Initialization of the BIMBO self-test method using binary inputs and outputs

This paper deals with the initialization of the BIMBO method, a deterministic identification method based on binary observation, for the (self-) test of integrated electronic and electromechanical systems, such as MEMS. Finding an adequate starting point for the parameter estimation algorithm may be crucial, depending on the chosen model parameterization. We show how this starting point may be obtained using only binary inputs and outputs and a few straightforward calculations. The practical implementation of this method only requires a one-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and a one-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC). This makes the proposed approach very amenable to integration and leads to no additional cost compared to the BIMBO method. We describe the method from a theoretical point of view, discuss its implementation and illustrate it in some idealized cases.