TDK expands its product range towards medical applications and showcases innovative solutions at Medica 2019

- TDK presents its product solutions for various kinds of medical applications and services under the brands TDK, EPCOS, Micronas, ICsense, TDK-Lambda, and Tronics
- Medica is the biggest European medical exhibition, which takes place in Dusseldorf from Nov 18-21, 2019

TDK Corporation (TSE 6762) will present its product range for the medical market this year for the first time at the Medica show in Dusseldorf, Germany, at booth C42 in hall 9. The product range includes embedded motor controllers, magnetic, temperature, pressure and biomagnetic sensors, medical ASICs, power supplies, piezo components, and diagnostic chips for various medical applications. Represented at the booth will be TDK, EPCOS, Micronas, ICsense, TDK-Lambda, and Tronics branded products.

Product highlights include:

TDK biomagnetic sensors:

TDK has developed compact and highly sensitive biomagnetic sensors that can detect weak biomagnetic fields, which could only be measured by using a SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) flux meter up to now. The biomagnetic measurement system uses a multi-channel sensor array that enabled the world’s first measurement and visualization (imaging) of the cardiac magnetic fields using MR sensors. Unlike the SQUID flux meter, which is an expensive and bulky system that also requires a cooling device using liquid helium (Dewar), this system, which uses MR sensors, is capable of measurement with high sensitivity even at room temperature. It is also compact and has excellent operability and portability.

TDK flash memory storage:

TDK’s NAND-type flash memory controller GB Driver, using TDK's unique NAND flash control technology, provides high-speed access while securing high reliability. It supports the use of NAND-type flash memory with the "all-in-one single chip solution".

TDK biosensor Silmee™:

With the combination of high-precision sensors and its software technology/original algorithm, TDK biosensors can support various types of data collection activities. The wristband-type wearable biosensor which is capable for measuring and recording the amount of conversation/sleeping time/pulse/UV, as well as of activity; the patch-type wearable biosensor that can measure cardiac potential with high accuracy; the portable-type biosensor that transmits emergency call along with location information; the digital basal thermometer with a communication function.

TDK PowerHap and TDK PiezoHapt:

Compared with conventional haptic technologies, PowerHap™ offers unprecedented haptic feedback with very high forces of up to 50 N and a wide variety of customized feedback profiles. Four square designs are available with edge lengths from 9 mm to 26 mm and insertion heights of only 1.1 mm to 2.3 mm. These actuators can be mounted directly under flat surfaces. This achieves a high degree of water- and dustproofing, which is necessary for applications with high hygienic requirements such as medical equipment. The portfolio is supplemented by four rectangular versions for lateral mounting.

The PiezoHapt™ series is the world's thinnest actuator for haptic feedback. They impress with their extremely low overall insertion heights of only 0.35 mm or 0.3 mm for areas of 80 x 60 mm or 30 x 15 mm. The unimorph design of PiezoHapt is based on a thin multilayer piezo element bonded to one side of a vibration plate, which can be mounted directly underneath displays.

EPCOS temperature and pressure sensors:

TDK develops and produces NTC thermistors for a temperature range up to 300 °C with an excellent media resistance and long-term stability for medical equipment. Thanks to their small design, these glass elements offer a very short response time. The other product family with epoxy coating is extremely temperature shock resistant and offers a high accuracy over a wide temperature range.

The EPCOS pressure sensor elements offer high accuracy over a wide pressure range of 100 mbar up to 40 bar, the smallest footprint at now only 0.65 x 0.65 mm2. Especially in applications like breathing and anesthesia, but also for technical gases used in hospitals, their long-term stability is offering high level of safety.

EPCOS film capacitors for defibrillators:

The EPCOS MKP series is designed especially for defibrillation applications. The compact size and light weight of the capacitors make them suitable for portable equipment. They offer capacitance values from 30 to 200 µF and are suitable for voltages of up to 5500 V DC.

Micronas embedded motor controllers and magnetic sensors:

The Micronas HVC 4420F enables the direct drive of small and tiny brush-type, stepper, or brushless electric motors in smart applications. With flash memory extended to 64 KB and SRAM to 4 KB, the HVC 4420F stays flexible on the increasing functional and diagnostic demands. Currently, customers use own ideas and approaches on diagnostics, e.g. by implementing sensor data fusion strategy or application status surveillance. To ensure the intelligent function set, a more and more growing amount of software routines have to be implemented. Due to its larger memory and the built-in feature set, the HVC 4420F offers the storage capacity and processing capability to execute these actions which are unique in the environment of smart applications. Providing the complete motor-driving functionality on a single die with monolithic concept, the small size of the HVC 4420F makes it an ideal solution for non life-critical applications.

Furthermore, TDK will show its extensive portfolio of Micronas magnetic field sensor solutions, based on the Hall effect for many kinds of measurement tasks.

ICsense ASIC designs:

ICsense miniaturizes electronic systems for minimal device size and maximum battery life by making custom ICs. The ASICs (Application Specific ICs) are made for and sold to one single customer only. ICsense has Europe’s largest fab-independent ASIC design team active in medical technology. ASIC developments for medical implants and wearables are done according to ISO13485. ICsense supports ASIC designs for FDA Class I, II and III and Active Implantable Medical Devices (AIMD directive). At Medica, ICsense will showcase developments in medical Sensor/MEMS, High-Voltage (stimulation), Power/Battery, Ultra-Low-Power devices and Communication.

TDK-Lambda power supplies:

TDK-Lambda presents a wide range of highly reliable power supply solutions such as the large switching power supply series CUS-M from 30 – 1500W. Depending on the model, the power supplies are suitable for use in both Class I or Class II installations and capable of operating in ambient temperatures of up to 85°C without the need for forced air cooling. The quiet power supplies can be used up to a working height of 5,000 meters and have a 3 or 5 year warranty.

A special innovation is the medically certified GXE600 series, which offers constant voltage / constant current (CVCC) operation and read-write programming through a robust RS-485 communication (Modbus RTU protocol). Both the output voltage and current can be adjusted over a very wide range using digital or analogue programming.

We will also exhibit the XMS500 Series, configurable Class I and II medical 500W power supplies, which have low airflow requirement and meet curve B EMI. Furthermore, TDK-Lambda will show an interesting selection of DC-DC converters.

Tronics MEMS Biosensor Platforms:

With its portfolio of Tronics sensors, TDK provides fully customizable MEMS platforms for the creation of unique biosensors and bioMEMS devices. The Tronics FlexusMEMS platform allows for the creation of fully flexible biosensors utilizing biocompatible materials for use in the medical wearables market. The biofunctionalized silicon microneedle platform allows for painless sensing of biomarkers such as glucose, lactic acid, pH, and O2 levels in the body. TDK's customizable microfluidic platform can be used to create advanced diagnostic chips for blood sensing and protein analysis.