US Patent 7595665 Clock gated circuit

A clock gated circuit includes a clock signal receiving unit that applies a first voltage to a fighting node when the clock signal is at a first logic; a discharging unit that discharges an electric charge from the fighting node when the clock signal is transitioned from the first logic to a second logic and when the enable signal is activated; a voltage maintaining unit that maintains the fighting node at a power or ground voltage; and an output unit that inverts a logic level of the fighting node to generate the gated clock signal. A blocking unit can be included that blocks a power voltage from being provided to the fighting node by the voltage maintaining unit when discharging. A blocking transistor can be included that prevents unnecessary electric charge from inflowing into the fighting node to reduce power consumption and discharging time.