Comparison of readout circuitry techniques for data acquisition in raw sensor systems

Abstract

This paper presents an analog front-end for conditioning and acquiring raw sensors signals for a frequency based converter platform, with low power consumption aim. This platform consists of specific circuits designed to interface not conditioned sensors with efficient frequency to code converters, also implemented for this application. The whole system shapes a readout integrated circuit (ROIC). This ROIC integrates specific capacitance to frequency converters, resistance to voltage converter, and a voltage to frequency converter, in an AMS 0.35 μM ASIC with a total area of 780 μM * 890 μM. This newly frequency acquisition and conditioning technology proves to be very versatile, precise and useful for signal sensor acquisition in scalable structures, improving the monitoring system reliability and performance.