Automatic loop gain calibration in amplification circuits

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10243533-B1
Application number	US-201815891790-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 8, 2018
Priority date	Feb 8, 2018
Publication date	Mar 26, 2019
Grant date	Mar 26, 2019

Abstract

Aspects are directed to an amplifier circuit including a signal processing circuit and a calibration circuit. In certain specific embodiments, the signal processing circuit includes a signal combiner and a closed-loop feedback path, and the signal processing circuit is designed to provide a loop transfer function for a derived signal partly representing contributions from an audio input signal, a control or pilot signal having a target frequency range, and a calibration signal. The signal combiner is designed to combine aspects of the control or pilot signal and aspects of the audio input signal, and the calibration circuit is designed to adjust an effective gain of the derived signal in response to whether a unity-gain frequency of a signal in the closed-loop feedback path, as provided via the loop transfer function, is higher or lower than the target frequency range. Consistent therewith and in yet more specific embodiments, such an amplifier circuit can define the target frequency range relative to the transfer function and an associated unity-gain frequency.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An amplifier circuit comprising:
a signal processing circuit including a signal combiner and a closed-loop feedback path, the signal processing circuit being configured and arranged to provide a loop transfer function for a derived signal representing at least in part contributions from an audio input signal, a control or pilot signal having a target frequency range and a calibration signal, with the signal combiner configured and arranged to combine aspects of the control or pilot signal and aspects of the audio input signal; and
a calibration circuit configured and arranged to adjust an effective gain of the derived signal in response to whether a unity-gain frequency of a signal in the closed-loop feedback path, as provided via the loop transfer function, is higher or lower than the target frequency range.

2. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the target frequency range is defined relative to the transfer function and an associated unity-gain frequency.

3. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , further comprising an impedance circuit configured and arranged to pass signals having frequencies in an audible frequency range and to block signals outside audible frequency range, and wherein the calibration circuit is configured and arranged to maintain stability of the closed-loop feedback path by adjusting the gain of the derived signal.

4. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the calibration circuit is further configured and arranged to change the DC-gain of the loop transfer function for maintaining stability of the closed-loop feedback path.

5. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the control or pilot signal is a single-frequency signal, and wherein the signal combiner is configured and arranged to sum the control or pilot signal with the audio input signal.

6. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the control or pilot signal is a single-frequency signal, and wherein the calibration circuit is further configured and arranged to adjust the gain in response to whether the frequency of the control or pilot signal is higher or lower than a unity-gain frequency provided by the loop transfer function.

7. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the calibration circuit includes circuitry for determining relative signal power levels of a processed signal in the signal processing circuit relative to contributions from the pilot signal.

8. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the calibration circuit includes first circuitry configured to determine relative signal power levels of a processed signal in the signal processing circuit relative to contributions from the control or pilot signal, and includes second circuitry configured to control and provide the gain in the closed-loop feedback path.

9. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the calibration circuit is further configured and arranged to adjust the gain toward convergence where the unity-gain frequency of the transfer function equals a frequency of a signal corresponding to the control or pilot signal.

10. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the signal processing circuit forms a class-D audio amplifier.

11. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , further including a variable-gain amplifier, wherein the calibration circuit includes at least one bandpass filter centered around a frequency of a signal corresponding to the control or pilot signal, and further including first circuitry configured to respond to an output from said at least one bandpass filter and to control and provide the gain, via the variable-gain amplifier, in response to determining relative signal power levels of a processed signal in the signal processing circuit relative to contributions from the control or pilot signal.

12. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , further including a variable-gain amplifier configured to provide an amplification (G) of the loop transfer function (H(s)), wherein the control or pilot signal is combined with the aspects of an audio signal feedback from the amplified loop transfer function (G*H(s)).

13. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , further including a variable-gain amplifier configured to provide an amplification (G) of the loop transfer function (H(s)), wherein the control or pilot signal is combined with the aspects of the audio signal after the amplification (G), along a forward-feed side after the amplified loop transfer function (G*H(s)).

14. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , further including a variable-gain amplifier configured to provide an amplification (G) of the loop transfer function (H(s)), wherein the control or pilot signal is combined with the aspects of the audio signal after the amplification (G), along a forward-feed side after the amplified loop transfer function (G*H(s)), wherein the calibration circuit having sample-and-hold circuitry and a signal-level comparator that are configured and arranged to determine relative signal power levels of a processed signal in the signal processing circuit relative to contributions from the pilot signal.

15. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , wherein the signal processing circuit includes circuitry corresponding to class-D audio amplification, and further includes:
a variable-gain amplifier configured to provide an amplification (G) of the loop transfer function (H(s)), wherein the control or pilot signal is combined with the aspects of the audio signal after an amplification (G) of the loop transfer function (G*H(s)), wherein the calibration circuit is configured to calibrate gain based on signal power levels assessed from contributions from the control or pilot signal;
a switching power stage configured and arranged to drive a speaker; and
a low-pass filter configured to be coupled between the switching power stage and the speaker, and including a high-order digital filter having a high gain in audio bandwidth and a targeted behavior at unity-gain frequency, and including an impedance compensation filter, configured and arranged between a port receiving the audio input signal and the loop transfer function (H(s)), to cancel the transfer of a low-pass filter configured to suppress high-frequency content.

16. The amplifier circuit of claim 1 , further including an impedance compensation filter configured and arranged with at least one zero, wherein the calibration circuit is further configured and arranged to adjust the effective gain by calibrating a transfer function provided by the impedance compensation filter and therein changing a frequency associated with said at least one zero.

17. The amplifier circuit of claim 16 , wherein the impedance compensation filter includes components with inductive and capacitive contributions.

Assignees

• Nxp Bv

Inventors

• Berkhout Marco
• Mostert Fred
• Ciacci Massimo
• Koerts Mattheus Johan
• Kessel Martin

Classifications

• H03F2200/171

  A filter circuit coupled to the output of an amplifier · CPC title

• H03F3/217

  Class D power amplifiers; Switching amplifiers · CPC title

• H03F1/083

  in transistor amplifiers (H03F1/10 - H03F1/22 take precedence) · CPC title

• H04R3/00

  Circuits for transducers (arrangements for producing a reverberation or echo sound G10K15/08; amplifiers H03F) · CPC title

• H03G3/005

  Control by a pilot signal (H03G3/001 takes precedence) · CPC title