An audio processing system, apparatus and electronic device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an audio processing system, device and electronic equipment, relating to the technical field of digital microphone devices, comprising: an audio acquisition module and at least two groups of conversion modules, each group of conversion modules comprising a signal amplification unit and an analog-to-digital conversion unit; the audio acquisition module is connected with the at least two groups of conversion modules. The audio processing system provided by the present disclosure is connected with the audio acquisition module by increasing the multi-channel conversion module, so that the audio processing system can process multi-channel audio signals, improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the system in a small sound signal scene, and simplify the design and cost of the hardware circuit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of digital microphone devices, and more particularly to an audio processing system, apparatus, and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Digital microphones are currently widely used in various electronic devices and automobiles, but the output signal specifications (sensitivity) of different models of digital microphones are relatively similar, leaving little room for system design. Utility Model Content

[0003] This disclosure provides an audio processing system, apparatus, and electronic device, and provides a system architecture for a digital microphone device.

[0004] A first aspect of this disclosure provides an audio processing system, comprising: an audio acquisition module and at least two sets of conversion modules, each set of conversion modules including a signal amplification unit and an analog-to-digital conversion unit; the audio acquisition module is connected to the at least two sets of conversion modules.

[0005] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the audio acquisition module is connected to the amplification unit, and the amplification unit is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion unit; the audio acquisition module is used to acquire audio signals to obtain analog audio signals; the signal amplification unit is used to amplify the analog audio signals to obtain amplified signals; and the analog-to-digital conversion unit is used to perform analog-to-digital conversion on the amplified signals to obtain digital audio signals.

[0006] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the gain of the signal amplification unit corresponding to at least two sets of conversion modules is different from that of each other.

[0007] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the audio processing system further includes a digital processing unit for performing digital signal processing on the digital audio signal output by the analog-to-digital converter.

[0008] In some embodiments of this disclosure, at least two sets of conversion modules are connected to a digital processing unit; the digital processing unit is used to perform digital signal processing on at least two digital audio signals output by at least two sets of conversion modules to obtain a target audio signal.

[0009] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the audio processing system further includes a processing module, which includes a digital processing unit; the processing module is connected to at least two sets of conversion modules; at least two digital audio signals output by the at least two sets of conversion modules are used as output signals of the audio module; the digital processing unit is used to perform digital signal processing on the at least two digital audio signals output by the at least two sets of conversion modules to obtain a target audio signal.

[0010] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the gain of the signal amplification unit corresponding to at least two sets of conversion modules is distributed within a preset gain range.

[0011] In some embodiments of this disclosure, digital signal processing includes at least one of the following: volume analysis processing, channel selection, and dynamic volume adjustment processing.

[0012] A second aspect of this disclosure provides an audio processing apparatus, including the audio processing system described in the first aspect of this disclosure.

[0013] A fourth aspect of this disclosure provides an electronic device that includes the audio processing system described in the first aspect of this disclosure, or the audio processing apparatus described in the second aspect of this disclosure.

[0014] In summary, the audio processing system proposed in this disclosure includes: an audio acquisition module and at least two sets of conversion modules, each set of conversion modules including a signal amplification unit and an analog-to-digital conversion unit; the audio acquisition module is connected to the at least two sets of conversion modules. The audio processing system provided in this disclosure, by adding a multi-channel conversion module connected to the audio acquisition module, enables the audio processing system to simultaneously fuse multiple audio signals, improves the system signal-to-noise ratio in low-sound-signal scenarios, and simplifies the design and cost of the hardware circuitry.

[0015] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0016] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this disclosure, and are not intended to unduly limit this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the audio processing system proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the audio processing system proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3A Diagram of the electronic architecture of a digital microphone;

[0020] Figure 3B This is a diagram of the electronic architecture of a digital microphone. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this utility model, and should not be construed as limiting this utility model. Rather, the embodiments of this utility model include all variations, modifications, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0022] In analog microphone devices, the related technologies require complex peripheral circuit designs, and their use is limited in multi-microphone scenarios.

[0023] Analog microphones require external circuitry to perform audio processing, which is costly and complex. Therefore, there is a need for a digital microphone that integrates the back-end circuitry into the microphone body to reduce circuit design costs and PCB area, while using digital signal output for long-distance transmission and microphone array applications.

[0024] Therefore, this disclosure proposes an audio processing system, apparatus, and electronic device to integrate the back-end circuitry into the digital microphone body, thereby achieving a voice quality improvement solution that combines analog signal design with digital signal processing.

[0025] The audio processing system disclosed herein can be applied to digital microphones, and specifically to electronic devices such as robots, mobile phones, watches, and glasses.

[0026] Figure 1 and Figure 2 This is an architecture diagram of an audio processing system proposed in this disclosure.

[0027] This disclosure proposes an audio processing system 1000, including: an audio acquisition module 1100 and at least two sets of conversion modules 1200, each set of conversion modules including a signal amplification unit 1201 and an analog-to-digital conversion unit 1202; the audio acquisition module is connected to the at least two sets of conversion modules.

[0028] In some embodiments, the audio processing system can be in the digital microphone body, and the audio acquisition module can be the MEMS, i.e., the diaphragm in the digital microphone, used to acquire audio signals in real time and convert them into analog signals; at least two sets of conversion modules are connected to the audio acquisition module, which can be understood as the analog signal output by the audio acquisition module serving as the input signal for each set of conversion modules.

[0029] In some embodiments, the audio acquisition module is connected to the signal amplification unit, and the signal amplification unit is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion unit; the audio acquisition module is used to acquire audio signals to obtain analog audio signals; the signal amplification unit is used to amplify the analog audio signals to obtain amplified signals; and the analog-to-digital conversion unit is used to perform analog-to-digital conversion on the amplified signals to obtain digital audio signals.

[0030] In some embodiments, the signal amplification unit in each group of conversion modules can be an AMP signal amplifier, and the analog-to-digital conversion unit can be an ADC. The analog-to-digital conversion unit and the signal amplification unit are connected as a group of conversion modules. The analog audio signal output by the audio acquisition module serves as the input signal of the signal amplification unit, the amplified signal output by the signal amplification unit serves as the input signal of the analog-to-digital conversion unit, and the digital audio signal output by the analog-to-digital conversion unit serves as the overall output signal of the conversion module.

[0031] In some embodiments, the gain of the signal amplification units corresponding to at least two sets of conversion modules is different from that of each other.

[0032] Specifically, each conversion module corresponds to a signal amplification unit, and the gain of the signal amplification unit in each group is different, so that the signals processed and output by each conversion module are different.

[0033] In some embodiments, the gain of the signal amplification units corresponding to at least two sets of conversion modules is distributed within a preset gain range.

[0034] In some embodiments, the preset gain range may be determined based on hardware device parameters.

[0035] In some embodiments, according to a preset gain range, the signal amplification units corresponding to at least two sets of conversion modules are gain-allocated so that the gain of the signal amplification units corresponding to each set of conversion modules is different, so that the processing of each multi-channel conversion module is different and the resulting signal gain is different. Finally, the multi-channel signals are fused to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the system.

[0036] For example, an AMP+ADC is added inside the digital microphone, so that one MEMS output can be simultaneously input to two AMPs; the two AMPs are set with different and significantly different gain levels (e.g., AMP1 is set with an analog gain of 0dB, and AMP2 is set with an analog gain of 30dB).

[0037] Specifically, analog signals are continuous signals, while digital signals are discrete signals obtained through sampling. When an analog signal is converted to a digital signal, it undergoes sampling by an ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter). Since ADCs inherently contain quantization noise, when converting signals with very small amplitudes, the small signal may be submerged in the quantization noise of the ADC chip, leading to distortion in the quantized digital signal. Therefore, a system design using dual AMP + ADC can be understood as having one "high-volume" path and one "low-volume" path, which are then integrated through intelligent algorithms to avoid the problems of excessive volume causing distortion or insufficient volume for inaudibility.

[0038] In the above embodiments, by allocating the gain of the signal amplification unit corresponding to each set of conversion modules within a preset gain range, and making each signal amplification unit different from the others, it can adapt to audio signals of different distances or volumes, so that after passing through at least two sets of conversion modules, multiple analog audio signals of different volumes are output, so that the final target audio signal can be obtained through the subsequent integration process, thereby improving the system signal-to-noise ratio in low-volume scenarios.

[0039] In some embodiments, the audio processing system further includes a digital processing unit for performing digital signal processing on the digital audio signal output by the analog-to-digital converter.

[0040] In some embodiments, digital signal processing includes at least one of the following: volume analysis processing, channel selection, and dynamic volume adjustment processing.

[0041] For example, the digital processing unit may be a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), which is used to perform signal processing, including volume analysis, channel selection, and dynamic volume adjustment.

[0042] Specifically, there are two design schemes for the digital processing unit:

[0043] Option 1: The digital processing unit is located in the digital microphone body.

[0044] like Figure 1 The audio processing system architecture diagram shown also includes a digital processing unit.

[0045] In some embodiments, at least two sets of conversion modules are connected to a digital processing unit; the digital processing unit is used to perform digital signal processing on at least two digital audio signals output by at least two sets of conversion modules to obtain a target audio signal.

[0046] In some embodiments, the target audio signal output by the digital processing unit is used as the input of the main system. It can be understood that the audio processing system outputs one audio signal as the input signal of the main system. In a multi-audio module scenario, each audio processing system outputs one audio signal to the main system.

[0047] For example, such as Figure 3A The schematic diagram shows that an AMP+ADC is added inside the microphone, so that one MEMS output is simultaneously input to two AMPs; the two AMPs output to the ADCs, and the two ADCs each output a signal to the DSP inside the microphone for signal processing, and finally output a signal to the main system.

[0048] For example, in a multi-microphone scenario, each microphone is processed internally by MEMS and two AMP+ADC channels, and then processed by the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) inside the microphone. Finally, each microphone outputs a signal to the main system.

[0049] Option 2: The digital processing unit is located in the processing module.

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown, the audio processing system includes a processing module 1300, which includes a digital processing unit.

[0051] In some embodiments, the audio processing system includes a processing module, which includes a digital processing unit; the processing module is connected to at least two sets of conversion modules; at least two digital audio signals output by the at least two sets of conversion modules are used as input signals to the processing module; the digital processing unit is used to perform digital signal processing on the at least two digital audio signals output by the at least two sets of conversion modules to obtain a target audio signal.

[0052] In some embodiments, each conversion module outputs one signal as an input signal to the processing module, which is then input to the digital processing unit for digital signal processing of the multiple signals.

[0053] For example, such as Figure 3B As shown, an AMP+ADC is added inside the microphone, so that one MEMS output is simultaneously input to two AMPs; then the two ADCs each output a signal, which is simultaneously sent to the main system, where digital signal processing is performed.

[0054] In the above embodiments, by placing the digital processing unit in the processing module, at least two digital audio signals are output to the processing module through at least two sets of conversion modules, thereby ensuring that the digital processing unit integrates and processes multiple digital audio signals, which can ensure clear pickup of distant sounds and prevent saturation distortion of nearby sounds.

[0055] In the above embodiments, Scheme 1 and Scheme 2 significantly reduce circuit design costs and PCB area, while using digital signal output to facilitate long-distance transmission and microphone array applications.

[0056] In summary, the audio processing system proposed in this disclosure, by adding a multiplexer module connected to the audio acquisition module, enables the audio processing system to simultaneously fuse multiple audio signals, improve the system signal-to-noise ratio in low-sound-signal scenarios, and simplify the design and cost of hardware circuits.

[0057] The following is a specific implementation of the digital microphone provided in this disclosure:

[0058] MEMS: Diaphragm, its function is to receive sound signals and convert them into analog electrical signals, which are then output to the AMP inside the microphone IC;

[0059] AMP: Signal amplifier, used to perform amplitude calibration on analog signals from MEMS; then outputs an analog signal to the ADC;

[0060] ADC: Analog-to-Digital Converter, used to convert the analog signal from the AMP into a digital signal; then output from the microphone itself;

[0061] Power supply: Power supply for the internal components of the microphone.

[0062] Figure 3A The diagram shows the electronic architecture of the digital microphone in Scheme 1. An AMP+ADC is added inside the microphone, allowing one MEMS output to simultaneously input to two AMPs. The two AMPs are set with different and significantly different gain values ​​(e.g., AMP1 is set to 0dB analog gain, and AMP2 is set to 30dB analog gain). Then, the two ADCs will each output a signal to the microphone's internal DSP (Digital Signal Processor) for signal processing, and finally output a signal to the main system.

[0063] Figure 3BThe diagram shows the electronic architecture of the digital microphone in Scheme 2. An AMP+ADC is added inside the microphone, which allows one MEMS output to simultaneously input to two AMPs. The two AMPs are set with different and significantly different gain values ​​(for example, AMP1 is set to 0dB analog gain, and AMP2 is set to 30dB analog gain). Then, the two ADCs will each output a signal and simultaneously send it to the main system, where digital signal processing is performed.

[0064] In summary, the above-described digital microphone architecture can improve the system signal-to-noise ratio in low-sound-signal scenarios, while significantly simplifying hardware circuit design and reducing costs (related functions are integrated into a single digital microphone unit).

[0065] This utility model also proposes an audio processing device, including, as follows: Figure 1 or Figure 2 The audio processing system described in the illustrated embodiment.

[0066] This utility model embodiment also provides an electronic device.

[0067] Specifically, the electronic device includes: an audio processing system as described in any of the embodiments above, or an audio processing device as described in the embodiments above.

[0068] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms may refer to different embodiments or examples. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples.

[0069] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this utility model, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0070] Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the present invention, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An audio processing system, characterized in that, include: The audio acquisition module and at least two sets of conversion modules, each set of conversion modules including a signal amplification unit and an analog-to-digital conversion unit; The audio acquisition module is connected to the at least two sets of conversion modules.

2. The audio processing system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The audio acquisition module is connected to the signal amplification unit, and the signal amplification unit is connected to the analog-to-digital conversion unit; The audio acquisition module is used to acquire audio signals and obtain analog audio signals; The signal amplification unit is used to amplify the analog audio signal to obtain an amplified signal. The analog-to-digital conversion unit is used to perform analog-to-digital conversion processing on the amplified signal to obtain a digital audio signal.

3. The audio processing system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The gain of the signal amplification unit corresponding to the at least two sets of conversion modules is different from that of each other.

4. The audio processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The audio processing system further includes a digital processing unit, which is used to perform digital signal processing on the digital audio signal output by the analog-to-digital conversion unit.

5. The audio processing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The at least two sets of conversion modules are connected to the digital processing unit; The digital processing unit is used to perform digital signal processing on at least two digital audio signals output by at least two sets of conversion modules to obtain a target audio signal.

6. The audio processing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The audio processing system includes a processing module, and the processing module includes the digital processing unit. The processing module is connected to the at least two sets of conversion modules; The at least two digital audio signals output by the at least two sets of conversion modules are used as input signals to the processing module; The digital processing unit is used to perform digital signal processing on the at least two digital audio signals output by the at least two sets of conversion modules to obtain the target audio signal.

7. The audio processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The gain of the signal amplification unit corresponding to the at least two sets of conversion modules is distributed within a preset gain range.

8. The audio processing system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The digital signal processing includes at least one of the following: volume analysis processing, channel selection, and dynamic volume adjustment processing.

9. An audio processing device, characterized in that, The audio processing apparatus includes the audio processing system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, It includes the audio processing system as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, or the audio processing apparatus as described in claim 9.

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