Impedance converter and condenser microphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9893691-B2
Application number	US-201615386174-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 21, 2016
Priority date	Dec 25, 2015
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

In an impedance converter using an electron tube as an active element, output impedance can be made sufficiently low, and the number of circuit elements therefor is decreased and a circuit configuration therefor is made simple. Provided is an impedance converter having an electron tube cathode-follower connected. The impedance converter includes a bias diode that provides a bias voltage to a cathode of the electron tube, high resistance elements that provide a voltage of the bias diode to a grid of the electron tube, a load circuit connected to the electron tube, and a complementary emitter output circuit including two transistors, respective bases of which are connected to one end and the other end of the bias diode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An impedance converter using an electron tube as an active element, and having the electron tube cathode-follower connected, the impedance converter comprising:
a bias diode that provides a bias voltage to a cathode of the electron tube;
a high resistance element that provides a voltage of the bias diode to a grid of the electron tube;
a load circuit connected to the electron tube; and
a complementary emitter output circuit including two transistors, respective bases of which are connected to one end and an other end of the bias diode.

2. The impedance converter according to claim 1 , further comprising:
emitter resistors respectively connected to the two transistors, wherein
an output terminal is connected to a common connection point of the emitter resistors.

3. The impedance converter according to claim 1 , wherein
the high resistance element is second and third diodes connected reversely to each other in parallel.

4. The impedance converter according to claim 1 , wherein
the bias diode is made of a plurality of diodes connected in series.

5. The impedance converter according to claim 3 , wherein
each of the second and third diodes is made of a plurality of diodes connected in series.

6. The impedance converter according to claim 1 , wherein
the load circuit is a constant current load circuit including a second electron tube and a load resistor.

7. The impedance converter according to claim 1 , wherein
the high resistance element is made of a pure resistor.

8. The impedance converter according to claim 1 , wherein the bias diode is formed of series connection of two diodes that provides a voltage between a base and an emitter of the two transistors, wherein the two transistors are designed to be normally operated by being provided the bias voltage between the base and the emitter of the two transistors.

9. The impedance converter according to claim 8 , wherein the high resistance element is second and third diodes connected reversely to each other in parallel, and each of the second and third diodes is two diodes connected in series, wherein voltages between terminals of the second and third diodes converge to about the bias voltage, wherein a current stops flowing in both of the second and third diodes, and wherein the second and third diodes function as the high resistance element.

10. The impedance converter of claim 1 , wherein the impedance converter is configured to reduce impedance with a minimal number of circuit elements required to reduce impedance.

11. A condenser microphone that converts an audio signal at high impedance output from a condenser microphone module into an audio signal at low impedance and outputs the audio signal by an impedance converter,
the impedance converter being an impedance converter using an electron tube as an active element, and having the electron tube cathode-follower connected,
the impedance converter including:
a bias diode that provides a bias voltage to a cathode of the electron tube;
a high resistance element that provides a voltage of the bias diode to a grid of the electron tube;
a load circuit connected to the electron tube; and
a complementary emitter output circuit including two transistors, respective bases of which are connected to one end and an other end of the bias diode.

12. The condenser microphone of claim 11 , wherein the impedance converter is configured to reduce impedance with a minimal number of circuit elements required to reduce impedance.

Assignees

• Akino Hiroshi
• Audio Technica Kk

Inventors

• Akino Hiroshi

Classifications

• H03F5/00 Primary

  Amplifiers with both discharge tubes and semiconductor devices as amplifying elements · CPC title

• H04R3/00

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

• H03F2200/03

  the amplifier being designed for audio applications · CPC title

• H04R19/04

  Microphones (H04R19/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H03F2203/30111

  A resistor being added in the push stage of the SEPP amplifier · CPC title