TI adds on-chip respiration measurement to ECG/EEG analog front end family to simplify design of portable patient monitoring systems

DALLAS (April 6, 2011) – Building on its award-winning ADS1298 analog-front-end (AFE) family, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (NYSE: TXN) today introduced the industry’s first fully-integrated AFEs with on-chip respiration impedance measurement in full production. The 24-bit ADS1298R devices simplify the implementation of respiration detection in portable electrocardiogram (ECG) equipment by integrating more than 40 discrete components, reducing component count as much as 97 percent. They are also extremely power efficient, using up to 95 percent less power than discrete implementations. ADS1298R devices are available in eight-, six-, and four-channel versions. For information or to order samples, visit www.ti.com/ads1298r-pr.

Key features and benefits

Provides respiration impedance at a resolution of 20 milliohms, enabling the accurate monitoring and correlation of patient respiration to ECG abnormalities.
Integrates 44 discrete components, reducing board space up to 97 percent. In addition to a fully-integrated respiration impedance function with user-selectable phase adjustment, ADS1298R devices include eight analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), eight programmable gain amplifiers (PGAs), eight active filters and pace detect interface, lead off detection, voltage reference, right leg drive (RLD) and more.
Uses only 750 uW/channel, up to 95 percent lower power consumption than discrete implementations, with multiple power-down configurations to increase the battery life of portable patient monitoring devices.
Typical 4-uVpp input-referred noise surpasses the International Electrotechnical Commission’s IEC60601-2-27/51 standard, enabling extremely high levels of accuracy in portable and high-channel-density ECG equipment.
Complementing the leading power consumption of the ADS1298R is the TMS320C5515 ultra-low-power DSP, which uses less than 0.15 mW/MHz to further extend battery life.

Tools and support

An evaluation platform is available for the ADS1298R devices. The ADS1298R Performance Demonstration Kit (ADS1298RECGFE-PDK) includes easy-to-use evaluation software; built-in analysis tools, including oscilloscope, FFT and histogram displays; flexible input configurations; optional external reference circuits; and the ability to export data in simple test files for post processing.

An IBIS model to verify board signal integrity requirements is also available.

Availability and packaging

ADS1298R devices are all available today in an 8-mm x 8-mm BGA package. 1,000-unit pricing is as follows: eight-channel ADS1298R for $25.95; six-channelADS1296R for $19.95 and four-channel ADS1294R for $13.95.

ADS1298 ECG/EEG AFE family

In 2010, the ADS1298 was honored for its innovative design with prestigious product of the year awards from EDN China, Electronic Products and EN-Genius. The ADS1298 family reduces component count and power consumption by up to 97 percent compared to discrete implementations while enabling advanced functionality, such as respiration, ECG and heart rate monitoring, as well as non-invasive blood pressure and patient temperature monitoring.

In addition to the ADS1298R, ADS1296R and ADS1294R, the ADS1298 family includes the following, which are all available today:

24-bit AFEs for high-performance, portable ECG/ EEG (electroencephalogram) equipment: Eight-channel ADS1298, six-channel ADS1296 and four-channel ADS1294.
16-bit AFEs for cost-sensitive, portable ECG equipment: Eight-channel ADS1198, six-channel ADS1196 and four-channel ADS1194.

Find out more about TI’s analog front end and medical portfolio at the links below:

Order ADS1298R samples and EVMs at www.ti.com/ads1298r-pr.
Ask questions, help solve problems in the Precision Analog Data Converter forum in the TI E2E™ Community: www.ti.com/e2epdc-pr.
Explore TI’s full portfolio of signal chain, power management and embedded processing solutions for ECG applications: www.ti.com/ecg-pr.
Learn more about TI’s offering for patient monitoring and other medical applications at www.ti.com/patientmonitor-pr.

About medical components from Texas Instruments

TI is helping shape technology to improve the quality and accessibility of medical equipment to revolutionize healthcare in the 21st century and beyond. With its full range of analog and embedded processing products, from building blocks to complete semiconductor solutions, plus systems insight, global support infrastructure, advanced process technology and medical industry involvement, TI is helping make innovative medical electronics more flexible, affordable and accessible. TI’s experience in diverse markets, such as wireless communications, consumer electronics, automotive and aerospace, enables engineers to meet increasing needs for higher speeds, higher precision, lower power and smaller equipment, while maintaining the high standards for quality and reliability that the medical market demands. For more information, please visit http://www.ti.com/medical.

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