LabVIEW Data Acquisition and Analysis

Electrocardiogram and Muscle Sympathetic Nervous

Activity

Jennifer Britton

Advisor: Richard Shiavi

Biomedical Engineering

Vanderbilt University

Project Definition

• The goal of this project is to improve and test the existing LabVIEW data acquistion system used by Dr. Steve Davis's Lab in the Clinical Research Center to record electrocardiograms according to desired specifications. In addition, data analysis of the acquired data will be conducted using MatLab.

Objective• Upgrade LabVIEW to version 5.0 • Compartmentalize the data into fifteen-minute

segments and save the data in separate files • Maintain the ability to save the data in a new file at

any point during acquisition • Automatically save the files with date as part of the

filename using a standard format• Provide user-control to display a specified number

of charts with desired maximum and minimum limits

Design MethodologyObserve Exercise Study

Examine Existing Program

Create Mock-solutions

Test Mock Solutions

Incorporate devised solutions into program

Test Program

Conduct Analysis

Equipment• Pentium, Windows 95 Micron Computer

• LabVIEW 5.0

• AT-MIO-16-E-1 Data Acquisition Board

• Virtual Instrument constructed in LabVIEW

• Gould Machine

• Function Generator (for testing purposes only)

• CD Writer and Network Connection

Front Panel of Program

Inputs and Outputs

• Inputs:Scan Rate (300 scans/second)Input Channel to DAQ boardAcquisition (Yes or No?)Binary or ASCII storage format

• OutputsECG waveformCompartmentalized data files

Diagram Window

Current Status

• Observed an exercise study • Tested current system with a function generator• Upgraded system to LabVIEW 5.0 • Created and tested simple mock-program solutions• Incorporated these solutions into the existing

program• Currently, testing and debugging the program

Current Dilemmas

• Using execution highlighting produces the desired result; however, when executing the program under normal circumstances, the program will not compartmentalize the data.

• Proposed Solution: Contact National Instruments for advice.

Future Plans

• Debug the program until it behaves according to specifications

• Test program with Gould machine• Conduct data analysis on existing files