This project seeks to develop a small, reliable, and low-power semiconductor system that accurately monitors and timestamps the locations of small animals in order to advance ecologists' understanding of the impacts of climate change and human activity on animal populations and ecosystems.
Research Methodology
To combat the circuit's current clock instability, which may be a result of mechanical shocks from animal movements, a hybrid timestamping system comprised of two oscillators—crystal and relaxation—will be designed and tested for improved accuracy. A robust miniature system will then be developed for the improved circuit.
Research Outcomes
A reliable, low-power hybrid timestamping semiconductor circuit will be developed and tested for improved timestamping accuracy. To make this circuit suitable for a wide range of environmental conditions, a robust miniature system to accompany this circuit will also be designed. This project additionally seeks to engage undergraduate students in research efforts.
Research Goals
This semiconductor chip and miniature system aims to enhance ecological research initiatives by facilitating accurate, efficient data collection from individual animals in the environment. This will allow ecologists to better understand how animals and ecosystems are impacted by climate, as this system should allow for more accurate data to be collected from a wider range of species.
Slide Text
- Ultra-low-power, Reliable Semiconductor Chip & System Design for Ecological Climate Change Studies with Small Animals
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Ultra-low-power, Reliable Semiconductor Chip & System Design for Ecological Climate Change Studies with Small Animals
Goal: The overall objective is to establish a research program focused on designing an ultra-low-power semiconductor circuit for timestamping and creating a reliable miniature system suitable for monitoring small animals.
- We hypothesize that existing reliability issues stem from clock instability caused by mechanical shocks from animal movements. We propose using hybrid timestamping with two types of oscillators (crystal (XO) and relaxation (RO)) to resolve the issue.
- Aim #1: Develop an ultra-low-power, reliable semiconductor circuit for timestamping.
- Aim #2: Create a robust miniature system.
- Aim #3: Engage undergraduate students in research opportunities.
Potential Impact: By achieving our objectives, we aim to facilitate efficient data collection from individual animals in the wild, enabling ecological researchers to better understand the impacts of climate change and human activities on ecosystems
Images:
Proposed hybrid timestamping circuit with diagrams of XO Timer, diagram of 16-Bit Counter, Shock-sensitive time; Switched-Resistor Scheme RO Timer (Voltage Divider, Frequency Divider, VCO, CLK Generator, 3k Counter, low accuracy time); Finite State Machine, XO Failure Detector, Shock-tolerant high accuracy time.
Proposed miniature system broken down into diagram of layers (top to bottom: Photovoltaic Cell, Spacer, Hybrid Timestamping, Temperature Sensor, Light Sensor, Battery Management, RF Transceiver, Memory, Processor, Battery, Battery, Battery, PCB, Cap - Crystal - Cap - Cap); image of stacked IC layers at dimensions of 8mm x 8mm x 2.66mm and demonstrated as attached to monarch butterfly.
Pitt Circuit Lab, MCSI Research Seed Grant, In-Hin Lee ECE @ Pitt