State- and parameter estimation in Sigma-Delta ADC`s by using Kalman-filters

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Maurits Ortmanns
• Subject Area: Electronic Semiconductors, Components and Circuits, Integrated Systems, Sensor Technology, Theoretical Electrical Engineering
• Term: from 2011 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 190715610

• Final Report Year: 2015

Final Report Abstract

Within the three years of funding we could successfully show how unscented Kalman filters can be used for the estimation of non-idealities in Σ∆ modulators aiming at test and/or recalibration of the ADC chips. Many techniques were investigated and tested to practically realize the algorithm for different implementations. Specially for this project a Σ∆ modulator chip was manufactured by reusing and adapting available hardware from a prior chip design and the functionality of the developed technique could be proven for the application on the manufactured hardware. Although not working completely in background, as originally intended, it could be shown that the Kalman filter has to take the ADC offline for a very short time only (5-10 µs). By using the created technique it is now possible to capture the major non-ideal parameters of a Σ∆ modulator with high precision and high speed in a joint fashion. It could be shown that the estimator is capable of being used in a system for run-time re-calibration as well as in a system for testing of the hardware and tracking yield and process parameters. Concluding it can be stated that the technique of using unscented Kalman filters for the estimation of non-idealities in Σ∆ modulators was developed up to the edge of end usage.

Publications

• ”Joint Estimation of Filter Nonidealities in Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulators by using an Unscented Kalman Filter,” 19th IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems (ICECS), 2012
  M. Lorenz, M. Maurer, Y. Manoli, and M. Ortmanns
  
• ”An Advanced Unscented Kalman Filter Algorithm for Parameter Estimation in Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulators,” 20th IEEE International Conference on Electronics, Circuits and Systems (ICECS), 2013
  M. Lorenz, T. Brückner, J. Anders, and M. Ortmanns
  
• ”Concurrent Estimation of Amplifier Nonidealities and Excess Loop Delay in Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulators,” IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), 2013
  M. Lorenz, T. Brückner, R. Ritter, and M. Ortmanns
  
• ”A Genetic Algorithm for the Estimation of Nonidealities in Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulators,” Transactions on Circuits and Systems II, Vol. 61, no.6, pp. 388-392, 2014
  M. Lorenz, R. Ritter, J. Becker, and M. Ortmanns
  
• ”A Square Root Unscented Kalman Filter for Estimating DAC and Loopfilter Nonidealities in Continuous-Time Sigma-Delta Modulators,” IEEE International Symposium on Circuits and Systems (ISCAS), 2014
  M. Lorenz, T. Brückner, R. Ritter, J. Anders, and M. Ortmanns
  
• Estimation of Non-Idealities in Sigma-Delta Modulators for Test and Correction using Unscented Kalman Filters. IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers, vol. 62, no. 5, pp. 1240-1249, May 2015
  M. Lorenz, R. Ritter, J. Anders, and M. Ortmanns