Sound level control in responding to the estimated impedances indicating that the medium being an auditory canal and other than the auditory canal

• US 8,385,563 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2009
• Issued: 02/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Texas Instruments, Inc.
• Inventors: Le Faucheur, Laurent, Veau, Nicolas
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Thanh V
• Application Number:
  US12/367,232
• Publication Number:
  US 20100046772A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,481 Days
• Field of Search: 381/103, 381/107
• US Class Current: 381/103
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/30 in amplifiers having semiconductor devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/007 Protection circuits for transducers

Abstract

A system and method for controlling a sound level of a mobile audio device are disclosed herein. In accordance with at least some embodiments, a system includes a transducer, a phase estimator, and a sound level control. The transducer converts an electrical signal applied to the transducer into audible sound. The phase estimator estimates a phase difference between a voltage and a current of the electrical signal applied to the transducer. The sound level control controls the loudness of sound produced by the transducer based, at least in part on the estimated phase difference.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a transducer for converting an electrical signal driving the transducer into audible sound;

a phase estimator for estimating an acoustic impedance of a medium acoustically coupled to the transducer by estimating a phase difference between a voltage and a current of the electrical signal driving the transducer; and

a sound level control for;

in response to the estimated acoustic impedance indicating that the medium is an auditory canal, determining that the transducer is aligned with an ear, and protecting a user from an unsafe level of sound pressure by reducing a loudness of a sound produced by the transducer; and

, in response to the estimated acoustic impedance indicating that the medium is other than the auditory canal, determining that the transducer is spaced a safe, distance from the ear.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the phase estimator is for estimating the phase difference by measuring a time difference between:

an identified point of the voltage; and

a corresponding point of the current.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the phase estimator includes:

a first zero-crossing detector for detecting a zero crossing of the voltage; and

a second zero-crossing detector for detecting a zero-crossing of the current.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the phase estimator includes a counter for measuring an. elapsed time between:

one of the zero-crossings of the voltage and the current; and

the other of the zero-crossings of the voltage and the current.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sound level control is for:

in response to the estimated acoustic impedance indicating that the medium is water, determining that the transducer is obstructed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the phase estimator is for iteratively estimating the acoustic impedance of the medium acoustically coupled to the transducer.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the phase estimator is for iteratively estimating an acoustic resistance, acoustic mass, and acoustic compliance of the ear, and the estimated acoustic impedance is based, at least in part, on the estimated acoustic resistance, acoustic mass, and acoustic compliance.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the phase estimator is for iteratively estimating the acoustic resistance, acoustic mass, and acoustic compliance based, at least in part, on a phase difference between:

an estimate of the current based, at least in part, on the estimated acoustic impedance; and

a measurement of the current.

9. A method performed by a control system, the method comprising:

estimating an acoustic impedance of a medium acoustically coupled to a speaker by estimating a phase difference between a voltage and a current of an electrical signal driving the speaker;

in response to the estimated acoustic impedance indicating that the medium is an auditory canal, determining that the speaker is aligned with an ear, and protecting a user from an unsafe level of sound pressure by reducing adjusting a loudness of a sound produced by the speaker; and

in response to the estimated acoustic impedance indicating that the medium is other than the auditory canal, determining that the speaker is spaced a safe distance from the ear.

10. The method of claim 9, and comprising:

in response to the estimated acoustic impedance indicating that the medium is water, determining that the speaker is obstructed.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein estimating the phase difference includes estimating the current based, at least in part, on the estimated acoustic impedance.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein estimating the phase difference includes estimating an acoustic resistance, acoustic mass, and acoustic compliance of the ear.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein estimating the phase difference includes iteratively updating the acoustic resistance, acoustic mass, and acoustic compliance estimate based, at least in part, on a difference between:

an estimate of the current derived from the acoustic resistance, acoustic mass, and acoustic compliance; and

a measurement of the current.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein estimating the phase difference includes detecting:

a prespecified point of the voltage; and

a prespecified point of the current.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein estimating the phase difference includes determining a time difference between:

the detection of the prespecified point of the voltage; and

the detection of the prespecified point of the current.

16. A mobile audio device, comprising:

an audio volume control system for;

estimating an acoustic impedance of a medium acoustically coupled to an audio speaker by estimating a phase difference between voltage and a current of an electrical signal driving the audio speaker;

in response to the estimated acoustic impedance indicating that the medium is an auditory canal, determining that the audio speaker is aligned with an ear, and protecting a user from an unsafe level of sound pressure by reducing an audio output volume of the audio speaker; and

, in response to the estimated acoustic impedance indicating that the medium is other than the auditory canal, determining that the audio speaker is spaced a safe distance from the ear.

17. The mobile audio device of claim 16, wherein the audio volume control system is for:

in response to the estimated acoustic impedance indicating that the medium is water, determining that the audio speaker is obstructed.

18. The mobile audio device of claim 16, wherein the audio volume control system includes an audio digital-to-analog converter (“

DAC”

) for estimating the phase difference between the voltage and the current.

19. The mobile audio device of claim 16, wherein the audio volume control system is for reducing the audio output volume to no more than a maximum level of sound pressure specified by a government regulation.