阅读说明：本技术 音频放大器 (Audio amplifier ) 是由 托马斯·克里斯托弗森·布尔斯塔德 于 2018-12-19 设计创作，主要内容包括：一种电子设备,包括扬声器保护模块(36),该扬声器保护模块被布置为接收音频信号(22)并使用与扬声器有关的一个或多个参数来产生受控的音频信号(34)。放大器(40)被布置为对受控的音频信号进行放大以产生经放大的音频信号(24、26),该经放大的音频信号被传送到扬声器。受控的音频信号(34)的幅度使得经放大的音频信号(24、26)小于或等于根据上述一个或多个参数确定的对于扬声器而言安全的幅度。超声发生器(16)被布置为生成超声信号(30),该超声信号在受控的音频信号(34)被传送到放大器(40)之前与该受控的音频信号(34)进行混合(32)。超声发生器(16)能够以多个频率产生所述超声信号。(An electronic device comprises a speaker protection module (36) arranged to receive an audio signal (22) and to generate a controlled audio signal (34) using one or more parameters relating to a speaker. An amplifier (40) is arranged to amplify the controlled audio signal to produce an amplified audio signal (24, 26) which is transmitted to the loudspeaker. The amplitude of the audio signal (34) is controlled such that the amplified audio signal (24, 26) is less than or equal to an amplitude determined to be safe for the loudspeaker in accordance with the one or more parameters. The ultrasound generator (16) is arranged to generate an ultrasound signal (30) which is mixed (32) with the controlled audio signal (34) before the controlled audio signal (34) is transmitted to the amplifier (40). An ultrasound generator (16) is capable of generating the ultrasound signal at a plurality of frequencies.)

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a first part arranged to generate an audio signal;

a speaker;

a speaker protection module arranged to receive the audio signal and to generate a controlled audio signal using one or more parameters relating to the speaker;

an amplifier arranged to amplify at least the controlled audio signal to produce an amplified audio signal, the amplified audio signal being delivered to the loudspeaker, the amplitude of the controlled audio signal being such that the amplified audio signal is less than or equal to an amplitude determined from the one or more parameters that is safe for the loudspeaker; and

a second part arranged to generate an ultrasonic signal which is mixed with the controlled audio signal before it is passed to the amplifier, wherein the second part is capable of producing the ultrasonic signal at a plurality of frequencies.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic signal is mixed in after the speaker protection module.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the device comprises a mixer arranged between the speaker protection module and the amplifier, the mixer being arranged to mix the ultrasonic signal with the controlled audio signal.

4. An electronic device as claimed in any preceding claim, arranged to: mixing the ultrasound signal with the controlled audio signal in respective proportions such that the amplitude of the resulting mixed signal is equal to or less than the amplitude of the controlled audio signal prior to mixing.

5. The electronic device of claim 4, wherein an amplitude of the controlled audio signal is scaled by a first scaling factor and an amplitude of the ultrasonic signal is scaled by a second scaling factor, wherein the scaling of the controlled audio signal and ultrasonic signal occurs before the controlled audio signal and ultrasonic signal are mixed.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein a sum of the first and second scaling factors is 1.

7. An electronic device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein at least some of the second portions are arranged to be selectively activated and deactivated.

8. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the second portion is arranged to: applying a ramp up function to an amplitude of the ultrasonic signal while the second portion is enabled.

9. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the second portion is arranged to: applying a ramp down function to an amplitude of the ultrasonic signal while the second portion is deactivated.

10. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the second portion generates the ultrasonic signal, wherein the ultrasonic signal comprises a plurality of components having different frequencies selected from the plurality of frequencies.

11. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the ultrasonic signal comprises at least one chirp.

12. An electronic device as claimed in any preceding claim, arranged to:

hopping between a plurality of different ultrasound frequencies;

observing a response of the system at each of the different frequencies to determine a signal-to-noise ratio associated with each of the different frequencies; and

the ultrasound frequency providing the highest signal-to-noise ratio is selected.

13. An electronic device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the second part comprises a signal source arranged to generate the ultrasound signal.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the signal source comprises a hardware-based signal generator.

15. The electronic device of claim 13 or 14, wherein the signal source comprises a software module.

16. The electronic device of any preceding claim, wherein the second portion comprises: a buffer storing data for generating the ultrasound signal; and a mechanism arranged to repeatedly read the buffer to generate a repetitive ultrasound signal.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the data is entirely representative of the ultrasound signal.

18. An electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the data only partially represents the ultrasound signal, and the processing means is arranged to apply one or more of scaling, symmetry or translation of the data using a look-up table to generate the signal.

19. An electronic device, comprising:

a first part arranged to generate an audio signal;

a speaker;

a speaker protection module arranged to receive the audio signal and to generate a controlled audio signal using one or more parameters relating to the speaker;

an amplifier arranged to amplify at least the controlled audio signal to produce an amplified audio signal, the amplified audio signal being delivered to the loudspeaker, the amplitude of the controlled audio signal being such that the amplified audio signal is less than or equal to an amplitude determined from the one or more parameters that is safe for the loudspeaker; and

a second part arranged to generate an ultrasonic signal that is mixed with the audio signal before the loudspeaker protection module produces a controlled audio signal, wherein the second part is capable of producing the ultrasonic signal at a plurality of frequencies;

wherein the apparatus is arranged to generate a compensation signal comprising information relating to a gain applied to the ultrasound signal, and wherein the apparatus uses the compensation signal to compensate for the gain applied to the ultrasound signal.

20. An electronic device comprising a buffer storing data for generating an ultrasonic signal having a plurality of frequencies and processing means configured to repeatedly read the buffer and thereby repeatedly produce the ultrasonic signal, the device being further arranged to mix the ultrasonic signal with an audio signal to produce a mixed signal and to deliver the mixed signal to an amplifier having a predetermined gain.