Patent Publication Number: US-2005122161-A1

Title: Active filter circuit using gm amplifier, and data read circuit, data write circuit and data reproducing device using the same

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
      1. Field of the Invention  
      The present invention relates to an active filter circuit using a gm amplifier (a trans-conductance amplifier), and a data read circuit, a data write circuit and a data reproducing device using the same and more specifically, relates to an improvement in an active filter circuit using a gm amplifier in a frequency band variable active filter circuit which is used for changing over a frequency band at the time when performing such as an n time speed reproduction and an n time speed writing with respect to a determined reproduction speed and a determined writing speed such as in an extraction circuit of data signals and a data demodulation circuit of wobble signals such as for CD, MD and DVD, and which shows a desirable temperature characteristic and permits to reduce the number of circuit elements.  
      2. Background Art  
      In recent CD-R/RW, the data writing speed is increased such as to 2 times, 4 times, 8 times, . . . . In such CD-R/RW, write data transferred from a host computer such as via a SCSI and ATPI are usually EFM-modulated and applied to a laser controller. Laser beam controlled by the laser controller for writing use is ON/OFF controlled by the EFM-modulated data and irradiated on to a predetermined truck of a CD, thereby, data writing is performed for the predetermined truck.  
      Other than such CD-R/RW, in an optical disk such as CD-R and DVD-RAM, grooves are formed in a zigzag manner, thereby, such as synchronizing information for rotation control and address information (absolute time information) are recorded in a form of wobble signals.  
      A wobble signal is a signal, which is FSK-modulated with a modulation signal BIDATA of bi-phase code, and when the disk rotation is at a determined linear speed, the wobble frequency assumes 22.05±1 kHz (when reproducing at 1 time speed). ATIP (Absolute Time In Pre-groove) signals containing the absolute time information which is data-reproduced from the wobble signals are constituted by a synchronizing signal, address data (absolute time data) and an error detection signal CRC as a BIDATA, and usually use 42 bits as a unit thereof. Further, 75 Hz is used as a repetition frequency of the synchronizing signal.  
      When reproducing such data recorded on the optical disk as in a form of the wobble signals, a demodulation circuit having an active filter for demodulating data in wobble signals is required. An optical disk device using this sort of demodulation circuit is known and disclosed in JPH9-297969A or JPH11-16291A.  
      For extracting this sort of data other than such wobble signals, a variable gm amplifier is used as the active filter circuit.  FIG. 5  shows an example of such active filter circuits.  
      An active filter circuit  10  is formed by a gm-C filter circuit  11  and a frequency band setting signal generation circuit  12 .  
      The gm·C filter circuit  11  is an integrating circuit formed by a gm amplifier  11   a  and a capacitor C and usually constitutes a low pass filter. Further, in order to constitute a band pass filter, it is required to connect a differentiating circuit (a high pass filter (HPF)) formed by a gm amplifier  11   a  and a capacitor Ca at the front stage or the back stage thereof. In case of the differentiating circuit, difference is that only the capacitor is inserted at the input side of the gm amplifier and the circuit of the gm amplifier is substantially the same.  
      In order to simplify the description, an example of the low pass filter will be explained herein below.  
      To (+) input (positive phase input or non-inverted input) terminal (herein below called as (+) input) and (−) input (opposite phase input or inverted input) terminal (herein below (−) input) of the gm amplifier  11   a , for example, read out signals such as wobble signals are applied from a signal source  20  such as for a read out amplifier as a differential input. The capacitor C is connected at the output side of the gm amplifier  11   a  to form the low pass filter (LPF) and the output thereof is obtained from an output terminal  11   c . Further,  11   b  is a current source (an operation current source) for setting an operation current for the gm amplifier  11   a.    
      The frequency band setting signal generation circuit  12  sets a cut off frequency of the low pass filter at a predetermined value by controlling the current value of the operation current source  11   b . At the same time by setting a cut off frequency of a high pass filter (not shown) of the differentiating circuit formed by the gm amplifier  11   a  and the capacitor Ca at the front stage or the back stage, a frequency band of the band pass filter is set. The gm amplifier  11   a  is an R (resistor) simulation circuit and the resistance value of the R to be simulated varies depending on the current value of the operation current source  11   b  in the gm amplifier  11   a . Thereby, a CR filter circuit is simulated.  
      Thus the frequency band setting signal generation circuit  12  is for selecting the resistance value of the simulation resistor by setting the resistance value of the operation current source  11   b  at a selected constant value. Thereby, the cut off frequency of the low pass filter is determined in relation to the capacitance of the capacitor C (or/and the capacitor Ca).  
      The frequency band setting signal generation circuit  12  is constituted by a first low pass filter circuit  13 , a first buffer amplifier (a voltage follower)  14 , a second low pass filter circuit  15 , a second buffer amplifier (a voltage follower)  16 , a multiplication circuit  17 , a low pass filter (LPF)  18  and a voltage-current (V-I) conversion circuit  19 . The (−) input sides of the amplifiers in the respective circuits are respectively connected each other and the output of the second buffer amplifier  16  is fed back to (−) input side of the low pass filter circuit  13  as a signal having opposite phase.  
      The first low pass filter circuit  13  is constituted by a gm amplifier  13   a  having an equivalent characteristic as the gm amplifier  11   a , a capacitor C 1  and an operation current source  13   b  for the gm amplifier  13   a . The first low pass filter  13  is an equivalent circuit as the gm·C filter circuit  11 . Reference clocks CLK from such as an oscillation circuit and divided via such as a divider circuit (not shown) are received from an input terminal  12   a  at (+) input side of the gm amplifier  13   a . The output of the low pass filter circuit  13  is applied to (+) input of the first buffer amplifier  14 . The output of the first buffer amplifier  14  is sent out to (+) input of the second low pass filter circuit  15 .  
      The second low pass filter circuit  15  is constituted by a gm amplifier  15   a  having an equivalent characteristic as the gm amplifier  11   a , a capacitor C 2  and an operation current source  15   b  for the gm amplifier  15   a . The second low pass filter  15  is also an equivalent circuit as the gm·C filter circuit  11 . The output of the low pass filter circuit  15  is sent out to (+) input of the second buffer amplifier  16 . The output of the second buffer amplifier  16  is sent out to the multiplication circuit  17 .  
      The multiplication circuit  17  receives the clocks CLK inputted from the input terminal  12   a  at (−) input thereof, performs phase comparison between reference clocks CLK of which phase is deviated by 180° via the first and second low pass filter circuits  13  and  15  and the original reference clocks CLK and generates a voltage output corresponding to the phase deviation amount of the clocks CLK. The voltage output is received at the low pass filter (LPF)  18  wherein the voltage depending on the deviation amount is obtained as an integrating value and the integrated voltage is converted into a current value by the V-I conversion circuit  19 . The frequency band setting signal generation circuit  12  performs a negative feed back control in a direction so as not to generate a phase deviation between the reference clocks CLK of which phase is deviated by 180° and the original reference clocks CLK by controlling respectively the current values of the operation current sources  13   b  and  15   b  in the respective gm amplifiers depending on the converted current value.  
      Thereby, a control current value for a frequency corresponding to the reference clocks CLK is generated at the frequency band setting signal generation circuit  12 , the respective operation current sources  11   b ,  13   b  and  15   b  in the three gm amplifiers of equivalent circuits are controlled and the cut off frequency of the gm·C filter circuit  11  is set at a determined value. Accordingly, the selection of the cut off frequency of the gm·C filter circuit  11  is performed either by selecting the frequency of the reference clocks CLK or changing over thereof.  
      In the above referred to circuit, in order to set the frequency accurately, the frequency band setting signal generation circuit  12  requires to be provided with two gm·C filter circuits equivalent to the gm·C filter circuit  11 , two buffer amplifiers and a multiplication circuit belonging thereto, through which a desirable temperature characteristic and a highly accurate frequency band selection are achieved. However, the circuit requires many number of circuit elements for constituting the same. Moreover, for the respective elements a pairing property is required and depending on the many number of the elements, a large occupation area is required when forming the active filter circuit into an IC, which are drawbacks.  
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
      An object of the present invention is to resolve such drawbacks of the conventional art and to provide an active filter circuit using a gm amplifier, which shows a desirable temperature characteristic and permits to reduce the number of circuit elements thereof.  
      Another object of the present invention is to provide a data read circuit, a data write circuit or a data reproducing device having an active filter circuit using a gm amplifier, which shows a desirable temperature characteristic and permits to reduce the number of circuit elements thereof.  
      An active filter circuit according to a first aspect of the present invention which achieves the above objects comprises an active filter having a first gm·amplifier, a second gm amplifier equivalent to the first gm amplifier, a band gap power source which applies a constant voltage making use of a band gap voltage to an input of the second gm amplifier and a current-voltage conversion circuit which converts an output current of the second gm amplifier into a voltage, wherein operation currents of the first and second gm amplifiers are controlled depending on the output voltage of the current-voltage conversion circuit.  
      An active filter circuit according to a second aspect of the present invention further comprises a voltage-current conversion circuit which converts the output voltage of the current-voltage conversion circuit into current, wherein the operating currents of the gm amplifiers are controlled depending on the output current of the voltage-current conversion circuit.  
      As will be seen from the above, according to the present invention, a current substantially independent from temperature is produced in the gm amplifier equivalent to the gm amplifier in the active filter circuit by making use of the band gap power source and the produced voltage is converted by the current-voltage conversion circuit into a voltage value which causes to generate an operating current corresponding to a cut off frequency of the active filter circuit. Then, the operating current of the gm amplifier in the active filter circuit is controlled depending on the output voltage of the current-voltage conversion circuit.  
      Thereby, without receiving the reference clocks CLK as well as without necessitating many numbers of circuits such as a plurality of gm amplifiers and buffer amplifiers and a phase comparison circuit, a stable filter having a desirable temperature characteristic can be manufactured. Accordingly, when the active filter circuit is formed into an IC, the occupation area can be reduced. Further, the selection of the cut off frequency of the active filter circuit can be easily performed by selecting the conversion rate of the current-voltage conversion circuit. Namely, the cut off frequency can be selected, for example, by using a variable resistor or a variable constant voltage circuit to be externally attached to an IC as the current-voltage conversion circuit.  
      As a result, an active filter circuit using a gm amplifier, which shows a desirable temperature characteristic and permits to reduce the number of circuit elements can be easily realized. Further, a data read circuit, a data write circuit and a data reproducing device having an active filter circuit using a gm amplifier also enjoy the same advantages as above. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram of one embodiment to which an active filter circuit using a gm amplifier according to the present invention is applied;  
       FIG. 2  is a block diagram of another embodiment;  
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of still another embodiment;  
       FIG. 4  is a block diagram of a further embodiment; and  
       FIG. 5  is a view for explaining an example of conventional active filter circuits. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
      In  FIG. 1, 1  is an active filter circuit and is formed by a gm·C filter circuit  11  and a frequency band setting signal generation circuit  2 . Further, throughout the entire drawings, same reference numerals are assigned for the same or equivalent constitutional elements and duplicate explanation of the same or equivalent constitutional elements is omitted.  
      The frequency band setting signal generation circuit  2  is constituted by a band gap power source (a constant voltage circuit is acceptable)  3  which generates as a power source voltage a constant voltage by making use of a band gap voltage of a forward direction diode characteristic, a gm amplifier  13   a , a current-voltage conversion circuit  4  and a voltage-current (V-I) conversion circuit  19 . The band gap power source  3  is inserted between (+) input terminal  13   d  and (−) input terminal  13   e  of the gm amplifier  13   a  and applies a reference voltage Vref between the (+) input terminal  13   d  and the (−) input terminal  13   e . The current-voltage conversion circuit  4  is constituted by a resistor R and a constant voltage circuit  5 , and the resistor R is connected between an output terminal  13   c  of the gm amplifier  13   a  and the ground GND. The current-voltage conversion circuit  4  converts the output current of the gm amplifier  13   a  into a voltage. A constant voltage circuit  5  generates a constant voltage Vin, and is connected between the ground GND and (−) input terminal  19   b  of the voltage-current (V-I) conversion circuit  19 .  
      Then, an output terminal  13   c  of the gm amplifier  13   a  is connected to (+) input terminal  19   a  of the voltage-current (V-I) conversion circuit  19 . Herein, the capacitor C 1  in  FIG. 5  is eliminated. Therefore, the voltage applied between the (+) input terminal  19   a  and the (−) input terminal  19   b  of the voltage-current (V-I) conversion circuit  19  corresponds to a voltage value obtained by subtracting the constant voltage Vin from the terminal voltage Vout of the resistor R.  
      Herein, the output current of the gm amplifier  13   a  is one that the reference voltage Vref of the band gap power source  3  is converted into a current value and since the voltage is the constant voltage making use of the band gap voltage, the voltage shows a constant voltage substantially not being affected by temperature. Accordingly, the output current of the gm amplifier  13   a  also gives a constant current not being affected by temperature. As a result, the voltage Vout generated by converting the current with the resistor R also shows the same property.  
      Herein, when assuming the current value for controlling the cut off frequency of the gm·C filter circuit  11  is i, and an input voltage value to be converted (conversion voltage value) prior to the V-I conversion for generating the current value i, the following equation stands; 
 
 Vs=Vout−Vin   (1) 
 
      Accordingly, through selecting the terminal voltage Vout of the resistor R in the current-voltage conversion circuit  4  and the constant voltage Vin of the constant voltage circuit  5 , the gm·C filter circuit  11  gives a filter circuit having a determined cut off frequency and without being affected by temperature. In other words, in the present embodiment, the resistance value of the resistor R in the current-voltage conversion circuit  4  and the constant voltage value Vin of the constant voltage circuit  5  are selected in response to the cut off frequency of the gm·C filter circuit  11 .  
      Further, gm for the gm amplifier  13   a  is expressed as follows, wherein R is a resistance value of the resistor R; 
 
 gm= 1 /R·Vin/Vref   (2) 
 
      Now, when a variable resistor is used for the resistor R in  FIG. 1 , the current value i for the control current can be adjusted and selected. Thereby, the cut off frequency of the gm·C filter circuit  11  can be selected.  
      A differentiating circuit formed by a gm·C filter circuit  11  and a capacitor Ca shown by dotted lines in the drawing constitutes a high pass filter  21 . As shown in the drawing, by cascade connecting the high pass filter  21  to the active filter circuit  10 , a band pass filter is given. Through controlling the current source  11   b  of the high pass filter  21  and the current source  11   b  of the active filter circuit  10  at the same time, the frequency band of the band pass filter can be set at a predetermined value. Further, such as when a variable resistor is used for the resistor R and when the voltage Vin of the constant voltage circuit  5  is made variable, which will be explained later, the frequency band of the band pass filter can be selected. Such band pass filter can be used for the data read device or the data write device.  
       FIG. 2  shows another embodiment in which the resistor R in  FIG. 1  is modified as an externally attached one and variable. An explanation of the operation is omitted.  
      The feature of  FIG. 2  active filter circuit is that, by modifying the resistor R as externally attached one and variable, a dispersion of the circuit characteristic can be adjusted by the variable resistor. Thereby, a dispersion in the filter characteristic by product by product can be absorbed. Of course, not by using the variable resistor but simply using an externally attached non-variable resistor, and selecting respectively the resistance value for product by product, the dispersion can be adjusted. Alternatively, by selecting the resistance value of the externally attached resistor R the cut off frequency of the gm·C filter circuit  11  can be selected.  
      In  FIG. 3 , in place of the variable resistor in  FIG. 2 , simply an externally attached non-variable resistor is used and the constant voltage circuit  5  is replaced by a variable constant voltage generation circuit  6  in which the voltage value Vin is made variable.  
      In the present embodiment,  FIG. 1  band gap power source  3  is modified to a band gap power source circuit and is constituted by a band gap power source voltage generation circuit  30  and a voltage dividing resistor circuit  31 . Using a connection point N 1  of resistors R 1  and R 2  in the voltage dividing resistor circuit  31 , the reference voltage Vref is generated as the terminal voltage of the resistor R 1 .  
      A gm amplifier  13   a  is a variable gm amplifier constituted by differential amplifiers  130  and  131  connected in two stages. The differential inputs of the differential amplifiers  130  and  131  respectively receive the reference voltage Vref. The differential amplifiers  130  and  131  include current mirror circuits  132  and  133  representing a common active load. The current mirror circuits  132  and  133  are piled up in two stages at the power source line side and connected in cascade. Further, emitter area ratios (or number of connected cells) of the differential transistors in the differential amplifiers  130  and  131  are respectively designed at 1:4 and 4:1.  
      The gm amplifier  11   a  in the gm·C filter circuit  11  as shown at the right side of the drawing is the same circuit as that of the gm amplifier  13   a.    
      The output of the differential amplifier  130  is taken out from the connection point N 2  between the output side transistor of the current mirror circuit  132  and one of the differential transistors and is applied to (+) input terminal  19   a  of the voltage-current (V-I) conversion circuit  19 .  
      The variable constant voltage generation circuit  6  for generating the variable voltage value Vin is constituted by a ladder type D/A conversion circuit (R-2R DAC)  6   a  and a register  6   b , data such as from MPU are set at the register  6   b  and through D/A converting the set data with the R-2R·DAC  6   a , the voltage value Vin is generated depending on the set data, which constitute a programmable constant voltage generation circuit.  
      The voltage value Vin in this instance is generated by providing the data setting the cut off frequency of the gm·C filter circuit  11  at the register  6   b . Thereby, the cut off frequency of the gm·C filter circuit  11  is selected. Namely, the gm·C filter circuit  11  operates as a variable filter.  
      Now, when resistors having a same resistance value are used for the resistor R 1  in the voltage dividing resistor circuit  31  for generating the reference voltage Vref and for the respective resistors of R-2R constituting the ladder type D/A conversion circuit  6   a  and an IC is formed using such resistors having a high pairing property, a characteristic dispersion of the respective filter circuits can be reduced.  
      Further, although the resistor R is a non-variable resistor, the resistor can of course be modified into a fixed resistor as shown in  FIG. 2 . Still further, the variable constant voltage generation circuit  6  can be modified into the constant voltage generation circuit  5 , if the variable constant voltage generation circuit  6  is provided in series at the side of the modified variable resistor R. Namely, the circuit for generating the input voltage value Vs can be constituted by the variable resistor R and the constant voltage generation circuit, which applies a constant voltage to the terminal of the variable resistor R.  
       FIG. 4  is an embodiment when such as wobble signals read out from an optical disk (such as CD and DVD) are extracted, and shows a data write circuit or a data read circuit in which the cut off frequency of the filter is selected in a range of 3T˜11T in response to the multiplication number (2 times, 4 times, 8 times, . . . ) of data writing speed. Further, an illustration of the high pass filter to be cascade connected is omitted.  
      A part of the signals output at the output terminal  11   c  of the gm·C filter circuit  11  is input to a DSP (digital signal processor)  7  and pulse signals P corresponding to the multiplication number of the writing speed are produced. By inputting the pulse signals P to a PWM pulse generation circuit  8 , PWM pulses Ppwm corresponding to the multiplication number of the writing speed are generated, which are inputted into a T type LPF  9  and integrated and divided therein, and the voltage value Vin corresponding to the multiplication number of the data writing speed is generated.  
      Thereby, the voltage value Vin corresponding to the multiplication number (2 times, 4 times, 8 times, . . . ) of the data writing speed is obtained, and the value of cut off frequency of the gm·C filter circuit  11  corresponding to the multiplication number (2 times, 4 times, 8 times, . . . ) of the data writing speed is set. In this instance, the cut off frequency of the high pass filter not shown is simultaneously set.  
      As has been explained hitherto, in the above embodiments, although an example is given in which the conversion voltage Vs is determined by subtraction with respect to the terminal voltage of the resistor R according to Vs=Vout−Vin, the conversion voltage Vs can of course determined by addition according to Vs=Vout+Vin. An example in which the constant voltage generation circuit is provided in series at the side of the variable resistor R as mentioned above corresponds to the above modification. Further, the above modification can be realized by inverting +pole and −pole of the constant voltage of the constant voltage circuit  5  in  FIG. 1 .  
      Further, in the above embodiments, although the control current value is obtained by converting the voltage value of the current-voltage conversion circuit  4  with the voltage-current (V-I) conversion circuit  19 , the operation current of the gm amplifier can be voltage controlled by the voltage value of the current-voltage conversion circuit  4  via such as a buffer amplifier.  
      Still further, although the frequency band setting signal generation circuit  2  in the embodiments performs the control of setting the cut off frequency of the LPF (low pass filter), by cascade connecting the high pass filter at the front stage or the back stage of the same as shown by dotted lines in  FIG. 1  and simultaneously controlling the operation current source of the gm amplifier for the HPF with the output current of the voltage-current (V-I) conversion circuit  19 , the entirety can of course be constituted as a band pass filter.  
      Further, the gm amplifier in  FIGS. 3 and 4  embodiments is only an example, a variety of gm amplifier circuits can be used therefor.