Adaptive ADC Sampling for Wide-Range Signal Measurement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing signal measurement systems face inefficiencies in power consumption, memory requirements, and processing speed due to the need for high ADC conversion frequencies to accommodate wide frequency ranges, particularly when dealing with low-frequency signals, leading to unnecessary generation of large numbers of digital samples.
Innovation Solution
A system that controls the number of digital conversions performed by the ADC per unit time based on the characteristics of the input signal, using a controller to adjust conversion rates according to signal frequency and previously determined signal characteristics, thereby optimizing power usage and reducing memory and processing demands.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the ADC conversion frequency is set to accommodate the highest signal frequency in the spectroscopy range, then accurate signal measurement across the entire frequency range is achieved, but power consumption increases and memory and processing requirements become excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The ADC conversion frequency is made dynamic rather than fixed. The controller adjusts the conversion frequency based on the current test signal frequency being measured. When the test signal frequency is low, the ADC conversion frequency is reduced accordingly. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain measurement accuracy across the entire spectroscopy frequency range while minimizing power consumption by avoiding unnecessary high-rate conversions at low frequencies
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the ADC based on the measurement requirements. Specifically, the conversion frequency parameter is adjusted according to the test signal frequency. This parameter change enables the ADC to operate efficiently across different frequency ranges, reducing power consumption when high conversion rates are not needed while maintaining the capability to achieve accurate measurements when high frequencies require higher conversion rates
2Measurement precision
If the ADC conversion frequency is set to accommodate the highest signal frequency, then accurate digital signal processing is enabled, but the number of digital samples generated per period becomes excessively large at low frequencies
Solution Approach 1:
The ADC conversion frequency is dynamically adjusted based on the test signal frequency. When measuring low-frequency signals, the conversion frequency is reduced, which directly reduces the number of digital samples generated per signal period. This dynamic control maintains sufficient sampling density for accurate digital signal processing while avoiding the excessive sample generation that would occur with a fixed high conversion frequency
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the ADC conversion frequency parameter to match the measurement requirements. By adjusting this parameter according to the test signal frequency, the system optimizes the balance between having enough samples for accurate processing and not generating unnecessarily large numbers of samples that would burden memory and processing resources
3Measurement precision
If the ADC conversion frequency is set to the Nyquist frequency for the highest signal frequency, then accurate signal conversion is achieved, but processing speed requirements and memory requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The ADC conversion frequency is made dynamic and is adjusted based on the current test signal frequency. When the test signal frequency is low, the conversion frequency is reduced, which decreases the number of digital samples that need to be stored and processed. This dynamic adjustment reduces memory requirements and processing speed requirements while maintaining sufficient sampling accuracy for the current signal frequency
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the ADC and subsequent processing systems based on the measurement frequency. By adjusting the conversion frequency parameter to match the test signal frequency, the system reduces the data volume that needs to be handled by memory and processing units, thereby reducing their complexity requirements while maintaining measurement accuracy
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure relates to a signal measurement system, a controller and a method for digitally converting an input signal. The signal measurement system comprises an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to receive the input signal and generate a plurality digital samples of the input signal. The signal measurement system also comprises a controller configured to control the number of digital conversions of the input signal performed by the ADC per unit time, based on at least one of a characteristic of the input signal and/or a digitally determined characteristic of the input signal, wherein the digitally determined characteristic of the input signal is based on one or more previous digital samples of the input signal generated by the ADC.