The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 09, 2007
Filed:
Jun. 03, 2005
Akira Takiba, Kanagawa, JP;
Toru Fujii, Kanagawa, JP;
Tetsuyo Shigehiro, Kanagawa, JP;
Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A signal-level converter is provided between a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal is connected to a first logic circuit operating at a first supply voltage higher than a given reference voltage. The second terminal is connected to a second logic circuit operating at a second supply voltage higher than the first supply voltage. The signal-level converter has a switching transistor that forms a current passage between the first and the second terminals in response to a control signal supplied to a gate of the switching transistor and a bus-hold circuitry, provided between the switching transistor and either the first or the second terminal as the output terminal, the other being the input terminal, and configured to convert a voltage level of a signal transferred via the switching transistor into another voltage level at the output terminal. The bus-hold circuitry may have two bus-hold circuits between the input and the output terminals, for two-way signal transfer. The bus-hold circuitry may have one bus-hold circuit between the switching transistor and the output terminal, for one-way signal transfer. These circuit arrangements offer reduced chip size and simplified control operations for accurate output-terminal voltages. Moreover, the arrangements omit one direction-switching terminal in two-way signal transfer.