A wearable wireless ECG sensor: A design with a minimal number of parts

Abstract

A wearable wireless sensor for ECG monitoring is presented. It features a split design where the digital and the analog part of the sensor are separated self-contained subparts. The radio link is implemented with an ZigBit module compatible with robust IEEE 802.15.4/ZigBee stack for wireless personal area networks (WPANs). A two-way wireless data transmission link operating at license free 2.4 GHz frequency band is used for transferring the 10-bit measurement data to a receiver device connected to a PC. Tailored PC software is used for displaying the signals and controlling the measurement parameters. The ECG sensor is aimed for measurements in patient's natural living environment during daily routines and continuous long term measurement for people having, or being recovering from a cardiac disease. The ECG sensor can operate alone or it can be used as a part of wireless personal area network in health care facilities. © 2010 International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering.