Variable Quantization Measurement Unit for Static Signal Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern analog-to-digital converters (ADC) and time-to-digital converters (TDC) have fixed resolution limits that are not sufficient for certain applications, and methods like oversampling and dithering fail to improve resolution for static signals or are difficult to implement effectively.
Innovation Solution
A measurement unit that includes a converter unit (TDC or ADC) and a processing unit, which changes the quantization step sizes between measurements to cancel out the impact of quantization errors through averaging and division operations, using a control signal to vary the quantization step sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If oversampling is used to increase converter resolution, then measurement precision is improved for dynamic signals, but it fails to improve resolution for static signals because the converter always measures the same values
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the quantization step size variable rather than fixed. The converter dynamically adjusts its quantization step size between different measurement cycles, which transforms the static measurement process into a dynamic one. This allows the system to generate varied measurement results even for static input signals, enabling effective averaging and resolution improvement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of quantization step size from a fixed value to a variable parameter that can be adjusted between measurements. By varying the quantization step size across different measurement cycles, the system generates different digital output values for the same analog input, which enables statistical averaging to improve resolution beyond the fixed quantization limit.
2Measurement precision
If dithering is used to improve DC signal measurement, then measurement precision is improved, but the implementation becomes complex because noise signal and low-pass filtering cutoff frequency have to be chosen carefully
Solution Approach 1:
The patent simplifies the dithering implementation by directly changing the converter's quantization step size parameter rather than adding external noise signals. This approach eliminates the need for careful selection of noise signal characteristics and filter cutoff frequencies, reducing implementation complexity while achieving the same goal of improving DC signal measurement resolution through statistical averaging.
3Measurement precision
If time-to-digital converter dithering is implemented by adding noise, then measurement precision may be improved, but it is difficult to implement because adding noise in the time domain means adding jitter which is not easy to apply in a controlled way
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the difficult-to-control time-domain noise (jitter) with a controlled parameter change in the quantization step size. By adjusting the quantization step size in a controlled manner between measurements, the system achieves the equivalent effect of dithering without the implementation difficulties of generating and controlling time-domain jitter.
4Measurement precision
If fixed resolution converters are used, then device complexity is low, but measurement precision is insufficient for applications requiring higher resolution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains low device complexity by using a standard fixed-resolution converter structure but introduces dynamics at the operational level by varying the quantization step size between measurements. This approach avoids the need for complex high-resolution hardware while achieving improved effective resolution through the dynamic measurement process and statistical averaging.
Data Source
AI summary
A measurement unit comprising a converter unit and a processing unit and configured to provide a measurement result value, based on a first input signal. The converter unit is configured to provide first digital, quantized values based on the first input signal. The measurement unit is further configured to calculate second values, which represents a reference quantity or a reference value, for a plurality of quantization step sizes associated with different values of the control signal. The measurement unit is configured to change the control signal of the converter unit between determination of different first values and/or a determination of the different second values, such that different first values and/or different second values are provided using different converter quantization step sizes. The processing unit is configured to provide a measurement result value from a predefined number of first values and a predefined number of second values.