Microphone and method for processing audio signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10841680-B2
Application number	US-201616322817-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2016
Priority date	Aug 9, 2016
Publication date	Nov 17, 2020
Grant date	Nov 17, 2020

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a microphone including a main body, where an audio signal is generated in the main body based on the sound level and some other properties received, and an amplifier disposed in the main body, where the amplifier is adapted to amplify the audio signal, with the amplifier able to be configured with multiple gain levels. The present disclosure further provides a method for processing audio signals including: acquiring an audio signal; selecting a gain from multiple gain levels of an amplifier based on a property of the acquired audio signal, where the amplifier is built in a main body of a microphone; and modifying the digital representation after analog to digital conversion of the acquired audio signal according to the selected gain.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A microphone comprising:
a main body, where an analog audio signal is generated in the main body based on a sound;
an amplifier, disposed in the main body, where the amplifier is adapted to amplify the analog audio signal and the amplifier is configured with a plurality of gain levels,
wherein the plurality of gain levels comprise a unity gain and at least one non-unity gain;
an analog to digital converter adapted to convert the amplified audio signal from an analog signal representation to a digital signal representation to acquire a digital audio signal; and
a bit shifter adapted to shift the digital audio signal by at least one bit based on the plurality of gain levels.

2. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the amplifier comprises a non-inverting amplifier and a switch.

3. The microphone according to claim 2 , wherein the amplifier comprises:
an operational amplifier includes a non-inverting input, an inverting input and an output;
a switch including a first end and a second end, where the first end of the switch is coupled with the inverting input the second end of the switch is coupled with the output;
a first resistor including a first end and a second, where the first end of the first resistor is coupled with the first end of the switch and the second end of the first resistor is coupled with the second end of the switch; and
a second resistor including a first end and a second end, where the first end of the second resistor is coupled with the first end of the first resistor and the second end of the second resistor is grounded.

4. The microphone according to claim 3 , wherein the first resistor has an impedance that is thirty times an impedance of the second resistor.

5. The microphone according to claim 3 , wherein the operational amplifier is a Junction gate Field-Effect Transistor (JFET) input operational amplifier.

6. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the digital audio signal comprises more than 16 bits.

7. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the bit shifter shifts the digital audio signal to the left by at least one bit to compensate for a highest gain among the plurality of gain levels.

8. The microphone according to claim 7 , wherein a quantity of bits shifted is a gain difference against the highest gain divided by six decibels.

9. The microphone according to claim 1 further comprising a controller configured to select a gain from the plurality of gain levels based on a property of the analog audio signal.

10. The microphone according to claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to select a gain from the plurality of gain levels via comparing energy of the analog audio signal to a threshold relevant to the property of the analog audio signal.

11. The microphone according to claim 9 , wherein the controller is further configured to transmit the gain or a quantity of bits to be shifted corresponding to the gain to a bit shifter.

12. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one non-unity gain comprises at least one of multiples of six decibels.

13. A method for processing audio signals comprising:
acquiring an analog audio signal;
selecting a gain from a plurality of gain levels of an amplifier based on a property of the acquired analog audio signal, where the amplifier is built in a main body of a microphone; and
amplifying the acquired analog audio signal according to the selected gain,
wherein the gain is selected from the plurality of gain levels via comparing energy of the acquired analog audio signal to a threshold relevant to the property of the acquired analog audio signal.

14. The method according to claim 13 further comprising:
converting the amplified audio signal from an analog signal representation to a digital signal representation to acquire a digital audio signal; and
shifting the digital audio signal by at least one bit based on the plurality of gain levels.

15. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the digital audio signal comprises more than 16 bits.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein shifting the digital audio signal comprises shifting the digital audio signal to the left by at least one bit to compensate for a highest gain among the plurality of gain levels.

17. A microphone comprising:
a main body configured to generate an analog audio signal based on a sound;
an amplifier positioned in the main body and being adapted to amplify the analog audio signal, where the amplifier is configured with a plurality of gain levels;
wherein the plurality of gain levels comprise a unity gain and at least one non-unity gain;
an analog to digital converter adapted to convert the amplified audio signal from an analog signal representation to a digital signal representation to acquire a digital audio signal; and
a bit shifter adapted to shift the digital audio signal by at least one bit based on the plurality of gain levels.

Assignees

• Michel Alan
• Gao Sean
• Lv Guangyue
• Harman Int Ind

Inventors

• Michel Alan
• Gao Sean
• Lv Guangyue

Classifications

• H04R3/00

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

• H04R2430/01

  Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems · CPC title

• H03G3/32

  the control being dependent upon ambient noise level or sound level · CPC title

• H04R1/04 Primary

  Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor (in electric hearing aids H04R25/00) · CPC title

• H03F3/185

  with field-effect devices (H03F3/187 takes precedence) · CPC title