An accelerometer digital front end for efficient seismic event detection support in a wireless sensor node

Rapid detection of earthquake-induced acceleration in civil structures is a key tool for the implementation of early warning strategies. This work illustrates the development of a digital front end able to effectively support seismic data analysis and specifically designed for integration in MEMS accelerometers. Although there are some examples of commercially available sensors integrating processing blocks, few are able to satisfy seismic monitoring applications requirements. Proposed front end is based on the Walsh transform and it is specifically designed to support efficient seismic event detection in a battery-powered wireless sensor node. Hardware architecture of proposed block is described and its capabilities are detailed. Detection accuracy is evaluated by means of real world structural data analysis.