Conclusion.... :-)

            As a conclusion the Home Apnea Monitor using stretch sensor is one device that simple project and easy to use compare in hospital machine. It is because this machine only should have stretch sensor to detect apnea disease. Base on explanation above, basically stretch sensor will contract and relax continuously during baby’s breathing. When the stretch sensor no contract, the signal will send to microcontroller (PIC) to process and to produce the output such as vibration motor and alarm or buzzer is ON.

Furthermore, the sensor will put in belt and wrapping around the baby chest. So no more electrode and wire on the baby’s skin. As a result, we know that this device suitable for use at home, as well as in hospital and clinics. It also use for basically healthy infants. Therefore is not recommended for unaccompanied use with respiratory high-risk infants where constant medical supervision and treatment.

Finally I conclude overall about the my proposal project during this semester.

so see u next semester to development this project... Gud Luck for my self...  

  keep smile always..  (^_^)

Work Plan

This our planing for this project during this semester and next semester.

Gantt Chart for FYP 1 

                                                                  Gantt Chart for FYP 2

Benefit For Apnea Monitor using Stretch sensor

Based on the objective on this project, we will propose method to using stretch sensor to apply them for this project. Actually this project also use as backup apnea monitor and has benefit to families have Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) of their babies.

 It because apnea project design have a lot of advantage and easier to use compare with machine in hospital. This project not measure respiratory rate or heart rate, it only detect contraction movement of chest baby. Besides that,  it just simple project compare with machine before this .

Based on normal apnea project ,that machine have more parameter to check such as heart rate, oxygen level, and respiratory rate. Besides that, placing multiple leads and tape on their skin can lead to further damage, such as a rash or even a burn from the tape being repetitively pulled off and put back on. So it’s very difficult for the parent have not bravery to treat their baby. But, for this project only need stretch sensor, because this apnea monitor only prevent apnea by detect contraction movement of baby chest Therefore this machine will easier to use and not causes pain of baby skin.

Objective for my project...

 The main objective of this project is to monitor and help the baby breathing again when apnea (stop breathing) happens. Besides that, there have other objectives which are related each other as shown as below:

• -          The project is proposed to monitor the breathing’s baby by using stretch sensor to detect the contraction movement of baby chest.

• -          This project to propose to help baby breath again by using vibration motor while we put in belt around the chest baby.

• -          The project is also proposed to assist the parents for monitor their baby when the alarm is on.

• -          To promote greater compliance in using prescribed Home Apnea Monitor using Stretch Sensor among families with a medically at risk infant.

• -          To create cheaper cost and user friendly infant apnea monitor compare to the monitor that used in hospital.

 For more understand, I  also design the schematic design to show overview for my project.

Block Diagram of Home Apnea Monitor

Explanation of Block Diagram

The block diagram above is the overall system of the Home Apnea Monitor using Stretch sensor. This project control by PIC  microcontroller program. According to the block diagram, this project has built by two sections. The first section is master controller and master device. The second section is called Apnea belt, which is include stretch sensor and vibration motor.

If stretch sensor have no contraction happened, signal will send to PIC microcontroller. Counter will start to count from 0 to 20 second. If system has received below than 15 second, the system will be cut off the signal from stretch sensor. If systems have received more than 15 second, buzzer and vibration motor will be ON. When the baby breathing back to normal, the buzzer and vibration motor will be reset by programming system.

Research....

 This some research about the previous and current work.

  (Previous work)                                                                               

 (Current work)

METHODOLOGY

The main focus of this research is to develop quite simple device to help baby breath again when stop breathing or apnea happen. Therefore new developments in reliability estimation techniques will be proposed, tested and applied to analysis and design of home apnea monitor using stretch sensor. In the research study and analysis about the limitation, this project has come out specification of stretch sensor and vibration motor. This sensitivity analysis on Home Apnea Monitor components will be performed to investigate their effect on the overall system reliability levels. We also study about the hardware to known their characteristic, function, and all circuit with related.

The method we will use for this project is using stretch sensor as input, vibration motor and alarm/buzzer as output. The stretch sensor will detect every each contraction movement of chest’s baby. When the baby stop breathing until 15-20 second, the alarm will turn ON but if it below the limits set on the monitor, the sensor will reset.

Software required in this project

-          Proteus V7.4 circuit simulator

-          PIC Programmer

Hardware required in this project

-          Stretch sensor

-          Vibration motor

-          Alarm/ Buzzer

-          PIC 16F877A 

Vibration Motor

This is a small flat coin vibration motor with adhesive backing. Vibration motors are used today in an endless amount of applications. These are quality motors used in medical, automotive, consumer and industrial products.

Applications in which our vibrating motors can be used are in feedback of handheld devices, touch screen feedback, emergency alerting, simulations, video gaming and other operator feedback applications.

Key Specifications:

• Rated Voltage 3.0VDC
• Operating Voltage 2.7~3.3VDC
• 1.cm (diameter) X .27cm (thick)
• Wire length of 2.54cm
• Operating Voltage 2.7~3.3VDC
• Rotation, CW or CCW
• Operating Environment -20C ~+60C
• Rated Speed 9,000 RPM @ Rated Voltage
• Rated Current 90mA @ Rated Voltage
• Mechanical Noise 50dB(A)Max 

PIC Microcontroller

PIC is a family of modified Harvard architecture microcontrollers made by Microchip Technology, derived from the PIC1650^[5][6][7]originally developed by General Instrument's Microelectronics Division. The name PIC initially referred to "Peripheral Interface Controller".^{[8] [9]}

PICs are popular with both industrial developers and hobbyists alike due to their low cost, wide availability, large user base, extensive collection of application notes, availability of low cost or free development tools, and serial programming (and re-programming with flash memory) capability. They are also commonly used in educational programming as they often come with the easy to use 'pic logicator' software.

Stretch sensor

Before we start the development of Home Apnea Monitor using stretch sensor, there are some study with previous work and present work. Then also do the analysis about the stretch sensor, vibration motor, microcontroller (PIC), and also study about the hardware to known their characteristic, function, and all circuit with related.

1. Stretch sensor 

This is a stretch sensor. As you can see in the picture, when the rubber is stretched, the light becomes brighter. It can also be made to work in reverse, as the rubber stretches the bulb can dim.

Imagine pulling a rubber cord and causing the lights in your room to dim. That is an example of how this material can be applied. Or imagine weaving this onto fabrics to sense if the material is stretching. This sensor allows you to measure how stretched something is,it even works bent around corners.

The material itself is a synthetic rubber. It conducts electricity because of integrated conductive carbon particles. When stretched, the spacing between these particles increases, causing the conductivity to decrease. The decrease in conductivity can be measured or observed visually with some simple electronics, like a light bulb.

Measuring stretch forces isn't easy - unless you have some conductive rubber cord! This cord is 2mm diameter, and 1 meter long, made of carbon-black impregnated rubber. Usually this material is used for EMF gasketing, but it’s also very fun to play with. ^[5]

In a 'relaxed' state, the resistance is about 350 ohms per inch. As you pull on it, the resistance increases (the particles get further apart). As you stretch it out, the resistance increases linearly. So lets say you have a 6" piece - thats about 2.1 Kohms. Stretch it to 10" long and now it is 10"/6"*2.1K = 3.5 Kohms. You can stretch the rubber about 50-70% longer than the resting length, so a 6" piece shouldn't be stretched more than 10". Once the force is released, the rubber will shrink back, although it’s not very 'fast' and it takes a minute or two to revert to its original length. ^[6]

Some ideas for applications:
• Virtual-reality body suits
• Monitor your breathing by wrapping a strap of this material around your chest
• Monitor contractions during childbirth
• Interactive art displays
• Security systems

For this project....

                        Development of Home Apnea Monitor machine is divided into two sections which are on baby belt and main port. For this project, we will use the stretch sensor and vibration sensor while we put them in belt around the chest baby. When the stretch sensor no contraction happened, the signal will send to microcontroller (PIC)  to process and to produce the output such as vibration sensor and alarm or buzzer is on.

Before we start the development of Home Apnea Monitor using stretch sensor, there are some study with previous work and present work. Then also do the analysis about the stretch sensor, vibration sensor, microcontroller (PIC), and also study about the hardware to known their characteristic, function, and all circuit with related.

History

Significant new information has been forthcoming in recent decades on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and apnea during early infancy. This statement focuses on the epidemiologic aspects of SIDS, the lack of a proven association between episodic apnea and SIDS, strategies for prevention of SIDS, and appropriate use of home cardiorespiratory monitoring. Apnea monitors were first introduced in the mid-1960s for the management of apnea of prematurity in hospital settings. Subsequently, cardiorespiratory monitoring has become widely used in the care of infants with a variety of acute and chronic disorders.

The hypothesis that apnea is the pathophysiologic precursor to SIDS was first proposed in 1972. Apnea documented by cardiorespiratory monitoring during prolonged hospitalizations was reported for 2 infants, both of whom were siblings of 3 infants who had died suddenly at home. Both siblings subsequently died unexpectedly after discharge from the hospital. More than 2 decades later, evidence of infanticide for all 5 infants in the original report became known.

The apnea theory never has been proven despite extensive independent research in the several decades after that report. Nevertheless, the home cardiorespiratory monitoring industry, fueled by increasing demand from parents concerned about the risk of SIDS, rapidly developed products aimed at preventing SIDS. Despite the absence of a scientific foundation or evidence of efficacy, home cardiorespiratory monitoring continues to be a common practice in this country.

 It concluded in a 1985 statement that “a causal relationship between prolonged apnea and SIDS has not been established.”  .The recommendations left the use of home cardiorespiratory monitoring in individual situations to physician judgment. The costs of home monitoring are substantial. In 1999, 44% of 26 000 infants weighing 501 to 1500 g at birth and cared for in 325 neonatal units within the Vermont Oxford Network were discharged from the hospital on monitors.16 A conservative estimate of the annual cost of monitoring preterm infants weighing less than 1500 g in the United States is $24 million, and this projection does not include physician fees, repeat pneumograms or sleep studies, other ancillary medical costs, or the costs of other populations of infants who are monitored. In this context, the question of efficacy of home monitoring becomes even more important. Infant death is a tragedy no matter what the cause. This could be due to infant sleep apnea, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), or other pre-existing condition. 

         

Why we uses the apnea monitor..

Introduction

Significant new information has been forthcoming in recent decades on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and apnea during early infancy. This statement focuses on the epidemiologic aspects of SIDS, the lack of a proven association between episodic apnea and SIDS, strategies for prevention of SIDS, and appropriate use of home cardio respiratory monitoring. Apnea monitors were first introduced in the mid-1960s for the management of apnea of prematurity in hospital settings. Subsequently, cardio respiratory monitoring has become widely used in the care of infants with a variety of acute and chronic disorders.

The term of Development of Home Apnea Monitor using stretch sensor is a devices or machine that detects your baby's chest movement (breathing).If your baby's heart rate slows down (bradycardia) or the chest stops moving (apnea), the monitor will produce alarm and vibration motor to alert you to check on your baby. An apnea monitor is not a cure for apnea but to prevent and warn the surrounding people especially for the parents about the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The machine will alarm to let you know when your baby may need help or there are problems with the equipment. When you hear the monitor's alarm you must check on your baby right away for each time. This project is designed using stretch sensor to detect baby chest movement and using (alarm + vibration motor) to more cures about your baby. When the baby breathing the stretch sensor will be contract and relax like the process of breathing we called inhalation and exhalation of diaphragm .When the baby stop breathing (apnea) no contractions happen. If it happen in 15 to 20 second  the sensor will send the signal to produced alarm ,and the same time  the vibration motor will be ON in the Apnea belt of wrapping the around of baby chest. This project not only give alert to parent but also give vibration to baby to get breath. Therefore with this to ensure the parent always looks the baby during sleep. So it can help to reduce the SIDS syndrome.

My Final Year Project for This Semester

This years I have started my Final Years Project at UniKL BMI gombak, which is where I studied. My Project title is Development of Home Apnea Monitor using Stretch sensor.This project will give many advantage to surrounding people especially for the parents about the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

FYP : Intro

Student Name      : Nik Mamduhah BT Nik Zainuldin

ID                           : 51216111151

Course                   : BET Medical Electronics

Session                  : S2/2012 (FYP deg sem 1)

Supervisor             : ZMZ ; ZARIDAH BT MAT ZAIN

Topic                      : Development of Home Apnea Monitor using Stretch sensor

After they're born, babies must breathe continuously to get oxygen. In a premature baby, the part of the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord) that controls breathing is not yet mature enough to allow nonstop breathing. Generally, babies who are born at less than 35 weeks' gestation have periods when they stop breathing or their heart rates drop. (The medical name for a slowed heart rate is bradycardia. This causes large bursts of breath followed by periods of shallow breathing or stopped breathing. Apnea is a medical term that means a baby has stopped breathing. Most experts define apnea of prematurity as a condition in which premature infants stop breathing for 15 to 20 seconds during sleep^.