Smart speaker power management

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11910171-B2
Application number	US-202017111967-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2020
Priority date	Sep 4, 2020
Publication date	Feb 20, 2024
Grant date	Feb 20, 2024

Abstract

A smart speaker power controller may be configured to receive power conforming to one of a plurality of power modes from an input power source. The power controller may be further configured to communicate the power mode to at least one component of a processing system or at least one component of an audio system for operating the smart speaker according to the received power mode, including determining a current limit of a power converter; determining a shutdown voltage threshold and safely shutting down the smart speaker if the input voltage falls below the threshold, and/or modifying audio operation of the smart speaker in response to the power mode. The smart speaker can further include an audio power supply controller configured to monitor energy required to reproduce an audio signal and to servo a power supply voltage provided to an audio amplifier in response to this energy level.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A smart speaker comprising:
a processing system comprising at least one digital signal processor configured to decode an encoded audio file to produce an audio bitstream;
at least one digital to analog converter coupled to the at least one digital signal processor and configured to convert the audio bitstream to an analog audio signal;
at least one audio amplifier coupled to the at least one digital to analog converter and configured to amplify the analog audio signal;
an audio power supply configured to receive an input voltage and provide an output voltage powering the at least one audio amplifier; and
an audio power supply controller coupled to the at least one digital signal processor or the at least one digital to analog converter and configured to:
identify an increased or a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal;
responsive to an increased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal, increase a power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier and increase a look ahead time period before the increased energy requirement; and
responsive to a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal, decease the power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier.

2. The smart speaker of claim 1 wherein decreasing a power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier responsive to a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal comprises beginning the decreasing a delay time period after the decreased energy requirement.

3. The smart speaker of claim 1 wherein the audio power supply controller receives an audio bitstream from the at least one digital signal processor.

4. The smart speaker of claim 3 wherein the audio power supply controller receives the audio bitstream from a prediction digital signal processor separate from an audio digital signal processor used to decode the encoded audio file.

5. The smart speaker of claim 1 wherein the audio power supply controller receives an audio signal from the at least one digital to analog converter.

6. The smart speaker of claim 5 wherein the audio power supply controller receives the audio signal from a digital to analog converter separate from the digital to analog converter used to produce the audio signal for the at least one audio amplifiers.

7. A method of controlling a power supply voltage supplied to an audio amplifier, the method comprising:
identifying an increased or a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of an audio signal;
responsive to an increased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal, increasing a power supply voltage supplied to at least one audio amplifier and increasing a look ahead time period before the increased energy requirement; and
responsive to a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal, decreasing the power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein decreasing a power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier responsive to a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal comprises beginning the decreasing a delay time period after the decreased energy requirement.

9. A smart speaker comprising:
a processing system comprising at least one digital signal processor configured to decode an encoded audio file to produce an audio bitstream;
at least one digital to analog converter coupled to the at least one digital signal processor and configured to convert the audio bitstream to an analog audio signal;
at least one audio amplifier coupled to the at least one digital to analog converter and configured to amplify the analog audio signal;
an audio power supply configured to receive an input voltage and provide an output voltage powering the at least one audio amplifier; and
an audio power supply controller coupled to the at least one digital signal processor or the at least one digital to analog converter and configured to:
identify an increased or a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal;
responsive to an increased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal, increase a power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier; and
responsive to a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal, decease the power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier and decrease a delay time period after the decreased energy requirement.

10. The smart speaker of claim 9 wherein increasing a power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier responsive to an increased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal comprises beginning the increasing a look ahead time period before the increased energy requirement.

11. The smart speaker of claim 9 wherein the audio power supply controller receives an audio bitstream from the at least one digital signal processor.

12. The smart speaker of claim 11 wherein the audio power supply controller receives the audio bitstream from a prediction digital signal processor separate from an audio digital signal processor used to decode the encoded audio file.

13. The smart speaker of claim 9 wherein the audio power supply controller receives an audio signal from the at least one digital to analog converter.

14. The smart speaker of claim 13 wherein the audio power supply controller receives the audio signal from a digital to analog converter separate from a digital to analog converter used to produce the audio signal for the one or more audio amplifiers.

15. A method of controlling a power supply voltage supplied to an audio amplifier, the method comprising:
identifying an increased or a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of an audio signal;
responsive to an increased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal, increasing a power supply voltage supplied to at least one audio amplifier; and
responsive to a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal, decreasing the power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier and decreasing a delay time period after the decreased energy requirement.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein increasing a power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier responsive to an increased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal comprises beginning the increasing a look ahead time period before the increased energy requirement.

17. A smart speaker comprising:
circuitry that decodes an encoded audio file to produce an audio bitstream and converts the audio bitstream to an analog audio signal;
at least one audio amplifier that amplifies the analog audio signal;
an audio power supply that receives an input voltage and provides an output voltage that powers the at least one audio amplifier; and
an audio power supply controller comprising circuitry that:
identifies at least one of an increased energy requirement or a decreased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal;
responsive to identifying an increased energy requirement in an upcoming portion of the audio signal, increases a power supply voltage supplied to the at least one audio amplifier and increases a look ahead time period before the increased energy requirement at which the audio power supply controller identifies the increased energy requirement; or
responsive to a identifying a decr

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Dang Zhigang
• Naito Daniel
• Thompson Evan
• Poon Peter
• Lagare Manasi
• Nussbaum Michael
• Sumberg David

Classifications

• H04R3/007 Primary

  Protection circuits for transducers · CPC title

• H03F3/183

  with semiconductor devices only · CPC title

• H03G3/3005

  in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers (H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence) · CPC title

• H03F2200/03

  the amplifier being designed for audio applications · CPC title

• H03F3/181

  Low-frequency amplifiers, e.g. audio preamplifiers · CPC title