Date: 24/05/2009

ADI's new USB isolator IC for safe interface among medical electronic devices

Analog Devices Inc (ADI) has announced a new USB isolator IC to electrically isolate the connecting devices from each other. This is important in medical electronics domain, where the patient monitoring equipments need to be protected against unwanted voltages.
Quite often doctors use various USB compatible devices for looking into logged patient health data. Due to the common use of USB in latest devices, the USB interface is widely adopted in medical electronics equipments. In such devices USB isolator is must to ensure safety.

This is a right component for replacing expensive, complex and space consuming discrete device solution for isolating signals in USB interface or replacing some other clumsy and old-generation communication interface.

The key technical features of this USB 2.0-compliant device are,

1. Offers 5 kV rms medical-grade isolation
2. Upstream short-circuit protection,
3. Support data speeds of 1.5-Mbps and 12-Mbps (IEC 60601-1 medical safety approvals pending).
4. Operates off the 5-V USB supply or system-supplied 3.3-V power using an internal regulator.
5. Provides isolated control of the pull-up resistor, allowing the peripheral to control connection timing.
6. Consume a low idle current of 2 mA (max).

"ADI's new USB isolator provides design engineers with a groundbreaking alternative to expensive and time-consuming USB isolation schemes that require complex, space intensive transceivers to convert USB's differential, bidirectional signals into signals that are more compatible with traditional, discrete isolators," said Ronn Kliger, product line director, Isolation Products, Analog Devices. "The ADuM4160 contains all USB signaling and isolation in one small IC."


"Medical designs have typically used isolated RS-232 or Ethernet connections that limit data transfer rates, do not support plug-and-play functionality, and take up excessive space," said Patrick O'Doherty, healthcare segment director, Analog Devices. "The ADuM4160 USB isolator's reinforced, medical-grade isolation makes it possible for engineers to design USB-enabled medical devices that help facilitate better patient care."

Package: 16-lead SOIC
Availability: Now in samples volumes in June 09
Price: Each $4.89 for 1K pieces