Showing papers in "IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems in 2010"
TL;DR: The fully differential 128-channel integrated neural interface was validated in in vitro recording of a low-Mg2+/high-K+ epileptic seizure model in an intact hippocampus of a mouse and had a noise efficiency factor of 5.6.
Abstract: We present a fully differential 128-channel integrated neural interface. It consists of an array of 8 X 16 low-power low-noise signal-recording and generation circuits for electrical neural activity monitoring and stimulation, respectively. The recording channel has two stages of signal amplification and conditioning with and a fully differential 8-b column-parallel successive approximation (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The total measured power consumption of each recording channel, including the SAR ADC, is 15.5 ?W. The measured input-referred noise is 6.08 ? Vrms over a 5-kHz bandwidth, resulting in a noise efficiency factor of 5.6. The stimulation channel performs monophasic or biphasic voltage-mode stimulation, with a maximum stimulation current of 5 mA and a quiescent power dissipation of 51.5 ?W. The design is implemented in 0.35-?m complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology with the channel pitch of 200 ?m for a total die size of 3.4 mm × 2.5 mm and a total power consumption of 9.33 mW. The neural interface was validated in in vitro recording of a low-Mg2+/high-K+ epileptic seizure model in an intact hippocampus of a mouse.
262 citations
TL;DR: A fully integrated biosensor 10 × 10 array in a standard complementary metal-oxide semiconducor process, which takes advantage of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), which is able to detect various biological analytes in real time and without the need for molecular labels.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a fully integrated biosensor 10 × 10 array in a standard complementary metal-oxide semiconducor process, which takes advantage of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). We also show that this system is able to detect various biological analytes, such as DNA and proteins, in real time and without the need for molecular labels. In each pixel of this array, we implement a biocompatible Au electrode transducer and embedded sensor circuitry which takes advantage of the coherent detector to measure the impedance of the associated electrode-electrolyte interface. This chip is capable of concurrently measuring admittance values as small as 10-8 Ω-1 within the array with the detection dynamic range of more than 90 dB in the frequency range of 10 Hz-50 MHz.
242 citations
TL;DR: A novel BCI system was developed to monitor the human cognitive state and provide biofeedback to the driver when drowsy state occurs and the feasibility of this system in a practical driving application was demonstrated.
Abstract: A real-time wireless electroencephalogram (EEG)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) system for drowsiness detection has been proposed. Drowsy driving has been implicated as a causal factor in many accidents. Therefore, real-time drowsiness monitoring can prevent traffic accidents effectively. However, current BCI systems are usually large and have to transmit an EEG signal to a back-end personal computer to process the EEG signal. In this study, a novel BCI system was developed to monitor the human cognitive state and provide biofeedback to the driver when drowsy state occurs. The proposed system consists of a wireless physiological signal-acquisition module and an embedded signal-processing module. Here, the physiological signal-acquisition module and embedded signal-processing module were designed for long-term EEG monitoring and real-time drowsiness detection, respectively. The advantages of low owner consumption and small volume of the proposed system are suitable for car applications. Moreover, a real-time drowsiness detection algorithm was also developed and implemented in this system. The experiment results demonstrated the feasibility of our proposed BCI system in a practical driving application.
235 citations
TL;DR: A theoretical analysis of the efficiency of power transfer and phase-shift-keying communications through an inductive link and it is shown that the coplanar geometry approach is better suited for displacement tolerance.
Abstract: Biomedical implants require wireless power and bidirectional data transfer. We pursue our previous work on a novel topology for a multiple carrier inductive link by presenting the fabricated coils. We show that the coplanar geometry approach is better suited for displacement tolerance. We provide a theoretical analysis of the efficiency of power transfer and phase-shift-keying communications through an inductive link. An efficiency of up to 61% has been achieved experimentally for power transfer and a data rate of 4.16 Mb/s with a bit-error rate of less than 2 × 10-6 has been obtained with our fabricated offset quadrature phase-shift keying modules due to the inductive link optimization presented in this paper.
179 citations
TL;DR: The HermesD communications performance is shown through bit-error rate measurements and eye-diagram plots, and Experimental recordings from a rhesus monkey conducting multiple tasks show a signal quality comparable to commercial acquisition systems, both in the low-frequency and upper-frequency bands of the neural signals.
Abstract: HermesD is a high-rate, low-power wireless transmission system to aid research in neural prosthetic systems for motor disabilities and basic motor neuroscience. It is the third generation of our "Hermes systems" aimed at recording and transmitting neural activity from brain-implanted electrode arrays. This system supports the simultaneous transmission of 32 channels of broadband data sampled at 30 ks/s, 12 b/sample, using frequency-shift keying modulation on a carrier frequency adjustable from 3.7 to 4.1 GHz, with a link range extending over 20 m. The channel rate is 24 Mb/s and the bit stream includes synchronization and error detection mechanisms. The power consumption, approximately 142 mW, is low enough to allow the system to operate continuously for 33 h, using two 3.6-V/1200-mAh Li-SOCl2 batteries. The transmitter was designed using off-the-shelf components and is assembled in a stack of three 28 mm ? 28-mm boards that fit in a 38 mm ? 38 mm ? 51-mm aluminum enclosure, a significant size reduction over the initial version of HermesD. A 7-dBi circularly polarized patch antenna is used as the transmitter antenna, while on the receiver side, a 13-dBi circular horn antenna is employed. The advantages of using circularly polarized waves are analyzed and confirmed by indoor measurements. The receiver is a stand-alone device composed of several submodules and is interfaced to a computer for data acquisition and processing. It is based on the superheterodyne architecture and includes automatic frequency control that keeps it optimally tuned to the transmitter frequency. The HermesD communications performance is shown through bit-error rate measurements and eye-diagram plots. The sensitivity of the receiver is -83 dBm for a bit-error probability of 10-9. Experimental recordings from a rhesus monkey conducting multiple tasks show a signal quality comparable to commercial acquisition systems, both in the low-frequency (local field potentials) and upper-frequency bands (action potentials) of the neural signals. This system can be easily scaled up in terms of the number of channels and data rate to accommodate future generations of Hermes systems.
174 citations
TL;DR: An energy-efficient application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) featured with a work-on-demand protocol is designed for wireless body sensor networks (WBSNs) in medical applications.
Abstract: An energy-efficient application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) featured with a work-on-demand protocol is designed for wireless body sensor networks (WBSNs) in medical applications. Dedicated for ultra-low-power wireless sensor nodes, the ASIC consists of a low-power microcontroller unit (MCU), a power-management unit (PMU), reconfigurable sensor interfaces, communication ports controlling a wireless transceiver, and an integrated passive radio-frequency (RF) receiver with energy harvesting ability. The MCU, together with the PMU, provides quite flexible communication and power-control modes for energy-efficient operations. The always-on passive RF receiver with an RF energy harvesting block offers the sensor nodes the capability of work-on-demand with zero standby power. Fabricated in standard 0.18-?m complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology, the ASIC occupies a die area of 2 mm × 2.5 mm. A wireless body sensor network sensor-node prototype using this ASIC only consumes < 10-nA current under the passive standby mode, and < 10 ?A under the active standby mode, when supplied by a 3-V battery.
171 citations
TL;DR: A wirelessly-powered active contact lens comprised of a transparent polymer substrate, loop antenna, power harvesting IC, and micro-LED is presented, demonstrating wireless power transfer at 10 cm distance using the custom IC and on-lens antenna.
Abstract: We present progress toward a wirelessly-powered active contact lens comprised of a transparent polymer substrate, loop antenna, power harvesting IC, and micro-LED. The fully integrated radio power harvesting and power management system was fabricated in a 0.13 μm CMOS process with a total die area of 0.2 mm2. It utilizes a small on-chip capacitor for energy storage to light up a micro-LED pixel. We have demonstrated wireless power transfer at 10 cm distance using the custom IC and on-lens antenna.
156 citations
TL;DR: This paper presents a new active approach for charge balancing using long-term offset regulation, which is compared to a previously introduced active charge balancer as well as commonly used passive balancing techniques.
Abstract: Charge balancing is a major concern in functional electrical stimulation, since any excess charge accumulation over time leads to electrolysis with electrode dissolution and tissue destruction. This paper presents a new active approach for charge balancing using long-term offset regulation. Therefore, the electrode voltage is briefly monitored after each stimulation cycle and checked if it remains within a predefined voltage range. If not, an offset current is adjusted in order to track the biphasic current mismatch in upcoming stimulations. This technique is compared to a previously introduced active charge balancer as well as commonly used passive balancing techniques. Subsequently, the techniques are verified through experiments on a platinum black electrode in 0.9% saline solution.
155 citations
TL;DR: This work focuses on the design and fabrication of an active glaucoma intraocular pressure (IOP) monitor that is fully wireless and implantable and the possibility of developing a closed-loop monitoring and treatment system.
Abstract: Glaucoma is a detrimental disease that causes blindness in millions of people worldwide. There are numerous treatments to slow the condition but none are totally effective and all have significant side effects. Currently, a continuous monitoring device is not available, but its development may open up new avenues for treatment. This work focuses on the design and fabrication of an active glaucoma intraocular pressure (IOP) monitor that is fully wireless and implantable. Major benefits of an active IOP monitoring device include the potential to operate independently from an external device for extended periods of time and the possibility of developing a closed-loop monitoring and treatment system. The fully wireless operation is based off using gigahertz-frequency electromagnetic wave propagation, which allows for an orientation independent transfer of power and data over reasonable distances. Our system is comprised of a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) pressure sensor, a capacitive power storage array, an application-specific integrated circuit designed on the Texas Instruments (TI) 130 nm process, and a monopole antenna all assembled into a biocompatible liquid-crystal polymer-based tadpole-shaped package.
152 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, an analog single-chip pulse oximeter with 4.8mW total power dissipation is presented, which is an order of magnitude below the measurements on commercial implementations.
Abstract: Pulse oximeters are ubiquitous in modern medicine to noninvasively measure the percentage of oxygenated hemoglobin in a patient's blood by comparing the transmission characteristics of red and infrared light-emitting diode light through the patient's finger with a photoreceptor. We present an analog single-chip pulse oximeter with 4.8-mW total power dissipation, which is an order of magnitude below our measurements on commercial implementations. The majority of this power reduction is due to the use of a novel logarithmic transimpedance amplifier with inherent contrast sensitivity, distributed amplification, unilateralization, and automatic loop gain control. The transimpedance amplifier, together with a photodiode current source, form a high-performance photoreceptor with characteristics similar to those found in nature, which allows LED power to be reduced. Therefore, our oximeter is well suited for portable medical applications, such as continuous home-care monitoring for elderly or chronic patients, emergency patient transport, remote soldier monitoring, and wireless medical sensing. Furthermore, our design obviates the need for an A-to-D and digital signal processor and leads to a small single-chip solution. We outline how extensions of our work could lead to submilliwatt oximeters.
124 citations
TL;DR: The design methodology along with detailed simulation and measurement results for optimizing a multiband transcutaneous wireless link for high-performance implantable neuroprosthetic devices and compared the robustness of each design against horizontal misalignments and rotations in different directions are presented.
Abstract: We have presented the design methodology along with detailed simulation and measurement results for optimizing a multiband transcutaneous wireless link for high-performance implantable neuroprosthetic devices. We have utilized three individual carrier signals and coil/antenna pairs for power transmission, forward data transmission from outside into the body, and back telemetry in the opposite direction. Power is transmitted at 13.56 MHz through a pair of printed spiral coils (PSCs) facing each other. Two different designs have been evaluated for forward data coils, both of which help to minimize power carrier interference in the received data carrier. One is a pair of perpendicular coils that are wound across the diameter of the power PSCs. The other design is a pair of planar figure-8 coils that are in the same plane as the power PSCs. We have compared the robustness of each design against horizontal misalignments and rotations in different directions. Simulation and measurements are also conducted on a miniature spiral antenna, designed to operate with impulse-radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) circuitry for back telemetry.
TL;DR: This 10-b 50-MSamples/s SAR analog-to-digital converter (ADC) features on-chip digital calibration techniques, comparator offset cancellation, a capacitor digital- to-analog converter (CDAC) linearity calibration, and internal clock control to compensate for PVT variations.
Abstract: This 10-b 50-MSamples/s SAR analog-to-digital converter (ADC) features on-chip digital calibration techniques, comparator offset cancellation, a capacitor digital-to-analog converter (CDAC) linearity calibration, and internal clock control to compensate for PVT variations. A split-CDAC reduces the exponential increase in the number of unit capacitors needed and enables the input load capacitance to be as small as the kT/C noise restriction. The prototype fabricated in 65 nm 1P7M complementary metal-oxide semiconductor with MIM capacitor achieves 56.6 dB SNDR at 50-MSamples/s, 25-MHz input frequency and consumes 820 μW from a 1.0-V supply, including the digital calibration circuits. The figure of merit was 29.7 fJ/conversion-step under the Nyquist condition. The ADC occupied an active area of 0.039 mm2 .
TL;DR: A wireless body sensor system that incorporates multiple sensors on a single node that is capable of performing simultaneous measurements of parameters, such as body motion, activity intensity, tilt, respiration, cardiac vibration, cardiac potential, and body surface temperature is proposed.
Abstract: Practical usability of the majority of current wearable body sensor systems for multiple parameter physiological signal acquisition is limited by the multiple physical connections between sensors and the data-acquisition modules. In order to improve the user comfort and enable the use of these types of systems on active mobile subjects, we propose a wireless body sensor system that incorporates multiple sensors on a single node. This multisensor node includes signal acquisition, processing, and wireless data transmission fitted on multiple layers of a thin flexible substrate with a very small footprint. Considerations for design include size, form factor, reliable body attachment, good signal coupling, low power consumption, and user convenience. The prototype device measures 55 15 mm and is 3 mm thick. The unit is attached to the patient's chest, and is capable of performing simultaneous measurements of parameters, such as body motion, activity intensity, tilt, respiration, cardiac vibration, cardiac potential (ECG), heart rate, and body surface temperature. In this paper, we discuss the architecture of this system, including the multisensor hardware, the firmware, a mobile-phone receiver unit, and assembly of the first proof-of-concept prototype. Preliminary performance results on key elements of the system, such as power consumption, wireless range, algorithm efficiency, ECG signal quality for heart-rate calculations, as well as synchronous ECG and body activity signals are also presented.
TL;DR: Experimental results from the analog VLSI chip characterizing single neuron dynamics, single synapse dynamics, and multi-neuron network dynamics showing phase-locking behavior as a function of synaptic coupling strength are presented.
Abstract: We present and characterize an analog VLSI network of 4 spiking neurons and 12 conductance-based synapses, implementing a silicon model of biophysical membrane dynamics and detailed channel kinetics in 384 digitally programmable parameters. Each neuron in the analog VLSI chip (NeuroDyn) implements generalized Hodgkin-Huxley neural dynamics in 3 channel variables, each with 16 parameters defining channel conductance, reversal potential, and voltage-dependence profile of the channel kinetics. Likewise, 12 synaptic channel variables implement a rate-based first-order kinetic model of neurotransmitter and receptor dynamics, accounting for NMDA and non-NMDA type chemical synapses. The biophysical origin of all 384 parameters in 24 channel variables supports direct interpretation of the results of adapting/tuning the parameters in terms of neurobiology. We present experimental results from the chip characterizing single neuron dynamics, single synapse dynamics, and multi-neuron network dynamics showing phase-locking behavior as a function of synaptic coupling strength. Uniform temporal scaling of the dynamics of membrane and gating variables is demonstrated by tuning a single current parameter, yielding variable speed output exceeding real time. The 0.5 CMOS chip measures 3 mm 3 mm, and consumes 1.29 mW.
TL;DR: A bacteria growth monitoring technique using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor capacitive sensor and two interdigitized reference and sensing electrodes with differential capacitive readout architecture is presented.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a bacteria growth monitoring technique using a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor capacitive sensor. The proposed platform features a differential capacitive readout architecture with two interdigitized reference and sensing electrodes. These electrodes are exposed to pure Luria-Bertani (LB) medium and Escherichia Coli (E. Coli) bacteria suspended in the LB medium, respectively. In order to direct the solutions toward the electrodes, two microfluidic channels are implemented atop the electrodes through a direct-write assembly technique. We thereafter demonstrate and discuss the experimental results by using two different bacteria concentrations in the order of 106 and 107 per 1 mL in the LB medium.
TL;DR: Experimental results show that the subjects' SSVEP can successfully control the multimedia device through the proposed BCI system with high identification accuracy, and implementing a prototype of the SSVEp-based BCI multimedia control system verifies the effectiveness of the proposed system.
Abstract: This paper proposes a low-cost field-programmable gate-array (FPGA)-based brain-computer interface (BCI) multimedia control system, different from the BCI system, which uses bulky and expensive electroencephalography (EEG) measurement equipment, personal computer, and commercial real-time signal-processing software. The proposed system combines a customized stimulation panel, a brainwave-acquisition circuit, and an FPGA-based real-time signal processor and allows users to use their brainwave to communicate with or control multimedia devices by themselves. This study also designs a light-emitting diode stimulation panel instead of cathode ray tube or liquid-crystal display used in existing studies, to induce a stronger steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP), a kind of EEG, used as the input signal of the proposed BCI system. Implementing a prototype of the SSVEP-based BCI multimedia control system verifies the effectiveness of the proposed system. Experimental results show that the subjects' SSVEP can successfully control the multimedia device through the proposed BCI system with high identification accuracy.
TL;DR: A neuromorphic analog chip is presented that is capable of implementing massively parallel neural computations while retaining the programmability of digital systems and provides a platform for not only simulating detailed neuron dynamics but also uses the same to interface with actual cells in applications such as a dynamic clamp.
Abstract: A neuromorphic analog chip is presented that is capable of implementing massively parallel neural computations while retaining the programmability of digital systems. We show measurements from neurons with Hopf bifurcations and integrate and fire neurons, excitatory and inhibitory synapses, passive dendrite cables, coupled spiking neurons, and central pattern generators implemented on the chip. This chip provides a platform for not only simulating detailed neuron dynamics but also uses the same to interface with actual cells in applications such as a dynamic clamp. There are 28 computational analog blocks (CAB), each consisting of ion channels with tunable parameters, synapses, winner-take-all elements, current sources, transconductance amplifiers, and capacitors. There are four other CABs which have programmable bias generators. The programmability is achieved using floating gate transistors with on-chip programming control. The switch matrix for interconnecting the components in CABs also consists of floating-gate transistors. Emphasis is placed on replicating the detailed dynamics of computational neural models. Massive computational area efficiency is obtained by using the reconfigurable interconnect as synaptic weights, resulting in more than 50 000 possible 9-b accurate synapses in 9 mm2.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the first demonstration of a fully customized mixed-signal silicon chip that has most of the attributes required for use in a wearable or implantable BSN.
Abstract: Recent years have seen the rapid development of biosensor technology, system-on-chip design, wireless technology. and ubiquitous computing. When assembled into an autonomous body sensor network (BSN), the technologies become powerful tools in well-being monitoring, medical diagnostics, and personal connectivity. In this paper, we describe the first demonstration of a fully customized mixed-signal silicon chip that has most of the attributes required for use in a wearable or implantable BSN. Our intellectual-property blocks include low-power analog sensor interface for temperature and pH, a data multiplexing and conversion module, a digital platform based around an 8-b microcontroller, data encoding for spread-spectrum wireless transmission, and a RF section requiring very few off-chip components. The chip has been fully evaluated and tested by connection to external sensors, and it satisfied typical system requirements.
TL;DR: The results show that the emitters have sufficient radiance at the required wavelength to stimulate neurons expressing channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) and the system optically integrated into a microscope environment and patch clamp electrophysiology.
Abstract: Here, we demonstrate the use of a micro light emitting diode (LED) array as a powerful tool for complex spatiotemporal control of photosensitized neurons. The array can generate arbitrary, 2-D, excitation patterns with millisecond and micrometer resolution. In particular, we describe an active matrix control address system to allow simultaneous control of 256 individual micro LEDs. We present the system optically integrated into a microscope environment and patch clamp electrophysiology. The results show that the emitters have sufficient radiance at the required wavelength to stimulate neurons expressing channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2).
TL;DR: This paper eliminates the restrictions associated with a rectifier to produce and channel 30 μW from a periodic 72- μW piezoelectric source into a battery directly and increases the system's electrical damping force to draw more power and energy from the transducer, effectively increasing its mechanical-electrical efficiency by up to 78%.
Abstract: A fundamental problem that miniaturized systems, such as biomedical implants, face is limited space for storing energy, which translates to short operational life. Harvesting energy from the surrounding environment, which is virtually a boundless source at these scales, can overcome this restriction, if losses in the system are sufficiently low. To that end, the 2-μm bi-complementary metal-oxide semiconductor switched-inductor piezoelectric harvester prototype evaluated and presented in this paper eliminates the restrictions associated with a rectifier to produce and channel 30 μW from a periodic 72- μW piezoelectric source into a battery directly. In doing so, the circuit also increases the system's electrical damping force to draw more power and energy from the transducer, effectively increasing its mechanical-electrical efficiency by up to 78%. The system also harnesses up to 659 nJ from nonperiodic mechanical vibrations, which are more prevalent in the environment, with 6.1±1.5% to 8.8±6.9% of end-to-end mechanical-electrical efficiency.
TL;DR: Experimental results indicate that it is possible to attach cancer biomarkers to functionalized CMOS-SAW sensor surfaces and selectively detect hMAM antigens with improved sensitivities, lowered costs, and increased repeatability of fabrication.
Abstract: Design, fabrication, and characterization of a novel surface acoustic wave (SAW) biosensor in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology are introduced. The biosensor employs a streptavidin/biotin-based five-layer immunoassay for detecting a prominent breast cancer biomarker, mammoglobin (hMAM). There is a growing demand to develop a sensitive and specific assay to detect biomarkers in serum that could be used in the early detection of breast cancer, determining prognosis and monitoring therapy. CMOS-SAW devices present a viable alternative to the existing biosensor technologies by providing higher sensitivity levels and better performance at low costs. Two architectures (circular and rectangular) were developed and respective tests were presented for performance comparison. The sensitivities of the devices were analyzed primarily based on center frequency shifts. A frequency sensitivity of 8.704 pg/Hz and a mass sensitivity of 2810.25 m2 /kg were obtained. Selectivity tests were carried out against bovine serum albumin. Experimental results indicate that it is possible to attach cancer biomarkers to functionalized CMOS-SAW sensor surfaces and selectively detect hMAM antigens with improved sensitivities, lowered costs, and increased repeatability of fabrication.
TL;DR: This paper demonstrates a low-power low-voltage sensor readout circuit which could be easily powered up with an inductive link and has potential applications in the monitoring of blood glucose level, lactate in the bloodstream, and pH or oxygen in a physiological system/environment.
Abstract: Low voltage and low power are two key requirements for on-chip realization of wireless power and data telemetry for applications in biomedical sensor instrumentation. Batteryless operation and wireless telemetry facilitate robust, reliable, and longer lifetime of the implant unit. As an ongoing research work, this paper demonstrates a low-power low-voltage sensor readout circuit which could be easily powered up with an inductive link. This paper presents two versions of readout circuits that have been designed and fabricated in bulk complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes. Either version can detect a sensor current in the range of 0.2 μA to 2 μA and generate square-wave data signal whose frequency is proportional to the sensor current. The first version of the circuit is fabricated in a 0.35-μ m CMOS process and it can generate an amplitude-shift-keying (ASK) signal while consuming 400 μ W of power with a 1.5-V power supply. Measurement results indicate that the ASK chip generates 76 Hz to 500 Hz frequency of a square-wave data signal for the specified sensor current range. The second version of the readout circuit is fabricated in a 0.5-μ m CMOS process and produces a frequency-shift-keying (FSK) signal while consuming 1.675 mW of power with a 2.5-V power supply. The generated data frequency from the FSK chip is 1 kHz and 9 kHz for the lowest and the highest sensor currents, respectively. Measurement results confirm the functionalities of both prototype schemes. The prototype circuit has potential applications in the monitoring of blood glucose level, lactate in the bloodstream, and pH or oxygen in a physiological system/environment.
TL;DR: An unconventional design method is proposed for a high-efficiency energy transmission transformer (ETT) that can transmit energy transcutaneously to small implantable medical devices using electromagnetic induction.
Abstract: Small implantable medical devices, such as wireless capsule endoscopes, that can be swallowed have previously been developed. However, these devices cannot continuously operate for more than 8 h because of battery limitations; moreover, additional functionalities cannot be introduced. This paper proposes a design method for a high-efficiency energy transmission transformer (ETT) that can transmit energy transcutaneously to small implantable medical devices using electromagnetic induction. First, the authors propose an unconventional design method to develop such a high-efficiency ETT. This method can be readily used to calculate the exact transmission efficiency for changes in the material and design parameters (i.e., the magnetic material, transmission frequency, load resistance, etc.). Next, the ac-to-ac energy transmission efficiency is calculated and compared with experimental measurements. Then, suitable conditions for practical transmission are identified. A maximum efficiency of 33.1% can be obtained at a transmission frequency of 500 kHz and a receiving power of 100 mW for a receiving coil size of ?5 mm × 20 mm. Future design optimization is possible by using this method.
TL;DR: A BAW-based transceiver targeting wireless networks for biomedical applications, using high-Q microelectromechanical-systems resonators brings interesting benefits to the fundamental building blocks of the frequency synthesis, receiver, and transmitter and allows achieving at the same time low-power consumption, improved phase noise, and high selectivity in the receiver and transmitter paths.
Abstract: This paper presents a BAW-based transceiver targeting wireless networks for biomedical applications. The use of high-Q microelectromechanical-systems resonators brings interesting benefits to the fundamental building blocks of the frequency synthesis, receiver, and transmitter and allows achieving at the same time low-power consumption, improved phase noise, and high selectivity in the receiver and transmitter paths. In the baseband, the power consumption is minimized thanks to the use of a phase analog-to-digital converter (ADC) which directly quantizes the phase of the received signal instead of using two separate amplitude ADCs. A complete wireless node composed of the transceiver integrated circuit (IC) and a microprocessing IC, both integrated in a standard digital 0.18-μm complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology are described and validated by measurement results. The RF carrier phase noise is -136.2 dBc/Hz at 1-MHz offset. The transmitter demonstrates 1-Mb/s Gaussian frequency-shift keying modulation at an output power of 5.4 dBm with an overall current of 35 mA, in compliance with Bluetooth and Bluetooth low energy output spectrum requirements. At the receiver, further investigations are needed to find the origins of an unexpected sensitivity of -75 dBm at 200 kb/s.
TL;DR: Experimental results on backside mucosa of a human tongue and pig's small intestine showed that the wireless NBI capsules endoscope can significantly improve the image quality, compared with a commercial-of-the-shelf capsule endoscope for gastrointestinal tract diagnosis.
Abstract: This paper presents a dual-mode capsule gastrointestinal endoscope device. An endoscope combined with a narrowband image (NBI), has been shown to be a superior diagnostic tool for early stage tissue neoplasms detection. Nevertheless, a wireless capsule endoscope with the narrowband imaging technology has not been presented in the market up to now. The narrowband image acquisition and power dissipation reduction are the main challenges of NBI capsule endoscope. In this paper, we present the first narrowband imaging capsule endoscope that can assist clinical doctors to effectively diagnose early gastrointestinal cancers, profited from our dedicated dual-mode complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) sensor. The dedicated dual-mode CMOS sensor can offer white-light and narrowband images. Implementation results show that the proposed 512 × 512 CMOS sensor consumes only 2 mA at a 3-V power supply. The average current of the NBI capsule with an 8-Mb/s RF transmitter is nearly 7 ~ 8 mA that can continuously work for 6 ~ 8 h with two 1.5-V 80-mAh button batteries while the frame rate is 2 fps. Experimental results on backside mucosa of a human tongue and pig's small intestine showed that the wireless NBI capsule endoscope can significantly improve the image quality, compared with a commercial-of-the-shelf capsule endoscope for gastrointestinal tract diagnosis.
TL;DR: SEMG signal's study at different locations, including pressure points, will be a very helpful tool for the researchers in understanding the behavior of SEMG for the development of the prosthetic hand.
Abstract: Surface electromyogram (SEMG) is a common method of measurement of muscle activity. It is noninvasive and is measured with minimal risk to the subject. The analysis of SEMG signal depends on a number of factors, such as amplitude as well as time- and frequency-domain properties. In the present investigation, the study of SEMG signals at different below elbow muscles for four operations of the hand wrist/grip-like opening (op)/closing (cl)/down (d)/up (u) was carried out. Myoelectric signals were extracted by using a single-channel SEMG amplifier consisting of a differential amplifier, noninverting amplifier, and interface module. Matlab softscope was used to acquire the SEMG signal from the hardware. After acquiring the data from six selected locations, interpretations were made for the estimation of parameters of the SEMG using the Matlab-filter algorithm and the fast Fourier transform technique. An interpretation of wrist/grip operations using principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out. PCA was used to identify the best SEMG signal capturing system out of two-channel, three-channel, and four-channel systems. Two acupressure points (on wrist) were also selected for the analysis with other points on the arm. SEMG signal's study at different locations, including pressure points, will be a very helpful tool for the researchers in understanding the behavior of SEMG for the development of the prosthetic hand.
TL;DR: This work uses a batteryless implantable pain-control SoC that is effective in pain reduction, using a low stimulation voltage that avoids causing thermal damage to dorsal root ganglion (DRG) tissue.
Abstract: This paper presents the implementation of a batteryless CMOS SoC with low voltage pulsed radio-frequency (PRF) stimulation. This implantable SoC uses 402 MHz command signals following the medical implanted communication system (MICS) standard and a low frequency (1 MHz) for RF power transmission. A body floating type rectifier achieves 84% voltage conversion ratio. A bi-phasic pulse train of 1.4 V and 500 kHz is delivered by a PRF driver circuit. The PRF parameters include pulse duration, pulse frequency and repetition rate, which are controllable via 402 MHz RF receiver. The minimal required 3 V RF Vin and 2.2 V VDDr is achieved at 18 mm gap. The SoC chip is fabricated in a 0.35 μm CMOS process and mounted on a PCB with a flexible spiral antenna. The packaged PRF SoC was implanted into rats for the animal study. Von Frey was applied to test the mechanical allodynia in a blinded manner. This work has successfully demonstrated that implanted CMOS SoC stimulating DRG with 1.4 V, 500 kHz PRF could significantly reduce spinal nerve ligation (SNL) induced mechanical allodynia for 3-7 days.
TL;DR: These filters are used as low-distortion delay elements along with an automatic biopotential detector to perform integral waveform extraction and efficient power management and are implemented employing continuous-time OTA-C filters featuring 9th-order equiripple transfer functions with constant group delay.
Abstract: We present the design and implementation of linear-phase delay filters for ultra-low-power signal processing in neural recording implants. We use these filters as low-distortion delay elements along with an automatic biopotential detector to perform integral waveform extraction and efficient power management. The presented delay elements are realized employing continuous-time OTA-C filters featuring 9th-order equiripple transfer functions with constant group delay. Such analog delay enables processing neural waveforms with reduced overhead compared to a digital delay since it does not requires sampling and digitization. It uses an allpass transfer function for achieving wider constant-delay bandwidth than all-pole does. Two filters realizations are compared for implementing the delay element: the Cascaded structure and the Inverse follow-the-leader feedback filter. Their respective strengths and drawbacks are assessed by modeling parasitics and non-idealities of OTAs, and by transistor-level simulations. A budget of 200 nA is used in both filters. Experimental measurements with the chosen filter topology are presented and discussed.
TL;DR: The design and development of an optoelectronic lock-in amplifier (LIA) for optical sensing and spectroscopy applications and the output versus input relationship has shown good linearity.
Abstract: We describe the design and development of an optoelectronic lock-in amplifier (LIA) for optical sensing and spectroscopy applications. The prototype amplifier is fabricated using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. complementary metal-oxide semiconductor 0.35-μm technology and uses a phototransistor array (total active area is 400 μm × 640μm) to convert the incident optical signals into electrical currents. The photocurrents are then converted into voltage signals using a transimpedance amplifier for subsequent convenient signal processing by the LIA circuitry. The LIA is optimized to be operational at 20-kHz modulation frequency but is operational in the frequency range from 13 kHz to 25 kHz. The system is tested with a light-emitting diode (LED) as the light source. The noise and signal distortions are suppressed with filters and a phase-locked loop (PLL) implemented in the LIA. The output dc voltage of the LIA is proportional to the incident optical power. The minimum measured dynamic reserve and sensitivity are 1.31 dB and 34 mV/μW, respectively. The output versus input relationship has shown good linearity. The LIA consumes an average power of 12.79 mW with a 3.3-V dc power supply.
TL;DR: A magnetic position tracking system suitable for real-time tracking of the transponder for radiation assessment and delivery and an error of less than 2 mm is achieved in the demonstration.
Abstract: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) requires precise delivery of the prescribed dose of radiation to the target and surrounding tissue. Irradiation of moving body anatomy is possible only if stable, accurate, and reliable information about the moving body structures are provided in real time. This paper presents a magnetic position tracking system for radiation therapy. The proposed system uses only four transmitting coils and an implantable transponder. The four transmitting coils generate a magnetic field which is sensed and measured by a biaxial magnetoresistive sensor in the transponder in the tumor. The transponder transmits the information back to a computer to determine the position of the transponder allowing it to track the tumor in real time. The transmission of the information from the transponder to the computer can be wired or wireless. Measurements using a biaxial sensor agree well with the field strength calculated from the ideal equations. The translation from the measurement data to the 3-D location and orientation requires a numerical technique because the equations are in nonclosed forms. The algorithm of tracking is implemented using MATLAB. Each calculation of the position along the target trajectory takes 30 ms, which makes the proposed system suitable for real-time tracking of the transponder for radiation assessment and delivery. An error of less than 2 mm is achieved in the demonstration.