Audio amplifier arrangement
AssigneeU.S. Philips Corporation
InventorDerk J. C. Wassink
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The disclosed audio amplifier arrangement includes a first amplifier stage for influencing the signal strength of the received audio signal for at least part of the frequency spectrum of an audio signal received through an input. An output amplifier stage amplifies the signal influenced by the first amplifier stage. A detection present in the output amplifier stage detects overloads of the output amplifier stage (3). A control circuit causes, in response to the detection signal, an adjustment to be made of the influence caused by the first amplifier stage if the overload signalled by the detection signal transgresses a certain limit. This limit depends on the magnitude of the adjustment already carried out, so that the degree of overload corresponding to the limit increases when the extent of the adjustment increases.
Claims7
An audio amplifier arrangement, comprising:
- an input for receiving an audio signal;
- a first amplifier stage for raising and lowering the signal strength of the received audio signal for at least a portion of the frequency spectrum of the audio signal;
- an output amplifier stage for amplifying the signal from the first amplifier stage and wherein the output amplifier stage is overloaded when the signal from the first amplifier stage exceeds a particular limit by a predetermined amount;
- detection means for detecting that the output amplifier stage is overloaded and for providing an overload detection signal;
- and
- control means for causing the first amplifier stage to lower the strength of the received audio signal in response to the overload detection signal and for causing the predetermined amount to be increased by a particular degree upon the lowering of the signal strength of the received audio signal, such that the detection signal will only be generated a next time if the signal from the first amplifier stage exceeds the particular limit by the increased predetermined amount.
An audio amplifier arrangement, comprising:
- an input for receiving an audio signal;
- a first amplifier stage for raising and lowering the signal strength of the received audio signal for at least a portion of the frequency spectrum of the audio signal;
- an output amplifier stage for amplifying the signal from the first amplifier stage, and wherein the output amplifier stage is in overload when the signal from the first amplifier stage exceeds a particular limit by a predetermined amount;
- detection means for detecting that the output amplifier stage is in overload and for providing an overload detection signal;
- a user operated signal controller including at least one of i) a volume control, and ii) a bass control, for causing the first amplifier stage to raise and lower the signal strength of the relevant portion of the received audio signal in response to a user adjusting the user operated signal controller;
- and
- control means for causing the first amplifier stage to lower the signal strength of the received audio signal in response to the overload detection signal, and for causing the predetermined amount to be increased by a particular degree upon the lowering of the signal strength such that if a user adjusts the volume or bass control to increase the signal strength of the received audio signal an increase in signal strength will be detected by the user even though the overload occurred.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.