Methods and apparatus for a voice detector

1. A voice detection system, comprising:

a microphone configured to:

receive a voice command;

compare the voice command against a threshold value;

generate a signal, wherein the signal comprises:

a first state when the voice command is greater than the threshold value; and

a second state when the voice command is less than the threshold value and corresponds to a gap between words in the voice command;

generate a cleaned voice command wherein the cleaned voice command matches the voice command when the signal is in the first state, and wherein the cleaned voice command is set to a predetermined value when the signal is in the second state; and

an audio processor, coupled to the microphone, comprising:

a sound data controller, configured to:

write data from the cleaned voice command to a memory when the cleaned voice command is not equal to the predetermined value; and

prevent writing data from the cleaned voice command to a memory when the cleaned voice command is equal to the predetermined value; and

a clock controller, coupled to the microphone, and configured to:

generate an external clock signal based on the signal and an internal clock signal; and

control a mode of operation of the microphone according to the external clock signal.

2. The voice detection system of claim 1 , wherein the microphone comprises:

a threshold generator, configured to generate a threshold value; and

a threshold comparator, coupled to the threshold generator.

3. The voice detection system claim 2 , wherein the threshold generator is reprogrammable by at least one of a user of the voice detection system and an external device connected to the audio processor.

4. The voice detection system of claim 1 , wherein the audio processor further comprises:

a command detector, coupled to the memory, and configured to generate a processed voice command corresponding to the voice command represented in the data stored in the memory.

5. The voice detection system of claim 1 , wherein the microphone further comprises an analog-digital converter configured to convert the voice command into a digital voice command.

6. The voice detection system of claim 5 , wherein the microphone further comprises an AND circuit configured to perform the logical AND of the digital voice command and the signal to convert the digital voice command into a cleaned digital voice command.

7. The voice detection system of claim 1 , wherein the external clock signal prevents the microphone from transmitting the voice command when the external clock signal is inactive.

8. A method for detecting and processing an audio command, comprising

generating an analog signal with a microphone in response to the audio command;

generating a threshold value;

comparing the analog signal to the threshold value;

generating a digital signal based on the comparison of the analog signal and the threshold value, wherein the digital signal matches the analog signal when the analog signal is greater than the threshold value, and wherein the digital signal is set to a predetermined value when the analog signal is less than the threshold value;

transmitting the digital signal to an audio processor; and

controlling operation of the audio processor based on the digital signal, comprising:

storing data, representing the audio command, in a memory according to the digital signal when the digital signal is not equal to the predetermined value;

preventing data, representing the audio command, from being stored in the memory when the digital signal is equal to the predetermined value; and

generating an external clock signal according to:

the digital signal; and

an internal clock signal; and

transmitting the external clock signal to the microphone, wherein the external clock signal controls a mode of operation of the microphone.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the predetermined value comprises a LOW signal value.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein controlling operation of the audio processor based on the digital signal further comprises:

performing audio command detection with a signal processor according to the digital signal; and

preventing audio command detection with the signal processor according to the digital signal.

11. The method of claim 8 , wherein:

storing data in the memory according to the digital signal comprises enabling a controller when the digital signal is not equal to the predetermined value; and

preventing data from being stored in the memory according to the digital signal comprises disabling the controller when the digital signal is equal to the predetermined value.

12. An audio system, comprising:

a digital microphone, configured to receive an analog voice command, comprising:

a threshold generator, configured to generate a threshold value; and

a comparator, coupled to the threshold generator, and configured to:

compare the analog voice command against the threshold value; and

transmit a digital signal that is in a first state when the analog voice command is greater than the threshold value and that is in a second state when the analog voice command is less than the threshold value and corresponds to a gap between words in the analog voice command; and

a signal generator to generate a cleaned voice command wherein the cleaned voice command matches the analog voice command when the digital signal is in the first state, and wherein the cleaned voice commands is set to a predetermined value when the digital signal is in the second state; and

an audio processor, coupled to the digital microphone, comprising:

a write controller, configured to:

write data from the cleaned voice command to a memory when the cleaned voice command is not equal to the predetermined value; and

prevent writing data from the cleaned voice command to the memory when the cleaned voice command is equal to the predetermined value; and

a clock controller, coupled to the digital microphone, and configured to:

generate an external clock signal based on the digital signal and an internal clock signal; and

control a mode of operation of the digital microphone according to the external clock signal.

13. The audio system of claim 12 , wherein the audio processor further comprises a digital signal processor, coupled to the memory, and configured to generate a processed voice command corresponding to the analog voice command.

14. The audio system of claim 13 , further comprising an external device, wherein the external device is coupled to the audio processor and is configured to respond to the processed voice command.

15. The audio system of claim 12 , wherein the threshold value is reprogrammable by a user of the audio system.

16. The audio system of claim 12 , wherein the digital signal comprises, at most, a HIGH signal value and the predetermined value is a LOW signal value.

17. The audio system of claim 12 , wherein the external clock signal is HIGH only when the digital signal is not equal to the predetermined value and the internal clock signal is HIGH.