Patents by Inventor Masahiro Kanazawa

Masahiro Kanazawa 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: 7216329
    Abstract: An automatic circuit design apparatus includes a setting module configured to set an upper limit electric potential of a virtual ground line in a circuit to be designed, by use of a cell library for low-threshold cells, a cell library for high-threshold cells, and information of the circuit to be designed. A layout generator is configured to generate a layout based on the information, the cell library for low-threshold cells, and the cell library for high-threshold cells.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takeshi Kitahara, Masaaki Yamada, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masahiro Kanazawa, Katsuhiro Seta, Toshiyuki Furusawa
  • Patent number: 7109771
    Abstract: A combination circuit is switched between an active state where power is supplied thereto in response to a control signal and an inactive state where power thereto is interrupted. A flip-flop circuit connected to an input terminal of the combination circuit stores an output signal of the combination circuit in response to a clock signal. The combination circuit is set to an operative state by the control signal immediately before the flip-flop circuit operates in response to the clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Furusawa, Daisuke Sonoda, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masayuki Koizumi, Hidemasa Zama, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20060177808
    Abstract: An ability evaluation apparatus which evaluates an individual ability and stores a result of evaluation in an ability database, includes an ability mapping rule storing unit that stores an ability mapping rule which associates an ability item extracted from an ability sentence written in a natural language about an individual ability with a data item in the ability database using a structure of the ability sentence, a natural language processing unit that analyzes each sentence in a document written in the natural language about the individual ability to output a result of structural analysis, and an ability item storing unit that extracts the ability item from the result of structural analysis output from the natural language processing unit using the ability mapping rule stored in the ability mapping rule storing unit, and stores the extracted ability item in the ability database.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 24, 2006
    Publication date: August 10, 2006
    Inventors: Hidenori Aosawa, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 7088161
    Abstract: A combination circuit is switched between an active state where power is supplied thereto in response to a control signal and an inactive state where power thereto is interrupted. A flip-flop circuit connected to an input terminal of the combination circuit stores an output signal of the combination circuit in response to a clock signal. The combination circuit is set to an operative state by the control signal immediately before the flip-flop circuit operates in response to the clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Furusawa, Daisuke Sonoda, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masayuki Koizumi, Hidemasa Zama, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20050097494
    Abstract: An automatic circuit design apparatus includes a setting module configured to set an upper limit electric potential of a virtual ground line in a circuit to be designed, by use of a cell library for low-threshold cells, a cell library for high-threshold cells, and information of the circuit to be designed. A layout generator is configured to generate a layout based on the information, the cell library for low-threshold cells, and the cell library for high-threshold cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Publication date: May 5, 2005
    Inventors: Takeshi Kitahara, Masaaki Yamada, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masahiro Kanazawa, Katsuhiro Seta, Toshiyuki Furusawa
  • Patent number: 6864720
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit is disclosed, which comprises a tree structure of buffer circuit groups configured to have an enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit at least in a final stage, a latch circuit provided in a correspondence to the enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit and configured to receive an enable signal and clock signal and deliver an output to an input portion of a final stage buffer circuit, an enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit provided in a portion of an intermediate stage of the buffer circuit groups, and an OR circuit provided in a correspondence to the intermediate stage enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit and configured to take a logical sum of a plurality of enable signals for controlling the operations of a plurality of enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuits more on a load circuit side and deliver a logical sum output to an input portion of the intermediate stage enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 6861882
    Abstract: A combination circuit is switched between an active state where power is supplied thereto in response to a control signal and an inactive state where power thereto is interrupted. A flip-flop circuit connected to an input terminal of the combination circuit stores an output signal of the combination circuit in response to a clock signal. The combination circuit is set to an operative state by the control signal immediately before the flip-flop circuit operates in response to the clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2005
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Furusawa, Daisuke Sonoda, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masayuki Koizumi, Hidemasa Zama, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20050035802
    Abstract: A combination circuit is switched between an active state where power is supplied thereto in response to a control signal and an inactive state where power thereto is interrupted. A flip-flop circuit connected to an input terminal of the combination circuit stores an output signal of the combination circuit in response to a clock signal. The combination circuit is set to an operative state by the control signal immediately before the flip-flop circuit operates in response to the clock signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2004
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Furusawa, Daisuke Sonoda, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masayuki Koizumi, Hidemasa Zama, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20050035803
    Abstract: A combination circuit is switched between an active state where power is supplied thereto in response to a control signal and an inactive state where power thereto is interrupted. A flip-flop circuit connected to an input terminal of the combination circuit stores an output signal of the combination circuit in response to a clock signal. The combination circuit is set to an operative state by the control signal immediately before the flip-flop circuit operates in response to the clock signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2004
    Publication date: February 17, 2005
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Furusawa, Daisuke Sonoda, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masayuki Koizumi, Hidemasa Zama, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 6813750
    Abstract: A logic circuit design equipment and a logic circuit design method include analyzing input states of all of first cells, respectively, analyzing leakage currents of all of first cells in a case where each first cell is high Vth cell showing a small leakage current at a low speed operation and low Vth cell showing a large leakage current at a high speed operation, respectively, and substituting the first cells for second cells within a range satisfying a timing restriction. Herein, a threshold of the second cell is different from a threshold of the first cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Takeshi Kitahara, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 6750680
    Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor integrated circuit, a logic operation circuit and a flip flop capable of operating at a high speed and having a leak electric current reduced. In a semiconductor integrated circuit according to the present invention, only a gate circuit on a critical path is constituted by an MT gate cell obtained by combining transistors having a low threshold voltage with transistors having a high threshold voltage, and any other gate circuit is constituted by a transistor having a high threshold voltage. Consequently, the gate circuit on the critical path can be operated at a high speed, and the overall leak electric current can be suppressed, thereby reducing the consumption power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 15, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hidemasa Zama, Masayuki Koizumi, Yukiko Ito, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masahiro Kanazawa, Toshiyuki Furusawa
  • Publication number: 20040021485
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit is disclosed, which comprises a tree structure of buffer circuit groups configured to have an enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit at least in a final stage, a latch circuit provided in a correspondence to the enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit and configured to receive an enable signal and clock signal and deliver an output to an input portion of a final stage buffer circuit, an enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit provided in a portion of an intermediate stage of the buffer circuit groups, and an OR circuit provided in a correspondence to the intermediate stage enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit and configured to take a logical sum of a plurality of enable signals for controlling the operations of a plurality of enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuits more on a load circuit side and deliver a logical sum output to an input portion of the intermediate stage enable-signal-controlled AND buffer circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 5, 2003
    Publication date: February 5, 2004
    Inventor: Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Patent number: 6683336
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit, a supply method of supplying multiple supply voltages therefor, and a record medium for storing a program of the supply method for supplying multiple voltages therefor in which a first cell to which multiple supply voltages are supplied is extracted (Step S1), the extracted cells are divided into groups (Step S2), cells for voltage supply are added and arranged according to the number of the groups (Step S3), and the cell for the voltage supply are connected to the first cell for supplying the plurality of voltages through a net for a power source supply (Step S4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2000
    Date of Patent: January 27, 2004
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Mutsunori Igarashi, Hiroshi Tanaka, Kimiyoshi Usami, Takashi Ishikawa, Masahiro Kanazawa, Chiharu Mizuno
  • Patent number: 6586982
    Abstract: A combination circuit is switched between an active state where power is supplied thereto in response to a control signal and an inactive state where power thereto is interrupted. A flip-flop circuit connected to an input terminal of the combination circuit stores an output signal of the combination circuit in response to a clock signal. The combination circuit is set to an operative state by the control signal immediately before the flip-flop circuit operates in response to the clock signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Furusawa, Daisuke Sonoda, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masayuki Koizumi, Hidemasa Zama, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20030102898
    Abstract: A combination circuit is switched between an active state where power is supplied thereto in response to a control signal and an inactive state where power thereto is interrupted. A flip-flop circuit connected to an input terminal of the combination circuit stores an output signal of the combination circuit in response to a clock signal. The combination circuit is set to an operative state by the control signal immediately before the flip-flop circuit operates in response to the clock signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 14, 2003
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Furusawa, Daisuke Sonoda, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masayuki Koizumi, Hidemasa Zama, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20030088836
    Abstract: A low power test circuit and a semiconductor integrated circuit are provided, i.e., the low power test circuit comprises a first stage single phase scan flip flop, a second stage single phase scan flip flop, a delay element located between an output terminal of the first stage single phase scan flip flop and an input terminal of the second stage single phase scan flip flop, a gate circuit connected between the output terminal of the first stage single phase scan flip flop and the delay element, and the gate circuit transferring scan data from the output terminal of the first stage single phase scan flip flop to the delay element in a scanning test mode thus reducing power dissipation in the delay element. The semiconductor integrated circuit comprises a shift register comprising a plurality of single phase scan flip flop serially connected and the low power test circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 29, 2002
    Publication date: May 8, 2003
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Masahiro Kanazawa, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Takeshi Kitahara
  • Patent number: 6493856
    Abstract: An automatic circuit generation methods and apparatus (1) provide a desired circuit performance by reducing a leakage current during both a standby state and an active state, where cells having only High-Vth and Mt cells having both High-Vth transistors and Low-Vth translators are optimally mixed in a logical circuit. It is thereby possible to suppress efficiently the leakage current, in a design stage, generated according to miniaturization of LSI layout design and also lowering a supply voltage to the LSI.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masahiro Kanazawa, Masayuki Koizumi, Hidemasa Zama, Toshiyuki Furusawa
  • Publication number: 20020144223
    Abstract: A logic circuit design equipment has a state analysis section, a leakage current analysis section, and a cell substitution section. The state analysis section has a function of analyzing input states of all of first cells, respectively. The leakage current analysis section has a function of analyze leakage currents of all of first cells in a case where each first cell is high Vth cell showing a small leakage current at a low speed operation and low Vth cell showing a large leakage current at a high speed operation, respectively. The cell substitution section has a function of substituting the first cells for second cells within a range satisfying a timing restriction. Herein, a threshold of the second cell is different from a threshold of the first cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 1, 2002
    Publication date: October 3, 2002
    Inventors: Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Takeshi Kitahara, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20020036529
    Abstract: A combination circuit is switched between an active state where power is supplied thereto in response to a control signal and an inactive state where power thereto is interrupted. A flip-flop circuit connected to an input terminal of the combination circuit stores an output signal of the combination circuit in response to a clock signal. The combination circuit is set to an operative state by the control signal immediately before the flip-flop circuit operates in response to the clock signal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2001
    Publication date: March 28, 2002
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Furusawa, Daisuke Sonoda, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masayuki Koizumi, Hidemasa Zama, Masahiro Kanazawa
  • Publication number: 20020008545
    Abstract: There is provided a semiconductor integrated circuit, a logic operation circuit and a flip flop capable of operating at a high speed and having a leak electric current reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2001
    Publication date: January 24, 2002
    Applicant: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOSHIBA
    Inventors: Hidemasa Zama, Masayuki Koizumi, Yukiko Ito, Kimiyoshi Usami, Naoyuki Kawabe, Masahiro Kanazawa, Toshiyuki Furusawa