Noise in Instrumentation

Abstract

Noise is an important factor to consider in the design of biomedical instrumentation systems. When calculating the total noise in an instrumentation system, it is necessary to consider the noise contributions of all elements: sensors, electronic systems, noise coming from external sources, etc. In this chapter, after an historical introduction, we define some mathematical properties of random processes useful for noise characterization; the different kinds of noise usually found in physical systems; the noise characteristics of sensors and electronic devices; and illustrate the methodology of analysis of complex systems from the point of view of biomedical applications when considering different noise sources. Finally, we provide an example for the noise analysis of a biomedical system.