Republic of Iraq

Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific

Research
Middle Technical University
Electrical Engineering Technical College

Project Title

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF PULSE

OXIMETER MONITOR BASED ON ARDUINO

Submitted by

Ali Kasim Abbas

Maryam Qais Kaitaan

Supervised by

Dr. Abbas Fadhaal Hamadi

Ms. Hind Sadik Mohammed

2020- 2021
 DECLARATION

we certify that this project design and implementation of " DESIGN AND
IMPLEMENTATION OF PULSE OXIMETER MONITOR BASED ON
ARDUINO " was prepared under the supervision of department of medical
instrumentation techniques Engineering by Ali Kasim Abbas and Maryam Qais
Kaitaan as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of
Techniques in medical instrumentation techniques engineering.
 ‫اهداء‬

‫علَّ‬
‫م‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ب‬ ‫غ‬ ‫ال‬ ‫م‬
‫إلى امى‪ ....‬من تنى عطاء‪ ،‬و م ترنى حنا ها وكر ها‬

‫دوي نصابحه يوجهنى‬

‫‪.‬إلى ابى‪ ......‬من زال ُّ‬

‫‪.‬إلى اخى إلخلوق‪ ....‬من علَّمنى ان إلحناة من دون ترانط وحب ويعاون لا تساوي شيناً‬

‫َّ‬ ‫غ‬
‫ان ابهابى غملى لم يكن لتنم لولا د مكم‪ ،‬واتمنى ان تنال زضاكم‬
 ‫شكر و امتنان‬

‫م‬ ‫ل‬
‫إ حمد لله زب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على اشرف الاتيناء وإلمرسلين تيتنا حمد الصادق الامين وعلى اله الطتيين الطاه يرن وصحته‬

‫النايعين له باحسان إلى قنام يوم الدين‪..........‬‬

‫ب‬
‫يعد شكر الله اد تسر لى ابخاز هدا البحب ‪،‬ايقدم يوافر الشكر والامتنان عرفابا حمنل الدكتوز (عناس فصال خمادي) الفاضل و‬
‫عل عل هم‬ ‫تب‬ ‫لتفص‬
‫الاشنادة الفاضله (هتد ضادق) لهم يقتول الاشراف على هدا البحب واسخل جرءا تسيرا من زعا هم تما افاضا ى م و ام‬
‫ل‬
‫قدما من النصابح والتوحبهاب السدتدة النى كان لها الفصل الاول فى وضعى على إ خطوة الاولى فى مسيرة هدا البحب وحنى بهاتته‪،‬‬
‫م‬
‫اكر هم الله تدوام الصحه وموفوز العاقته ‪.‬‬

‫كما ايقدم بالشكر والامتنان إلى غمادة كلته التقتناب الهتدشته والكهرباتته والالكيروتناب وإلى الدكتوز (ضادق كامل)زئتس قسم‬

‫هتدشه الاجهرة الطتته ‪.‬‬

‫تب‬
‫كما اود ان اقدم شكري واعيرازي لاساتدبى الافاضل فى قسم هتدشه الاجهرة الطتته الدين لم خلوا علتنا بجهد او وقب فى شينل‬
‫الع‬ ‫لع‬
‫انصال ضوب ا لم والتوز وإلى قسم شوون الوحدة لمته ‪.‬‬
 ABSTRACT

The project is continuous monitoring of blood oxygen saturation (SPo2) and heart rate using
max30100 pulse sensor. The idea of this project is monitoring SPO2 as well as heart rate. Oxygen
saturation percentage (SPo2) is detected using MAX30100 sensor as well as heart rate (bpm). Our
project consists of parts which are:

 MAX 30100 sensor which detect SPo2 and heart rate.

 LCD screen that shows SPo2 and heart rate values.
 Arduino microcontroller that controls the sensor and screen as well.

Figure 1system overview

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1system overview ...................................................................................................................................... 5

Figure 2 Pulse Oximeter ...................................................................................................................................... 15
Figure 3 HUMAN HEMOGLOBIN ......................................................................................................................... 16
Figure 4 FORMATION OF OXYHEMOGLOBIN ...................................................................................................... 17
Figure 5 Conditions Affecting SPO2 .................................................................................................................... 19
Figure 6 BLOOD OXYGEN LEVELS CHART ............................................................................................................ 19
Figure 7 Pulse Oximetry Principle of Measurement ........................................................................................... 21
Figure 8 Commercial Pulse Oximeter.................................................................................................................. 22
Figure 9 Principle of Measurement .................................................................................................................... 23
Figure 10 Blood Gases Test ................................................................................................................................. 25
Figure 11 MAX30100 PULSE SENSOR .................................................................................................................. 27
Figure 12 The Sensor Principle of Measurement................................................................................................ 28
Figure 13 ARDUINO UNO MICROCONTROLLER .................................................................................................. 30
Figure 14 power pins in Arduino Uno ................................................................................................................. 32
Figure 15 ARDUINO UNO ANALOG PINS ............................................................................................................. 32
Figure 16 SCL and SDA Pins on Arduino Uno ...................................................................................................... 33
Figure 17 Digital Pins of Arduino Uno ................................................................................................................. 34
Figure 18 Liquid Crystal Display .......................................................................................................................... 35
Figure 19 I2C LCD Screen .................................................................................................................................... 36
Figure 20 Jumper Connection Wires .................................................................................................................. 36
Figure 21 Overall System Implementation ......................................................................................................... 37
Figure 22 Result from Patient 2 .......................................................................................................................... 41
Figure 23 Result from Patient 1 .......................................................................................................................... 41
Figure 24 Result from Patient 3 .......................................................................................................................... 41
Figure 25 Result when No Finger is put .............................................................................................................. 41
TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ....................................................................................................................................................... 2

‫اهداء‬.......................................................................................................................................................................... 3

‫ شكر و امتنان‬................................................................................................................................................................... 4

ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................................................... 5
LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................................................... 6
CHAPTER 1............................................................................................................................................................. 9
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 10
LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................................................................... 11
AIM OF THE PROJECT .................................................................................................................................... 13
CHAPTER2 ........................................................................................................................................................... 14
INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 15
BLOOD OXYGEN SATURATION .................................................................................................................. 16
THE ROLE OF HEMOGLOBIN IN OXYGEN SATURATION ...................................................................... 17
NORMAL VALUES OF OXYGEN SATURATION ........................................................................................ 18
CONDITIONS AFFECTING OXYGEN SATURATION ................................................................................. 18
OXYGEN SATURATION LEVELS ................................................................................................................. 19
Normal blood oxygen levels................................................................................................................................ 20
Concerning blood oxygen levels ......................................................................................................................... 20
Low blood oxygen levels ..................................................................................................................................... 20
When low oxygen saturation affects your brain................................................................................................. 20
Cyanosis .............................................................................................................................................................. 20
TECHNIQUES TO CHECK BLOOD OXYGEN SATURATION .................................................................... 21
First technique: pulse oximetry .......................................................................................................................... 21
Working principle of pulse oximeters ................................................................................................................. 23
Second technique: arterial blood gases (ABG) test ............................................................................................ 24
WORKING PRINCIPLE OF ABG ............................................................................................................................. 25
CHAPTER 3........................................................................................................................................................... 26
PRACTICAL PART ................................................................................................................................................. 26
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 27
HARDWARE PART .......................................................................................................................................... 27
Max30100 pulse oximeter sensor....................................................................................................................... 27
Applications of max30100 pulse sensor ............................................................................................................. 28
Max30100 principle of measurement ................................................................................................................ 28
MAX30100 PINOUT ............................................................................................................................................. 29
Max30100 technical specifications ..................................................................................................................... 29
Arduino Uno microcontroller.............................................................................................................................. 30
Arduino Uno specifications ................................................................................................................................. 31
Power pins .......................................................................................................................................................... 32
Analog in ............................................................................................................................................................. 32
I2c - scl/sda pins .................................................................................................................................................. 33
Digital pins .......................................................................................................................................................... 33
What does digital mean ...................................................................................................................................... 34
I2c liquid crystal display (lcd) ............................................................................................................................ 34
I2c lcd hardware overview .................................................................................................................................. 35
I2c lcd display pinout .......................................................................................................................................... 36
Jumper wires ....................................................................................................................................................... 36
SYSTEM CIRCUIT IMPLEMENTATION .................................................................................................................. 37
SOFTWARE PART ............................................................................................................................................ 38
Arduino ide ......................................................................................................................................................... 38
Project code ........................................................................................................................................................ 38
CHAPTER 4........................................................................................................................................................... 40
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................................................................. 40
INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................................. 41
RESULTS .............................................................................................................................................................. 41
RESULTS COMPARISON ....................................................................................................................................... 42
DISCUSSION ..................................................................................................................................................... 42
CHAPTER 5........................................................................................................................................................... 43
CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK ................................................................................................................... 43
CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................... 44
FUTURE WORK ................................................................................................................................................ 44
REFERENCES ........................................................................................................................................................ 45
CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

Oxygen saturation is an essential element in the management and understanding of patient care.
Oxygen is tightly regulated within the body because hypoxemia can lead to many acute adverse
effects on individual organ systems. These include the brain, heart, and kidneys. Oxygen saturation
measures how much hemoglobin is currently bound to oxygen compared to how much hemoglobin
remains unbound. At the molecular level, hemoglobin consists of four globular protein subunits.
Each subunit is associated with a heme group. Each molecule of hemoglobin subsequently has
four heme-binding sites readily available to bind oxygen. Therefore, during the transport of oxygen
in the blood, hemoglobin is capable of carrying up to four oxygen molecules. Due to the critical
nature of tissue oxygen consumption in the body, it is essential to be able to monitor current oxygen
saturation. A pulse oximeter can measure oxygen saturation. It is a noninvasive device placed over
a person's finger. It measures light wavelengths to determine the ratio of the current levels of
oxygenated hemoglobin to deoxygenated hemoglobin. The use of pulse oximetry has become a
standard of care in medicine. It is often regarded as a fifth vital sign. As such, medical practitioners
must understand the functions and limitations of pulse oximetry. They should also have a basic
knowledge of oxygen saturation. [1]

Oxygen saturation (sO2) can be measured continuously and noninvasively by pulse oximetry.
Pulse oximetry uses light absorption through a pulsing capillary bed usually in a toe or finger. The
probe uses two LED light sources; one is red (660 nm) and the other is invisible infrared (~ 940
nm). Although some light is absorbed by skin and tissue, the only variable absorption is due to
arterial pulsations. These absorbance differences at different wavelengths are used to calculate sO2
for hemoglobin. [2]

Oxygen saturation monitoring via pulse oximetry is standard practice in NICUs. While it has
reduced the frequency of blood gas testing, it has important limitations. Pulse oximeters work on
the principle that saturated hemoglobin (oxyhemoglobin) is a different color from DE saturated
hemoglobin (DE oxyhemoglobin) and thus absorbs light of a different frequency.66–68
Oxyhemoglobin demonstrates higher absorbance of infrared light at a wavelength of 940 nm
compared to DE oxyhemoglobin, which demonstrates a higher absorbance of red light at a
wavelength of 660 nm. The ratio of light absorbance at these two wavelengths is used to derive
the transcutaneous oxygen saturation.
Although pulse oximetry in neonatal medicine was introduced fewer than 25 years ago, today it is
the principal form of oxygen monitoring around the world in nearly all clinical situations that
require measurement of oxygen in neonates. It has become, in fact, the fifth vital sign in neonatal
medicine. For the near future, it holds center stage as the primary form of oxygen monitoring for
a large international commitment to determine, after more than 50 years of mistakes, mistrials, and
misunderstandings, the appropriate level of oxygen supply and blood oxygenation in preterm
infants. Hopefully, these studies and the unique advantages of pulse oximetry will help to
eliminate, or at least diminish, the adverse effects of too much oxygen, such as retinopathy of
prematurity (ROP), without increasing the incidence of complications of hypoxia, such as patent
ductus arteriosus (PDA) and pulmonary hypertension. The purpose of this review is to look back
at how oximetry began, how “pulse” oximetry was developed, and how this new technology has
revolutionized oxygen monitoring in neonatal medicine. [3]

LITERATURE REVIEW

Oximetry, or the use of light to measure the amount of oxygen carried in the blood, began in about
1874, when Karl von Vierordt attempted to measure blood saturation in the human hand.
Quantitative oximetry began with Krogh in Copenhagen just after World War I in 1918.

In the 1930s, Millikan and Wood developed the two-wavelength ear oximeter that later was
modified in 1935 by Matthes into the first oxygen saturation meter using red and green filters
Squire developed an instrument for measuring the quantity of blood and its degree of oxygenation
in the web of the hand in 1940, and Goldie developed a device for continuous indication of oxygen
saturation in circulating blood in adults in 1942.

In 1949, Wood and Geraci added a pressure capsule to try to obtain absolute oxygen saturation
values and developed a photoelectric determination of arterial saturation. In 1964, Shaw assembled
the first absolute-reading ear oximeter using eight wavelengths of light, which was commercialized
by Hewlett Packard manufacturing. [4]

Pulse oximetry began in 1972, when Takuo Aoyagi at Nihon Kohden in Japan invented
conventional pulse oximetry using the ratio of red-to-infrared light absorption of pulsating
components at the measuring site. The idea of pulse oximetry developed when Aoyagi attempted
to measure cardiac output using the dye dilution method with the addition of Wood’s oximeter
principle to make the measurements less invasive [5]. In Wood’s method, the earlobe was
compressed to make it ischemic, and the transmitted light was measured. Pressure then was
released, and after blood flow returned, the transmitted light was measured again. The first value
was regarded as incident light, the second as transmitted light, and the ratio of the two yielded the
optical density of blood, which can be correlated with the relationship of Sao2 by a predetermined
nomogram. The addition of two wavelengths of light, 805 nm and 900 nm, allowed discrimination
between hemoglobin and the injected dye. Importantly, the 900-nm light was found to be sensitive
to oxygen, and its response proved to be opposite in direction to the effect of oxygen in the red
wavelengths. Specifically, desaturation of oxygen from blood increased infrared light transmission
of blood but decreased red light transmission, thus providing the now universal application of red
and infrared as the two wavelengths of light in all pulse oximeters to discriminate changes in the
amount of oxygen bound to hemoglobin.

While extending these pilot studies in animals, Aoyagi noticed that arterial pulsations overlapped
the dye curve, and he realized that the amplitude of the pulsation carried important color
information that was unique to the arterial component of the blood. Because the pulsation showed
the color of arterial blood, the effect of venous blood on the color could be excluded (and, thus,
the probe could be placed across any tissue that had arterial pulsations, such as a finger, not just
the ear lobe), and there was no need to compress and then release the pressure over the tissue,
making the application of the probe noninvasive. Aoyagi developed the method into a single
instrument at Hokkaido University and, in 1974, presented his work at the Conference of the Japan
Society of MEBE in Osaka [5]. The instrument was developed reproducibly by Nihon Kohden,
which submitted a patent application in Japan and produced and sold the world’s first pulse
oximeter, the OLV 5100. Nihon Kohden did not apply for international patents, and Aoyagi left
this line of work in 1975. The first medical paper on this pulse oximeter was published in 1975.
[6]
AIM OF THE PROJECT

The objective of this project is to measure oxygen saturation as well as heart rate of a person with
the use of this system which is simple, easy to use, cheap and portable. the components used are
available at the local market with good prices and precision as well. This system can be used by
ordinary individuals and does not require the need of medical staff observation or special operator.
CHAPTER2
INTRODUCTION

Pulse oximetry is a useful tool in the evaluation of a patient's oxygenation status and may be used
routinely in many areas of clinical practice. Through use of pulse oximetry, oxygenation can be
monitored easily and noninvasively. Advances in microprocessor technology, along with
improvements in light-emitting diodes and photoelectric sensors, have improved the accuracy and
reliability of pulse oximetry.1 However, because of the inherent limitations of noninvasive
technology, it is important to know how to interpret the information received from oximetry. Pulse
oximetry has gained wide clinical acceptance in many areas. Small portable systems are available
for use virtually anywhere. Almost every patient that has oxygen or mechanical ventilation
requirements would benefit from clinical monitoring of their oxygen status by pulse oximetry.
This may be in the form of continuous monitoring or by intermittent testing. The oxygen saturation
as calculated by pulse oximetry has a 95% confidence rate of ±4%, so oximetry is considered to
be reliable at readings that range between 70% and 100% SpO2. [7]Oxygen saturation, measured
with a pulse oximeter, is the amount of oxygen (in percent) bound to hemoglobin in red blood
cells. The shortened form of the word is SpO2 – saturation of peripheral oxygen. This ‘fifth vital
sign’ is an essential parameter for medical professionals in combination with body temperature,
pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood. SpO2 results indicate how well oxygen is distributed in the
blood.

Figure 2 Pulse Oximeter

BLOOD OXYGEN SATURATION

Blood oxygen saturation results show a medical professional whether the blood transports oxygen
efficiently. As the heart and brain are particularly vulnerable to low oxygen levels, it is important
to know that sufficient oxygen is available. Blood oxygen saturation measures certain aspects of
oxygen supply but cannot tell us if all organs are receiving it. A blocked blood vessel or the
pressure of a tumor can lower oxygen levels in localized tissue without an observable difference
in a pulse oximeter reading. Non-invasive pulse oxygen saturation (fingertips and ear lobes) results
are best interpreted by someone with broad medical knowledge. Oxygen saturation is defined as
the ratio of oxy-hemoglobin to the total concentration of hemoglobin present in the blood (i.e.
Oxy-hemoglobin + reduced hemoglobin). Hemoglobin is an iron-containing protein bound to red
blood cells and makes up nearly all the oxygen presence (there is a minute amount dissolved in
the plasma). Hemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen from lungs to other parts of the
body, where the oxygen can be used by other cells. Oxy-hemoglobin (HbO2) is the bright red
hemoglobin that is a combination of hemoglobin and oxygen from the lungs. A hemoglobin
molecule can carry a maximum of four oxygen molecules. 1000 hemoglobin molecules can carry
a maximum of 4000 oxygen molecules; if they together were carrying 3600 oxygen molecules,
then the oxygen saturation level would be (3600/4000) *100 or 90%. [8]

Figure 3 HUMAN HEMOGLOBIN

 Figure 4 FORMATION OF OXYHEMOGLOBIN

THE ROLE OF HEMOGLOBIN IN OXYGEN SATURATION

The oxygen delivery function of hemoglobin, i.e. its ability to” pick up” oxygen in the lungs and”
release” it in the microvasculature of tissues is made possible by a reversible change in the structure
of the hemoglobin molecule that alters its affinity for oxygen, and thereby the amount of oxygen
each molecule carries. A number of environmental factors in blood determine the relative affinity
of hemoglobin for oxygen. The most significant of these is pO2. Hemoglobin present in blood with
relatively high pO2 has much greater affinity for oxygen than hemoglobin present in blood with
relatively low pO2. The oxygen dissociation curve (ODC) describes this relationship. The
percentage of total hemoglobin that is saturated with oxygen (i.e. oxygen saturation, sO2) is the
measure of hemoglobin affinity. Each hemoglobin molecule is made up of 10,000 atoms, four of
which are Iron atoms (blue spheres in the figure) that act as magnets to attract and hold the oxygen
molecules. Each Iron atom rests on a Heme platform which serves to release the oxygen, out in
the peripheral tissues. Each Red Blood Cell contains about 250 million molecules of hemoglobin,
each cc of blood contains 5 billion Red Blood cells, you have approximately 5,000 ccs of blood in
your vascular system. The reason we have so much hemoglobin is because oxygen does not easily
dissolve in water (about 3% of all our oxygen is in the serum - the rest is bound to hemoglobin),
so we have developed this unique system of oxygen transportation to meet our needs. When
oxygen is bound to hemoglobin, it is called oxyhemoglobin.
NORMAL VALUES OF OXYGEN SATURATION

Oxygen saturation values of 95% to 100% are generally considered normal. Values under 90%
could quickly lead to a serious deterioration in status, and values under 70% are life-threatening.29
Patients may deteriorate considerably before there is a dramatic change in oxygen saturation
because, as discussed previously, the Pao2 may fall from 100 mm Hg to 60 or 70 mm Hg before
the oxygen saturation drops to 90%. Signs of deterioration include low BP, increased respiratory
rate, and increased pulse rate.137 Other signs of altered oxygen saturation that would indicate
checking Spo2 are altered respiratory rate; depth or rhythm; unusual breath sounds; cyanotic
appearance of nail beds, lips, or mucous membranes; dusky skin; confusion; decreased level of
consciousness; and dyspnea [9].

CONDITIONS AFFECTING OXYGEN SATURATION

Blood disorders, problems with circulation, and lung issues may prevent your body from absorbing
or transporting enough oxygen. In turn, that can lower your blood's oxygen saturation level.
Examples of conditions that can affect your O2 sat include:

 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): a group of chronic lung diseases that
make it difficult to breathe
 Asthma: a chronic lung disease that causes airways to narrow
 Pneumothorax: a partial or total collapse of the lung
 Anemia: a lack of healthy red blood cells
 Heart disease: a group of conditions that affect the heart's function
 Pulmonary embolism: when a blood clot causes blockage in an artery of the lung
 Congenital heart defects: a structural heart condition that is present at birth
 Figure 5 Conditions Affecting SPO2

OXYGEN SATURATION LEVELS

Oxygen levels are measured according to the percentage of oxygen saturated in your blood. This
is called your SpO2 level. The below figure illustrates these levels:

Figure 6 BLOOD OXYGEN LEVELS CHART

Normal blood oxygen levels

For medical purposes, a normal blood oxygen saturation rate is often considered between 95% and
100%. However, you may not experience any symptoms if your percentage is lower.

Concerning blood oxygen levels

Oxygen concentrations between 91% and 95% may indicate a medical problem. People in this
situation should contact their healthcare provider.

Low blood oxygen levels

The medical definition of a low blood oxygen rate is any percentage below 90% oxygen saturation.
Oxygen saturation below 90% is very concerning and indicates an emergency. Call 911
immediately if you or someone you know experiences such a low blood oxygen level.

When low oxygen saturation affects your brain

By the time your oxygen saturation has fallen to between 80% and 85%, your brain may be affected
by the lack of oxygen. You may also experience vision changes.

Cyanosis

The first visible symptoms of low blood oxygen, cyanosis causes a blue tinge to develop on your
skin, particularly around your mouth and lips and beneath your fingernail matrix. This change
occurs when your blood oxygen saturation reaches approximately 67%.
TECHNIQUES TO CHECK BLOOD OXYGEN SATURATION

There are two basic techniques used to measure blood oxygen saturation as follows:

First technique: pulse oximetry

pulse oximetry is a painless, noninvasive method of measuring the saturation of oxygen in a
person’s blood. Pulse oximetry is a test used to measure the oxygen level (oxygen saturation) of
the blood. It is an easy, painless measure of how well oxygen is being sent to parts of your body
furthest from your heart, such as the arms and legs. A clip-like device called a probe is placed on
a body part, such as a finger or ear lobe. The probe uses light to measure how much oxygen is in
the blood. This information helps the healthcare provider decide if a person needs extra oxygen.
Pulse oximetry may be used to see if there is enough oxygen in the blood. This information is
needed in many kinds of situations. It may be used:

 During or after surgery or procedures that use sedation

 To see how well lung medicines are working

 To check a person’s ability to handle increased activity levels

 To see if a ventilator is needed to help with breathing, or to see how well it’s working

 To check a person has moments when breathing stops during sleep (sleep apnea)

Figure 7 Pulse Oximetry Principle of Measurement

Pulse oximetry is also used to check the health of a person with any condition that affects blood
oxygen levels, such as:

 Heart attack
 Heart failure
 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
 Anemia
 Lung cancer
 Asthma
 Pneumonia

You may have your procedure as an outpatient. This means you go home the same day. Or it may
be done as part of a longer stay in the hospital. The way the procedure is done may vary. It depends
on your condition and your healthcare provider's methods. In most cases, pulse oximetry will
follow this process:

1. A clip-like device called a probe will be placed on your finger or earlobe. Or, a probe with
sticky adhesive may be placed on your forehead or finger.
2. The probe may be left on for ongoing monitoring.
3. Or it may be used to take a single reading. The probe will be removed after the test.

Figure 8 Commercial Pulse Oximeter

Working principle of pulse oximeters

Pulse oximetry is done with the use of red and infrared light. When a pulse oximeter is clipped
onto a body part, one side shines red and infrared LEDs through a relatively transparent portion of
the skin, usually where there is good blood flow, while the other side receives that light.
The principle of this technology is that oxygenated hemoglobin can absorb more of the infrared
light, allowing more red light to pass through. On the other hand, deoxygenated hemoglobin
absorbs more of the red light, allowing more of the infrared light to pass through. Simply put, the
ratio of red to infrared light transmitted through the blood provides the oxygen saturation
measurement. Initially, the device sums up the intensity of both lights to represent both fractions
of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. Then, the device detects the pulse and then subtracts the
detected color intensity if the pulse is absent. The remaining intensity should represent the blood
with oxygen, which is then displayed as a percentage of oxygen saturation on the electronic screen
of the pulse oximeter.

Figure 9 Principle of Measurement

Second technique: arterial blood gases (ABG) test
An arterial blood gases (ABG) test measures the acidity (pH) and the levels of oxygen and carbon
dioxide in the blood from an artery. This test is used to find out how well your lungs are able to
move oxygen into the blood and remove carbon dioxide from the blood. As blood passes through
your lungs, oxygen moves into the blood while carbon dioxide moves out of the blood into the
lungs. An ABG test uses blood drawn from an artery, where the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels
can be measured before they enter body tissues. An ABG measures:

Partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2): This measures the pressure of oxygen dissolved in the
blood and how well oxygen is able to move from the airspace of the lungs into the blood. Partial
pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2). This measures the pressure of carbon dioxide dissolved in
the blood and how well carbon dioxide is able to move out of the body.

pH: The pH measures hydrogen ions (H+) in blood. The pH of blood is usually between 7.35
and 7.45. A pH of less than 7.0 is called acid and a pH greater than 7.0 is called basic (alkaline).
So blood is slightly basic.

Bicarbonate (HCO3): Bicarbonate is a chemical (buffer) that keeps the pH of blood from
becoming too acidic or too basic.

Oxygen content (O2CT) and oxygen saturation (O2Sat) values: O2 content measures the
amount of oxygen in the blood. Oxygen saturation measures how much of the hemoglobin in the
red blood cells is carrying oxygen (O2).Blood for an ABG test is taken from an artery. Most
other blood tests are done on a sample of blood taken from a vein, after the blood has already
passed through the body's tissues where the oxygen is used up and carbon dioxide is produced.
WORKING PRINCIPLE OF ABG
Usually, blood is taken from an artery. In some cases, blood from a vein may be used (venous
blood gas). Most commonly, blood may be collected from one of the following arteries:

 Radial artery in the wrist

 Femoral artery in the groin

 Brachial artery in the arm

The health care provider may test circulation to the hand before taking a sample of blood from the
wrist area. The provider inserts a small needle through the skin into the artery. The sample is
quickly sent to a laboratory for analysis. In this project, we will be used pulse oximetry technique
to measure blood oxygen saturation.

Figure 10 Blood Gases Test

CHAPTER 3
INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, we will discuss the components of the device, their technical specifications, the
principle of the measurement, overview of the device, circuit diagram and a block diagram that
illustrates the flow of project principle as well.

HARDWARE PART

This part illustrates the circuit components and their technical specifications as well:

Max30100 pulse oximeter sensor

The MAX30100 is an integrated pulse oximetry and heartrate monitor sensor solution. It combines
two LEDs, a photodetector, optimized optics, and low-noise analog signal processing to detect
pulse oximetry and heart-rate signals. The MAX30100 breakout operates from 1.8V and 3.3V
power supplies and can be powered down through software with negligible standby current,
permitting the power supply to remain connected at all times.

Figure 11 MAX30100 PULSE SENSOR

Applications of max30100 pulse sensor
 Wearable Devices
 Fitness Assistant Devices
 Medical Monitoring Devices

Max30100 principle of measurement

The sensor consists of a pair of Light-emitting diode which emits monochromatic red light at a
wavelength of 660nm and infrared light at a wavelength of 940 nm. These wavelengths are
particularly chosen as at this wavelength oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin have very
different absorption properties. The light emitted gets absorbed by the oxygenated blood and the
rest of the light is reflected through the finger and falls over the detector whose output data is then
processed and read through a microcontroller. It has an I2C digital interface to communicate with
a host microcontroller. MAX30100 has ambient light cancellation, sixteen-bit ADC and time filter
and as we discussed that it has two Light Emitting Diodes, one emits red light with the wavelength
of (650nm) and other emits infrared with the wavelength of (950nm). Depending on the quantity
of oxygen which you have in your blood the ratio of absorbed red light and infrared light will be
different. By this ratio, we can easily calculate the oxygen level in your blood hemoglobin.

Figure 12 The Sensor Principle of Measurement

MAX30100 PINOUT
The following table and figure illustrates the pinout of the max30100 pulse sensor:

Pin name Pin function

VIN Voltage Input
SCL I2C - Serial Clock
SDA I2C - Serial Data
INT Active low interrupt
IRD IR LED Cathode and LED Driver Connection Point(Leave floating in the
circuit)
RD Red LED Cathode and LED Driver Connection Point(Leave floating in the
circuit)
GND Ground pin
Table 1 MAX30100 Pinout Functions

Max30100 technical specifications

 Optical sensor: IR and red LED combined with a photodetector
 Measures absorbance of pulsing blood
 I2C interface plus INT pin
 3.3V power supply complete pulse oximeter and heart rate sensor solution, simplifies
design, integrated LEDs, photo sensor, and
 high-performance analog front
 Ultra low power operation increases battery life for wearable devices
 Advanced functionality improves measurement performance; high SNR provides robust
motion artifact resilience integrated
 ambient, light cancellation high sample rate capability fast data output capability
 It is an integrated pulse oximetry and heart rate monitor sensor solution.
Arduino Uno microcontroller
Arduino is an open-source electronics platform based on easy-to-use hardware and software.
Arduino boards are able to read inputs - light on a sensor, a finger on a button, or a Twitter message
- and turn it into an output - activating a motor, turning on an LED, publishing something online.
You can tell your board what to do by sending a set of instructions to the microcontroller on the
board. To do so you use the Arduino programming language (based on Wiring), and the Arduino
Software (IDE), based on Processing. Over the years Arduino has been the brain of thousands of
projects, from everyday objects to complex scientific instruments. A worldwide community of
makers - students, hobbyists, artists, programmers, and professionals - has gathered around this
open-source platform, their contributions have added up to an incredible amount of accessible
knowledge that can be of great help to novices and experts alike. Arduino was born at the Ivrea
Interaction Design Institute as an easy tool for fast prototyping, aimed at students without a
background in electronics and programming. As soon as it reached a wider community, the
Arduino board started changing to adapt to new needs and challenges, differentiating its offer from
simple 8-bit boards to products for IoT applications, wearable, 3D printing, and embedded
environments. All Arduino boards are completely open-source, empowering users to build them

Figure 13 ARDUINO UNO MICROCONTROLLER

independently and eventually adapt them to their particular needs. The software, too, is open-
source, and it is growing through the contributions of users worldwide.

Arduino Uno specifications

 Inexpensive - Arduino boards are relatively inexpensive compared to other
microcontroller platforms. The least expensive version of the Arduino module can be
assembled by hand, and even the pre-assembled Arduino modules cost less than $50.
 Cross-platform - The Arduino Software (IDE) runs on Windows, Macintosh OSX, and
Linux operating systems. Most microcontroller systems are limited to Windows.
 Simple, clear programming environment - The Arduino Software (IDE) is easy-to-use
for beginners, yet flexible enough for advanced users to take advantage of as well. For
teachers, it's conveniently based on the Processing programming environment, so students
learning to program in that environment will be familiar with how the Arduino IDE works.
 Open source and extensible software - The Arduino software is published as open source
tools, available for extension by experienced programmers. The language can be expanded
through C++ libraries, and people wanting to understand the technical details can make the
leap from Arduino to the AVR C programming language on which it's based. Similarly,
you can add AVR-C code directly into your Arduino programs if you want to.
 Open source and extensible hardware - The plans of the Arduino boards are published
under a Creative Commons license, so experienced circuit designers can make their own
version of the module, extending it and improving it. Even relatively inexperienced users
can build the breadboard version of the module in order to understand how it works and
save money
Power pins
 5v and 3v3: They provide regulated 5 and 3.3v to power external components according to
manufacturer specifications.

 GND: In the Arduino Uno pinout, you can find 5 GND pins, which are all interconnected.
The GND pins are used to close the electrical circuit and provide a common logic reference
level throughout your circuit. Always make sure that all GNDs (of the Arduino, peripherals
and components) are connected to one another and have a common ground.

Figure 14 power pins in Arduino Uno

Analog in
The Arduino Uno has 6 analog pins, which utilize ADC (Analog to Digital converter). These
pins serve as analog inputs but can also function as digital inputs or digital outputs.

Figure 15 ARDUINO UNO ANALOG PINS

I2c - scl/sda pins
Are the dedicated pins for I2C communication. On the Arduino Uno they are found on Analog
pins A4 and A5.I2C is a communication protocol commonly referred to as the “I2C bus”. The I2C
protocol was designed to enable communication between components on a single circuit board.
With I2C there are 2 wires referred to as SCL and SDA.

 SCL is the clock line which is designed to synchronize data transfers.

 SDA is the line used to transmit data.
 Each device on the I2C bus has a unique address, up to 255 devices can be connected on
the same bus.

Figure 16 SCL and SDA Pins on Arduino Uno

Digital pins
Pins 0-13 of the Arduino Uno serve as digital input/output pins. Pin 13 of the Arduino Uno is
connected to the built-in LED. In the Arduino Uno - pins 3,5,6,9,10,11 have PWM capability.
It’s important to note that:

● Each pin can provide/sink up to 40 mA max. But the recommended current is 20 mA.

● The absolute max current provided (or sank) from all pins together is 200mA
What does digital mean
Digital is a way of representing voltage in 1 bit: either 0 or 1. Digital pins on the Arduino are pins
designed to be configured as inputs or outputs according to the needs of the user. Digital pins are
either on or off. When ON they are in a HIGH voltage state of 5V and when OFF they are in a
LOW voltage state of 0V. On the Arduino, When the digital pins are configured as output, they
are set to 0 or 5 volts. When the digital pins are configured as input, the voltage is supplied from
an external device. This voltage can vary between 0-5 volts which is converted into digital
representation (0 or 1). To determine this, there are 2 thresholds:

● Below 0.8v - considered as 0.

● Above 2v - considered as 1.

When connecting a component to a digital pin, make sure that the logic levels match. If the voltage
is in between the thresholds, the returning value will be undefined.

Figure 17 Digital Pins of Arduino Uno

I2c liquid crystal display (lcd)

It consumes only two I/O pins that are not even part of a set of digital I/O pins and can also be
shared with other I2C devices. This screen is shown below:
 Figure 18 Liquid Crystal Display

I2c lcd hardware overview

A typical I2C LCD display consists of a HD44780 based character LCD display and an I2C LCD
adapter. Let’s get to know them one by one:

CHARACTER LCD DISPLAY: True to its name, these LCDs are ideal for displaying
text/characters only. A 16×2-character LCD, for example, has an LED backlight and can display
32 ASCII characters in two rows with 16 characters on each row.

CHARACTER LCD INTERNAL PIXEL GRID STRUCTURE: If you look closely, you can
actually see the little rectangles for each character on the display and the pixels that make up a
character. Each of these rectangles is a grid of 5×8 pixels.

I2C LCD ADAPTER: At the heart of the adapter is an 8-Bit I/O Expander chip – PCF8574. This
chip converts the I2C data from an Arduino into the parallel data required by the LCD display.

PCF8574 CHIP ON I2C LCD :The board also comes with a small trim pot to make fine
adjustments to the contrast of the display.i2c lcd adapter hardware overview in addition, there is a
jumper on the board that supplies power to the backlight. To control the intensity of the backlight,
you can remove the jumper and apply an external voltage to the header pin that is marked as ‘LED’.

I2C Address of LCD :If you are using multiple devices on the same I2C bus, you may need to set
a different I2C address for the board, so that it does not conflict with another I2C device.
I2c lcd display pinout
 GND is a ground pin and should be connected to the ground of Arduino.
 VCC supplies power to the module and the LCD. Connect it to the 5V output of the Arduino or
a separate power supply.
 SDA is a Serial Data pin. This line is used for both transmit and receive. Connect to the SDA pin
on the Arduino.
 SCL is a Serial Clock pin. This is a timing signal supplied by the Bus Master device. Connect to
the SCL pin on the Arduino.

Figure 19 I2C LCD Screen

Jumper wires
These are used to connect the components together within the breadboard.

Figure 20 Jumper Connection Wires

SYSTEM CIRCUIT IMPLEMENTATION

The max30100 pulse sensor is connected to A4, A5, D2,5v,3.3v and GND pins of Arduino Uno in
order to power up the sensor and reading results as well. The I2C LCD is connected to 5v, GND,
SCL and SDA pins of Arduino Uno also to power I2C LCD on and displaying SpO2 readings as
well. The following figure illustrates the implementation of the system based on a breadboard.

Figure 21 Overall System Implementation

SOFTWARE PART

In this part, we will discuss the coding and uploading of the project code to the Arduino IDE.

Arduino ide
The open-source Arduino Software (IDE) makes it easy to write code and upload it to the board.
This software can be used with any Arduino board.

Project code
#include <LCD_I2C.h>

#include <Wire.h>

#include "MAX30100_PulseOximeter.h"

#define REPORTING_PERIOD_MS 1000

PulseOximeter pox;

LCD_I2C lcd(0x27);

uint32_t tsLastReport = 0;

void setup()

Serial.begin(115200);

Serial.print("Initializing pulse oximeter..");

if (!pox.begin()) {

Serial.println("FAILED");

for(;;);

} else {

Serial.println("SUCCESS");

pox.setIRLedCurrent(MAX30100_LED_CURR_24MA);

pox.setOnBeatDetectedCallback(onBeatDetected);

lcd.begin(false) ;
 lcd.backlight();

void loop(){ }
CHAPTER 4
 INTRODUCTION

In this chapter, we will discuss the results of our pulse meter device.

RESULTS

The following figures show the results that are collected from our pulse meter device .

Figure 23 Result from Patient 1 Figure 22 Result from Patient 2

Figure 25 Result when No Finger is put Figure 24 Result from Patient 3

RESULTS COMPARISON

Patient no. SPO2 By commercial Oximeter SPO2 By our device Error Percent

1 91 92 0.01

2 89 89 0.00

3 99 98 0.01

4 98 99 0.01

5 97 97 0.00

6 99 98 0.01

7 98 97 0.01

Total Error 0.07

Table 2 Table of Comparison Results

DISCUSSION

This project has been measuring well accurate results compared to commercial pulse oximeters
available in the market with minimal cost and greater benefits such as ease of use, being cheap and
ready to use anywhere and anytime. This project can be used to assist doctors and medical staff
with patients’ diagnosis especially with breathing issues. The components used are cost-effective
and available at Iraqi market which is considered as a competitive feature for this project.
Modifying MAX30100 sensor made it possible to obtain accurate results compared to other
oximeters sold at the market.
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION

Commercial pulse oximeters have been available in the market and they play an important role in
home clinics specially for people with sudden and severe breathing problems. pulse meters offer
fast way to measure both oxygen saturation in the blood and heart rate as well. These pulse meters
use a special sensor that is compressed of two LEDs one is visible red and the other is invisible IR
in which are tested to give well accurate rapid results.

FUTURE WORK

 Adding other sensors such as temperature sensor.

 Adding Wi-Fi capability to the project to transmit data wirelessly.
 Uploading data to an IOT platform for further analysis.
 Adding some alarms whenever the data is abnormal.
 Sending warning message when abnormal SPO2 or heart rate detected with patient
location as a google map link.
 Replacing LCD screen with OLED screen to offer more interactive graphics.
 Creating a monitoring app that is connected to the device via Wi-Fi and continuously
updates the data.
REFERENCES

[1] [Online]. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525974/.

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saturation.

[3] [Online]. Available: https://neoreviews.aappublications.org/content/6/12/e533.

[4] [Online]. Available: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18113925/.

[5] [Online]. Available: https://ci.nii.ac.jp/naid/10027636695/.

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[7] [Online]. Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/oxygen-saturation.

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