Patents by Inventor Masanao Yamaoka

Masanao Yamaoka 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: 9331695
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to realize an example of configuration that approximately represents a state of quantum spin in a semiconductor device where components as a basic configuration unit are arrayed so as to search a ground state of Ising model. There is disclosed a semiconductor device provided with plural units each of which is equipped with a first memory cell that stores a value which represents one spin of the Ising model by three or more states, a second memory cell that stores an interaction coefficient showing interaction from another spin which exerts interaction on the one spin and a logical circuit that determines the next state of the one spin on the basis of a function having a value which represents a state of the other spin and the interaction coefficient as a constant or a variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chihiro Yoshimura, Masanao Yamaoka, Masato Hayashi
  • Publication number: 20160118106
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to provide a device which can be easily manufactured and obtain a ground state of an arbitrary Ising model. A semiconductor device includes a first memory cell and a second memory cell that interacts with the first memory cell, in which storage content of the first memory cell and the second memory cell is stochastically inverted. The storage content is stochastically inverted by dropping threshold voltages of the first memory cell and the second memory cell. The threshold voltages of the first and second memory cells are dropping by controlling substrate biases, power voltages, or trip points of the first and second memory cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2013
    Publication date: April 28, 2016
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: CHIHIRO YOSHIMURA, Masanao YAMAOKA, Tomonori SEKIGUCHI, Tatsuya TOMARU
  • Patent number: 9318397
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes: a first circuit block formed on a first semiconductor substrate having first and second sides extending in a first direction and third and fourth sides extending in a second direction intersecting with the first direction; a plurality of signal-line through vias that are connected to the first semiconductor substrate and transmit signals, which are output from the first circuit block, to a second circuit block formed on another second semiconductor substrate; and a plurality of power-supply through vias for supplying power to the first circuit block, and in the semiconductor device, the plurality of power-supply through vias are formed at edges of the first semiconductor substrate along the third and fourth sides and are formed in a plurality of rows in the first direction. Each circuit block has a power consuming mode in which power larger than the power consumption in a normal mode is consumed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanao Yamaoka, Kenichi Osada
  • Publication number: 20160071573
    Abstract: A logic circuit in a system LSI is provided with a power switch so as to cut off the switch at the time of standby, reducing leakage current. At the same time, an SRAM circuit of the system LSI controls a substrate bias to reduce leakage current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2015
    Publication date: March 10, 2016
    Inventors: Masanao Yamaoka, Koichiro Ishibashi, Shigezumi Matsui, Kenichi Osada
  • Publication number: 20160062951
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a plurality of spin units individually including a memory cell configured to store values of spins in an Ising model, a memory cell configured to store an interaction coefficient from an adjacent spin that exerts an interaction on the spin, a memory cell configured to store an external magnetic field coefficient of the spin, and an interaction circuit configured to determine a subsequent state of the spin. The spin units individually include a random number generator configured to supply the random number to the plurality of the spin units and generate two-valued simulated coefficients of two values or simulated coefficients of three values in performing an interaction to determine a subsequent state of a spin of the spin units from a value of a spin from an adjacent spin unit, an interaction coefficient, and an external magnetic field coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Chihiro YOSHIMURA, Masato HAYASHI, Masanao YAMAOKA
  • Publication number: 20160063148
    Abstract: A semiconductor device that can simulate interactions between nodes of a large-scale interaction model and can be manufactured easily at inexpensive cost is suggested.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: MASATO HAYASHI, Chihiro YOSHIMURA, Masanao YAMAOKA
  • Publication number: 20160065210
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to realize an example of configuration that approximately represents a state of quantum spin in a semiconductor device where components as a basic configuration unit are arrayed so as to search a ground state of Ising model. There is disclosed a semiconductor device provided with plural units each of which is equipped with a first memory cell that stores a value which represents one spin of the Ising model by three or more states, a second memory cell that stores an interaction coefficient showing interaction from another spin which exerts interaction on the one spin and a logical circuit that determines the next state of the one spin on the basis of a function having a value which represents a state of the other spin and the interaction coefficient as a constant or a variable.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Chihiro YOSHIMURA, Masanao YAMAOKA, Masato HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20160064050
    Abstract: A semiconductor device includes a spin array in which a plurality of memory cells are disposed in a matrix configuration, a group of a predetermined number of memory cells is collected in units of spin units, and a plurality of the spin units are disposed with an adjacency; a word line provided in correspondence with rows of the memory cells; a bit line pair provided in correspondence with columns of the memory cells; a multiword decoder configured to multiplex a word address according to an input of a multiplicity specify signal to a word line and simultaneously activate a plurality of word lines; and a bit line driver configured to subject a plurality of memory cells, of the memory cells connected to bit line pairs and arrayed in a column direction, activated by the plurality of the word lines to a write operation or a read operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Chihiro YOSHIMURA, Masanao YAMAOKA
  • Publication number: 20160063391
    Abstract: A highly-convenient information processing system capable of obtaining a solution of a problem under conditions desired by a user and a management apparatus capable of enhancing the convenience of the information processing system are suggested.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masato HAYASHI, Chihiro YOSHIMURA, Masanao YAMAOKA
  • Publication number: 20160064099
    Abstract: A semiconductor device capable of easily and properly detecting a defective element unit(s) and a quality management method for the semiconductor device are suggested. A semiconducting device simulating interactions between nodes in an interaction model is equipped with a quality management unit for managing the quality of each element unit provided corresponding to each node, wherein the quality management unit executes a specified quality test of each element unit, compares test results of the quality test with pre-given results to be obtained from the quality test, and detects a defective memory cell(s) and a defective element unit(s) based on the comparison results.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 11, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: MASANAO YAMAOKA, Goichi ONO, Chihiro YOSHIMURA, Masato HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20160064053
    Abstract: A semiconductor device has a plurality of units, each of which includes a first memory cell that stores a value indicating a state of one node of an interaction model, a second memory cell that stores an interaction coefficient indicating an interaction from a node connected to the one node, and a third memory cell that stores a bias coefficient of the one node. Furthermore, the semiconductor device has a computing circuit that determines a value indicating a next state of the one node based on a value indicating a state of the connected node, the interaction coefficient and the bias coefficient. Also, each of the second memory cell and the third memory cell in the plurality of units includes multi-valued memory cells.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: Hitachi Ltd.
    Inventors: Masanao YAMAOKA, Chihiro YOSHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20160062704
    Abstract: In a semiconductor device in which components to be a basic configuration unit are arranged in an array shape for calculating an interaction model, a technique capable of changing a topology between the components is provided. A semiconductor device includes a plurality of units each of which includes a first memory cell for storing a value indicating a state of one node of an interaction model, a second memory cell for storing an interaction coefficient indicating an interaction from a node connected to the one node, and a calculation circuit for determining a value indicating a next state of the one node based on a value indicating a state of the connected node and on the interaction coefficient. In addition, the semiconductor device includes a plurality of switches for connecting or disconnecting the plurality of units to/from each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Masanao YAMAOKA, Kenichi OSADA, Chihiro YOSHIMURA
  • Publication number: 20160064080
    Abstract: In a semiconductor device which calculates an interaction model, a technique capable of executing interaction calculation in non-synchronization with a clock is provided. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of units each of which includes: a first memory cell for storing a value indicating a state of one node of an interaction model; a second memory cell for storing an interaction coefficient indicating an interaction from a node connected to the one node; and an interaction calculation circuit for determining a value indicating a next state of the one node based on a current determined by a value indicating a state of the connected node and the interaction coefficient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2015
    Publication date: March 3, 2016
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventors: Masanao YAMAOKA, Takashi OSHIMA, Masato HAYASHI
  • Publication number: 20150380076
    Abstract: The invention provides a semiconductor integrated circuit device provided with an SRAM that satisfies the requirements for both the SNM and the write margin with a low supply voltage. The semiconductor integrated circuit device include: multiple static memory cells provided in correspondence with multiple word lines and multiple complimentary bit lines; multiple memory cell power supply lines that each supply an operational voltage to each of the multiple memory cells connected to the multiple complimentary bit lines each; multiple power supply circuits comprised of resistive units that each supply a power supply voltage to the memory cell power supply lines each; and a pre-charge circuit that supplies a pre-charge voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage to the complimentary bit lines, wherein the memory cell power supply lines are made to have coupling capacitances to thereby transmit a write signal on corresponding complimentary bit lines.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 25, 2015
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Inventors: Noriaki MAEDA, Yoshihiro SHINOZAKI, Masanao YAMAOKA, Yasuhisa SHIMAZAKI, Masanori ISODA, Koji NII
  • Patent number: 9214221
    Abstract: A semiconductor device is provided. The semiconductor device includes a logic circuit, an SRAM circuit coupled to a power line, and a switch coupled between the logic circuit and the power line. Before the switch is changed to an off position, a part of information held in the logic circuit is transferred to the SRAM circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2015
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Masanao Yamaoka, Koichiro Ishibashi, Shigezumi Matsui, Kenichi Osada
  • Publication number: 20150278408
    Abstract: An information processing unit and information processing method capable of performing a ground-state search of an Ising model having coefficients of arbitrary values regardless of restrictions on hardware or software is suggested. When a ground state of an original problem, which is an Ising model, or an approximate solution of that ground state is calculated as a solution of the original problem, one or more sub-problems which are Ising models are generated from the original problem and the information processing unit searches the ground state of each generated sub-problem and generates a solution of the original problem based on a solution of each sub-problem obtained from the search; and when types of coefficient values of an Ising model whose ground state can be searched are limited, sub-problems which are Ising models composed of the types of limited values of coefficients are generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2015
    Publication date: October 1, 2015
    Applicants: Hitachi, Ltd., Inter-University Research Institute Corporation, Research Organization of Information and Systems
    Inventors: CHIHIRO YOSHIMURA, Masanao Yamaoka, Ken-ichi Kawarabayashi, Takuro Fukunaga, Taro Takaguchi, Takanori Maehara, Takuya Ohwa
  • Patent number: 9123435
    Abstract: The invention provides a semiconductor integrated circuit device provided with an SRAM that satisfies the requirements for both the SNM and the write margin with a low supply voltage. The semiconductor integrated circuit device include: multiple static memory cells provided in correspondence with multiple word lines and multiple complimentary bit lines; multiple memory cell power supply lines that each supply an operational voltage to each of the multiple memory cells connected to the multiple complimentary bit lines each; multiple power supply circuits comprised of resistive units that each supply a power supply voltage to the memory cell power supply lines each; and a pre-charge circuit that supplies a pre-charge voltage corresponding to the power supply voltage to the complimentary bit lines, wherein the memory cell power supply lines are made to have coupling capacitances to thereby transmit a write signal on corresponding complimentary bit lines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: RENESAS ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noriaki Maeda, Yoshihiro Shinozaki, Masanao Yamaoka, Yasuhisa Shimazaki, Masanori Isoda, Koji Nii
  • Publication number: 20150228330
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit which can respond to changes of the amount of retained data at the time of standby is provided. The semiconductor integrated circuit comprises a logic circuit (logic) and plural SRAM modules. The plural SRAM modules perform power control independently of the logic circuit, and an independent power control is performed among the plural SRAM modules. Specifically, one terminal and the other terminal of a potential control circuit of each SRAM module are coupled to a cell array and a local power line, respectively. The local power line of one SRAM module and the local power line of the other SRAM module share a shared local power line. A power switch of one SRAM module and a power switch of the other SRAM module are coupled in common to the shared local power line.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2015
    Publication date: August 13, 2015
    Inventors: Shigenobu Komatsu, Masanao Yamaoka, Noriaki Maeda, Masao Morimoto, Yasuhisa Shimazaki, Yasuyuki Okuma, Toshiaki Sano
  • Publication number: 20150212570
    Abstract: In the related art, even in computation of an application which has a resistance to a computation error in a computer system, since the computation error is accurately corrected, there is a problem that a power supply voltage or an operating frequency for realizing lower power or a faster speed cannot be variable in a large manner. In the invention, it is possible to solve the above-described problem by a computer system which includes a first processor and a second processor. In the first processor, at least one of an operating frequency or an operating voltage is variable. A detecting module which is operated by the second processor detects an error of the first processor. A determining module which is operated by the second processor determines at least one of the operating frequency or the operating voltage of the first processor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 3, 2012
    Publication date: July 30, 2015
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Hamamoto, Masanao Yamaoka
  • Patent number: 9053975
    Abstract: A semiconductor integrated circuit which can respond to changes of the amount of retained data at the time of standby is provided. The semiconductor integrated circuit comprises a logic circuit (logic) and plural SRAM modules. The plural SRAM modules perform power control independently of the logic circuit, and an independent power control is performed among the plural SRAM modules. Specifically, one terminal and the other terminal of a potential control circuit of each SRAM module are coupled to a cell array and a local power line, respectively. The local power line of one SRAM module and the local power line of the other SRAM module share a shared local power line. A power switch of one SRAM module and a power switch of the other SRAM module are coupled in common to the shared local power line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2015
    Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Shigenobu Komatsu, Masanao Yamaoka, Noriaki Maeda, Masao Morimoto, Yasuhisa Shimazaki, Yasuyuki Okuma, Toshiaki Sano