Design of a Real-Time Heart Rate Monitoring System Using Photoplethysmography and Smartphone

Photoplethysmogram (PPG) is an alternating signal related to the pulsatile volume in tissue due to blood flow. This paper focuses on the design and implementation of a real time heart rate monitoring system using photoplethysmography scheme and smartphone. The proposed system enhances ease of construction, low manufacturing cost, and can be used for a quick cardiac diagnosis. The PPG signal is obtained here using TCRT-1000 sensor and associated signal conditioning circuit. This analog signal is then converted into digital one and processed further using Arduino to estimate the heart rate. The calculated heart rate was sent subsequently to a smartphone through GSMs module. The main advantage of this system is that it does not require intervention from any professional for quick diagnosis and therefore it can be used as a personal health monitoring system and also for remote patient monitoring applications.