US 11,897,762 B2
Digital microphone with over-voltage protection
Deepak Bharadwaj, Bengaluru (IN); Payel Mukherjee, Karnataka (IN); Balabrahmachari Matcha, Andhra Pradesh (IN); and Gururaj Ghorpade, Karnataka (IN)
Assigned to KNOWLES ELECTRONICS, LLC., Itasca, IL (US)
Filed by Knowles Electronics, LLC, Itasca, IL (US)
Filed on Mar. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/704,667.
Claims priority of application No. 202111013641 (IN), filed on Mar. 27, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0348458 A1, Nov. 3, 2022
Int. Cl. B81C 1/00 (2006.01); H02M 3/156 (2006.01); H04R 1/08 (2006.01); H04R 31/00 (2006.01)
CPC B81C 1/00238 (2013.01) [H02M 3/156 (2013.01); H04R 1/083 (2013.01); H04R 31/006 (2013.01); B81B 2201/0257 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sensor assembly comprising:
a transducer configured to generate an analog signal responsive to sensing changes in an environment; and
an integrated circuit coupled to an output of the transducer, the integrated circuit comprising:
a signal processing circuit connectable to a transducer of the digital sensor assembly;
an output driver circuit coupled to the signal processing circuit;
a low drop out (LDO) regulator circuit coupled to the output driver circuit; and
an over-voltage protection circuit comprising:
a current-sink circuit coupled to the output driver circuit and configured to sink current associated with reflected energy received by the output driver circuit;
a current comparator circuit coupled to the current-sink circuit; and
a control circuit coupled to the current comparator and configured to change a state of the current comparator when a voltage of the reflected energy exceeds a threshold,
wherein the current comparator enables the current-sink circuit to sink current associated with the reflected energy upon changing state.