IEEE1451 Smart Sensors Architectures for Vital Signs and Motor Activity Monitoring

The chapter presents a set of smart sensing systems, compatible with IEEE1451 standard, intended to unobtrusively monitor the vital signs and motor activity of a wheelchair user. The IEEE 1451 standard was considered to add smartness to transducers: clause 1451.4 adds plug-and-play and self-identification capabilities to the sensors, and clause 1451.1 provides the information model used to share data and functionalities across the network. The .NET Framework was considered to implement the 1451.1 information model as it provides a rich development environment. The .NET’s implementation of the 1451.1 information model, including the customization efforts to meet application-specific requirements, is described. Referring to the measurement channels considered in the present approach, photo-plethysmography (PPG), skin conductivity (SKC), ballistocardiography (BCG), and electrocardiography (ECG) were chosen to monitor cardiorespiratory activity, while a simple 3D accelerometer was used to monitor motor activity.