Technology fiber Bragg grating (FBG) belongs to the most widespread fiber optic sensors. It used for measuring a large number of chemical and physical quantities. Immunity to el ectromagnetic interference, small size, high sensitivity and principle information encoding about the measured value to the spectral characteristics cause usability of FBG sensors in medicine for monitoring vital signs such as heart rate, blood pressure, temperature or respiration. An important factor in this area is the use of an inert material for the Bragg gr atings encapsulation. An interesting choice is the elastomer polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). PDMS is optically clear, general inert, non-toxic and non-flammable. The material commonly used for biomedical and medical applications. Experimental results presented in this paper describe the creation of prototype FBG sensor for the heart rate monitoring of a human body. The sensor is realized by Bragg grating encapsulated into polydimethylsiloxane. The FBG sensor is part of the elastic contact strap which encircles the chest of the patient. This chest expansion leads to a spectral shift of the reflected light from the FB G. The research based on the monitoring of eight different test persons. Heart rate meas urements were compared with a reference signal ECG and analyzed objectively by th e Bland-Altman statistic.

Date Published: 27 April 2017
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 10208, Fiber Optic Sensors and Applications XIV, 102080W (27 April 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2256718

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 10208:
Fiber Optic Sensors and Applications XIV
Christopher S. Baldwin; Gary Pickrell; Henry H. Du, Editor(s)