Electrocardiograph connected to a car

[nesta]

Hello,

I need some advice to build an elecrtocardiograph.

I have to do in LabVIEW an electrocardigraph for my diploma project and I don't have enough experience and I don't know if my idea can be realized. I hope not to be difficult to do this program. I will describe in brief what I have to do:
This electrocardiograph will be used in automotive industry, so it will be incorporate in a car. The ECG will receive data from a portable electrocardiograph that the driver wears. This virtual instrument has to monitor the health of a driver ( QRS complex and heart rate ). The portable ECG send data to ECU used in electronic brake system. For example, if the driver has lower than 40 beats per minute of heart then the portable ECG will send a message to brake system and the car begin to slow down.

I want to know the easiest way to develop this virtual instrument. Also I need some advice related to the simplest communication protocol between:
- ECU from brake system and portable ECG

- portable ECG and my program.

I rely on your support.
Thank you a lot

[E.Garcia]

Hi.

I have never actually implemented it, but I guess it would go something like this:

One risk I perceive is the actual communication with the ECU.

My opinion is that without cooperation from an automotive company it will be difficult to achieve.

[nesta]

Hello,

Thank you for feedback. Also I thought at something like this.

One additional thing I want to know: which are the devices that I need?
I mean, have I need the portable ECG or can I do an imaginary program that can work so that to imagine it is connected to the ECU.

I just want to do a virtual ECG and to imagine some scenarios as it would be in reality.

[E.Garcia]

If do not need to work with real signals, you should be able to implement most of the system in simulation.

You may try to simulate the ECG acquisition device by using a program that reads from a database file (e.g. Physionet).

You could also ready another program to simulate the ECU and implement a messaging mechanism to communicate it with your main program.

[Steve.J]

The free Biomedical Starter Kit has a file format converter allowing you to bring files from the Physionet database and convert into LabVIEW TDMS format.  It is available for download on NI Labs here: https://decibel.ni.com/content/docs/DOC-12646

You could develop a working proof-of-concept with a simple and low-cost wireless heart rate sensor available from companies like Vernier or iWorx - these work like the sensors that you might use on a piece of exercise equipment (chest belt or arm band) and have high level analog outputs that give you a pulse for each heart beat that is simple (and safe) to connect directly to a NI DAQ board like the very low cost USB-6008.

Steve

[nesta]

From what I understood, I shoud use the Biomedical Starter Kit to convert a file from Physionet database into LabVIEW TDMS format ( this is for simulate the portable ECG ). And to simulate the ECU, I should use the NI DAQ board USB-6008. And my virtual instrument is connected to this board via USB. Am I right?

In this case I supposed / imagined that there is an USB connector on the dashboard of car.
I hope that I did't understand wrong and I am not talking nonsense.

Thanks.