Pierre-André Farine

A Low-Jitter and Low-Power CMOS PLL for Clock Multiplication

This paper describes a phase-locked loop (PLL) designed for clock multiplication in a LVDS transmitter. The PLL consists of a novel low-jitter charge-pump, a fully differential ring-oscillator based VCO, a dynamic-logic PFD, a 2nd order passive loop filter and a digital frequency divider. The PLL exhibits simultaneously low jitter and low power consumption. It has been integrated into a 0.35 mum CMOS process, occupying 0.09 mm2 of silicon area. For a 350 MHz output frequency, the circuit features a cycle-to-cycle jitter of 7.1 ps rms and 65 ps peak-to-peak. At that frequency, the PLL consumes 12 mW from a supply voltage of 3.3 V

Instrumented Knee Prosthesis for Force and Kinematics Measurements

In this work, we present the general concept of an instrumented smart knee prosthesis for in-vivo measurement of forces and kinematics. This system can be used for early monitoring of the patient after implantation and prevent possible damage to the prosthesis. The diagnosis of defects can be done by detecting the load imbalance or abnormal forces and kinematics of the prosthetic knee in function. This work is a step towards the fabrication of an instrumented system for monitoring the function of the knee in daily conditions. Studying the constraints of commercially available prostheses, we designed a minimal sensory system and required electronics to be placed in the polyethylene part of prostheses. Three magnetic sensors and a permanent magnet were chosen and configured to measure the prosthetic knee kinematics. Strain gauges were designed to measure the forces applied to the polyethylene insert. Kinematic and force measurements were validated on a mechanical knee simulator by comparing them to different reference systems. Embedded electronics, including the A/D converters and amplifier were designed to acquire and condition the measurements to wirelessly transmit them to an external unit. By considering the necessary power budget for all components, the optimum coil for remote powering was investigated. The necessary rectifier and voltage doubler for remote powering were also designed. This is the first system capable of internally measuring force and kinematics simultaneously. We propose to package the system in the polyethylene part, bringing versatility to the instrumented system developed, as the polyethylene part can be easily modified for different types of prostheses based on the same principle, without changing the prosthesis design.

Comparison Framework of FPGA-Based GNSS Signals Acquisition Architectures

The acquisition of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals using code division multiple access (CDMA) can be performed through classical correlation or using a Fourier transform. These methods are well known, but what is missing is a comparison of their performance for a given hardware area or target. The work reported here presents this comparison for field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), describing the different parameters involved in the acquisition, detailing some optimized implementations where hardware elements are duplicated, and estimating and discussing the performances. The influence of the Doppler effect on the code is also discussed as it plays an important role, particularly for new signals using a high chipping rate.

Implementation and performance of a GPS/INS tightly coupled assisted PLL architecture using MEMS inertial sensors.

The use of global navigation satellite system receivers for navigation still presents many challenges in urban canyon and indoor environments, where satellite availability is typically reduced and received signals are attenuated. To improve the navigation performance in such environments, several enhancement methods can be implemented. For instance, external aid provided through coupling with other sensors has proven to contribute substantially to enhancing navigation performance and robustness. Within this context, coupling a very simple GPS receiver with an Inertial Navigation System (INS) based on low-cost micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) inertial sensors is considered in this paper. In particular, we propose a GPS/INS Tightly Coupled Assisted PLL (TCAPLL) architecture, and present most of the associated challenges that need to be addressed when dealing with very-low-performance MEMS inertial sensors. In addition, we propose a data monitoring system in charge of checking the quality of the measurement flow in the architecture. The implementation of the TCAPLL is discussed in detail, and its performance under different scenarios is assessed. Finally, the architecture is evaluated through a test campaign using a vehicle that is driven in urban environments, with the purpose of highlighting the pros and cons of combining MEMS inertial sensors with GPS over GPS alone.

Looking Inside Modern Receivers

The principle of wireless communications originates from the need to communicate between two points separated by a distance sufficiently large to prevent the use of wires. This article talks about modern receivers in which the basic building blocks of modern RF front-ends are presented which are homodyne, (super heterodyne), low IF and wideband IF.

Soil Moisture & Snow Properties Determination with GNSS in Alpine Environments: Challenges, Status, and Perspectives

Moisture content in the soil and snow in the alpine environment is an important factor, not only for environmentally oriented research, but also for decision making in agriculture and hazard management. Current observation techniques quantifying soil moisture or characterizing a snow pack often require dedicated instrumentation that measures either at point scale or at very large (satellite pixel) scale. Given the heterogeneity of both snow cover and soil moisture in alpine terrain, observations of the spatial distribution of moisture and snow-cover are lacking at spatial scales relevant for alpine hydrometeorology. This paper provides an overview of the challenges and status of the determination of soil moisture and snow properties in alpine environments. Current measurement techniques and newly proposed ones, based on the reception of reflected Global Navigation Satellite Signals (i.e., GNSS Reflectometry or GNSS-R), or the use of laser scanning are reviewed, and the perspectives offered by these new techniques to fill the current gap in the instrumentation level are discussed. Some key enabling technologies including the availability of modernized GNSS signals and GNSS array beamforming techniques are also considered and discussed.

A New FFT-Based Algorithm for Secondary Code Acquisition for Galileo Signals

The innovative spreading codes used to modulate the new Galileo signals creates new challenges for receiver designers. It is well known in GNSS systems that longer integration times are needed to obtain a better sensitivity. However, the existence of the new tiered code concept that consists of the presence of a secondary code on top of the primary code to modulate the RF signal puts a limitation on the coherent integration time for pilot channels similarly to the effect of data bit ambiguity in data channels. Within this context, this paper tackles this issue by introducing a new algorithm for wiping off the secondary code and increase the coherent integration time. The algorithm is based on the combination of serial and parallel searches. The search for the primary code phase is performed serially within one primary code length, and the secondary code phase is searched in parallel over the entire length of the secondary code. Furthermore, the proposed algorithm improves the Doppler offset estimation and reduces the overall acquisition time.

Multi-test detection and protection algorithm against spoofing attacks on GNSS receivers

The vulnerability against interference, spoofing, and jamming of GNSS receivers is considered nowadays a major security concern. This security threat is exacerbated with the existing market availability of GPS jamming and spoofing equipment sold at reasonable prices. If jamming is the main issue faced at present, spoofing, which allows hijacking someone from the expected path, may lead to even worse consequences. Even with the latest security measures that are going to be deployed on the Galileo PRS signals, GNSS receivers are prone to attacks that are relatively easy to implement. In this paper, we identify different countermeasures and security schemes that can be used against spoofing attacks. These countermeasures include some modifications on the GNSS receivers side, rather than requiring modifications of the whole existing GNSS infrastructure. More specifically, we propose a detection and protection scheme consisting of several statistical tests, based on the computations of moving variances of Doppler offset and C/No estimates, together with a consistency test of the PVT computation. We evaluate the performance of the proposed scheme through simulations and using a measurement setup consisting of a Spirent GSS8000 full constellation simulator whose output is combined with the one from a rooftop GPS antenna before being fed to a receiver front-end. Finally, we compute the probability of detection and false alarm in spoofing detection using the proposed scheme.

A 120mV startup circuit based on charge pump for energy harvesting circuits

In this paper, a 120mV input startup circuit based on novel charge pump architecture is proposed. The startup circuit can boost input voltages ranging from 120mV to 300mV while supplying voltages 280mV to 1.6V at the output with approximately 23% efficiency. To verify the circuit behavior, the test circuit has been implemented using 0.18µm CMOS process. The low voltage, low area startup circuit is suitable for ultra low voltage applications such as energy harvesters and allows for single chip integration.

Normalized GNSS Interference Pattern Technique for Altimetry

It is well known that reflected signals from Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) can be used for altimetry applications, such as monitoring of water levels and determining snow height. Due to the interference of these reflected signals and the motion of satellites in space, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) measured at the receiver slowly oscillates. The oscillation rate is proportional to the change in the propagation path difference between the direct and reflected signals, which depends on the satellite elevation angle. Assuming a known receiver position, it is possible to compute the distance between the antenna and the surface of reflection from the measured oscillation rate. This technique is usually known as the interference pattern technique (IPT). In this paper, we propose to normalize the measurements in order to derive an alternative model of the SNR variations. From this model, we define a maximum likelihood estimate of the antenna height that reduces the estimation time to a fraction of one period of the SNR variation. We also derive the Cramér–Rao lower bound for the IPT and use it to assess the sensitivity of different parameters to the estimation of the antenna height. Finally, we propose an experimental framework, and we use it to assess our approach with real GPS L1 C/A signals.