WIRELESS HEART RATE MONITOR

MOHAMMAD FAAIZ BIN JAMALUDDIN

This thesis is submitted as partial fulfillment of requirement for award of the

Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering (Electronics)

Faculty of Electrical Engineering

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

MAY 2008
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Dedicated with deepest love to:

My beloved family for their support, guidance and love.
My dearest friends for being there whenever I needed them.
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ACKNOWLEGEMENT

First of all, I would like to thank Allah for HIS firm hands in guiding me in
the course of completing this thesis writing. It is by HIS grace and mercy that I am
able to embark on the project within such a limited time. Alhamdulillah.

Second, I would like to express my gratitude and thanks to my supervisor,

PM Harun Bin Ismail, for his professional guidance, wisdom, endurance, advices,
motivation and encouragement throughout the project.

I also would like to thank all my fellow friends for their contribution in giving
me a moral support throughout the project development period. Last but not least, to
all my beloved family members who were always by my side to encourage, advice,
comfort, cherish and support me during this entire project.

Finally, I really appreciate to have this responsibility to finish this project.

This task has taught a lot of lesson and knowledge which would be valuable to me in
the future.
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ABSTRACT

This project consists of two subsystems, which are hardware system and
software system. Basically, the hardware system consists of microcontroller and
other electronic circuits for detecting the heart pulse rate. The software system
consists of application program to connect the Bluetooth dongle at the computer to
the Bluetooth transmission module and microcontroller.

There are a number of methods that can be used to detect the presence of the
heart pulse. For example, the ECG wave can be used to produce a synchronized pulse
corresponding to each beat of the heart. Other techniques utilize pressure differentials
due to the pulse or optical methods that cause the pressure pulse to interfere with a
light beam. The second part of this project is to construct a communication link
between the transmitter and receiver. The transmitter unit transmits electrical
impulses produced by the contraction of the heart to the receiver. The receiver
samples the heart rate over pre-determind time period. The last part of this project is
to view the signal wave of the heart on a PC. The challenge of this system
development is to develop the connection between Bluetooth transmission module,
and the hardware system which consists of sensor unit and microcontroller.
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ABSTRAK

Projek ini mengandungi dua subsistem, iaitu sistem perkakasan dan sistem
perisian. Umumnya, sistem perkakasan terdiri daripada mikropengawal dan litar-litar
yang lain untuk mengesan kadar degupan jantung. Sistem perisian pula mengandungi
program- program aplikasi yang dapat berfungsi sebagai penghubung di antara
bluetooth dongle dan juga mikropengawal.

Terdapat pelbagai kaedah yang boleh digunakan untuk mengesan kehadiran

degupan jantung. Sebagai contoh, gelombang ECG boleh digunakan untuk
menghasilkan gelombang degupan jantung yang seragam untuk setiap degupan
jantung. Kaedah lain adalah dengan memanfaatkan kebezaan yang disebabkan oleh
degupan atau kaedah optik yang boleh menyebabkan tekanan degupan mengangu
pancaran. Bahagian kedua projek ini adalah sistem komunikasi di antara pemancar
dan penerima. Bahagian pemancar akan menghasilkan denyut elektrik yang
dihasilkan kepada penerima. Bahagian terakhir projek ini adalah memaparkan
gelombang degupan di komputer. Cabaran dalam pembinaan sistem ini adalah
pembinaan sistem komunikasi di antara unit pemancar bluetooth di mana
mengandungi bahagian pengesan denyut dan mikropengawal.
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TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER TOPIC PAGE

TITLE i
DECLARATION ii
DEDICATION iii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT iv
ABSTRACT v
ABSTRAK vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS vii
LIST OF TABLES x
LIST OF FIGURES xi
LIST OF ABBREVATION xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES xv

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background 1
1.2 Objective 2
1.3 Scope 3
1.4 Development Challenges 3
1.5 Thesis Outline 4

2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Heart Rate Sensor 5

2.1.1 Introduction 5
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2.1.2 Photoelectric Plethysmography (PPG) 5

2.1.3 PPG Sensor Characteristics 6
2.1.4 PPG as a Source of Cardiovascular Information 7
2.2 Bluetooth 8
2.2.1 Bluetooth Application 8
2.2.2 What is Bluetooth? 9
2.2.3 Bluetooth Technology and Transceiver 11
2.3 Microcontroller 13
2.3.1 PIC16F877A 13
2.3.2 Universal Synchronous Asynchronous Receiver 17
Transmitter (USART)
2.3.3 USART Baud Rate Generator (BRG) 17
2.3.4 USART Asynchronous Mode 18
2.3.5 USART Asynchronous Transmitter 19

3 METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

3.1 Tools Used 21

3.2 Assumptions 22
3.3 Project Methodology and Approach 22
3.4 Proposed System 24

4 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

4.1 MicroC 26
4.2 Programming the Microcontroller 27
4.2.1 Transfer the program to PIC microcontroller 27
4.2.2 Baud rate 29
4.3 Setup PC for Bluetooth interface 30
4.3.1 USB dongle setup (IVT BlueSoleil) 30
4.4 UART setting 33
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5 HARDWARE DEVELOPMENT

5.1 Heart Rate Sensor 36

5.2 Photoplethysmograph (PPG) 36
5.2.1 Sensor 37
5.2.2 Amplier 38
5.3 Microcontroller as host 40
5.4 Bluetooth 41
5.4.1 General Bluetooth Characteristics 41
5.4.2 What is Bluetooth Used For? 42
5.4.2 Manufacturers' Acceptance 42

6 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

6.1 Hardware 43
6.1.1 Sensor module 44
6.1.2 Microcontroller module 44
6.1.3 Bluetooth transmitter module 45
6.2 Result Analysis 46
6.3 Discussion 48

7 CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

7.1 Conclusion 49
7.2 Suggestions 50

REFERENCES 52

APPENDICES A-B 54-61

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LIST OF TABLES

NO. OF TABLES TITLE PAGE

2.0 Bluetooth Frequency Band 10

3.1 Baud Rate Formula 18
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LIST OF FIGURES

NO. OF FIGURES TITLE PAGE

2.0 Host to host communication through Bluetooth 12

Transceivers
2.1 PICF877A pin diagrams 15
2.2 Block Diagram of PIC16F877A 16
2.3 USART Transmits Block Diagram 20
2.4 Asynchronous Meter Transmission 20
3.0 Proposed System 24
3.1 Setup/operation 25
4.1 mikroC IDE 27
4.2 PIC bootloader device 28
4.3 IC programmer graphical user interface (GUI) 29
4.5 Bluetooth setup 30
4.6 Searching for devices 31
4.7 Service Discovery finished 32
4.8 Bluetooth setup for port 33
4.9 Bluetooth connection 33
4.10 Flow chart for microcontroller to communicate with 34
Bluetooth transceiver.
5.0 Sensor 38
5.1 Constructing the sensor 38
5.2 Pulse plethysmograph amplifier circuit 39
5.3 Schematic of Bluetooth module with PIC16F877A 40
6.0 Sensor module 44
6.1 5 volt power supply 45
6.2 Microcontroller 45
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6.3 Bluetooth module 46

6.4 Hardware overview 46
6.5 Amplifier 47
 xiii

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS

A - Ampere
PC - Personal Computer
LANs - Local Area Network
PAN - Personal Area Network
USB - Universal Serial Bus
CPU - Central Processing Unit
EEPROM - Electricity Erasable Read-Only Memory
GUI - Graphic User Interface
IR - Infrared
MCU - Microcontroller Unit
PIC - Programming Interrupt
RAM - Read Access Memory
ROM - Read Only Memory
V - Voltage
DC - Direct current
D.O.F - Degree of freedom
RF - Radio Transceiver
LM - Link Manager
SPP - Serial Port Profile
USART - Universal Synchronous Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter
BRG - Baud Rate Generator
MEDAC - Medical Association Counsils
PPG - Plethysymography
IBI - Inter beat interval
ISM - Indusrial Scientific Medical
SCI - Serial Communication Interface
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DECT - Digital Enhanced Cordless Telecommunications

IrDA - Infrared Data Association
WDT - Watch Dog Timer
VLSI - Very Large Scale Integrated
FH - Frequency Hop
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LIST OF APPENDICES

NO. OF APPENDIX TITLE PAGE

A KC-21 Wirefree Bluetooth module 54

B Programming Source Code 60
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CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

This chapter discusses the term Plethysmograhpy. Why do we need to use

wireless? This question will be considered in details in this chapter. The objectives and a
brief review on some of the Bluetooth module will also be presented in this chapter.

1.1 Background

Telemedicine is the most important step in cutting costs and increasing service
quality in health care [1]. The traditional telemedicine systems mostly enable
communication between health professionals in order to give doctors in remote locations
access to specialist’s knowledge and monitoring of patients remotely for home care or
emergency applications. Essentially, these systems provide an extension of hospital
environment and connect diagnostic equipment at home with hospitals using fixed
telephone or satellite networks. Although these systems provide many benefits for its
users there are still many limitations.
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One of the main limitations is the lack of mobility that hinders their usage in
many scenarios. Beside that, a more general problem of today’s health care is the
insufficient availability of data conceding the status and medical history of the patient,
both to the medical personnel and to the patient himself. Frequent measurements of vital
signs could give indications about the current status of chronic illnesses and are necessary
for optimization of the treatment, but would incur significant cost.

Recent advancements in development of short-range (Bluetooth) and wide area

wireless technologies have made possible development of new generation of telemedicine
systems that should provide mobile, wearable and flexible health monitoring systems.
Such systems will enable constant monitoring of health data and constant access to the
patient regardless of patient’s current location or activity and with a fraction of cost of the
regular face-to-face examination [2].

1.2 Objective

The main objective of this project is to construct a heart rate monitor by using the
wireless transmission to a receiver which displays the heart rate measured in beats per
minute.

Basically, the system consists of software and hardware system. The software
consists of Bluetooth file transfer module. At hardware part, system consists of heart rate
detector circuits and microcontroller circuits. The microcontroller is continuously waiting
for the data from censor circuits before transmit the data to Bluetooth module.
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1.2 Scope

The scope of the project covers the construction of the following modules;

• Sensor module
• Transmitter Module
• Receiver Module
• Base Station Module

This project also makes use of microC programming to program microcontroller

and use Bluetooth device to transmit and receive signal.

1.4 Development Challenges

The main challenge for this project is to build a Bluetooth connection between the
computer and the Bluetooth device. At the computer, before a Bluetooth connection is
established some settings need to be done at computer such as device management and
device discovery. At the hardware part, in order to connect to the computer, command is
send from the microcontroller to KC-21 (Bluetooth Device).

Another challenge is the unstable and high sensitivity nature of the KC-21. As
KC-21 is very sensitive, every time when the input voltage is changed, the Bluetooth
connection will be lost. This problem always occurs when the sensor circuit is on. When
sensor circuit is on, input voltage for KC-21 will change as more voltage is needed at the
sensor circuit. In order to solve this problem, 2 power supplies are needed; 1 for the
Bluetooth and the other 1 for the sensor circuits.
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1.5 Thesis Outline

Chapter two covers the details of research undertaken at the start of the project.
Bluetooth profile, Bluetooth architecture and Bluetooth protocol as well as useful books
and websites on relevant topics are covered extensively. Introduction to
Plethysysmography and microcontroller are also discussed in this chapter.

Chapter three entitled “Methodology and Approach” discusses the overall system
of the project. Block diagrams of the project system are formed based on the research
conducted. The system functionality is also covered in this chapter.

Chapter four describes the software development for the Bluetooth system. This
chapter is divided into three parts: Bluetooth setting, sensor circuit setting and
microcontroller Assembly language. Bluetooth setting discusses the procedure to set up a
wireless serial port connection by using Bluesoleil program.

In chapter five, hardware development is discussed. This chapter covers the

circuit diagram for PIC microcontroller, KC-21 (Bluetooth Device) and PPG sensor.
Tools like PPG sensor and USB Bluetooth Adapter will also be discussed in this chapter.

In chapter six, the different function of the project including both hardware and
software are reviewed. This chapter also uses scenario to reflect the project flow in a
systematic way. A conclusion is drawn in the chapter six. Chapter six also discussed any
possible new project that could be extended from current project and any improvement
that could be made.
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CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Heart Rate Sensor

2.1.1 Introduction

When the heart beats, a pressure wave moves out along the arteries at a few
metres per second (appreciably faster than the blood actually flows). This pressure wave
can be felt at the wrist, but it also causes an increase in the blood volume in the tissues,
which can be detected by a plethysmograph [9].

2.1.2 Photoelectric Plethysmography (PPG)

The hardware and software for the MEDAC photoelectric plethysmograph

(PPG) represent an integrated system for real time monitoring of relative changes in
peripheral blood flow and for recording heart rate using an easy to attach sensor. Under
appropriate conditions, the software can derive the following measures from the PPG
signal: relative blood volume pulse height, pulse wave rise time, pulse wave fall time, the
inter-beat-interval (IBI), and heart rate [2,3].
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Plethysmography is a generic term referring to a variety of techniques for

monitoring volume changes in a limb or tissue segment. Volume changes occur in a
pulsatile manner with each beat of the heart as blood flows in and out of a portion of the
body. The study of vascular activity by fluid displacement methods dates back to at least
1890. More contemporary techniques include strain gauge, pneumatic, impedance,
doppler, and photoelectric plethysmography [2].Photoelectric plethysmography (PPG)
was developed in both Germany and the United States in the 1930's [3,4]. Recent
advances in photoelectronics make it possible to utilize photoelectric plethysmography as
a sensitive physiological monitoring technique that may be practically applied in a
clinical setting.

A reflectance PPG sensor contains a light source to illuminate a segment of tissue

(finger tip, ear lobe, etc.) and a photodetector to monitor returning light. Living tissue is
transparent to red and infrared light while nonhemolized blood is relatively opaque in this
spectral range. Consequently, light in the appropriate frequency range will be absorbed
by whole blood. As the blood volume changes (increases or decreases), the amount of
light absorbed or reflected will change as well.

In a typical application, the PPG sensor might be placed on a finger. With each
heart beat, a surge of blood is forced through the vascular system, expanding the
capillaries in the finger, and changing the amount of light returning to the photodetector.
The electrical resistivity of the photodetector changes as a function of the amount of light
falling on it. This change in resistance results in a change in the electrical current flowing
through the detector circuit. In this way, the dynamic activity of the vasculature is
translated into a signal that can be monitored electronically [5].

2.1.3 PPG Sensor Characteristics

The PPG detection assembly consists of a reflectance transducer with an integral

thermistor located proximal to the optical site. The light source utilizes two infrared
emitters with principal spectral output at 940nm, sufficiently close to the isobestic point
 7

of hemoglobin to make it virtually immune to variations in oxygen saturation [4]. The

effects of oxygen saturation (SaO2) upon optical absorption can be as great as 3.5:1 at
660nm, while they are negligible in this range.

The receiver is a large area PIN photodiode in a back-biased current metering

configuration, which provides low noise and high optical linearity, particularly in
comparison with cadmium-sul_de photocells. The NeuroDyne PPG includes an ambient
light level compensation circuit to minimize the influence of any variation in background
illumination. The light weight and small size (0.5 x 1.0 x 0.2") of the PPG sensor
assembly, coupled with the high signal-to-noise ratio of the optical system, allows
monitoring of peripheral flow in sites such as the fingertip, earlobe, toe, carotid artery,
temporal artery, and supraorbital artery [5].

2.1.4 PPG as a Source of Cardiovascular Information

The surge of blood through the vasculature with each cardiac cycle is known as
the pulse pressure wave or blood volume pulse. The ability to monitor the blood volume
pulse on a beat to beat basis provides a graphic display of the dynamic activity of the
cardiovascular system that can not be obtained with an indirect measure like skin
temperature.

In addition to monitoring the raw PPG wave form, NeuroDyne software routines
are designed to detect the peaks and troughs of each pulse pressure wave. Having
identified an individual wave, the software calculates relative pulse height, pulse wave
rise time, and fall time. The interval between pulse wave peaks corresponds to the inter-
beat-interval of the heart (IBI).

In most recording circumstances, variations in the height of the wave (pulse

height) are primarily related to changes in the relative degree of constriction or dilation of
the peripheral vasculature (discussion of exceptions below). Increases in the height of the
blood volume pulse are generally a function of increased blood flow (vasodilatation) and
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decreases correspond to decreased blood flow (vasoconstriction). The actual form (shape)
of the wave is indicative of the overall tone of the vasculature.

Though not commonly encountered in clinical biofeedback monitoring situations,

changes in cardiac output can exert an influence on the height of the pulse pressure wave.
If peripheral resistance remained constant and cardiac output increased, then pulse height
would be expected to increase. Cardiac output is a function of stroke volume X heart rate.
Significant increases in cardiac output generally occur with vigorous exercise and
extreme arousal, and decreases occur with cardiac failure [5].

2.1.5 Using the PPG Clinically

Instructions for attaching the PPG sensor, reducing the likelihood of artifact, and
limitations on PPG recording can be referred from the internet. Using the PPG Sensor,
Pulse height and heart rate information are frequently used in stress assessment
monitoring and as clinical biofeedback modalities in work with hypertension, migraine
headache, Raynaud's Disease, and in generalized relaxation training. Pulse height
feedback is generally directed at increasing the height of the pulse pressure wave which,
as described above, normally corresponds to increased vasodilatation. It is recommended
that heart rate and skin temperature be monitored as numeric displays whenever you are
carrying out pulse height training; access to these additional measures will provide the
broadest information on cardiovascular activity [11].

2.2 Bluetooth

2.2.1 Bluetooth Application

Living in a wireless world is not so far away. Bluetooth may be the technology
that brings us closer to that end. It is estimated that before 2002, Bluetooth will be a
built-in feature in more than 100 million mobile phones and in several million other
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communication devices, ranging from headsets and portable PC’s to desktop computers
and notebooks. Bluetooth is designed to operate at 2.400-2.4835 (GHz) with up to 1
Mbps. Bluetooth is designed to work in conjunction with other Third Generation (3G)
technologies. The Bluetooth technology is the foundation of the new IEEE 802-15
WPAN Standard (Wireless Private Area Network). Bluetooth and IEEE standards groups
are currently working on potential interference issues between 802-11 that covers
wireless LANS and 802-15. IEEE has formed the 802-15 Coexistence Task Group 2 in
an effort to resolve these interference issues. Bluetooth can also be a complimentary
technology of other wireless standards such as DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless
Telecommunications) and IrDA (Infrared Data Association). It is believed Bluetooth
technology has the potential to change the way we think about being “connected”. Using
Bluetooth and Third Generation (3G) telephony we could truly be wirelessly connected to
everything around us that is Bluetooth enabled [14].

2.2.2 What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a de-facto open standard for short-range digital radio. It is designed

to operate in the unlicensed ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical applications) band,
which is generally available in most parts of the world, refer to table 2.0. The
specification includes air interface protocols to allow several Bluetooth applications to
intercommunicate simultaneously, and to overcome external sources of interference such
as domestic and commercial microwave ovens. The short range referred to above is
defined as up to 10 meters in normal operation although greater range/penetration can be
achieved through higher output powers under some circumstances [13].
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Table 2.0: Bluetooth Frequency Band

AREA FREQUENCY BLUETOOTH
BAND (GHz) CHANNELS

USA, Europe
and most other 2.400 - 2.4835 79
countries

Spain 2.445 - 2.475 23

France 2.4465 - 2.4835 23

The aim of the promoters of Bluetooth is to enable the intercommunication of just

about any piece of apparatus with any other and consequently one of the main constraints
on the design must be cost. When the Infra Red Interface, common on mobile phones and
PCs today, was conceived it was understood that to persuade equipment manufacturers to
implement this interface, the cost of implementation had to be low. The target cost, set at
$5, was achieved and more than 90% of portable PCs and an increasing number of
mobile phones now have an IR interface built-in.

A sophisticated radio interface is more complicated (and more flexible) than the
IR interface and therefore more expensive. The price target of $10 per unit however
seems to be realistic especially if all our homes will eventually have half a dozen or so
Bluetooth equipped items operating in them, driving quantities to very high numbers.

In addition to cost, size matters. With ever-decreasing form factors and weight,
any new addition to a piece of electronic apparatus must be small, light and consume
minimum power from the host system or separate battery. The Bluetooth implementation
is feasible in a very small footprint comprising a single chip and associated RF
components, and should be relatively easy to install in anticipated applications. Its low
output power and sophisticated power conservation design, ensures minimum power
consumption.

Bluetooth has the potential for impacting many areas, including applications that
would have been inconceivable a few years ago e.g. a fridge-freezer telling a microwave
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oven what ingredients are available, allowing the microwave to suggest menu options!
However, one particular area where Bluetooth will have a significant impact is in the
support of other wireless delivery mechanisms such as cellular telephony. While national
networks are suited to delivering communication on the move or wireless to any location,
purely local interconnection is better handled by a local communication system.

To deliver telephony based services from one undefined location to another, and
to distribute the services and functions at those locations requires a hybrid solution, at the
core of which is a cellular handset with a built-in Bluetooth transceiver.

2.2.3 Bluetooth Technology and Transceiver

Bluetooth Technology is standard for short-range radio communication. It is a

low cost bi-directional (2 ways) wireless interface between mobile devices that provides
low power consumption. Bluetooth Transceiver referring to Bluetooth Transmitter and
Receiver and every Bluetooth node has Bluetooth Transceiver. The aim is to eliminate
the usage of cables. Bluetooth system operates in worldwide unlicensed 2.4GHz
Industrial-Scientific-Medical (ISM) frequency band. Bluetooth devices can form a
network. The basic network is Piconet where there are a master node and other act as
slave node/s. At least 2 nodes are required to form Bluetooth network, either one of the
nodes can be master. The role of master is just to search and initiate the connection, once
the link is established; the role of each node is equal.
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Figure 2.0: Host to host communication through Bluetooth Transceivers

Bluetooth transceiver is a wireless transceiver that transmits and receives signal

wirelessly through Bluetooth protocol, thus a host, or in other words a controller is
necessary if data processing is required in the application. As shown from the above
figure 2.0, there are two hosts (Host 1 and 2, it can be microcontroller, computer, PDA,
etc) and two Bluetooth transceivers. Both host need to communicate (exchange data),
while Bluetooth transceiver is the tools to transfer the data between host. Thus, to process
data and operate Bluetooth transceiver, a controller is necessary. There are few methods
to connect Bluetooth transceiver to host, where most common used are UART and USB.
KC Bluetooth transceiver use UART to communicate. SPP (Serial Port Profile) is a
Bluetooth standard profile which provides the platform for a host to communicate with
Bluetooth transceiver serially [13,15].
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2.3 Microcontroller

Microcontroller is a very large scale integration chip (VLSI chip) and

implemented into a single chip. A microcontroller contains the following features:

• Built-in memory (ROM and RAM)

• Timer
• Analog to digital converter
• Serial I/O interfaces
• Parallel I/O interfaces

2.3.1 PIC16F877A

The PIC16F877A microcontroller [21] from Microchip is chosen since its

easiness to use, high speed and its cost compare to other microcontrollers. PIC16F877A
microcontroller has the following features:

• High performance RISC CPU

• Only 35 single word instructions to learn
• Operating speed: DC - 20 MHz clock input
• DC - 200 ns instruction cycle
• Up to 8K x 14 words of FLASH Program Memory,
• Up to 368 x 8 bytes of Data Memory (RAM)
• Up to 256 x 8 bytes of EEPROM Data Memory
• Pinout compatible to the PIC16C73B/74B/76/77
• Watchdog Timer (WDT) with its own on-chip RC oscillator for reliable operation
• Programmable code protection
• Low power, high speed CMOS FLASH/EEPROM technology
• Fully static design
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• Single 5V In-Circuit Serial Programming capability

• In-Circuit Debugging via two pins
• Processor read/write access to program memory
• Low-power consumption
• Synchronous Serial Port (SSP) with SPI (Master mode) and I2C
(Master/Slave)
• Universal Synchronous Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (USART/SCI) with
9-bit address detection
• Parallel Slave Port (PSP) 8-bits wide, with external RD, WR and CS controls
(40/44-pin only)

Figure 2.1 shows the PIC16F877A pin diagrams and Figure 2.2 shows the Block
diagram of PIC 16F877A.
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Figure 2.1: PICF877A pin diagrams

 16

Figure 2.2 Block Diagram of PIC16F877A

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2.3.2 Universal Synchronous Asynchronous Receiver Transmitter (USART)

Transmitter (USART) module is one of the two serial I/O modules. (USART is
also known as a Serial Communications Interface or SCI) [17,21]. The USART can be
configured as a full duplex asynchronous system that can communicate with peripheral
devices such as CRT terminals and personal computers, or it can be configured as a half
duplex synchronous system that can communicate with peripheral devices such as A/D or
D/A integrated circuits, serial EEPROMs etc. The USART can be configured in the
following modes:

• Asynchronous (full duplex)

• Synchronous - Master (half duplex)
• Synchronous - Slave (half duplex)

Bit SPEN (RCSTA<7>) and bits TRISC<7:6> have to be set in order to configure
pins RC6/TX/CK and RC7/RX/DT as the Universal Synchronous Asynchronous
Receiver Transmitter. The USART module also has a multi-processor communication
capability using 9-bit address detection.

2.3.3 USART Baud Rate Generator (BRG)

The BRG supports both the Asynchronous and Synchronous modes of the
USART. It is a dedicated 8-bit baud rate generator. The SPBRG register controls the
period of a free running 8-bit timer. In Asynchronous mode, bit BRGH (TXSTA<2>)
also controls the baud rate. In Synchronous mode, bit BRGH is ignored.

Table 2.1 shows the formula for the computation of the baud rate for different
USART modes which only apply in Master mode (internal clock). Given the desired baud
 18

rate and FOSC, the nearest integer value for the SPBRG register can be calculated using
the formula in Table 2.1. From this, the error in baud rate can be determined. It may be
advantageous to use the high baud rate (BRGH = 1), even for slower baud clocks. This is
because the FOSC/(16(X + 1)) equation can reduce the baud rate error in some cases.

Writing a new value to the SPBRG register causes the BRG timer to be reset (or
cleared). This ensures the BRG does not wait for a timer overflow before outputting the
new baud rate.

Table 2.1: Baud Rate Formula

2.3.4 USART Asynchronous Mode

In this mode, the USART uses standard non-return-tozero (NRZ) format (one
START bit, eight or nine data bits, and one STOP bit). The most common data format is
8-bits. An on-chip, dedicated, 8-bit baud rate generator can be used to derive standard
baud rate frequencies from the oscillator. The USART transmits and receives the LSb
first. The transmitter and receiver are functionally independent, but use the same data
format and baud rate. The baud rate generator produces a clock, either x16 or x64 of the
bit shift rate, depending on bit BRGH (TXSTA<2>). Parity is not supported by the
hardware, but can be implemented in software (and stored as the ninth data bit).
Asynchronous mode is stopped during SLEEP. Asynchronous mode is selected by
clearing bit SYNC (TXSTA<4>). The USART Asynchronous module consists of the
following important elements:
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• Baud Rate Generator

• Sampling Circuit
• Asynchronous Transmitter
• Asynchronous Receiver

2.3.5 USART Asynchronous Transmitter

The USART transmitter block diagram is shown in Figure 2.3. The heart of the
transmitter is the transmit (serial) shift register (TSR). The shift register obtains its data
from the read/write transmit buffer, TXREG. The TXREG register is loaded with data in
software. The TSR register is not loaded until the STOP bit has been transmitted from the
previous load. As soon as the STOP bit is transmitted, the TSR is loaded with new data
from the TXREG register (if available). Once the TXREG register transfers the data to
the TSR register (occurs in one TCY), the TXREG register is empty and flag bit TXIF
(PIR1<4>) is set. This interrupt can be enabled/disabled by setting/clearing enable bit
TXIE ( PIE1<4>). Flag bit TXIF will be set, regardless of the state of enable bit TXIE
and cannot be cleared in software. It will reset only when new data is loaded into the
TXREG register. While flag bit TXIF indicates the status of the TXREG register, another
bit TRMT (TXSTA<1>) shows the status of the TSR register. Status bit TRMT is a read
only bit, which is set when the TSR register is empty. No interrupt logic is tied to this bit,
so the user has to poll this bit in order to determine if the TSR register is empty.
Transmission is enabled by setting enable bit TXEN (TXSTA<5>). The actual
transmission will not occur until the TXREG register has been loaded with data and the
baud rate generator (BRG) has produced a shift clock (Figure 2.4). The transmission can
also be started by first loading the TXREG register and then setting enable bit TXEN.
Normally, when transmission is first started, the TSR register is empty. At that point,
transfer to the TXREG register will result in an immediate transfer to TSR, resulting in an
empty TXREG. A back-to-back transfer is thus possible. Clearing enable bit TXEN
during a transmission will cause the transmission to be aborted and will reset the
transmitter. As a result, the RC6/TX/CK pin will revert to hi-impedance. In order to
 20

select 9-bit transmission, transmit bit TX9 (TXSTA<6>) should be set and the ninth bit
should be written to TX9D (TXSTA<0>). The ninth bit must be written before writing
the 8-bit data to the TXREG register. This is because a data write to the TXREG register
can result in an immediate transfer of the data to the TSR register (if the TSR is empty).
In such a case, an incorrect ninth data bit may be loaded in the TSR register [21].

Figure 2.3: USART Transmits Block Diagram

Figure 2.4: Asynchronous Meter Transmission

 21

CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH

This chapter discusses similar projects and also the aspects or factors that
must be taken into consideration in developing the project. This chapter also discusses
the design stage including the electronic design, hardware design and material selection.
This chapter also describes the tools used, assumptions, methodology and approach of
the project as well as the software development flow, hardware development flow of the
proposed system.

3.1 Tools Used

Basically, the system consists of both software and hardware system.

• Hardware
o Infrared LED and phototransistor LED is used to detect the pulse rate at
finger.
o CYTRON L4128D PIC programmer is used to load .HEX file into
Microcontroller.
o KC Wirefree Bluetooth Module Starter Kit SKKCA-21 is used as wireless
 22

module.
o Bluetooth USB Dongle is used as wireless adapter at computer.

• Software
o mikroC software is used to write programming source code for the
microchip microcontroller.
o IC Prog is used to load the .HEX file from the assembly language to the
microchip microcontroller.
o Bioexplorer program is used to detect the devices and view the heart rate
signal.

3.2 Assumptions

Some assumptions were made in this project:

• The distance between the computer and sensor is not more than 20
meter.
• The heart rate pulse will not be fully accurate because of surrounding
effect such as, heat and light.

3.3 Project Methodology and Approach

The project is started with the software development. Software provides this
project with strong, reliable and stable framework. Hardware is developed in later stage
to refurnish the system with some necessary functions. Below are the procedures set for
the project implementation:

1. Research on necessary project components

¾ Finding suitable software and hardware for project
 23

2. Case study on Bluetooth in items tracking

¾ Study how Bluetooth transmits and receives signal

3. Identify suitable hardware for the project

¾ Choose the suitable Bluetooth and sensor for the project
¾ Choose the suitable microcontroller

4. Identify the tools for the project

• Software
¾ IC Prog used for loading the .HEX file into microcontroller.
¾ mikroC software is used to write the source code for the microchip
microcontroller.
¾ Bioexplorer program is used to detect the devices and view the heart rate
signal.
• Hardware
¾ Find Bluetooth hardware with suitable operating profile.
¾ Suitable microcontroller is chosen and all suitable components for sensor
circuit is listed out.

5. Software Development
• Learn software language.

6. Hardware Development
• Integrated the complete software part with Bluetooth.
• Test and verify software in the new environment.
• Test and debug overall system complete with software and hardware part.
• Enhance the system reliability and stability.
 24

3.4 Proposed System

Sensor Module ADC UART Bluetooth Module

Pulse Bluetooth USB

doggle

Computer

Figure 3.0: Proposed System

Figure 3.0 shows the proposed system for the project. The pulse rate will be
detected by using PPG method. The sensor unit (clothes peg) is clamped on the patient’s
finger. The data from this module will be sent to the Analog Digital Converter and
UART. Data from this module will then be sent to the Bluetooth Module.

From the Bluetooth module, the data will be sent to the USB dongle which is
interfaced to the computer. Communication link between Bluetooth module and USB
dongle will be establisbed by using Bluesoliel program. Finally, Bioexplorer program
will view the signal from the devices connection. Figure 3.1 shows the proposed setup
and operation for the wireless module.
 25

Figure 3.1: Setup/operation

 26

CHAPTER 4

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

The Bluetooth module (KC-21) is capable of sending data to the computer. This
chapter explains the software design as well as the implementation of the Bluetooth
setting based on the methodology and scope mentioned earlier. It gives a more detailed
explanation of what is done with software development. The programming tools used are
microC, IC Prog and Bioexplorer.

4.1 MicroC

MikroC is a powerful, feature rich development tool for PICmicros. It is designed

to provide the programmer with the easiest possible solution for developing applications
for embedded systems, without compromising performance or control.

PIC and C fit together well: PIC is the most popular 8-bit chip in the world, used
in a wide variety of applications, and C, prized for its efficiency, is the natural choice for
developing embedded systems. MikroC provides a successful match featuring highly
advanced IDE, ANSI compliant compiler, broad set of hardware libraries, comprehensive
 27

documentation, and plenty of ready-to-run examples. Figure 4.1 shows the microC
Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE).

Figure 4.1: mikroC IDE

4.2 Programming the Microcontroller

The first step is to install the software, featuring on how to setup microC and boot
loader for the purpose of programming and burning the program into the microcontroller.
C language is used as the programming language for the microcontroller.

4.2.1 Transfer the program to PIC microcontroller

IC prog was developed by Bonny Gijzen as a tool to load a program into

microcontroller's EEPROM. This specially design software fit with any version of
Microchip microcontroller. The procedure for using the IC prog is as follows:
 28

i. Switch on the PC.

ii. Connect the microcontroller board to the parallel port of the PC.
iii. Run the IC prog.
iv. Set the device for the microcontroller.
v. Set the oscillator and the write enable.
vi. Click file open and select .HEX file.
vii. Click program all to burn the entire HEX file into EEPROM.
viii. IC prog will verify the code.
ix. If there is no error, the HEX file is successfully loaded to the chip.
x. Release the cable that attach to PC parallel port.
xi. Chip is ready to use.

Figure 4.2 shows the PIC bootloader device. This is Universal Serial Bus
(USB) type which can directly be attached to the computer. The other type is
serial communication type. Figure 4.3 shows the process of burning program
onto the PIC microcontroller using GUI.

Figure 4.2: PIC bootloader device

 29

Figure 4.3: IC programmer graphical user interface (GUI)

4.2.2 Baud rate

The default baud rate for SKKCA-21 is 115200. The following code illustrates
how to configure the baud rate of SKKCA-21.
 30

4.3 Setup PC for Bluetooth interface

4.3.1 USB dongle setup (IVT BlueSoleil)

Before the USB dongle can be used, a communication link has to be established
between the Bluetooth Module and Bluetooth Dongle using IVT BlueSoleil. Following
are the steps of installing and establishing a link between the two;

• Install the software IVT BlueSoleil using CD included with the USB dongle
• Once the software has been successfully installed, plug in the USB dongle
and run the software
• Switch on the power for the circuit with the SKKCA-21
• On the screen, you should be able to see a window as in figure 4.5. Click the
orange ball in the center of the window or press F5

Figure 4.5: Bluetooth setup

 31

• Once the Bluetooth module is detected, it will appear in the window. Figure
4.6 shows the program searching for devices and Figure 4.7 shows the
discovery finished.

Figure 4.6: Searching for devices

• Next, double click on the symbol of the Bluetooth module. The software
will automatically select the method to connect with the Bluetooth device.
 32

Figure 4.7: Service Discovery finished

• Right click on the symbol to select Connect->Bluetooth serial port service. Figure
4.8 shows the setup for Bluetooth port.
 33

Figure 4.8: Bluetooth setup for port

• A window will appear with the designated serial port. Click yes to proceed.
Figure 4.9 shows the Bluetooth connection that has been established.

Figure 4.9: Bluetooth connection

4.4 UART setting

Of course, there must be some configurations for microcontroller too. The most
important configuration is UART. UART depends on timing or the baud rate, therefore
the most important task is to configure the baud rate of microcontroller.
 34

The UART is configured making it ready to communicate with Bluetooth

module. The settings are:

i. Baud rate = 115200 bps or 115.2 Kbps

ii. Data bits = 8
iii. Parity = none
iv. Stop bit = 1

The settings have to be done using programming language of the microcontroller.

As an example, for PIC microcontroller, developer has to use assembly language or C
language to configure these settings.

Figure 4.10: Flow chart for microcontroller to communicate with Bluetooth

transceiver
 35

Figure 4.10 shows a flow chart of general concept for microcontroller to

communicate and process data from KC Wirefree Bluetooth transceiver. After
configuring UART engine of microcontroller, program should wait for data from
UART’s receiver buffer. Store the received data array and checked whether the “Enter” is
received. If “Enter” is not yet received, continue to wait and keep receiving data. If
“Enter” is received, process the data array stored and decide which mode to enter or
which AT command to be sent? For example, when the received array of data is “ATZV
BDAdress 00043E008137”, microcontroller should send “AT+ZV SPPConnect
000000E41213” to Bluetooth transceiver. This data array should be sent to transmitter
buffer. If “AT-ZV –BypassMode–” is received, the microcontroller has entered bypass
mode and AT command should NOT be sent to Bluetooth transceiver, except RMC is
used. This is an example of programming concept, a better algorithm can be written for
microcontroller. What is AT command? AT command is a language originally used by
modem. Now it has been applied in Bluetooth SPP. Every AT command start with AT
and end with “enter” or <CR><LF> (i.e. “<CR>\n” in C, or in Hex value is 0x0D 0x0A).
Some common description of AT command in KC Serial:

• “AT+parameter” is command send from host to module or serial adaptor.

• “AT–parameter” is command send from module to host.
• Every AT command must start with “AT” or 0x41 0x54 in Hex value.
• Every AT command must be ended with “Enter” or 0x0D 0x0A in Hex value.

There are 2 modes in Bluetooth configuration. First mode is Command mode, this
mode indicate that all data send from host is a command for Bluetooth transceiver, and
data send from Bluetooth transceiver to host is event reporting status of Bluetooth
transceiver. Second mode is Bypass mode, this mode can only appear when connection
between 2 Bluetooth transceivers is established. In Bypass mode, every single byte of
data from host will be sent over Bluetooth wireless link to the other Bluetooth node.
 36

CHAPTER 5

HARDWARE DEVELOPMENT

5.1 Heart Rate Sensor

5.2 Photoplethysmograph (PPG)

A photoplethysmograph (PPG) is an optically obtained plethysmograph, a

volumetric measurement of an organ. A PPG is often obtained by using a pulse oximeter
which illuminates the skin and measures changes in light absorption [5]. A conventional
pulse oximeter monitors the perfusion of blood to the dermis and subcutaneous tissue of
the skin.

Plethysmograph comes from the Greek "plethysmos" for increase and is a term
for a "fullness" (ie change in volume) measuring device. Over the years, all sorts of
Heath-Robinson devices have been used but described here is a photoelectric pulse
plethysmograph, which is robust and easy to make and which will allow the beating of
the heart to be recorded without the need to make direct electrical connections to the
body [7].
 37

5.2.1 Sensor

The sensor consists of a light source and photodetector; light is shone through the
tissues and variation in blood volume alters the amount of light falling on the detector.
The source and detector can be mounted side by side to look at changes in reflected light
or on either side of a finger or earlobe to detect changes in transmitted light. The
particular arrangement here uses a wooden clothes peg to hold an infra red light emitting
diode and a matched phototransistor. The infra red filter of the phototransistor reduces
interference from fluorescent lights, which have a large AC component in their output.

Figure 5.0: Sensor

The peg is drilled with 3mm holes to take the led, the phototransistor, the pair of
wires linking the two and the 2-core screened output cable, as shown in figure 5.0. The
holes for the led and phototransistor are drilled in one go so that they line up. The ends of
each side of the peg are filled on the inside to enlarge the gap and pieces of black closed-
cell foam (cannibalized from a mouse mat and punched with 3mm holes) are stuck in
place (Super Glue / Crazy Glue) to improve grip and make a (more or less) light-tight
seal against the skin. At this point, the spring should be adjusted so that the peg will grip
an ear lobe while at the same time not being so tight that it excludes blood from a finger.
Pieces of strip-board glued to the peg are used to make connections to the wires; two
copper strips wide for the led (anode and cathode connections) and three for the
 38

phototransistor side (collector, emitter and led cathode, and led anode - led wires coming
through the peg from the other side). The light-emitting diode (Siemens SFH487) and the
phototransistor (Siemens SFH309FA) are wedged in their holes and soldered to their
respective pieces of strip board. Neither component is critical nor will many other types
work. The wires are then soldered in place; the screen of the connecting lead is soldered
to the emitter and cathode copper pad. Once everything has been checked and proved to
work, the connections and the backs of the components should be covered with a bead of
an opaque silicone rubber caulk which will insulate and keep out extraneous light. All
bare wires should be covered, figure 5.1 shows the schematic on constructing the sensor.

Figure 5.1: Constructing the sensor

5.2.2 Amplier

The amplifier (see figure 5.2) uses an LM358 dual op amp to provide two
identical broadly-tuned band pass stages with gains of 100. Again, the type of op amp is
not particularly critical, as long as it will work at 6V and drive the output rail to rail. The
signal frequencies are boxed in by movement artefacts at the low end (generated by the
peg moving and distorting the underlying tissues; light pegs are better) and at the top end
 39

by mains-hum interference. The circuit runs from a single 6 Volt battery and the output
zero is offset by about 1 Volt by referring everything to an internal common line at a
voltage set by a pair of forward-biased silicon diodes. This is convenient for interfaces
with a 0-5Volt input. The potentiometer allows the overall gain to be adjusted so as to
prevent clipping on large signals. Components are not critical but the two 2.2 µF
capacitors must be able to stand some reverse bias so they should be non-polarized or
tantalum. The circuit can easily be made up on a small piece of strip board.

Figure 5.2: Pulse plethysmograph amplifier circuit

5.3 Microcontroller as host

KC Wirefree module can be interfaced with microcontroller. Most applications

would likely use microcontroller as Bluetooth transceiver host. Microcontroller can be
host of master or slave node [20]. Which types of microcontroller are suitable to be host
of Bluetooth module? The microcontroller must have these capabilities:

• UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver and Transmitter)

• Re-programmable (for development purpose)
• I/O port (Application purpose)
 40

Any microcontroller with these capabilities is able to become host for Bluetooth
transceiver. There are many types of microcontroller come with these capabilities; one of
them is PIC16F and PIC18F series of microcontroller. Motorola, Atmel, Philip and many
other brand of microcontroller also come with these capabilities. No restriction of
microcontroller types and brands. However, PIC seems to be the cheapest and easiest to
develop type of microcontroller in the market. The main concept to interface Bluetooth
module with microcontroller is UART connection. The Rx pin of microcontroller must be
connected to Tx pin of Bluetooth module, while the Tx pin of microcontroller to Rx pin
of Bluetooth module. Voltage will be another important element in this interface. Most
microcontrollers operate at 5V while Bluetooth module operates at 3.3V. The board
should have voltage regulator for both device. Furthermore, voltage from microcontroller
must not overload Bluetooth module. To ensure this, a voltage divider is required for
UART connection. Tx of microcontroller will supply 5V logic to Rx of Bluetooth
module. Direct connection might spoil Bluetooth module slowly. It is good to have
voltage divider for this connection. Figure 5.3 shows the connection if microcontroller is
used as host for Bluetooth module.

Figure 5.3: Schematic of Bluetooth module with PIC16F877A

 41

5.4 Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a new technology for wireless connectivity. It is a universal radio

interface in 2.45GHz frequency band that enables portable electronic devices to connect
and communicate wirelessly via short-range, ad hoc networks. The Bluetooth system is a
low cost (about RM 200 per unit) wireless interface between mobile devices that provides
low power consumption. In order to use Bluetooth, a devices must be compatible with
certain Bluetooth profiles.

5.4.1 General Bluetooth Characteristics

Bluetooth characteristics include:

• Operates in the 2.4 GHz Industrial-Scientific-Medical (ISM) band.

• Uses Frequence Hop (FH) spread spectrum, which divides the frequency band
into a number of hop channels. During a connection, radio transceivers hop
from one channel to another in a pseudo-random fashion.
• Supports up to 8 devices in a piconet (two or more Bluetooth units sharing a
channel).
• Built-in security.
• Non line-of-sight transmission through walls and briefcases.
• Omni-directional.
• Supports both isochronous and asynchronous services; easy integration of
TCP/IP for networking.
• Regulated by governments worldwide.
 42

5.4.2 What is Bluetooth Used For?

Bluetooth will enable users to connect to a wide range of computing and

telecommunications devices without the need to buy, carry, or connect cables. It delivers
opportunities for rapid, ad hoc connections, and in the future, possibly for automatic,
unconscious, connections between devices. Bluetooth's power-efficient radio technology
can be used in many of the same devices that use IR:

• Phones and pagers

• Modems
• LAN access devices
• Headsets
• Notebook, desktop, and handheld computers.

5.4.3 Manufacturers' Acceptance

Bluetooth enables portable electronic devices to connect and communicate

wirelessly via short-range, ad hoc networks. It is a universal radio interface in the 2.45
GHz frequency band that has gained the support of Ericsson, Nokia, IBM, Toshiba, Intel,
and many other manufacturers. In order to function on a worldwide basis, Bluetooth
requires a radio frequency that is license-free and open to any radio. The 2.45 GHz, ISM
band satisfies these requirements, although it must cope with interference from baby
monitors, garage door openers, cordless phones and microwave ovens, which also use
this frequency.
 43

CHAPTER 6

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

This chapter discusses the result obtain from the system. The result will be
discussed in three parts which are hardware, software and hardware and software
interface. Hardware consists of sensor module and microcontroller. The software part
consists of Bluetooth connection. An overall discussion for this project will be made at
the end of this chapter.

6.1 Hardware

The wireless module used in this project is Bluetooth. The Bluetooth tool used in
this project is Bluetooth adapter. The problem will be more on how to communicate the
USB Bluetooth device with the microcontroller through Universal Serial Port (USB). For
this project the USB-Bluetooth dongle that communicates with the board under
Windows-XP is used.

The amplifier uses an LM358 dual op amp to provide two identical broadly-tuned
band pass stages with gains of 100. The circuit runs from a single 6 Volt battery and the
output zero is offset by about 1 Volt by referring everything to an internal common line at
 44

a voltage set by a pair of forward-biased silicon diodes. The potentiometer allows the
overall gain to be adjusted so as to prevent clipping on large signals.

6.1.1 Sensor module

The main purpose of this module is to detect the pulse rate. Figure 6.0 shows the
sensor module in this project.

Figure 6.0: Sensor module

6.1.2 Microcontroller module

This module consists of 5 volt power supply, Analog Digital Converter and
UART. Figure 6.2 shows the microcontroller module and figure 6.1 shows the 5 volt
power supply used for microcontroller.
 45

Figure 6.1: 5 volt power supply

Figure 6.2: Microcontroller

6.1.3 Bluetooth transmitter module

This module consists of KC-21 wirefree bluetooh device. This module functions
as data transmitter to the computer. Figure 6.3 shows the Bluetooth module and figure 6.4
shows the overall hardware.
 46

Figure 6.3 Bluetooth module

Sensor Circuit

Microcontroller
Circuit

5 Volt Power
Supply Bluetooth
Module KC-21
9 Volt Power
Supply

Figure 6.4 Hardware overview

6.2 Result Analysis

In order to check if the circuit is working the overall circuit is divided into two
parts and checked them individually, and followed by a complete test of the circuit.
 47

Test has been done with respect to circuit of figure 5.2 and 6.5 at designated pins
using Signal Generator and oscilloscope.

Figure 6.5: Amplifier

In theory, with respect to circuit in figure 5.2, with values of R1 equal to 10k and R2
equal to 1M the Gain should be:
Av = -R2/R1
Av = 100000/1000
Av = -100
To facilitate the test a sinusoidal voltage signal of 1Khz is applied to the input (pins 2
and 3) and output (pin 1) to observed on the oscilloscope. To determine the gain the
amplitude of the input and output waveforms are measured and the gain calculated as
follows:

Output = 500mv x 10 = 5000

Input = 50mv = 50
So the Av = Vout/Vin
Av = 5000/50 = 100

Similar test for gain is done to the input (pins 5 and 6) and output (pin 7) with
following result:

Output = 500mv x 10 = 5000

Input = 50mv = 50
So the Av = Vout/Vin
Av = 5000/50 = 100
 48

6.3 Discussion

There are many problems encountered while developing this system. This project
requires some setup involving the Windows XP operating system. These are the few
issues arose from initial stage and some early forecast of issues that also arise during the
second stage of the project. The problem are:

• Sensor Module failed to communicates with the Bluetooth transmitter.

• Bluetooth Serial Port module. There are many serial port created and used by
DLINK’s Bluetooth driver. The right port must be chosen in the client and server
application. To reduce this problem, only important Bluetooth features are
installed to reduce confusion in port number and port function.
• Lack of programming skill: Interface between USB dongle and Computer.
 49

CHAPTER 7

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

This chapter discusses the suggestion of future work for the project and
conclusion will be made according to the project development. This thesis has discussed
the development of the sensor module and interfacing with Bluetooth transmitter and
receiver.

7.1 Conclusion

As a conclusion, all the objectives which have been stated in the previous chapter
have partly been met. In this project, basic component are used to build the system’s
prototype. The component and their function are:

• Microcontroller, PIC16F877A is used as a data processor and controller.

• USB Bluetooth adapter as interface between user computer and KC-21
(microcontroller).
• KC-21 is used as Bluetooth device at hardware part (microcontroller).
• Plethysysmography (PPG) is used as heart rate detector.
• Bioexplorer is used as a tool to detect the device and view the signal.
 50

The Bluetooth concept offers several benefits compared with other techniques.
The main advantages of Bluetooth are minimal hardware dimensions, the low price on
Bluetooth components and the low power consumption for Bluetooth connections.

Bluetooth is set to be a communication standard, which through its small size,

considerable functionality and flexibility and very low cost, will find its way into many
modern devices, offering control and information easily and simply. The new generation
of cellular telephony systems while offering national coverage and mobility could never
provide a cost effective interconnection of so many devices, but coupled with Bluetooth,
localized groups of equipment can be interconnected wherever they are and wherever
they're going. Bluetooth will thus extend the reach and scope of cellular systems well
beyond today's horizons.

Lastly, taking into account issues related to the completion of the project, it is
hereby suggested that the project be continued and futher developed in the area of
software and hardware enhancement.

7.2 Suggestions

In order to improve the project function and implementation in the future, several
suggestions are proposed:

• Use of mobile phone to replace personal computer. There are many types of
mobile phone with Bluetooth features. Research should be done to find new
method in order make this system functions using mobile phone. If the mobile
phone replaces the computer, the system will be more convenient and
practical.

• Use of different types of techniques to detect the heart rate. There are number
of methods and technique to detect the heart rate, for example ECG and
optical sensor. This kind of method is more accurate than PPG method. But
 51

the main problem is that, this method is more difficult to design and
implement.

• Using different types of wireless module. For this project the maximum
distance between computer and hardware is 20 meter. Therefore, other types
of wireless media can be used in order to extend the practical range.
 52

REFERENCES

1. Roland Berg& & Partner GmbH Munchen, “Telemarik im

Geswtdheitswesen”, http://www.rberger.de, August 1997.
2. Jennings, J. R., Tahmoush, A. J., & Redmond, D.P. (1980). Non-invasive
measurement of peripheral vascular activity. In I. Martin & P. H. Venables
(Eds.), Techniques in Psychophysiology. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.:New York.
3. Brown, C. C. (1967). The techniques of plethysmography. In C. C. Brown
(Eds.), Methods in Psychophysiology. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins
Company.
4. Mendelson, Y. & Peura, R. A. (1984). Noninvasive transcutaneous monitoring
of arterial blood gases. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng., 31, 792-800.
5. Shelley, K. H., R. G. Stout, et al. (1999). "The use of joint time frequency
analysis of the pulse oximeter waveform to measure the respiratory rate of
ventilated patients." Anesthesiology 91(3A): A583.
6. M. Malik, "Guidelines: Heart rate variability Standards of measurement,
physiological interpretation, and clinical use", Eur Heart J., vol. 17, pp354–38,
1996.
7. B. Hertzman, "Photoelectric plethysmograph of the finger and toes in man,"
Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med., vol. 37, pp. 1633-1637, 1937.
8. Larsen, P. B., Schnerderson N. & Pasin R. D. C. (1986). Physiological bases
of cardiovascular psychophysiology. In M. G. H. Coles, E. Donchin & S. W.
Porges (Eds.), Psychophysiology: Systems, Processes and Applications. New
York: Guilford Press.
9. M. J Drinnan, J. Allen, and A. Murray, "Relation between heart rate and pulse
transit time during paced respiration", Physiol. Meas. vol. 22, pp425–432,
2001.
10. Bruner, J. M. R. (1981). Comparison of direct and indirect methods of
measuring arterial blood pressure. Medical Instrumentation, 15, 11-12.
 53

11. Lee, B.Y., Trainor, F.S., Thoden, W.R., Kavner, D. (1981). Handbook of
Noninvasive Diagnostic Techniques in Vascular Surgery, New York:
Appleton-Century-Crofts.
12. X. F. Teng and Y. T. Zhang, "Continuous and Noninvasive Estimation of
Arterial Blood Pressure Using a Photoplethysmographic Approach," presented
at A New Beginning for Human Health: Proceedings of the 25th Annual
International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology
Society, Sep 17-21 2003, Cancun, Mexico, 2003.
13. Srdjan Krco, “Bluetooth Based Wireless Sensor Network:Implemenfation
Issues and Solutions”, Invited paper, Proc. Of the Telfor 02 conference,
Belgrade November 2002.
14. Foerster, J., et al., Ultra-Wideband technology for short- or medium-range
wireless communications. Intel Technology Journal. 2001; (2):, 2001.
15. Hirt, W. and D. Porcino. Pervasive Ultra-wideband Low Spectral Energy
Radio Systems (PULSERS). In WWRF7. 2002. Eindhoven,
16. Shelley, K. H., R. G. Stout, et al. (1999). "The use of joint time frequency
analysis of the pulse oximeter waveform to measure the respiratory rate of
ventilated patients." Anesthesiology 91(3A): A583.
17. Peter Spasov (2005). Microcontroller Technology. Fifth edition. Sir Sandford
Fleming College: Prentice Hall.
18. Sensor Module literature at http://www.electronics.dit.ie.com
19. Bluetooth Technology literature at http://www.bluetooth.com
20. Signal Processing literature at http://www.picotech.com
21. Microcontroller data sheet at http://www.microchip.com
 54

APPENDIX
 55

APPENDIX A
KC-21 Wirefree Bluetooth Module
56
57
58
59
 60

APPENDIX B

Programming Source Code

/*
* Project name:
ADC_USART (Transferring ADC data on Serial port)
* Description:
The code performs AD conversion and sends results (the upper 8 bits) via
USART.
* Test configuration:
MCU: PIC16F877A
Dev.Board: EasyPIC3
Oscillator: HS, 08.0000 MHz
Ext. Modules: -
SW: mikroC v6.0
* NOTES:
None.
*/

unsigned short temp_res;

void main() {
USART_Init(115200); // Initalize USART (115200 baud rate, 1 stop bit, ...

// Select Vref and analog inputs, in order to use ADC_Read

ADCON1 = 0; // All porta pins as analog, VDD as Vref
TRISA = 0xFF; // PORTA is input

do {

// Read ADC results and send the upper byte via USART
 61

temp_res = ADC_Read(2) >> 2;

USART_Write(temp_res);
} while (1); // endless loop
}