• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.62 no.6
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• pp.803-810
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• 2013

The purpose of this research is to analyze the effect of shape of the inductive textile electrode on the non-contact heart activity sensing, based on the magnetic-induced conductivity principle. Four types of the inductive textile electrodes were determined according to the combinations of the two shape features. A fiber-metal hybrid-typed conductive thread was developed and applied to materialization of the textile electrodes by embroidery method. The heart activity was extracted through the textile electrode sewn on a T-shirt. The experiments were implemented to constantly measure the heart activity for 20 seconds, in each case of 5 healthy male subjects. The heart activity signals acquired in each type of the inductive textile electrode were analyzed, 1)by drawing a comparison of morphology with those of ECG signal (LeadII), and 2)by calculation of the normalized mean and standard deviation of magnitude of the heart activity signals. The analysis resulted that the relatively better quality of signals were acquired in the 'square' types in the matter of whole shape, while the better results were obtained in 'donut' types in the matter of center hole. Accordingly, the relatively best quality of signals was obtained in the case of 'Square-Donut' type of the inductive textile electrode.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.369-378
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• 2015

Various forms of wearable bio-signal monitoring systems have been developed recently. Acquisition of stable bio-signal data for health care purposes needs to be unconscious and continuous without hindrance to the users' daily activities. The garment type is a suitable form of a wearable bio-signal monitoring system; however, motion artifacts caused by body movement degrade the signal quality during the measurement of bio-signals. It is crucial to stabilize the electrode position to reduce motion artifacts generated when in motion. The problems with motion artifacts remain unresolved despite their significant effect on bio-signal monitoring. This research creates a foundation for the design of garment-type wearable systems for everyday use by finding a method to reduce motion artifacts through modular design. Two distinct garment-type wearable systems (tee-shirt with a motion artifact-reducing module (MARM) and tee-shirt without a MARM) were designed to compare the effects of modular design on the measurement of heart activity in terms of electrode position displacement, signal quality index value, and morphological quality. The tee-shirt with MARM showed superior properties and yielded higher quality signals than the tee-shirt without MARM. In addition, the tee-shirt with MARM showed a better repeatability of the heart activity signals. Therefore, a garment design with MARM is an efficient way to acquire stable bio-signals while in motion.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.364-371
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• 2015

In this study, we developed a feasible structure of a textile-based inductive sensor using a machine embroidery method, and applied it to a non-contact type vital sign sensing device based on the principle of magnetic-induced conductivity. The mechanical heart activity signals acquired through the inductive sensor embroidered with conductive textile on fabric were compared with the Lead II ECG signals and with respiration signals, which were simultaneously measured in every case with five subjects. The analysis result showed that the locations of the R-peak in the ECG signal were highly associated with sharp peaks in the signals obtained through the textile-based inductive sensor (r=0.9681). Based on the results, we determined the feasibility of the developed textile-based inductive sensor as a measurement device for the heart rate and respiration characteristics.