Dnote is a novel digital audio technology invented by Japanese company Trigence Semiconductor that allows speakers themselves to act as D/A converters, providing high power efficiency, long battery life, and high quality sound. Using multi-coil actuators optimized for each audio signal, Dnote achieves very high playback power efficiency at low voltages. Trigence has patented Dnote internationally and licensed it to Clarion. The scalable technology is applicable from phones to theaters.

1. Dnote technology for
TM
Trigence Semiconductor, Inc 1 2011/07/28

2. What is basic technical motivation of Dnote?
Dnote is novel digital processing technology achieving a speaker itself is going to be a D/A converter.
What kind of benefit does Dnote provide?
Unique audio playback system provides high power efficiency and long battery life.
What type of originality does Dnote have?
Using multi-coil actuators and optimizing usage of coils regarding to input audio signals, makes very
high efficiency of playback power, high quality of sound and high SPL at low voltage supply.
Who invented Dnote?
Japanese academic-base high-tech venture company, Trigence Semiconductor, invented Dnote system.
All patents were applied Japan/US/EU/China/India/Koria, some of them has already registered.
Where is applicable area of Dnote?
Essentially Dnote technology is scalable because of all digital, from cell-phone, PC, tablet and TV to
high-power audio system such as cinema, theater and community space.
What type of business model does Dnote do?
Licensing and LSI production. Japanese car-audio company, Clarion Inc, was first licensee of Dnote at
Jan, 2011. Sample LSI is ready to evaluate.
Trigence Semiconductor, Inc 2 2011/07/28

3. Dnote solution Conventional D-class amplifier solution
MORE ROOM TO REDUCE NO ROOM TO REDUCE
Embedded: Easy to embedded into SOC and no external Embedded: Difficult and expensive into SOC.
BOM count amplifier LSI.
Discrete: Generic CMOS technology with no analog op-
< Discrete: Need obsolete process technology and need HV
operation and heat sink in products.
tion is cheapest in LSI production.
NEED NRE BUT NO COST UP IN PRODUCTION NO ADDITIONAL COST
Increasing coil needs NRE for development, but no ad- Can use traditional analog speaker.
SPEAKER cost ditional cost in production because material cost of coils =
is negligible small.
OPTIMIZED TO INPUT LEVEL OPTIMIZED TO FULL SCALE INPUT
Power consumption More flexibility regarding to configuration of multi-coils
and better than D-class in case of typical usage.
< Better than conventional AB-class analog amplifier.
NOISE LEVEL RELATIVE TO SIGNAL FIXED NOISE LEVEL
SNR SNR is improved at small signal level because switching
swing also decreased.
> SNR is degraded at small signal level because switching
swing is constant.
SMALLER THAN CONVENTIONAL BETTER THAN ANALOG AMPLIFIER
HEAT Low voltage operation can allow to use more efficient
switching device in LSI technology.
<
LARGE SPL AND LESS VOLTAGE NEED HIGH VOLTAGE
SPL SPL is also associated to configuration of multi-coils,
more flexible to optimize # of coils vs operation voltage.
>
LESS CELLS AND LONGER LIFE NEED MORE CELLS
Battery operation Low voltage operation allow to reduce cell count and high
efficiency allow to expand life.
>
Trigence Semiconductor, Inc 3 2011/07/28

4. Dnote technology,
innovated by Trigence Semiconductor, Inc
Now opening US company "Dnote Inc." at SanJose.
5255 Stevens Creek Blvd, #284, Santa Clara, CA 95051-6664, TEL408-506-2206
Contact to Yoshi KUMAGAI
Trigence Semiconductor, Inc 4 2011/07/28