DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL

ENGINEERING

UNIVERSITY OF ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY

LAHORE (New Campus)

BME-310L Biomedical Instrumentation

Lab Report 1

Submitted to:
Sir Abdullah

Submitted by:
2020-BME- 10

Group Members:

Eman Irshad 2020-BME-06

Haseeb-UR-Rehman 2020-BME-10
Muhammmad Junaid 2020-BME-14
Muhammad Talha 2020-BME-16
Experiment: 1
“Introduction to Bio-Instrumentation”

Objective:
 To get familiarized with equipments present in bio-instrumentation lab.
Theory:

 ECG 
Electrocardiography (ECG) is a quick, simple, painless procedure in which the heart’s electrical
impulses are amplified and recorded. This record, the electrocardiogram (also known as an ECG),
provides information about the

1. Part of the heart that triggers each heartbeat (the pacemaker, called the sino-atrial or sinus
node)

2. Nerve conduction pathways of the heart

3. Rate and rhythm of the heart

Sometimes, the ECG can show that the heart is enlarged (usually due to high blood pressure) or
that the heart is not receiving enough oxygen due to a blockage in one of the blood vessels that
supply the heart (the coronary arteries). It is an electro gram of the heart which is a graph of voltage
versus time of the electrical activity of the heart using electrodes placed on the skin.

Figure 1 ECG signal

 ECG Acquisition system:

The system consists of two main modules; the hardware module containing the data acquisition
card and the software module containing a graphical user interface which processes the ECG
signal and displays the necessary information.
 There is an interface between the hardware and the software modules using RS-232 protocol. The
advantage of this system is that it is costeffective alternative to the existing ECG machines and can
provide a fairly accurate measurement of the quantities required for diagnostic purposes. This system
can help anyone from any background to get an idea about their heart condition, if required. Also,
the system provides an automatic measurement of values as opposed to the manual technique
employed by physicians. ECG data acquired from different individuals can be stored on the PC in a
digitized form for future reference or can be communicated between PCs.

Figure 2 ECG acquisition system

 Lead System in our body:

The electrical signals from the heart are measured with surface electrodes. The resulting electrode
potential in the heart conducts to the body surface. Standardized electrode positions are used to
record the ECG. The three types of electrode systems are
1. Bipolar limb leads or standard leads
2. Augmented unipolar limb leads
3. Chest leads

 Bipolar Leads
Bipolar recordings utilize standard limb lead configurations depicted in the figure. By convention,
lead I has the positive electrode on the left arm, and the negative electrode on the right arm, and
therefore measures the potential difference between the two arms. In this and the other two limb
leads, an electrode on the right leg serves as a reference electrode for recording purposes. In the lead
II configuration, the positive electrode is on the left leg and the negative electrode is on the right arm.
Lead III has the positive electrode on the left leg and the negative electrode on the left arm. These
three bipolar limb leads roughly form an equilateral triangle.
 Figure 3 ECG bipolar leads system

 Unipolar Leads:
On the electrocardiogram, the unipolar limb leads register the potential difference between a
theoretical null point at the centre of the Einthoven’s triangle and the electrode of each extremity,
thus allowing us to know the absolute potential in that electrode. These leads were initially named
VR, VL and VF.

Figure 4 ECG Unipolar lead system

 Figure 5 ECG Unipolar lead signal

 Chest Leads:
Chest leads are unipolar leads. They are made up of an exploring electrode (either V1-V6 or more),
which is positive and a negative electrode which is connected to an indifferent constant electrode at
the Wilson Central terminal. The exploring electrode’s position is changed with V1, V2, etc placed
at different places on the chest.

Figure 6 ECG chest leads system

 Lead ECG Placement Guide:

The correct positioning of leads is essential to taking an accurate 12 lead resting ECG and
incorrect placement of leads can lead to a false diagnosis of infarction or negative changes on the
ECG. This guide explains the common position for each of the 10 leads on a 12 lead resting ECG.
ElectrodePlacement Area
V1 Fourth intercostal space to the right of the sternum.
V2 Fourth intercostal space to the left of the sternum.
V3 Directly between leads V2 and V4.
V4 Fifth intercostal space at midclavicular line.
V5 Level with V4 at left anterior axillary line.
V6 Level with V5 at the midaxillary line. (Directly under the midpoint of the armpit)
R - Right arm
L - Left arm
F - Left leg
N - Right leg

Figure 7 Lead ECG placement guide

 Isolation Amplifier:
An isolation amplifier is used to protect certain computer components from the electrical power
that is needed to run them. Many computer components are delicate and can be damaged by even
small fluctuations in electrical energy. Placing an isolation amplifier in a circuit separates the two
sides of the circuit, allowing for precise control of the amount of energy transferred from one side to
the other. An isolation amplifier both blocks unwanted electrical activity and allows necessary
activity to pass through. The device is designed to transmit signals that fall within allowable
parameters. Information may be transmitted in analogue form, or may be converted into digital
before it is allowed to pass through the barrier. These amplifiers can also increase the amount of
energy supplied to the data input system as necessary.
 Figure 8 Lead ECG Isolation circuit

 Notch Filter ECG:

The ECG signal obtained from human being is a weak signal, which is mostly contaminated by noise
signal such as power line interference and muscle contraction noise. It is highly desirable to remove
such noise before further processing of ECG signal. The power line interference is represented by a
narrow band (48-60 Hz) harmonic signals. On the other hand, the muscle contraction noise occurs
at 38 to 45 Hz. In order to suppress these unwanted harmonic distortions from the ECG signal, one
can use a highly selective notch filter designed at a particular frequency. Such type of notch filter
can be useful for removing a particular frequency noise. In other words, many notch filters 60Hz are
needed to suppress noise signal present at different frequencies simultaneously. This approach will
not only complicate the design but also attenuate the desired ECG signal. In order to overcome this
problem, we proposed the use of a tunable notch filter which can be tuned to the specified frequency
range of power line interference and muscle contraction noise in the ECG signal. The proposed notch
filter is so design that it preserves the ECG signal pulses containing useful information.
 ECG Band Pass Filter:
Therefore, it is recommended for diagnostic purposes to use a high-pass filter with 0.05 Hz and a
low-pass filter with 150 Hz. With this bandpass filter setting, the ECG is displayed with the
maximum available frequency bandwidth. If the ECG is displayed with a reduced frequency
bandwidth, the ECG morphology will be changed, for example, adjustment to the low-pass filter
affects the amplitude of the R wave and adjusting the high-pass filter can result in shifts in the ST
segment. If the bandpass filter impairs the interpretation ability of the ECG signal, it will be shown
on the ECG printout.

 Gain of ECG amplifier:

The ECG100C Electrocardiogram Amplifier records electrical activity generated by the heart
and will reliably record ECG from humans, animals and isolated organ preparations. The ECG
amplifier output.
 Thermocouple
A thermocouple is a sensor that measures temperature. It consists of two different types of
metals, joined together at one end. When the junction of the two metals is heated or cooled,
a voltage is created that can be correlated back to the temperature. A thermocouple is a
simple, robust and cost- effective temperature sensor used in a wide range of temperature
measurement processes.Thermocouples are manufactured in a variety of styles, such as
thermocouple probes, thermocouple probes with connectors, transition joint thermocouple
probes, infrared thermocouples, bare wire thermocouple or even just thermocouple wire.
Thermocouples are commonly used in a wide range of applications. Due to their wide range
of models and technical specifications, but it is extremely important to understand its basic
structure, functionality, ranges as to better determine the right thermocouple type and
material of thermocouple for an application.

Figure 9 Thermocouple

 Photo sensor
A photoelectric sensor is a device that detects a difference in the light level received from
the light source. The sensor is made up of a light source, an amplifier, signal converter,
and an output.

 Three Types of Photoelectric Sensors

There are three major types of photoelectric sensors: thru-beam, retroreflective, and
diffused. Each sensor has its own strengths and can be used in a variety of ways.

 Thru-Beam
In thru-beam sensing, also known as opposed mode, two separate devices are used to
make or break a beam. One sensor houses the light emitter while the other houses the
receiver. A thru-beam sensor detects objects when an object interrupts the light beam
between the two sensors.Thru-beam sensors can be used to:
 Detect very small objects.
Detect the fill levels inside containers.
Detect spliced or overlapped materials.
Detect the precise location of a specific object.
Detect the contents of a container.
Detect opaque objects.
The advantages of using a thru-beam sensor are that it’s the most accurate type of sensor and has
the longest sensing range of the three. Thru-beam sensors are also the best choice when using
them in a dirty environment. It’s important to keep in mind that there will be at least two separate
parts which need to be installed in order to make this device work correctly.

 Thermistor
A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistance is strongly dependent on temperature, more so
than in standard resistors. The word thermistor is a portmanteau of thermal and resistor. Thermistors
are divided based on their conduction model. Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) thermistors
have less resistance at higher temperatures, while Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC)
thermistors have more resistance at higher temperatures. Hence, a PTC thermistor's resistance is
directly proportional to temperature. NTC thermistors are widely used as inrush current limiters,
temperature sensors, while PTC thermistors are used as self-resetting over current protectors, and
self-regulating heating elements. An operational temperature range of a thermistor is dependent on
the probe type and is typically between −100 °C and 300 °C (−148 °F and 572 °F).

Figure 10 Thermistor