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Portable Data Carrier Solutions For Embedded Engineers
Applications For Medical & Other Embedded OEMs - Part II
Datakey Electronics' rugged portable memory systems are ideal solutions for a variety of applications, including:
All of the topics listed above find application in embedded electronic devices across a variety of industries, including medical devices. This quarter's E-Newsletter addresses these topics in the context of medical electronic devices, but are equally applicable for other markets as well. This issue looks at the final four applications mentioned above.
*The previous quarter's E-Newsletter addressed the first three applications mentioned above.
Access Control / Personnel Authentication / Rights Management
 For medical equipment and other mission-critical devices, it is often desirable to restrict access to only trained, authorized personnel. There are various methods of access control that can be used with microcontroller-based equipment.
A PIN or password is often used for basic access control with systems that already have a numeric (or alphanumeric) keypad. The primary weaknesses of a PIN are that it can be easily "stolen" by watching the keypad as the PIN is entered and that it is often " shared" or told to others. These weaknesses are often exploited by design, where authorized personnel are told a single PIN that will grant them access to a device across the enterprise. So, no matter which room they are in, they know there is only one PIN that will gain them access to a given device/system.
Supplementing PIN-based access control with an electronic key provides a much more robust access control system. Access control is now no longer solely dependent on "what you know" (a PIN), but also requires "what you know" (you must have an electronic key with the proper credentials). The electronic key can even be used to store the specific user's PIN. The electronic key also provides a much more flexible solution to the all-or-nothing access control that is common with PIN-based systems. With an electronic key, you can not only control access, you can track who accessed a system and at what time. The electronic key cannot only store information that says whether the owner has access to a given piece of equipment, it can even provide rights management, dictating which functions on the equipment that person is authorized to access based on his or her level of training.
Problem: How can manufacturers employ an electronic key to control access to their equipment, authenticate qualified personnel and limit access to only features that personnel have been trained on? Click here to learn how one of Datakey Electronics' customers used an electronic key solution to do just that.
Firmware Updates
 Many electronic medical devices, like embedded systems in other industries, are non-networked devices. That is, they are not connected to a wired or wireless network. Even if they are networked, the networks that they are connected to may be internal networks with no or limited access to the Internet.
In these cases, when the firmware for the embedded device needs updating, it cannot simply be downloaded automatically from the Internet. Historically, there are two common solutions for updating the firmware of non-networked embedded systems:
1. Send the entire unit back to the manufacturer where they update the firmware at the factory; or,
2. The manufacturer sends a technician out to the field where he/she updates the firmware by changing out an IC or by downloading the firmware from a laptop.
Both of these solutions are expensive, time-consuming and inconvenient for both the manufacturer of the equipment and their customers.
Problem: So how can manufacturers of non-networked embedded systems update the firmware of their devices in the field in a manner that is secure, low-cost, effective and doesn't inconvenience their customers? Click here for the solution.
Data Logging / Data Transfer
 Like many complex pieces of equipment, it is often advantageous to log medical device data. The logged data could include: the identification of the operator and/or patient; the settings for various controls: the time, date and duration of treatments; output levels; the date of last calibration, and so on.
The main reason for logging this data is usually to ensure that the medical equipment is being used properly. Logging and analyzing this data can also be used to develop new and improved treatment plans and could even be used as evidence in litigation cases.
Proper usage of a medical device is especially a concern when a patient is operating the equipment in their home without the direct supervision of medical personnel.
Problem: How can medical device OEMs add data logging capabilities to their equipment and make it easy for both medical personnel and patients to deliver the logged data for analysis? Click here for the solution.
Securely Linking Wireless Devices
 In the past decade, the integration of wireless communications into embedded systems has exploded. This growth in wireless designs has also been seen in the medical device/medical equipment market. To assist medical device manufacturers designing wireless medical devices, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has drafted a document called Radio Frequency Wireless Technology in Medical Devices. In it, they address issues and concerns related to the safe and effective use of wireless communications in medical devices. Among the topics covered is wireless coexistence, which is the ability of a wireless device to operate effectively in the presence of other wireless devices. The other wireless devices could be other non-related wireless products or they could be other instances of the same device. Datakey Electronics' products can be used in the latter case to securely link the transmitting and receiving devices.
Problem: When medical devices use wireless communications, how can design teams incorporate a physical linking mechanism such that there is no doubt which two devices are communicating with each other? Click here for the solution.
If you have an embedded system that could benefit from using a portable data carrier system and you would like to learn more about Datakey Electronics' OEM-focused portable memory solutions, please contact the factory or your local Datakey Electronics representative.
Datakey Electronics Engineering Contacts:
Brian Mishuk, brianm@datakey.com 1-952-746-4066 x348
Paul Plitzuweit, paulp@datakey.com 1-952-746-4066 x325 |
