Integrated circuit with low current consumption having a one wire communication interface

• US 7,454,644 B2
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Ganivet, Filipe, Giovinazzi, Thierry
• Primary Examiner(s): Perveen; Rehana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yanchus, III; Paul B
• Application Number:
  US10/480,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20040255208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,713 Days
• Field of Search: 713/500, 713/502, 327/165, 327/166
• US Class Current: 713/500
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 5/066 Means for reducing external access-lines for a semiconductor memory clip, e.g. by multiplexing at least address and data signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11C 7/222 Clock generating, synchronizing or distributing circuits within memory device

Abstract

An integrated circuit having a connection terminal for receiving an electric data carrying signal, a circuit for delivering a first clock signal having clock pulses sent after each falling edge of the electric data carrying signal and inside a data sampling window, a circuit for delivering a second clock signal having clock pulses sent only when the electric data carrying signal is at the high level, and a data processing circuit clocked by the second clock signal.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a connection terminal for receiving an electric data carrying signal;

means for delivering a first clock signal comprising clock pulses sent after each falling edge of the electric data carrying signal and sent inside a data sampling window;

means for delivering a second clock signal comprising clock pulses sent only when the electric data carrying signal is at the high level;

data processing means clocked by the second clock signal; and

means for extracting from the electric data carrying signal a voltage that electrically powers the data processing means.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, comprising data send-receive means clocked by the first clock signal.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the data processing means comprise a memory and means for reading and writing the memory.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the means for delivering a second clock signal are arranged for delivering a pulse of the second clock signal after each falling edge of the electric data carrying signal.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein the means for delivering a second clock signal are arranged for delivering a pulse of the second clock signal after each sending of a pulse of the first clock signal.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein the means for delivering a second clock signal comprise a hard-wired logic circuit receiving the first clock signal and the electric data carrying signal at input.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 6, wherein the means for delivering a second clock signal comprise a flip-flop receiving the first clock signal at a first input and, at a second input, a signal delivered by a delay circuit receiving the second clock signal at input, the output of the flip-flop being applied to one input of the logic circuit.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 1, comprising a terminal for receiving an external clock signal and means for injecting the external clock signal onto a conductive line provided for conveying the first clock signal.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 1, solely powered by the voltage extracted from the data carrying signal.

10. A method for managing current consumption of an integrated circuit having a connection terminal for receiving an electric data carrying signal, and means for delivering a first clock signal having clock pulses sent after each falling edge of the electric data carrying signal, inside a data sampling window, comprising:

extracting a voltage from the electric data carrying signal;

powering elements of the integrated circuit solely by means of the voltage extracted from the electric data carrying signal;

delivering a second clock signal comprising clock pulses sent only when the electric data carrying signal is at the high level; and

clocking, by means of the second clock signal, elements of the integrated circuit powered by the voltage extracted from the electric data carrying signal.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a pulse of the second clock signal is sent after each falling edge of the electric data carrying signal.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a pulse of the second clock signal is sent after each sending of a pulse of the first clock signal.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein elements of the integrated circuit sending or receiving data are clocked by the first clock signal.

14. The method of claim 13, applied to an integrated circuit comprising a memory and means for reading and writing the memory, wherein the means for reading and writing the memory are clocked by the second clock signal.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein:

a pulse of the second clock signal is generated by logically combining the first clock signal and the electric data carrying signal; and

a pulse of the second clock signal is reset after a time slot determined by a delay circuit.

16. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a data processing circuit adapted to process data received from a data signal;

a first circuit coupled to the data processing circuit and configured to generate a first clock signal responsive to a falling edge of the data signal to a first level and only inside a sampling window to synchronize the sending and receiving of data; and

a second circuit coupled to the first circuit and configured to generate a second clock signal responsive to the first clock signal to synchronize operations of the data processing circuit, the second clock signal sent only when the data signal is at a second level.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein the second circuit is configured to detect the edge transition of the data signal by detecting a pulse of the first clock signal.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 17, wherein the integrated circuit is powered solely by the data signal.

19. A memory read and write circuit, comprising:

a one-wire input;

a register circuit coupled to the one-wire input;

a memory circuit coupled to the register circuit;

a protocol control circuit coupled to the register circuit;

a first circuit for generating a first clock signal responsive to an edge transition of a data signal received at the one-wire input when the data signal is changing to a first level and only within a sampling window; and

a second circuit coupled to the first circuit, the protocol control circuit, and the register circuit, the second circuit configured to generate a second clock signal responsive to the first clock signal to synchronize operations of the protocol control circuit, the register circuit, and the memory circuit, the second clock signal sent only when the data signal is at a second level;

wherein the memory read and write circuit is solely powered by power extracted from the data signal.

20. The circuit of claim 19, wherein the second circuit is configured to detect the edge transition of the data signal by detecting a pulse of the first clock signal.

21. The circuit of claim 20, wherein the edge transition comprises a falling edge.

22. A method of managing current consumption of an integrated circuit having a data processing circuit for processing data received from a data signal, the method comprising:

generating a first clock signal responsive to an edge transition of the data signal received on a one-wire input that is changing to a first level and only during a sampling window that follows the data signal edge transition to the first level;

generating a second clock signal responsive to first clock signal to synchronize operations of the data processing circuit, the second clock signal sent only when the data signal is at a second first level; and

extracting power from the data signal and using only the extracted power for operating the integrated circuit.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein generating the second clock signal comprises detecting the edge transition of the data signal by detecting a pulse of the first clock signal.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein detecting the edge transition comprises detecting a falling edge of the data signal.

25. An integrated circuit, comprising:

a connection terminal for receiving an electric data carrying signal;

means for delivering a first clock signal comprising clock pulses sent after each falling edge of the electric data carrying signal and sent inside a data sampling window;

means for delivering a second clock signal comprising clock pulses sent only when the electric data carrying signal is at the high level;

data processing means clocked by the second clock signal; and

a terminal for receiving an external clock signal and means for injecting the external clock signal onto a conductive line provided for conveying the first clock signal.

26. The integrated circuit of claim 25, comprising data send-receive means clocked by the first clock signal.

27. The integrated circuit of claim 25, wherein the data processing means comprises a memory and means for reading and writing the memory.

28. The integrated circuit of claim 25, wherein the means for delivering a second clock signal are arranged for delivering a pulse of the second clock signal after each falling edge of the electric data carrying signal.

29. A method for managing current consumption of an integrated circuit having a connection terminal for receiving an electric data carrying signal, and means for delivering a first clock signal having clock pulses sent after each falling edge of the electric data carrying signal, inside a data sampling window, comprising:

extracting a voltage from the electric data carrying signal;

powering elements of the integrated circuit solely by means of the voltage extracted from the electric data carrying signal;

delivering a second clock signal comprising clock pulses sent only when the electric data carrying signal is at the high level;

clocking, by means of the second clock signal, elements of the integrated circuit powered by the voltage extracted from the electric data carrying signal; and

a pulse of the second clock signal is generated by logically combining the first clock signal and the electric data carrying signal; and

a pulse of the second clock signal is reset after a time slot determined by a delay circuit.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein a pulse of the second clock signal is sent after each falling edge of the electric data carrying signal.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein a pulse of the second clock signal is sent after each sending of a pulse of the first clock signal.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein elements of the integrated circuit sending or receiving data are clocked by the first clock signal.