A system-level approach for the design of smart sensor interfaces

This paper presents a system-level approach for the design of universal smart-sensor interfaces. The benefits and drawbacks of existing interfaces are reviewed and compared. Next, a strategy has been developed for the design of a new universal sensor interface (USI). Finally, the results of this work have been applied at a system and device level for the implementation of the interface chip, which has been implemented in 0.5 μm CMOS technology. The USI is a multifunctional smart sensor interface chip with 16 modes for a wide range of sensor types.