WIRELESS TO THE HEART: ULTRA LOW-POWER TRANSCEIVER CHIP
THE LATEST TREND IN THE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY FIELD IS THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOLUTIONS THAT SUPPORT WIRELESS COMMUNICATION WITH IMPLANTED DEVICES, SUCH AS PACEMAKERS.
And leave it to ZARLINK SEMICONDUCTOR to introduce the world's first transceiver chip designed exclusively for wireless communication systems that link implanted medical devices with base stations. The new ZL70100 ultra low-power transceiver chip fully meets the MICS (Medical Implant Communication Service) standard defined by the (Federal Communications Commission) and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standard Institute). The ZL70100's RF technology enables data transmission at 500Kbit/s over a typical 2m range, at a current consumption of 5mA. In comparison, previous implanted communication systems relied on magnetic coupling between coils in an in-body device and a base station a severely limited solution, since it works only over a range of 10cm, while allowing transmission rates of no more than several tens of kilobits.
SUPPORTS PATIENT MONITORING
Advances in ultra low-power radio expertise and global adoption of the MICS 402 - 406MHz frequency band for implanted communications opens the door for advanced telemedicine applications that extend patient health monitoring beyond the traditional clinical setting, as physicians can now remotely monitor patient health without requiring regular hospital visits.
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For example, ZARLINK's ultra low-power RF transceiver in a pacemaker can wirelessly send device performance data to a bedside base station in the home, and the data is then forwarded over the telephone or Internet to a physician's office. If a problem is detected, the patient goes to the hospital where the high-speed, two-way RF link can be used to easily monitor and adjust device performance. During surgery, a physician can use the higher data rates and longer communication range afforded by MICS technology to program the performance of an implanted device outside of the sterile surgical environment.
LOW CURRENT CONSUMPTION =
LONG OPERATION TIME
Since most implanted medical devices do not require constant communication, and instead transmit data on a scheduled or as-required basis, the average "sleep" current is a key design factor. The ZL70100 radio transceiver contains a wake-up system with an average current demand of just 200nA. The device supports transmission rates of 800kb/s for raw data and 500kb/s for usable data, and consumes less than 5mA while active. The highly integrated ZL70100 chip requires just two external components excluding antenna matching, thereby allowing manufacturers to use the circuit substrate space savings to increase battery size and advanced functionality, while at the same time lowering material costs.
APPLICATIONS, PACKAGING AND AVAILABILITY
The ZL70100 transceiver chip for base stations is the first device of a new product platform that has been specifically designed to meet the performance, power and size requirements of implanted communication systems. Qualification of the same transceiver chip for implantable applications is currently underway, and this device is scheduled to be available later this year. This first transceiver chip is available now in a 48-pin QFN package, and is fully supported by an evaluation board and reference design.
Sounds interesting? Then don't hesitate to contact:
Ondrej Gavura, EXT 953
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