In recent years, with the rapid development of a new generation of information technology and the growing demand for medical resources, the demand for smart medical market has been increasing, and the market scale has expanded rapidly, and China has become the world's third largest smart medical market after the United States and Japan. The application of a series of emerging technologies and products enables medical workers to grasp the physiological health status of patients based on the integration and utilization of a large number of medical sensing components, especially MEMS sensors, supplemented by accurate treatment suggestions, to provide patients with better and smarter medical services.

Especially since the global outbreak of the new crown epidemic in 2020, the demand for related smart medical equipment has surged. For example, non-contact temperature measurement has stimulated the demand for thermopiles and microthermal radiation analyzers, nucleic acid detection has driven the demand for microfluidic products, ventilators have driven the demand for pressure sensors and flow meters, and so on. During the epidemic, thermal imaging MEMS (thermopile and microthermal radiometer) and microfluidics have been the short-term phenomenon and the biggest growth point. As a result, modern medical devices must rely on high-performance sensor technology to meet stringent specifications and market regulations for precise monitoring, diagnosis, and treatment.

According to the data released by CCID Consulting, the growth of the domestic MEMS market has remained at almost 20% per year in recent years, and even in 2020, when the epidemic broke out, the growth rate of China's MEMS market reached 23%, which is 10 times the GDP growth rate. Its market application is in a stage of rapid growth, and it is expected that China's MEMS market will exceed 100 billion in 2022, of which medical MEMS sensor products will reach 10 billion, accounting for about 10%.

Medical MEMS sensor is a part of the sensor used in the medical field, which is a conversion device that converts the physiological information of the human body into electrical information with a definite functional relationship. The information it picks up is the physiological information of the human body, and its output is often expressed as electrical signals.

There are two development directions for medical sensor technology: one is the research and development of the sensor itself, and the other is the systematic research and development of the combination of sensors, computers and information technology. In recent years, with the development of 5G and Internet of Things technologies, the development of medical sensor products has become more and more popular, and the productization of MEMS sensor technology in the field of medical device products has become increasingly popular. Modern medical sensor technology has got rid of the technical shortcomings of traditional medical sensors such as large size and poor performance, and has formed a new development direction such as intelligence, miniaturization, multi-parameter, remote control and non-invasive detection.

In the medical field, there are many types of sensors, with different purposes and uses, and there are different classifications based on different classification benchmarks. The classification of general medical sensors is as follows:

According to the application form, it is divided into implantable sensors, temporarily implanted body cavity (or incision) sensors, in vitro sensors, and sensors for external devices;

According to the type of detection, it is divided into displacement sensor, flow sensor, temperature sensor, speed sensor, pressure sensor, image sensor, flow sensor, etc.;

According to the working principle, it is divided into chemical sensors, physical sensors, and biological sensors;

Medical MEMS sensors are the core of smart healthcare and are extremely versatile. In terms of medical productization, the most common is ultrasonic sensors, which are used for medical ultrasonic testing. In addition, medical MEMS sensors are everywhere from medical equipment ventilators, blood analyzers, multi-parameter monitors, nuclear magnetic resonance instruments, cardio-EEG lead systems, cardiovascular system devices, to the current popular mobile Internet medicine, telemedicine, artificial intelligence AI medicine, surgical robots, etc. In the clinical practice of smart medicine, the core value of medical MEMS sensors lies in data collection, followed by high accuracy, which greatly reduces labor costs, effectively reduces the error rate, and improves the reliability and accuracy of disease diagnosis.

Among the many suppliers of medical equipment sensor solutions, Beijing Smart Sensor Technology Co., Ltd. is one of the few manufacturers in China that can independently develop medical-grade pressure sensor chips with high precision, wide temperature range and high reliability. The ZPX2 series oxygen generator pressure sensor, ZXP3 series gauge gas pressure sensor and ZXP8 series micro differential pressure gas pressure sensor produced by the company can completely replace TE/SMI, NXP/Freescale, Honeywell and other imported high-end sensors, and can ensure production capacity and high cost performance.

ZPX2 series pressure sensor for oxygen concentrator

The ZPX2 series pressure sensor for oxygen concentrator integrates and encapsulates the conditioning circuit and piezoresistive MEMS pressure core, which can provide high-precision absolute pressure output signal after temperature compensation, and supports analog output and digital 12C output. Using the Wheatstone bridge principle, the sensor is processed by MEMS process to provide excellent resistance accuracy and consistency, and the high-precision sensor signal conditioning chip is used to digitally compensate the temperature linearity, bias and sensitivity of the MEMS sensor, which has been mass-applied in the field of medical devices and equipment.

ZXP3 series pressure sensor

The core of the ZXP3 series gauge gas pressure sensor is a MEMS piezoresistive core and a dedicated signal conditioning circuit. The signal conditioning circuit includes a 24-bit ∑-delta ADC that outputs a high-precision digital pressure signal. The output data is fully calibrated and temperature compensated, and the standard digital output is easy to integrate into the system, making it suitable for most common oxygen concentrators, HVAC, household appliances and industrial pneumatic control fields.

The above two sensors measure the pressure of the adsorption tower in the oxygen generator, and when the pressure is larger, the amount of ammonia adsorbed is more, and the concentration of oxygen supply is also higher. In order to make corresponding adjustments according to the actual situation of the individual, to ensure adequate oxygen supply and avoid waste. In addition, the pressure sensor is used to monitor whether the patient has started to inspire, so as to avoid the waste of oxygen when not inhaling, effectively reducing the volume of the oxygen concentrator and making it more efficient, while the smaller size means lower power consumption and better portability.

ZXP8 series micro differential pressure gas pressure sensor

The ZXP8 series micro-differential pressure gas pressure sensor plays an extremely important role in the ventilator, which needs to participate in the airflow control of the whole breathing process. The piezoresistive MEMS pressure core and dedicated signal conditioning circuit are encapsulated in a tube shell with a dual-valve structure to reduce the influence of the environment on the output. The signal conditioning circuit consists of a 24-bit ∑-0 ADC that outputs a high-precision digital pressure signal. The output data is fully calibrated and temperature compensated, and the standard 12C digital output makes system integration easier.

It is responsible for converting physical values, such as airway pressure and flow, into differential signals, and handing the measured values to the circuit MCU to make accurate inhalation and exhalation judgments. After that, the MCU sends a command to control the air intake system to increase or decrease the pressure of the pipe, so that the patient can breathe naturally and smoothly without a sense of resistance. The signal generated by the sensor helps the microprocessor adjust the motor to adjust or maintain the air pressure required for the patient's inhalation and exhalation to synchronize with the human breathing.

With the improvement of people's lives, smart medical care is infiltrating into thousands of households, and medical MEMS sensors that play a key role in smart medical care will also be useful. A variety of high-precision medical-grade pressure sensors developed by Beijing Smart Sensor Technology Co., Ltd. are not only directly used in smart medical equipment, but also in some wearable devices and electronic products related to smart medical care, providing a guarantee for people to enjoy the convenience, safety and efficiency brought by smart medical care.