Digital Entropy Source Circuit Using Delay-to-Digital Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current random number generators in electronic systems require analog circuits like oscillators and thermal noise samplers, making it difficult to integrate them into an all-digital design flow, which increases costs and design schedules.
Innovation Solution
An entropy source circuit comprising a digital circuit, a determination circuit, and a time-to-digital converter (TDC) that converts operational delays into digital signals, eliminating the need for additional analog circuits and enabling integration into a digital design flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If analog circuits such as oscillators and thermal noise samplers are used to generate random numbers, then high quality true random numbers can be generated, but it becomes difficult to integrate them into an all-digital design flow and increases design complexity and costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces analog circuits (oscillators, thermal noise samplers) with a digital circuit that collects randomness from operation time delays. The determination circuit and TDC convert temporal randomness into digital entropy data, substituting mechanical/analog components with purely digital logic while maintaining random number quality and enabling all-digital design flow integration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the source of randomness from analog physical phenomena (thermal noise, oscillator jitter) to digital operation time delays. By measuring the delay time between input data reception and result data generation, and converting it to entropy data through the TDC, the system transforms temporal parameters into random number seeds, enabling integration into digital design flows
2Reliability
If analog circuits are used for random number generation, then true random numbers can be obtained, but the overall manufacturing efficiency and design schedule are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces analog circuits with digital circuits, allowing the random number generator to be integrated into standard digital design flows. This substitution eliminates the need for separate analog design processes, thereby improving manufacturing efficiency and reducing design schedules while maintaining random number quality through digital delay measurement and entropy conversion
Data Source
AI summary
An entropy source circuit is provided. The entropy source circuit includes a digital circuit, a determination circuit and a time-to-digital converter (TDC), wherein the determination circuit is coupled to the digital circuit, and the TDC is coupled to the determination circuit. The digital circuit is configured to generate result data at a second time point according to input data received at a first time point, and the determination circuit is configured to perform determination on reference data with dynamic output generated by the digital circuit, to generate a determination result, wherein the reference data is equal to the result data. In addition, the TDC is configured to perform a time-to-digital conversion on a delay of the digital circuit for generating the result data according to the input data with aid of the determination signal, in order to generate entropy data corresponding to the delay.