Method and apparatus for reducing coupling between signals in a measurement system

• US 20060161057A1
• Filed: 01/23/2006
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cercacor Laboratories
• Original Assignee: Cercacor Laboratories
• Inventors: Weber, Walter M., Al-Ali, Ammar
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,222 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/336
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0238 Optical sensor arrangements for performing transmission measurements on body tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14551 for measuring blood gases
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14552 Details of sensors specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/1495 Calibrating or testing of in-vivo probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7203 for noise prevention, reduction or removal
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7214 using signal cancellation, e.g. based on input of two identical physiological sensors spaced apart, or based on two signals derived from the same sensor, for different optical wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7221 Determining signal validity, reliability or quality A61B5/7207 and A61B5/7217 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7228 Signal modulation applied to the input signal sent to patient or subject; demodulation to recover the physiological signal modulation H03C

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for separating a composite signal into a plurality of signals is described. A signal processor receives a composite signal and separates a composite signal in to separate output signals. Feedback from one or more of the output signals is provided to a configuration module that configures the signal processor to improve a quality of the output signals. In one embodiment, the signal processor separates the composite signal by applying a first demodulation signal to the composite signal to generate a first output signal. In one embodiment, the signal processor also applies a second demodulation signal to the composite signal to generate a second output signal. In one embodiment, a phase and/or amplitude of the first demodulation signal and a phase and/or amplitude of the second demodulation signal are selected to reduce crosstalk. In one embodiment, the composite signal is obtained from a detector in a system for measuring one or more blood constituents.

Claims

1. An apparatus for measuring one or more blood constituents in a subject, said apparatus comprising:

a first signal source which applies a first input signal during a first time interval;

a second signal source which applies a second input signal during a second time interval;

a detector which detects a first parametric signal responsive to said first input signal passing through a portion of said subject having blood therein and which detects a second parametric signal responsive to said second input signal passing through said portion of said subject, said detector generating a detector output signal responsive to said first and second parametric signals; and

a signal processor which receives said detector output signal, said signal processor demodulating said detector output signal by applying a first demodulation signal to a signal responsive to said detector output signal to generate a first demodulator output signal and applying a second demodulation signal to said signal responsive to said detector output signal to generate a second demodulator output signal, said first demodulation signal having at least one component comprising a frequency, a first amplitude, and a first phase, and said second demodulation signal having at least one component comprising said frequency, a second phase, and a second amplitude, at least one of said first phase, said second phase, said first amplitude, and said second amplitude chosen to reduce crosstalk from said first parametric signal to said second demodulator output signal and to reduce crosstalk from said second parametric signal to said first demodulator output signal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of one of said first phase, said second phase, said first amplitude, and said second amplitude is determined by turning off one of said first and second signal sources and measuring the crosstalk between one of the parametric signals and the non-corresponding output signal.

3. A method of reducing crosstalk between two signals generated by applying a first pulse and a second pulse to measure a parameter, wherein said first pulse and said second pulse are applied periodically at a first repetition rate defining a period, and wherein said first pulse is generated during a first interval in each period and said second pulse is generated during a second interval in each period, said first and second pulses producing first and second parametric signals responsive to said parameter, said first and second parametric signals being received by a detector which outputs a composite signal responsive to said first and second parametric signals, said method comprising:

applying a first demodulation signal to said composite signal to generate a first demodulated output signal, said first demodulation signal comprising at least one component having at least a first amplitude and a first phase;

applying a second demodulation signal to said composite signal to generate a second demodulated output signal, said second demodulation signal comprising at least one component having at least a second amplitude and a second phase;

lowpass filtering said first demodulated output signal to generate a first recovered output signal responsive to said first parametric signal;

lowpass filtering said second demodulated output signal to generate a second recovered output signal responsive to said second parametric signal; and

choosing at least one of said first phase, said second phase, said first amplitude, and said second amplitude to reduce crosstalk components in said first recovered output signal and said second recovered output signal.

4. A method of demodulating a composite signal generated by applying first and second periodic pulses of electromagnetic energy to a system having a parameter to be measured and by receiving signals responsive to said electromagnetic energy after having passed through said system and being affected by said parameter being measured, said signals received as a composite signal having first and second components responsive to said first and second pulses respectively, said method comprising:

applying a first demodulation signal to said composite signal to generate a first demodulated signal, said first demodulation signal comprising a first component having a first frequency corresponding to a repetition frequency of said first and second pulses and comprising a second component having said first frequency, said second component in phase quadrature with said first component, said first component having a first amplitude and said second component having a second amplitude, said second amplitude having a predetermined relationship to said first amplitude, said predetermined relationship selected to cause said first demodulated signal to have lower frequency components, said lower frequency components comprising a primary component corresponding primarily to said first component and a residual component corresponding to said second component;

lowpass filtering said first demodulated signal to generate a first output signal;

adjusting at least one of a first amplitude, a second amplitude, a first phase, and a second phase to reduce said residual component with respect to said primary component.

5. The method as defined in claim 4, further comprising:

applying a second demodulation signal to said composite signal to generate a second demodulated signal, said second demodulation signal having first and second components corresponding to said first and second components of said first demodulation signal, at least one of said first and second components of said second demodulation signal having a selected phase relationship with the corresponding one of said first and second components of said first demodulation signal; and

lowpass filtering said second demodulated signal to generate a second output signal, said second output signal varying in response to an effect of said parameter on the electromagnetic energy received from said second pulse.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein said selected phase relationship reduces crosstalk.

8. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising:

means for applying a second demodulation signal to said composite signal to generate a second demodulated signal comprising a primary component corresponding to said second component of said composite signal and a residual component corresponding to said first component of said composite signal;

means for adjusting a phase of said second demodulation signal to reduce said residual component with respect to said primary component.

7. An apparatus for demodulating a composite signal, comprising:

means for applying a first demodulation signal to said composite signal to generate a first demodulated signal comprising a primary component corresponding to a first component of said composite signal and a residual component corresponding to a second component of said composite signal;

means for adjusting a phase of said demodulation signal to reduce said residual component with respect to said primary component.