IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,425,767
Granted Patent B2
US 12,425,767 · App. 17/735,419 · Granted Sep 23, 2025

Selective acoustic optimization for thermally or power limited speaker systems

Inventors: Miles K. Roberto (Austin, TX); Chris Rattray (Newbury, GB); Zhengyi Xu (Fleet, GB); Philip B.J. Clarkin (Austin, TX)
Assignee: Cirrus Logic Inc.
H04R3/007G01K3/10H04R3/04H04R29/001H04R2430/01
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,425,767
App. No.
17/735,419
Granted
Sep 23, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A system may include a first input configured to receive a playback signal to be played back to a transducer, a second input configured to receive temperature information associated with the transducer, and a thermal-controlled gain element configured to determine a sub-band gain to be applied to a selected frequency band of the playback signal, wherein the thermal-controlled gain element determines the gain based on the temperature information and apply the sub-band gain to the selected frequency band.

Claims (29)

1. A system comprising:

a first input configured to receive a playback signal to be played back to a transducer;

a second input configured to receive temperature information associated with the transducer, wherein the temperature information comprises a temperature associated with the transducer and a rate of change of the temperature associated with the transducer, and wherein the temperature and the rate of change are based on a monitored output voltage of the transducer and a monitored output current of the transducer;

a thermal-controlled gain element configured to:

determine a sub-band gain to be applied to a selected frequency band of the playback signal, wherein the thermal-controlled gain element determines the gain based on the temperature information; and

apply the sub-band gain to the selected frequency band to generate a first intermediate signal;

a thermal protection system configured to apply a first full-band gain, in series with the sub-band gain, to the first intermediate signal based on a temperature associated with the transducer, to generate a second intermediate signal; and

a power limiter configured to apply a full-band gain, in series with the sub-band gain and the first full-band gain, to the second intermediate signal based on a power consumption associated with the transducer, wherein application of the full-band gain is conditioned on the temperature exceeding a threshold temperature, to generate an output signal.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal-controlled gain element decreases the sub-band gain in response to an increase of the temperature.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the selected frequency band is a frequency range of the transducer having a lower efficiency at the selected frequency band compared to other frequency ranges of the transducer.

4. The system of claim 1 , wherein the power limiter is controlled with an adaptive control loop based on a difference between the power consumption and a target power consumption for the transducer.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal-controlled gain element is further configured to:

divide the playback signal into a plurality of different frequency bands; and

apply different gains to each of the different frequency bands.

6. The system of claim 5 , wherein each of the different gains is based on the temperature information.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the thermal-controlled gain element is further configured to apply the sub-band gain only when a temperature associated with the transducer is above a threshold temperature.

8. A method comprising:

determining, based on temperature information associated with a transducer, a sub-band gain to be applied to a selected frequency band of a playback signal to be played back to the transducer, wherein the temperature information comprises a temperature associated with the transducer and a rate of change of the temperature associated with the transducer, and wherein the temperature and the rate of change are based on a monitored output voltage of the transducer and a monitored output current of the transducer;

applying the sub-band gain to the selected frequency band to generate a first intermediate signal;

applying a first full-band gain, in series with the sub-band gain, to the first intermediate signal based on a temperature associated with the transducer, to generate a second intermediate signal; and

applying a full-band gain by a power limiter, in addition to series with the sub-band gain and the first full-band gain, to the playback second intermediate signal based on a power consumption associated with the transducer, wherein application of the full-band gain is conditioned on the temperature exceeding a threshold temperature, to generate an output signal.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising decreasing the sub-band gain in response to an increase of the temperature.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the selected frequency band is a frequency range of the transducer having a lower efficiency at the selected frequency band compared to other frequency ranges of the transducer.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising controlling the power limiter with an adaptive control loop based on a difference between the power consumption and a target power consumption for the transducer.

12. The method of claim 8 , further comprising:

dividing the playback signal into a plurality of different frequency bands; and

applying different gains to each of the different frequency bands.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein each of the different gains is based on the temperature information.

14. The method of claim 8 , further comprising applying the sub-band gain only when a temperature associated with the transducer is above a threshold temperature.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 21, 2025
From: CIRRUS LOGIC INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR LTD.
To: CIRRUS LOGIC, INC.
Reel/Frame 071780/0390 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 1, 2022
From: ROBERTO, MILES K.; RATTRAY, CHRIS; XU, ZHENGYI; CLARKIN, PHILIP B.J.
To: CIRRUS LOGIC INTERNATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR LTD.
Reel/Frame 060071/0812 →
Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 63292172 · Dec 21, 2021
Related Publication 20230199384A1 · Jun 22, 2023
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