Wearable health monitors with TransferJet data communications and inductive power transfer

Abstract

The health monitoring system presented here consists of a wearable device- a wristband that hosts a set of biomedical sensors connected to a central node implemented by a microcontroller able to control and collect data from them, pre-processes and stores data in a local memory, then transfers them to an USB-based TransferJet Adapter- and a base-station hosted by a laptop or smart phone, that receives the data by its own USB-based TransferJet Adapter, processes them and communicates the results to the user and/or directly to health-care professionals. The TransferJet Adapters employ UWB technology to transfer data in very short bursts, over a range of only a few centimeters. Thus, snooping is practically impossible and the average power consumption can be kept low. The required proximity of the wearable device to the base-station during data transfers is used to implement an inductive power transfer system, which supplies the wearable device during that period, which coincides with the maximum power surge.