RF-Based Blood Pressure Monitor Location Sensor

Students: Jordan Lippitt, Mic Johnson, Ming Dai, Pat Benike, and Thai Pham
Advisors: Professor Paul Ruden and Larry Beaty (IEEE Phoenix Project)

GOALl

DESIGN OVERVIEW

Design Overview:

To design a sensor that uses radio frequency technology to calculate the difference in height between
ones wrist and his or her heart.

INTRODUCTIONl

Active Transmitting RF tag (2.45 GHz)

Bracelet Antenna Array + Accelerometer
Three antennas measure received signal strength from transmitter
Reference table from testing determines linear distance
Angle of accelerometer and distance used to calculate height

TEST RESULTSl

Experiment Setup/Results:

The RF transceiver, embedded in a development board, is configured to transmit an RF signal

continuously. The board is placed in parallel with the receiver, and the signal strength received by the
antenna at specific distance is recorded to establish a reference table.

The University of Minnesota Chronobiology Center has found that through continuous monitoring of
blood pressure, Vascular Variability Disorders (VVDs) can be detected and treated early before they
result in events such as heart attack or stroke.
Members of the Twin Cities IEEE Phoenix Project are currently in the process of developing a wristworn blood pressure monitor (BPM) that can be worn continuously over the course of a week to monitor
the cyclical nature of ones blood pressure.
The major drawback of current wrist-worn BPMs is that they require users to keep their wrist level with
their heart at all times in order to generate accurate readings. This is not practical because it becomes
nearly impossible for the user to comfortably wear the BPM continuously over the course of a week.
Our design combines the functionality of radio frequency technology with an accelerometer to calculate
the orientation of the wearer's wrist with respect to their heart, and the linear distance between them. The
height between the heart and the wrist can be calculated with these variables and then applied to adjust
the incorrect measurements recorded by the BMP.

Voltage vs Distance
1.6
1.5

Voltage (V)

1.4
1.3
1.2
1.1
1
0.9
0.8
0.7
0

10

12

14

16

18

20

22

24

26

28

30

32

34

36

38

40

Distance (cm)

THE PHOENIX PROJECTl

FINDINGSl

Chronobiology is the study of biological rhythms. Blood pressure has a 24 hour rhythm. When
measured every 30 minutes for 7 days straight, vascular variability disorders can be detected.
Vascular Variability Disorders can predict morbidity events like a strike or heart attack. They can only
be detected by continuously monitoring blood pressure.
The goal of the Phoenix Project is to improve on the design of current wrist-worn blood pressure
monitors (Figure 1) to make them affordable, robust, and able to take accurate blood pressure
measurements every 30 minutes for a week.
Wrist-worn blood pressure monitors that are held at a different height than the heart will give an
inaccurate measurement.

The final design fell a bit short of the original specifications. The resolution of the receiver was
too large, reducing the effective operating range of the system to 30 cm.
One problem lies within the physical nature of radio waves denoted by Friis Transmission
Equation and the design of the RF receivers in our system. While the system has a wide enough
range to cover all expected signal strengths, the exponential decay of power is amplified when
measured logarithmically. Because the systems RF receivers measure in dBm, which is a
logarithmic unit, Friis Transmission Equation for received signal strength is denoted by
Equation 2.

= + + + 20 log
4
Equation 2: Friis Transmision Equation (logarithmic)

Figure 1: Picture of current wrist-cuff blood pressure monitors.

Transmitter:

The transmitter is implemented with an Atmel ATAVRRZRAVEN

development board that continuously broadcasts a 2.4GHz radio signal.

Fictitious example of continuous monitoring shown below.

Continuous monitoring allows for the detection of Vascular
Variability Disorders (VVDs):

Receiver Array:

The receiver array is a bracelet containing 3 antennas that are 60

degrees apart from one another and an Adafruit Industries ADXL335 3-axis accelerometer.
Each antenna is connected to an Analog Devices AD8313 Logarithmic Amplifier that
measures the signal strength of the radio frequency obtained by the antenna and outputs a
corresponding DC voltage.

140

The maximum advised resolution of the systems RF readers is 1dBm. While this resolution is
high enough for the short end of the specified operating range, at a distance of about 30 cm a
resolution of more than 1dBm is required to continue making accurate measurements. Past this
point, the calculated distance varies by more than the specified accuracy of 2.5 cm.
This could be accounted for by placing a low noise amplifier in front of the receiver and
compensating the circuit. However doing so will lower the signal to noise ratio of the circuit,
consequently producing a more distorted signal. Additionally, FCC regulations regarding
amplifiers need to be taken into effect.
Calculating distance through POA should be considered. While POA is more difficult to set up,
it is considered to have a higher resolution than measuring RSS does. This is due to the fact
that the phase of radio waves is less affected by interference than the magnitude is.

120
100
80

Diastolic

60

Expected (Low)

40

Expected (High)

20
0
12
AM

BPM is accurate if at the same

height as the heart

6 AM

12
PM

6 PM

MEASURING DISTANCEl
Distance was calculated by measuring the Received Signal Strength (RSS) at multiple antennas and then
comparing the values to a reference table. RSS is based on Friis Transmission Equation (Equation 1). If it
is assumed that transmitted power (Pt), both antenna gains (Gt and Gr), and the wavelength of the signal
() are constant, then it can be concluded that the distance (d) is proportional to the received power (Pr
commonly referred to as Received Signal Strength). Thus by measuring RSS, distance can be obtained.

140

120

Equation 1: Friis Transmission Equation

100
80

Diastolic

60

Expected (Low)
Expected (High)

40
20

BPM is inaccurate if not at

the same height as the heart

0
12 AM

6 AM

12 PM

6 PM

RSS was chosen for the final design. Measuring RSS suffers more from interference from indoor
environments than measuring Phase on Arrival (POA) would. However it was determined that the
additional resolution gained from using POA was not worth the additional time required to synchronize
the circuit precisely enough, and the additional cost of chips that measure phase on arrival rather than
received signal strength. POA would not necessarily be a bad choice for future implementations.

Accomplishments:

Determine distance accurately when the arm was within 40 centimeters of the active tag
Determine orientation of the wrist with respect to the heart

Future Recommendations/Tasks:

Use phase of arrival rather than received signal strength to determine distance
Replace the active tag with a passive one to reduce design cost
Scale down the size of the system
Increase number of antennas
Improve accuracy of the measurements

Acknowledgements:
Professor Robert Sainati
Professor Anand Gopinath
Larry Beaty