CIE Components in Electronics
Analog Devices has unveiled a high-precision, low-power meter-on-a-chip for a range of portable health applications such as point-of-care diagnostics, home/self-test health devices, and wearable vital signs monitors, including those for sports and fitness.
The ADuCM350 is a single-chip, scalable platform that combines a 16-bit accurate analogue front-end (AFE), which includes a configurable multi-sensor switch matrix, hardware waveform generator and discrete Fourier transform (DFT) engine, with a processing subsystem and an industry-standard software development environment that is capable of supporting a complete product development roadmap. The meter-on-a-chip offers easy connectivity to passive and active sensors and supports sensor fusion functionality that enables accurate measurements of human physiological data even in the presence of interferers.
“The ADuCM350 supports a wide range of portable healthcare applications ranging from wearable health monitoring devices, such as smart watches and sophisticated pedometers, to point-of-care diagnostics that shorten hospital stays and make possible high quality monitoring in the home,” explained Patrick O’Doherty, vice president, Healthcare Group, Analog Devices. “It offers accuracy and integration on-chip making it suitable for designing portable products that monitor health and wellness.”
The ADuCM350 is optimised for system-level performance and signal measurement accuracy, including those monitoring devices powered by a single coin-cell battery, and features a precision AFE with a 16-bit accurate, 160-kSPS A/D converter, +/-0.2% accurate voltage reference, and a 12-bit D/A converter.
Passive complex impedance sensing on the ADuCM350 enables baseline detection and detailed information of physiological, biological and electrochemical reactions, at levels previously unattainable. The fusion of passive and active sensors provides an additional level of signal measurement accuracy, and environmentally robust capacitance-to-digital technology on-chip supports new use cases such as skin electrode detection and next-generation electrochemical test strip technologies. The precision AFE performs auto-calibration ensuring accurate, repeatable measurements in the field for the life of the product.
The device is a flexible platform that supports full product development roadmaps from entry-level to feature-rich devices. Sensor fusion functionality allows designers to expand product measurement capabilities. For example, the ADuCM350 platform can support calorie burn applications by combining galvanic skin response for heart rate and respiration, with an ultra-low-power 3-axis MEMS accelerometer for altitude and motion detection. An extensive peripheral set of communication I/O including USB, audio, display, serial and touch supports differentiation and rapid feature expansion. The ADuCM350 AFE sequencer enables designers to develop the software for a measurement procedure only once and then reliably port it across an entire product family.
