Instrumentation of a pyroelectric transducer based respiration monitoring system with wireless telemetry

This paper presents board level instrumentation of a non-invasive pyroelectric transducer based respiration monitoring system. The system includes electronic components for detection of apnea which is one of the major respiratory disorders among premature neonatal infants. The overall design offers a compact, light-weight, low-cost and convenient detection system as an alternative to bulky and expensive respiration monitoring systems currently used in neonatal intensive care units. In addition, the system incorporates wireless transmission of breathing signal to a remote computer for monitoring. The measured data shows successful detection of apnea after a pre-specified time period following the disruption of the normal breathing pattern. The overall system is portable with minimal invasive feature and can be operated with a standard 5 V battery.