A transputer-based physiological signal processing system. Part 1--System design.

This paper, the first of two, details the design and in-vitro testing of a transputer-based physiological signal processing system. The heart of the system is a transputer-based digital signal processing (DSP) board which can act as a stand-alone spectrum analyser, designed to operate in the audio-frequency band up to 25 kHz. The board comprises a T800 processor, two A100 transversal filters, 12 bit A-D circuitry capable of sampling up to 48 kHz, memory and address mapper. The initial application of the system is for the detection of early arterial disease. For this the DSP board is harnessed to the front end of a multigate pulsed Doppler ultrasound scanner operating at 4.8 MHz insonation frequency and incorporating a vessel wall tracking unit. The complete system performs a Fourier transform on the backscattered signals, providing spectral information on discrete areas of flow (0.6 mm3) across the vessel lumen in real time. This first paper describes the hardware, and the second describes the performance testing of the system on the bench and an assessment of its ability to detect low grade stenoses during steady flow.