Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates to an output circuit which is provided between the output of a first circuit and the input of a second circuit formed in an integrated circuit such as a semiconductor integrated circuit, and which outputs a signal of a level based on a signal supplied from the first circuit to the second circuit. Such an output circuit is usually provided in an integrated circuit. In this case, the second circuit is referred to as an external circuit or an external interface.  
           [0002]    [0002]FIGS. 9 through 11 are circuit diagrams illustrating conventional output circuits employed for MOS integrated circuits. FIG. 9 shows a CMOS output circuit in which an output section is configured using a CMOS circuit composed of a pMOS transistor  103  and an nMOS transistor  104 . FIG. 10 shows an nMOS open-drain type output circuit which employs the nMOS transistor  104  having an open drain electrode. FIG. 11 shows an nMOS pull-up drain type (nMOS open-drain type with a built-in pull-up device) output circuit in which an output section is composed of a pMOS transistor  302 , which stays ON constantly, and an nMOS transistor  104  having the drain electrode thereof pulled up by the pMOS transistor  302 . There are also available a pMOS open-drain type output circuit and a pMOS pull-down drain type (pMOS open-drain type with a built-in pull-up device) output circuit. The nMOS pull-up drain type and the pMOS pull-down drain type are referred to simply as pull-drain type. In FIG. 9 through FIG. 11, an input signal IN is applied to an input terminal “in” and transmitted to an input signal conductor  10  via an inverter  101 . An output signal OUT is output through an output terminal “out.”  
           [0003]    The conventional output circuits set forth above are provided with signal output types, namely, CMOS type, open-drain type, and pull-drain type, and a driving capability to comply with the specifications of an external interface to be connected thereto. This has been posing a problem in that, when the external interface connected thereto is changed, the output circuit that has been used before the change cannot be used as it is, meaning that the internal circuitry of the output circuit has to be changed. There has been another problem in that, when two or more external interfaces are expected to be used, the same number of output circuits compatible with the respective external interfaces as that of two or more external interfaces must be prepared in advance.  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0004]    The present invention has been made with a view toward solving the problems described above. It is an object of the present invention to provide an output circuit that can be applied to two or more external interfaces.  
           [0005]    The output circuit according to the present invention has an input circuit generating an internal input signal in response to an external input signal, an output circuit including a pMOS transistor coupled between a positive potential source and an output terminal and an nMOS transistor coupled between a reference potential source and the output terminal. A gate of one of the transistors receives the internal input signal. The output circuit further has a control circuit receiving the internal input signal and the control signal and outputting an internal signal in response to the internal input signal and the control signal to a gate of the other one of the transistor. The control circuit outputs the internal input signal as the internal signal where the control signal has a first level. The control circuit outputs a predetermined level signal as the internal signal where the control signal has a second level so that the other one of the transistor has a predetermined state.  
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0006]    [0006]FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of a first embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0007]    [0007]FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of a second embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0008]    [0008]FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of a third embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0009]    [0009]FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of a fourth embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0010]    [0010]FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of a fifth embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of a sixth embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of a seventh embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of an eighth embodiment in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional CMOS output circuit;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional open-drain type output circuit; and  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing a conventional pull-up drain type output circuit.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0017]    [0017]FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of a first embodiment in accordance with the present invention. The output circuit of FIG. 1 has a signal input terminal “in” to which an input signal IN is applied from outside, an inverter  101 , a control terminal “od” to which a control signal OD is applied from outside, an OR gate  102  (logic gate), a pMOS transistor  103  (a first MOS transistor), an nMOS transistor  104  (a second MOS transistor), and a signal output terminal “out” connected to an external interface. The signal input terminal “in” and the inverter  101  constitute an input section which generates an internal input signal  10  based on the level of the input signal IN. The control terminal “od” and the OR gate  102  constitute a control section. Further, the pMOS  103  and nMOS  104  and the signal output terminal “out” make up an output section which outputs an output signal OUT based on the level of the internal input signal  10 , that is, the output signal OUT based on the level of the input signal IN, to outside.  
         [0018]    The input signal IN from outside is applied to the input of the inverter  101 . The inverter  101  outputs the internal input signal  10 , which is an inverted signal of the input signal IN. A first input of the OR gate  102  is connected to the output of the inverter  101 , and the control signal OD from outside is applied to a second input of the OR gate  102 . The OR gate  102  outputs an internal signal  11 . The gate electrode of the pMOS  103  is connected to the output of the OR gate  102 , the source electrode thereof is connected to a positive power supply VDD, and the drain electrode thereof is connected to the signal output terminal “out.” The gate electrode of the nMOS  104  is connected to the output of the inverter  101 , the source electrode thereof is connected to a reference power supply GND, and the drain electrode thereof is connected to the signal output terminal “out.”  
         [0019]    The control section sets the signal output mode of the output section to the CMOS type by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the pMOS  103  when the control signal OD indicates a first setting, while it sets the signal output mode of the output section to the open-drain type by holding the pMOS  103  OFF constantly and by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  when the control signal OD indicates a second setting. The first setting means low level, and the second setting means high level. The input section may be constructed by only the input signal terminal “in” or by the signal input terminal “in” and a buffer, in which case the input signal IN serves as the internal input signal  10 .  
         [0020]    The operation of the output circuit of FIG. 1 will now be described. The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the low level will be described first. In this case, the OR gate  102  outputs the internal input signal  10 , i.e. the inverted signal of the input signal IN, issued from the inverter circuit  101  as the internal signal  11 . Hence, when the input signal IN switches to the low level, the pMOS  103  turns OFF, the nMOS  104  turns ON, and the output signal OUT switches to the low level. When the input signal IN switches to the high level, the pMOS  103  turns ON, the nMOS  104  turns OFF, and the output signal OUT switches to the high level. Thus, if the control signal OD is at the low level, then the output section works as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104 .  
         [0021]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the high level will now be described. In this case, the internal signal  11  issued from the OR gate  102  is fixed to the high level regardless of the internal input signal  10 . Therefore, the pMOS  103  is always OFF, and if the input signal IN switches to the low level, then the nMOS  104  turns OFF, while the nMOS  104  turns ON if the input signal IN switches to the high level. Thus, if the control signal OD is at the high level, then the output section works as an nMOS open-drain circuit based on the nMOS  104 .  
         [0022]    As set forth above, the first embodiment is equipped with the control section which has the OR gate  102  (logic gate) for controlling the pMOS  103  (the first MOS transistor) and which supplies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  (the second MOS transistor) so as to switch the signal output mode of the output section between the CMOS type and the nMOS open-drain type by the control signal OD. Hence, even when the external interface is changed or a plurality of external interfaces are expected to be used, the circuit does not have to be changed since merely changing the setting of the control signal OD enables the circuit to adapt itself to a change of the external interface.  
         [0023]    The internal composition of the control section for controlling the MOS transistors of the output section is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 1. For instance, the control section may be constructed by an inverter and a NAND gate instead of the OR gate  102 , or it may alternatively be configured so as to accomplish changeover between the CMOS type and pMOS open-drain type. The output circuit adapted to perform changeover between the CMOS type and the pMOS open-drain type will be described in the following second embodiment.  
         [0024]    [0024]FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram showing an output circuit of the second embodiment in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 2, the like components as those in FIG. 1 are given like reference numerals. The output circuit of FIG. 2 has a signal input terminal “in,” an inverter  101 , a control terminal “od,” an AND gate  201  (logic gate), a pMOS transistor pMOS  103  (a second MOS transistor), an nMOS transistor nMOS  104  (a first MOS transistor), and a signal output terminal “out.” The signal input terminal “in” and the inverter  101  constitute an input section. The control terminal “od” and the AND gate  201  constitute a control section. The pMOS  103  and nMOS  104  and the signal output terminal “out” make up an output section.  
         [0025]    The output of the inverter  101  is connected to the gate electrode of the pMOS  103 . In the control section, the first input of the AND gate  201  is connected to the output of the inverter  101 , an external control signal OD is applied to the second input of the AND gate  201 , and the output of the AND gate  201  is connected to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104 .  
         [0026]    The control section sets the signal output mode of the output section to the CMOS type by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  when the control signal OD indicates a first setting, while it sets the signal output mode of the output section to the open-drain type by holding the nMOS  104  OFF constantly and by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the pMOS  103  when the control signal OD indicates a second setting. The first setting means high level, and the second setting means low level.  
         [0027]    The operation of the output circuit of FIG. 2 will now be described. The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the high level will be described first. In this case, the AND gate  201  outputs the internal input signal  10 , i.e. the inverted signal of the input signal IN, issued from the inverter circuit  101  as an internal signal  21 . Hence, when the input signal IN switches to the high level, the nMOS  104  turns OFF and the pMOS  103  turns ON; or when the input signal IN switches to the low level, the nMOS  104  turns ON and the pMOS  103  turns OFF. Thus, if the control signal OD is at the high level, then the output section works as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104 .  
         [0028]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the low level will now be described. In this case, the internal signal  21  issued from the AND gate  201  is fixed to the low level regardless of the internal input signal  10 . Therefore, the nMOS  104  is always OFF, and if the input signal IN switches to the high level, then the pMOS  103  turns OFF, while the pMOS  103  turns ON if the input signal IN switches to the low level. Thus, if the control signal OD is at the low level, then the output section works as a pMOS open-drain circuit based on the pMOS  103 .  
         [0029]    As set forth above, the second embodiment is equipped with the control section which has the AND gate  201  (logic gate) for controlling the nMOS  104  (the first MOS transistor) and which supplies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the pMOS  103  (the second MOS transistor) so as to switch the signal output mode of the output section between the CMOS type and the pMOS open-drain type by the control signal OD. Hence, even when the external interface is changed or a plurality of external interfaces are expected to be used, the circuit does not have to be changed since merely changing the setting of the control signal OD enables the circuit to adapt itself to a change of the external interface.  
         [0030]    The internal composition of the control section for controlling the MOS transistors of the output section is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 2. For instance, the control section may be constructed by an inverter and a NOR gate instead of the AND gate  201 .  
         [0031]    [0031]FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the output circuit of a third embodiment in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 3, the like components as those in FIG. 1 are given like reference numerals. The output circuit of FIG. 3 has a signal input terminal “in,” an inverter  101 , a control terminal “od,” an OR gate  102  (logic gate), an inverter  301 , a pMOS transistor  103  (a first MOS transistor) and a pMOS transistor  302  (a second MOS transistor), an nMOS transistor  104  (a third MOS transistor), and a signal output terminal “out.” The control terminal “od,” the OR gate  102 , and the inverter  301  constitute a control section. The pMOS&#39;s  103  and  302  and nMOS  104  make up an output section. The output circuit shown in FIG. 3 has added the inverter  301  and the pMOS  302  added to the output circuit shown in FIG. 1  
         [0032]    The control signal OD is applied to the input of the inverter  301 , and the inverter  301  outputs an internal signal  30 , which is the inverted signal of the control signal OD. The gate electrode of the pMOS  302  is connected to the output of the inverter  301 , the source electrode thereof is connected to a positive power supply VDD, and the drain electrode thereof is connected to the signal output terminal “out.” 
         [0033]    The control section sets the signal output mode of the output section to the CMOS type by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104  and by holding the pMOS  302  OFF constantly when the control signal OD indicates a first setting, while it sets the signal output mode of the output section to the pull-drain type by holding the pMOS  103  OFF constantly and the pMOS  302  ON and by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  when the control signal OD indicates a second setting. The first setting means low level, and the second setting means high level.  
         [0034]    The operation of the output circuit of FIG. 3 will now be described. The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the low level will be described first. In this case, the OR gate  102  outputs the internal input signal  10 , i.e. the inverted signal of the input signal IN, issued from the inverter circuit  101  as an internal signal  11 . The internal signal  30  is fixed to the high level. Hence, the pMOS  302  is always OFF, and when the input signal IN switches to the low level, the transistor pMOS  103  turns OFF and the nMOS  104  turns ON; or when the input signal IN switches to the high level, the pMOS  103  turns ON and the nMOS  104  turns OFF. Thus, if the control signal OD is at the low level, then the output section works as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104 .  
         [0035]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the high level will now be described. In this case, the internal signal  11  is fixed to the high level, whereas the internal signal  30  is fixed to the low level. Therefore, the pMOS  103  stays OFF constantly, while the pMOS  302  stays ON constantly. If the input signal IN switches to the low level, then the nMOS  104  turns OFF, while the nMOS  104  turns ON if the input signal IN switches to the high level. Thus, if the control signal OD is at the high level, then the output section works as an nMOS pull-up drain circuit composed of the pMOS  302  and the nMOS  104 , the pMOS  302  serving as a pull-up device.  
         [0036]    As set forth above, the third embodiment is equipped with the control section which has the OR gate  102  (logic gate) for controlling the pMOS  103  (the first MOS transistor) and the inverter  301  for controlling the pMOS  302  (the second MOS transistor) and which supplies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  (the third MOS transistor) so as to switch the signal output mode of the output section between the CMOS type and the nMOS pull-up drain type by the control signal OD. Hence, even when the external interface is changed or a plurality of external interfaces are expected to be used, the circuit does not have to be changed since merely changing the setting of the control signal OD enables the circuit to adapt itself to a change of the external interface.  
         [0037]    The output circuit of FIG. 3 may be also configured to switch the signal output mode between the CMOS type and the pMOS pull-up drain type by replacing the OR gate  102  by an AND gate, the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  302  by an nMOS, and the nMOS  104  by a pMOS, and by inverting the positive power supply VDD and the reference power supply GND. The internal composition of the control section and the mode of supplying the control signal to the control section, i.e. the number of control signals supplied from outside, is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 3. For instance, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 3 is such that the internal signal for the pMOS  103  and the internal signal for the pMOS  302  are both generated by using the control signal OD; however, the control signal for the pMOS  103  and the control signal for the pMOS  302  may be supplied separately from outside. The output circuit adapted to separately supply the control signals for the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  302  from outside will be described in the following fourth embodiment.  
         [0038]    [0038]FIG. 4 is a circuit diagram showing the output circuit of the fourth embodiment in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 4, the like components as those in FIG. 1 are given like reference numerals. The output circuit of FIG. 4 has a signal input terminal “in,” an inverter  101 , a control terminal “od” to which a control signal OD (a first control signal) is supplied from outside, a control terminal “pun” (a second control signal) to which a control signal PUN is supplied from outside, an OR gate  102  (logic gate), a pMOS transistor  103  (a first MOS transistor) and a pMOS transistor  302  (a second MOS transistor), an nMOS transistor  104  (a third MOS transistor), and a signal output terminal “out.” The control terminals “od” and “pun” and the OR gate  102  constitute a control section. The pMOS&#39;s  103  and  302 , the nMOS  104 , and the signal output terminal “out” make up an output section. The output circuit shown in FIG. 4 has added the pMOS  302  to the output circuit shown in FIG. 1; it is different from the one shown in FIG. 3 that the control signal PUN instead of the inverted signal of the control signal OD is applied to the gate electrode of the pMOS  302 .  
         [0039]    The control section sets the signal output mode of the output section to the CMOS type by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104  and by holding the pMOS  103  OFF constantly when a control signal composed of the control signals OD and PUN indicates a first setting; it sets the signal output mode of the output section to the open-drain type by holding the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  302  OFF constantly and by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  when the control signals are indicative of a second setting; and it sets the signal output mode of the output section to the pull-drain type by holding the pMOS  103  OFF constantly, while holding the pMOS  302  ON constantly, and by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  when the control signals are indicative of a third setting. In this embodiment, the first setting applies when the control signal OD is at the low level and the control signal PUN is at the high level, the second setting applies when both the control signals OD and PUN are at the high level, and the third setting applies when the control signal OD is at the high level and the control signal PUN is at the low level.  
         [0040]    The operation of the output circuit of FIG. 4 will now be described. The output circuit of FIG. 4 enables the control signal OD and the control signal PUN to be independently set. Four different settings are possible; however, it is not allowed to set the control signal OD and the control signal PUN to the low level at the same time.  
         [0041]    The operation implemented when the control signal PUN is set at the high level will be described first. In this case, the pMOS  302  is always OFF. Hence, the output circuit of FIG. 4 operates the same as the output circuit of FIG. 1 according to the setting of the control signal OD. This means that, if the control signal OD is at the low level and the control signal PUN is at the high level, then the output section works as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104 . If the control signal OD and the control signal PUN are both at the high level, the output section works as an nMOS open-drain circuit based on the nMOS  104 .  
         [0042]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the high level and the control signal PUN is set at the low level will now be described. In this case, the pMOS  103  stays OFF constantly, while the pMOS  302  stays ON constantly. Hence, the output circuit of FIG. 4 operates the same as the output circuit of FIG. 3 when the control signal OD is set at the high level. More specifically, if the control signal OD is at the low level and the control signal PUN is at the high level, then the output section works as an nMOS pull-up drain circuit composed of the pMOS  302  and the nMOS  104 , the pMOS  302  serving as the pull-up device.  
         [0043]    As set forth above, the fourth embodiment is equipped with the control section which has the OR gate  102  (logic gate) for controlling the pMOS  103  (the first MOS transistor) according to the control signal OD (the first control signal) and which supplies the control signal PUN (the second control signal) to the gate electrode of the pMOS  302  (the second MOS transistor) and the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  (the third MOS transistor) so as to switch the signal output mode of the output section among the CMOS type, the nMOS open-drain type, and the nMOS pull-up drain type by the control signals OD and PUN. Hence, even when the external interface is changed or a plurality of external interfaces are expected to be used, the circuit does not have to be changed since merely changing the setting of the control signal OD enables the circuit to adapt itself to a change of the external interface.  
         [0044]    As in the case of the third embodiment, the output circuit of FIG. 4 may be also configured to switch the signal output mode among the CMOS type, the pMOS open-drain type, and the pMOS pull-up drain type. The internal composition of the control section and mode in which the control signals are supplied to the control section are not limited to those shown in FIG. 4.  
         [0045]    [0045]FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram showing the output circuit of a fifth embodiment in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 5, the like components as those in FIG. 1 are given like reference numerals. The output circuit of FIG. 5 has a signal input terminal “in,” an inverter  101 , a control terminal “drv” to which a control signal DRV is applied from outside, an inverter  500  (a first inverter), an OR gate  501  (a first logic gate of the first type), an AND gate  502  (a first logic gate of the second type), pMOS transistors  103  and  503  (first and second MOS transistors of the first conductive type), nMOS transistors  104  and  504  (first and second MOS transistors of the second conductive type), and a signal output terminal “out.” The control terminal “drv,” the inverter  500 , the OR gate  501 , and the AND gate  502  constitute a control section. The pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503 , and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  make up an output section.  
         [0046]    The control signal DRV is applied from outside to the input of the inverter  500 , and the inverter  500  outputs an internal signal  50 , which is the inverted signal of the control signal DRV. The first input of the OR gate  501  is connected to the output of the inverter  101 , and the second input of the OR gate  501  is connected to the output of the inverter  500 . The OR gate  501  outputs an internal signal  51 . The first input of the AND gate  502  is connected to the output terminal of the inverter  101 , and the control signal DRV is applied to the second input of the AND gate  502 . The AND gate  502  issues an internal signal  52 .  
         [0047]    The gate electrode of the pMOS  103  is connected to the output of the inverter  101 . The gate electrode of the pMOS  503  is connected to the output of the OR gate  501 , the source electrode thereof is connected to the positive power supply VDD, and the drain electrode is connected to the signal output terminal “out.” The gate electrode of the nMOS  104  is connected to the output of the inverter  101 . The gate electrode of the nMOS  504  is connected to the output of the AND gate  502 , the source electrode thereof is connected to a reference power supply GND, and the drain electrode is connected to the signal output terminal “out” of the nMOS  104 .  
         [0048]    The control section switches the driving capability of the CMOS output section by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104  and holding the pMOS  503  and the nMOS  504  OFF constantly when the control signal DRV indicates a first setting; or by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503 , and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  503  when the control signal DRV indicates the second setting. The first setting applies when the control signal DRV is at the low level, and the second setting applies when the control signal DRV is at the high level.  
         [0049]    The operation of the output circuit of FIG. 5 will now be described. The operation implemented when the control signal DRV is set at the low level will be described first. In this case, the internal signal  52  issued from the AND gate  502  is fixed to the low level. The internal signal  50  issued from the inverter  500  switches to the high level, so that the internal signal  51  issued from the OR gate  501  is fixed to the high level. Hence, the pMOS  503  and the nMOS  504  are always OFF, and when the input signal IN switches to the low level, the transistor pMOS  103  turns OFF and the nMOS  104  turns ON; or when the input signal IN switches to the high level, the pMOS  103  turns ON and the nMOS  104  turns OFF. Thus, if the control signal DRV is at the low level, then the output section works as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104 .  
         [0050]    The operation implemented when the control signal DRV is set at the high level will now be described. In this case, the OR gate  501  outputs the internal input signal  10 , which has been issued from the inverter  101 , as the internal signal  51 , the internal signal  51  being the inverted signal of the input signal IN. The AND gate  502  outputs the internal signal  10  as the internal signal  52 , the internal signal  52  being also the inverted signal of the input signal IN. Hence, if the input signal IN switches to the low level, then the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  turn OFF, while the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn ON. If the input signal IN switches to the high level, then the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  turn ON, while the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn OFF. Thus, if the control signal DRV is at the high level, then the output section works as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503 , and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 . The driving capability of the CMOS circuit when the control signal DRV is at the high level is higher than that of the CMOS circuit when the control signal DRV is at the low level.  
         [0051]    As set forth above, the fifth embodiment is equipped with the control section which has the inverter  500  (the first inverter), the OR gate  501  (the first logic gate of the first type) for controlling the pMOS  503  (the second MOS transistor of the first conductive type), and the AND gate  502  (the first logic gate of the second type) for controlling the nMOS  504  (the second MOS transistor of the second conductive type) and which supplies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS  103  (the first MOS transistor of the first conductive type) and the nMOS  104  (the first MOS transistor of the second conductive type) so as to switch the driving capability of the CMOS output circuit by the control signal DRV. Hence, even when the external interface is changed or a plurality of external interfaces are expected to be used, the circuit does not have to be changed since merely changing the setting of the control signal DRV enables the circuit to adapt itself to a change of the external interface.  
         [0052]    The internal composition of the control section and the mode of supplying the control signal to the control section is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 5. As an alternative, a pMOS transistor and an nMOS transistor are respectively provided parallel to the pMOS  503  and the nMOS  504  of the output section, and a logic circuit generating the internal signals for controlling the transistors is provided in the control section so as to switch the driving capability of the output section in multiple stages. More specifically, the output section is configured to have a first to an N-th (where N is an integer of 2 or more) pMOS&#39;s and a first to the N-th nMOS&#39;s. The control section is configured to have: a first to an (N−1)th inverters to which a first to an (N−1)th control signals are respectively applied; a first to an (N−1)th OR gates which correspond to the first to the (N−1)th inverters and a second to an N-th pMOS&#39;s, respectively; and a first to an (N−1)th AND gates corresponding to the first to the (N−1)th control signals and the second to the N-th nMOS&#39;s. The control section is configured also to apply the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the first pMOS and the first nMOS. In this configuration, if the control signal composed of the first to the (N−1)th control signals is an i-th (where “i” is any integer from 1 to N) setting, then the internal input signal  10  is applied to the gate electrodes of the first to the i-th pMOS&#39;s and the first to the i-th nMOS&#39;s, and the (i+1)th to the N-th pMOS&#39;s and the (i+1)th to the N-th nMOS&#39;s are held OFF constantly, thereby switching the driving capability of the output section in multiple stages. As another alternative output circuit, the driving capability of the nMOS open-drain type output section thereof can be configured by removing the inverter  500 , the OR gate  501 , and the pMOS  103  and the pMOS  503  from the output circuit shown in FIG. 5, or still another alternative output circuit can be configured by removing the AND gate  502  and the nMOS  104  and the nMOS  504  from the output circuit shown in FIG. 5 so as to make it possible to switch the driving capability of a pMOS open-drain type output section. Further, the foregoing pMOS open-drain type output section may be provided with a pMOS transistor which serves as a pull-up device and which stays ON constantly to configure an output circuit capable of changing the driving capability of an nMOS pull-up drain type output section. Likewise, the foregoing nMOS open-drain type output section may be provided with an nMOS transistor which serves as a pull-down device and which stays ON constantly to configure an output circuit capable of changing the driving capability of a pMOS pull-down drain type output section.  
         [0053]    [0053]FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram showing the output circuit of a sixth embodiment in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 6, the like components as those in FIGS.  4  or  5  are given like reference numerals. The output circuit of FIG. 6 has a signal input terminal “in,” an inverter  101 , a control terminal “od” to which a control signal OD (a first control signal) is applied, a control terminal “drv” to which a control signal DRV (a second control signal) is applied, a control terminal “pun” to which a control signal PUN (a third control signal) is applied, an inverter  500 , OR gates  102 ,  501 , and  601  (first, second, and third logic gates), an AND gate  502  (a fourth logic gate), pMOS transistors  103 ,  503 , and  302  (first, second, and third MOS transistors), nMOS transistors  104  and  504  (fourth and fifth MOS transistors), and a signal output terminal “out.” The control terminals “od,” “drv,” and “pun,” the OR gates  102 ,  501 , and  601 , and the AND gate  502  constitute a control section. The pMOS&#39;s  103 ,  302 , and  503 , and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  make up an output section. The output circuit shown in FIG. 6 has added the control terminal “drv,” the inverter  500 , the OR gates  501  and  801 , the AND gate  502 , the pMOS  503 , and the nMOS  504  to the output circuit shown in FIG. 4, or it has added the control terminals “od” and “pun,” the OR gates  102  and  601 , and the pMOS  302  to the output circuit shown in FIG. 5.  
         [0054]    The first input of the OR gate  601  is connected to the output of the OR gate  501 , and the control signal OD is applied to the second input of the OR gate  601 . The OR gate  601  outputs an internal signal  60 . The OR gates  501  and  601  may be replaced by a single OR gate in which the internal input signal  10  is applied to the first input thereof, the control signal OD is applied to the second input thereof, and the third input thereof is connected to the output of the inverter  500 . The gate electrode of the pMOS  503  is connected to the output of the OR gate  601 , the source electrode thereof is connected to a positive power supply VDD, and the drain electrode thereof is connected to the signal output terminal “out.”  
         [0055]    The control section sets the signal output mode of the output section to the CMOS type by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS  103  and nMOS  104 , and the second, third, and fifth MOS transistors are held OFF constantly when a control signal composed of the control signals OD, DRV, and PUN indicates a first setting. When the foregoing control signal indicates a second setting, the control section sets the output section to a CMOS type having a greater driving capability than that available at the first setting by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503 , and nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 , and by holding the pMOS transistor  302  OFF constantly. When the foregoing control signal indicates a third setting, the control section sets the signal output mode of the output section to an open-drain type by holding the pMOS&#39;s  103 ,  503 , and  302  and the nMOS  504  OFF constantly and by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104 . When the foregoing control signal indicates a fourth setting, the control section holds the pMOS&#39;s  103 ,  503 , and  302  OFF constantly and applies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  so as to turn the output section into an open-drain type which has a greater driving capability than that available at the third setting. When the foregoing control signal indicates a fifth setting, the control section holds the first and second pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503 , and a fifth nMOS  504  OFF constantly, whereas it holds the pMOS  302  ON constantly, and applies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  so as to set the signal output mode of the output section to the pull-drain type. When the foregoing control signal indicates a sixth setting, the control section holds the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  OFF constantly, while it holds the pMOS  302  ON constantly and applies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  so as to turn the output section into a pull-drain type which has a greater driving capability than that available at the fifth setting. In this embodiment, the first setting applies when the control signals OD and DRV are at the low level and the control signal PUN is at the high level; the second setting applies when the control signal OD is at the low level and both the control signals DRV and PUN are at the high level; the third setting applies when the control signal OD is at the high level, the control signal DRV is at the low level, and the control signal PUN is at the high level; the fourth setting applies when the control signals OD, DRV, and PUN are at the high level; the fifth setting applies when the control signal OD is at the high level, and the control signals DRV and PUN are at the low level; and the sixth setting applies when the control signals OD and DRV are at the high level, and the control signal PUN is at the low level.  
         [0056]    The operation of the output circuit of FIG. 6 will now be described. The output circuit of FIG. 6 enables the control signal OD, the control signal PUN, and the control signal DRV to be independently set. Eight different settings are possible; however, it is not allowed to set the control signal OD and the control signal PUN to the low level at the same time.  
         [0057]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the low level, the control signal PUN is set at the high level, and the control signal DRV is set at the low level will be described first. Since the control signal PUN is at the high level, the pMOS  302  stays OFF constantly. Also, since the control signal DRV is at the low level, the internal signal  52  is fixed to the low level, and the internal signals  50 ,  51 , and  60  are fixed to the high level. Hence, the pMOS  503  and the nMOS  504  also stays OFF constantly. Since the control signal OD is at the low level, the internal signal  11  is the inverted signal of the input signal IN. Accordingly, if the input signal IN switches to the low level, then the pMOS  103  turns OFF and the nMOS  104  turns ON. If the input signal IN switches to the high level, then the pMOS  103  turns ON and the nMOS  104  turns OFF. Thus, the output circuit of FIG. 6 at this setting acts the same as the output circuit of FIG. 4 when the control signal OD is at the low level and the control signal PUN is at the high level. This means that, if the control signal OD and the control signal DRV are at the low level and the control signal PUN is at the high level, then the output section works as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104 .  
         [0058]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the low level, while the control signal PUN and the control signal DRV are set at the high level will now be described. In this case, the pMOS  302  is always OFF. Since the control signal DRV is at the high level, the internal signals  51  and  52  become the inverted signals of the input signal IN, and since the control signal OD is at the low level, the internal signals  11  and  60  also become the inverted signals of the input signal IN. Hence, if the input signal IN switches to the low level, then the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  turn OFF, while the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn ON. If the input signal IN switches to the high level, then pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  turn ON, while the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn OFF. Thus, if the control signal OD is at the low level, and the control signal PUN and the control signal DRV are at the high level, then the output section works as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 . The driving capability of the CMOS circuit when the control signal DRV is at the high level is higher than that of the CMOS circuit when the control signal DRV is at the low level.  
         [0059]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD and the control signal PUN are set at the high level, while the control signal DRV is set at the low level will now be described. Since the control signal PUN is at the high level, pMOS  302  is always OFF. Since control signal OD is at the high level, the internal signals  11  and  60  are fixed at the high level, and the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  are OFF constantly. Also, since the control signal DRV is at the low level, the internal signal  52  is fixed to the low level, and the nMOS  504  is OFF constantly. Hence, the output circuit of FIG. 6 at this setting works the same as the output circuit of FIG. 4 when the control signal OD and the control signal PUN are at the high level. More specifically, when the control signal OD and the control signal PUN are at the high level, while the control signal DRV is at the low level, then the output section works as an nMOS open-drain circuit based on the nMOS  104 .  
         [0060]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD, the control signal PUN, and the control signal DRV are all set at the high level will now be described. In this case, the pMOS&#39;s  103 ,  503 , and  302  stay OFF constantly. The AND gate  502  outputs the internal input signal  10  from the inverter  101  as the internal signal  52 , the internal signal  52  being the inverted signal of the input signal IN. Hence, the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn OFF when the input signal IN switches to the low level, while they turn ON when the input signal IN switches to the high level. Thus, if the control signal OD, the control signal PUN, and the control signal DRV are all at the high level, then the output section works as an nMOS open-drain circuit composed of the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 . The driving capability of the nMOS open-drain circuit when the control signal DRV is at the high level is higher than that of the nMOS open-drain circuit when the control signal DRV is at the low level.  
         [0061]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the high level, while the control signal PUN and the control signal DRV are set at the low level will now be described. Since the control signal PUN is at the low level, pMOS  302  stays ON constantly. Since the control signal OD is at the high level, while the control signal DRV is at the low level, the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  and the nMOS  504  stay OFF constantly. Hence, the output circuit of FIG. 6 at this setting works the same as the output circuit of FIG. 4 when the control signal OD is at the high level and the control signal PUN is at the low level. More specifically, if the control signal OD is at the high level, while the control signal PUN and the control signal DRV are at the low level, then the output section works as an nMOS pull-up drain circuit composed of the pMOS  302  and the nMOS  104 , the pMOS  302  being the pull-up device.  
         [0062]    The operation implemented when the control signal OD is set at the high level, the control signal PUN is set at the low level, and the control signal DRV is set at the high level will now be described. In this case, the pMOS  302  stays ON constantly, while the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  stay OFF constantly. The internal signal  52  becomes the inverted signal of the input signal IN. Therefore, if the input signal IN switches to the low level, then the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn ON, or if the input signal IN switches to the high level, then the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn OFF. Thus, if the control signal OD and the control signal DRV are at the high level, and the control signal PUN is at the low level, then the output section works as an nMOS pull-up drain circuit composed of the pMOS  302  and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 , the pMOS  302  serving as the pull-up device. The driving capability of the nMOS pull-up drain circuit when the control signal DRV is at the high level is higher than that of the nMOS pull-up drain circuit when the control signal DRV is at the low level.  
         [0063]    As set forth above, the sixth embodiment is equipped with the control section which has: the OR gate  102  (the first logic gate) for controlling the pMOS  103  (the first MOS transistor) in accordance with the control signal OD (the first control signal); the inverter  500 , the OR gate  501  (the second logic gate), and the OR gate  801  (the third logic gate) for controlling the pMOS  503  (the second MOS transistor) in accordance with the control signal OD and the control signal DRV (the second control signal); and the AND gate  502  (the fourth logic gate) for controlling the nMOS  504  (the fifth MOS transistor) in accordance with the control signal DRV. The control section applies the control signal PUN (the third control signal) to the gate electrode of the pMOS  302  (the third MOS transistor) and applies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  (the fourth MOS transistor) so as to be able to switch the output mode of the output section among the CMOS type, the nMOS open type, and the nMOS pull-up type in accordance with the control signal OD and the control signal PUN and also to switch the driving capability in each of the signal output modes in accordance with the control signal DRV. Hence, even when the external interface is changed and the signal output mode or the required driving capability is changed, or a plurality of external interfaces of different signal output modes or driving capabilities are expected to be used, the circuit does not have to be changed since merely changing the settings of the control signals OD, DRV, and PUN enables the circuit to adapt itself to a change of the external interface.  
         [0064]    The internal composition of the control section and the input mode of the control signals supplied to the control section are not limited to those shown in FIG. 6. It is also possible to accomplish a configuration that permits changeover among the CMOS type, the pMOS open-drain type, and the pMOS pull-up drain type.  
         [0065]    It is also possible to accomplish a configuration that permits changeover of the signal output mode to the CMOS type or the nMOS open-drain type and that also permits changeover of the driving capability in each signal output mode. To be more specific, the output circuit of FIG. 6 is configured so that the control terminal “pun” and the pMOS  302  are removed, the output section thereof is composed of the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  (the first and second MOS transistors) and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  (the third and fourth MOS transistors), and the control section thereof is composed of the inverter  500 , the OR gate  102  (the first logic gate), the OR gates  501  and  601  (these two OR gates make up the second logic gate), and the AND gate  502  (the third logic gate). This configuration makes it possible to set the signal output mode of the output section to the CMOS type by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104  and by holding the pMOS  503  and the nMOS  504  OFF constantly when the control signal constituted by the control signals OD and DRV indicates the first setting. When the control signal indicates the second setting, the internal input signal  10  is applied to the gate electrodes of the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 , thus making it possible to turn the output section into the CMOS type having a greater driving capability than that available with the first setting. When the control signal indicates the third setting, the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503 , and the nMOS  504  are held OFF constantly, the pMOS  302  is held ON constantly, and the internal input signal  10  is applied to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104 , thus making it possible to set the signal output mode of the output section to the nMOS open-drain type. When the control signal indicates the fourth setting, the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  are held OFF constantly and the internal input signal  10  is applied to the gate electrodes of the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 , thus making it possible to turn the output section to be the nMOS open-drain type providing a greater driving capability than that available at the third setting.  
         [0066]    It is also possible to implement a configuration that permits changeover of the signal output mode to the CMOS type or the nMOS pull-up drain type and that also permits changeover of the driving capability in each signal output mode. To be more specific, the output circuit of FIG. 6 is configured so that the control terminal “pun” is removed, an inverter (a second inverter) for inverting the control signal OD is provided, the gate electrode of the pMOS  302  is connected to the output of the second inverter, and the control section thereof is composed of the inverter  500  (the first inverter), the foregoing second inverter, the OR gate  102  (the first logic gate), the OR gates  501  and  601  (these two OR gates make up the second logic gate), and the AND gate  502  (the third logic gate). This configuration makes it possible to set the signal output mode of the output section to the CMOS type by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104  and by holding the pMOS&#39;s  503  and  302 , and the nMOS  504  OFF constantly when the control signal constituted by the control signals OD and DRV indicates the first setting. When the control signal indicates the second setting, the internal input signal  10  is applied to the gate electrodes of the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 , thus making it possible to turn the output section into the CMOS type having a greater driving capability than that available with the first setting. When the control signal indicates the third setting, the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503 , and the nMOS  504  are held OFF constantly and the internal input signal  10  is applied to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104 , thus making it possible to set the signal output mode of the output section to the nMOS pull-up drain type. When the control signal indicates the fourth setting, the pMOS&#39;s  103  and  503  are held OFF constantly, while the pMOS  302  is held ON constantly, and the internal input signal  10  is applied to the gate electrodes of the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 , thus making it possible to turn the output section to be the nMOS pull-up drain type providing a greater driving capability than that available at the third setting.  
         [0067]    The output circuit of FIG. 6 is configured so as to make it possible to switch the signal output mode and the driving capability independently. Alternatively, however, the output circuit may be configured so as to enable the signal output mode and the driving capability to be switched at the same time by using a single control signal. A seventh embodiment set forth below represents the output circuit that switches the driving capability at the same time when the signal output mode is switched from the CMOS type to the open-drain type.  
         [0068]    [0068]FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing the output circuit of the seventh embodiment in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 7, like components as those shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 are assigned like reference numerals. The output circuit of FIG. 7 has a signal input terminal “in,” an inverter  101 , a control terminal “od,” an OR gate  102  (a first logic gate), an AND gate  502  (a second logic gate), a pMOS transistor  103  (a first MOS transistor), a nMOS transistors  104  and  504  (second and third MOS transistors), and a signal output terminal “out.” The control terminal “od,” the OR gate  102 , and the AND gate  502  constitute a control section. The pMOS  103  and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  constitute an output section. The output circuit of FIG. 7 has added the AND gate  502  and the nMOS  504  to the output circuit of FIG. 1.  
         [0069]    A first input of the AND gate  502  is connected to the output of the inverter  101 , and a control signal OD is applied to a second input of the AND gate  502 . The AND gate  502  outputs an internal input signal  70 . The gate electrode of the nMOS  504  is connected to the output of the AND gate  502 , the source electrode thereof is connected to a reference power supply GND, and the drain electrode thereof is connected to the signal output terminal “out.”  
         [0070]    When the control signal OD indicates a first setting, the control section applies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS  103  and nMOS  104  to hold the nMOS  504  OFF constantly, thereby turning the output section into the CMOS type. Likewise, when the control signal OD indicates a second setting, the control section holds the pMOS  103  OFF constantly, and applies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 , thereby turning the output section into the open-drain type which provides a greater driving capability than that available at the first setting. In this embodiment, the first setting applies when the control signal OD is at the low level, and the second setting applies when the control signal OD is at the high level.  
         [0071]    The operation of the output circuit of FIG. 7 will be described. The operation carried out when the control signal OD has been set at the low level will be described first. In this case, an internal input signal  60  issued from the AND gate  502  is fixed to the low level, and the nMOS  504  stays OFF constantly. Hence, the output circuit of FIG. 7 at this setting acts the same as the output circuit of FIG. 1 when the control signal OD is at the low level. In other words, when the control signal OD is at the low level, the output section works as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  104 .  
         [0072]    The operation carried out when the control signal OD has been set at the high level will now be described. In this case, an internal signal  11  issued from the OR gate  102  is fixed to the high level. The AND gate  502  issues the internal input signal  10  from the inverter  101  as the internal input signal  70 , and the internal input signal  70  becomes the inverted signal of the input signal IN. Accordingly, the pMOS  103  stays OFF constantly, and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn OFF when the input signal IN switches to the low level, while they turn ON when the input signal IN switches to the high level. Thus, when the control signal OD is at the high level, the output section operates as an nMOS open-drain circuit composed of the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 . When the output section works as the nMOS open-drain circuit, the driving capability of the nMOS is higher than that of the nMOS available when the output section works as a CMOS circuit.  
         [0073]    As set forth above, the seventh embodiment is equipped with the control section which has the OR gate  102  (the first logic gate) for controlling the pMOS  103  (the first MOS transistor) and the AND gate  502  (the second logic gate) for controlling the nMOS  504  (the third MOS transistor), and which applies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  (the second MOS transistor) so as to be able to switch the signal output mode of the output section to the CMOS type or the nMOS open-drain type by the control signal OD and also to switch the driving capability at the same time whenever the signal output mode is switched. Hence, even if the nMOS of the output section is required to provide a higher driving capability when the output circuit works as the nMOS open-drain type than that when it works as a CMOS type, optimum driving capabilities can be set for each type.  
         [0074]    The internal composition of the control section and the input mode of the control signals supplied to the control section are not limited to those shown in FIG. 7. It is also possible to accomplish a configuration that permits changeover between the CMOS type and the pMOS open-drain type having different driving capabilities. In the case of the output circuit of FIG. 7, the driving capability of the nMOS of the output section when the output section works as the CMOS type is higher than that when the output section works as the open-drain type; however, the output circuit can alternatively be configured so that the driving capability of the nMOS of the output section when the output section works as the open-drain type is higher than that when the output section works as CMOS type. The output circuit in which the driving capability is higher when it works as the open-drain type than it works as the CMOS will be described in terms of an eighth embodiment given below.  
         [0075]    [0075]FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing the output circuit of an eighth embodiment in accordance with the present invention. In FIG. 8, like components as those shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 6 are assigned like reference numerals. The output circuit of FIG. 8 has a signal input terminal “in,” an inverter  101 , a control terminal “od,” an inverter  801 , an OR gate  102  (a first logic gate), an AND gate  502  (a second logic gate), a pMOS transistor  802  (a first MOS transistor), nMOS transistors  104  and  504  (second and third MOS transistors), and a signal output terminal “out.” The control terminal “od,” the inverter  801 , the OR gate  102 , and the AND gate  502  make up a control section. The pMOS  802  and nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  make up an output section. The output circuit of FIG. 8 has added the inverter  801 , the AND gate  502 , and the nMOS  504  to the output circuit of FIG. 1, and has replaced the pMOS  103  by the pMOS  802  which provides a higher driving capability than the pMOS  103 . The pMOS  802  may be substituted by the pMOS  103  and the pMOS  503  of FIG. 5 which are connected in parallel.  
         [0076]    A control signal OD is supplied to the input of the inverter  801 , and the output of the inverter  801  is connected to a first input of the AND gate  502 . The inverter  801  outputs an internal signal  80  which is the inverted signal of the input signal IN. The AND gate  502  outputs an internal signal  81 . The gate electrode of the pMOS  802  is connected to the output of the OR gate  102 , the source electrode thereof is connected to a positive power supply VDD, and the drain electrode thereof is connected to the signal output terminal “out.” 
         [0077]    The control section sets the output section to the CMOS type by applying the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrodes of the pMOS  103  and the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  when the control signal OD indicates a first setting. When the control signal OD indicates a second setting, the control section holds the pMOS  103  and the nMOS  504  OFF constantly and applies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  so as to turn the output section into the open-drain type which provides a lower driving capability than that available at the first setting. In this case, the first setting applies when the control signal OD is at the low level, and the second setting applies when the control signal OD is at the high level.  
         [0078]    The operation if the output circuit of FIG. 8 will be described first. The operation carried out when the control signal OD has been set at the high level will be described first. At this setting, the internal signal  80  from the inverter  801  is at the low level, so that the internal signal  81  issued from the AND gate  502  is fixed to the low level, and the nMOS  504  stays OFF constantly. Hence, the output circuit of FIG. 8 acts the same as the output circuit of FIG. 1 when the control signal OD is at the high level. This means that, if the control signal OD is at the high level, then the output section operates as an nMOS open-drain circuit composed of the nMOS  104 .  
         [0079]    The operation carried out when the control signal OD has been set at the low level will now be described. At this setting, the OR gate  102  issues the internal input signal  10  from the inverter  101  as the internal signal  11 , and the internal signal  11  becomes the inverted signal of the input signal IN. The AND gate  502  issues the internal input signal  10  from the inverter  101  as the internal signal  81 , and the internal signal  81  becomes the inverted signal of the input signal IN. Hence, when the input signal IN switches to the low level, the pMOS  802  turns OFF, the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn ON. When the input signal IN switches to the high level, the pMOS  802  turns ON, while the nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504  turn OFF. Thus, if the control signal OD is at the low level, then the output section operates as a CMOS circuit composed of the pMOS  802  and nMOS&#39;s  104  and  504 . The output circuit of FIG. 8 is characterized by that the driving capability of the nMOS working in the CMOS circuit is higher than that of the nMOS working in the nMOS open-drain circuit, which is opposite from the case of the output circuit of FIG. 7.  
         [0080]    As set forth above, the eighth embodiment is equipped with the control section which has an OR gate  102  (the first logic gate) for controlling the pMOS  802  (the first MOS transistor), and the inverter  801  and the AND gate  502  (the second logic gate) for controlling the nMOS  504  (the third MOS transistor), and which applies the internal input signal  10  to the gate electrode of the nMOS  104  (the second MOS transistor). This makes it possible to switch the signal output mode of the output section to the CMOS type or the nMOS open-drain type by the control signal OD. Furthermore, the driving capability at the time of switching the signal output mode can be also switched at the same time. Hence, even if the nMOS of the output section is required to provide a higher driving capability when the output circuit works as the CMOS type output circuit than that when it works as the nMOS open-drain type output circuit, optimum driving capabilities can be set for each type.  
         [0081]    The internal composition of the control section and the input mode of the control signals supplied to the control section are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 8. The output circuit of FIG. 8 can be also configured to switch between the CMOS type and the pMOS open-drain type.  
         [0082]    Thus, the output circuit in accordance with the present invention is provided with the control section so as to switch the signal output mode or the driving capability of the output section in response to the control signals supplied from outside, or to switch the signal output mode and the driving capability of the output section at the same time or independently. This provides an advantage in that the output circuit is able to adapt itself to a plurality of external interfaces, which have different signal output modes and different required driving capabilities, without the need for changing the circuit.

Technology Category: 5