Integrated electronic system for implantable sensory NFC tag.

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Implantable Devices
• Wireless Sensor Networks

Background:

• Continuous physiological monitoring is crucial for managing chronic conditions.
• Existing implantable sensors often require invasive power sources or complex communication methods.
• Near Field Communication (NFC) offers a promising wireless power and data transfer solution for miniaturized implants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and present a complete electronic system for an implantable sensory NFC-A tag.
• To enable wireless monitoring of physiological parameters such as blood glucose, dehydration, and bladder pressure.
• To demonstrate the feasibility of a fully integrated system on a single ASIC.

Main Methods:

• Designed a system comprising a sensor front-end, Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), NFC-A transceiver, and NFC power harvester.
• Implemented the physical layer and power harvester on one Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC).
• Developed the sensor front-end and ADC on a separate ASIC, with digital circuits for the NFC protocol on a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA).

Main Results:

• Simulations and preliminary test results for the designed electronic system are presented.
• The NFC-A transceiver and power harvester functionalities have been implemented and tested.
• The system architecture supports wireless power and data transmission for implanted sensing.

Conclusions:

• The designed electronic system represents a significant step towards a fully integrated implantable NFC-A sensor tag.
• Further development and testing of the prototype are planned for eventual integration onto a single ASIC.
• This technology holds potential for non-invasive, continuous monitoring of various physiological parameters.