| Title |
A Sound Activity Monitor with 96.3 μs Wake-up Time and 2.5 μW Power Consumption |
| Authors |
(Jinkee Kim) ; (Yunyoung Jang) ; (Jong Pal Kim) |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5573/JSTS.2023.23.6.375 |
| Keywords |
Microphone; low power; sound activity monitor; wake-up time |
| Abstract |
A novel low power sound activity monitor (SAM) for fast wake-up is presented. SAM is used for low power consumption of intelligent microphones. An intelligent microphone that responds to user voice commands should operate for 24 hours. Normally, the microphone remains in low power mode when there is no external sound input. While the SAM detects external sound input, the SAM changes from low power mode to normal power mode and the microphone remains in normal power mode. The wake-up time from low power mode to normal power mode should be as short as possible so that user commands are not lost. In addition, power mode switching must be prevented from malfunctioning due to artifacts generated when changing between power modes. Low power and wake-up characteristics are improved by simplifying the SAM structure, and the decision logic is designed to be robust against power switching artifacts. The proposed SAM was designed and fabricated based on a CMOS 0.18 μm process, and its features and performance were measured. The SAM operating at 1.8V consumes 2.5 μW power, and the fast wake-up performance of 96.3 μs is measured. |