Patent ID: 8037117

Claim:
A random number generator comprising: a plural number of random pulse generating devices generating random pulses independently of each other, each of said random pulse generating devices generating random pulses based on a pulse-shaped potential variation based on a thermal noise in a thermal noise source element; a plural number of counters, each of which is coupled to a corresponding one of said plural number of random pulse generating devices, each of said plural number of counters counting count pulses whose frequency is constant and higher than that of said received random pulses, wherein each of said plural number of counters receives a random pulse as a reset signal from the corresponding random pulse generating device with which the counter is coupled and outputs the counted value of said count pulses; and plural sets of registers, each set of registers comprising one or more registers coupled to a corresponding one of said plural number of random pulse generation devices, wherein each of said registers receives a random pulse as a load signal from the corresponding random pulse generating device with which the register is coupled, receives the counted value of said count pulses from a counter coupled to a random pulse generating device which is different from that with which the register is coupled, stores the counted value of the count pulses, and further outputs the stored counted value of the count pulses at the time of receiving the load signal, and wherein said count values stored in said registers are outputted as random numbers from said random number generator.