Design of ECG Amplifier

Chapter 4
Chapter 4 Design of ECG Amplifier

The Electrocardiograph (ECG) signal is an electrical signal generated by the heart’s

beating, which can be used as a diagnostic tool for examining some of the functions of
the heart. It has a principal measurement range of 0.5 to 4 mV and signal frequency range
of 0.01 to 250 Hz.

4.1 Problem Statement

There are many factors that should be taken into consideration in the design of an
ECG amplifier, such as the frequency distortion, saturation distortion, interference from
electric devices and other sources. The most important kind of noise in an ECG amplifier
is the 60 Hz noises, since using a band-pass filter can easily reject both the DC and high
frequency noise. A major source of noise when one is recording or monitoring the ECG
is the electric power system, as shown in Figure 1. Electromagnetic interference from
nearby high power radio or television can also be picked up by a close loop of lead wires.
Figure 2 illustrates the electromyography noise, whose source is located in the body
itself.

Figure 1: 60-Hz Power-Line Interference

Figure 2: Electromyography Interference on the ECG

To eliminate the noises mentioned above, we can use differential amplifiers, as shown
in Figure 3, the output of this circuit is:

R4  R2 
Vout −Vref = 1 +2 (V 1 −V 2 ) …………………….………….. (1)
R3  R1 

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Chapter 4 Design of ECG Amplifier

Figure 3: Three-op-amp Differential Amplifier

If the input is a common mode voltage (V1=V2), then VOut = 0. If on the other hand
V1 =/= V2 then the differential voltage (V1-V2) produces a differential gain. Since most
noises are common mode voltage, the differential amplifier can eliminate them. This
three-op-amp amplifier circuit is frequently called an instrumentation amplifier. It has
high input impedance, a high CMRR, and a gain a gain that can be changed by adjusting
R1. This circuit finds wide use in measuring biopotential, because it rejects the large
60Hz common-mode voltages that exist on the body.

Figure 4: Driven-right-leg Circuit for Minimizing Common-mode Interference

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Chapter 4 Design of ECG Amplifier

In many modern electrocardiograph systems, people are using a driven-right-leg

system. The patient is not grounded at all. Instead, the right leg electrode is connected (as
show in Figure 4) to the output of an auxiliary op amp.

The Common-mode voltage on the body is sensed by the two averaging resistors
Ra, Inverted, amplified and fed back to the right leg. Such a negative feed back drives the
common-mode voltage to a low level. It can also provide some electric safety, because
the auxiliary op amp will saturate when an abnormally high voltage appears between the
patient and ground.

4.2Theoretical Design
To meet the requirements of our ECG amplifier mentioned before, we need to design
a cascade circuit, which consists a differential amplifier (Instrumentation Amplifier), a
Low Pass Filter, a High Pass Filter and a gain stage. The order of these stages is based on
the consideration of reducing noises. For example, in the following cascade chain (Figure
5), the output noise is

( ( n1 * A1 + n2 ) * A2 + n3 ) * A3 = A1 A2 A3 * n1 + A2 A3 * n2 + A3 * n3 …….. (2)

So the best placement of the three stages should be A1 > A2 > A3

Figure 5: Example of the Noise Consideration in a Multi-stage System

Figure 6 is the placement of our cascade design, which is on the basis of placing high
gain stages early in the signal path. However, the High Pass Filter stage should be placed
immediately after the differential amplifier to chop off the DC component of its output.
Otherwise, this DC component will be amplified by the gain stage and may saturate the
following op-amps.

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Chapter 4 Design of ECG Amplifier

Differential High Pass

Input Amplifier Filter

Low Pass Gain

Filter Stage

Figure 6: Placement of the Cascaded Stages

There are two principal reasons for the use of active filters. The first is that the
amplifier powering the filter can be used to shape the filter's response, e.g., how quickly
and how steeply it moves from its passband into its stopband. (To do this passively, one
must use inductors, which tend to pick up surrounding electromagnetic signals and are
often quite physically large.) The second is that the amplifier powering the filter can be
used to buffer the filter from the electronic components it drives. This is often necessary
so that they do not affect the filter's actions.

4.2.1 Low-pass Filter

A low-pass filter is a filter that passes low frequencies well, but attenuates (or
reduces) frequencies higher than the cutoff frequency. The actual amount of attenuation
for each frequency varies from filter to filter. It is sometimes called a high-cut filter, or
treble cut filter when used in audio applications.

A high-pass filter is the opposite, and a band pass-filter is a combination of a high-

pass and a low-pass.

The concept of a low-pass filter exists in many different forms, including electronic
circuits (as a hiss filter used in audio), digital algorithms for smoothing sets of data,
acoustic barriers, blurring of images, and so on. Low-pass filters play the same role in
signal processing that moving averages do in some other fields, such as finance; both

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Chapter 4 Design of ECG Amplifier

tools provide a smoother form of a signal which removes the short-term oscillations,
leaving only the long-term trend.

Electronic low-pass filters are used to drive subwoofers and other types of
loudspeakers, to block high pitches that they can't efficiently broadcast. Radio
transmitters use low-pass filters to block harmonic emissions, which might cause
interference with other communications.

An ideal low-pass filter eliminates all frequencies above the cut-off frequency while
passing those below unchanged. The transition region present in practical filters does not
exist. An ideal low pass filter can be realized mathematically (theoretically) by
multiplying a signal by the rectangular function in the frequency domain or, equivalently,
convolution with a sinc function in the time domain.

However, this filter is not realizable for practical, real signals because the sinc
function extends to infinity. The filter would therefore need to predict the future and have
infinite knowledge of the past in order to perform the convolution. It is effectively
realizable for pre-recorded digital signals, or perfectly cyclic signals that repeat for
infinity.

4.2.2 High-pass Filter

A high-pass filter is a filter that passes high frequencies well, but attenuates (or
reduces) frequencies lower than the cutoff frequency. The actual amount of attenuation
for each frequency varies from filter to filter. It is sometimes called a low-cut filter; the
terms bass-cut filter or rumble filter are also used in audio applications. A high-pass filter
is the opposite of a low-pass filter, and a band-pass filter is a combination of a high-pass
and a low-pass.

It is useful as a filter to block any unwanted low frequency components of a complex

signal while passing the higher frequencies. The meanings of 'low' and 'high' frequencies
are relative to the cutoff frequency chosen by the filter designer.

The simplest electronic high-pass filter consists of a capacitor in series with the signal
path in conjunction with a resistor in parallel with the signal path. The resistance times

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Chapter 4 Design of ECG Amplifier

the capacitance (R×C) is the time constant (τ); it is inversely proportional to the cutoff
frequency, at which the output power is half the input (−3 dB):

1 1
f = × π ×τ = × π × RC …………………………….………… (3)
2 2

Where f is in hertz, τ is in seconds, R is in ohms, and C is in farads.

Such a filter could be used to direct high frequencies to a tweeter speaker while
blocking bass signals, which could interfere with or damage the speaker. A low-pass
filter, using a coil instead of a capacitor, could simultaneously be used to direct low
frequencies to the woofer. High-pass and low-pass filters are also used in digital image
processing to perform transformations in the frequency domain.

Most high-pass filters have zero gain (-inf dB) at DC. Such a high-pass filter with
very low cutoff frequency can be used to block DC from a signal that is undesired in that
signal (and pass nearly everything else). These are sometimes called DC blocking filters.

4.2.3 Gain
Consider a linear, time invariant system S with input impedance Zi, and output
impedance Zo. This system is driven by a source with an impedance Zs, and the system is
loaded with an impedance Zl. This situation used to explain several concepts of gain.
Assume that the input impedance is much higher than the source impedance and, in the
extreme case, that Zi→ ∞. This means that no current will flow into system S, and the
voltage of the source, Vs is equal to the voltage at the input of S, Vi. Similarly, assuming
Zo→ 0 will give a voltage Vl across the load equal to the output voltage of S, Vo. This
latter voltage is equal to the amplified voltage at the input of S,

Vo Vl
Av = = ……………………………………………………… (4)
Vi Vs

Here Av, is called the (unloaded) voltage gain, and is normally used by analog designers.

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Chapter 4 Design of ECG Amplifier

4.3 ECG over IP System

As we mentioned in chapter 1 before, an electrocardiogram (ECG) is a graphic
tracing of the voltage generated by the cardiac or heart muscle during a heartbeat. It
provides very accurate evaluation of the performance of the heart. The heart generates an
electrochemical impulse that spreads out in the heart in such a fashion as to cause the
cells to contract and relax in a timely order and thus give the heart a pumping
characteristic. This sequence is initiated by a group of nerve cells called the sinoatrial
(SA) node resulting in a polarization and depolarization of the cells of the heart. Because
this action is electrical in nature and because the body is conductive with its fluid content,
this electrochemical action can be measured at the surface of the body.

The goal of our senior project has several objectives as follows:

 Design a device capable to measure the ECG signal of human body as

accurate as possible

 Interface that device to computer through analog to digital converter (or

microcontroller)

 Design widows client application to display the ECG signal and send it over
IP to another computer

 Design windows server application to display the received ECG signal

Figure 7: ECG over IP System Block Diagram

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Chapter 4 Design of ECG Amplifier

Conclusion

Depending on our study, we can see the very big importance to know about this
application. So, we tried to explain as easy and clear we can.

To design ECG amplifier there were steps structure we can not pass any one, because
the output signal carrying a sensitive indicates play a big work in discover the typical
signal, and any loss can make a big problem.

Finally, ECG is a big and interested application, and as we can enhance it, we give a
bigger chance to live. Because of this, we are trying to develop ECG measurement
system over internet to allow our doctors for real time ECG monitoring system.

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