Semiconductor devices are provided. The semiconductor device may include a current generation circuit and an internal circuit. The current generation circuit may include a first drive element and a second drive element which are connected in series. The current generation circuit may generate a reference voltage signal whose voltage level is set by a reference current which is identical or substantially identical to a current flowing through the first and second drive elements. The internal circuit may utilize an output current controlled according to the reference current as an operation current thereof.

An electrical appliance having at least one electrical load, and a digital control system managing flows of electric current of supply of the at least one electrical load, wherein the digital control system of the electrical appliance transmits information to an external control device, wherein said information comprises first information regarding authorization or non-authorization for an interruption of the supply of electric voltage to the electrical appliance by the external control device, the digital control system of the electrical appliance generating the first information of its own operating state.

An electrical appliance having at least one electrical load, and a digital control system managing flows of electric current of supply of the at least one electrical load, wherein the digital control system of the electrical appliance transmits information to an external control device, wherein said information comprises first information regarding authorization or non-authorization for an interruption of the supply of electric voltage to the electrical appliance by the external control device, the digital control system of the electrical appliance generating the first information of its own operating state.

A high-efficiency digital voltage controller capable of providing monotonically-varying stepwise voltage, said controller comprises of a plurality of two-terminal voltage modules connected in series; within each module one or more two-terminal voltage cells of identical voltage each and connected in series; within each module a plurality of switches controllable to connect any number of the voltage cells in series to the output terminals of the voltage module; the ratios of the magnitudes of voltage of any one voltage cell between the voltage modules being substantially equal to integer values uniquely defined by present invention, according to the numbers of voltage cells in each of the voltage modules; said plurality of switches being controlled by a control module implemented in any suitable logic.

A high-efficiency digital voltage controller capable of providing monotonically-varying stepwise voltage, said controller comprises of a plurality of two-terminal voltage modules connected in series; within each module one or more two-terminal voltage cells of identical voltage each and connected in series; within each module a plurality of switches controllable to connect any number of the voltage cells in series to the output terminals of the voltage module; the ratios of the magnitudes of voltage of any one voltage cell between the voltage modules being substantially equal to integer values uniquely defined by present invention, according to the numbers of voltage cells in each of the voltage modules; said plurality of switches being controlled by a control module implemented in any suitable logic.

A current mirror circuit provides a current to drive a load. A noise cancelling circuit is provided to keep the load current constant in spite of variations in the supply voltage. The noise cancelling circuit includes an auxiliary current path which branches from the load current path. The length-to-width ratios of transistors of the circuit are selected to provide the desired noise cancellation while maintaining device stability.

A power management circuit includes a voltage sensing circuit and a supply voltage adjusting circuit. The voltage sensing circuit is arranged for sensing a plurality of voltages respectively of a plurality of nodes of a PCB to generate a sensing result. The supply voltage adjusting circuit is coupled to the voltage sensing circuit, and is arranged for determining a voltage level of a supply voltage supplied to a power plane of the PCB by referring to the sensing result.

A power management circuit includes a voltage sensing circuit and a supply voltage adjusting circuit. The voltage sensing circuit is arranged for sensing a plurality of voltages respectively of a plurality of nodes of a PCB to generate a sensing result. The supply voltage adjusting circuit is coupled to the voltage sensing circuit, and is arranged for determining a voltage level of a supply voltage supplied to a power plane of the PCB by referring to the sensing result.

A cascading tap changing regulator has a set of input taps to power both stages of the cascade, each stage having its own series injection transformer to regulate the output. A set of switches are selectively engagable in respective on-off modes to effect a number of regulation steps, and a ratio of the number of steps to the number of switches in the set is greater than 1:1.

A cascading tap changing regulator has a set of input taps to power both stages of the cascade, each stage having its own series injection transformer to regulate the output. A set of switches are selectively engagable in respective on-off modes to effect a number of regulation steps, and a ratio of the number of steps to the number of switches in the set is greater than 1:1.