title: A programmable microsystem using system-on-chip for real-time biotelemetry.
abstract: A telemetry microsystem, including multiple sensors, integrated instrumentation and a wireless interface has been implemented. We have employed a methodology akin to that for System-on-Chip microelectronics to design an integrated circuit instrument containing several "intellectual property" blocks that will enable convenient reuse of modules in future projects. The present system was optimized for low-power and included mixed-signal sensor circuits, a programmable digital system, a feedback clock control loop and RF circuits integrated on a 5 mm x 5 mm silicon chip using a 0.6 microm, 3.3 V CMOS process. Undesirable signal coupling between circuit components has been investigated and current injection into sensitive instrumentation nodes was minimized by careful floor-planning. The chip, the sensors, a magnetic induction-based transmitter and two silver oxide cells were packaged into a 36 mm x 12 mm capsule format. A base station was built in order to retrieve the data from the microsystem in real-time. The base station was designed to be adaptive and timing tolerant since the microsystem design was simplified to reduce power consumption and size. The telemetry system was found to have a packet error rate of 10(-3) using an asynchronous simplex link. Trials in animal carcasses were carried out to show that the transmitter was as effective as a conventional RF device whilst consuming less power.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, University of Glasglow, Glasgow G12 8LT, UK. l.wang@elec.gla.ac.uk
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Erik A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Johannessen
authors.forename: Paul A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Hammond
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cui
authors.forename: Stuart W J
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: David R S
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Cumming
mesh_terms: D003199:Computer Systems; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D004582:Electronics, Medical; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008838:Microcomputers; D008904:Miniaturization / Q000379:methods; D018670:Monitoring, Ambulatory / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013686:Telemetry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods