Schwarzmeier A, Reuter LM, Mena-Carrillo J, Weber W, Fischer G, Weigel R, Kissinger D (2012)
Publication Type: Conference contribution
Publication year: 2012
Conference Proceedings Title: 46th annual conference of the German Society for Biomedical Engineering
Event location: Jena, Germany
Introduction This paper presents a scalable, flexible and energy efficient embedded communication platform for seamless data transfer of medical sensor signals from the sensor acquisition point to a medical service centre. The presented platform can be used as an assistance system for improved medical support and care of patients and lifestyle users by providing vital parameter data to the service centre for a variety of individual assistance services. Methods The presented hardware platform is comprised of two functional blocks. A sensor platform has been implemented containing a medical device controller for collection of the data of various medical sensors connected via an analog front end or by an integrated Bluetooth transceiver module. Furthermore, a communication module including an A-GPS receiver enables GSM and UMTS data and voice connections to a central infrastructure and provides positioning data of the patient current location. The software protocol stack for the sensor data transmission is kept flexible in order to allow different communication standards. Special emphasis has been put on the energy management concept to optimize the battery life time and increase patient acceptance. Results The modular hardware and software co-design allows the connection of a wide range of different medical sensors, adjusted to the patient needs and specific use case. The use of data reduction and pre-processing techniques allows a reduction of the amount of data transferred to the infrastructure. Additionally, the centralized aggregation of sensor data enables short transmission times. This, in conjunction with an application specific energy management concept, leads to an increased battery life time. Conclusion The presented platform allows the collection of vital parameters from a variety of medical sensors for personal assistance of patients and elderly people. This concept allows new possibilities in diagnosis and treatment with the goal of an increased quality of life through the extension of independent at-home living periods.
APA:
Schwarzmeier, A., Reuter, L.M., Mena-Carrillo, J., Weber, W., Fischer, G., Weigel, R., & Kissinger, D. (2012). A Low-Power Embedded Communication Platform for Medical Applications. In 46th annual conference of the German Society for Biomedical Engineering. Jena, Germany.
MLA:
Schwarzmeier, Andre, et al. "A Low-Power Embedded Communication Platform for Medical Applications." Proceedings of the 46th annual conference of the German Society for Biomedical Engineering, Jena, Germany 2012.
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