US-12625206-B2 - Digitizing device and digitizing method

Abstract

A physical field generator generates a magnetic field or an electric field corresponding to an input signal. An optical quantum sensor part generates light corresponding to the magnetic field or the electric field by a sensing member and converts the light into an electrical signal as a sensor signal by a photoelectric element. An analog/digital converter digitizes the sensor signal. Further, the optical quantum sensor part performs a quantum operation with respect to the sensing member mentioned above and causes the sensing member mentioned above to generate the light mentioned above corresponding to the magnetic field or the electric field mentioned above.

Inventors

• Yoshiharu Yoshii
• Tsunaki KANEKO
• Norikazu MIZUOCHI
• Izuru Ohki

Assignees

• SUMIDA CORPORATION
• KYOTO UNIVERSITY

Dates

Publication Date

20260512

Application Date

20220920

Priority Date

20211119

Claims (5)

1. 1 . A digitizing device comprising: a physical field generator that generates a magnetic field or an electric field corresponding to an input signal; an optical quantum sensor part that generates light corresponding to the magnetic field or the electric field by a sensing member and converts the light into an electrical signal as a sensor signal by a photoelectric element; and an analog/digital converter that digitizes the sensor signal to generate a digital signal as an output signal corresponding to the input signal, wherein the optical quantum sensor part performs a quantum operation with respect to the sensing member and causes the sensing member to generate the light corresponding to the magnetic field or the electric field, and a predetermined arithmetic processing with respect to the output signal is performed so that a value of the output signal is coincident with a level of the input signal.
2. 2 . The digitizing device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical quantum sensor part causes the sensing member to generate the light as a level of the sensor signal exceeds a noise floor of the analog/digital converter.
3. 3 . The digitizing device according to claim 1 , wherein an amplifier circuit in which the sensor signal is amplified is not provided between the photoelectric element and the analog/digital converter.
4. 4 . The digitizing device according to claim 1 , wherein the optical quantum sensor part performs the quantum operation with respect to the sensing member according to an optically detected magnetic resonance measuring method or an optically pumped atomic magnetic force measurement method, and causes the sensing member to generate the light corresponding to the magnetic field or the electric field.
5. 5 . A digitizing method comprising: a step of generating a magnetic field or an electric field corresponding to an input signal; an optical quantum sensing step of generating light corresponding to the magnetic field or the electric field by a sensing member and converting the light into an electrical signal as a sensor signal by a photoelectric element; and a step of digitizing the sensor signal via an analog/digital converter to generate a digital signal as an output signal corresponding to the input signal, wherein, in the optical quantum sensing step, the sensing member is caused to generate the light corresponding to the magnetic field or the electric field by performing a quantum operation with respect to the sensing member, and a predetermined arithmetic processing with respect to the output signal is performed so that a value of the output signal is coincident with a level of the input signal.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application is a 371 U.S. National Phase of International Application No. PCT/JP2022/034963, filed on Sep. 20, 2022, which claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-188929, filed Nov. 19, 2021. The entire disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein by reference. BACKGROUND Technical Field The present invention relates to a digitizing device and a digitizing method. Related Art In general, when a minute analog signal that is obtained via various sensors and sensing devices is digitized by using an A/D (Analog/Digital) converter, the analog signal is voltage-amplified by an amplifier circuit using an active element such as a transistor. Thereafter, the analog signal after the voltage amplification is input to the A/D converter (refer to, for instance, Patent Documents 1 and 2). Because quantization noise corresponding to the number of quantization bits and thermal noise that is caused by an electronic circuit and so on are usually generated in an A/D converter, it is difficult to accurately digitize a minute analog signal having a level that is similar to or lower than a level of the above noises without the voltage amplification in the A/D converter. Therefore, as described above, it is necessary to amplify a minute analog signal by an amplifier circuit. PRIOR ART DOCUMENTS Patent Documents Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication Number 2008-039641.Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Publication Number 2011-101776. However, as described above, even when a minute analog signal is amplified by an amplifier circuit at the preceding stage of an A/D converter, noise (such as thermal noise) peculiar to the amplifier circuit is generated. Because the noise floor of this amplifier circuit is generally higher than the noise floor of the A/D converter, it is difficult to accurately digitize the minute analog signal having a level that is similar to or lower than the noise level of the A/D converter. The present invention attempts to solve the above problems. An object of the present invention is to obtain a digitizing device and a digitizing method that accurately digitize a minute analog signal having a level that is similar to or lower than a noise floor of an A/D converter. SUMMARY A digitizing device according to the present invention has a physical field generator, an optical quantum sensor part, and an analog/digital converter. Specifically, the physical field generator generates a magnetic field or an electric field corresponding to an input signal. The optical quantum sensor part generates light corresponding to the magnetic field or the electric field by a sensing member and converts the light into an electrical signal as a sensor signal by a photoelectric element. The analog/digital converter digitizes the sensor signal. Further, the optical quantum sensor part performs a quantum operation with respect to the above-mentioned sensing member so as to cause the above-mentioned sensing member to generate the above-mentioned light corresponding to the above-mentioned magnetic field or electric field. The digitizing method according to the present invention has steps and an optical quantum sensing step. Specifically, in the step, a magnetic field or an electric field corresponding to an input signal is generated. In the optical quantum sensing step, light corresponding to the magnetic field or the electric field is generated by a sensing member and the light is converted into an electrical signal as a sensor signal by a photoelectric element. In the step, the sensor signal is digitized by an analog/digital converter. Further, in the optical quantum sensing step, a quantum operation is performed with respect to the above-mentioned sensing member so as to cause the above-mentioned sensing member to generate the above-mentioned light corresponding to the above-mentioned magnetic field or electric field. Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a digitizing device and a digitizing method that accurately digitize a minute analog signal having a level that is similar to or lower than a noise floor of an A/D converter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram that shows a configuration of a digitizing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram that shows a configuration of a sensor body 21 in the digitizing device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram that explains an example of a sensor signal in the digitizing device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram that shows a configuration of a sensor body 21 in a digitizing device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the present invention will be explained below with reference to the drawings. First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram that shows a configuration of a digitizing device according to an embodiment of the present invent