Microphone, a microphone arrangement and a method for processing signals in a microphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9338550-B2
Application number	US-201313975069-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2013
Priority date	Aug 23, 2013
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

A microphone includes a first signal input, a second signal input and a control unit coupled to the first signal input and the second signal input. The control unit is configured to, upon receiving a support signal at one of the first signal input and second signal input, process a signal received at the other of the first signal input and second signal input as an incoming data signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A microphone comprising:
a first signal input;
a second signal input; and
a control unit coupled to the first signal input and the second signal input;
wherein the control unit is configured to, upon receiving a support signal at one of the first signal input and second signal input, process a signal received at the other of the first signal input and second signal input as an incoming data signal;
wherein the support signal is a supply voltage signal or a clock signal; and
wherein the control unit is configured to, upon receiving the support signal at the first signal input, process a signal received at the second signal input as data signal and to, upon receiving the support signal at the second signal input, process a signal received at the first signal input as data signal.

2. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to vary a parameter of the microphone in dependence on the received data signal.

3. The microphone according to claim 2 , wherein the parameter is at least one of:
a gain of an amplifier of the microphone,
a setting of an equalizer, a compressor or a limiter of the microphone; and
a low power mode setting.

4. A microphone comprising:
a first signal input;
a second signal input;
a control unit coupled to the first signal input and the second signal input;
wherein the control unit is configured to, upon receiving a support signal at one of the first signal input and second signal input, process a signal received at the other of the first signal input and second signal input as an incoming data signal; and
a data output for providing a microphone output signal, wherein the control unit is configured to vary a timing of the microphone output signal provided at the data output depending on at which of the first signal input and second signal input the support signal was received.

5. The microphone according to claim 4 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to receive a clock signal and to, if the support signal was received at the first signal input, update the microphone output signal with a first type of edge of the clock signal and if the support signal was received at the second signal input update the microphone output signal with a second type of edge of the clock signal; and
wherein the first type of edge and the second type of edge are contrary.

6. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to receive the support signal being a clock signal such that, the signal input at which the support signal is received forms a clock input of the microphone and the other signal input forms a data signal input of the microphone.

7. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to receive the support signal being a supply voltage signal for supplying the microphone with power, such that the signal input at which the supply voltage signal is received forms a supply voltage input of the microphone and the other signal input forms a data signal input of the microphone.

8. The microphone according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to, when it receives the support signal at the first signal input, treat the microphone as a left channel microphone and, when it receives the support signal at the second signal input, treat the microphone as a right channel microphone.

9. A microphone comprising:
a first signal input;
a second signal input; and
a control unit coupled to the first signal input and the second signal input;
wherein the control unit is configured to, upon receiving a support signal at one of the first signal input and second signal input, process a signal received at the other of the first signal input and second signal input as an incoming data signal,
wherein the control unit is configured to identify the signal input of the first signal input and the second signal input at which a first signal edge occurs as a support signal input at which the support signal is applied.

10. The microphone according to claim 9 ,
wherein the control unit is configured to identify further signal edges at the support signal input as signal edges of the support signal; and
wherein the control unit is further configured to identify signal edges at the other signal input at which the first signal edge did not occur as signal edges of the data signal.

11. The microphone according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a data output; and
a microphone sensor for providing microphone raw data to the control unit;
wherein the control unit is configured to provide, based on the microphone raw data, a microphone output signal at the data output.

12. The microphone according to claim 1 , further comprising a data output, wherein the microphone is a digital microphone such that the control unit is configured to provide a digital microphone output signal at the data output.

13. A microphone comprising:
a first signal input;
a second signal input;
a control unit coupled to the first signal input and the second signal input; and
a data output for providing a microphone output signal;
wherein the control unit is configured to, upon receiving a support signal at the first signal input, process a signal received at the second signal input as data signal and to, upon receiving the support signal at the second signal input, process a signal received at the first signal input as data signal;
wherein the control unit is configured to vary a parameter of the microphone in dependence on the received data signal;
wherein the control unit is configured to receive the support signal being a clock signal such that, the signal input at which the support signal is received forms a clock input of the microphone and the other signal input forms a data signal input of the microphone;
wherein the control unit is configured to, when it receives the support signal at the first signal input, treat the microphone as a left channel microphone and, when it receives the support signal at the second signal input, treat the microphone as a right channel microphone; and
wherein the control unit is configured to vary a timing of the microphone output signal provided at the data output depending on at which of the first signal input and second signal input the support signal was received.

14. A microphone comprising:
a first signal input;
a second signal input;
a control unit coupled to the first signal input and the second signal input; and
a data output for providing a microphone output signal;
wherein the control unit is configured to, upon receiving a support signal at the first signal input, process a signal received at the second signal input as data signal and to, upon receiving the support signal at the second signal input, process a signal received at the first signal input as data signal;
wherein the control unit is configured to vary a parameter of the microphone in dependence on the received data signal;
wherein the control unit is configured to receive the support signal being a supply voltage signal for supplying the microphone with power, such that the signal input at which the supply voltage signal is received forms a supply voltage input of the microphone and the other signal input forms a data signal input of the microphone;
wherein the control unit is configured to, when it receives the support signal at the first signal input, treat the microphone as a left channel microphone and, when it receives the support signal at the second signal input, treat the microphone as a right channel microphone; and
wherein the control unit is configured to vary a timing of the microphone outpu

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Froemel Andreas

Classifications

• H04R29/004

  for microphones (H04R29/007 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03G3/3005

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

• H04R3/005 Primary

  for combining the signals of two or more microphones (specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407) · CPC title

• H03G5/165

  Equalizers; Volume or gain control in limited frequency bands · CPC title

• H03G7/002

  in untuned or low-frequency amplifiers, e.g. audio amplifiers (H03G7/007, H03G7/001, H03G7/008, H03G7/02, H03G7/06 take precedence) · CPC title