A multi-parameter bio-electric ASIC sensor with integrated 2-wire data transmission protocol for wearable healthcare system

摘要

This paper presents a fully integrated application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) sensor for the recording of multiple bio-electric signals. It consists of an analog front-end circuit with tunable bandwidth and programmable gain, a 6-input 8-bit successive approximation register analog to digital converter (SAR ADC), and a reconfigurable digital core. The ASIC is fabricated in a 0.18-μm 1P6M CMOS technology, occupies an area of 1.5 × 3.0 mm2, and totally consumes a current of 16.7 μA from a 1.2 V supply. Incorporated with the ASIC, an Intelligent Electrode can be dynamically configured for on-site measurement of different bio-signals. A 2-wire data transmission protocol is also integrated on chip. It enables the serial connection over a group of Intelligent Electrodes, thus minimizes the number of connecting cables. A wearable healthcare system is built upon a printed Active Cable and a scalable number of Intelligent Electrodes. The system allows synchronous processing of maximum 14-channel bio-signals. The ASIC performance has been successfully verified in in-vivo bio-electric recording experiments.