Battery power monitoring and audio signal attenuation

Abstract

To reduce the risk of brown outs and resets in a mobile station using a far-field speaker, a voltage level of a battery and a level of an input audio signal are monitored. When the level of the audio signal increases past a threshold level, and the voltage level of the battery falls below a threshold voltage, an attenuation is determined and applied to the audio signal. The applied attenuation reduces the volume of the audio signal, which reduces the risk of a brown out or a reset due to insufficient voltage in the mobile station.

Description

[0001] Cross References to Related Applications [0002] This application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application No. 61 / 431,409, filed January 10, 2011, under 35 U.S.C. §120. The entirety of this Provisional Patent Application is hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein. technical field Background technique [0003] Many mobile stations, such as mobile phones, support far-field speakers. These far-field speakers can be used in a variety of applications such as speakerphone and music applications. Typically, far-field speakers output audio signals from the mobile station at a higher than typical volume so that the mobile station can be placed farther away from the user's ear. For example, a mobile station may be placed on a table and used as a speakerphone for a group of users sitting at the table. [0004] Mobile stations typically include a power source in the form of a rechargeable battery. One problem associated with far-field speakers can arise w...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Regardless of whether the far-field speaker driver is powered directly from the battery or from a voltage booster (e.g., 5V boost, etc.), the current demand on the battery at high audio output power can cause the battery voltage to drop

This voltage drop can cause the mobile station to shut down or reset

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