ADI offers front end chip for medical apps

MANHASSET, NY -- Analog Devices, Inc. introduced a low-power, single-lead, heart-rate monitor analog front end (AFE) for a wide range of vital sign monitoring applications.

The AD8232 AFE is 50 percent smaller and uses up to 20 percent less power than competing solutions. The resulting power, size and level of integration enable designers to develop heart rate and cardiac monitor devices for use outside of critical-care settings in areas such as personal.

The AFE AD8232 incorporates a two-pole, high-pass filter that is tightly coupled with the IC’s instrumentation amplifier architecture, and an uncommitted operational (gain) amplifier that enables the user to employ multi-pole low pass filtering techniques to remove line noise and other interference.

With an analog output, the AD8232 can be paired with either a discrete A/D converter or a microcontroller with an embedded A/D converter, which provides system designers with the flexibility to deliver a new level of value and performance for fitness and healthcare monitoring.

“ADI believes the AD8232 offers manufacturers a better partitioned, more balanced signal processing architecture with greater flexibility in terms of back-end component selection and filter design,” said Patrick O’Doherty, vice president, Healthcare Segment, Analog Devices, in a statement.

In addition to the instrumentation and gain amplifier, the AD8232 heart-rate monitor AFE incorporates a reference buffer, right leg drive circuit and shutdown function. The AD8232 also includes user-selectable (AC or DC) leads-off detect circuitry that monitors when an electrode is disconnected from the patient or user, providing an alert to the system.