A micro-power mixed signal IC for battery-operated burglar alarm systems

The design of the standard CMOS IC core of a commercial wireless burglar alarm system is presented as an example of a very low-power analog VLSI design for battery-operated systems. The main constraint is battery life, which must be at least five years (with standard camera-battery), The chip is composed of a digital (decision) part and an analog interface with sensors. The entire chip absorbs 10 mu A. Measures on each single component and test on working environment show full functionality and complied with specifications. Even though the example is application specific, the design solutions and each single element can also be utilized in many other battery-operated low-frequency devices (e.g. environmental parameter monitoring).