Audio processing circuit supporting multi-channel audio input function

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11109172-B2
Application number	US-202016872414-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2020
Priority date	May 21, 2019
Publication date	Aug 31, 2021
Grant date	Aug 31, 2021

Abstract

An circuit includes: a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and a control chip. The control chip is utilized for instructing a target ADC to output audio data of a target channel during a target period, and utilized for instructing remaining ADCs not to output audio data in the target period. Then, the control chip defines data timing of the target channel and other channels based on the data receiving time point of the audio data of the target channel. The plurality of ADCs would process analog audio signals of a plurality of channels and output audio data of the plurality of channels according to an assigned order configured by the control chip to form a serial data signal. The control chip separates the audio data of different channels from the serial data signal according to the data timing of the plurality of channels.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit comprising:
a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), configured to operably convert analog audio signals of a plurality of channels into corresponding digital audio data, the plurality of ADCs including a target ADC utilized for processing an analog audio signal of a target channel in the plurality of channels; and
a control chip, coupled with the plurality of ADCs, and configured to operably control an audio data output order of the plurality of ADCs, to operably instruct the target ADC to output an audio data of the target channel during a target period, and to operably instruct remaining ADCs of the plurality of ADCs not to output audio data in the target period;
wherein the control chip is further configured to operably define a data timing of the target channel according to a data receiving time point of the audio data of the target channel, and then to operably define a data timing of remaining channels of the plurality of channels according to the data timing of the target channel;
after the control chip defines the data timing of the plurality of channels, the plurality of ADCs process the analog audio signals of the plurality of channels and output the audio data of the plurality of channels in turns according to an assigned order configured by the control chip to form a serial data signal, and the control chip separates the digital audio data of different channels from the serial data signal according to the data timing of the plurality of channels.

2. The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the control chip is further configured to generate a left-right clock signal, and the circuit further comprises:
a frequency divider circuit, coupled between the control chip and each of the plurality of ADCs, and configured to operably conduct a frequency dividing operation on the left-right clock signal to generate a channel switch signal having a frequency lower than a frequency of the left-right clock signal;
wherein each of the plurality of ADCs switches, according to the channel switch signal, channels via which the audio data is to be outputted.

3. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the control chip is further configured to operably instruct the target ADC not to output audio data of another channel in the target period.

4. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the control chip is configured to operably define the data timing of the remaining channels of the plurality of channels according to the assigned order and the data timing of the target channel.

5. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the control chip is further configured to operably control the audio data output order of the plurality of ADCs before the target period, so that the plurality of ADCs output audio data of the plurality of channels in turns based on the assigned order.

6. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein each of the plurality of ADCs is a two-channel analog-to-digital converter responsible for processing analog audio signals of a pair of a left-channel and a right-channel in the plurality of channels.

7. The circuit of claim 6 , wherein a frequency of the channel switch signal is 1/N of a frequency of the left-right clock signal, N being a positive integer greater than 1, and is equal to a total quantity of ADCs of the plurality of ADCs.

8. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein periods during which the plurality of ADCs output digital audio data do not overlap with one another.

9. The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the control chip does not have a time division multiplexed interface or a multi-channel inter-IC sound interface.

Assignees

• Realtek Semiconductor Corp

Inventors

• Tsai Chiu-Yun

Classifications

• H04S3/006 Primary

  in which a plurality of audio signals are transformed in a combination of audio signals and modulated signals, e.g. CD-4 systems · CPC title

• H03M1/123

  Simultaneous, i.e. using one converter per channel but with common control or reference circuits for multiple converters · CPC title

• H04S2400/15

  Aspects of sound capture and related signal processing for recording or reproduction · CPC title

• H03M1/1205

  Multiplexed conversion systems · CPC title

• H04S2400/01

  Multi-channel, i.e. more than two input channels, sound reproduction with two speakers wherein the multi-channel information is substantially preserved · CPC title