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，由于广泛的应用，为物联网 (IoT) 设备设计低功耗传感器信号接口是一个颇具吸引力的课题。因此，设计一种低功耗模数转换器 (ADC) 有助于在有限的功耗预算下在一个物联网应用中涉及更多传感器节点。该拟议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。现实世界中的自然信号大多数是低活跃度信号，例如语音、心电图（ECG）、超声波信号等，其中两个相邻样本之间的差异对于大多数样本而言接近于零。这项提议的工作针对低活动信号，通过利用低活动信号的统计特性来减少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。我们针对语音信号的模拟 10 位 SAR ADC 表明，通过使用我们提出的方法，与常规方法。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研究和技术验证。我们将寻求以下信息：对技术与当前市场上可用的技术进行评估，识别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，并以现有的市场评估为基础日期。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状况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，将我们开发的SAR ADC技术引入市场，以获得技术进步和相关的商业优势。