The wearable device tracks ECG, heart rate, breathing, and temperature. It uses Bluetooth to send real-time data and has a power system that lasts days.
Texas Instruments’ wearable biosensing Holter reference design is an evaluation platform for continuous vital sign monitoring. It measures ECG, heart rate, respiration, pace pulse, temperature, and motion. The design includes the AFE159RP4 for low-power, high-resolution ECG acquisition with up to six leads and the TMP119 for body temperature monitoring. Data is transmitted via the CC2674R10, which supports Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3, enabling real-time display on a smartphone or medical monitoring system.
An onboard LED provides system status indicators for lead-off detection, low power, and Bluetooth connection. The system runs on two CR2032 batteries or one AAA battery, offering up to six days of operation. Designed for applications such as medical sensor patches, ECG monitoring, and wearable fitness devices, it supports a range of healthcare and activity-tracking needs.
The TPS61299x/xA is a synchronous boost converter with a 95nA ultra-low quiescent current and an average input current limit. It provides a power solution for portable devices using alkaline or coin cell batteries, ensuring high efficiency under light loads for extended operation. The average input current limit helps prevent excessive battery discharge.
It supports an input voltage range of 0.5V to 5.5V and an output voltage range of 1.8V to 5.5V. Different versions offer input current limits from 5mA to 1.9A. The TPS61299 variant with a 1.2A limit can deliver up to 500mA output from a 3V to 5V conversion, achieving about 94% efficiency at a 200mA load.
For fast-load transients at 4.5V, 5V, or 5.5V output, the device has an 8μs typical settling time when the output current shifts from 0A to 200mA. The TPS61299x supports a true shutdown function when disabled, while the TPS61299xA includes a force pass-through function for different application needs.
Some of the key features of the reference design includes:
- Small, single-chip Holter monitor for ECG, respiration, and pace pulse detection
- Accurate digital sensor for real-time body temperature monitoring
- Bluetooth Low Energy 5.3 with Arm Cortex-M33 for wireless data transfer
- Efficient power system supports 2 CR2032 (3V) or 1 AAA (1.5V) battery, lasting 6 days
- Bluetooth platform supports wearable patches and Holter monitors
- SimpleLink Connect app displays ECG, respiration, pace pulse, and temperature in real time
The TPS62843 is a high-efficiency step-down converter with an ultra-low operating quiescent current of 275nA (typical) and a 4nA shutdown current when disabled.
It uses DCS-Control to maintain a low, RF-friendly output voltage ripple, making it suitable for powering radios. The device operates at a typical switching frequency of 1.5MHz and maintains high efficiency even at light loads down to 100μA.
TI has tested this reference design. It comes with a bill of materials (BOM), schematics, assembly drawing, printed circuit board (PCB) layout, and more. The company’s website has additional data about the reference design. To read more about this reference design, click here.
