5 research outputs found
A Photoplethysmography System Optimised for Pervasive Cardiac Monitoring
Photoplethysmography is a non-invasive sensing technique which infers instantaneous
cardiac function from an optical measurement of blood vessels. This
thesis presents a photoplethysmography based sensor system that has been developed
speci fically for the requirements of a pervasive healthcare monitoring
system. Continuous monitoring of patients requires both the size and power
consumption of the chosen sensor solution to be minimised to ensure the patients
will be willing to use the device. Pervasive sensing also requires that
the device be scalable for manufacturing in high volume at a build cost that
healthcare providers are willing to accept. System level choice of both electronic
circuits and signal processing techniques are based on their sensitivity to
cardiac biosignals, robustness against noise inducing artefacts and simplicity
of implementation. Numerical analysis is used to justify the implementation
of a technique in hardware. Circuit prototyping and experimental data collection
is used to validate a technique's application. The entire signal chain
operates in the discrete-time domain which allows all of the signal processing
to be implemented in firmware on an embedded processor which minimised the
number of discrete components while optimising the trade-off between power
and bandwidth in the analogue front-end. Synchronisation of the optical illumination
and detection modules enables high dynamic range rejection of both
AC and DC independent light sources without compromising the biosignal.
Signal delineation is used to reduce the required communication bandwidth as
it preserves both amplitude and temporal resolution of the non-stationary photoplethysmography
signals allowing more complicated analytical techniques to
be performed at the other end of communication channel. The complete sensing
system is implemented on a single PCB using only commercial-off -the-shelf
components and consumes less than 7.5mW of power. The sensor platform
is validated by the successful capture of physiological data in a harsh optical
sensing environment
A Photoplethysmography System Optimised for Pervasive Cardiac Monitoring
Photoplethysmography is a non-invasive sensing technique which infers instantaneous
cardiac function from an optical measurement of blood vessels. This
thesis presents a photoplethysmography based sensor system that has been developed
speci fically for the requirements of a pervasive healthcare monitoring
system. Continuous monitoring of patients requires both the size and power
consumption of the chosen sensor solution to be minimised to ensure the patients
will be willing to use the device. Pervasive sensing also requires that
the device be scalable for manufacturing in high volume at a build cost that
healthcare providers are willing to accept. System level choice of both electronic
circuits and signal processing techniques are based on their sensitivity to
cardiac biosignals, robustness against noise inducing artefacts and simplicity
of implementation. Numerical analysis is used to justify the implementation
of a technique in hardware. Circuit prototyping and experimental data collection
is used to validate a technique's application. The entire signal chain
operates in the discrete-time domain which allows all of the signal processing
to be implemented in firmware on an embedded processor which minimised the
number of discrete components while optimising the trade-off between power
and bandwidth in the analogue front-end. Synchronisation of the optical illumination
and detection modules enables high dynamic range rejection of both
AC and DC independent light sources without compromising the biosignal.
Signal delineation is used to reduce the required communication bandwidth as
it preserves both amplitude and temporal resolution of the non-stationary photoplethysmography
signals allowing more complicated analytical techniques to
be performed at the other end of communication channel. The complete sensing
system is implemented on a single PCB using only commercial-off -the-shelf
components and consumes less than 7.5mW of power. The sensor platform
is validated by the successful capture of physiological data in a harsh optical
sensing environment
Increasing Signal to Noise Ratio and Minimising Artefacts in Biomedical Instrumentation Systems
The research work described in this thesis was concerned with finding a novel method of minimising motion artefacts in biomedical instrumentation systems. The proposed solution, an Analog Frontend (AFE), was designed to detect any vertical (Y-Plane) or horizontal (X-Plane) movement of the electrode using two strain gauges, which were separated by 90° and fitted onto the electrode. The detected motion was fed back to the system for the removal of any motion artefact.
The research started by emphasising the importance of minimising motion artefacts from biomedical signals and explaining how important it is for a clinical misinterpretation of the results. Hence, various motion artefact minimisation techniques undertaken by other researchers in the field were reviewed. This study covered different sources of artefacts, including the 40kHz powerline interference (PLI), 50/60kHz common-mode noise, white noise, and motion artefacts.
The system was fully developed and tested and was firstly simulated using MATLAB Simulink tools to prove the effectiveness of the system before starting the implementation and build phase in the lab. The AFE system successfully produced a clean output signal, achieving an average correlation coefficient of 0.995. Also, the system output had a 98% SNR similarity with the clean source signal. Further, the system was then built and tested in the lab and successfully minimised the motion artefacts, achieving an average correlation coefficient of 0.974. Additionally, the final output had a 97.8% SNR similarity with the clean source signal. A novel test rig was developed to test the system with strain gauges. The system was able to remove the detected signal from the test rig and had an average correlation coefficient of 0.957. Lastly, the final output had a 94.2% SNR similarity with the clean source signal
The design and evaluation of discrete wearable medical devices for vital signs monitoring
The observation, recording and appraisal of an individual’s vital signs, namely temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), are key components in the assessment of their health and wellbeing. Measurements provide valuable diagnostic data, facilitating clinical diagnosis, management and monitoring. Respiratory rate sensing is perhaps the most under-utilised of all the vital signs, being routinely assessed by observation or estimated algorithmically from respiratory-induced beat-to-beat variation in heart rate. Moreover there is an unmet need for wearable devices that can measure all or most of the vital signs. This project therefore aims to a) develop a device that can measure respiratory rate and b) develop a wearable device that can measure all or most of the vital signs.
An accelerometer-based clavicular respiratory motion sensor was developed and compared with a similar thoracic motion sensor and reference using exhalatory flow. Pilot study results established that the clavicle sensor accurately tracked the reference in monitoring respiratory rate and outperformed the thoracic device.
An Ear-worn Patient Monitoring System (EPMS) was also developed, providing a discrete telemonitoring device capable of rapidly measuring tympanic temperature, heart rate, SpO2 and activity level. The results of a comparative pilot study against reference instruments revealed that heart rate matched the reference for accuracy, while temperature under read (< 1°C) and SpO2 was inconsistent with poor correlation.
In conclusion, both of the prototype devices require further development. The respiratory sensor would benefit from product engineering and larger scale testing to fully exploit the technology, but could find use in both hospital and community-based
The design and evaluation of discrete wearable medical devices for vital signs monitoring
DG Pitts ii Cranfield University
monitoring. The EPMS has potential for clinical and community use, having demonstrated its capability of rapidly capturing and wirelessly transmitting vital signs readings. Further development is nevertheless required to improve the thermometer probe and resolve outstanding issues with SpO2 readings