When a paramedic or other pre-hospital medical professional is caring for a patient in the field, the equipment used must be reliable, lightweight, rugged, and easy to use. After all, the field could be an accident scene, a battlefield, a commercial airplane, or even a luxury yacht. These are the types of unpredictable environments that Remote Diagnostics Technologies (RDT), a Philips business unit located in Hampshire, U.K., knows well. Philips RDT is a leader in developing innovative remote monitoring and resuscitation solutions for pre-hospital and critical care services.
When the company was founded, its aim was to address challenges around monitoring patients in remote locations and securely transmitting medical data in real time to trusted support or care organizations. Philips RDT now has more than 100 specialist engineers, designers, and developers and is internationally recognized for its state-of-the-art medical monitoring solutions. The company joined the Royal Philips family in June 2018.
Philips RDT's Electronics team is responsible for designing and developing the electronics hardware for the company's vital signs medical monitoring equipment and accessories. One of its key products is the Tempus Pro, an advanced vital signs monitor. Small and light enough to hold in one hand, the Tempus Pro provides summary record of care data acquisition and sharing, real-time telemedicine, ultrasound, video laryngoscopy, and an anesthetic gas module.
When the team was developing the device, it needed a real-time clock (RTC) IC with a calendar. Given the specifications of its portable device, the RTC needed to have a small footprint, the required temperature and voltage supply ranges, I2C compatibility, and low current consumption, noted Neil Lundy, technical manager of Electronics at Philips RDT.
After evaluating various options, Lundy and his team selected Maxim's DS1340 I2C RTC with trickle charger and software clock calibration. Available in an 8-pin µSOP or SO package, the DS1340 RTC manages all timekeeping functions with low timekeeping voltage down to 1.3V. "The DS1340 gave us a shorter design cycle as it has a built-in crystal," Lundy noted.
This blog post was adapted from the Philips RDT customer testimonial. Read the post for more details.
Philips RDT's Tempus Pro is one of the market's smallest, lightest, and most rugged pre-hospital vital signs monitor available.