A Low-Power Single-Path Bio-Impedance Measurement System Using an Analog-to-Digital Converter for I/Q Demodulation

In this paper, a low power single-path bio-impedance (Bio-Z) measurement system for early detection of acute myocardial ischemia is presented. The fully integrated system consists of a current source, an amplifier, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). The system utilizes the in-phase and quadrature (I/Q) components to obtain the real and imaginary parts of the tissue impedance. To achieve this goal, the ADC has been used to separate the I/Q components in addition to digitizing the samples. This can lead to power and silicon area reduction. The proposed circuit exploits the benefits of capacitively-coupled instrumentation amplifier, including inherent DC cancellation, low power, low noise, and high linearity and is implemented in 0.18 µm CMOS technology with a 1 V power supply. This system is designed and tested using a pseudo-sine 2 µA current with a frequency of 1 kHz. The system can measure an input impedance that varies over a range from 0.03-7.5 kΩ with a resolution of 0.766 Ω while consuming 2 µW power from the supply. The operation of the system is also shown in the recording of impedance variation with respiration and heartbeat.