Apparatus and method for reducing heat discharge of amplifier

Abstract

A method for reducing heat discharge of an amplifier according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of: monitoring a temperature of an amplifier IC; determining whether the temperature of the amplifier IC is equal to or greater than a first temperature value; detecting a duty of a PWM signal of each channel output from the amplifier IC when the temperature of the amplifier IC is equal to or greater than the first temperature value; and changing at least one of phase control and duty control of the PWM signal when the temperature of the amplifier IC is equal to or greater than a second temperature value.

Description

Amplifier heat dissipation reduction device and method

[0001] The present invention relates to a heat dissipation reduction device for an amplifier, and to a method for monitoring whether an amplifier is hot and performing a heat dissipation operation.

[0002] An amplifier is a device that amplifies audio signals generated from audio signal generators such as microphones or audio playback devices to audible frequencies and outputs them through speakers. Unlike general signal amplifiers, it consumes a lot of current and thus generates a lot of heat.

[0003] Previously, a system was developed to install temperature sensing elements in elements that are likely to overheat to check the temperature, and if it is detected that the element has overheated above a preset temperature, to notify the user using a warning or display means or to operate a cooling means to prevent overheating.

[0004] However, these overheating prevention measures are not efficient in cooling because they consist of a protection function that simply turns the cooling fan on and off, such as operating the cooling fan when the detected temperature is judged to have risen above the set temperature and stopping the cooling fan when the detected temperature is judged to be within the normal temperature range.

[0005] However, as audio specifications are upgraded, the number of audio amplifiers is increasing to provide full-range output and sound effects, and as output specifications increase, heat dissipation measures for the amplifiers are required.

[0006] Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing heat dissipation of an amplifier through automatic control of phase change and width of a PWM signal of an audio amplifier, in order to solve heat dissipation of an amplifier.

[0007] The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the tasks mentioned above, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0008] In order to achieve the above task, a method for reducing amplifier heat dissipation according to one embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of: monitoring the temperature of an amplifier IC; determining whether the temperature of the amplifier IC is equal to or higher than a first temperature value; detecting the duty of a PWM signal of each channel output from the amplifier IC when the temperature of the amplifier IC is equal to or higher than the first temperature value; and changing at least one of a phase and a duty control of the PWM signal when the temperature of the amplifier IC is equal to or higher than a second temperature value.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the step of detecting the duty of the PWM signal of each channel output from the amplifier IC includes the step of detecting the duty of the PWM signal of the left output channel of the audio output from the amplifier IC; and the step of detecting the duty of the PWM signal of the channel of the right output channel of the audio output from the amplifier IC.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the step of changing at least one of the phase and duty control of the PWM signal includes the step of performing phase change control and high pulse duty control of the PWM signal together.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the step of performing phase change control and high pulse duty control of the PWM signal together includes the step of setting a phase change control value and a high pulse duty control value of the PWM signal based on a limit value corresponding to a preset sound quality performance.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the step of performing phase change control and high pulse duty control of the PWM signal together includes the step of setting the high pulse duty control value of the PWM signal to 40% or less of the maximum range when the phase change control value of the PWM signal is set to the maximum phase difference compared to a default value.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the step of performing phase change control and high pulse duty control of the PWM signal together includes the step of setting a phase change control value of the PWM signal to 70% or more compared to a default value when the high pulse duty control of the PWM signal is set to a minimum value compared to a maximum range.

[0014] Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, one or more of the following effects are provided.

[0016] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is an object to provide an amplifier heat dissipation reduction device that prevents malfunction of an IR transmitter due to overcurrent during the insertion process of a phone jack (IR Blaster) and malfunction of operation due to insertion.

[0017] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an amplifier heat dissipation reduction device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] FIGS. 2 to 4 are drawings for explaining PWM signal control of an amplifier heat dissipation reduction device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 is a flowchart for explaining a method for reducing amplifier heat dissipation according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this specification will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Regardless of the drawing numbers, identical or similar components will be given the same reference numbers, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. The suffixes "module" and "part" used for components in the following description are assigned or used interchangeably only for the convenience of writing the specification, and do not in themselves have distinct meanings or roles. In addition, when describing the embodiments disclosed in this specification, if it is determined that a specific description of a related known technology may obscure the gist of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, a detailed description thereof will be omitted. In addition, the attached drawings are only intended to facilitate easy understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical ideas disclosed in this specification are not limited by the attached drawings, and should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0022] Terms that include ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one component from another.

[0023] When a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, but that there may be other components intervening. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components intervening.

[0024] Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0025] In this application, terms such as “include” or “have” are intended to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood not to exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0026] In the present invention, a phone jack device refers to a device that enables communication by being connected to a terminal via a wire.

[0027] Phone jack devices, which connect earphones to terminals such as wireless communication terminals and TVs via a wire, typically include a connector and a plug. A more detailed look at conventional phone jack devices is described below with reference to Figures 1 through 3. Here, a 3-pole phone jack device will be described as an example.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an amplifier heat dissipation reduction device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 1, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device may include a signal unit (110), an amplifier IC (AMP IC, 120), a temperature sensor (130), and a control unit (140).

[0030] In the signal unit (110), a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal, which is an audio signal, can be generated. For example, the PWM signal may be a signal converted into a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal by comparing an analog input signal with a reference signal.

[0031] The amplifier IC (120) can change the phase and duty of the pulse width modulation signal.

[0032] The temperature sensor (130) can monitor the temperature of the amplifier IC (120).

[0033] At this time, the temperature of the amplifier IC (120) may change depending on the output power generated by the supply voltage and PWM characteristics. That is, heat may be generated in the amplifier IC (120) depending on the high pulse section of the PWM signal of the amplifier IC (120).

[0034] In the control unit (140), it can be determined whether the temperature monitored by the temperature sensor (130) is a first temperature set in advance.

[0035] The control unit (140) can detect the duty of the PWM signal when the monitoring temperature is higher than the first temperature.

[0036] For example, the control unit (140) can detect the duty of the PWM signal of each channel output from the amplifier IC (120). The control unit (140) can detect the duty of the PWM signal of the left output channel of the audio output from the amplifier IC (120). The control unit (140) can detect the duty of the PWM signal of the channel of the right output channel of the audio output from the amplifier IC (120).

[0037] Meanwhile, the control unit (140) can determine whether the monitoring temperature is higher than the second temperature, which is higher than the first temperature.

[0038] The control unit (140) can control the amplifier IC (120) to change the phase and duty of the PWM signal when the monitoring temperature is higher than the second temperature.

[0039] For example, the control unit (140) can communicate with the amplifier IC (120) to variably adjust the PWM high pulse section, and at this time, the range of variably adjusting can be programmed to satisfy the TV sound quality specifications.

[0040] The control unit (140) can perform phase change control and high pulse duty control of the PWM signal together.

[0041] For example, the phase change control value and the high pulse duty control value of the PWM signal can be set based on a limit value corresponding to a preset sound quality performance.

[0042] For example, when the control unit (140) sets the phase change control value of the PWM signal to the maximum phase difference compared to the default value, the control unit (140) can set the high pulse duty control value of the PWM signal to 40% or less compared to the maximum section.

[0043] For example, when the control unit (140) sets the high pulse duty control of the PWM signal to the minimum value compared to the maximum section, the control unit (140) can set the phase change control value of the PWM signal to 70% or more compared to the default value.

[0044] FIGS. 2 to 4 are drawings for explaining PWM signal control of an amplifier heat dissipation reduction device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 2, the amplifier IC (120) can output a PWM signal through multiple channels. At this time, the multiple channels can include PWM corresponding to left / right (L / R) outputs (210, 220) of audio.

[0046] For example, when the amplifier IC (120) outputs a left (L) audio signal through the first channel and outputs a right (R) audio signal (220) through the second channel, the phases of the left (L) signal (110) and the estimated (R) signal (220) may have a difference of 90 degrees. This may be a default value according to the audio output.

[0047] The control unit (140) can perform a PWM phase shift through the amplifier IC (120). The control unit (140) can set a shift within 65% of the PWM phase shift default value. Through this, the control unit (140) can prevent the high-pitched sound contour from dropping and the sound quality from deteriorating due to the PWM phase shift.

[0048] For example, the control unit (140) can set the PWM phase shift from a minimum of about 90 degrees to a maximum of about 135 degrees based on L / R.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 3, the control unit (140) can control the high pulse section of the PWM signal through the amplifier IC (120). The control unit (140) can adjust the section to within about 60% of the maximum section of the high pulse section of the PWM signal. Through this, the control unit (140) can prevent the SNR, which is a sound quality characteristic, from being deteriorated due to the adjustment of the high pulse section of the PWM signal.

[0050] For example, the control unit (140) can change the high pulse maximum interval (230) of the PWM signal to 654 ns, which is 60%, to a high pulse interval (240) adjusted to 384 ns.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 4, the control unit (140) can control the temperature of the amplifier IC (120) by simultaneously performing PWM phase change and high pulse section control of the PWM signal through the amplifier IC (120).

[0052] For example, the control unit (140) may set the PWM signal (320) to increase by 30% compared to the default value according to the PWM phase change in the PWM signal (310). In addition, the control unit (140) may change the high pulse duty (330) of the PWM signal, and set the adjusted PWM high pulse duty (340) to decrease by 180 ns compared to the previous one.

[0053] When the control unit (140) simultaneously controls the PWM phase change and the high pulse section of the PWM signal, the limit values ​​of the PWM phase delay and high pulse duty can be applied in order to satisfy the TV sound quality specifications and performance as well as the CST aspect. In this case, the limit values ​​can be set as shown in Table 1.

[0054] PWM Phase Delay High Pulse Duty Temp 90°C 474ns 1°C Decrease 105°C 451ns 1°C Decrease 120°C 406ns 2°C Decrease 135°C 384ns 4°C Decrease

[0055] For example, when the control unit (140) sets the PWM phase change to Max. 135 degrees (65%) compared to the default value, the high pulse duty can be set to up to 406 ns (approximately 37%).

[0056] For example, when the control unit (140) sets the PWM high pulse to Min. 384 ns (60%) compared to the Max section, the PWM phase change can be set to up to 120 degrees (approximately 75%).

[0057] Through this, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can increase the CST effect when the PWM phase change is large / the high pulse duty is small in terms of CST.

[0058] Additionally, in terms of audio performance, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can have superior sound quality performance and SNR when the PWM phase change is small / the high pulse duty is large.

[0059] Figure 5 is a flowchart for explaining a method for reducing amplifier heat dissipation according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0060] Referring to Fig. 5, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can monitor the temperature of the amplifier IC (120) (S10).

[0061] After the above step S10, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can determine whether the monitoring temperature exceeds a first reference temperature (S20). The first reference temperature may be the temperature at which the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device checks the PWM signal. For example, the first reference temperature according to product specifications may be 95 degrees, but this number does not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0062] After the above step S20, if the monitoring temperature exceeds the first reference temperature, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can check the duty of the PWM signal of each channel output by the amplifier IC (120) (S30).

[0063] After step S30, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can determine whether the monitoring temperature exceeds a second reference temperature (S40). The second reference temperature may be the temperature at which the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device controls the PWM signal. For example, the second reference temperature according to product specifications may be 98 degrees, but this number does not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0064] After the above step S40, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can control the phase and duty of the PWM signal. Through this, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can perform PWM phase change and high pulse duty control (S50). After the above step S50, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can monitor the temperature of the amplifier IC (120).

[0065] Meanwhile, after the above step S20, the amplifier heat dissipation reduction device can output sound if the monitoring temperature does not exceed the first reference temperature (S60).

[0066] The detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention disclosed above has been provided to enable those skilled in the art to implement and practice the present invention. While the above description has been made with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, those skilled in the art can utilize the individual components described in the above-described embodiments in combination with each other.

[0067] Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is intended to encompass the optimum scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

[0068] Various embodiments for implementing the present invention have been described in detail in the previous table of contents.

[0069] The present invention is applicable to technology related to amplifier devices, and thus its industrial applicability is recognized.

Claims

1. Step of monitoring the temperature of the amplifier IC; A step of determining whether the temperature of the above amplifier IC is equal to or higher than a first temperature value; A step of detecting the duty of the PWM signal of each channel output from the amplifier IC when the temperature of the amplifier IC is equal to or higher than the first temperature value; and A step of changing at least one of the phase and duty control of the PWM signal when the temperature of the amplifier IC is equal to or higher than the second temperature value. How to reduce amplifier heat dissipation.

2. In paragraph 1, The step of detecting the duty of the PWM signal of each channel output from the above amplifier IC is A step of detecting the duty of the PWM signal of the left output channel of the audio output from the above amplifier IC; and A step of detecting the duty of a PWM signal of a channel of the right output channel of audio output from the above amplifier IC. How to reduce amplifier heat dissipation.

3. In paragraph 2, A step of changing at least one of the phase and duty control of the above PWM signal A step of performing phase change control and high pulse duty control of the above PWM signal together. How to reduce amplifier heat dissipation.

4. In paragraph 3, The step of performing phase change control and high pulse duty control of the above PWM signal together A step of setting a phase change control value and a high pulse duty control value of the PWM signal based on a limit value corresponding to a preset sound quality performance. How to reduce amplifier heat dissipation.

5. In paragraph 4, The step of performing phase change control and high pulse duty control of the above PWM signal together In the case where the phase change control value of the above PWM signal is set to the maximum phase difference compared to the default value, a step of setting the high pulse duty control value of the signal of the above PWM signal to 40% or less compared to the maximum section is included. How to reduce amplifier heat dissipation.

6. In paragraph 4, The step of performing phase change control and high pulse duty control of the above PWM signal together The high pulse duty control of the PWM signal includes a step of setting the phase change control value of the PWM signal to 70% or more compared to the default value when the high pulse duty control of the PWM signal is set to the minimum value compared to the maximum range. How to reduce amplifier heat dissipation.

7. Signal section that generates PWM signal; An amplifier IC that changes at least one of the phase and duty of the above PWM signal; A temperature sensor for monitoring the temperature of the above amplifier IC; and A control unit for controlling the amplifier to change the PWM based on the temperature of the amplifier IC, The above control unit Determine whether the temperature of the above amplifier IC is higher than the first temperature value, When the temperature of the above amplifier IC is greater than or equal to the first temperature value, the duty of the PWM signal of each channel output from the above amplifier IC is detected, When the temperature of the amplifier IC is higher than the second temperature value, the amplifier is controlled to change at least one of the phase and duty control of the PWM signal. Amplifier heat dissipation reduction device.

8. In paragraph 7, The above control unit It is characterized by detecting the duty of the PWM signal of the left output channel of the audio output from the above amplifier IC and detecting the duty of the PWM signal of the channel of the right output channel of the audio. Amplifier heat dissipation reduction device.

9. In paragraph 8, The above control unit It is characterized in that it controls to perform phase change control and high pulse duty control of the above PWM signal together. Amplifier heat dissipation reduction device.

10. In paragraph 9, The above control unit Characterized in that the phase change control value and the high pulse duty control value of the PWM signal are set based on a limit value corresponding to a preset sound quality performance. Amplifier heat dissipation reduction device.

11. In paragraph 10, The above control unit In the case where the phase change control value of the above PWM signal is set to the maximum phase difference compared to the default value, the high pulse duty control value of the signal of the above PWM signal is set to 40% or less compared to the maximum section. Amplifier heat dissipation reduction device.

12. In paragraph 10, The above control unit The high pulse duty control of the PWM signal is characterized in that when the control value of the phase change of the PWM signal is set to a minimum value compared to the maximum range, the control value of the phase change of the PWM signal is set to 70% or more compared to the default value. Amplifier heat dissipation reduction device.

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