Texas Instruments is highlighting
the applicability of its low-power TMS-
320VC5505 DSP to medical products with
a trio of medical development kits (MDKs),
including digital-stethoscope, electrocardiogram
(ECG) meter, and pulse-oximeter
analog front-end (AFE) boards. These
boards, which plug into a TMS320VC5505
DSP evaluation module (EVM), are designed
to streamline the development of portable
medical devices.
Each kit includes software design tools,
schematics, sample application code, and
medical-specific algorithms that streamline
the design process. The MDKs are designed
for evaluation and not for end products for
medical or diagnostic use on patients.
The digital stethoscope AFE uses a
TLV320AIC3254 low-power, low-voltage
stereo audio codec. It has three channel
inputs plus a headphone output. The software
provides three selectable modes of
operation, including Bell mode (20 to
220 Hz), diaphragm mode (50 to 600
Hz), and an extended range (20 to
2000 Hz).
The ECG AFE uses an ADS1258
16-channel, 24-bit, low-power
analog-to-digital converter
(ADC) with defibrillator protection and 4-kV
isolation (see the figure). It has a 12-lead
ECG output and 10-electrode input. The
software includes 12-lead computation,
quick release system (QRS) detection, leadsoff
detection, and real-time ECG waveform
and heartbeat-rate display.
The pulse-oximeter AFE has a DAC7573
digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and
an ADS8328 ADC. The software support
addresses oxygen-level percentage calculation
ranging from 0% to 100%, pulse-rate
display, sensor-off detection, and real-time
plethysmogram.
Pricing for the TMS320VC5505 DSP EVM
starts at $395. The AFE modules cost $375,
$449, and $395 for the stethoscope, ECG,
and pulse oximeter, respectively.
TEXAS INSTRUMENTS
www.ti.com