Device and method for continuous-time energy calculation of an analog signal

A method for continuous-time energy calculation of an analog signal, the method being implemented by a device, wherein the device comprises:

• a continuous-time analog-to-digital converter, configured to convert the analog signal into a request signal, the request signal comprising at least one pulse, each pulse being representative of the analog signal crossing one of a plurality of predetermined levels, and a direction signal, associated to the request signal, the direction signal being representative of a direction of the level crossing;
• at least one filtering unit, configured to perform a continuous-time finite impulse response filtering operation, the at least one filtering unit being configured to receive the request signal, the direction signal, and to output a filtered output signal, the at least one filtering unit comprising:
• a delaying module, configured to receive the request signal and the direction signal, and to output at least one delayed request signal, delayed from the request signal by a delay time, and at least one delayed direction signal, delayed from the direction signal by the delay time, the at least one delayed request signal being associated with one of the at least one delayed direction signal;
• and
• a calculating module, connected to the delaying module the calculating module being configured to receive the request signal, the direction signal, the at least one delayed request signal and the at least one delayed direction signal and to calculate the filtered output signal;
• wherein the device further comprises:
• at least one pulse combiner, connected to the delaying module, the at least one pulse combiner being configured to receive the request signal and the at least one delayed request signal and to output a combined request signal;
• and
• at least one energy estimator, connected to the filtering unit and to the pulse combiner, the at least one energy estimator being configured to receive the filtered output signal and the combined request signal and configured to compute a stored energy value associated with each pulse of the combined request signal,
• the method comprising:
• converting the analog signal into the request signal, the request signal comprising at least one pulse, each pulse being representative of the analog signal crossing one of the plurality of predetermined levels, and into the direction signal, associated to the request signal, the direction signal being representative of the direction of the level crossing;
• filtering the request signal and the direction signal by a finite impulse response filtering operation
• the filtering comprising:
• delaying the request signal and the associated direction signal to output the at least one delayed request signal, delayed from the request signal by the delay time, and the delayed direction signal associated to the at least one delayed request signal, delayed from the direction signal by the delay time;
• calculating from the request signal, the direction signal, the at least one delayed request signal and the at least one delayed direction signal the filtered output signal;
• combining the request signal and the at least one delayed request signal into the combined request signal acting as a non-uniform time base;
• and
• computing the stored energy value associated with each pulse of the combined request signal from the filtered output signal.