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

由于物联网（IoT）设备的广泛应用，设计低功耗传感器信号接口是一个很有吸引力的课题。因此，设计一个低功耗模数转换器（ADC）可以帮助在紧张的功率预算下在一个物联网应用中涉及更多的传感器节点。本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。现实世界中的大多数自然信号都是低活度信号，如语音、心电图（ECG）、超声波信号等，其中大多数样本的相邻两个样本之间的差值接近于零。本研究针对低活度信号，利用低活度信号的统计特性，降低比较器的活度和数模转换器（DAC）的开关能量，促进物联网应用。我们对语音信号的10位SAR ADC进行了仿真，结果表明，与传统方法相比，采用该方法的比较器活性、DAC开关能量和DAC开关活性分别降低了62.09%、85.90%和39.66%。为了使我们开发的技术商业化，我们建议在这个项目中进行市场研究和技术验证。我们将寻求以下信息：对技术与市场上现有的技术进行评估，确定和描述潜在目标市场，确定潜在合作伙伴/许可的特定市场参与者，并以迄今为止进行的现有市场评估为基础。通过这样的市场评估，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。根据本项目的市场评估，我们的持续商业化战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，进而通过将我们开发的SAR ADC技术引入市场，从而实现技术进步和相关的商业优势。

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.