System and method for sensor-supported microphone

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9967677-B2
Application number	US-201514959560-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 4, 2015
Priority date	Dec 4, 2015
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

A system and method for a sensor-supported microphone includes an amplifier having an input configured to be coupled to a transducer, and an output coupled to an analog interface to output a transduced electrical signal from the transducer, a data bus configured to be coupled to an environmental sensor, a calibration parameter storage circuit coupled to the data bus, the calibration parameter storage circuit comprising calibration data relating sensitivity of the transducer with environmental measurements provided by the environmental sensor, and a digital interface coupled to the data bus and configured to output the calibration data and the environmental measurements.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A device comprising:
an amplifier having an input configured to be coupled to a transducer, and an output configured to be coupled to a user device, the amplifier configured to output a transduced electrical signal from the transducer to the user device as an analog signal;
a data bus configured to be coupled to an environmental sensor;
a calibration parameter storage circuit coupled to the data bus, the calibration parameter storage circuit comprising calibration data relating sensitivity of the transducer with environmental measurements provided by the environmental sensor; and
a digital interface coupled to the data bus and configured to be coupled to the user device, the digital interface configured to output the calibration data and the environmental measurements to the user device as a digital signal.

2. The device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an amplifier gain control circuit coupled to the amplifier; and
a master logic unit coupled to the data bus and the amplifier gain control circuit, the master logic unit configured to adjust gain of the amplifier based on the calibration data and the environmental measurements.

3. The device of claim 1 , further comprising the user device, wherein the user device is coupled to the digital interface and the output of the amplifier, the user device configured to adjust a level of the transduced electrical signal in response to the calibration data and the environmental measurements.

4. The device of claim 1 , further comprising the environmental sensor.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the environmental sensor is a temperature sensor.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the environmental sensor is a mechanical stress sensor.

7. The device of claim 4 , wherein the environmental sensor is on a same semiconductor die as the amplifier and the calibration parameter storage circuit.

8. The device of claim 1 , further comprising the transducer.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the transducer comprises a MEMS microphone.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the environmental measurements comprise temperature measurements, and wherein the calibration data comprises coefficients of a polynomial function relating sensitivity of the MEMS microphone with the temperature measurements according to:
s mic =k (1+ a *( T−T 0 )+ b *( T−T 0 ) 2 )

wherein k is a constant, a and b are the coefficients, T is one of the temperature measurements, and To is an ideal temperature measurement.

11. The device of claim 1 , wherein the calibration data comprises coefficients of a polynomial function, the polynomial function relating sensitivity of the transducer with environmental measurements.

12. The device of claim 1 , wherein the calibration parameter storage circuit comprises memory.

13. A system comprising:
a package comprising:
an environmental port;
a transducer disposed adjacent to the environmental port, the transducer having a first signal output;
an environmental sensor disposed proximate the transducer;
an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), the ASIC including a calibration parameter storage circuit storing calibration data relating sensitivity of the transducer with environmental measurements provided by the environmental sensor; and
a digital interface coupled to the ASIC and the environmental sensor, the digital interface having a second signal output; and

a user device, the user device configured to receive a transduced electrical signal from the first signal output of the transducer, the user device further configured to receive the calibration data and the environmental measurements from the second signal output of the digital interface.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the environmental sensor comprises a temperature sensor.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the environmental sensor comprises a mechanical stress sensor.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein the calibration data comprises coefficients of a polynomial function.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the polynomial function relates sensitivity of the transducer to the environmental measurements according to:
s=k (1+ a *( M−M 0 )+ b *( M−M 0 ) 2 )

wherein k is a constant, a and b are the coefficients, M is one of the environmental measurements, and M 0 is an ideal environmental measurement.

18. The system of claim 13 , wherein the user device is further configured to adjust a level of the transduced electrical signal in response to the calibration data and the environmental measurements.

19. The system of claim 13 , wherein the package further comprises an amplifier, and wherein the ASIC is configured to adjust a gain of the amplifier in response to the calibration data and the environmental measurements.

20. A method comprising:
receiving, by a user device, a function relating sensitivity of a transducer with ambient environmental conditions of the transducer, the function being included with a digital signal received over a digital interface;
receiving, by the user device, ambient environmental conditions of the transducer, the received ambient environmental conditions being included with the digital signal received over the digital interface;
computing, by the user device, a drift in responsiveness of the transducer in accordance with the function and the received ambient environmental conditions; and
adjusting, by the user device, an output electrical signal from the transducer in accordance with the drift in responsiveness, the output electrical signal being an analog signal received from an amplifier, the transducer being coupled to an input of the amplifier, the user device being coupled to an output of the amplifier.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein adjusting the output electrical signal from the transducer comprises:
adjusting a gain of an amplifier coupled to the transducer; and
amplifying, using the amplifier coupled to the transducer, the output electrical signal.

22. The method of claim 20 , wherein computing the drift in responsiveness of the transducer comprises evaluating the function with the received ambient environmental conditions.

23. The method of claim 20 , wherein receiving the function comprises receiving coefficients of a polynomial relating sensitivity of the transducer with ambient environmental conditions of the transducer.

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Wiesbauer Andreas
• Fueldner Marc
• Bach Elmar

Classifications

• H04R19/04 Primary

  Microphones (H04R19/01 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H04R2430/01

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

• H04R2201/003

  Mems transducers or their use · CPC title

• H04R1/04

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

• G01K7/00

  Measuring temperature based on the use of electric or magnetic elements directly sensitive to heat (giving results other than momentary value of temperature G01K3/00) {; Power supply therefor, e.g. using thermoelectric elements} · CPC title