Ultra-Low Power SAR ADC for Low-Activity Signals (I2I-Lab2Market - Market Assessment)

适用于低活动信号的超低功耗 SAR ADC（I2I-Lab2Market - 市场评估）

• 批准号: 571223-2022
• 负责人: Zhang, Lihong
• 金额: $ 1.46万
• 依托单位: Memorial University of Newfoundland
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Idea to Innovation
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2021-01-01 至 2022-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=729077
• 关键词: Ultra; Low; Power; SAR; ADC

Nowadays designing low-power sensor signal interfaces for Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices is an appealing subject owing to widespread utilization. Accordingly, devising a low-power analog-to-digital converter (ADC) can help facilitate more sensor nodes involved within one IoT application on a tight power budget. This proposed project presents a new successive approximation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) search methodology and its integrated circuit implementation for boosting IoT applications. Most of the natural signals in the real world are low-activity signals, such as voice, electrocardiogram (ECG), ultrasonic signals, etc., where the difference between two adjacent samples is near zero for most of the samples. This proposed work is aimed at low-activity signals for reducing comparator activity and switching energy of digital-to-analog converter (DAC) by using statistical characteristics of the low-activity signals for facilitating IoT applications. Our simulated 10-bit SAR ADC for voice signals shows that by using our proposed method, the comparator activity, DAC switching energy, and activity of DAC switches can be reduced by 62.09%, 85.90%, and 39.66%, respectively, compared to the conventional method. To help commercialize our developed technology, in this project we propose to conduct market research and technology validation. We will seek for the following information: an assessment of the technology versus what is currently available in the market, to identify and characterize potential target markets, to identify specific market players for potential partnership / licensing, and to build on existing market assessment conducted to date. With such a market assessment, we can more objectively understand the pros and cons of our developed technology towards market status and commercialization opportunities. Based on the market assessment in this project, our continued commercialization strategy includes further market practice and technology enhancement. This project will be beneficial to Newfoundland and Labrador, and in turn to Canada by introducing our developed SAR ADC technology to the market for both technology advancement and associated commercial advantages.

目前，为物联网（IoT）设备设计低功耗传感器信号接口是一个有吸引力的主题，因为它得到了广泛的应用。因此，设计低功率模数转换器（ADC）可以帮助促进在一个物联网应用中涉及更多传感器节点，并且功率预算很紧。该项目提出了一种新的逐次逼近寄存器（SAR）模数转换器（ADC）搜索方法及其集成电路实现，以促进物联网应用。真实的世界中的大部分自然信号是低活动信号，例如语音、心电图（ECG）、超声信号等，其中对于大多数样本，两个相邻样本之间的差接近于零。这项拟议的工作旨在通过使用低活动信号的统计特性来降低比较器活动和数模转换器（DAC）的开关能量，以促进物联网应用。我们模拟的10位SAR ADC的语音信号表明，通过使用我们提出的方法，比较器的活动，DAC开关能量和DAC开关的活动，可以减少62.09%，85.90%和39.66%，分别与传统的方法相比。为了帮助我们开发的技术商业化，在这个项目中，我们建议进行市场调查和技术验证。我们将寻求以下信息：对技术与市场上现有技术的评估，以确定和描述潜在的目标市场，确定潜在合作伙伴/许可的特定市场参与者，并在迄今为止进行的现有市场评估的基础上进行。有了这样的市场评估，我们可以更客观地了解我们开发的技术对市场地位和商业化机会的利弊。根据该项目的市场评估，我们的持续商业化策略包括进一步的市场实践和技术提升。该项目将有利于纽芬兰和拉布拉多，进而有利于加拿大，因为它将我们开发的SAR ADC技术引入市场，既有技术进步，又有相关的商业优势。