Simulate the performance of a bio-sensor

Aim: To study the performance of Biosensor (Pulse measurement

technique)

Objective:

1. Understand the importance of Pulse measurement

2. Study the technique used for Pulse measurement
3. Understand the design considerations for biosensor (Pulse measurement
sensor)

Simulate the performance of a bio-sensor

Prerequisite

Before performing this experiment, student must have knowledge about

1. Working of a typical diode and LED

2. Light spectrum
3. Effect of various factors that affect the light output of an LED, e.g.
temperature, wavelength, etc.

What is a pulse rate?

Pulse is the rate at which human heart beats. Pulse is also commonly called
Heart Rate, which is the number of times the heart beats each minute (bpm). As
the heart pumps blood through human body, one can feel a pulse in the blood
vessels close to the skin's surface, such as wrist, neck, or upper arm. Counting
pulse rate is a simple way to find out how fast the heart is beating. However, the
rhythm and strength of the heartbeat can also be noted, as well as whether the
blood vessel feels hard or soft. Changes in human heart rate or rhythm, a weak
pulse, or a hard blood vessel may be caused by heart disease or another
problem. One can check the pulse, the first thing in the morning, just after
waking up but before geting out of bed. This is called a resting pulse. The pulse
rate can be measured by counting the beats in a set period of time (at least 15 to
20 seconds) and multiplying that number to get the number of beats per minute.
Our pulse changes from minute to minute. It will be faster when one exercises,
have a fever, or is under stress. It will be slower at resting condition.

Importance of Pulse Measurement:

Pulse is checked to:

  See how well the heart is working. In an emergency situation, the pulse
rate can help to check whether the heart is pumping enough blood or not.
 Find the cause of symptoms, such as an irregular or rapid heartbeat
(palpitations), dizziness, fainting, chest pain, or shortness of breath.
 Check for blood flow after an injury or when a blood vessel is blocked.
 Check on medicines or diseases that cause a slow heart rate. The doctors
may ask to check the pulse every day for heart patients or persons
undergoing medical tratments with certain medicines that can slower the
heart rate.
 Check general health and fitness level. Checking the pulse rate at rest,
during exercise, or immediately after vigorous exercise can give
important information about overall fitness level.

Measurement:

There are two approaches to developing a probe for pulse measurement. The
first is transmittance, the second is reflectance. The difference is in the way the
elements within the probe are positioned. A transmittance probe has a LED on
one side and a photodiode (light detector) on the other. The tissue to be imaged
(commonly a finger or an ear) is inserted between the two.

A reflectance probe has the LED and the photodiode on the same side. It must
be placed over a point with underlying bone. Light is emitted by the LED,
passes through tissue and blood vessels, reflects off bone, passes through the
tissues again, and is then detected. A significant amount of light will reflect off
the skin in the reflectance setup, and, unlike in the transmittance setup, this light
will be detected. Thus, reflectance probes have a high offset and a lower signal-
to-noise ratio than the transmittance probes. Reflectance setups also require a
significantly greater amount of light. Thus, either more LEDs or more
photodiodes need to be used. Transmittance probes are commonly placed on a
finger or ear and are very convenient to attach and remove. Reflectance probes
can be placed on the forehead or the sternum. Their advantage is that, regardless
of the patient's size (infants to very large adults); the attachment site is always
similar. Both, the transmittance and the reflectance probes are used clinically,
though the transmittance probe is more common due to the simplicity of signal
analysis and convenience of attachment.

Photoplethysmograph:

The device used to measure the amount of blood in part of the body using light
is commonly known as photo-plethysmograph. It measures the variation in
amount of light passing through your finger caused by the pulsatile nature of
blood flow. A light source is placed on one side of the finger, and a light
sensitive transducer like LDR(Cadmium Sulfide (CdS) cell) or a photo diode or
a phototransistor, on the other side. By monitoring variations in the output of
the transducer an indication of blood flow in the finger is obtained. A simple
block diagram of one such system is shown here.

A typical Pulse Oximeter uses the basic principle of a pair of small LEDs
operating at two different wavelengths; one red LED with a wavelength of
660nm, the other, an infrared LED with a wavelength of 910nm. The LEDs are
designed to be placed opposite a photodiode that detects the light from the
LEDs. As the amount of blood in the capillaries depends on the actual blood
pressure, which varies around the heart the heart pulse cycle, the heart rate can
also be measured. The two wavelengths are chosen for the reason that
deoxygenated haemoglobin has a higher absorption at around 660nm and at
910m oxygenated haemoglobin has the higher absorption. The oxygenated
haemoglobin allows red light to transmit through and absorbs more infrared
light while the deoxygenated haemoglobin allows infrared to transmit through
and absorbs more red light. Usually a finger is placed between the source
(LEDs) and the receiver (photodiode) acting as a translucent site with good
blood flow. The photodiode produces current linearly proportional to the
intensity of light striking it. A photodiode cannot distinguish between red and
infrared light, but to accommodate this, the microprocessor system alternately
turns each LED on and off. The pulse oximeter repeatedly samples the
photodiode output while the red LED is on, while the infrared LED is on and
while both are off. By sampling with both LED's off, the pulse oximeter is able
to subtract any ambient light that is present.

Design Considerations:

1. Motion Artifacts:

The motion artifact is a major problem that is observed due to the patient's
muscle movement. This induces false pulses that are similar to actual pulses.
The false pulses when processed can produce incorrect results. This problem is
particularly significant in patients that do not remain still during monitoring,
and mainly in active infants. To reduce these artifacts digital signal processing
is performed and the pulse average values over several seconds are taken,
before they are displayed.

2. Optical interference:

All pulse monitors are affected by bright external light sources. In order to
achieve accurate measurements, potential sources of optical interference must
be controlled. Optical interference occurs when bright light from an external
source (ambient light) reaches the photodiode directly - without passing through
the finger. Proper care is to be taken to avoid this.

3. Effect of temperature:

Temperature affects the peak wavelength, spectral line-width, and output power
of LEDs. In an LED based white light source, this can result in change in the
color coordinates, color temperature, color rendering index, luminous
efficiency. Efficiency of the source will change as the season (hot summer, cold
winter) or even time of the day changes (warm day cold night). It is
experimentally proved that the effect of shifts in wavelength of the LEDs on
pulse monitor accuracy is negligible as the temperature increases from 0°C to
50°C.
4. Effect of distance between source and sensor:

The distance between the LED and photodiode is one of the major design
considerations when designing a reflectance pulse meter sensor. The ratio of AC
to DC signal acquired by the photodiodes increases almost linearly with the
distance between the LEDs and photodiodes. Greater separation between the
optical elements means more tissue is able to absorb and reflect light. However,
as the separation between the elements increases, the LED power required to
produce a good signal increases almost exponentially. Thus, the ideal separation
between the optical elements involves balancing signal quality and power
consumption. However it is important not to place the photodiode too close to
the LEDs. If the photodiode is placed too close to the LEDs, the photodiode will
be saturated as a result of the large DC component obtained by the multiple
scattering of the incident photons by the blood free layers of the skin.

Advantages:

 Fast operation
 Easy to use
 Accurate readings
 Non-invasive method of measurement
 Reliable

Limitations:

This instrument is used to measure number of pulses per minute. It cannot check
for amount of blood flow i.e. sufficient or insufficient. Also it cannot give the
account of haemoglobin present in blood.

Simulate the performance of a bio-sensor

Perform the experiments using Simulator. Click on Simulator tab.

Level 1: Calibration of the probe

Aim: To study the calibration of given source-sensor probe

Step by step Procedure:

1. Click on Calibration Tab.

2. You are provided with a circular disc having 60 equally spaced holes on
its periphery.
3. The disc is connected to a DC motor. The speed of the motor can be
adjusted in steps of 0.5 rpm upto 2 rpm.
 4. Select the speed by using drop down tab.
5. Click on Start Rotation Tab.
6. The disk will start rotating. The BPM (Bits per minute) are indicated on
the display.
7. Repeat the procedure for different speed if necessary.
8. Now level 2 tab will be enabled. Click on level 2 tab.

Level 2: Measure the pulse using given source-sensor probe

Aim: To measure the pulse rate using given source-sensor probe

Step by step Procedure:

1. Select the patient age by using drop down menu. The reading will be
indicated on the display.
2. Click on 'Show range in this age group'. Compare the display reading
with this range.
3. Find out the patient status (Healthy/ Unhealthy)
4. Repeat steps 2and 3 for various age groups.
5. Now level 3 tab will be activated. Click on this tab to enter in level 3.

Level 3: Study effect of different types of errors on Biosensor performance

Aim: To study effect of Stray light and effect of misalignment on Biosensor

Performance

Step by step Procedure:

1. Click on Error Tab.

2. Select the type of error for which the performance of sensor is to be
studied using drop down menu.
3. For Stray light effect the display reading goes out of range.
4. For effect of misalignment, drag the LED from its centre position in up or
down direction and observe the effect on the displayed reading. The
initial reading when the sensor is properly aligned; is the same one as
displayed in the measurement part.
Identifying building blocks of signal conditioning technique of a sensor

Aim

Identifying building blocks of signal conditioning technique of a sensor

Objectives

 Design strategy for signal conditioning circuit

 Configure various parameters suitable for designed output
 Test the signal conditioning circuit for its effectiveness
 Identify the fault in the signal Conditioning circuit

Signal Conditioning

Signal conditioning refers to operations performed on signals to covert them to

a forum suitable for interfacing with other elements in the process-control loop.

 A sensor measures a variable by converting information about that

variable into development signal of either or pneumatic nature.
 Signal conditioning is a process of data acquisition, and an instrument
called a signal conditioner is used to perform this process. This
instrument converts one type of electrical or mechanical signal (input-
signal) into another (output-signal). The purpose is to amplify and
convert this signal into an easy to read and compatible form for data-
acquisition or machine-control. A signal conditioner helps to provide
precise measurements, which are essential for accurate data acquisition
and machine-control. These instruments can perform an additional
number of different functions.

Functions of a Signal Conditioner

Signal Conversion

 The main function of a signal conditioner is to pick up the signal and

convert it into a higher level of electrical signal. Signal conversion is
often used by industrial applications that use a wide range of sensors to
perform measurements. Due to the different sensors being employed, the
signals generated may need to be converted to be usable for the
instruments they are connected too. Any sensor signal is capable of being
converted to any standard process signal.

Linearization
  Certain signal conditioners can perform linearization when the signals
produced by a sensor do not have a straight-line relationship with the
physical measurement. This is the process of interpreting the signal from
the software and it is common for thermocouple signals. This method is
used to reach higher accuracy because every sensor is not completely
linear. The parameters for the linearization are evaluated during the
sensor-calibration and mentioned in the calibration protocol of the sensor.

Amplifying

 The next step is signal amplification and the process of increasing the
signal for processing or digitization. There are two ways that signal
amplification can be performed; by increasing the resolution of the input
signal, or by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio. Signal conditioning uses
a range of different amplifiers for different purposes, including
instrumentation amplifiers, which are optimised for use with DC signals,
and are characterized by high input impedance, high common mode
rejection ratio (CMRR), and high gain. Another example of a signal
conditioner used for amplification would be an isolation amplifier, which
is designed to isolate high DC levels from the device while passing small
AC or differential signal.

Filtering

 Another important function of a signal conditioner is filtering and this is

where the signal frequency spectrum is filtered to only include the valid
data and block any noise. The filters can be made from either passive and
active components or digital algorithms. A passive filter only uses
capacitors, resistors, and inductors with a maximum gain of one. An
active filter uses passive components in addition to active components
such as operational amplifiers and transistors. State-of-the-art signal
conditioners use digital filters because they are easy to adjust and no
hardware is required. A digital filter is a mathematical filter used to
manipulate a signal, such as blocking or passing a particular frequency
range. They use logic components such as ASICs, FPGAs or in the form
of a sequential program with a signal processor.

Evaluation and Smart-functions

 To provide additional benefits for the user and the process, modern signal
conditioners have extra functions for signal evaluation and measurement
data preprocessing. This helps to monitor and evaluate warning and
alarms directly via an electrical switching output rapidly. Additional
Smart-functions like an internal calculated channel can handle
 mathematical functions, like adding of sensor-signals, up to technological
operations like a PID-controller. These functions help to get a fast
reacting system and reduce the load from the machine control.

Interfaces

 Signal converters have to transmit the sensor signals via standard

interfaces and protocols to the machine control. These interfaces can be
analog or digital. Common analog interfaces are voltage (+/-10V) or
current signals (+/-20mA) which are easy to handle but every signal
needs separate wiring. Modern digital interfaces are designed as Ethernet-
based bus interfaces (Profinet, EtherCAT, Ethernet/IP) and allow the
connection of several components with only one wire. This reduces the
wiring and also allows additional information to be transmitted, such as
diagnostic information of the components, which is very important for
reducing downtimes and speed up maintenance.

Procedure

Configuration:-

 Select the sensor for signal conditioning

 click on next level

Basic Knowledge -

 Answer all the questions and click on next level

Simulation -

 Click on images sensor symbol

 Observe the circuit diagram of the symbols
 Click on the connecting points (red circles) with mention number "1"
after that number "2"
 Repeat the above point with all remaining numbers with asending order
 After connecting all the points circuit is completed
 Understand the circuit diagram and signal conditioning
 Process is completed and click on "Result" button