Micropower gradient flow acoustic localizer

A micropower mixed-signal system-on-chip for three-dimensional localization of a broad-band acoustic source is presented. Direction cosines of the source are obtained by relating spatial and temporal differentials in the acoustic traveling wave field acquired across four coplanar microphones at subwavelength spacing. Correlated double sampling and least-squares adaptive cancellation of common-mode leakthrough in the switched-capacitor analog differentials boost localization accuracy at very low aperture. A second stage of mixed-signal least-squares adaptation directly produces digital estimates of the direction cosines. The 3 mm × 3 mm chip in 0.5-μm CMOS technology quantizes signal delays with 250-ns resolution at 16-kHz sampling rate, and dissipates 54μW power from a 3-V supply. Field tests of the processor with acoustic enclosure demonstrated its utility and endurance in tracking ground and airborne vehicles. Applications include acoustic surveillance, interactive multimedia, and intelligent hearing aids.