Patent Grant
8462960
The present invention relates to a signal processing system, and more particularly, to a signal processing system having an interface module into which a plurality of high-voltage functional blocks is integrated and each of the functional blocks is configured to perform a predetermined interface functionality.
For audio systems, such as DVD players or televisions, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) in the audio system is usually configured to deliver signals of 2V Vrms (i.e. 5.65V Vpp), so a high supply power voltage such as 9V or 12V is required; however, it is impossible to integrate the whole DAC inside a system on chip (SOC) as the maximum power supply voltage is lower than 3.3V for sub micron processes. Therefore, stand-alone buffers are needed. In addition, there are usually multiple input signals for an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), so an M-to-1 multiplexer (MUX) is commonly needed for the ADC. If the whole M-to-1 MUX is integrated inside the SOC, the SOC has to supply 2*M pins for the M-to-1 MUX. For example, if the MUX integrated inside the SOC is a 7-to-1 MUX, the SOC needs to supply a total of 14 dedicated I/O pins. However, it is not preferable to integrate the whole ADC inside the SOC since pin counts are limited and precious. Therefore, a stand-alone MUX such as a low-THD MUX is needed.
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It is therefore one of the objectives of the present invention to provide a signal processing system and related method to integrate a plurality of high-voltage functional blocks into a single chip, to solve the above-mentioned problem.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the claimed invention, a signal processing system is disclosed. The signal processing system comprises a signal processing module and an interface module. The signal processing module is powered by a low supply voltage, and is for processing signals. The interface module is powered by a high supply voltage, and is for outputting signals generated from the signal processing module, wherein the interface module comprises a plurality of high-voltage functional blocks integrated therein, and each of the functional blocks is configured to perform a predetermined interface functionality.
According to an exemplary embodiment of the claimed invention, a signal processing method is disclosed. The method comprises: powering a signal processing module by a low supply voltage for processing signals; integrating a plurality of high-voltage functional blocks into an interface module; and powering the interface module by a high supply voltage for outputting signals generated from the signal processing module, wherein each of the functional blocks is configured to perform a predetermined interface functionality.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
Certain terms are used throughout the description and following claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled in the art will appreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that differ in name but not function. In the following description and in the claims, the terms “include” and “comprise” are used in an open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted to mean “include, but not limited to . . . ”. Also, the term “couple” is intended to mean either an indirect or direct electrical connection. Accordingly, if one device is coupled to another device, that connection may be through a direct electrical connection, or through an indirect electrical connection via other devices and connections.
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Briefly summarized, due to integrating the buffer 222, the multiplexer 224 and the headphone driver 226 or any other high-voltage functional blocks together into the single interface module 220, the bill-of-material (BOM) cost can be decreased greatly. Additionally, the circuit size is reduced due to improved integration. It can be clearly seen that the more high-voltage functional blocks are integrated into the interface module 220, the more the BOM cost can be saved. In addition, owing to the multiplexer 224 being integrated into the interface module 220, the important I/O pins of the signal processing module 210 (e.g. SOC) can be saved considerably. Please note that the above-mentioned embodiment is merely for illustrative purposes, and is not meant to be a limitation of the present invention. In other embodiments, all the high-voltage functional blocks dedicated to the signal processing module 210 can be integrated into the interface module 220 in order to further decrease the BOM cost. The high-voltage functional blocks integrated into the interface module 220 may comprise a buffer, a multiplexer, a headphone driver, a regulator or any combinations thereof.
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Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
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