Listen to your heart with wearable sensor
Small, low power healthcare sensors from Maxim Integrated enable new wearable health and fitness use cases at half the power, says the company.
Temperature measurement power can be halved using the MAX30208 clinical-grade digital temperature sensor, claims Maxim, and developers can also shrink optical product size by 40 per cent with the MAXM86161 in-ear heart-rate monitor. The company adds that design engineers can improve both sensitivity and accuracy with the highest SNR using the MAXM86161.
The MAXM86161 in-ear heart-rate monitor and pulse oximeter is claimed to be the market’s smallest, integrated device that delivers highly accurate heart-rate and SpO2 measurements from hearables and other wearable applications. It is optimised for in-ear applications with its industry-leading small package size (40 per cent less than the closest competitor, according to Maxim) and best-in-class SNR (3dB improvement with band limiting signal for PPG use cases compared to closest competitor). MAXM86161 delivers approximately 35 per cent lower power, with less than 10 microA operating power (typical at 25sps) and 1.6 microA in shutdown mode. An integrated analogue front-end (AFE) eliminates the additional AFE typically needed to procure a separate chip and connect to the optical module, notes Maxim.
The MAX30208 digital temperature sensor delivers clinical-grade temperature measurement accuracy (±0.1 degrees C) with fast response time to changes in temperature. It also meets the power and size demands of small, battery-powered applications such as smart watches and medical patches. It measures temperature at the top of the device and, unlike conventional monitors, does not suffer from thermal self-heating. MAX30208 is compatible with up to four I2C addresses to enable multiple sensors on the same IC bus. The MAX30208 can be attached to either a PCB or a flex printed circuit (FPC).
The MAXM86161 is available in an OLGA package (2.9 x 4.3 x 1.4mm). It includes three LEDs (red and infra red for SpO2 measurement and green for heart rate). The MAX30208 is available in a 10-pin thin LGA package (2.0 x 2.0 x 0.75mm).
