Low power, long life design for smart intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) sensors

Long-term smart-sensing technologies are emerging as valuable solutions to the increasing need for persistent sensor-based surveillance, that deliver enhanced performance when sensor fields are employed with intelligence implemented at the sensor node. We have developed a baseline technology of movement and seismic detection for perimeter intrusion. The sensor technology system employs computational and signal analysis algorithms with a degree of low power operation, wireless communication, and incident-driven sensor awakening. Although the developed system is equipped with functions to achieve longer life, power-efficiency, load-sharing and rules-based functions to create a more mature security system, it is required to expand its power and lifetime capability through the use of analog CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) VLSI (very large scale integrated circuits) processing units operating in the sub-threshold regime design technique at the front-end level where the power consumption is static. The proposed work helps alleviate maintenance costs and time of man power in patrolling the secure perimeter by increasing the life time of the sensors. The front-end consumes about 8nW of power and such ideas can be implemented in other devices where battery life is of crucial importance.