PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-10674280-B2
Application Number: US-201816144218-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: High output impedance audio amplifier for noise rejection

Abstract:
A hearable has an audio amplifier circuit coupled to a speaker as a load. The amplifier circuit has current source drive, which attenuates electromagnetically coupled noise of the speaker. In other instances, the amplifier circuit has a first amplifier mode and a second amplifier mode, wherein in the first amplifier mode the amplifier circuit becomes configured to drive the speaker as a voltage source, and in the second amplifier mode the amplifier circuit becomes configured to drive the speaker as a current source. Control logic varies the amplifier circuit between i) the first amplifier mode for larger amplitudes of the audio signal, and ii) the second amplifier mode for smaller amplitudes of the audio signal. Other aspects are also described and claimed.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An audio amplifier comprising:
 an amplifier circuit to receive an audio signal and drive a speaker as a load, the amplifier circuit having a first amplifier mode and a second amplifier mode, 
 wherein in the first amplifier mode the amplifier circuit becomes configured to drive the speaker as a voltage source, 
 and in the second amplifier mode the amplifier circuit becomes configured to drive the speaker as a current source; and 
 control logic to vary the amplifier circuit between i) the first amplifier mode for larger amplitudes of the audio signal, and ii) the second amplifier mode for smaller amplitudes of the audio signal, wherein there is greater attenuation or coupled noise of the speaker when driving the speaker in the second amplifier mode than when driving the speaker in the first amplifier mode. 
 
     
     
       2. The audio amplifier of  claim 1 , wherein the amplifier circuit comprises a class D amplifier. 
     
     
       3. The audio amplifier of  claim 1 , wherein the second amplifier mode has higher output impedance than the first amplifier mode. 
     
     
       4. The audio amplifier of  claim 1 , wherein the amplifier circuit comprises an H bridge to be operated in the first amplifier mode and the second amplifier mode. 
     
     
       5. The audio amplifier of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the amplifier circuit comprises an H bridge; and 
 the control logic controls the H bridge in discontinuous operation in the second amplifier mode. 
 
     
     
       6. The audio amplifier of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the amplifier circuit comprises a transistor-based H bridge; 
 the control logic is to control on and off times of transistors in the transistor-based H bridge to vary magnitude of current and charge to deliver to the load for the audio signal; and 
 the control logic is to control a duty cycle in the transistor-based H bridge of a duration of a charge-delivering current pulse to the load relative to a repetition rate of such pulses, to control effective output impedance of the amplifier circuit, with the second amplifier mode having higher output impedance than the first amplifier mode. 
 
     
     
       7. The audio amplifier of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the amplifier circuit comprises a transistor-based H bridge; and 
 the control logic is to determine an amount of charge to be delivered to the load in each charge-delivering current pulse and select from among a plurality of predetermined pulses, with error reduction over time, for the audio signal. 
 
     
     
       8. The audio amplifier of  claim 1 , wherein the speaker is in an earbud. 
     
     
       9. A method of operating an audio amplifier to drive a speaker, comprising:
 driving the speaker, as a load, from an amplifier circuit that is configured into a first amplifier mode in which the speaker is driven using voltage source drive with lower output impedance, for larger amplitudes of audio signal; and 
 driving the speaker, as the load, from the amplifier circuit that is configured into a second amplifier mode in which the speaker is driven using current source drive with higher output impedance, for smaller amplitudes of the audio signal, wherein driving the speaker in the second amplifier mode attenuates coupled noise of the speaker greater than when driving in the first amplifier mode. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the driving from the amplifier circuit comprises driving from a class D amplifier having a transistor-based H bridge. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , wherein:
 driving the speaker from the amplifier circuit in the first and second amplifier modes comprises controlling on and off times of transistors in a transistor-based H bridge to vary magnitude of current and charge delivered to the speaker in accordance with the audio signal; and 
 driving the speaker from the amplifier circuit, and varying between the first and second amplifier modes, comprises controlling a duty cycle in the transistor-based H bridge of a duration of a charge-delivering current pulse to the load relative to a repetition rate of such pulses, to vary effective output impedance of the amplifier circuit, wherein the duty cycle in the second amplifier mode is lower and results in higher output impedance than in the first amplifier mode. 
 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 determining an amount of charge to be delivered to the speaker in each of a plurality of charge-delivering current pulses, according to the audio signal; and 
 determining control signals for a plurality of transistors in a MOSFET-based H bridge, as the amplifier circuit, according to the amount of charge to be delivered in each of the plurality of charge-delivering current pulses. 
 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 determining an amount of charge to be delivered to the speaker in each of a plurality of charge-delivering current pulses, according to the audio signal; 
 selecting from among a plurality of predetermined pulses, according to the amount of charge to be delivered; and 
 controlling a plurality of transistors in a transistor-based H bridge, as the amplifier circuit, according to the selected predetermined pulses.

Description:
An aspect of the disclosure here relates to audio amplifiers, more specifically to class D audio amplifiers. Other aspects are also described. 
     BACKGROUND 
     There are many types of audio amplifiers, including class A, class B, class AB linear amplifiers, and class D also known as switching amplifiers. Each type has many variations with different types of transistors, and there are trade-offs in efficiency, distortion, power levels and noise immunity or rejection for various types of noise. Miniaturization of audio amplifiers and speakers for earbuds imposes specialized constraints for power management, efficiency, size, and operation in environments with electromagnetically coupled noise. 
     SUMMARY 
     An audio amplifier circuit is described that is configured as a current source amplifier with high output impedance. The amplifier circuit receives an audio signal and drives a speaker as a load. The amplifier circuit has a first amplifier mode and a second amplifier mode. In the first amplifier mode, the amplifier circuit becomes configured to drive the speaker as a voltage source. In the second amplifier mode the amplifier circuit becomes configured to drive the speaker as a current source. Control logic varies the amplifier circuit between the first amplifier mode for larger amplitudes of the audio signal, and the second amplifier mode for smaller amplitudes of the audio signal. This may yield a solution that exhibits less audible noise during low volume listening, and adequate output power during high volume listening, which may be particularly desirable in hearables such as earbuds. 
     In another aspect of the disclosure, a hearable housing (e.g., an earbud housing) has an audio amplifier circuit that is coupled to an earbud speaker as a load. The amplifier circuit has current source drive to drive the earbud speaker. In such a configuration, the amplifier circuit has higher output impedance which advantageously attenuates electromagnetically coupled noise of the earbud speaker, relative to an audio amplifier circuit that has voltage source drive and therefore lower output impedance. 
     A method of operating an audio amplifier to drive a speaker is disclosed. In the method, the speaker is driven as a load, from an amplifier circuit. The amplifier circuit is configured into a first amplifier mode in which the speaker is driven using voltage source drive with lower output impedance, for larger amplitudes of audio signal. The amplifier circuit is configured into a second amplifier mode in which the speaker is driven using current source drive with higher output impedance, for smaller amplitudes of the audio signal. 
     The above summary does not include an exhaustive list of all aspects of the present invention. It is contemplated that the invention includes all systems and methods that can be practiced from all suitable combinations of the various aspects summarized above, as well as those disclosed in the Detailed Description below and particularly pointed out in the claims filed with the application. Such combinations have particular advantages not specifically recited in the above summary. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       Several aspects of the disclosure here are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to “an” or “one” aspect in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same aspect, and they mean at least one. Also, in the interest of conciseness and reducing the total number of figures, a given figure may be used to illustrate the features of more than one aspect of the disclosure, and not all elements in the figure may be required for a given aspect. 
         FIG. 1  depicts an earbud that includes an audio amplifier and a speaker and can implement aspects of an amplifier circuit described with reference to  FIGS. 2-6  for attenuation or rejection of noise. 
         FIG. 2  depicts interference with a conventional audio amplifier, that produces audible noise in a transducer and is modeled as a voltage source. 
         FIG. 3  depicts an audio amplifier that switches between voltage drive and current drive. 
         FIG. 4  is a circuit diagram of an H bridge that can be operated as part of a class D amplifier in the earbud of  FIG. 1 , to attenuate or reject noise modeled as a voltage source, and also overcome back electromotive force. 
         FIG. 5  is a timing diagram showing a pulse width modulation signal that is varied to vary a load voltage, in a voltage drive amplifier with low output impedance. 
         FIG. 6  is a timing diagram showing a pulse width modulation signal with a long inactive time, for controlling amplifier output impedance in a current drive amplifier with higher output impedance than the voltage drive amplifier. 
         FIG. 7  shows an example of a load current pulse, used to describe various switch states of an H bridge being operated in discontinuous mode. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Several aspects of the disclosure with reference to the appended drawings are now explained. Whenever the shapes, relative positions and other aspects of the parts described are not explicitly defined, the scope of the invention is not limited only to the parts shown, which are meant merely for the purpose of illustration. Also, while numerous details are set forth, it is understood that some aspects of the disclosure may be practiced without these details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description. 
     Wires and speakers in audio systems, and especially miniaturized ones in earbuds, are susceptible to electromagnetically coupled noise from nearby electronic equipment. For example, a speaker that is inside of a housing, such as an earbud housing, can pick up noise from a wireless radio subsystem, e.g., a Bluetooth subsystem, that is also inside the housing (this may be referred to as self-interference). It is a goal of the audio amplifiers and operation thereof described herein, and variants thereof, to decrease or better reject such noise. An audio amplifier with current drive and higher output impedance is found to attenuate noise that is modeled as a voltage source in the signal path from the amplifier output to the transducer (speaker). One version of such an audio amplifier is an H bridge operated as a class D amplifier with pulse width modulation (PWM) timing that features a charge delivering pulse and longer inactive time, to yield a higher output impedance for the amplifier. In one variation, the amplifier has different operating modes for larger amplitude signals vs. smaller amplitude signals, featuring higher output impedance current drive for the smaller amplitude signals where the noise is more objectionable, and lower output impedance voltage drive for the larger amplitude signals where higher output voltage amplitude is required. 
     The audio amplifiers described here may be especially useful to attenuate audible noise that may be more likely to appear in personal electronic devices referred to as hearables, which include hearing aids, headsets and especially earbuds, and personal sound amplification products. As an example of such applications,  FIG. 1  depicts an earbud  1  that includes an audio amplifier  5  and a speaker  12  and can implement aspects of the amplifier circuit described with reference to  FIGS. 2-6  for attenuation or rejection of noise. A wireless transceiver  2  communicates with another electronic device and receives an audio signal, for example digitally encoded. A processor  7  with memory  10  receives the digitally encoded audio signal from the wireless transceiver  2 , processes the audio signal (e.g., decodes and enhances it for improved sound) and forwards the signal to the audio amplifier  5 . The amplified audio signal at the output of the audio amplifier drives the speaker  12 , producing sound heard through an earpiece  15  of the earbud  1 , for listening by a user wearing the earbud  1 . A battery  4  supplies electrical power for the system. Other aspects such as a charging port for the battery  4 , one or more input controls (e.g., a button, a tap sensor), etc., are readily envisioned and implemented. 
       FIG. 2  depicts interference  20  that produces audible noise in the speaker  12  when a conventional voltage source type or low output impedance amplifier  18  is driving the speaker  12 . The interference  20  is modeled as a voltage source  25  in the path of the amplified audio signal as shown. Such interference  20  may be due to audio-frequency magnetic fields that electromagnetically couple into the wires of the path or directly into for example a voice coil inside the speaker  12  and are reproduced as humanly audible sound waves by the speaker. For example, currents feeding radio frequency (RF) and sensor processing subsystems inside the earbud housing can cause electromagnetic fields with frequencies in the audio frequency range, which can induce audible noise in the nearby speaker. A solution to this problem, in amplifier circuits described herein and variations thereof is to have a current source driver that because of its high output impedance attenuates the noise currents contributed by the voltage source  25 . In other words, the current source driver absorbs much of the noise voltage resulting from the coupling. In some versions, current source drive results in different frequency response than voltage drive, and is accounted for in an equalization operation that may be performed upon the digital audio signal by the processor  7  in  FIG. 1 , or upon a digital or analog version of the audio signal by a portion of the audio amplifier  5 . 
       FIG. 3  depicts conceptually the amplifier  5  which is reconfigurable or switches between voltage source drive and current source drive. One version has a voltage source amplifier  29  that has voltage drive, and another separate amplifier, current source amplifier  30  that has current drive, with a switch  31  that switches back and forth between the two amplifiers. In another version, the two amplifiers  29 ,  31  and the switch  31  are somewhat integrated with each other (the two amplifiers are not strictly speaking separate but nevertheless they together enable the amplifier  5  to operate in voltage drive mode and current drive mode (alternately, or one at a time), with the switch  31  representing the selection between those modes. 
     Since the noise or interference  20 , described above with reference to  FIG. 2 , is primarily audible at low playback volumes, the current drive amplifier is selected at low playback volumes or during small amplitude segments of an audio signal. And since a voltage drive amplifier can produce a higher voltage amplitude output signal, needed for higher playback volumes, more efficiently than the current drive amplifier, it is automatically selected at high playback volumes or during large amplitude segments of the audio signal. In other words, the amplifier  5  is operated in voltage drive mode (or as a voltage drive amplifier) whenever the audio signal has large amplitudes, and in current drive mode (or as a current drive amplifier) whenever the audio signal has small amplitudes. The combination of voltage drive mode and current drive mode, or voltage drive amplifier and current drive amplifier, allows for a combined operating efficiency that may be especially suitable for miniaturization in a battery-operated earbud  1 . 
       FIG. 4  is a circuit diagram of an example of the audio amplifier  5 , being a H bridge  35  that is operated as a class D amplifier and in both voltage and current drives modes so as to attenuate or reject noise (e.g., modeled as the voltage source  25  in  FIG. 2 ), and also overcome back electromotive force of the speaker  12  which is a load of the amplifier  5 . H bridge  35 , in one version, has four transistor switches, herein shown as metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors, MOSFETs, transistors Q 1 , Q 2 , Q 3 , and Q 4 , with the speaker  12  (load) coupled to the transistors as the crossbar of the “H”. The speaker  12  in this example is modeled as resistor R 1  in series with inductor L 1  (e.g., a voice coil), the induced noise {noise} is modeled as voltage source V 3 , and back electromotive force {bemf} is modeled as voltage source V 2 . This ‘bemf’ is a consequence of the movement of the speaker. For the low audio case it may be a negligible term. Power supply  33  is modeled as voltage source V 1  with source resistance R 2  and output capacitance C 1 . When the transistors Q 1 -Q 4  are operated with the control signal timing shown in  FIGS. 5 and 6 , and variations thereof, the H bridge  35  can drive either a voltage across the load (voltage drive) or a current through the load (current drive), as further described below. This circuit can be operated as either a voltage source or a current source, depending on how the switches Q 1 , Q 2 , Q 3 , and Q 4  are controlled. 
       FIG. 5  is a timing diagram showing a pulse width modulation, PWM, signal that is varied to vary a load voltage, in a voltage drive amplifier with low output impedance. The PWM signal may be generated by the processor  7  of  FIG. 1  or by an amplifier driver circuit (not shown), based on the audio signal to be amplified (the duty cycle varies in accordance with the amplitude of the audio signal.) The PWM signal  42  is varied in duty cycle (as per the audio signal), which varies the voltage applied across the load (speaker  12 ), i.e., the load voltage f 1  to f 2  in  FIG. 4 . Increasing the duty cycle (longer positive interval,  48 , shorter negative interval,  49 ) of the PWM signal  42  translates to increased load voltage, while decreasing the duty cycle (shorter positive, longer negative interval) leads to decreased load voltage. 
     In  FIG. 5 , the positive phase (high, positive or one level) of the pulse width modulation signal  42  produces the on time or activation control pulse  48  for transistors Q 1  and Q 4  and drives a voltage of one polarity across the load. The negative phase (low, negative or zero level) of the pulse width modulation signal  42  produces the on time or activation control pulse  49  for transistors Q 2  and Q 3  (the transistor switches are closed) and drives a voltage of the opposing polarity across the load. Generally, the transistor control signals should be produced with a non-overlap time  47 , so that at no time are both transistors in one side of the H, e.g., Q 1  and Q 2 , or Q 3  and Q 4 , on at the same time, and shoot through current is avoided. But, because the non-overlap time  47  is small relative to the active time of either of the transistor control signals, one diagonally opposed pair of transistors, e.g., Q 1  and Q 4  or Q 2  and Q 3  is active most of the time, and the output impedance of the H bridge  35  is therefore very low, near zero. Operated in this manner, the H bridge  35  is a low output impedance amplifier, also referred to here as voltage drive or voltage source amplifier. A reason why the voltage mode can drive higher signal levels at greater efficiency than current mode (able to produce large amplitude signals to drive the speaker  12  at the f 1 , f 2  nodes) is that in the voltage mode, the switches (transistors Q 1 -Q 4 ) are active during more of each cycle. Wrapping current feedback around the circuit to achieve a current source would also yield get the same amplitude but that solution would consume more power (for the control and current feedback). On a related note, the current source drive described herein will be less efficient than the voltage source drive at comparable signal levels, because it will experience a higher RMS current. Accordingly, in some versions of the earbud  1  of  FIG. 1 , the H bridge  35  of  FIG. 4  is operated in the voltage drive mode (or as a voltage source amplifier) with low output impedance configuration achieved using timing shown in  FIG. 5 , for larger amplitude audio signals. The H bridge  35  can also be operated in a current drive mode (or as a current source amplifier), which exhibits high output impedance, using the transistor control timing shown in  FIG. 6 . That mode may be reserved for smaller amplitude audio signals. 
       FIG. 6  is a timing diagram showing a pulse width modulation signal with a long inactive time, i.e. when all of the transistors are off (they are switches that are all open), which is used to create high output impedance. This figure illustrates how the transistors Q 1 -Q 4  of the H bridge  35  are driven differently than in  FIG. 5  (when amplifying the audio signal) so as to achieve current drive mode (current source amplifier). The active time  54  comprises a number of possible switch states, namely at least two switch states, and optionally three switch states. These switch states and the resulting load current waveform may be described as follows in connection with  FIG. 7  described next. 
     Whereas in  FIG. 5  the transistors of the H bridge  35  are operated or controlled in a so-called “continuous mode” (borrowed from switching power supply terminology) to achieve low output impedance (voltage source amplifier), in  FIG. 6  they are being operated in “discontinuous mode”. This is also shown in  FIG. 7 . In the discontinuous mode of operation shown in  FIG. 7 , there is a desired amount of charge Q to be delivered to the load during each cycle period  52 , which charge may be viewed as the integral of the load current. In one instance, the proposed system is to deliver the charge Q in a current pulse (charger delivering pulse  57 ) that has a smaller duration than the sampling interval (cycle period  52 ), namely during an active time  54 . An example of this current pulse during the active time  54  is as follows: during t 1 , the load current initially rises rapidly when Q 1  and Q 4  are on (and Q 2  and Q 3  are off); then during t 2  it falls slowly when Q 2  and Q 4  are on (and Q 1  and Q 3  are off); and then during t 3  it falls rapidly when Q 2  and Q 3  are on (and Q 1  and Q 4  are off). Then, once the load current has fallen back down to zero, Q 1 -Q 4  are turned off (also referred to here as an output stage that is in a tri-state condition) during the rest of the sampling interval (cycle period  52 ). The active time  54  is followed immediately by an inactive time  55  (in a single cycle period  52 ), during which all transistors Q 1 , Q 2 , Q 3  and Q 4  of the H bridge  35  are off (transistor switches are open). This inactive time  55  is much longer than the non-overlap time  47 , for voltage drive low impedance operation of the H bridge  35  depicted in  FIG. 5 . Because the transistors Q 1 , Q 2 , Q 3  and Q 4  of the H bridge  35  are off most of the time (in each cycle time  52 ), the output impedance of the amplifier is very high, and is representative of current drive (high output impedance) operation, much higher than is obtained in the continuous mode operation depicted in  FIG. 5 . 
     By varying the ratio of the active time  54  to the inactive time  55 , i.e., the active/inactive duty cycle, the amplifier output impedance can be varied (when using the discontinous mode of operation in which all of Q 1 -Q 4  are turned off during the inactive time). More specifically, the timing of t 1 , t 2  and t 3  may be calculated in closed form, there is a degree of freedom between t 1  and t 2  which enables the creation of pulses that are narrower (e.g., minimum width being when t 2 =0) or wider (maximum width when t 3 =0). This allows a trade between noise attenuation vs. power dissipation. Reducing the duty cycle leads to higher output impedance, and vice versa. By varying the active time  54 , and selection of which diagonally opposed pair of transistors of the H bridge  35  is on (from one PWM cycle to the next), the amount and direction of charge delivered to the load is varied, and correspondingly the load current and load voltage are varied. The processor  7  or other control logic does so, in order to produce a desired amplification of the audio signal in the speaker  12  and corresponding acoustic waves, i.e., sound, that follow the original audio signal. With the audio signal thus delivered to the speaker  12  from a current drive (or current source) amplifier, the electromagnetically coupled noise is suppressed or attenuated, and the listener has an improved audio listening experience. Viewed another way, during the inactive state with all the transistors off, any noise voltage induced in the circuit by electromagnetic fields is unable to drive any current through the voicecoil, so there is no audible noise. Noise current can flow during the active interval, but the resulting noise is attenuated by the ratio of inactive to active time. Changing to a voltage drive (or voltage source) amplifier when the audio signal amplitude is above a certain threshold maintains the desired listening experience, without suffering the lower power efficiency of the current drive. 
     There are several ways to implement a modulator circuit that controls the on-off timing of the switches (transistors Q 1 -Q 4 ), to achieve the desired pulse waveforms such as the one shown in  FIG. 7 . One example is a constant switching frequency controller that calculates a custom pulse for each switching period based on the input current command (which it converts into a charge command and computes t 1  and t 2  between the extremes noted above). In one variation of such a controller, there may be a constraint added to keep the duty cycle constant which helps keep effective output impedance constant (thereby preventing variation in frequency response of the audio amplifier). In another variation, a single pre-designed pulse delivers a known charge q, and the controller integrates the input current command until a charge Q&lt;=q is accumulated, at which pint a single pulse is delivered to the load. This may result in a lower switching frequency at lower current commands. In yet another variation, the controller has multiple predesigned pulses which deliver a range of known charges—the controller integrates the incoming current command until a charge Q&gt;=q is accumulated, at which point a single pulse is delivered to the load. The availability of such a range of pulses allows the controller to operate in a range of bounded maximum and minimum switching frequencies. 
     Also, in addition to the three switching states described above (t 1 , t 2 , t 3 ), a fourth switching state may be needed in some instances after t 3 , to damp any resonance in the system (e.g., by turning on either both of the high side switches (transistors Q 1 , Q 3 ) or both of the low sides switches (transistors Q 2 , Q 4 ) for a short period of time. Finally, it should be noted that the switching state t 2  may be accomplished by either having both low side switches (transistors Q 2 , Q 4 ) on, or both high side switches (transistors Q 1 , Q 3 ) on. 
     With reference to  FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 , there are many possible versions of the amplifier circuit and its operation. Other types of transistors, such as PMOS, CMOS, bipolar, biMOS, biCMOS, etc., can be used in building an H bridge. Other types of class D amplifiers could be used. The cycle time  44  of pulse width modulation signal  42 , or the cycle time  52  of the charge delivering pulse  57 , i.e., the inverse of the repetition rate, could be in the microsecond range, for a cycle time or repetition rate in the megahertz range, and audio signals being amplified through the class D amplifier. Active/inactive duty cycle for the timing of  FIG. 6  could be varied continuously, or in two (or more) distinct states. A single H bridge could be operated according to the timing of  FIG. 5 , and the timing of  FIG. 6 , one at a time, as needed for voltage drive and current drive modes. Alternatively, there may be two H-bridges, one that is always operated according to the timing of  FIG. 5  and is used only during voltage drive mode, and another that is operated only according to the timing of  FIG. 6  and is used only during current drive mode. 
     In one version, the processor  7  or other control logic could have predetermined pulse widths stored in memory, and may select from among them to deliver an amount of charge to the load in each charge-delivering current pulse. The system could apply error reduction over time, for charge-delivering current pulses in accordance with the audio signal, for example by sensing load voltage or current and comparing to the original audio signal. This is one way to determine control signals for the transistors in the H bridge according to amount of charge to be delivered in each charge-delivering current pulse. Another way is to determine the control signals on the fly, shaping each individual pulse width rather than selecting from predetermined pulse widths. Depending on accuracy, error reduction over time might not be needed. A Sigma Delta modulator could be used in some versions. A variable power supply and timing could be used to produce shorter, wider pulses, or taller, narrower pulses. In some versions, shorter, wider pulses are preferred for greater efficiency inverse to RMS current. 
     Operation techniques and circuits described herein are especially well-suited for earbud speakers, because the small, low mass components in this size speaker are especially susceptible to audio reproduction of electromagnetically coupled noise. But, these techniques and circuits could also be applicable to other sizes and types of speakers in further audio systems. 
     While certain aspects have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such are merely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, and that the invention is not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to those of ordinary skill in the art. For example, while  FIG. 1  depicts a device in which an audio amplifier and speaker are included in a wireless earbud, it is also possible to have other types of hearables, other types of speakers, other types of transducers, and other types of audio systems benefit from the techniques described above. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting. To aid the Patent Office and any readers of any patent issued on this application in interpreting the claims appended hereto, applicants wish to note that they do not intend any of the appended claims or claim elements to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless the words “means for” or “step for” are explicitly used in the particular claim.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20180927
Publication Date: 20200602
Grant Date: 20200602
Priority Date: 20180927
Inventors: Nussbaum, Michael B
HOGAN, RODERICK B
Moyer, Todd K
Assignee: APPLE INC
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Family ID: 69946810