Maxim Integrated — MAXREFDES103 Health Sensor Platform

Maxim Integrated MAXREFDES103 Health Sensor Platform

New reference design accelerates development of wrist-worn heart-rate and SpO2 monitoring devices.

Maxim Integrated has introduced a comprehensive reference design platform which shortens the development time for the heart-rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) monitoring functions in wrist-worn consumer or medical devices.

The MAXREFDES103# is a complete system including a host controller board, sensor board and monitoring algorithms, supplied in a wearable form factor including a wristband enclosure and straps. It demonstrates the high sensitivity of the Maxim optical sensing components and of its ready-to-use biometrics algorithms.

The MAXREFDES103# platform consists of two main boards. The host controller board is based on the MAX32630, a microcontroller which has an Arm^® Cortex^®-M4F processor core, powered by an MAX20303 power-management IC. This controller board also features a Panasonic Bluetooth^® Low Energy radio to connect to a smartphone or tablet.

The reference design’s sensor board is centered on the MAX86141, an optical analog front end connected to green, red and infrared LEDs and two photodiodes. The sensor signals from the MAX86141 are processed by the sensor board’s MAX32664C MCU. Using the principle of photoplethysmography (PPG), the sensor board’s embedded algorithms convert the MAX86141’s optical sensor signals into calculated values for heart rate, heart-rate variability and SpO2.

The MAXREFDES103# platform also includes a MAXDAP Pico Adapter board for use during firmware upgrades to the host controller board. Maxim supplies the reference design with hardware design files, firmware, and software.

Both the algorithms’ output and the raw PPG data can be streamed via the Bluetooth connection to an Android™ platform app or a PC GUI for demonstration, evaluation, and custom development.