An extensible embedded terminal platform for wireless telemonitoring

This paper proposes an embedded terminal platform for wireless telemonitoring, which supplies extensible digital interface to biomedical sensors, with a thorough power management unit, a user-friendly interface design and ingenious driver programs to support hardware operations. The digital interface connects the S3C2440 processor with various biomedical sensors to collect physiological signals such as blood pressure, SPO2, respiration, ECG. The signal is processed and sent to the remote workstation with 3G or wireless network in real-time, physiological parameter is displayed on the LCD, the power management unit supplies power of various voltages to the system as well as to sensors through electronic switch for energy saving, and it is also responsible for charging the lithium battery. Special circuit is designed for system startup and soft shutdown; the drivers act as a bridge between software and hardware such as ADC port, GPIO port and USB. The platform is implemented as a patient handheld terminal and tested along with the remote workstation, the results show that the platform is efficient, energy saving, and easy to extend, thus very useful in wireless telemonitoring applications.