A Low Power Mid-Rail Dual Slope Analog-To-Digital Converter for Biomedical Instrumentation

There are an estimated 15 million babies born preterm every year and it is on the rise. The complications that arise from this can be quite severe and are the leading causes of death among children under 5 years of age. Among these complications is a condition known as apnea. This disorder is defined as the suspension of breathing during sleep for usually 10 to 30 seconds and can occur up to 20-30 times per hour for preterm infants. This lack of oxygen in the bloodstream can have troubling effects, such as brain damage and death if the apnea period is longer than expected. This creates a dire need to continuously monitor the respiration state of babies born prematurely. Given that the breathing signal is in analog form, a conversion to its digital counterpart is necessary.In this thesis, a novel low power analog-to-digital converter (ADC) for the digitization and analyzation of the respiration signal is presented. The design of the ADC demonstrates an innovative approach on how to operate on a single polarity supply system, which effectively doubles the sampling speed. The ADC has been realized in a standard 130 nm CMOS process

Sensor Characteristics Reference Guide

The Buildings Technologies Office (BTO), within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), is initiating a new program in Sensor and Controls. The vision of this program is: • Buildings operating automatically and continuously at peak energy efficiency over their lifetimes and interoperating effectively with the electric power grid. • Buildings that are self-configuring, self-commissioning, self-learning, self-diagnosing, self-healing, and self-transacting to enable continuous peak performance. • Lower overall building operating costs and higher asset valuation. The overarching goal is to capture 30% energy savings by enhanced management of energy consuming assets and systems through development of cost-effective sensors and controls. One step in achieving this vision is the publication of this Sensor Characteristics Reference Guide. The purpose of the guide is to inform building owners and operators of the current status, capabilities, and limitations of sensor technologies. It is hoped that this guide will aid in the design and procurement process and result in successful implementation of building sensor and control systems. DOE will also use this guide to identify research priorities, develop future specifications for potential market adoption, and provide market clarity through unbiased informatio