• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.39 no.2
• /
• pp.103-108
• /
• 2018

This study reviews the common-mode noise model of indirect-contact ECG measurement which uses capacitive electrode and capacitive ground, and shows the reason of the large common-mode noise in indirect-contact ECG. And then, this study shows driven-right-leg ground in indirect-contact ECG measurement, and reviews how the driven-right-leg ground reduces the common-mode noise. This study then analyzes the relation between the effective area of the indirect-contact ground and the gain of the driven-right-leg circuit. This study introduces the output voltage saturation of the driven-right-leg circuit, which occurs frequently in indirect-contact ECG measurement with the condition of the high ground impedance. This study then shows the effect of the driven-right-leg circuit saturation on the common-mode noise.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.249-253
• /
• 2008

The indirect-contact ECG (IDC-ECG) was introduced by a prior study for daily non-intrusive measurements. To improve the signal quality and to extend the application area of IDC-ECG, close study of the frequency characteristics of the IDC-ECG is necessary. In this study, the frequency response of the active electrode for several sample clothes was measured under conditions of actual IDC-ECG measurement with human body. Higher gain in low frequency range than expected by prior study was observed. In addition to it, wide variation in gain according to the cloth type in the low frequency range was observed. Variation in gain caused by moisture variation in the clothes was also observed. This study shows that the parallel R-C connection is proper for electrode model and the resistive factor is influenced by moisture in the clothes. This study is the first that provides the frequency response of the electrode in the actual indirect-contact ECG measurement and it is expected that the results will be helpful to improve the indirect-contact ECG method.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
• /
• v.9 no.4
• /
• pp.280-287
• /
• 2008

For the reduction of common-mode noise level in Indirect-contact ECG (IDC-ECG) measurement a driven-right-leg grounding method was a lied to the IDC-ECG. Because the IDC-ECG does not require any direct contact between the electrodes and the human skin. it is adequate for un-constraining long-term ECG measurement at home and its various applications are now under development. However, larger 60 Hz noise induced by power line a ears in IDC-BCG than in conventional ECG, that is a restriction of IDC-ECG a application. In this study, the driven-right-leg ground which has been used in conventional direct-contact ECG, was adapted to the IDC-ECG measurement by feedback of the inversion of amplified common-mode noise to the body through the conductive fertile laid on the chair seat By this study, indirect-contact driven-right-leg ground was developed and it was shown to work stably. It was shown that the level of 60Hz power line noise was reduced to about -40 dB when the driven-right-leg gain was 1000. This study shows that we can extend the upper limit of the frequency band of IDC-ECG to 100Hz from 30Hz which is conventional upper limit in IDC-ECG, and we can raise the ground impedance between the body and conductive textile. So it is expected that the application area of the IDC-ECG will be extended by the results of this study.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.44-49
• /
• 2012

The indirect-contact ECG measurement is a newly developed method for unconstrained and nonconscious measurement in daily Life. This study is the first step to reducing the large background noise appearing in indirect-contact ECG. This study built the thermal noise model of capacitively coupled active electrode which is used in indirect-contact ECG. The results show that the level of thermal noise estimated by the thermal noise model is much the same as that of actual background noise for the capacitively coupled active electrode alone. By applying the actual electrical properties of a sample cotton cloth to the thermal noise model, the theoretical level of thermal noise in the indirect-contact ECG was estimated. The results also show that the level of op-amp's intrinsic noise is so small that it can be negligible in comparison with thermal noise of resistors. The relationship between the level of thermal noise and the resistance of the bias resistor was derived, and it is the base for the further study how to choice the optimal resistance for the bias resistor.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.201-206
• /
• 2012

The indirect-contact ECG measurement is a newly developed method for unconstrained and nonconscious measurement in daily life. This study introduced a new method of electrode circuit design developed for reducing the 60Hz power line noise observed at the indirect-contact ECG measurement. By the introduced common-mode-driven shielding, the voltage of the electrical shield surrounding the capacitive coupling electrode is maintained at the same as the common mode voltage. Though the method cannot reduce the level of common mode voltage itself, that reduces effectively the differential mode noise converted from the common mode voltage by the difference of cloth impedance between the two capacitive coupling electrode. The experiment results using the actual indirect-contact ECG showed that the 60Hz power line noise was reduced remarkably though the reduction ratio was smaller than the expected by the theory. Especially, the reduction ratio became large for the large difference of cloth. It is expected that the introduced method is useful for reducing the power line noise under condition of poor electrical grounding.

• Proceedings of the IEEK Conference
• /
• 2005.11a
• /
• pp.521-524
• /
• 2005

In order to measure ECG in daily life, a new ECG measurement method on bed was developed. The provided method does not require any direct conductive contact between the instrument and bare skin, so that it does not cause the uncomfortable feel of touch and the possible skin trouble which are typical shortcomings of the conventional conductive contact ECG measurement. The provided method utilized an array of high-input-impedance active electrodes fixed on the mattress and an indirect-skin-contact ground made of a large conductive textile sheet and laid on lower area of the mattress. A thin cotton bedcover covered the mattress, the electrodes, and the conductive textile and subjects lay on the mattress over the bedcover. ECG was obtained successfully. However its signal quality is lower and the motion artifact is larger than direct-contact measurement. Careful measurement setup was needed to reduce the motion artifact originated from variation in static electricity. From the ECG obtained by the provided method, R-peak could be discriminated easily and the information about the position and the posture of the subject could be obtained.

• Journal of the Institute of Convergence Signal Processing
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.104-109
• /
• 2018

A non-intrusive ECG and BCG measurement system is introduced. The system is built on a auxiliary backrest of a chair. The developed system is aimed to non-intrusive assessment of cardiovascular dynamic indices such as pulse arrival time(PAT) and pre-ejection period (PEP). In the system, capacitive active electrodes and capacitive grounding were used for the non-intrusive indirect-contact ECG measurement, and EMFi pressure sensor was used for the non-intrusive BCG measurement. The capacitive active electrodes and the EMFi sensor were attached on the backrest. Using the system, ECG and BCG were successfully acquired. The measured BCG showed peaks that following ECG R peaks. It was shown that the time interval between Q wave in ECG and first peak in BCG correlates Pre-ejection period measured by impedance-cardiogram. The results showed that the introduced system can be used for the non-intrusive various cardiovascular information including ECG, PAT, PEP.

• Journal of Biomedical Engineering Research
• /
• v.38 no.3
• /
• pp.137-141
• /
• 2017

The indirect-contact bio-electric measurements using capacitive electrodes show large motion artifacts in comparison with conventional direct-contact measurements. It is necessary to measure the motion artifacts quantitatively, for the researches of reducing the motion artifacts. In this study, a device for quantitative measurement of motion artifacts was built. Using the device, an electrode was rubbed against some cloth(cotton) and the voltage variation of the electrode was measured as motion artifact in several environmental conditions(temperature and relative humidity). The measured waveforms agreed with that expected by the triboelectricity and the prior observations of the motion artifacts. Therefore, the results demonstrated the usability of the measurement system built in this study. The measurement system will be a great contribution to future research for reducing motion artifact.