SpO2 sensor | Heart rate blood oxygen saturation sensor manufacturers

This page mentions SpO2 sensor i.e. Heart rate and blood oxygen saturation sensor manufacturers or vendors. The MAX30100 SpO2 sensor features, its pinouts, its working and benefits (i.e. advantages) are also described.

Introduction: SpO2 stands for Oxygen saturation. SpO2 measurement indicates oxygen level in the blood as percentage of maximum our blood can carry. The normal SpO2 level for healthy person vary between 96 to 99%. There are various factors which affect this level such as altitudes etc. When this level falls below 90%, it is recommended for the person to visit doctor.

There is another useful parameter called "heart rate" which is also essential to be measured for heart related diseases. Heart rate in measured in bpm (beats per minute). Heart rate is also known as "Pulse". It refers to measurement of number of times heart beats per minute. the normal range for heart rate for adults in 60 to 100 bpm (beats per minute). The heart rate varies person to person. Moreover it depends on individuals, their age, body weight, position and movement of person, air temperature, heart conditions and so on. The MAX30100 supports measurement of heart rate and Oxygen saturation in the blood.

What is pulse oximeter ?

The device which measures SpO2 (blood oxygen saturation) and pulse rate in BPM is known as pulse oximeter. The finger, toe or ear lobe of a person is clipped inside pulse oximeter as shown in the figure for measurement. Pulse oximeter uses principle of spectrophotometry. When it is placed on say finger of a person, it beams small light ways which pass through the blood in that part of the body.

Light sensors placed in pulse oximeter measure blood cells which carry oxygen. Based on number of oxygen carrying cells and non-oxygen carrying cells, the measurement is being made. As we know, oxygenated blood is darker compare to de-oxygenated blood.

Maxim ICs such as MAX30100 or MAX30102 are used in pulse oximeter for heart rate and blood oxygen saturation measurements.

MAX30100 uses two LEDs and one optical sensor. It measures absorbance of pulsing blood through the photo detector. The signal is processed by analog signal processing module. It is passed also through ADC in order to convert the data into digital format for storage. The I2C communication is used to interface SpO2 sensor with Microcontroller unit.

Following table mentions SpO2 sensor (Maxim MAX30100) pinouts and their functions.

MAX30100 Pin	Description
NC	No Connection, used at pin numbers 1, 7, 8 and 14.
SCL	I2C Clock Input
SDA	I2C clock data, bi-directional
PGND	Power Ground of LED driver blocks
IR_DRV	IR LED cathode and LED driver connection
R_DRV	Red LED cathode and LED driver connection
R_LED+	Power supply anode connection for Red LED
IR_LED+	Power supply (anode connection) for IR LED
VDD	Analog power supply input
GND	Analog ground
INT'	Active Low Interrupt (open drain)

Benefits or advantages of SpO2 sensor

Following are the benefits or advantages of SpO2 sensor.
➨It offers ultra low power operation which increases battery life.
➨It offers accurate measurment due to use of two LEDs one in 660nm range and other in 940nm range.
➨It uses materials with high elastic strength and reliable corrosion resistance in medical wires.
➨It offers reliability and durable connectivity.
➨It is available at low cost.

SpO2 sensor Manufacturers or vendors

Following table mentions popular SpO2 sensor manufacturers or vendors.

Manufacturers	Description
Maxim Integrated	• MAX30100 Pulse Oximetry & heart rate monitor sensor • It consists of 16 bit ADC (Sigma delta), I2C interface, digital filter, data registers, two LEDs, one photo detector etc. • Website : https://www.maximintegrated.com/
NIHON KOHDEN CORPORATION.	• BluPRO SpO2 reusable sensors • Website : https://eu.nihonkohden.com/
Wareable Ltd	• SpO2 and Pulse Ox wearables • Website : https://www.wareable.com/
Robu.in	• Low cost SpO2 sensors are available such as MAX30100 based • Website : https://robu.in/

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