Distributed Source Coding for Mobile ECG Signal Monitoring

Abstract

This paper describes the design and implementation of an ECG signal monitoring system that is compatible with existing mobile telecommunications networks. First, a two-dimensional ECG signal compression scheme is presented using the distributed source coding (DSC). Also proposed is a modified BCJR algorithm which further enhances the DSC decoding by exploiting the symbol-level a priori information. Finally, we implement a novel integrated system comprising a mobile telephone, with sensors for patient monitoring, and a remote receiver linked by cellular networks. The system, when fully developed, will become powerful aids to monitoring a patient for mobile telemedicine and for emergency situations.