An ECG front-end subsystem for portable physiological monitoring applications

This study proposes an integrated analog measuring interface IC chip module used for portable personal healthcare electrocardiograph (ECG) system by considering factors of chip size, weight, portability, and fabrication simplicity. An instrumentation amplifier with an active DC suppression feedback, a “driven right leg (DRL)” circuit, and an on-chip active low-pass filter (LPF) are included. The chip design with an intended operation frequency range of 0.5–40 Hz was realized by using TSMC 0.35-µm 2P4M mixed-mode process technology. Experimental results show that the present cost-effective and compact design can fulfill the minimum requirements of the front-end planning structure of a fully functional complex cardiac rhythm and ECG morphology of heart diseases. The circuit specifications also meet the standards provided by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) [1].