Patents by Inventor Akihiko Hashiguchi

Akihiko Hashiguchi has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 6924679
    Abstract: A power supply voltage control apparatus including an input signal generation circuit of wide uses or a small-sized monitor circuit of a novel configuration, and a semiconductor circuit and a method for driving the same, having a semiconductor circuit 11, an input signal generation circuit 12 able to change the phase difference i of a reference signal out?i and an input signal out?0 in accordance with a control signal Si when generating the two signals from a clock, a monitor circuit 13 having a characteristic between a power supply voltage and delay the same as that of a critical path of the semiconductor circuit 11, propagating the input signal out?0, and outputting a delayed signal out?0? to be delayed exactly by a time equivalent to a delay of the critical path (or smaller by a constant ratio), a delay detection circuit 14 for detecting a delay of the delayed signal out?0? relative to the reference signal out?i, and a power supply voltage control circuit 15 for controlling a power supply voltage VDD suppl
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2005
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Katsunori Seno, Akihiko Hashiguchi, Tetsuo Kondo, Takahiro Seki
  • Patent number: 6667651
    Abstract: A voltage supply circuit capable of dealing with an abrupt change of a load by controlling an amount of increase of a power source voltage to be larger than an amount of reduction, supplying a stable operating power source voltage, and realizing lower power consumption while maintaining normal operation of a semiconductor integrated circuit is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 23, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Hashiguchi
  • Publication number: 20020190283
    Abstract: A power supply voltage control apparatus including an input signal generation circuit of wide uses or a small-sized monitor circuit of a novel configuration, and a semiconductor circuit and a method for driving the same, having a semiconductor circuit 11, an input signal generation circuit 12 able to change the phase difference i of a reference signal out&phgr;i and an input signal out&phgr;0 in accordance with a control signal Si when generating the two signals from a clock, a monitor circuit 13 having a characteristic between a power supply voltage and delay the same as that of a critical path of the semiconductor circuit 11, propagating the input signal out&phgr;0, and outputting a delayed signal out&phgr;0′ to be delayed exactly by a time equivalent to a delay of the critical path (or smaller by a constant ratio), a delay detection circuit 14 for detecting a delay of the delayed signal out&phgr;0′ relative to the reference signal out&phgr;i, and a power supply voltage control circuit 15 for co
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventors: Katsunori Seno, Akihiko Hashiguchi, Tetsuo Kondo, Takahiro Seki
  • Publication number: 20020135416
    Abstract: A voltage supply circuit capable of dealing with an abrupt change of a load by controlling an amount of increase of a power source voltage to be larger than an amount of reduction, supplying a stable operating power source voltage, and realizing lower power consumption while maintaining normal operation of a semiconductor integrated circuit is provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2001
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Inventor: Akihiko Hashiguchi
  • Patent number: 6426895
    Abstract: A memory system and its programming method capable of reducing the programming time for each page, wherein the memory-cell array is constituted by a MONOS-type (MNOS-type) non-volatile memory or floating gate non-volatile memory in which a source-side channel, hot-electron injection that enables the memory to write therein data by each divided unit (for instance, each 64 bytes=512 bits) is carried out, instead of the write operation where writing is carried out collectively by each page unit (512 bytes). Further, there is provided an emulation circuit successively storing programming data that constitute the page of a plurality of divided units and a control circuit successively reading the held divided unit data so as to write to the non-volatile memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Kosaka, Akihiko Hashiguchi, Takumi Okaue
  • Publication number: 20010053092
    Abstract: A memory system and its programming method capable of reducing programming time for each page versatility thereof is high, wherein the memory cell array is constituted, by a MONOS-type (MNOS-type) non-volatile memory or floating gate non-volatile memory in which a source side channel hot electron injection that enables the memory to write therein data by each divided unit (for instance, each 64 bytes=512 bits) is carried out, instead of the write operation where writing is carried out collectively by each page unit (512 bytes). Further, there is provided an emulation circuit successively storing programming data that constitutes the page of a plurality of divided units, and a control circuit successively reading the held divided unit data so as to write to the non-volatile memory.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2001
    Publication date: December 20, 2001
    Applicant: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Hideo Kosaka, Akihiko Hashiguchi, Takumi Okaue
  • Patent number: 6308251
    Abstract: A parallel processor apparatus capable of reducing the power consumption when converting serial data to parallel data and, at the same time, capable of improving an operating speed, wherein a data input register for converting serial data to parallel data is divided and data inputting means of a plurality of blocks are constituted and wherein detection circuits for detecting the time of input and the time of output of the pointer data in the data inputting means are provided and switch circuits for connecting the related data inputting means and a serial data input line only for a period from the time of input to the time of output of the pointer data detected by the detection circuit are provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2001
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Hashiguchi
  • Patent number: 6084438
    Abstract: A P-type MOSFET transistor as a current source and an N-type MOSFET transistor are connected in series between a power supply and one end of a bit line that is also connected to a memory cell with the other end thereof. The gate electrode of the P-type MOSFET transistor and that of the N-type MOSFET transistor are then biased by a current capability setting circuit in such a manner that a current capability of the P-type MOSFET transistor is smaller than a current capability of a memory cell and a current capability of the N-type MOSFET transistor is larger than the current capability of the P-type MOSFET transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 4, 2000
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Hashiguchi
  • Patent number: 5892385
    Abstract: In a level conversion circuit where the input signal is input via a flip-flop which sets its output in a high impedance state during the holding state, by adding a circuit which sets the output voltage to a predetermined potential level when the output of the flip-flop is in a high impedance state, the leakage current is reduced and a clock skew is prevented, to result in a stable operation of the level conversion circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 6, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Hashiguchi
  • Patent number: 5886931
    Abstract: Feedback control is performed on the potential of a bit line in accordance with a change in the potential. Meanwhile, the data which has been previously read on the bit line is temporarily latched in a D-type flip-flop. A reference voltage Vref determined by a bias circuit is offset by using an offset circuit while referring to the level of the previously read data latched in the D-type flip-flop. In this manner, a bias voltage is obtained from currently read data, and based on the bias voltage, the potential of the bit line is controlled. Thus, high-speed data determining operation is achieved, which has been previously hampered when the currently read data is reversed with respect to the data read in the previous cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 1998
    Date of Patent: March 23, 1999
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Akihiko Hashiguchi
  • Patent number: 5850268
    Abstract: To provide a parallel processor apparatus which can perform processing with a good efficiency on signals comprised of data of different lengths. A parallel processor configured by a serial connection of a first parallel processor and a second parallel processor having n number of individual processors and (m-n) number of individual processors. For signals comprised of data of a length, serving as the unit of processing, of m or less and n or more, these parallel processors are connected and used as a single parallel processor apparatus which performs processing equivalent to that by a conventional parallel processor apparatus. For signals comprised of data of a length of n or less, these parallel processors are independently used to perform pipeline processing and thereby perform two times the amount of processing of that performed by a conventional parallel processor apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 15, 1998
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuharu Ohki, Takao Yamazaki, Masuyoshi Kurokawa, Akihiko Hashiguchi
  • Patent number: 5666169
    Abstract: To provide a parallel processor apparatus which can perform processing with a good efficiency on signals comprised of data of different lengths. A parallel processor configured by a serial connection of a first parallel processor and a second parallel processor having n number of individual processors and (m-n) number of individual processors. For signals comprised of data of a length, serving as the unit of processing, of m or less and n or more, these parallel processors are connected and used as a single parallel processor apparatus which performs processing equivalent to that by a conventional parallel processor apparatus. For signals comprised of data of a length of n or less, these parallel processors are independently used to perform pipeline processing and thereby perform two times the amount of processing of that performed by a conventional parallel processor apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 9, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuharu Ohki, Takao Yamazaki, Masuyoshi Kurokawa, Akihiko Hashiguchi
  • Patent number: 5592414
    Abstract: A memory cell circuit which enables reduction of the leak current between a bit line and a memory cell and enables realization of a high speed reading operation and writing operation, wherein a write only circuit and a read only circuit are constructed by a drive transistor and a select transistor, the drive transistor comprising an enhancement type transistor with a threshold voltage set lower than the threshold voltage of the select transistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 7, 1997
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuo Soneda, Akihiko Hashiguchi
  • Patent number: 5515315
    Abstract: A dynamic random access memory, in which a connection switch circuit is provided between the output of a sense amplifier and a data bus or between memory block, which circuit is controlled in accordance with a write/read control signal of data so as to enable the bit line signal to be read at a high speed and the layout area of the IC to be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 7, 1996
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Akihiro Uda, Akihiko Hashiguchi, Akira Nakagawara