Cirrus Logic Inc.

Cirrus Logic International Semiconductor Limited

Alan Mark Morton

Xiaofan Fei

Xin Zhao

Tejasvi Das

Lei Zhu

John L Melanson

Amar Vellanki

Johann Guy Gaboriau

Ku He

Jing Bai

Wai-Shun Shum

Miao Song

Johann G Gaboriau

An amplification system with an output driver stage for providing an output signal to acoustic output transducers such as speakers or haptic output devices removes signal distortion caused by output stage non-linearities by pre-distorting an input signal. The system includes the output driver stage, an input stage for receiving the input signal, and a processing block that receives the input signal and provides an output signal to the output driver stage. The processing block includes a pre-distortion circuit that applies a pre-distortion function to the input signal to generate the output signal if a signal level of the input signal is greater than a threshold amplitude, and if the signal level is less than or equal to the threshold amplitude, generates the output signal from the input signal by bypassing the pre-distortion circuit.

Signal amplitude-selected signal predistortion in an amplifier

A signal processing system may include a modulation stage configured to generate a modulated input signal, an open-loop switched mode driver coupled to the modulation stage and configured to generate an output signal from the modulated input signal, a voltage regulator configured to generate a supply voltage that supplies electrical energy to the open-loop switched mode driver, and a control subsystem configured to, when a magnitude of the modulated input signal falls below a threshold magnitude, control the voltage regulator to control the supply voltage such that the output signal varies non-linearly with the modulated input signal for magnitudes of the modulated input signal below the threshold magnitude.

Open-loop class-D amplifier system with analog supply ramping

An amplifier may include a first stage configured to receive an input signal at an amplifier input and generate an intermediate signal which is a function of the input signal, and a final output stage configured to generate an output signal which is a function of the intermediate signal at an amplifier output, and a signal feedback network coupled between the amplifier output and input. The final output stage may be switchable among a plurality of modes including at least a first mode in which the final output stage generates the output signal as a modulated output signal which is a function of the intermediate signal, and a second mode in which the final output stage generates the output signal as an unmodulated output signal which is a function of the intermediate signal. Structure of the feedback network and the first stage may remain static when switching between modes.

Amplifier with configurable final output stage

A system may include a digital pulse width modulator subsystem, a first path coupled to an output of the digital pulse width modulator subsystem and configured to drive an open-loop driver stage, a second path coupled to the output of the digital pulse width modulator subsystem and configured to drive a closed-loop analog pulse width modulator, a controller to select between the first path and the second path for processing a signal based on one or more characteristics of the signal, and a calibration subsystem configured to calibrate at least one of a first gain of the first path and a second gain of the second path in order that the first gain and the second gain are at least approximately equal at the time of switching selection between the first path and the second path or vice versa, in order to minimize artifacts due to the switching.

Calibration of a dual-path pulse width modulation system

A system may include a digital pulse width modulator subsystem, a first path coupled to an output of the digital pulse width modulator subsystem, a second path coupled to the output of the digital pulse width modulator subsystem and configured to drive a closed-loop analog pulse width modulator, a controller to select between the first path and the second path for processing a signal based on one or more characteristics of the signal, wherein a first gain of the first path and a second gain of the second path are approximately equal at the time of switching selection between the first path and the second path or vice versa, in order to minimize artifacts due to the switching.

An amplifier may include a final output stage switchable among a plurality of modes comprising a mode which is enabled by coupling an output driver to an output of the final output stage and a preconditioning circuit coupled to the output of the final output stage. The preconditioning circuit may be configured to precondition at least one of a voltage and a current of the output of the final output stage prior to coupling the output driver to the output of the final output stage to limit audio artifacts caused by switching the final output stage to the mode or may be configured to perform a switching sequence to switch between a first mode and a second mode of the plurality of modes, such that at all points of the switching sequence, output terminals of the output of the final output stage have a known impedance.

Switching in amplifier with configurable final output stage

A method for offset calibration may include decoupling a modulator input of a first path from a first stage output, coupling a second path output to the modulator input, applying a common-mode voltage to a second path input, receiving a calibration signal from the modulator output generated in response to the common-mode voltage, and modifying one or more parameters of the modulator to compensate for an offset between the first path and the second path indicated by the calibration signal. A method for gain calibration may include decoupling a modulator input from a first stage output, decoupling a second path from the first stage output, applying a first test signal to the modulator input, applying a second test signal to a second path input, wherein the second test signal is of opposite phase as the first test signal, coupling a second path output to an amplifier input via a calibration feedback network, receiving a calibration signal from the first stage output generated in response to the first test signal and the second test signal, and modifying one or more parameters of the second path to compensate for a difference in respective gains of the modulator and the second path indicated by the calibration signal.

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Austin, TX, United States of America

Alan Mark Morton