Random number generating device

• US 9,252,756 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2013
• Issued: 02/02/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kihara, Hideyuki, Ohta, Kazuyo
• Primary Examiner(s): SHIN, JEFFREY M
• Application Number:
  US14/042,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20140028404A1
• Time in Patent Office: 855 Days
• Field of Search: 331/78, 341/67
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/588 Random number generators, i.e. based on natural stochastic processes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 3/84 Generating pulses having a predetermined statistical distribution of a parameter, e.g. random pulse generators
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0662 with particular pseudorandom sequence generator

Abstract

Provided is a random number generating device capable of generating highly irregular random numbers with a simple configuration. The random number generating device includes: a receiving unit including a receiving mechanism configured to receive, in a contactless manner, energy transmitted from a transmitting unit, the receiving unit being configured to convert the energy received by the receiving mechanism into a reception voltage; a voltage controlled oscillator configured to output an oscillating output signal based on the reception voltage; and a pseudorandom number generator configured to generate pseudorandom numbers varying in accordance with an oscillation frequency of the output signal from the voltage controlled oscillator.

Claims

1. A random number generating device comprising:

receiving circuitry configured to receive, in a contactless manner, energy transmitted from a transmitting unit, and to convert the received energy into a reception voltage;

a voltage controlled oscillator configured to output an oscillating output signal based on the reception voltage;

pseudorandom number generation circuitry configured to generate pseudorandom numbers varying in accordance with an oscillation frequency of the output signal from the voltage controlled oscillator; and

a limiter circuit configured to limit the reception voltage of the receiving circuitry to be in a predetermined voltage range, wherein;

the voltage controlled oscillator is configured to make, based on an operation signal, a switch between an ON period in which the voltage controlled oscillator outputs the output signal based on the reception voltage and an OFF period in which the voltage controlled oscillator outputs the output signal with a predetermined fixed voltage level,

the pseudorandom number generation circuitry is configured to generate pseudorandom numbers varying based on a wavenumber of the output signal that is inputted to the pseudorandom number generation circuitry during the ON period and varies in accordance with a distance between the transmitting unit and the receiving circuitry, and

the limiter circuit has such a temperature-dependent property that an output voltage value varies depending on a temperature.

2. The random number generating device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving circuitry includes a coil configured to receive an electromagnetic wave from the transmitting unit in a contactless manner.

3. The random number generating device according to claim 1, wherein the receiving circuitry includes a photodetector configured to receive light from the transmitting unit in a contactless manner.

4. The random number generating device according to claim 1, wherein the pseudorandom number generation circuitry includes an M-sequence bit string operating circuitry including a shift register and an exclusive OR gate.

5. A random number generating device comprising:

receiving circuitry configured to convert energy applied to receiving circuitry into a reception voltage, the receiving circuitry being configured to receive, in a contactless manner, energy transmitted from a transmitting unit;

a voltage controlled oscillator configured to output an oscillating output signal based on the reception voltage;

a pseudorandom number generation circuitry configured to generate pseudorandom numbers varying in accordance with an oscillation frequency of the output signal from the voltage controlled oscillator; and

a limiter circuit configured to limit the reception voltage of the receiving circuitry to be in a predetermined voltage range, wherein;

the voltage controlled oscillator is configured to make a switch between an ON period in which the voltage controlled oscillator outputs the output signal based on the reception voltage and an OFF period in which the voltage controlled oscillator outputs a predetermined voltage level,

the pseudorandom number generation circuitry is configured to generate pseudorandom numbers varying based on a wavenumber of the output signal that is inputted to the pseudorandom number generation circuitry during the ON period and varies in accordance with a distance between the transmitting unit and the receiving circuitry, and

the limiter circuit has such a temperature-dependent property that an output voltage value varies depending on a temperature.