Introduction
Welcome to the home page of ECG Measuring System for ELEN 6350 VLSI DESIGN LAB, Spring 2024 at Columbia University supervised by Professor Peter Kinget. The chip fabrication was generously sponsored by Apple Inc. The system aims to capture electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform in a portable way and provide solutions for heart-disease detection.
Fig 1. Die Photo
Cardiac disease is one of the most dangerous threats to human health. With the problem of aging, the number of cardiac deaths is increasing. Espectially, in densely populated areas, it is necessary to use a portable home measuring device for heart disease detection.
ECG diagnosis has the advantages of convenience, precision, and low cost. However, there are challenges for measuring ECG signal: (1) Small ECG signal and High noise. (2) Danger of electric shock. (3) Trade-off between accuracy and cost. To solve these problems, a finger-touch method with 3 electrodes is applied to ensure safety. With the high Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) instrumentation amplifier (INA) and Common Mode Feedback circuit, the system can reject input noise and amplify the ECG signal. A 10-bit SAR ADC converts analog signal to digital and sends to microcontroller for display. Figure 2 shows ECG waveform.
Fig 2. ECG Waveform