11月 01, 2013

Complete power metering silicon IP solution by Dolphin Integration: How to specify and integrate successfully a measurement analog front-end including its power computation engine in an energy metering IC
C.Domingues, L.Pierrefeu, H.Kuo

Complete power metering silicon IP solution by Dolphin Integration: How to specify and integrate successfully a measurement analog front-end including its power computation engine in an energy metering IC

Christian Domingues, Lionel Pierrefeu, Hugo KUO

With the rapid growth of worldwide demand for smart electric meters, for new installations or for replacing old ones, the availability of a high-performance and high-quality measurement analog IP is pivotal to help Fabless makers enter such a performance competitive market.

Time-To-Market requirements, and the need to ensure a cost-effective IC, make it vital to comply right-on-first-pass with the targeted Class and Range power meter standard. As the meter performance depends on the performance of each component of the subsystem, it imposes a wise selection of the Mixed Signal Front-End and of the PCE as emphasized through this article.

This article demonstrates that only a top-down specification “ from system specification to Silicon IP specification “ may provide the insurance to achieve the performances targeted at the power meter level. It also helps understand the importance of considering the energy metering constraints as standard test compliance, calibration requirements and the need to support various kinds of sensors.

As a result SoC designers in charge of the selection of the Silicon IP may identify whether the providers have specified optimally their Silicon IP to achieve the best trade-off between performances and silicon area as targeted by Dolphin with its Metro-PM-Jade-Mono.05 or Metro-PM-Jade-Mono.15 Silicon IP products. A flexible offering, such as that of Dolphin Integration, for configurable MFE and PCE, ensures an optimal silicon area for each application requirement (home appliances or billing meters).

Finally, the availability of the appropriate simulation models for the Silicon IP provides the SoC Integrators with the capability to safely tape-out their SoC. The know-how for mastering such simulation techniques has been “productized” by Dolphin to facilitate its transfer whenever needed.

Please send feedback at jazz@dolphin.fr

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