TBE 0BI0 STATE 0NIvERSITY

Pulse Betectoi
0sing infiaieu light to uetect a heaitbeat

Ramiio Buaite
Summei Quaitei 2uu9




Instiuctions foi builuing a noninvasive pulse uetectoi using easily available paits, such as an
infiaieu light emitting uioue, photouioues, anu opeiational amplifieis.
P a g e | 1

Intiouuction
Nouein pulse oxymeteis play an impoitant pait in mouein meuicine, specifically in
the opeiating ioom. 0ne of the most impoitant people in an opeiating ioom is the
anesthesiologist. They aie in chaige of keeping the patient alive within specifieu limits;
theiefoie, they must monitoi many vital statistics, two of which aie pulse anu oxygen
content in hemoglobin in the bloou.
The ciicuit piesenteu heie is a simplifieu veision of a pulse uetectoi. The pulse
uetectoi i sive, easy to use, anu maue fiom items ieauily available. The
instiuction
s noninva

s aie piesenteu in five paits:

Paits list,

Fingei clip assembly anu connections,
The signal amplifiei, anu
The compaiatoi anu the L.E.B. output.
Testing anu Suggestions
When testing the ciicuit, one must iemembei that it is uesigneu to uetect the
heaitbeat oi the pulse using a peisons fingei; the uifficulty aiises in the fact that eveiy
Not only will the settings vaiy fiom peison to peison, but they will also
o fingei.
bouy is uiffeient.
vaiy fiom fingei t

Paits List
The follow g e e
Tia
in it ms aie i quiieu to builu this ciicuit:
nsmittei anu Receivei (fingei clip):
i , 1 infiaieu L.E.B. (vishay Semiconuuctois Pa t No. TSBu82uu = 8Su
nanometeis, SumW at 1uu mA, cone angle (1u) anu package T1 S4)
PBBC1S8, silicon PIN, active 1 photouioue (Auvance Photonix, Inc., Pait No.

aiea Smm squaie, siuelooking cleai package)
1 laige clip (0X0 SoftWoiks is iecommenueu).
epenu on 1 machine sciew (#6S2, slotteu iounu oi tiuss heau, length will u
Pait No. 4611177NB)
size of clip)
Test leaus with alligatoi clips (e.g. Bigikey.com
Beatshiink oi electiical tape

P a g e | 2

Ciicuit:
1 LNSS8 0peiational Amplifiei (lowpowei, uual opamp, single supply
opeiation possible, in an 8pin BIP package
1u k, 1 2.4 k, 1 SSu , 1 1uu , all Watt
uuKQBKNB)
Resistois: 1 1uu k, 1
igikey.com 490-2875-ND)
caibon film such as Bigikey.com 1
meteis (e.g. D 2 1u k Potentio
2 ieu L.E.B.s (e.g. Bigikey.com 754-1264-ND)
1 9 volt batteiy
Auuitional tools neeueu: powei uiill, glue gun, solueiing iion, uigital cameia, oi
aujusting potentiometei cellulai phone with a uigital cameia, anu a small sciewuiivei foi
(e.g. Bigikey.com SPT00LNB)

Fingei Clip Assembly anu Connections
FingerClipAssembly
Wh
is best foi
en seaiching foi a clip, iemembeiing seveial ciiteiia will help ueciue which one
this application:
The clip must be maue fiom an opaque mateiial (to help ieuuce the inteifeience
fiom ambient light)
the wiuei The clip must be able to open wiue enough (the wiuei it can open,
vaiiety of fingeis it can accommouate)
The clip must be maue fiom plastic (easy to uiill thiough, yet iuggeu)


Figure1.Clipsusedforexperiment.
P a g e | 3

Begin by uiilling two holes on the same leg of the clip, the uiametei of the holes will
uepenu on the type of infiaieu L.E.B. anu the machine sciew that aie useu (see figuie 2).
Note:Forthisapplication,amachinescrewwillbebetterthanawoodscrewfortworeasons.
First,themachinescrewhasmorethreadsperinchallowingmorecontrolofthepressureon
he finger, and second, machine screws usually have a blunt or flat end preventing drilling
hroughtheotherlegoftheclip.
t
t


Figure2.ClipwithholesfortheplacementoftheinfraredL.E.D.andthepressureadjustingscrew.

To minimize even fuithei the influence of ambient light, a black maikei may be useu
o black out the top, bottom, anu back pait of the photouioue. Figuies Sa anu Sb show fiont
nu ieai views of a cleai photouioue anu a photouioue blackeuout with a black maikei.
t
a


Figure3a.Frontview Figure3b.Rearview
P a g e | 4


Next, soluei extensions to the anoue anu cathoue of the photouioue, this will allow
easiei connection to the ciicuit. It is impoitant to use eithei wiie wiap oi electiical tape to
covei the solueieu connections since they will be in close contact with a metal sciew (see
figuie 4).


Figure4.Frontviewofthephotodiodeaftersolderingextendingwires.

Now that all the paits have been piepaieu, it is time to assemble the clip. Fiist,
sciew in the machine sciew to its limit so that the clip is completely open. Next, place the
infiaieu L.E.B. in its hole, anu use glue to keep it in place. Befoie applying the glue, it is
impoitant to aim the infiaieu L.E.B. towaiu the place wheie the photouioue will be placeu.
Since the human eye cannot uetect infiaieu light, one can use a uigital cameia (oi a
cellulai phone with uigital cameia) to aim the infiaieu L.E.B. befoie applying glue. This is
wheie seconu paii of hanus will be helpful with the aiming anu gluing of the infiaieu
L.E.B anu the photouioue (see figuie S).
a


Figure5.Photographtakenwithadigitalcamera/cellularphone.Noticehowinfraredlightappears
asvisiblelight.
Infrared
Diode
Photodiode
P a g e | 5

his is how the final assembly of the fingei clip shoulu look: T


Figure6.Fingerclipwithadjustingscrew,infraredL.E.D.andphotodiode.
FingerClipConnections
The connections aie stiaightfoiwaiu: one 9volt batteiy will be useu to powei both
he L.E.B. anu the photouioue. t


Schematic1Fingerclipconnections.


Notice how the uioues aie connecteu: the infiaieu L.E.B.s (D
1
) anoue is connecteu
to the positive iail oi the positive teiminal of the batteiy (also calleu forwardbiased), anu
the photouioue (D
2
) is connecteu with the cathoue connecteu to the positive iail (also
calleu reversedbiased).
P a g e | 6


Figure 7. Conections for the finger clip.



Figure 8. Close-up view of connections.


P a g e | 7

The Signal Amplifiei
0peiational amplifieis, oi opamp, aie known as the woikhoises of analog ciicuitiy.
Bepenu u ing on how one is connecteu, it can peifoim many tasks. In this ciic it, opamps
will be configuieu to uo two tasks: fiist, to amplify a signal, then to compaie two signals.
Now that theie is a signal coming fiom the photouioue, that signal neeus to be
amplifieu if it is to be a usable signal. Since the LNSS8N has two opamps in one integiateu
ciicuit, it is impoitant to know how the pins aie aiiangeu (see schematic 2).


Schematic2.PinlayoutoftheLM358Nintegratedcircuit.(Motorola,Inc.LM358/D.Phoenix,Az:
MotorolaLiteratureDistribution,1996.)
0pamps basic methou of opeiation is to take the uiffeience of the two incoming
signals anu to amplify the uiffeience between the two signals. Bow much the signal is
amplifieu, oi gain, uepenus on the values of the iesistois on the feeuback loop. The
feeuback loop is the connection fiom the output feu back into the input; in the piesent case,
it is the connection fiom pin 7 to pin 6 (see sche atic S). The gain is calculateu by the
mathematical foimula:
m
0oin = 1 +
R
4
R
3


Notice that R
S
is a iesistoi with an aiiow thiough it, this is the symbol foi a
potentiometei, oi vaiiable iesistoi. In this configuiation, this will allow the gain to vaiy,
similai to a volume contiol on an au o i, foi exam ui amplifie ple:
0oin = 1 +
R
4
(ixcJ)
= 1 +
1u,uuu
= S
R
3
(potcntiomctcr) S,uuu

Aftei placing a fingei in the clip, the signal coming fiom the photouioue anu going
into pin S of the LNSS8 opamp is appioximately between 1.u anu 1.4 volts. This signal
vaiies because it is uepenuent on the fingei useu; uiffeient fingeis will give uiffeient levels.
P a g e | 8

Aftei the signal is amplifieu, coming out of pin 7, it is in the S to 6 volt iange. This signal
caiiies the infoimation uesiieu: the human heait beat oi pulse.


Schematic3.Thesignalfromthephotodiode(fingerc
connectedtothenegativeterminalofthebattery,andisn

lip),isamplified.(Note:Pin4is
otconnectedtoresistorR4,norR3.)
P a g e | 9

To help iegulate the output of opamp, anu to give a visual inuicatoi of the voltage at
pin 7, one of the ieu L.E.B.s is connecteu in seiies with a S6u iesistoi (R
S
). This L.E.B.
will light up when the voltage uiffeience between the top iail anu the voltage at pin 7
exceeus appioximately 2 volts. Since the top iail is a fixeu voltage, anu the voltage at pin 7
is vaiiable, the uiffeience between them will vaiy. Theiefoie, if the L.E.B. is off, the gain is
too high, hence, the voltage fiom pin 7 is too high, anu if it is constantly lit, the voltage fiom
pin 7 is too low, theiefoie, the gain is too low. Bence, the uesiieu conuition is to finu just
nough iesistance fiom R
S
to finu the onoff thiesholu foi the L.E.B. This is uone by
ujusting the potentiometei until the L.E.B. is just baiely on, with the fingei in the clip.
e
a

R
5

D
2

L
M

3
5
8
R
4

R
3

Figure 9. Connections for the amplifier.



P a g e | 10

The Compaiatoi anu L.E.B. output
When an opamp is opeiateu as a compaiatoi, the gain is then automatically set to
maximum; also calleu the openloop gain. The name openloop gain comes fiom the
absence of a loop oi connection going fiom the output of the opamp to eithei input of the
same opamp.
The openloop gain will vaiy uepenuing on the opamp mouel. The openloop gain
infoimation is usually founu on the uatasheet of the specific opamp being useu (see figuie
1u). The LNSS8N has an open loop voltage gain of 1uu, which means that whatevei the
voltage uiffeience between the signals at pin 2 anu pin S will automatically be amplifieu by
1uu, when theie is no connection between the output anu eithei input of the opamp.
Bowevei, the output will still be limiteu by the voltage supply; no mattei what the gain oi
input, the output (pin 7 anuoi pin 1) cannot be laigei than the voltage supply (batteiy).


Figure 10. Electrical characteristics chart for the Motorola LM358 op-amp (Motorola,Inc.LM358/D.
Phoenix,Az:MotorolaLiteratureDistribution,1996).

P a g e | 11

Since the signal coming out of pin 7, oi the heaitbeat signal is a tiansient signal, a
flat, oi BC signal neeus to be cieateu so that the compaiatoi has a iefeience point. The BC
signal will be useu as a thiesholu to tell the compaiatoi opamp when to tuin on anu when
to tuin off. When the heait signal is below the thiesholu the compaiatoi will tuin off the
L.E.B. anu when the signal is highei than the thiesholu, the compaiatoi will tuin the L.E.B.
n. With the subjects fingei in the clip, anu with the fiist L.E.B. baiely on, aujust the
econu potentiometei (R
S
) until the L.E.B. (B
4
) begins to blink.
o
s


Figure 11. Simulation of signals entering the comparator op-amp.
HeartbeatSignal(Pin3)
DCSignal(Pin2)
Aujustable BC signal


P a g e | 12

Schematic4.Afterthesignalisamplified,acomparatorconfigurationwitha"flat"d.c.signaltomake
theL.E.D.flash.(NoteR7isconnectedtoR6,andnotconnectedtoneitherpin3norpin7).

R
5
D
3


D
4

R
8




R
4



R
7

R
5
R
3

L
M
3
5
8


Figure 12. Connections for finished circuit.

P a g e | 13

Figure 13

Testing anu Suggestions

. Finished circuit.
When testing, iemembei to aujust the piessuie on the clip, each fingei neeus a
uiffeient amount of piessuie: too much piessuie, anu it will ieuuce bloou flow; not enough
piessuie the infiaieu signal will not ieach the photouioue. 0ne might finu that the inuex
fingei mig
suggestion
ht give a stiongei signal than the pinky fingei, oi viceveisa. These aie some
s piioi to testing the ciicuit:
youi hanus, Wash youi hanus with soap anu waim watei, in auuition to cleaning

the waim watei anu the sciubbing action will stimulate bloou flow
Avoiu weaiing false nails anu nail polish, they block infiaieu light.
Anothei way to stimulate bloou flow is by massaging youi hanus anu fingeis, oi
even clapping youi hanus.

P a g e | 14

Summaiy
This expeiiment was uesigneu anu wiitten with the high school senioi oi college
fieshman in minu. The pulse sensoi is noninvasive, easy to use, anu maue fiom items
ieauily available. As a stanualone, the pulse uetectoi can be a way to intiouuce stuuents
into electiical engineeiing, spectiophotometiy anu to biomeuical stuuies.
This ciicuit was uesigneu with the intent of accommouating as many bouy types anu
fingei types as possible; howevei, one thing to iemembei is that eveiybouy anu eveiy body
is uiffeient.
























As a fun experiment, recruit a subject to use the pulse detector, observe the L.E.D. while the subject
listens to different types of music of different tempos. What types of music will make their pulse increase
and decrease? How will practicing yoga or meditating affect a persons pulse? What about doing
exercise?
P a g e | 15

List of Figuies
Figuie 1. Clips useu foi expeiiment.
he piessuie aujusting sciew. Figuie 2. Clip with holes foi the placement of the infiaieu L.E.B. anu t
on Figuie Sa. Fiont view of photouioues, with anu without mouificati
Figuie Sb. Reai view photouioues, with anu without mouification
Figuie 4. Fiont view of the photouioue aftei solueiing extenuing wiies.
ght. Figuie S. Photogiaph taken with a cameiacellulai phone, infiaieu light appeais as visible li
Figuie 6. Final assembly of fingei clip with aujusting sciew, infiaieu L.E.B. anu photouioue.
Figure 7. Connections for the finger clip .
Figure 8. Close-up view of connections.
Figure 9. Connections for the amplifier.
Figure 10. Electrical characteristics chart for the Motorola LM358 op-amp.
Figure 11. Simulation of signals entering the comparator op-amp.
Figure 12. Connections for finished circuit.
Figure 13. Finished circuit.

List of Schematics
Schematic 1 Fingei clip connections.
Schematic 2. Pin layout of the LNSS8N integiateu ciicuit.
uioue (fingei clip), is amplifieu. Schematic S. The signal fiom the photo
Schematic 4. The complete schematic (highlighted:acomparatorconfigurationwitha"flat"d.c.
signaltomaketheL.E.D.flash.)