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Home > Solutions > Diagnosis & Treatment > Development of "RTL8762C-based wearable health monitoring and care alert" system

Development of "RTL8762C-based wearable health monitoring and care alert" system

This device will be ideal for these mental state tests. Our design purpose is to use a heart rate change monitor and environmental sensors to continuously monitor the child. If a situation such as a rapid heartbeat and chaotic surrounding environmental conditions is detected, nearby caregivers will be alerted. This will enable the caregiver to take appropriate measures to calm the child before the situation worsens.

1. System overview

According to related reports, approximately 1 out of every 68 children worldwide is diagnosed with autism. Children with autism must overcome enormous challenges that interfere with their learning and social life. Health problems associated with autism include repetitive behavior, nonverbal communication, aggressive behavior, and social hatred. Simple routine changes or feeling overloaded may make children with autism feel irritable, sometimes responding loudly and violently. This is a common result of autism. "Using incomprehensible and unused words" is called specific language impairment (SLI). The common solution is to rescue the child from the depressive situation and place them in a quiet room. The destructive power of these emotional outbursts is great, and sometimes it is dangerous for children with autism and other children. It is recommended to wear a health monitoring mobile device, so we design a wearable device to be used for children with autism disorder (ASD) to determine in advance whether the child will have a nervous attack and to remind the caregiver to take action. Hopefully, we can also collect data about children's surroundings and help health professionals improve the treatment process of every child with autism. Current wearable technologies (such as fit bits or Apple Watch) produce enhanced sensory stimulation which may stimulate a child's self-esteem. Therefore, a new generation of wearable health monitors will be required to be different. Instead, our wearable devices will be integrated into the ordinary clothing of children with autism disorder (ASD). This includes hats, inflatable vests, earphones and hearing aids or shoes. This will allow children with autism disorder (ASD) to use health monitors with minimal disruption. These therapeutic tests will try to accurately simulate the auditory or visual sensations to reduce stress and calm them down when under stress. The current common medical biosensing devices are bulky and invasive, so our health monitors limit the number of factors that contribute to the occurrence of patients’ diseases. This device will be an ideal choice for these mental state tests. Our design goal is to use a heart rate change monitor and environmental sensors to continuously monitor the child. If a situation such as a rapid heartbeat and chaotic surrounding environmental conditions is detected, nearby caregivers will be alerted. This will enable the caregiver to take appropriate measures to calm the child before the situation worsens.

Program features

  1. Heart rate variability monitoring
  2. Wearable technology (casual and comfortable design)
  3. Wireless data transmission
  4. Environmental sensors (microphone, accelerometer, photodiode, thermistor, etc.)
  5. Chargeable
  6. Caregiver Alert System

Other optional project functions

These functions will be incorporated into new wearable systems in the future. Mainly discussed the addition of infrared and sound therapy to help caregivers calm down the child. There are some great artificial intelligences included that can understand which environmental conditions are interfering with most of the child's situation, and can even contact caregivers faster.

  1. Electroencephalogram (EEG)
  2. A variety of wearable styles to suit children with different ASD
  3. Infrared therapy
  4. Sound therapy
  5. Deep inflatable pressure vest
  6. miniaturization
  7. artificial intelligence

With the significant advancement of wireless communication technology and the miniaturization of electronics, telemedicine and wearable biosensing devices are becoming achievable reality. This new technology can be used to track the body, heart rate, and more monitoring characteristics. Wearable health monitors and nursing monitoring systems will combine biosensing and wireless communication technologies to improve the quality of life of children with autism and prevent disease. The wearable device will also monitor the surrounding environment, heart rhythm, and children's activity changes, and provide a real-time alarm system to notify the nearest caregiver to provide assistance to children with autism. Wearable devices collect data through these sensors and help nurses and other health professionals to improve the care of children with autism. The health goal monitoring program will greatly improve autism and reduce the burden of life on their families, and provide data to help treat some diseases related to autism. Today, treatment and research involving autism have come a long way, but treatment and diagnosis technologies are still under development. Wearable health monitoring and environmental sensors will help us provide health professionals with more information and assistance.

 

1.1 Introduction of Realtek Bluetooth 5.0 Low Energy Single Chip (RTL8762C)

General description

  1. Support Bluetooth 5.0 (RTL8762C series)
  2. Support Bluetooth 4.2 (RTL8752C series)
  3. LE 2Mbps
  4. LE broadcast extension
  5. LE long range
  6. High Duty Cycle Non-Connection Adv
  7. Supports OTA (Over-the-Air)

Cortex-M4 processor

  1. ARM Cortex-M4 max 40MHz (RTL8762C series), or 20MHz (RTL8752C series)
  2. Total 160KB SRAM
  3. Serial flash memory controller (one-bit and four-bit mode) with 16KB 4-way cache
  4. Support AES128/192/256 encryption/decryption engine

RF performance

  1.   Transmit power: 0/4/7.5dBm configurable (refer to datasheet for details)
  2.   Receiving sensitivity: -97dBm BLE
  3.   Fast AGC control to improve receiving dynamic range

Peripheral interface

  1. Flexible GPIO design
  2. Hardware Keyscan and Quad-decoder
  3. Embedded IR transceiver
  4. Real Time Counter (RTC)
  5. SPI master/slave x 2; timer x 8; I2C x 2; PWM x 8; UART x 2
  6. 400ksps, 12bit, 8-channel AUXADC
  7. I2S interface for external audio codec
  8. I8080 interface for LCD
  9. Internal 32K RCOSC maintains BLE link
  10. Embedded PGA and audio ADC with 5-band equalizer

IC model table

Figure 1 IC model table diagram

1.2 Application design using RTL8762C chip

Figure 1 Block diagram of wearable design

Wearable devices will utilize Bluetooth wireless MCU and its extensive peripheral resources. In order to solve multiple peripheral problems, the Bluetooth wireless MCU will need a 1x12-bit ADC channel, GPIO port, I2C connection, SPI connection and UART. The signal of the Bluetooth wireless MCU can handle basic DSP digital filtering, FFT and other calculations, which requires the ARM processor to have a DSP algorithm library. RTL8762C is a core based on ARM Ctorx M4F. It is also the Bluetooth chip with the lowest receiving power consumption in the industry. It can be applied to various IoT smart devices such as Bluetooth remote controls, Bluetooth bracelets, and smart homes. The RTL8762C has a built-in voice processing unit to add high value-added applications such as voice to low-power Bluetooth products. It also supports the latest Bluetooth 5.0 specification and supports the BT SIG self-organizing mesh protocol to help manufacturers easily connect Bluetooth to achieve IoT applications. In addition, RTL8762C also supports the automatic pairing function, which simplifies the pairing process and makes it easy to access peripheral devices in life.

1.2.1 Introduction to Bluetooth wireless MCU resources

Bluetooth wireless MCU needs 1x12-bit ADC channel to process analog input. These signals will be pre-processed on the board to meet the voltage and current parameters of the Bluetooth wireless MCU (0-3.3V, less than 200mA), and then applied to the ADC. The I2C port will mainly handle the activity monitor input. Finally, the wireless unit will communicate with the board via UART and GPIO. The debug pins and programmable I/O pins will be connected to the peripheral's SPI/GPIO port accordingly.

Figure 2 RTL8762C module design diagram

1.2.2 Data storage type and size requirements

The wearable device will record the user's data and will wirelessly distribute it to the caregiver's receiver within 24 hours. This ensures that additional data storage chips are used to process large amounts of data. Approximately 1GB of data storage space will be used to store these collected data.

1.2.3 Specifications of other devices and peripherals

Electrocardiogram (EKG) sensor

-The EKG design will include two electrodes for measuring heart rate and heart rate changes. According to the age and weight of the wearer, if the wearer's heartbeat increases without physical exercise, the device will alert the nursing staff through wireless communication.

Figure 3 EKG design drawing

Activity monitor-measures the user's activity level and helps provide better feedback to caregivers. If the user happens to be exercising or doing some aerobic exercise, the device will take this into account before sending the alert to the caregiver. This is likely to be accomplished by using a combination of devices, including accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers.

Figure 4 Heart rate monitoring design diagram

Microphone

Measure the audio frequency spectrum of the surrounding environment, and collect data on the possible causes of the user's heart rate variability monitoring higher than the nominal level. Given that children with autism are very sensitive to sensory input, the collected data can provide valuable feedback. The RF unit will have a fully integrated radio transceiver and baseband processor. The wireless communication system will allow caregivers to send and receive data between wearable devices and smart phones.

Figure 5 Mic design diagram

1.2.4 Power supply

This wearable device will be powered by a 3.7V lithium-ion button battery, which will be converted to a regulated voltage of 3.3V and the current will not exceed 1A. This will require a buck-boost regulator to ensure that the regulated voltage remains at 3.3V. In order to obtain the best efficiency, a switching regulator will be implemented with no-load efficiency greater than 85% and full-load efficiency as high as 97%. Ideally, the selected IC will have integrated FETs to reduce the power supply footprint and create a local power supply for heat dissipation. A buck regulator will also be added as a battery charge controller to convert the 5V input to 4.2V. The regulator will require up to 500mA of charging current limiter, charging indicator pin, integrated FETS and charging end control pin. For safety reasons, the location of the USB port or internal circuitry will prevent users from charging the device when it wears out.

Figure 6 Power design diagram

2. Software system-level description and specifications

The programming language associated with this project is C, the embedded design language programmers are most accustomed to using. The selected Real-Time Kernel type is FreeRTOS, and the peripheral devices of this project will need to perform multitasking, because the Bluetooth wireless MCU will receive input from multiple sources. Time management will be the key, and the Bluetooth wireless MCU will perform a lot of digital signal processing, including filtering and fast Fourier transform. Considering that the blood rate of change is the target element of the EKG sensor, other important algorithms include algorithms related to heart rate variability monitoring. All source codes used are open source or public domain licensable codes.

1.1 Safety matters

 

Whenever the device is tested, the wearable device will be powered only by the battery, which will prevent it from exceeding the design specifications. The voltage used will not exceed 12V. The wearable device can be charged only when the device is not in use, thereby preventing any dangerous voltage from being applied to the device while the device is being worn.

1.2 Product demonstration

The demonstration of the project will include a demonstrator demonstrating the functions of the wearable device, including an activity monitor, microphone and EKG. The data collected by the wearable device will be transmitted to the current screen through wireless communication, where MATLAB will acquire the data and draw it in real time. For the demonstration, a desktop computer will be needed to depict the data in real time, and a 6-foot-long poster will be used to summarize the design and design process of the wearable device, as well as the layout of functions and purposes after the project is constructed.

3. Prototype design description

power supply:

  • Verify the current and voltage output of the charge controller
  • When using USB + 5V, the LED indicator board is charging the battery
  • Motherboard 3.3V LDO produces stable voltage output
  • AFE 3.3V LDO generates stable voltage output
  • Use J-Link EDU Mini to download the BLE Beacon open source code to the Bluetooth wireless MCU to prove that the Bluetooth wireless MCU is working properly and ready to be coded
  • The internal clock of the Bluetooth wireless MCU is operating normally
  • Bluetooth wireless MCU running in low power mode

ECG:

  • When AFE LDO is enabled, EKG will accurately measure the user's heart rate
  • When there is no noise (such as exercise, breathing difficulties, etc.), the signal is very clean.
  • The voltage range of the EKG signal should be applied within the specification range of the input to the ADC.

 

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