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.

如今，设计用于图像Inforet Internet（IoT）设备的低功率传感器信号接口是由于广泛利用而引人入胜的主题。因此，设计低功率类似于数字的转换器（ADC）可以帮助促进一个在紧张的功率预算中涉及的一个物联网应用程序中涉及的更多传感器节点。该提出的项目提出了一个新的连续近似寄存器（SAR）模数转换器（ADC）搜索方法及其用于促进IoT应用程序的集成电路实现。现实世界中的大多数自然信号都是低活动性信号，例如语音，心电图（ECG），超声信号等，其中大多数样品的两个相邻样品之间的差异接近零。这项提出的工作针对低活动信号，用于减少比较器活性和数字转换器转换器（DAC）的转换能量，并使用低活动性信号的统计特征来促进物联网应用。我们用于语音信号的模拟10位SAR ADC表明，与常规方法相比，通过使用我们建议的方法，分别可以将比较器活性，DAC开关和DAC开关的活性降低62.09％，85.90％和39.66％。为了帮助商业化我们已发达的技术，在这个项目中，我们建议进行市场研究和技术验证。我们将寻求以下信息：对技术与当前可用的信息进行评估，以识别和表征潜在的目标市场，以确定特定的市场参与者的潜在伙伴关系 /许可，并建立在迄今为止进行的现有市场评估的基础上。通过这样的市场评估，我们可以更客观地了解我们开发技术在市场地位和商业化机会方面的利弊。根据该项目的市场评估，我们持续的商业化策略包括进一步的市场实践和技术增强。该项目将对纽芬兰和拉布拉多岛有益，进而将我们开发的SAR ADC技术引入技术进步和相关商业优势的市场。