OS-Based Sensor Node Platform and Energy Estimation Model for Health-Care Wireless Sensor Networks

Accurate power and performance figures are critical to assess the effective design of possible sensor node architectures in Body Area Networks (BANs) since they operate on limited energy storage. Therefore, accurate power models and simulation tools that can model real-life working conditions need to be developed and validated with real platforms. In this paper we propose a sensor node platform designed for health-care applications and a validated simulation model based on event-driven operating system simula- tion that can be used to accurately analyze performance and power consumption in BANs composed of multiple nodes. Thus, this model can be employed to tune the node architecture and communication layer for different working conditions, applications and topologies of BANs. In this paper we validate the proposed simulation model on different real life applications and working conditions. Our results show variations of less than 4% between the presented simulation framework and measurements in the final platforms

Implementation of an automated ECG-based diagnosis for a wireless body sensor platform

Wireless Body Sensor Networks (WBSN) are poised to become a key enabling technology of personal systems for pervasive healthcare. Recent results have however shown that the conventional approach to their design, which consists in continuous wireless streaming of the sensed data to a central data collector, is unsustainable in terms of network lifetime and autonomy. Furthermore, it was established that wireless data communication is responsible for most of the energy consumption. To address the energy inefficiency of conventional WBSNs, we advocate an advanced WBSN concept where sensor nodes exploit their available, yet limited processing and storage resources to deploy advanced embedded intelligence and processing, to reduce the amount of wireless data communication and consequently energy consumption. More specifically, this paper addresses the design and optimization of an automated real-time electrocardiogram (ECG) signal analysis and cardiovascular arrhythmia diagnosis application for a prototype sensor node called Wireless 25 EEG/ECG system. The satifactory accuracy of this on-line automated ECG-based analysis and diagnosis system is assessed and compared to the salient off-line automated ECG analysis algorithms. More importantly, our results show an energy consumption reduction of 80% to 100% with respect to conventional WBSNs, when our analysis and diagnosis algorithm is used to process the sensed ECG data to extract its relevant features, which are then wirelessly reported to the WBSN central data collector, after the node can automatically determine the potential cardiovascular pathology without human monitoring

Introduction to VHDL programming language

VHDL es un lenguaje de descripción de circuitos electrónicos digitales que utiliza distintos niveles de abstracción. El significado de las siglas VHDL es VHSIC (Very High Speed Integrated Circuits) Hardware Description Language. Esto significa que VHDL permite acelerar el proceso de diseño. VHDL no es un lenguaje de programación, por ello conocer su sintaxis no implica necesariamente saber diseñar con él. VHDL es un lenguaje de descripción de hardware, que permite describir circuitos síncronos y asíncronos. A lo largo de este manual se darán consejos para una programación eficiente en VHDL. Estos consejos son una serie de normas básicas que ayudan a que los resultados de la simulación sean independientes de la forma de programación y el código desarrollado pueda ser sintetizado, y por lo tanto, implementado físicamente en una plataforma, con el mínimo esfuerzo.VHDL is a language for describing digital electronic circuits using different levels of abstraction. The meaning of VHDL is VHSIC (Very High Speed ​​Integrated Circuits) Hardware Description Language. This means that VHDL accelerates the design process. VHDL is not a programming language, so learn its syntax does not imply learn how to design with it. VHDL is a hardware description language that allows to describe synchronous and asynchronous circuits. Throughout this manual tips for efficient programming in VHDL is given. These tips are some basic rules that help the simulation results to be independent of the form of programming, and help to develope code that can be synthesized, and therefore physically implemented on a platform with a minimal effort.Depto. de Arquitectura de Computadores y AutomáticaFac. de Informáticaunpu

RECONFIGURATION STRATEGIES FOR ONLINE HARDWARE MULTITASKING IN EMBEDDED SYSTEMS

ABSTRAC