Random number generation circuit

• US 7,702,705 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Taketoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Malzahn; David H
• Application Number:
  US11/376,659
• Publication Number:
  US 20060244544A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,498 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 708/250
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/588 Random number generators, i.e. based on natural stochastic processes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/0315 Ring oscillators
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/354 Astable circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/84 Generating pulses having a predetermined statistical distribution of a parameter, e.g. random pulse generators

Abstract

A random number generation circuit has a ring oscillator which has odd number of inverting amplifiers connected in ring shape, a delay control circuit which generates a predetermined clock signal by delaying a reference clock signal, a first sampling circuit which samples an oscillation signal generated by the ring oscillator with the predetermined clock signal, a first logical equalization circuit which equalizes occurrence frequency of “0” and “1” of a sampling signal sampled by the first sampling circuit, a linear feedback shift register (LFSR) which generates random serial data based on an output signal of the first logical equalization circuit, and a serial-parallel converter which generates random parallel data used for controlling a delay amount of the delay control circuit by converting the random serial data from serial to parallel.

Claims

1. A random number generation circuit, comprising:

a ring oscillator which has odd number of inverting amplifiers connected in ring shape;

a delay control circuit which generates a predetermined clock signal by delaying a reference clock signal;

a first sampling circuit which samples an oscillation signal generated by the ring oscillator with the predetermined clock signal;

a first logical equalization circuit which equalizes occurrence frequency of “

0” and

“

1”

of a sampling signal sampled by the first sampling circuit;

a linear feedback shift register (LFSR) which generates random serial data based on an output signal of the first logical equalization circuit; and

a serial-parallel converter which generates random parallel data used for controlling a delay amount of the delay control circuit by converting the random serial data from serial to parallel.

2. The random number generation circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a delay circuit which delays the oscillation signal generated by the ring oscillator by a predetermined amount;

a second sampling circuit which samples the oscillation signal delayed by the delay circuit with the predetermined clock signal; and

a second logical equalization circuit which equalizes occurrence frequency of “

0” and

“

1”

of the sampling signal sampled by the second sampling circuit,

wherein the linear feedback shift register generates the random serial data based on the output signal of the first logical equalization circuit and the output signal of the second logical equalization circuit.

3. The random number generation circuit according to claim 2,

wherein the clock signal of the first sampling circuit and the clock signal of the second sampling circuit are asynchronous to each other.

4. The random number generation circuit according to claim 1,

wherein oscillating frequency of the oscillation signal generated by the ring oscillator is double-fold or more higher than the frequency of the predetermined clock signal.

5. The random number generation circuit according to claim 1, wherein the delay control circuit includes:

a micro delay amount setting part where adjusts a micro delay amount by variably controlling the number of buffers connected in parallel; and

a large delay amount setting part which is connected to the delay control circuit and adjusts a delay amount larger than that of the micro delay amount setting part by variably controlling the number of buffers connected in serial.

6. The random number generation circuit according to claim 5,

wherein the large delay amount setting part sets the delay amount based on parallel data generated by the serial-parallel converter.

7. The random number generation circuit according to claim 1,

wherein the ring oscillator has a buffer part connected to the odd number of inverting amplifiers in serial;

the buffer part has a plurality of buffers connected in parallel and a capacitor connected at subsequent stage of at least one of the plurality of buffers; and

the ring oscillator variably controls the oscillating frequency of the oscillation signal by adjusting the number of buffers connected in parallel or a capacitance of the capacitor.

8. The random number generation circuit according to claim 1,

wherein the ring oscillator includes:

odd number of inverting amplifiers connected in serial;

a plurality of buffers connected in parallel to the output terminal of the inverting amplifier at a final stage;

a load capacitor connected between the output terminal of at least one of the plurality of buffers and a reference voltage terminal; and

a selector which selects one of the output signals of the plurality of buffers.

9. A random number generation circuit, comprising:

a ring oscillator which has odd number of inverting amplifiers connected in ring shape and odd number of current amplification circuits connected to current paths of the respective inverting amplifiers;

a first sampling circuit which samples an oscillation signal generated by the ring oscillator with a predetermined clock signal;

a first logical equalization circuit which equalizes occurrence frequency of “

0” and

“

1”

of a sampling signal sampled by the first sampling circuit;

a linear feedback shift register (LFSR) which generates random serial data based on an output signal of the first logical equalization circuit; and

a serial-parallel converter which generates random parallel data by converting the random serial data from serial to parallel.

10. The random number generation circuit according to claim 9, further comprising:

a first power supply line which supplies at least one of the first sampling circuit the first logical equalization circuit, the linear feedback shift register and the serial-parallel converter except for the ring oscillator with a power supply voltage; and

a second power supply line which has voltage fluctuation larger than that of the first power supply line,

wherein the second power supply line is connected to the odd number of current amplification circuit.

11. The random number generation circuit according to claim 10,

wherein the second power supply line is connected to a power supply line of an internal bus including a plurality of signal lines.

12. The random number generation circuit according to claim 10,

wherein the first power supply line is connected to a first external power supply via a first external power supply terminal;

and

the second power supply line is connected to a second external power supply having voltage fluctuation larger than that of the first external power supply via a second external power supply terminal.

13. The random number generation circuit according to claim 9,

wherein each of the odd number of current amplification circuits includes:

a first NMOS transistor connected between a power supply terminal of the corresponding inverting amplifier and a first reference power supply terminal; and

a first PMOS transistor connected between a grounding terminal of the corresponding inverting amplifier and a second reference power supply terminal.

14. The random number generation circuit according to claim 13, further comprising:

a first power supply pair line which supplies first and second power supply voltages; and

a second power supply pair line which supplies third and fourth power supply voltages having voltage fluctuation larger than that of the first and second power supply voltages,

wherein a drain terminal and a gate terminal of the first NMOS transistor are supplied with the third power supply voltage;

a source terminal of the first NMOS transistor is connected to a source terminal of a second PMOS transistor constituting the inverting amplifier;

a source terminal of a second NMOS transistor constituting the inverting amplifier is connected to a gate terminal and a source terminal of the first PMOS transistor; and

a drain terminal of the first PMOS transistor is supplied with the fourth power supply voltage.

15. A random number generation circuit, comprising:

a ring oscillation type VCO which has odd number of inverting amplifiers connected in ring shape and odd number of voltage control circuits configured to perform voltage control of drive capability of the odd number of inverting amplifiers;

a first sampling circuit which samples an oscillation signal generated by the ring oscillation type VCO with a predetermined clock signal;

a first logical equalization circuit which equalizes occurrence frequency of “

0” and

“

1”

of a sampling signal sampled by the first sampling circuit;

a linear feedback shift register which generates random serial data based on an output signal of the first logical equalization circuit; and

a serial-parallel converter which generates random parallel data by converting the random serial data from serial to parallel.

16. The random number generation circuit according to claim 15, further comprising:

a first power supply line which supplies at least one circuit except for the ring oscillation type VCO with a power supply voltage; and

a second power supply line having voltage fluctuation larger than that of the first power supply line,

wherein the second power supply line is connected to the odd number of voltage control circuits.

17. The random number generation circuit according to claim 16,

wherein the second power supply line is connected to a power supply line of an internal bus including a plurality of signal lines.

18. The random number generation circuit according to claim 16,

wherein the first power supply line is connected to a first external power supply via a first external power supply terminal;

and

the second power supply line is connected to a second external power supply having voltage fluctuation larger than that of the first external power supply via a second external power supply terminal.

19. The random number generation circuit according to claim 15,

wherein each of the odd number of voltage control circuits includes:

a PMOS transistor connected between a power supply terminal of the corresponding inverting amplifier and a first reference power supply terminal; and

an NMOS transistor connected between a grounding terminal of the corresponding inverting amplifier and a second reference power supply terminal.

20. The random number generation circuit according to claim 15, further comprising:

a first power supply pair line which supplies first and second power supply voltages;

a second power supply pair line which supplies third and fourth power supply voltages having voltage fluctuation larger than that of the first and second power supply voltages; and

a third power supply pair line which is provided separately from the second voltage supply pair line and supplies fifth and sixth power supply voltages having voltage fluctuation larger than that of the first and second power supply voltages,

wherein the second power supply pair line is connected to a source terminal of the PMOS transistor and a source terminal of the NMOS transistor; and

the third power supply pair line is connected to a gate terminal of the PMOS transistor and a gate terminal of the NMOS transistor.