Sensors and Actuators A 202 (2013) 147154

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Sensors and Actuators A: P!sical
" o u r n a l o # e $ a % e : & & & ' e l s e v i e r ' c o # ( l o c a t e ( s n a
)ulti*sensor s!ste# &it +luetoot connectivit! ,or non*invasive
#easure#ents o, u#an bod! $!sical $ara#eters
A' De$ari

- A' .la##ini- S' /inaldi- A' 0e11oli

De$art#ent o, 2n,or#ation 3n%ineerin%- 4niversit! o, +rescia- 0ia +ran1e 35- 25123 +rescia- 2tal!
a r t i c l e i n , o
Article istor!:
/eceived 27 6ctober 2012
/eceived in revised ,or# 30
A$ril 2013 Acce$ted 1 )a!
2013
Available online 15 )a! 2013
7e!&ords:
Poto$let!s#o%ra$ic
sensor 8issue
i#$edance
#easure#ent 9ireless
sensor
Portable s#art
sensor :on*
invasive
#easure#ent
a b s t r a c t
2n te last ,e& !ears- te availabilit! o, $o&er,ul $ersonal co#$utin% devices- li;e
s#art$ones- as o$ened ne& scenarios to te so called <+od! Area :et&or;= (+A:)- i'e'-
sensor net&or;s s$eci,icall! desi%ned to #onitor $!sical conditions o, te user' 8e
traditional #etods ado$ted to #onitor $!sical $ara#eters- li;e eart beat rate or e>ertion
level- are not suitable ,or real*ti#e #easure#ents' ?o&ever- a continuous #onitorin% o,
suc ;ind o, $ara#eters &ould allo& te atletes to constantl! control teir $!sical
conditions- ,urnisin% use,ul in,or#ation to $revent overstrain and to i#$rove teir $er,or*
#ance' 2n tis &or;- a si#$le- $ortable and lo&*cost s!ste# ,or non*invasive and real*ti#e
#easure#ent o, $!sical $ara#eters is $ro$osed and e>$eri#entall! caracteri1ed' 2t is
co#$osed o, tree units: te sensor a$$aratus- electronic inter,ace circuit- and te data
trans#ission unit' 8&o di,,erent sensors are co#bined in a uni@ue structure to be $laced in
a cli$*li;e ,asion on te earlobe or oter bod! $art o, a $erson' A $oto$let!s#o%ra$ic
sensor is used to o$ticall! #easure te can%es o, blood volu#e in te arteries- tus to
ac@uire in,or#ation about eart beat- blood $ressure- and arr!t#ias' 8e second sensor
is co#$osed o, t&o electrodes- ence an i#$edance #easure#ent o, te tissue is carried
out' 8e i#$edance esti#ation can be used to #onitor te dielectric $ro$erties o, biolo%ical
tissues and ,luids- li;e blood ,lo&' A co##ercial batter!*o$erated +luetoot ear$one is
used bot to trans#it sensor data and to $rovide te $o&er su$$l! ,or te sensors and te
,irst conditionin% electronics' Data trans#ission is o$erated b! te standard +luetoot
?ands*.ree $ro,ileA tere,ore- sensor data can be easil! ac@uired- elaborated and
visuali1ed b! a broad ran%e o, co##ercial devices' 2n ,act- ?ands*.ree is te onl! +lue*
toot data co##unication $ro,ile su$$orted b! an! s#art$one- ,ro# te lo&*cost ones to
te i%*end devices' 8e e>$eri#ental caracteri1ation o, te $rotot!$e- $er,or#ed b!
usin% a s$eci,icall! desi%ned a$$lication ,or Android s#art$one s!ste#s- as
de#onstrated te validit! o, te $ro$osed a$$roac'
B 2013 3lsevier +'0' All ri%ts reserved'
1. Introduction
)onitorin% $!sical data- $articularl! durin% s$ort
activities- can $rovide atletes &it use,ul in,or#ation
about te bod! res$onse to ,ati%ue' 2, te in,or#ation
&as %iven in real*ti#e- te atlete could i##ediatel!
reco%ni1e $otential serious a1ards ,or is ealt- ,or
e>a#$le due to overstrain- tus reducin% or inter*ru$tin%
te activit!' )oreover- trainin% $ro%ra#s tailored to te
atlete caracteristics #a! ta;e advanta%e o, te real*
ti#e in,or*#ation- b! su%%estin% i# o& to ad"ust te
activit! in order to i#$rove is $er,or#ance' A s!ste#
able to ac@uire suc data ,ro# te u#an bod! #ust be
co#$act- li%t and $ortable- non*invasive and lo&*$o&er-
in order to be batter!*o$erated durin% outdoor use'
Several devices are toda! available on te #ar;et ,or
suc $ur*$osesA ,or instance eart rate belts are used to
collect in,or#ation
; Corres$ondin% autor' 8el': C3D 03037155DDA ,a>:
C3D 030350014' 3*#ail address:
alessandro'de$ariEin%'unibs'it (A' De$ari)'
0D24*4247(F see ,ront #atter B 2013 3lsevier +'0' All
ri%ts reserved'
tt$:((d>'doi'or%(10'101G("'sna'2013'05'001
,ro# atlete bod! and to trans#it data to s#art$ones or
dedi*cated devices' ?o&ever- suc s!ste#s are usuall!
rater invasive and re@uire a care,ul $ositionin% o, te
sensitive ele#ents- in order to $rovide #eanin%,ul
results' 2n addition- te connection o, tese sensin%
devices to a s#art$one ,or data visuali1ation re@uires
te use o, e>ternal don%le- since t!$icall! teir
co##unication $ro*tocol is not nativel! su$$orted' 2n H1I-
a ne& a$$roac as been $ro$osed to i#$rove te
co#,ort and te @ualit! o, te $rovided eart rate
#easure#ents' 8e sensor is $laced on te user earlobe
and te ac@uired data are trans#itted &it &ireless
tecnolo%! to an end*device ,or data $rocessin% and
visuali1ation' 8ere,ore- te co#$le>it! and te cost o,
te sensor a$$aratus can be #aintained lo&- &ereas
te $o&er consu#$tion is co#$arable to te one o, te
&ireless trans#ission unit' 8e $ur$ose o, te $resent
&or; is to i#$rove te s!ste# in H1I- in order to collect
additional $!s*ical in,or#ation ,ro# te atleteJs bod!A in
$articular- beside te $oto$let!s#o%ra$ic (PPK)
sensor o, H1I- te #easure#ent o, te earlobe tissue
i#$edance as been considered H2I' Data ,ro# bot
sensors are trans#itted b! te sa#e audio +luetoot
inter,ace-
145 A' De$ari et al' ( Sensors and Actuators A 202 (2013) 147154
&itout te need ,or additional $rocessin% unit'
8e ai# is to use te audio si%nal to code-
tan;s to si#$le %lue lo%ic- t&o biolo%ical
si%nals' Since data collected ,ro# te sensors
ave not $articularl! $rivac! issues- codin%
and $rotection o, trans#itted data (li;e ,or
instance in H3I) ave not been considered'
8e PPK sensor is used to #onitor
#odi,ications in blood vol*u#e in te arteries-
#easurin% te variation o, te li%t trou% te
tissues H4I' 8e ,re@uenc! o, te si%nal
$rovided b! te sen*sor is used to esti#ate
te eart beat rate and to %ater additional
in,or#ation ,ro# te caracteristics o, te
cardiac si%nal' .or e>a#*$le- b! anal!1in% te
eart beat variabilit! H5-GI- it is $ossible to
detect events tat can seriousl! in"ure
atletes- suc as arr!t*#ias or arterial
stenosis and occlusions' 8e use o, a second
sensor- o$eratin% &it a di,,erent &avelen%t
or- si#ilarl!- a sin%le sen*sor e#$lo!in% t&o
di,,erent &avelen%ts- &ould #a;e $ossible
te esti#ation o, te o>!%en saturation in
blood as &ell H7-5I' 6n te oter and- te bio*
i#$edance #easure#ent is &ell*;no&n in lit*
erature HDI to #onitor te can%es o, biolo%ical
tissue $ro$erties- li;e ,or e>a#$le ions
concentration due to $!sical e,,ort' 8e #on*
itorin% o, suc $ro$erties #a! el$ te atlete
to understand te bod! res$onse to te
current activit! and- in accordance- to ad"ust
is $!sical e,,ort' 2n te $resent &or;- te
#easure#ent o, te earlobe tissue i#$edance
is acieved b! enca$sulatin% t&o elec*trodes
in te cli$ su$$ort o, te PPK sensor' +! doin%
tis- te si1e and &ei%t o, te sensor unit
a$$lied on te atlete earlobe are not
substantiall! increased'
Data trans#ission ta;es advanta%e o, te
&ell*;no&n and &ides$read +luetoot &ireless
tecnolo%!- &ic is alread! used in several
a$$lications ,or collectin% sensor data H10-11I'
2n ,act- +luetoot is nativel! available in al#ost
all $ortable devices- suc as s#art$ones and
tablets- &ic- in addition- are te best can*
didates ,or te data elaboration and
visuali1ation- tan;s to te $resence o,
relativel! i% co#$utational resources and o,
a touc screen ,or te user interaction' 6ter
co##unication tecnolo%ies t!$icall! ado$ted
to collect data ,ro# sensors- li;e 9i*.i H12I
and 2333502'15'4 H13I- $resent li#itations
re%ardin% te $o&er con*su#$tions (9i*.i)
and te su$$ort b! s#art$ones (2333
502'15'4)' 6ter interestin% a$$roaces- li;e
te one $ro$osed in H14I- are not suitable ,or
te $ro$osed a$$lication- since te sensors
are con*nected e>ternall! to te earlobe'
Latel!- +luetoot as been ado$ted ,or
data trans#ission also in sensor s!ste#s ,or
s$ort activities- tus #a;in% $ossible a direct
co##unication lin; &it te user s#art$one'
?o&ever- co#$at*ibilit! issues arise ,ro# tis
a$$roacA in ,act- +luetoot standard de,ines a
broad set o, co##unication $ro,iles- oriented
,or data as &ell as audio (strea#in%)
trans#ission- di,,erentl! su$$orted b! te #ost
&ides$read devices on te #ar;et (Android-
i6S- 9in*do&s Pone ter#inals)' Currentl!-
te onl! $ro,ile i#$le#ented b! all te devices
is te ?ands*.ree Pro,ile (?.P)- #ainl! used
,or co#*#unication &it co##ercial eadsets'
8e ?.P solution as been cosen ,or data
co##unication- to assure te ,ull co#$atibilit!
o, te $ro$osed sensor s!ste#s &it te #ost
available end*devices' 8is led to te need o,
i#$le#entin% an e,,ective ,irst conditionin%
electronics ,or sensor data- &ic &ill be
dee$l! described in te ,ollo&in%'
.or de#onstrative $ur$oses- a data
ac@uisition and user inter*,ace $ro%ra##e as
been i#$le#ented in Android environ#ent'
?o&ever- bein% te $ro$osed solution
inde$endent o, te used end*device- te
develo$#ent o, a$$lications ,or oter ter#inals
e@ui$$ed &it di,,erent o$eratin% s!ste#s is
,acilitated H1I'
2. The proposed system
8e $ro$osed s!ste# is co#$osed o, tree
units- as illustrated in .i%' 1' 8e Sensor unit
includes te sensors a$$lied on te user
Fig. 1. +loc; sce#e o, te overall s!ste#A te circled
$art is te $ro$osed solution ,or data #easure#ent and
trans#ission'
earlobe ,or te $!sical data #easure#ent'
8e analo% ,ront*end $rovides $ro$er sensor
e>citation si%nals and i#$le#ents te ,irst
conditionin% electronics o, sensor data'
)oreover- as detailed in te ,ollo&in%- it
,urnises data to trans#it to te 8rans#ission
unit in a suitable ,or#at' 8e latter is devoted
to te +luetoot trans#ission o, dataA to s$eed
u$ te desi%n $rocess- a co##ercial
+luetoot ear$one- able to trans#it audio
data- as been used ,or tis $ur*$ose' 8e
batter! o, te ear$one is used to $o&er also
te oter t&o units o, te s!ste#'
8rans#itted data can be ac@uired b! an!
device &it +luetoot ca$abilities' 2n order to
de#onstrate te validit! o, te $ro$osed
sensor s!ste#- a s#art$one e@ui$$ed &it
Android as been used as te end*device' A
suitable so,t&are (A$$) as been develo$ed to
so& te ac@uired data and to save te# as
an audio ,ile ,or ,ur*ter o,,*line anal!sis' 2n te
,ollo&in%- te tree units o, te sensor s!ste#
&ill be detailed- &ereas te s#art$one A$$
descri$tion &ill be included in Section 3'
2'1' Sensor unit
8e sensor unit consists o, an o$tical PPK
sensor and t&o elec*trodes ,or te i#$edance
#easure#ent' 8e utili1ed PPK sensor ado$ts
te trans#issive tecni@ue and tus it is
co#$osed o, a $ototransistor and a
$otodiode to be $laced ,ace*to*,ace- &it te
tar%et tissue in te #iddle' 8e $otodiode
e#its an in,rared bea# &ic is detected b!
te $ototransistor once te li%t as crossed
te tar%et tissue' An increase o, blood volu#e
in te tissue deter#ines a decrease o, te li%t
received b! te $ototransistorA tere,ore- an
electric si%nal ,ollo&in% te beaviour o, te
blood volu#e can be ac@uired' Several details
can be obtained b! usin% te
$oto$let!s#o%ra$ic &ave,or#' A sin%le
$eriod is co#$osed o, t&o $ea;s se$arated b!
a s#all di$- called Dicrotic :otcA it re$resents
te closure o, te aorta &it te end o, s!stole-
,ol*lo&ed b! te be%innin% o, te diastole' 8e
co#$lete cardiac c!cle can be used ,or te
eart beat rate esti#ation' )oreover- recent
&or;s H5-GI illustrate tat is $ossible to
evaluate te occurrence o, arr!t#ias or
arterial stenosis and occlusions ,ro# te eart
rate variabilit!' 8e t&o sensor co#$onents o,
te PPK- tat is te $ototransistor or
$otodiode- ave been $laced in te #iddle o,
t&o co$$er rin%s actin% as electrodes ,or te
i#$edance #easure*#ent' 3ac electrode as
te ,or# o, a circular rin% &it 1 ## tic;ness'
8e dia#eters o, te outer and inner
circu#,erences o, te rin%s are 10 ## and 5
##- res$ectivel!' 3lectrical connections o, te
PPK sensor are assured b! #eans o, suitable
ollo&s in te #etallic rin%s' 8e attraction
,orce o, t&o #a%nets as been used to ;ee$
te rin%s in contact &it te t&o sides o, te
earlobe and to
A' De$ari et al' ( Sensors and Actuators A 202 (2013) 147154
Vcc
R
R
D RC
PPG V
C
(a)
RST
C
t
ST
(C
tot
) CST
Fig. 2. 8e i#$le#ented $rotot!$e o, te Sensor unit'
(b)
%uarantee a %ood ali%n#ent bet&een te t&o sensor co#$onents'
Fig. 4. (a) 8e $olari1ation and ,irst conditionin% electronics ,or te PPK sensor' (b)
8&o c!lindrical #a%nets &it circu#,erence e@ual to te electrode 8e i#$edance #easure#ent and #odulation circuits'
outer one and tic;ness o, 2 ## ave been %lued to te rear o,
eac electrodeA te #a%net $ole orientation as been suitabl! co*
analo% ,ront*end' 8e PPK sensor- as illustrated be,ore- is co#$osed
sen to #a;e te rin%s attractin% eac oters &en te t&o PPK
o, a $otodiode and a $ototransistorA a si#$le $olari1ation circuit
co#$onents are ,ace*to*,ace' A $icture o, te reali1ed sensor unit
is reali1ed b! #eans o, te t&o resistors /
D
and /
C
- as in .i%' 4(a)' $rotot!$e is so&n in .i%' 2' Co#$ared to te solution ado$ted
in H1I- &ere a cli$ as been used to sustain te PPK- te #a%* 8e eart beat &ave,or# 0
C
,ro# te o$tical sensor as ver! lo&
net a$$roac #a;es te ali%n#ent o, te PPK sensor co#$onents a#$litude and it is rater nois!' 8e #a>i#u# a#$litude o, 0
C
is
sli%tl! #ore criticalA neverteless- it %uarantees a #ore e,,ective
on te order o, ,e& #illivolts and it as a DC o,,set' A ,ilterin% sta%e-
co#$osed o, a ,irst order i%*$ass ,ilter (/
?P
and C
?P
) is used to electrode contact &it te tissue' 3asiness o, a$$lication on te
tar%et (e'%'- earlobe) and re#oval are o&ever assured'
re#ove te DC o,,set- &ereas an a#$li,!in% sta%e- co#$osed o,
an active ,irst order lo&*$ass ,ilter (6A- /
LP1
- /
LP1
- and C
LP
- cut ,re* 2t sould be noticed tat te electrodes are in direct contact &it
te s;in and tere,ore an electric current can ,lo& trou% te tis* @uenc! o, about 5 ?1)- as been used to $re$rocess 0
C
- obtainin%
sue' ?o&ever- bein% te s!ste# lo&*volta%e and batter!*o$erated- te 0
PPK
si%nal'
tis does not re$resent a ris; ,or te u#an tar%et' .or i#$roved
8e circuit dedicated to te tissue i#$edance esti#ation- b!
#eans o, te i#$le#ented electrodes- ta;es advanta%e o, te ,act
sa,et!- te electrodes can be covered &it an insulatin% ,il#: t&o
tat te earlobe i#$edance can be a$$ro>i#ated as a $ure ca$ac*
ca$acitive co#$onents 2C
i
- due to te insulator- are introduced in
itive co#$onent- &en te o$eratin% ,re@uenc! is over a certain
series to te tissue i#$edance M
t
- as so&n in .i%' 3' 8e overall
value (about 20 ;?1)' 8is consideration &ill be better detailed
e,,ect is a ca$acitive co#$onent C
i
in series &it M
t
- &ic #a;es
in Section 3' 8ere,ore- te #easure#ent o, M
t
(or M
tot
- in case o,
te #easured i#$edance M
tot
to be as described in (1)' insulatin% ,il#) #erel! beco#es te esti#ation o, te ca$acitive
1 1
N /e(M
t
) C " 2#(M
t
) O (1)
co#$onent C
t
(C
tot
)- tus a si#$le ,irst conditionin% electronics can
Mtot N Mt C "2_,C 2_,C
i i be i#$le#ented' As stated be,ore- a co##ercial +luetoot device
Also in te case &en te insulator ,il# is a$$lied- te in,or#a*
able to trans#it an audio si%nal &ill be used' .or tat reason- a
sin%le si%nal in te voice band&idt carr!in% bot te in,or#a*
tion about te tissue i#$edance M
t
can be neverteless obtained
tion related to te PPK and i#$edance sensor need to be $rovided
,ro# te esti#ation o, M
tot
and te ;no&led%e o, C
i
' to te 8rans#ission unit' 2n H1I- a si#$le #etod based on si%nal
2'2' Analo% ,ront*end
#odulation &it a constant*,re@uenc! and s@uare &ave,or# car*
rier as been used to si,t te PPK si%nal in te audio band&idt-
8e sensors need to be $ro$erl! e>cited and sensor out$ut si%*
tus #a;in% it suitable ,or trans#ission &it te ado$ted +lue*
toot device' 2n tis &or;- a si#ilar a$$roac as been ,ollo&edA
nals ave to be suitabl! conditioned be,ore trans#issionA tese
in ,act- in,or#ation about te tissue ca$acitance as been coded in
tas;s are $er,or#ed b! te electronic circuits i#$le#ented in te te #odulatin% carrier ,re@uenc!' 2n tis &a!- a sort o, co#bina*
tion bet&een a $ulse*,re@uenc! #odulation and $ulse*a#$litude
#odulation is obtained and in,or#ation related to bot sensors is
co#bined to create a sin%le audio si%nal'
An oscillator circuit based on a Sc#idt 8ri%%er lo%ic %ate is
used to %enerate te tissue*ca$acitance*de$endent s@uare &ave*
,or# 0
S8
- as so&n in .i%' 4(b)' 8e oscillator o$erates at a ,re@uenc!
%reater tan 20 ;?1- in order to consider valid te a,ore#entioned
a$$ro>i#ation o, tar%et i#$edance as a $ure ca$acitive co#$o*
nentA tis ,re@uenc! value is o&ever out o, te use,ul audio
band&idt' 8us- 0
S8
is not a$$ro$riate to be directl! used as te
#odulation carrier- but it needs to be $rocessed b! a Prescaler- to
Fig. 3. 8e e@uivalent #odel o, te i#$edance sensor &en te electrodes are reduce te ,re@uenc! into te audio band' 3ventuall!- te PPK si%nal
covered &it insulatin% ,il#s' #odulation is $er,or#ed b! #eans o, a co$$er circuit- consistin%
150 A' De$ari et al' ( Sensors and Actuators A 202 (2013) 147154
o, te )6S transistor P controlled b! te
s@uare &ave,or# 0
Car
' /esu#in%- te
obtained sin%le si%nal 0
+8
- &ic is in te
audio band and tus can be directl! ac@uired
b! te 8rans#ission unit- carries te
in,or#ation about te PPK sensor in te
a#$litude and data related to te tar%et
ca$acitance in te ,re@uenc!'
2'3' 8rans#ission unit
)odern $ersonal devices- li;e
s#art$ones and tablets- are usu*all!
e@ui$$ed &it di,,erent co##unication
inter,aces- ,or instance 4S+- 9i*.i- and
+luetoot' 2n co#$arison &it oter
tecnolo%ies- +luetoot as several
advanta%es- suc as si#$le co##unication
stac;- sa,e co##unication cannel- and
availabilit! o, lo&*cost and lo&*$o&er devices
H1DI' .or tese reasons- +luetoot is t!$*icall!
e#$lo!ed to $rovide co##unication &it add*
on devices- li;e ear$ones- eadsets- %a#e
devices and #an! #ore' Latel!- a ne& release
o, +luetoot standard is available- te so
called +lue*toot Lo& 3ner%! (+L3) H15I-
&ic is also ;no&n &it te na#e +luetoot
S#art' 8!$icall! tis $rotocol is ado$ted ,or te
devel*o$#ent o, sensors net&or; H1GI- &ere
te $o&er consu#$tion is one o, te #ain
desi%n $ara#eters- li;e in #edical and ,itness
a$$liances H17I' :everteless- des$ite its lo&
$o&er consu#$tion- co#$arable to oter ver!
lo& $o&er tecnolo%! li;e 2333 502'15'a H15I-
tis solution cannot be e#$lo!ed in te
$ro$osed a$$roac- since a $ro,ile ,or te
continuous trans#ission o, data strea# is not
available' 2n addition- onl! i%*end devices
are e@ui$$ed &it +L3 at $resent ti#e- li#itin%
its co#$atibilit!- &ic is one o, te #ain
advanta%es o, te $ro$osed a$$roac'
8ere are several +luetoot $ro,iles
available ,or data as &ell as audio
co##unicationA o&ever- not all o, te# are
i#$le#ented b! te o$eratin% s!ste#s
ado$ted in s#art$ones and tablets' .or
instance- Android su$$orts so#e o, te
$ro,iles (data and audio) $rovided b! te
standard- &ereas i6S i#$le#ents oter
$ro,iles (?.P 1'5- P+AP- A2DP- A0/CP- PA:-
?2D) not co#$atible &it te $revious ones'
8e audio ?ands*.ree Pro,ile (?.P) as
been selected ,or te trans#ission o, te
sensor si%nal- because it is su$$orted b! te
#ost o, te devices on te #ar;et (included
Android- i6S s!s*te#s and 9indo&s Pone 5)
and due to te eas! recover! o, te
trans#itted sensor data at a$$lication level'
8e ?ands*.ree Pro,ile de,ines o& a eadset
(<?ands*.ree 4nit=) can be inter,aced &it an
<audio %ate&a!= device (e'%'- s#art$one-
tablet- and #ore)- ,or trans#ittin% or receivin%
audio si%nals' 8e #onaural audio cannel is
trans#itted over te S!ncronous Connection*
6riented (SC6) lin; usin% Continuousl!
0ariable Slo$e Delta )odulation (C0SD) or a
Pulse Code )odulation (PC))' 2t sould be
noted tat onl! one audio connection $er ti#e
is su$$orted bet&een te ?ands*.ree unit and
te audio %ate&a!A i, data ,ro# #ulti*$le
sensors need to be trans#itted- it is necessar!
to co#bine te in,or#ation to ,or# a sin%le
analo% si%nal'
A#on% te available co##ercial devices
o$eratin% &it te ?ands*.ree $ro,ile- a lo&*
cost ear$one- te <3ssential ?eadset= ,ro#
<Cellular Line=- as been used' 8e ear$one
circuit as been #odi,ied b! introducin% an
electronic s&itcA tis allo&s te user to select
data to trans#it to te end*device- tat is te
sensor si%*nal $rovided b! te analo% ,ront*
end or te inte%rated #icro$one si%nal'
?ence- te #odi,ied ear$one can be used ,or
#onitorin% $ur$oses as &ell as li;e a
traditional ear$one' 8us- te $ro$osed
#easure#ent s!ste# could be easil!
inte%rated in eadsets avail*able on te
#ar;et'
3. System experimental characterization
An ?P 41D4A i#$edance anal!ser as
been used to test te tis*sue i#$edance
esti#ation ,eature' 2n .i%' 5- te #a%nitude
and te
(a)
5'003C02
3'753C02
M
a
g2'503C02
1'253C02
0'003C00
0 4000 5000 12000
Frequency !z"
(b)
0
#
h
a
s
e*40
*50
0 4000 5000 12000
Frequency !z"
Fig. $. 8e #a%nitude (a) and $ase (b) o, te earlobe
i#$edance Mt #easured &it te $ro$osed sensor
(&itout insulatin% ,il#) and ac@uired &it an i#$edance
anal!ser'
$ase o, te earlobe i#$edance #easured
&it te sensor a$$lied to a $erson in nor#al
conditions are so&n' 2n tis case- te elec*
trodes ave been a$$lied &itout te
insulatin% ,il#- tere,ore te %ra$s are related
to te actual tissue i#$edance M
t
' 2t sould be
noticed tat &en te ,re@uenc! increases- te
i#$edance $ase decreases to&ards OD0
Q
-
tus indicatin% tat a ca$acitive co#$o*nent C
t
is beco#in% #ore and #ore si%ni,icant' 2, te
#easure#ent is $er,or#ed &it a ,re@uenc!
%reater tan about 20 ;?1- te tis*sue
i#$edance can be #odelled b! usin% onl! te
i#a%inar! $art or- e@uivalentl!- b! utili1in% a
ca$acitive co#$onent C
t
- as described in (2)'
M
t
N /e(M
t
) C "(2#(M
t
)) R "(2#(M
t
)) N O"
1
(2)
2_,C
t
Si#ilarl!- &en te insulatin% ,il# is used
bet&een te tissue and te electrodes- te
total i#$edance M
tot
can be #odelled b! usin%
onl! te i#a%inar! $art- &ic is related to a
ca$acitive co#*$onent C
tot
- de$endin% on C
t
and C
i
as in (3) and (4)'
Mtot R "(2#(M
tot
)) N " 2#(M
t
) O
1
2_,C
i
1 1 1
N O" C N O" (3) 2_,C
t
2_,C
i
2_,C
tot
1 1 1 (4)
N C Ctot C
t
C
i
2n .i%' G- te ac@uisition o, M
tot
$er,or#ed
&it te i#$edance anal!ser is so&n' 2t is
&ort notin% tat te beaviour starts to be
substantiall! ca$acitive at o$eratin%
,re@uencies lo&er tan in te $revious caseA
tis is due to te $redo#inance o, te
ca$acitive e,,ect C
i
o, te insulator'
2n order not to lose sensitivit! in te
#easure#ent o, te tar%et i#$edance- it is
i#$ortant to accuratel! select te #aterial ,or
te insulator ,il#A in $articular- esti#ated
values &it te reali1ed sen*sor $rotot!$e are
C
i
R 10 $. and C
t
R 1 $. &it o$eratin%
,re@uenc! o, about 100 ;?1'
A 8CM85020*PA3/ device $roduced b!
0isa! se#iconductor as been ado$ted as
te PPK sensor H20I' 8e #ain caracteris*tics
are: D50 n# bea# &avelen%t- G0 #A no#inal
current and
A' De$ari et al' ( Sensors and Actuators A 202 (2013) 147154 151
(a)
1G0000

%
&
"
120000
M
a
g
50000
40000
0
0 4000 5000 12000 1G000 20000
Frequency !z"
(b)
0
#
h
a
s
e

'
e
g
"
*40
*50
t
o
t
*120
0 4000 5000 12000 1G000 20000
Frequency !z"
Fig. (. 8e #a%nitude (a) and $ase (b) o, te earlobe i#$edance Mtot #easured &it te $ro$osed sensor (&it
insulatin% ,il#) and ac@uired &it an i#$edance anal!ser'
1'25 0 ,or&ard volta%e o, in,rared led- 250 A current re@uired b! te $ototransistor' A di%ital sco$e
ac@uisition o, te non*,iltered sensor out$ut (0
C
o, .i%' 4(a)) is so&n in .i%' 7A te si%nal is rater
nois!- even tou% te eart beat is alread! distin*%uisable' A di%ital sco$e ac@uisition o, te
obtained PPK ,iltered si%nal (0
PPK
o, .i%' 4(a)) is so&n in .i%' 5' .ro# 0
PPK
- in,or#a*tion about
beat rate- stee$ness o, s!stole $ase- its a#$litude and $eriod- locali1ation o, Dicrotic notc and
te $resence o, te
diastole $ase can be easil! obtained' A lo&*$o&er o$erational a#$li,ier (8e>as 2nstru#ents
L)355- &it su$$l! current o, about 5 A- at 3'3 0) as been used ,or te active ,ilter i#$le#enta*
tion'
8e oscillation ,re@uenc! o, te Sc#idt 8ri%%er circuit o, .i%' 4(b) as been tuned bet&een 70
;?1 and 100 ;?1- to o$erate inside te o$ti#al res$onse band&idt o, te tissue i#$edance' 8e
Prescaler as been i#$le#ented b! usin% an 5*bit di%ital counter- lo&erin% te oscillator out$ut
0
S8
,re@uenc! o, a ,actor o, 25GA te ,inal ,re@uenc! value is bet&een about 270 ?1 and 400 ?1- in
accordance &it te re@uired band ,or te audio si%nal to be trans#itted H1I' A detail o, 0
PPK
and
#odulated PPK si%nal (0
+8
o, .i%' 4(b)) is so&n in .i%' D' .or tis sta%e- a 74?C14 Sc#idt
8ri%%er inte%rated circuit and a 74?C3D3 counter- bot ,ro# 8e>as 2nstru*#ents and $o&ered at
3'3 0- ave been used' 8e #odulation is acieved b! a si#$le 2:7002 :*)6S transistor'
All te co#$onents ave been selected in order to reduce si1e and $o&er consu#$tion- tus
obtainin% a co#$act and lo&*$o&er device- suitable ,or batter!*$o&ered o$erations' Kloball!- te
s!s*te# re@uires less tan 45 #A at 3'3 0- al#ost e@uall! distributed bet&een te +luetoot
ear$one and te analo% ,ront*end' 8e ear*$one batter! as a ca$acit! o, 50 #A- tus te
c!cle batter! li,e o, te overall s!ste# is a$$ro>i#atel! 70 #in'
8o validate te $ro$osed a$$roac and to $rovide an e>a#$le o, a$$lication ,or a $ortable
device- a de#onstrative A$$ as been develo$ed ,or an Android s#art$one' 8e A$$ tas;s are to
ac@uire- store- elaborate- and so& te sensor si%nals' Data ac@uisition is si#$li,ied b! te use o,
te +luetoot inter,ace ,unctions $rovided b! te s#art$one o$eratin% s!ste#A ten- ra& data are
saved as audio ,iles (&ave ,or#at) in te s#art$one #e#or!- ,or an o$tional o,,*line $ost
elaboration' 8e $rocessin% o, data includes te de#odulation o, te ac@uired audio si%nal- in
order to e>tract in,or#ation o, te PPK si%nal sa$e and to te carrier $eriod- &ic is related to
te tissue i#$edance' )oreover- a si#$le evaluation o, te eart beat rate is $er,or#ed' 6btained
data are ten visual*i1ed on te s#art$one screen- as illustrated b! a screensot o, te
develo$ed A$$ in .i%' 10'
Fig. ). Di%ital sco$e ac@uisition o, te non*,iltered PPK sensor out$ut (0C o, .i%' 4(a))'
152 A' De$ari et al' ( Sensors and Actuators A 202 (2013) 147154
Fig. *. Di%ital sco$e ac@uisition o, te ,iltered PPK sensor out$ut (0PPK o, .i%' 4(a))'
2n order to validate te elaboration i#$le#ented b! te A$$- te (related to te sensor i#$edance)- res$ectivel!' Data ac@uisition
sa#e o$erations $er,or#ed b! te s#art$one ave been re$ro* as been $er,or#ed be,ore and durin% a s$ort activit!A varia*
duced in )atlab environ#ent and o,,*line a$$lied to te stored tions o, eart beat rate as &ell as o, te tissue i#$edance can
data ,iles' .i%' 11 so&s a co#$lete ac@uisition- &ere te red and be reco%ni1ed- tus de#onstratin% te validit! o, te $ro$osed
blue lines re$resent te PPK si%nal and te $eriod o, te carrier a$$roac'
Fig. +. Di%ital sco$e ac@uisition o, te ,iltered (0PPK o, .i%' 4(a)) and #odulated (0+8 o, .i%' 4(b)) PPK sensor out$ut'
A' De$ari et al' ( Sensors and Actuators A 202 (2013) 147154 153
Fig. 1,. Screenshot of the demo App implemented for an Android
smartphone.
Fig. 11. Of-line elaboration of an acquired fle during a test of the
system.
4. -onclusions
:on*invasive and real*ti#e #easure#ent o, $!sical $ara#e*ters
re@uires a si#$le- $ortable and lo& cost s!ste# able to collect te
in,or#ation &itout inter,erin% &it atletic trainin%' A s!s*te#
co#$osed o, a +luetoot ear$one e@ui$$ed &it a PPK and tissue
i#$edance sensors- to be a$$lied on te earlobe o, te at*lete- as
been $ro$osed' 8an;s to an e,,ective $rocessin% o, te sensor data-
an audio si%nal- suitable to be trans#itted &it +lue*toot ear$ones
o$eratin% &it te standard ?ands*.ree $ro,ile- can be obtained'
8ere,ore- a broad ran%e o, $ortable devices- suc as s#art$ones
and tablets- can be used to ac@uire te sensor si%*nal- ,or real*ti#e
$rocessin%- data visuali1ation- and user inter,ace' Data obtained ,ro#
te esti#ation o, te eart beat rate and te earlobe i#$edance can
be used to $rovide to te atlete real*ti#e in,or#ation concernin% te
res$onse o, te bod! to te ,ati%ue- tus allo&in% te# to ad"ust is
activit!- avoidin% ealt ris;s and to i#$rove is $er,or#ance' 8e
#ulti*sensor $rotot!$e described
and caracteri1ed in te $a$er- alon% &it a de#o a$$lication ,or an
Android s#art$one- ave de#onstrated te ,easibilit! o, te $ro*
$osed a$$roac- #onitorin% te cardiac si%nal and te variations o,
u#an tissue i#$edance due to $!sical e,,ort'
.e/erences
!1br0ken!! C.M. De Dominicis D. Ma!!otti M. "iccinelli S.
#inaldi A. $e!!oli A. Depari %&aluation of bluetooth hands-free profle
for sensors applications in smart- phone platforms in' "roceedings of
(%%% Sensors Applications Symposium )SAS* +,-+ pp. -+,.-+/.
!2br0ken!! A. Depari A. 0lammini S. #inaldi A. $e!!oli A
portable multi-sensor system for non-in&asi&e measurement of
biometrical data in' "roceedings %ngineer-ing . +1th %uropean
Conference on Solid-State 2ransducers %3#OS%4SO# +,-+ &ol. 56
7ra8o9 "oland September :.-+ +,-+ pp. -;+;.-;+1
http'<<d=.doi.org<-,.-,-1<>.proeng.+,-+.,:.;:: (SS4 -?66-6,/?.
!3br0ken!! S. M@ller 2. 4e9e S. Aochmann "rototype of a
secure 9ireless patient mon- itoring system for the medical community
Sensors and Actuators A' "hysical -6; )-* )+,-+* //.1/.
!4br0ken!! A.A. Aee A.B. 2ahmoush B.#. Bennings An A%D-transistor
photoplethysmograp (%%% 2ransactions on Ciomedical %ngineering ++ )-:6/* +5?.
+/,.
!5br0ken!! ".M. Middleton D.S.E. Chan S. Marr C.D. Celler 4.E.
Ao&ell (dentifcation of high -ris8 acute coronary syndromes by
spectral analysis of ear photo- plethysmographic 9a&eform &ariability
"hysiological Measurement ;+ )+,--* --?-.--:+.
!6br0ken!! 7.A. #eddy B.#. Cai C. Deorge 4.M. Mohan $.B.
7umar $irtual instrument for the measurement of haemo -dynamic
parameters using photoplethysmograph "roceedings of
(nstrumentation and Measurement 2echnology Conference )(M2C*
)+,,1* +5.+6.
!7br0ken!! F. Mendelson C.D. Ochs 4onin&asi&e pulse o=imetry
utili!ing s8in reGectance photoplethysmography (%%% 2ransactions on
Ciomedical %ngineering ;/ )-::?* 6:?.?,/.
!8br0ken!! B.D. Hebster Measurement of Go9 and &olume of blood in' C.
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J:K D. Mi8la&ciLcL 4. "a&sel>L 0.M. Eart %lectric properties of tis-sues Hiley
%ncyclopedia of Ciomedical %ngineering )+,,1* -.-+
http'<<d=.doi.org<-,.-,,+<:6?,56-65,;1,.ebs,5,;.
!10br0ken!! ". 0errari A. 0lammini D. Marioli %. Sisinni A. 2aroni
A Cluetooth-based sen- sor net9or8 9ith Heb interface (%%%
2ransactions on (nstrumentation and Measurement /5 )1* )+,,/* +;/:.
+;1;.
!11br0ken!! F. Nhang E. Miao Cluetooth-based sensor net9or8s
for remotely monitoring the physiological signals of a patient (%%%
2ransactions on (nformation 2ech- nology in Ciomedicine -; )1* )+,,:*
-,5,.-,5?.
!12br0ken!! ". 0errari A. 0lammini D. Marioli A. 2aroni (%%%?,+.-- sensor
net9or8ing (%%% 2ransactions on (nstrumentation and Measurement // )+* )+,,1*
1-/.1-:.
!13br0ken!! A. 0lammini S. #inaldi 0. Casalegno O. 2elhan
(mpro&ing performance of a Ba&a-based platform for 9ireless sensor
net9or8 application in' "roceedings of (%%% (nstrumentation and
Measurement 2echnology Conference )(+M2C* +,-, pp. -1-?.-1+;.
!14br0ken!! 7. Eachisu8a A. 4a8ata 2. 2a8eda 7. Shiba 7. Sasa8i
E. Eosa8a 7. (tao De&el- opment of 9earable intra -body
communication de&ices Sensors and Actuators A' "hysical -,/ )-*
)+,,;* -,:.--/.
!15br0ken!! Core Specifcation $ersion 5., I Cluetooth Ao9 %nergy
Hireless 2echnology +,-, Buly 999.bluetooth.com
!16br0ken!! %. Mac8ensen M. Aai 2.M. Hendt Cluetooth lo9 energy )CA%*
based 9ireless sensors in' "roceedings of (%%% Sensors +,-+ pp. -.5.
!17br0ken!! A.B. Bara D. 0ernande! ". Aope! M.A. Namora C.
3beda A.D. S8armeta %&al- uation of bluetooth lo9 energy capabilities
for continuous data transmission from a 9earable electrocardiogram
in' "roceedings of Si=th (nternational Con- ference on (nno&ati&e Mobile
and (nternet Ser&ices in 3biquitous Computing )(M(S* +,-+ pp. :-+.
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!18br0ken!! M. Sie88inen M. Eiien8ari B.7. 4urminen B. 4ieminen
Eo9 lo9 energy is bluetooth lo9 energyO Comparati&e measurements
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0iographies
1lessandro 'epari 9as born in (taly in -:61. Ee recei&ed the Aaurea degree
in %lectronics %ngineering and the "h.D. degree in %lectronic (nstrumentation
from the 3ni&ersity of Crescia Crescia (taly in +,,+ and +,,1 respecti&ely.
Since +,,6 he has been an Assistant "rofessor )#esearcher* 9ith the
Department of (nforma-tion %ngineering 3ni&ersity of Crescia. Ee is co-
author of more than /, scientifc papers published on international >ournals
and conference proceedings. Eis research interests are in the areas of signal
conditioning and processing for chemical sensors particularly resonant and
resisti&e sensors for artifcial olfactory systems the de&el-opment of sensor
net9or8s for distributed measurement and the design of methods and
digital electronic circuits for numeric measurement instrumentation.
154 A' De$ari et al' ( Sensors and Actuators A 202 (2013) 147154
1lessandra Flammini &as born in +rescia- 2tal!- in 1DG0'
Se received te )'Sc' de%ree (&it onours) in $!sics
,ro# te 4niversit! o, /o#e- /o#e- 2tal!- in 1D55' .ro#
1D55 to 1DD5- se &as involved &it industrial researc
and develo$#ent on di%ital drive control' Currentl!- se is
&it te De$art#ent o, 2n,or#ation 3n%ineer*in%-
4niversit! o, +rescia- +rescia- 2tal!- &ere se &as a
/esearcer ,ro# 1DD5 to 2002 and as been an
Associate Pro,essor since 2002' Se teaces several
courses about #easure#ents in industrial environ#ents
and di%ital electronic s!ste#s' ?er #ain researc activit!
includes e#bedded s!ste#s- #easure#ent
instru#entation- sensor si%nal $rocessin%- s#art
sensors- &ired and &ireless sensor net&or;in%- s!n*
croni1ation and s#art %rids'
Ste/ano .inaldi &as born in Seriate- 2tal!- in 1D52' ?e
received te de%ree &it onours in electronics
en%ineerin% in 200G and te P'D' de%ree in electronic
instru#entation in 2010 ,ro# te 4niversit! o, +rescia-
+rescia- 2tal!' ?is #ain researc activities are ,ocused on
$er,or#ance anal!sis o, industrial net&or;- &ireless
sensor net&or;- s#art sensors- real*ti#e 3ternet-
,ieldbus a$$lications- s!ncroni1ation #etods- .PKA
SoC desi%n- and Linu>*e#bedded so,t&are devel*
o$#ent'
1ngelo 2ezzoli &as born in Ciari in 1D53' ?e %raduated
in 3lectronics 3n%ineerin% at 4niversit! o, +rescia in
2010 &it a tesis titled <triassial accelero#eter &it 4S+
co##unication=' 2n 2010 e eld researc %rant at
4niversit! o, +rescia on a $ro"ect o, <develo$#ent o,
!brid net&or;: &ired and &ireless=' Currentl!- e studies
,or P'D' course in 3lectronic Sensors and
2nstru#entation at 4niversit! o, +rescia' 8e #ain
te#es o, is researces are about s#art #eterin%-
$rotocols and s!ste#s o, co##unication on s#art
#eterin% scenario'