CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT FOR ADJUSTING SOUND VOLUME

Abstract: In a sound volume adjusting circuit having a multiplier (MDA, MPY) so that gain control is performed stepwise, a zero detector (ZD) is employed to produce an output signal when the value of an input audio signal to be controlled is nearly zero, and this output signal is fed to a latch (LC) through which a digital control signal is fed to the multiplier (MDA, MPY). The output signal from the zero detector (ZD) is used as a latching pulse so that renewal of the digital control signal is effected at an instant where the instantaneous value of the input audio signal is equal to or nealy equal to zero. In the case that the input audio signal is an analog signal, a multiplier D/A converter (MDA) may be used as the multi­ plier, while in the case of a digital signal a digital multiplier (MPY) may be used.

Description: TITLE OF THE INVENTION "CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENT FOR ADJUSTING SOUND VOLUME" BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to audio signal processing, and particularly to a circuit arrangement for adjusting sound volume of an input audio signal. In a sound volume adjusting apparatus arranged to vary transfer gain of an audio signal in a stepwise manner, such that the amplitude of the audio signal is controlled by way of a digital control unit, click noise, which is apt to occur when sound volume is changed stepwise, has hitherto been a problem. Conventionally, countermeasure has been adopted such that sound volume adjustment is slowly performed using a relatively long period of time so as to resolve the above problem. However, it is often required to perform sound volume adjustment within a short period of time, and an improvement has been desired. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been developed in order to remove the above-described drawbacks inherent to the conventional sound volume adjusting apparatus. It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a new and useful circuit arrangement for sound volume adjusting which does not suffer from the occurrence of click noise on gain control. According to a feature of the present invention an instant where an instantaneous value of an input audio signal to be controlled becomes zero or nearly zero is detected by way of a zero detector, and a digital signal to be fed to a multiplier functioning as a gain control circuit is updataed or renewed in response to an output signal from the zero detector so that gain is changed when the instantaneous value of the input audio signal is very small. In accordance with the present invention there is provided a circuit arrangement for sound volume adjustment, comprising: a multiplier responsive to an input audio signal for adjusting the amplitude of said audio signal by performing multiplication such that said audio signal is multiplied by a variable control signal; a zero detector responsive to said audio signal for producing an output signal when an instantaneous value of said audio signal is nearly zero; a control signal source for supplying said control signal to be fed to said multiplier, said control signal being a digital signal indicative of an intended sound volume of said input audio signal; and means for latching said control signal from said control signal source and for coninuously outputting the latched control signal to said multiplier, said means being responsive to said output signal from said zero detector so that latching is effected only in the presence of said output signal. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The object and features of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which: Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a first embodiment of the circuit according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is a schematic block diagram of a second embodiment of the circuit according to the present invention; and Fig. 3 is a timing chart useful for understanding the operation of the circuit according to the present invention. The same or corresponding elements and parts are designated at like reference numerals throughout the drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION An audio signal whose amplitude is to be controlled for sound volume adjustment may be an analog signal or a digital signal, and the present invention is applicable to either cases. In known sound volume adjusting apparatus, an input audio signal, which is either an analog signal or a digital signal, is multiplied by a digital signal representing an intended sound volume. The present invention is adapted to such a sound volume adjusting circuit using a multiplier. Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, first and second embodiments of the present invention are respectively shown. The first embodiment circuit arrangement is used for processing an analog audio signal, while the second embodiment circuit arrangement is used for processing a digital audio signal. In Figs. 1 and 2, the reference 1 is an input terminal for an audio signal which is to be controlled and is an objective of sound volume control, and the reference 2 is an output terminal of an audio signal whose sound volume has been controlled. In Figs. 1 and 2, the reference OP is a manipulative portion for sound volume adjustment; ADC, a an A/D converter; LC, a latch; ZD, a zero detector which is arranged to produce an output signal when the instantaneous value of the audio signal to be controlled is low and is within a predetermined range close to zero. The reference MDA in Fig. 1 is a multiplying digital-to-analog (D/A) converter, and the reference MPY in Fig. 2 is a digital multiplier. The multiplying D/A converter MDA is a D/A converter having an input terminal for receiving a varying reference voltage. As the multiplying D/A converter may be used an integrated circuit known as AD1408 or AD1508 manufactured by Analog Devices, Inc., while as the digital multiplier may be used an integrated circuit known as ADSP-1012 also manufactured by Analog Devices, Inc. In the respective embodiments illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, while the manipulative portion OP is shown to be constructed of a variable resistor VR and a capacitor C, it is a matter of course that the manipulative portion OP can have other strucure when practicing the present invention. For instance, a digital signal indicative of an intended sound volume may be separately produced by way of an external circuit, and such an external digital signal may be directly applied to the latch LC. When a movable contact of the variable resistor VR of the manipulative portion OP shown in respective diagrams is adjusted for sound volume adjustment, a voltage according to an adjusted position of the movable contact of the variable resistor VR is outputted from the manipulative portion OP to be fed to the A/D converter ADC. A digital signal outputted from the above-mentioned A/D converter ADC is fed to the latch LC. Then the latch LC receives the digital signal fed from the A/D converter ADC to the latch LC at an instant where an output signal from the zero detector ZD is applied thereto, and holds the same. Subsequently, the output signal from the above-mentioned latch LC is fed to the multiplying D/A converter MDA in the first embodiment of Fig. 1, and to the digital multiplier MPY in the second embodiment of Fig. 2. In the multiplying D/A converter MDA in the first embodiment of Fig. 1, the analog signal fed from the input terminal 1 is multiplied by the digital signal outputted from the latch LC so as to output a signal to the output terminal 2, which output signal is in a state that the sound volume of the audio signal fed to the input terminal 1, having an analog signal form, has been adjusted in accordance with the manipulation in the manipulative portion OP. In the digital multiplier MPY in the second embodiment of Fig. 2, the digital signal fed from the input terminal 1 is multiplied by the digital signal outputted from the latch LC so as to output a signal to the output terminal 2, which output signal is in a state that the sound volume of the audio signal fed to the input terminal 1, having a digital signal form, has been adjusted in accordance with the manipulation in the manipulative portion OP. In the sound volume adjusting apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2, an instant where the latch LC receives and holds a digital signal from the A/D converter ADC is an instant where a signal from the zero detector ZD is applied thereto, and the instant where a signal is applied from the zero detector ZD is an instant where the instantaneous value of the audio signal fed to the input terminal 1 as an objective of sound volume adjustment in the apparatus according to the present invetion is at zero or close thereto. Fig. 3 is a timing chart for the description of the operation of the sound volume adjusting apparatus according to the present invention. In Fig. 3, the audio signal fed to the input terminal 1 as an objective of sound volume adjustment, the output signal from the zero detector ZD, and the output signal of the multiplying D/A converter MDA are shown. Since the zero detector ZD produces an output pulse signal each time the instantaneous value of the input audio signal equals zero, the latch LC responsive to the output signal from the zero detector ZD is controlled so that digital data indicative of intended sound volume fom the A/D converter ADC is latched in the presence of the output signal from the zero detector ZD. This digital data latched in the latch LC is not changed until subesequent output signal from the zero detector ZD is applied, and is fed to the multiplying D/A converter MDA for sound volume control. Let us assume that the movable contact of the variable resistor VR of the manipulative portion OP has been manipulated to change a demand for sound volume. An analog voltage fed to the A/D converter ADC is changed and digital output fed to the latch LC is changed accordigly. This changed digital data will be referred to as new digital data or signal. The instant that the latch LC receives and holds the new digital signal from the A/D converter ADC, namely, the instant where the amplitude of the audio signal is actually changed by sound volume adjustment, is the instant where the signal from the zero detecor ZD is applied to the latch LC when the instantaneous value of the audio signl fed to the input terminal 1 as an objective of sound volume adjustment is low and is within a predetermined range close to zero irrespective of the timing of the manipulation for sound volume adjustment. Therefore, in the sound volume adjusting apparatus according to the present invention, click noise or the like does not occur due to sound volume adjustment. As the zero detector ZD may be used known or well known circuits which are capable of producing an output signal when an instantaneous value of an audio signal is low and is within a predetermined range close to zero. The zero detector ZD shown in Fig. 2 is an example which handles a digital signal. In Fig. 2, the references COMPu and COMPd are comparators; PSu and PSd, registers; AND, an AND gate. k numerical value u is set in the register PSu, while another numerical value d is set in the other register PSd where u > d. The comparator COMPu produces an output signal when a numerical value X having a relationship of u > X with respect to the numerical value u set in the register PSu is inputted, while the other comparator CONPd produces an output signal when a numerical value X having a relationship of X > d with respect to the numerical value d set in the register PSd is inputted. Therefore, when the numerical value X of the audio signal fed to the input terminal 1 as an objective of sound volume adjustment satisfies the relationship of d < X < u, an output signal is fed from the AND gate AND to the latch LC. If the numerical value d is set to a value slightly smaller than zero, and if the numerical value u is set to a value slightly greater than zero, then the signal from the AND gate AND is fed to the latch LC only when the numerical value X of the audio signal fed to the input terminal 1 as an objective of sound volume adjustment is low and is within a predetermined range close to zero, and then the latch LC receives and holds the new digital signal from the A/D converter ADC so that the amplitude of the audio signal is changed by the sound volume adjustment. As is apparent from the above detailed description, since the present invention provides a sound volume adjusting apparatus of the type arranged to vary transfer gain of an audio signal in a stepwise manner, comprising means for varying transfer gain of said audio signal when an instantaneous value of said audio signal to be controlled is low and is within a predetermined range close to zero, an instant where the amplitude of an audio signal is actually changed is set at a time in which the instantaneous value of the audio signal fed to the input terminal 1 as an objective of sound volume adjustment is low and is within a predetermined ragne close to zero, and therefore, click noise does not occur during sound volume adjustment in the sound volume adjusting apparatus according to the present invention. As a result, the above-mentioned problem inherent to the conventional apparatus is satisfactorily resolved according to the present invention apparatus. The above-described embodiments are just examples of the present invention, and therefore, it will be apparent for those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Claims: WHAT IS CLAIMED IS: 1. A circuit arrangement for sound volume adjustment, comprising: (a) a multiplier responsive to an input audio signal for adjusting the amplitude of said audio signal by performing multiplication such that said audio signal is multiplied by a variable control signal; (b) a zero detector responsive to said audio signal for producing an output signal when an instantaneous value of said audio signal is nearly zero; (c) a control signal source for supplying said control signal to be fed to said multiplier, said control signal being a digital signal indicative of an intended sound volume of said input audio signal; and (d) means for latching said control signal from said control signal source and for coninuously outputting the latched control signal to said multiplier, said means being responsive to said output signal from said zero detector so that latching is effected only in the presence of said output signal. 2. A circuit arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said audio signal is an analog signal and said multiplier is a multiplying digital-to-analog converter. 3. A circuit arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said audio signal is a digital signal and said multiplier is a digital multiplier. 4. A circuit arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said zero detector is arranged to produce said output signal when the value of said audio signal is within a predetermined range including zero level. 5. A circuit arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said control signal source comprises an analog-to-digital converter for converting an analog signal indicative of said intended sound volume into a digital signal. 6. A circuit arrangement as claimed in Claim 1, wherein said means is a latch whose operation is controlled by said output signal from said zero detector.

Inventors: KITAMURA, MASATSUGU, MATSUSHIGE, TAKASHI, SAKURAI, YUKIMITSU
Applicants: VICTOR COMPANY OF JAPAN, LIMITED
Application year: 1984
Main classification: H03G1
IPC codes: H03G3, H03G1