Determination of over current protection thresholds for class D audio amplifiers

Monolithic class-D audio amplifiers typically feature built-in over current protection circuitry that shuts down the amplifier in case of a short circuit on the output speaker terminals. To minimize cost, the threshold at which the device shuts down must be set just above the maximum current that can flow in the loudspeaker during normal operation. The current required is determined by the complex loudspeaker impedance and properties of the music signals played. This work presents a statistical analysis of peak output currents when playing music on typical loudspeakers for home entertainment.