Voltage supply circuit, power supply circuit, microphone unit using the same, and microphone unit sensitivity adjustment method

• US 20060147061A1
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Published: 07/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Ida, Masayuki, Kinoshita, Hiroshige, Niwa, Fumiyuki
• Granted Patent: US 7,929,716 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/113
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/30 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce influence of variations of temperature or supply voltage or other physical parameters in differential amplifiers H03F3/45479
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/04 with semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/181 Low-frequency amplifiers, e.g. audio preamplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/45475 using IC blocks as the active amplifying circuit

Abstract

A voltage supply circuit includes a power supply booster, an amplifier operating with a voltage generated by the power supply booster as a power supply voltage and supplying a bias voltage to a sensor, and an output voltage setting part including a feedback resistor for the amplifier. The feedback resistor has resistance determined according to a set value of a bias voltage of the sensor.

Claims

1. A voltage supply circuit comprising:

a power supply booster;

an amplifier operating with a voltage generated by the power supply booster as a power supply voltage and supplying a bias voltage to a sensor; and

an output voltage setting part including a feedback resistor for the amplifier, the feedback resistor having resistance determined according to a set value of a bias voltage of the sensor.

2. The voltage supply circuit according to claim 1, further comprising:

a memory storing the set value of the bias voltage.

3. The voltage supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein the feedback resistor has resistance determined by a resistor selected arbitrarily from a plurality of resistors.

4. The voltage supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein the feedback resistor includes a plurality of resistors and determines resistance of the feedback resistor by using an arbitrary number of resistors corresponding to the set value of the bias voltage.

5. The voltage supply circuit according to claim 2, wherein the memory stores the set value of the bias voltage with a fuse.

6. The voltage supply circuit according to claim 2, wherein the memory stores the set value of the bias voltage with a zener-zap.

7. The voltage supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein the output voltage setting part further comprises:

a selector connected to the feedback resistor; and

a data processor supplying a selection signal to the selector,

wherein the selector sets resistance of the feedback resistor according to the selection signal and serves as a feedback resistor for the amplifier.

8. The voltage supply circuit according to claim 1, wherein the feedback resistor at least includes a first feedback resistor and a second feedback resistor and one of the first feedback resistor and the second feedback resistor is selected as a feedback resistor for the amplifier according to a mode setting signal supplied from an outside of the output voltage setting part.

9. A microphone unit comprising:

a microphone receiving a bias voltage;

a power supply booster;

an amplifier operating with a voltage generated by the power supply booster as a power supply voltage and supplying a bias voltage to the microphone; and

an output voltage setting part including a feedback resistor for the amplifier, the feedback resistor having resistance determined according to a set value of a bias voltage of the microphone.

10. The microphone unit according to claim 9, comprising:

a memory storing a set value of the bias voltage.

11. A power supply circuit supplying a bias voltage to a microphone unit including an amplifier, a capacitor and a capacitor microphone, the power supply circuit comprising:

a voltage supply circuit generating a predetermined bias voltage from a voltage supplied from outside and supplying the bias voltage to the capacitor microphone through a resistor;

the resistor with one end connected to an output end of the voltage supply circuit; and

a discharger with one end connected to another end of the resistor and with another end connected to one of a ground terminal of the power supply circuit or the output end of the voltage supply circuit.

12. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein the discharger is placed between another end of a high resistor and the ground terminal of the power supply circuit and includes a discharge resistor and a discharge switch.

13. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein the voltage supply circuit selectively outputs a plurality of bias voltages in response to a sensitivity switching signal from outside.

14. The power supply circuit according to claim 12, comprising:

a first timer causing the discharge switch to open and close,

wherein the first timer opens and closes the discharge switch for a predetermined time period in response to the sensitivity switching signal.

15. The power supply circuit according to claim 12, further comprising:

a charger connected in parallel between both ends of the resistor and including a charge switch and a charge resistor.

16. The power supply circuit according to claim 15, comprising:

a second timer causing the charge switch to open and close,

wherein the first timer opens and closes the charge switch for a predetermined time period in response to the sensitivity switching signal.

17. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein the discharger connected to another end of a high resistor is a charge/discharge switch connected between both ends of the resistor.

18. The power supply circuit according to claim 17, wherein the voltage supply circuit selectively outputs a plurality of bias voltages in response to a sensitivity switching signal from outside, the voltage supply circuit comprises a third timer causing the charge/discharge switch to open and close, and the third timer opens and closes the charge/discharge switch for a predetermined time period in response to the sensitivity switching signal.

19. The power supply circuit according to claim 12, further comprising:

a fourth timer causing the discharge switch to open and close,

wherein the fourth timer opens and closes the discharge switch for a predetermined time period in response to a control signal from outside.

20. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, wherein the power supply circuit is formed in one chip large-scale integrated circuit.

21. A microphone unit comprising the power supply circuit according to claim 11.

22. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, the voltage supply circuit comprising:

a power supply booster;

an amplifier operating with a voltage generated by the power supply booster as a power supply voltage and supplying a bias voltage to a sensor; and

an output voltage setting part including a feedback resistor for the amplifier, the feedback resistor having resistance determined according to a set value of a bias voltage of the sensor.

23. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, the voltage supply circuit comprising:

a power supply booster;

an amplifier operating with a voltage generated by the power supply booster as a power supply voltage and supplying a bias voltage to a sensor;

an output voltage setting part including a feedback resistor for the amplifier, the feedback resistor having resistance determined according to a set value of a bias voltage of the sensor; and

a memory storing the set value of the bias voltage.

24. The power supply circuit according to claim 11, the voltage supply circuit comprising:

a power supply booster;

an amplifier operating with a voltage generated by the power supply booster as a power supply voltage and supplying a bias voltage to a sensor; and

an output voltage setting part including a feedback resistor for the amplifier, the feedback resistor having resistance determined according to a set value of a bias voltage;

wherein the feedback resistor at least includes a first feedback resistor and a second feedback resistor and one of the first feedback resistor and the second feedback resistor is selected as a feedback resistor for the amplifier according to a mode setting signal supplied from an outside of the output voltage setting part.

25. A method of adjusting a sensitivity of a microphone, comprising:

inputting a reference tone to a microphone;

comparing an output of the microphone for the reference tone with a reference voltage;

outputting a set value for setting a bias voltage to be biased to the microphone based on a comparison result; and

storing the set value and determining a feedback resistance value of an amplifier for outputting the bias voltage based on the set value.