ZSSC3218KIT

ZSSC3218 High-End 18-bit Sensor Signal Conditioner

The ZSSC3218 is a sensor signal conditioner (SSC) integrated circuit for high-accuracy amplification and analog-to-digital conversion of a differential or pseudo-differential input signal. Designed for high-resolution sensor module applications, the ZSSC3218 can perform offset, span, and 1st and 2nd order temperature compensation of the measured signal. Developed for correction of resistive bridge or absolute voltage sensors, it can also provide a corrected temperature output measured with an internal sensor.

The measured and corrected sensor values are provided at the digital output pins, which can be configured as I2C™ (trademark of NXP) (≤ 3.4MHz) or SPI (≤ 20MHz). Digital compensation of signal offset, sensitivity, temperature, and non-linearity is accomplished via a 26-bit internal digital signal processor (DSP) running a correction algorithm. Calibration coefficients are stored on-chip in a highly reliable, non-volatile, multiple-time programmable (MTP) memory. Programming the ZSSC3218 is simple via the serial interface. The interface is used for the PC-controlled calibration procedure, which programs the set of calibration coefficients in memory. The ZSSC3218 provides accelerated signal processing, increased resolution, and improved noise immunity in order to support high-speed control, safety, and real-time sensing applications with the highest requirements for energy efficiency.

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• ZSSC3218 - High-End 18-Bit Sensor Signal Conditioner

Transcript

I'm Chris Anderson with the EEWeb Tech Lab, and today, we have IDT's ZSSC3218 Sensor Signal Conditioner IC. The ZSSC3218 is designed to be used in sensor models and is provided in die form so it can be placed with a MEMS sensor and possible other ICs in a stacked chip configuration, leading to a smaller total solution footprint. This small watch uses the ZSSC3218 integrated with a thermal power sensor in this package. The ZSSC3218 is designed for use with either bridge sensors or absolute voltage sensors. The signal from the sensor is passed through the multiplexer to the programmable gain amplifier with a linear gain range of 6.6 to 216 to optimize the signal level for conversion. The amplified signal is sent to the ADC, which can be set from 12 to 18 bits with a conversion rate of 285 samples per second at 18 bits, or 500 samples per second at 16 bit resolution. The converted data is then passed to an integrated 26 bit DSP Core which can do off-set drift and first and second order gain and temperature compensation. Temperature data is provided by the integrated, auto-compensated temperature sensor, while the compensation coefficients are written to the on-chip, reprogrammable, nonvolatile memory during factor calibration of the sensor module.

Fully compensated data is outputted digitally on the SPI or I2C desk, which can also output the temperature on the integrated temperature sensor. So if I set the watch to measure my body temperature, I can pull it up to my head, and the first buzz indicates it's starting a measurement and a final buzz indicates it's complete, and it reads 99.1. Beyond enabling smaller sensing solutions, the ZSSC3218's integration with the sensor also improves noise immunity and allows for faster, high-resolution sensing. It's also very efficient in drawing only 1 milliamp in operation and 20 nanoamps in sleep mode. Coupling this low power operation with a flexible analog front end, the 26 bit DSP Core for compensation, and the small die size, the ZSSC3218 is good for designs in high speed control, safety, or real time sensing that demand great energy efficiency. For more information, visit idt.com