance with the inverted input edge detection signal that is at the second logical level, and
a second toggle flip-flop that is reset with the clock signal that is at the first logical level and sets an output to the logical level of a signal to be input in accordance with the inverted input edge detection signal that is at the first logical level, and
wherein one and the other of the first toggle flip-flops are alternately coupled in series with the second toggle flip-flop and an output terminal of the final stage is loop-coupled to an input terminal of a first stage.

7. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the data retention circuit,
wherein:
a register is configured by the data retention circuit, and
the edge detection circuit, the first counter, the second counter, and the clock signal stop decision circuit detect a stop of the clock signal on the basis of input data in the data retention circuit and the clock signal that is input into the data retention circuit.

8. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
the data retention circuit,
wherein:
a PWM signal is output from the data retention circuit to a rear-stage circuit, and
the edge detection circuit, the first counter, the second counter, and the clock signal stop decision circuit detect a stop of the clock signal on the basis of input data in the data retention circuit and the clock signal that is input into the data retention circuit.

9. The semiconductor device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the data retention circuit is a D flip-flop that retains a value of the input data in synchronization with the clock signal.

10. A semiconductor device comprising:
a main clock signal wiring that transmits a first clock signal;
a clock signal monitor circuit that detects an abnormality of the first clock signal;
a sub clock signal wiring that transmits a second clock signal used for an operation of the clock signal monitor circuit;
a clock signal distribution network that apportions the first clock signal to a plurality of circuits as synchronous clock signals;
a data retention circuit that retains a value of input data on the basis of the synchronous clock signals; and
a clock signal stop detection circuit that detects a stop of the synchronous clock signal to be given to the data retention circuit on the basis of the input data,
wherein the clock signal stop detection circuit includes
an edge detection circuit that detects an edge of the input data,
a first counter that is reset with the synchronous clock signal input into the data retention circuit and counts an edge detection frequency of the edge detection circuit,
a second counter that is reset with an inverted synchronous clock signal that is inverted from the synchronous clock signal and counts the edge detection frequency of the edge detection circuit, and
a clock signal stop decision circuit that outputs a clock signal stop signal in accordance with a situation that one of the first counter and the second counter has reached an overflow state.

Assignees

• Renesas Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Uezato Seima

Classifications

• H03K19/003

  Modifications for increasing the reliability {for protection} · CPC title

• G06F11/0757

  by exceeding a time limit, i.e. time-out, e.g. watchdogs · CPC title

• H03K5/1534

  Transition or edge detectors · CPC title

• H03K5/19

  Monitoring patterns of pulse trains (indicating amplitude G01R19/00; indicating frequency G01R23/00; measuring characteristics of individual pulses G01R29/02) · CPC title

• H02P31/00

  Arrangements for regulating or controlling electric motors not provided for in groups H02P1/00 - H02P5/00, H02P7/00 or H02P21/00 - H02P29/00 · CPC title