Level shift circuit

• US 8,957,721 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ROHM Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kihara, Seiichiro, Utsumi, Shunichi
• Primary Examiner(s): HOUSTON, ADAM D
• Application Number:
  US14/345,452
• Publication Number:
  US 20140347116A1
• Time in Patent Office: 935 Days
• Field of Search: 327/333
• US Class Current: 327/333
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/0013 in field effect transistor circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 19/018507 Interface arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/013 Modifications of generator to prevent operation by noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/356 Bistable circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/356069 using additional transistors in the feedback circuit H03K3/356104, H03K3/3562 take precedence

Abstract

The present invention provides a level shift circuit having low possibility of malfunction by noise, and can operate with low power. A level shift circuit 1 includes first and second MOSFETs 12a and 12b using signals with phases same as and opposite to the phase of an input signal Sin as gate inputs, first and second resistance elements 13a and 13b, each having one end connected to a shift level power terminal that supplies high-level output voltage of a level-shifted output signal, and each having the other end connected to a corresponding drain of the first and second MOSFETs, a comparator 14 having a pair of differential input terminals, which are individually connected to respective drains of the first and second MOSFETs, and a current control circuit 16 that controls an amount of first current flowing through the first MOSFET via the first resistance element and an amount of second current flowing through the second MOSFET via the second resistance element in synchronization with a rising and a falling of a signal level of the input signal.

Claims

1. A level shift circuit that outputs an output signal obtained by shifting a signal level of an input signal, the level shift circuit comprising:

a first current control element that uses the input signal or a signal having a phase same as a phase of the input signal as a first gate input, and controls an amount of current flowing through an output terminal depending on a voltage level of the first gate input;

a second current control element that uses a signal having a phase opposite to the phase of the input signal as a second gate input, and controls an amount of current flowing through an output terminal depending on a voltage level of the second gate input;

a first resistance element having one end connected to a shift level power terminal that supplies an output voltage of the output signal on a high level, and having the other end connected to the output terminal of the first current control element;

a second resistance element having one end connected to the shift level power terminal, and having the other end connected to the output terminal of the second current control element;

a comparator including a pair of differential input terminals, one of which being connected to the output terminal of the first current control element, and the other of which being connected to the output terminal of the second current control element, the comparator generating the output signal by amplifying a voltage difference between the pair of the differential input terminals; and

a current control circuit that controls an amount of first current flowing through the first current control element via the first resistance element and an amount of second current flowing through the second current control element via the second resistance element in synchronization with a rising and a falling of a signal level of the input signal.

2. The level shift circuit according to claim 1, wherein

the first current control element is configured of a first MOSFET having a gate to which the first gate input is inputted, and having a drain as the output terminal of the first current control element,

the second current control element is configured of a second MOSFET having a gate to which the second gate input is inputted, and having a drain as the output terminal of the second current control element,

the level shift circuit includes a current generating circuit that has either a first circuit structure independently generating the first current and the second current, or a second circuit structure generating third current obtained by adding the first current and the second current,

when the current generating circuit has the first circuit structure, a first current output terminal of the current generating circuit outputting the first current and a source of the first MOSFET are connected to each other, a second current output terminal of the current generating circuit outputting the second current and a source of the second MOSFET are connected to each other, and the current control circuit increases or decreases the first current and the second current in synchronization with the rising and the falling of the signal level of the input signal, and

when the current generating circuit has the second circuit structure, a current output terminal of the current generating circuit outputting the third current and the sources of the first and second MOSFETs are connected to each other, and the current control circuit increases or decreases the third current in synchronization with the rising and the falling of the signal level of the input signal.

3. The level shift circuit according to claim 2, wherein

when the current generating circuit has the first circuit structure, during a certain period of time after the rising and the falling of the signal level of the input signal, the current control circuit increases each of the first current and the second current more than a corresponding stationary value of the first and second currents in a period of time other than the certain period of time,

and when the current generating circuit has the second circuit structure, during the certain period of time, the current control circuit increases the third current more than a stationary value of the third current in a period of time other than the certain period of time.

4. The level shift circuit according to claim 3, wherein

the current control circuit detects the rising and the falling of the signal level of the input signal to generate a pulse signal whose signal level is changed in the certain period of time, and increases or decreases the amount of output current generated by the current generating circuit depending on the signal level of the pulse signal.