Heart Failure Alert System Using Rfid Technology

Heart Failure Alert System using RFID Technology

Abstract:

Now-a-days the deaths caused due to the heart failure which have been of major concern.

The majority of the deaths caused by heart failures are due to the lack of medical assistance in

time. This paper gives an insight of a new technology that relates directly to the exploding

wireless market place. This technology is a whole new wireless and RFID (Radio Frequency

Identification) enabled frontier in which a victim’s actual location is integral for providing

valuable medical services.

The paper will be demonstrating for the first time ever the usage of wireless

telecommunications systems and miniature sensor devices like RFID passive Tags, that are

smaller than a grain of rice and equipped with a tiny antenna which will capture and wirelessly

transmit a person's vital body-function data, such as pulse or body temperature , to an integrated

ground station. In addition, the antenna will also receive information regarding the location of

the individual from the GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) System. Both sets of data medical

information and location will then be wirelessly transmitted to the ground station and made

available to save lives by remotely monitoring the medical conditions of at-risk patients and

providing emergency rescue units with the person's exact location.

This paper gives a predicted general model for Heart Failure Alert System. It also

discusses the Algorithm for converting the Analog pulse to Binary data in the tag and the

Algorithm for Alerting the Location & Tracking Station. It discusses in detail the various stages

involved in tracking the exact location of the Victim using this technology.

1.Introduction

It is tough to declare convincingly what is the most important organ of our body infact

every organ has its own importance contributing and coordinating superbly to keep the

wonderful machine the human body functioning smoothly. And one of the primary organs which

the body cannot do without is the heart, 72 beats a minute or over a trillion in a lifetime. The

pump house of our body pumping the blood to every corner of our body every moment, thus

sending oxygen and nutrients to each and every cell. Over a period of time, the heart muscles go

weak, the arteries get blocked and sometimes because of a shock a part of the heart stops

functioning resulting in what is called a HEART ATTACK. Heart attack is a major cause of

death and in today’s tension full world it has become very common. Presently there is no

mechanism by which a device monitors a person’s heart 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and gives

him instant protection in case of problem. Our primary focus is on people with a history of heart

problem as they are more prone to death due to heart failure. In the 1970s, a group of scientists at

the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (LLL) realized that a handheld receiver stimulated by RF

power could send back a coded radio signal. Such a system could be connected to a simple

computer and used to control access to a secure facility.

This system ultimately became one of the first building entry systems based on the first

commercial use of RFID. RFID or Radio Frequency identification is a technology that enables

the tracking or identification of objects using IC based tags with an RF circuit and antenna, and

RF readers that "read" and in some case modify the information stored in the IC memory. RFID

is an automated data-capture technology that can be used to electronically identify, track, and

store information about groups of products, individual items, or product components. The

technology consists of three key pieces:

• RFID tags.

• RFID readers.

• A data collection and management system.

RFID tags:

RFID tags are small or miniaturized computer chips programmed with information about

a product or with a number that corresponds to information that is stored in a database. The tags

can be located inside or on the surface of the product, item, or packing material.

The RF tags could be divided in two major groups:

Passive Group: where the power to energize the tag’s circuitry is draw from the reader

generated field.

Active Group: In this case the tag has an internal power source, in general a battery that could be

replaceable or not, in some case this feature limited the tag lifetime, but for some applications

this is not important, or the tag is designed to live more than the typical time needed.

RFID readers:

RFID readers are querying systems that interrogate or send signals to the tags and receive

the responses. These responses can be stored within the reader for later transfer to a data

collection system or instantaneously transferred to the data collection system. Like the tags

themselves, RFID readers come in many sizes. RFID readers are usually on, continually

transmitting radio energy and awaiting any tags that enter their field of operation. However, for

some applications, this is unnecessary and could be undesirable in battery-powered devices that

need to conserve energy. Thus, it is possible to configure an RFID reader so that it sends the

radio pulse only in response to an external event. For example, most electronic toll collection

systems have the reader constantly powered upon that every passing car will be recorded. On the

other hand, RFID scanners used in veterinarian’s offices are frequently equipped with triggers

and power up the only when the trigger is pulled. The largest readers might consist of a desktop

personal computer with a special card and multiple antennas connected to the card through

shielded cable. Such a reader would typically have a network connection as well so that it could

report tags that it reads to other computers. The smallest readers are the size of a postage stamp

and are designed to be embedded in mobile telephones.

2.General Model for Heart Failure Alert System

Heart Failure Alert System using RFID Technology

The Heart Failure Alert System consists of :

• RFID Tag (Implanted into Human body).

• RFID Reader (Placed in a Cellular Phone).

• Global Positioning Satellite System.

• Locating & Tracking Station.

• Mobile Rescue Units.

The grain-sized RFID tag is implanted into the human body, which keeps track of the

heart pulse in the form of voltage levels. A RFID reader is placed into the cellular phone. The

RFID reader sends a command to the RFID tag which in turn sends these voltage pulses in the

form of bits using the embedded software in the tag as response which is a continuous process.

These bit sequence is then sent to software program in the cellular phone as input and checks for

the condition of heart failure. If any sign of failure is sensed then immediately an ALERT Signal

will be generated and in turn results in the AUTODIALING to the Locating & tracking station.

This station with the use of GPS system comes to know the whereabouts of the victim. The

locating and tracking station also simultaneously alerts the rescue units.

3.Working of Implanted RFID Tags

Passive RFID systems typically couple the transmitter to the receiver with either load

modulation or backscatter, depending on whether the tags are operating in the near or far field of

the reader respectively. In the near field, a tag couples with a reader via electromagnetic

inductance. The antennas of both the reader and the tag are formed as coils, using many turns of

small gauge wire. The reader communicates with the tag by modulating a carrier wave, which it

does by varying the amplitude, phase, or frequency of the carrier, depending on the design of the

RFID system in question. The tag communicates with the reader by varying how much it loads

its antenna. This in turn affects the voltage across the reader’s antenna. By switching the load on

and off rapidly, the tag can establish its own carrier frequency (really a sub carrier) that the tag

can in turn modulate to communicate its reply.

Fig: Grain sized RFID Tag

RFID tags are smaller than a grain of rice and equipped with a tiny antenna will capture

and wirelessly transmit a person's vital body-function data, such as pulse and do not require line

of sight. These tags are capable of identifying the heart pulses in the form of voltage levels and

converts into a bit sequence. The first step in A-D Conversion is Pulse Amplitude Modulation

(PAM). This takes an analog signal, samples it and generates a sequence of pulses based on the

results of the Sampling (measuring the amplitude at equal intervals) PCM (Pulse Code

Modulation) quantizes PAM pulses that is the method of assigning integral values in a specific

range to sampled instances. The binary encoding of these integral values is done based on the

algorithm BIN_ENC depending on the average heart pulse voltage of the victim (Avg_pulse).

Alg BIN_ENC:

Step1: Read the analog signals from the heart.

Step2: Sample the analog signal and generate series of pulses based on the results of sampling

based on the tag frequency.

Step3: Assign integral values to each sampled instances generated.

Step4: Consider every individual sampled unit and compare with the average voltage level of the

heart.

Step5: If the sampled instance value is in between the average pulse values then assign BIT=0

Otherwise assign BIT=1.

Step6: Generate the bit sequence by considering all the generated individual sample instances.

Fig: Analog-Binary Digits Conversion in Tags

Working of RFID reader inside cellular phone:

The RFID reader sends a pulse of radio energy to the tag and listens for the tag’s response.

The tag detects this energy and sends back a response that contains the tag’s serial number and

possibly other information as well. In simple RFID systems, the reader’s pulse of energy

functioned as an on-off switch, in more sophisticated systems, the reader’s RF signal can contain

commands to the tag, instructions to read or write memory that the tag contains. Historically,

RFID readers were designed to read only a particular kind of tag, RFID readers are usually on,

continually transmitting radio energy and awaiting any tags that enter their field of operation.

Fig: RFID Reader in cellular phone.

The reader continuously sends the command to the tags and in turn receives the voltage

levels in the form of bit sequence as response from the tags with the help of the BIN_ENC

algorithm. The reader sends the received bit sequence to a software embedded in the cellular

phone. In case of detection of a weak heart pulse this software automatically alerts the tracking

& location station . The software uses the algorithm ALERT.

Alg ALERT:

Step 1: Read the bit sequence from the reader.

Step 2: Count for the number of bit zeros in the data using a counter.

Step 3: If you encounter a bit one, then set counter to zero.

Step 4: If the counter is equal to five then go to Step 5

else go to Step 1.

Step 5: Send alert to the nearest Locating & Tracking Station.

4. Stages In Heart Failure Alert System

Stage 1:

The Tag continuously senses the Heart Pulses, when the Reader sends a Command it sends

the output of the BIN_ENC() as the Response to the Reader.

/*Module for the Conversion of Analog Signals to Binary

digits*/

BIN_ENC()

{

Scanf (“The Value of the generated Sample %f”, Value);

If (+Avg_pulse<Value<-Ang_pulse)

{Bit=0 ;}

else if (Value>+Avg_pulse || Value<-Avg_pulse)

{Bit=1 ;}

}

Stage 2:

Heart Failure Alert System using Rfid Technology

The bits obtained are sent to the ALERT() program to check whether the bit is ’BIT 0’ or

’BIT 1’.If a ‘BIT 0’ is encountered, the counter is incremented and again it checks for the next

bit. If a ‘BIT 1’is encountered then counter is set to zero and it again checks for the next bit. If

counter=5 then it alerts the Locating & Tracking Station.

/*Module for checking the Weak Pulse */

ALERT ()

{

if (bit==0)

{ counter++; }

else

{counter=0 ;}

if(counter==5)

{

printf(“ Report ‘Weak Pulse Detected’ to Locating & Tracking System”);

counter=0;

}

}

Stage 3:

A special ALERT message is sent to the locating & tracking system through the cellular

phone by making use of features like auto messaging, Autodialling which will be provided by the

cellular network service provider. Then the locating & tracking station simultaneously sends an

ALERT to the mobile rescue unit and sends a request to GPS system for the proper location of

the RFID reader (or the cellular phone).The locating & tracking station sends an simultaneous

ALERT to both the GPS system & mobile rescue unit in order to alert the rescue team in the

mobile rescue unit to indicate a possible heart failure within the radius of the unit. The GPS

system mean-while tracks the exact location of the victim and it guides the mobile rescue unit to

the destination in time and provides immediate medical assistance to the victim.

5. Conclusion

This new technology will open up a new era in the field of Biomedical Engineering.The

only drawback of this technology is that, it doesn’t give the promise of saving every person who

is implanted with the tag and using this technology. In the near future, we would like to extend

the technology so that every customer who is implanted with the tags and those who have been

using the technology will be saved. The worlds first GSM phone (NOKIA 5140) offering with

RFID reading capability has already come into the market. In the near future the RFID readers

would come into the wrist watches, which would be handy than the cellular phones. This new

technology would probably become cheaper in the future. In the near future we hope this new

technology would probably reduce the deaths due to heart failures.

Fig: Nokia 5140 Handset offering RIFD Reader

6. a. Web References

1.”Identity chip planted under the skin approved for use in Health care”.

URL: http://www.spychips.com

2.”RFID Tags and RFID Chips”

URL: http://www.rfidjournal.com

3.”Latest Updates on RFID” International Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics

URL: http://www.rfidnews.com

4. "Fundamentals and Applications in Contact less Smart Cards and Identification"

URL:http://www.rfid-handbook.de/index.html

5.”Annual review of Bio-medical Engineering:”

URL: http://www.ide.com

6.”Injectable Electronic Identification, Monitoring and Simulating Systems”

URL: http://www.in-stat.com

7.”Changing the world for less than the price of a cup of a coffee”

URL: http://www.line56.com

8. www.siliconchip.com.au

9. www.wdrg.com/news/currentPR/rfid.html

10. www.digitalangel.net

6. b. Other References:

1. RFID SECURITY – by Pete Lindstorm

2. RFID ESSENTIALS – by Bill Glover, Himanshu Bhatt

3. RFID Case Studies - by Dr. Peter Harrop

4. RFID - George P. Lister

7. Authors

1. C.Sri Aditya: Currently pursuing his B.Tech in 3rd year, Electrical and electronics

Engineering in Guru Nanak Engineering College, Ibrahimpatnam.. He

has presented a paper based on ‘Fuel Cells’ along with other classmates at Guru Nanak Dev

Engineering college, Bidar. And also secured the

third place at the techno-quiz held at the same

college. His area of interests are Power electronics,

Power systems, Nano generators, radio wave

propagation EMAIL:[email protected]

Ph.No : 040-40158638, 040-27135238

2. K.S.Praneeth: Currently pursuing his B.Tech 3rd

year in Computer science and engineering at Guru

Nanak Engineering College, Ibrahimpatnam. His

area of interests is computer programming, artificial

intelligence, data communications, and radio wave

propagation.

EMAIL:[email protected],

ph-no:040-27000965,9441885112

3. B.V.S.Sripathi: : Currently pursuing his B.Tech in

3rd year, Electronics and communications

Engineering in Guru Nanak Engineering College,

Ibrahimpatnam. His areas of inetersts are radio wave

propagation, Digital communications, Signals and

systems and digital electronics

EMAIL:[email protected],

Ph-no: 040-27115512