Method and apparatus for reducing noise and detecting electrode faults in medical equipment
AssigneeGE Medical Systems Information Technologies, Inc.
InventorsWilhelm J. Kaiser, Horst Weber, Wolfgang Winter
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and apparatus for detecting electrode faults in a physiological activity acquisition system or device. The system includes at least one signal sensing electrode attached to the subject and a signal processor coupled to the at least one signal sensing electrode. The signal sensing electrode senses a combined signal from the subject. The combined signal has an activity portion and a carrier portion. The signal processor receives the combined signal from the electrode. The signal processor processes the combined signal and generates a noise-redeuced ECG and an electrode fault signal, if an electrode fault exists.
Claims11
A system for detecting faults in electrodes used to measure physiological activity of a subject, the system comprising:
- at least one carrier signal electrode to deliver a carrier signal to the subject;
- at least one activity electrode to sense a combined signal having an activity portion and a carrier signal portion;
- and
- a signal processor coupled to the at least one activity electrode, the signal processor including
- a first splitter to divide the combined signal into a first signal with an activity portion and a carrier signal portion and a second signal with an activity portion and a carrier signal portion,
- a filter coupled to the first splitter to receive the first signal and substantially remove the first signal's carrier signal portion and having an output signal,
- a second splitter coupled to the filter to divide the output signal into a first output signal and a second output signal,
- a combiner coupled to the first and second splitters to subtract the second signal from the second output signal to produce a second carrier signal, and
- an impedance calculator coupled to the combiner to calculate an impedance value based on the second carrier signal.
A signal processor for use in a physiological activity acquisition system having an activity electrode, the signal processor comprising:
- a first splitter to divide a combined signal from the activity electrode into a first signal with an activity portion and a carrier signal portion and a second signal with an activity portion and a carrier signal portion;
- a finite impulse response filter coupled to the first splitter to receive the first signal and substantially remove the first signal's carrier signal portion, the finite impulse response filter having a first zero point frequency and an output signal;
- a second splitter coupled to the filter to divide the output signal into a first output signal and a second output signal;
- a combiner coupled to the first and second splitters to subtract the second signal from the second output signal to produce a second carrier signal;
- an impedance calculator coupled to the combiner to calculate an impedance value based on the second carrier signal;
- and
- wherein the first zero point frequency of the finite impulse response filter is used to generate a carrier signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.