Introduction

Within the medical industry, advanced electronics are finding their way into more applications, from large, high value imaging devices down to smart tags for blood products and surgical packs. Medical and healthcare facilities are also modernizing their operations through technology, with IoT and cloud connected solutions. Dialog offers a range of semiconductor and systems solutions that can help you optimize your healthcare related systems, with a focus on connectivity, efficiency and reliability.

Connected medical consists of a wide variety of applications in many shapes and form factors like body worn thermometers or glucose meter patches, wearable wristband type blood pressure meters, smart inhalers or injectors (epi pens, insulin pens), weight scales and beaconing Bluetooth LE enabled blood vials in a lab to be tracked to mention a few.

Connectivity: Bluetooth Low Energy solutions available for applications ranging from disposable low-cost patches to high performance wearable wristband format blood pressure meters 

Configurable Mixed-signal: GreenPAKs to offering functionality like additional IO, display driver, coulomb counter, configurable logic etc. 

Custom Mixed-signal: Analog front ends are often custom designed to fit the specific needs in connected medical in interfacing to sensors. 

Haptics: Haptic feedback is a great way to provide alerts to people wearing connected medical products, e.g. the BPM wristband providing feedback the blood pressure is too low or too high 

Memory: With Dialog’s CBRAM; a breakthrough in Resistive RAM (ReRAM) technology, designers can extend the battery life of their systems and/or use smaller batteries, or even design systems for battery-free operation through energy harvesting. Since CBRAM can withstand medical sterilization processes, it’s ideal for connected medical devices.

Power Management: Connected medical batteries could range from printed batteries, button cell alkaline to LiPo type batteries in case of a more wearable style product. 

CODEC and Class D ICs

Dialog offers high-performance, low-power audio CODECs that are optimized for use in headsets and other audio devices which can be used for connected medical applications.

GreenPAK

Dialog’s GreenPAK Mixed-signal Matrix ICs integrate many system functions to minimize components, reduce PCB space, and reduce power. With the straightforward, free GreenPAK Designer software an engineer can develop a unique solution for their product without standardized discrete circuitry or firmware. Customers discover a unique set of benefits in applying GreenPAK to what they value most:

Integrate and Differentiate - Implement new features and functionality in one device as small as 1.0mm x 1.2mm

Shrink PCB Footprint - Fewer components and less routing complexity

Reduce Power Consumption - Extend battery life by powering fewer discrete devices and managing power within the GreenPAK . I_Q as low as tens of nA

Adapt Design as Needed - Adapt to changing requirements quickly and spin new prototypes in minutes

Faster Time to Market - Development tolls exploit the power of silicon without NRE changes and long lead times

Secure - Circuit implementation is not visible to competition

Dialog’s GreenPAK family are incorporated in virtually every industry, including medical devices. Within the medical industry experts have applied GreenPAK to combine several functions including:

Battery Monitoring

Button Control

Power Sequencing with ultra-low power idle state

Watchdog & Resets

Connection Detection

LED Control

Each application is unique, and GreenPAK is built for configurability. All GreenPAKs contain a unique makeup of Macrocells to be configured. Smaller GreenPAKs optimize for board size, and larger GreenPAKs allow for greater integration and functionality.

GreenPAK’s hardware-defined configurability has a simple appeal over processors and discrete ICs: creating a processor’s firmware solution takes time, and updates are more error-prone than static circuitry. Systems of discrete devices add board space and compound reliability concerns. With GreenPAK, an engineer creates a solution in minutes that eschews programming painpoints yet still uniquely fits their system.

Dialog keeps your GreenPAK differentiation hidden from competition. For each custom design Dialog creates a unique part number and datasheet, available only to the customer. Consequently, the customer has an added level of design security unavailable with conventional standard products.

Color LCD Blood Pressure Monitor