ABSTRACT
A schematic representation of a typical biomedical measurement system is shown in Figure 1.1. Here we use the term measurement in the most general sense to include image acquisition or the acquisition of other forms of diagnostic information. The physiological process of interest is converted into an electric
signal via the transducer (Figure 1.1). Some analog signal processing is usually required, often including amplification and lowpass (or bandpass) filtering. Since most signal processing is easier to implement using digital methods, the analog signal is converted to digital format using an analog-to-digital converter. Once converted, the signal is often stored, or buffered, in memory to facilitate subsequent signal processing. Alternatively, in some real-time* applications, the incoming data must be processed as quickly as possible with minimal buffering, and may not need to be permanently stored. Digital signal
processing algorithms can then be applied to the digitized signal. These signal processing techniques can take a wide variety of forms and various levels of sophistication, and they make up the major topic area of this book. Some sort of output is necessary in any useful system. This usually takes the form of a display, as in imaging systems, but may be some type of an effector mechanism such as in an automated drug delivery system.
