Audio reproducing device and method, audio amplifier, and integrated circuit for audio amplifier

• US 7,102,426 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Issued: 09/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NSC Company Limited (Nexon Co Ltd)
• Original Assignee: Niigata Seimitsu Co., Ltd. (Tetsuo Funai)
• Inventors: Kitamura, Mamoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Patricia
• Application Number:
  US10/740,526
• Publication Number:
  US 20040131193A1
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 330/10, 330/207.A
• US Class Current: 330/10
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 1/32 Modifications of amplifiers to reduce non-linear distortion by negative feedback H03F1/34
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 2200/331 Sigma delta modulation being used in an amplifying circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H03F 3/217 Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 3/376 Prevention or reduction of switching transients, e.g. glitches
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 3/43 the quantiser being a single bit one
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 3/456 the modulator having a first order loop filter in the feedforward path
• CPC Class Codes: H03M 3/502 Details of the final digital/analogue conversion following the digital delta-sigma modulation

Abstract

A digital ΔΣ modulated signal produced by a quantizer (1c) in a ΔΣ modulation processing unit (1) is put in to a feedback loop before inputted to a power switch (2) and converted into an analog signal by a D/A converter (1d). This analog signal is fed back to the input stage (a differentiator (1a)) of the ΔΣ processing unit (1) to prevent the switching distortion of the power switch (2) itself from being introduced into the feedback loop thereby to suppress the influence of the switching distortion.

Claims

1. An audio reproducing device comprising:

modulation processing means for carrying out conversion processing on an inputted audio signal based on modulation and for generating a modulated signal;

amplification means for amplifying an audio signal based on the modulated signal generated by said modulation processing means;

filtering means for generating an analog audio signal by carrying out filtering processing on the signal outputted from said amplification means;

correction means for causing the output signal of said modulation processing means to be fed beck to said modulation processing means and for correcting said modulated signal using the signal fed back; and

second correction means for causing a detected signal of a power supply voltage of said amplification means to be fed back to said modulation processing means and for correcting said modulated signal using the signal fed back.

2. The audio reproducing device according to claim 1, further comprising third correction means for causing the output signal of said filtering means to be fed back to said modulation processing means and for correcting said modulated signal using the signal fed back.

10. The audio reproducing device according to claim 1, characterized in that said modulation processing means comprises Δ

Σ

modulation processing means for carrying out conversion processing based on Δ

Σ

modulation.

11. The audio reproducing device according to claim 1, characterized in that said modulation processing means comprises pulse width modulation processing means for carrying out conversion processing based on pulse width modulation.

3. An audio reproducing method for amplifying an audio signal according to a modulated signal comprising:

carrying out conversion processing on the input audio signal based on modulation; and

carrying out filtering processing and thereby outputting an analog audio signal,

wherein the modulated signal generated through the modulation processing based on said modulation is fed back to a generation section of said modulated signal and said modulated signal is corrected using the signal fed back, and

wherein, in addition to the modulated signal generated through the conversion processing based on said modulation, a detected signal of a power supply voltage used to amplify said audio signal is also fed back to the generation section of said modulated signal and said modulated signal is corrected using the signal fed back.

4. An audio reproducing method for amplifying an audio signal according to a modulated signal comprising:

carrying out conversion processing on the input audio signal based on modulation; and

further carrying out filtering processing and thereby outputting an analog audio signal,

wherein the modulated signal generated through the conversion processing based on said modulation and the analog audio signal generated through said filtering processing are fed back to a generation section of said modulated signal and said modulated signal is corrected using the signal fed back, and

wherein, in addition to the modulated signal generated through the conversion processing based on said modulation and analog audio signal generated through said filtering processing, the detected signal of a power supply voltage used to amplify said audio signal is also fed back to the generation section of said modulated signal and said modulated signal is corrected using the signal fed back.

5. An integrated circuit for an audio amplifier characterized by comprising:

a modulation processing circuit that carries out conversion processing on an inputted audio signal based on modulation and generates a modulated signal;

a switching circuit that carries out a switching operation based on the modulated signal generated by said modulation processing circuit and amplifies an audio signal;

a filter circuit that generates an analog audio signal by carrying out filtering processing on the signal outputted from said switching circuit;

a feedback path through which the modulated signal generated by said modulation processing circuit is fed back to said modulation processing circuit; and

a second feedback path through which the detected signal of a power supply voltage supplied to said switching circuit is fed back to said modulation processing circuit.

6. The integrated circuit for an audio amplifier according to claim 5, further comprising a third feedback path through which the output signal of said filter circuit is fed back to said modulation processing circuit.

7. An integrated circuit for an audio amplifier used for an audio amplifier comprising:

a modulation processing circuit that carries out conversion processing on an inputted audio signal based on modulation and generates a modulated signal;

a switching circuit that carries out a switching operation based on the modulated signal generated by said modulation processing circuit and amplifies the audio signal;

a filter circuit that generates an analog audio signal by carrying out filtering processing on the signal outputted from said switching circuit; and

a feedback path through which the modulated signal generated by said modulation processing circuit is fed back to said modulation processing circuit, characterized by integrating at least said modulation processing circuit, said switching circuit and said feedback path,

further characterized by integrating a second feedback path through which the detected signal of a power supply voltage supplied to said switching circuit is fed back to said modulation processing circuit.

8. An audio reproducing device comprising:

modulation processing means for carrying out conversion processing on an inputted analog audio signal based on modulation and for generating a pulse-shaped modulated signal;

amplification means for amplifying an analog audio signal by carrying out filtering processing on the signal outputted from said amplification means; and

correction means provided with a feedback loop through which the modulated signal outputted from said modulation processing means is converted to an analog signal by digital/analog conversion means and fed back to the input stage of said modulation processing means far amplifying when said modulated signal is converted to said analog signal, and a separate feedback loop through which a signal in accordance with a power supply voltage of said amplification means is a second signal fed back to the digital/analog conversion means for further correcting said modulated signal using the second signal fed back.

9. The audio reproducing device according to claim 8, wherein said digital/analog conversion means further comprising:

an inverter that inputs the modulated signal outputted from said modulation processing means; and

the power supply voltage of said amplification means is supplied to the source of transistor making up said inverter.