Dual core architecture on FPGA as an integrated solution in the development of Telemedicine-capable devices

Abstract

Medical devices response is highly sensitive because of the dependence of human lives on them, thus common problems in electronics like synchronization and delays are often targeted to be reduced to its bare minimum. The use of FPGA ICs as co-processing slave modules for CPU chips in embedded systems is a common approach to solve these issues, not only among commercial medical equipment, but also in different industry sectors. This paper takes into account Medical Devices such as (Vital Signs Monitors) VSMs using this topology. Furthermore, a project at (Fundación Cardiovascular de Colombia) FCV to upgrade the PC-based systems used for Telemedicine services in Colombia, takes FPGAs as an integrated solution for an embedded system, achieving the replacement of the CPU and additional integrated circuits, with softcore architectures, IP cores, and hardware modules description. Moreover, critical applications such as medical devices need characteristics like real-time response and high accuracy in order to make health care personnel able to respond appropriately in case of an event. A working prototype, based on a Dual-Core architecture using the Nios II softcore processor running uC/OSII along with Video IP cores and custom hardware description for a 22kLE FPGA has been designed and implemented to create a VSM embedded system, with similar characteristics and behaviour to a commercial device, plus the advantages of higher integration, lower power consumption, WLAN, and WWAN connectivity.