A Novel Pulse Measurement System by Using Laser Triangulation and a CMOS Image Sensor

Abstract

This paper presents a novel, non-invasive, non-contact system to measure pulse waveforms of artery via applying laser triangulation method to detect skin surface vibration. The proposed arterial pulsation measurement (APM) system chiefly consists of a laser diode and a low cost complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) image sensor. Laser triangulation and centroid method are combined with the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) in this study. The shape and frequency of the arterial pulsation can be detected rapidly by using our APM system. The relative variation of the pulse at different measurement points near wrist joint is used as a prognostic guide in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). An extensive series of experiments was conducted to evaluate the performance of the designed APM system. From experimental results, the pulse amplitude and frequency at the Chun point (related to the small intestine) of left hand showed an obvious increase after having food. In these cases, the peak to peak amplitudes and the frequencies of arterial pulsations range from 38 to 48 μm and from 1.27 to 1.35 Hz, respectively. The height of arterial pulsations on the area near wrist joint can be estimated with a resolution of better than 4 μm. This research demonstrates that applying a CMOS image sensor in designing a non-contact, portable, easy-to-use, low cost pulse measurement system is feasible. Also, the designed APM system is well suited for evaluating and pre-diagnosing the health of a human being in TCM clinical practice.

Web-based remote human pulse monitoring system with intelligent data analysis for home health care

“…Wu, Chang, & Jiang (2007) developed a non-invasive, non-contact system to measure pulse waveforms of arteries via applying laser triangulation method to identify skin surface vibration. The designed arterial pulsation measurement system is suited for assessing and pre-diagnosing the health of a human being in traditional Chinese medicine clinical practice.…”

Arterial pressure pulse palpation with the Haptic Lens

“…The Doppler ultrasound sensor uses reflected sound waves to monitor blood flow through blood vessels [4]. Wu, et al [3] uses a laser triangulation method to detect skin vibrations. Other methods such as thermal imaging [7], pressure [5] and acoustic-based [6] sensors have also been explored.…”

Stringlike Pulse Quantification Study by Pulse Wave in 3D Pulse Mapping

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] Spatial and temporal properties are also needed for analyzing the arterial circulation. 7,8 For this purpose, many noninvasive instruments and analysis methods have been proposed, [9][10][11][12] most of which, however, have focused on the cardiovascular system. On the other hand, recent progress in hemodynamics has attracted lots of attention and has led to more discoveries about the physiology of the arterial circulation system, such as the relations among age, gender, drugs, and the wrist arterial pulse waveforms.…”