Abstract: An electrostatic transducer loudspeaker includes a filterless class-D amplifier to modulate an audio input signal to generate a modulated signal containing a PWM switching carrier component, and a transformer directly connected at an output side of the filterless class-D amplifier and directly connected at an input side of an electrostatic transducer, whereby the equivalent capacitance of the electrostatic transducer and the equivalent inductance of the transformer establish a resonance circuit to demodulate the modulated signal to generate an AC voltage to drive the electrostatic transducer.

Abstract: A dual mode charge pump is operable in a first mode or a second mode for providing positive and negative output voltages that can be stabilized by adjusting the charging time of two terminals of a flying capacitor or by adjusting the charging/discharging time of the positive and negative voltage output terminals. The dual mode charge pump can apply to a much wider input supply voltage range with less numbers of power switches, thus requiring less die area and lower costs. Moreover, the dual mode charge pump can precisely define a common mode voltage, thus making the common voltage drift smaller and less load dependent, especially when the output supply voltages are under different load conditions.

Abstract: A speaker driver circuit driven by positive and negative voltages, comprising: at least one operational amplifier providing an output to a headphone speaker, and a voltage converter receiving a supplied voltage (VDD), generating r-fold positive and negative voltages (r·VDD and ?r·VDD, wherein r is any positive real number except 1) according to the supplied voltage, and supplying the positive and negative voltages to the operational amplifier for its high and low operation voltage levels respectively.

Abstract: A highly efficient class-G amplifier includes an amplifier circuit coupled between a positive power rail and a negative power rail to amplify an audio input signal of the class-G amplifier, and a boost inverting power converter to convert a supply voltage to a positive rail voltage and a negative rail voltage on the positive and negative power rails. The boost inverting power converter includes a boost inverting power stage coupled to the positive and negative power rails, and a controller to switch the boost inverting power stage between a boost mode and an inverting mode. An audio level detector detects the audio input signal for the controller to adjust the positive and negative rail voltages. The class-G amplifier has higher efficiency and requires lower cost because it does not need a charge pump.

Abstract: A dual mode charge pump is operable in a first mode or a second mode for providing positive and negative output voltages that can be stabilized by adjusting the charging time of two terminals of a flying capacitor or by adjusting the charging/discharging time of the positive and negative voltage output terminals. The dual mode charge pump can apply to a much wider input supply voltage range with less numbers of power switches, thus requiring less die area and lower costs. Moreover, the dual mode charge pump can precisely define a common mode voltage, thus making the common voltage drift smaller and less load dependent, especially when the output supply voltages are under different load conditions.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a multi-voltage headphone driver circuit comprising: at least one operational amplifier having an output supplied to a headphone speaker, the operational amplifier receiving a first power supply as its high operation voltage; a charge pump receiving a second power supply to generate a negative voltage corresponding to the second power supply in magnitude; and an m-fold circuit multiplying the negative voltage by m and providing the result to the operational amplifier as a low operation voltage thereof, wherein m is a real number.

Abstract: A class-D amplifier includes a ramp generator to provide a ramp signal having a frequency varying with an audio input signal, and a modulator to convert the audio input signal to a pulse width modulation signal according to the ramp signal for a driver to drive a load device. The varying frequency of the ramp signal will cause the frequency of the pulse width modulation signal unfixed and consequently improves EMI issue.

Abstract: The present invention discloses a driver circuit for an electrostatic loudspeaker, comprising: a digital modulation encoder for receiving a digital audio signal and a fixed frequency pulse signal, and mixing them by modulation; a digital to analog converter for converting the output of the digital modulation encoder to an analog signal; a transformer for adjusting the voltage amplitude of the analog signal; and a demodulator for demodulating the adjusted analog signal to driver a speaker.

Abstract: A class-D audio amplifier is protected by thermal regulation which decreases the gain of the class-D audio amplifier by asserting an over-temperature signal when the temperature of the class-D audio amplifier is detected to be higher than a threshold. The output of the class-D audio amplifier is therefore reduced by the smaller gain, and the chance for the class-D audio amplifier to stop working due to overheating is greatly reduced.

Abstract: An electrostatic transducer loudspeaker includes a filterless class-D amplifier to modulate an audio input signal to generate a modulated signal containing a PWM switching carrier component, and a transformer directly connected at an output side of the filterless class-D amplifier and directly connected at an input side of an electrostatic transducer, whereby the equivalent capacitance of the electrostatic transducer and the equivalent inductance of the transformer establish a resonance circuit to demodulate the modulated signal to generate an AC voltage to drive the electrostatic transducer.

Abstract: For minimum pulse generation in a class-D amplifier, a trapezoid switching waveform shape is used to replace the tradition triangle type to generate PWM pulses. Two voltages are compared with a sawtooth wave signal to generate the trapezoid waveform signal and a constant pulse width signal. An audio input signal is compared with the trapezoid waveform signal to generate a pulse width modulation signal, and either the pulse width modulation signal or the constant pulse width signal is used for driving a load at an output of the class-D amplifier. Flexible minimum pulse width could be obtained by offsetting one of the two voltages in generation of the constant pulse width signal.

Abstract: A highly efficient class-G amplifier includes an amplifier circuit coupled between a positive power rail and a negative power rail to amplify an audio input signal of the class-G amplifier, and a boost inverting power converter to convert a supply voltage to a positive rail voltage and a negative rail voltage on the positive and negative power rails. The boost inverting power converter includes a boost inverting power stage coupled to the positive and negative power rails, and a controller to switch the boost inverting power stage between a boost mode and an inverting mode. An audio level detector detects the audio input signal for the controller to adjust the positive and negative rail voltages. The class-G amplifier has higher efficiency and requires lower cost because it does not need a charge pump.

Abstract: A sigma-delta class-D amplifier includes a quantizer to quantize an input to produce a digital signal, and an output stage to produce an output according to the digital signal. The quantizer has a smaller step size so that the digital signal has at least five logical levels, and the sigma-delta class-D amplifier is thus improved to have wider stable modulation range and less switching loss.

Abstract: A switching amplifier has a network including current sources and resistors connected to the two output terminals of the H-bridge of the switching amplifier, to provide a small current to the load connected between the two output terminals at zero input, whereby the common mode voltage bouncing is reduced and the switching amplifier has less power consumption and reduced electro-magnetic interference.

Abstract: A conversion circuit is provided for a 1.5-bit ?-? class-D amplifier to improve the feedback linearity of the class-D amplifier, by periodically inverting and mixing a first positive feedback signal and a first negative feedback signal from the power stage of the class-D amplifier to generate a second positive feedback signal and a second negative feedback signal with better linearity for feedback control in the class-D amplifier.

Abstract: A class-D amplifier includes a ramp generator to provide a ramp signal having a frequency varying with an audio input signal, and a modulator to convert the audio input signal to a pulse width modulation signal according to the ramp signal for a driver to drive a load device. The varying frequency of the ramp signal will cause the frequency of the pulse width modulation signal unfixed and consequently improves EMI issue.

Abstract: In an adaptive leading-edge blanking circuit and method for a switching mode power converter, an inductor current of the converter is sensed and compared with a threshold to decide an end point of a leading-edge blanking time. Circuit and method are further provided for preventing the converter from entering pulse skipping mode, which employs a current trimming circuit in an oscillator for a PWM controller in the converter to reduce a charging current in the oscillator if the output voltage of the converter is excessively high, to thereby reduce the oscillator frequency and in turn lower the switching frequency of a high-side power switch of the converter.

Abstract: In a class-D amplifier, the input signal is compared with a carrier signal to generate a basic PWM signal, the PWM signal is then sent to a pulse processing unit, and by comparing with a basic periodic signal, half-width of the output PWM signal is extracted. Then, in the pulse processing unit, the half-width PWM pulse signal is used to generate a complete pulse whose width equals to the output PWM signal. The output power of the class-D amplifier can be kept as large as that by using differential input signals although the input signal is single-end and the entire signal processing path is kept single-ended.

Abstract: A class-D audio amplifier is protected by thermal regulation which decreases the gain of the class-D audio amplifier by asserting an over-temperature signal when the temperature of the class-D audio amplifier is detected to be higher than a threshold. The output of the class-D audio amplifier is therefore reduced by the smaller gain, and the chance for the class-D audio amplifier to stop working due to overheating is greatly reduced.

Abstract: For minimum pulse generation in a class-D amplifier, a trapezoid switching waveform shape is used to replace the tradition triangle type to generate PWM pulses. Two voltages are compared with a sawtooth wave signal to generate the trapezoid waveform signal and a constant pulse width signal. An audio input signal is compared with the trapezoid waveform signal to generate a pulse width modulation signal, and either the pulse width modulation signal or the constant pulse width signal is used for driving a load at an output of the class-D amplifier. Flexible minimum pulse width could be obtained by offsetting one of the two voltages in generation of the constant pulse width signal.