Communications circuits for electronic devices and accessories

• US 7,769,187 B1
• Filed: 07/14/2009
• Issued: 08/03/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sander, Wendell B., Farrar, Douglas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin; Vivian
• Assistant Examiner(s): KURR, JASON R
• Application Number:
  US12/503,007
• Time in Patent Office: 385 Days
• Field of Search: 381/94.1, 381/94.5, 381/94.6, 381/71.1, 381/71.6, 381/74, 381/309, 381/370, 381/384, 381/13, 381/1, 455/575.1, 455/575.2, 455/569.1, 379/419, 379/420, 379/387.01, 379/388.01
• US Class Current: 381/74
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1041 Mechanical or electronic switches, or control elements switches in general H01H
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/1083 Reduction of ambient noise active noise reduction per se G10K11/175; protective devices for the ear, e.g. providing acoustic protection A61F11/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/03 Connection circuits to selectively connect loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2460/07 Use of position data from wide-area or local-area positioning systems in hearing devices, e.g. program or information selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/033 Headphones for stereophonic communication details thereof, e.g. relating to batteries, cables or control elements H04R1/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S

Abstract

Hybrid circuits for electronic devices and accessories for electronic devices are provided. One or more pairs of hybrid circuits may convey audio signals, noise cancellation audio signals, microphone signals, control signals, and other signals between an electronic device and an accessory. The hybrid circuits may include a voltage controlled current source, a differential amplifier, separate signal and ground pins, multiple ground lines, an amplifier on a ground noise sense input line that can sense ground noise that may result from parasitic resistance, and other circuitry.

Claims

1. An electronic device that supports communications with electronic equipment, comprising:

an audio connector having four contacts including left channel and right channel audio contacts;

a first hybrid circuit having a common port coupled to the left channel audio contact and having a differential amplifier that receives a shared bias voltage;

a left channel audio output that transmits left channel analog audio signals through the first hybrid circuit;

a left channel microphone input that receives left channel microphone signals from the first hybrid circuit;

a second hybrid circuit having a common port coupled to the right channel audio contact and having a differential amplifier that receives the shared bias voltage;

a right channel audio output that transmits right channel analog audio signals through the second hybrid circuit;

a right channel microphone input that receives right channel microphone signals from the second hybrid circuit; and

a shared circuit that generates the shared bias voltage for the first and second hybrid circuits.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising noise cancellation circuitry that reduces noise in speakers that receive the left and right channel audio signals using the left and right channel microphone signals, respectively.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising ground noise sensing circuitry including an amplifier that is coupled to a ground contact in the audio connector.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 further comprising audio codec circuitry that includes the left channel audio output, the right channel audio output, and a ground noise input coupled to the ground noise sensing circuitry, wherein the left channel audio output of the audio codec circuitry is coupled to the first hybrid circuit and wherein the right channel audio output of the audio codec circuitry is coupled to the second hybrid circuit.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 1 further comprising power supply circuitry that generates a power supply voltage for the electronic equipment, wherein the power supply circuitry is coupled to a power contact in the audio connector.

6. An accessory comprising:

an audio connector having a left channel audio contact, a right channel audio contact, a power contact, and a ground contact;

at least one hybrid circuit having a common node coupled to one of the audio contacts in the audio connector;

a wired path having a length between the audio connector and the hybrid circuit, wherein the length of the wired path between the audio connector and the hybrid circuit includes separate power ground and signal ground lines and wherein the power ground line and the signal ground line are both coupled to the ground contact in the audio connector;

a summing resistor coupled between the common node and the signal ground line; and

circuitry coupled to the power ground line.

7. The accessory defined in claim 6 wherein the at least one hybrid circuit comprises a first hybrid circuit having a common node coupled to the left channel audio contact and a second hybrid circuit having a common node coupled to the right channel audio contact, the accessory further comprising:

a left channel speaker that receives signals from the first hybrid circuit; and

a right channel speaker that receives signals from the second hybrid circuit.

8. The accessory defined in claim 7 further comprising:

a left channel microphone that detects left channel ambient noise signals to reduce noise in the left channel speaker; and

a right channel microphone that detects right channel ambient noise signals to reduce noise in the right channel speaker.

9. The accessory defined in claim 6 wherein the at least one hybrid circuit comprises:

a first hybrid circuit having a common node coupled to the left channel audio contact and having a differential amplifier that receives a shared bias voltage; and

a second hybrid circuit having a common node coupled to the right channel audio contact and having a differential amplifier that receives the shared bias voltage;

the accessory further comprising a shared circuit that generates the shared bias voltage for the first and second hybrid circuits.

10. The accessory defined in claim 6 wherein the at least one hybrid circuit comprises:

a first hybrid circuit having a common node coupled to the left channel audio contact and having a differential amplifier that receives a shared bias voltage; and

a second hybrid circuit having a common node coupled to the right channel audio contact and having a differential amplifier that receives the shared bias voltage;

the accessory further comprising;

a first microphone that receives a common microphone bias signal;

a second microphone that receives the common microphone bias signal; and

a shared circuit that generates the shared bias voltage for the first and second hybrid circuits and that generates the common microphone bias signal for the first and second microphones.

11. The accessory defined in claim 6 wherein the length of the wired path includes an additional signal ground line and wherein the at least one hybrid circuit comprises:

a first hybrid circuit having a common node coupled to the left channel audio contact, wherein the first hybrid circuit includes circuitry coupled to the signal ground line; and

a second hybrid circuit having a common node coupled to the right channel audio contact, wherein the second hybrid circuit includes circuitry coupled to the additional signal ground line.

12. The accessory defined in claim 11 further comprising:

a left channel speaker that receives signals from the first hybrid circuit and that is coupled to the power ground line; and

a right channel speaker that receives signals from the second hybrid circuit and that is coupled to the power ground line.

13. An electronic device that supports communications with electronic equipment, comprising:

an audio connector having a left channel audio contact, a right channel audio contact, a power contact, and a ground contact;

a first hybrid circuit having a common port coupled to the left channel audio contact;

a second hybrid circuit having a common port coupled to the right channel audio contact;

ground noise sensing circuitry including an amplifier that is coupled to the ground contact in the audio connector; and

audio codec circuitry having a left channel audio output coupled to the first hybrid circuit, a right channel audio output coupled to the second hybrid circuit, and a ground noise input coupled to the ground noise sensing circuitry.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the first hybrid circuit has a differential amplifier that receives a shared bias voltage and wherein the second hybrid circuit has a differential amplifier that receives a shared bias voltage, the electronic device further comprising a shared circuit that generates the shared bias voltage for the first and second hybrid circuits.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 13 comprising power supply circuitry that generates a power supply voltage for the electronic equipment, wherein the power supply circuitry is coupled to the power contact in the audio connector.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the audio codec circuitry has a left channel audio input coupled to the first hybrid circuit and a right channel audio input coupled to the second hybrid circuit and wherein the audio codec circuitry includes noise cancellation circuitry that reduces noise in speakers that receive signals from the left and right channel audio outputs using signals received on the left and right channel audio inputs.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the audio codec circuitry has a left channel audio input that receives left channel microphone signals from the first hybrid and a right channel audio input that receives right channel microphone signals from the second hybrid.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 13 wherein the amplifier in the ground noise sensing circuitry has an output, a first input coupled to the ground contact, and a second input coupled to the output through a first resistor and wherein the second input is coupled to a ground in the electronic device through a second resistor.