BME 4101: BioSystems Analysis
Problem Set #9
1) When immersed in solution, the resistance of a novel
semiconductor is found to change nearly linearly as a
function of the solution acidity. You construct an acidimer
catheter, with this material at the tip, that you can insert into
a person’s stomach to measure stomach pH. The sensor is
powered by a 12 V car battery via the bridge circuit at right,
where Rc is the calibration resistance. The acidimer
resistance is found as: RpH = (17 + 0.2•(pH-6.8)) kΩ, where 6.8 is the pH of pure water at physiological
body temperature. Output of the bridge circuit feeds into a differential amplifier that yields Vy, which
is then sketched onto chart paper by ancient hospital equipment.
a) Before implantation, a clinician balances the bridge circuit with acidic saline that has a pH of 1.8.
How will she do this? How will she know when the bridge is balanced?
b) Find Rc when the bridge is balanced at a fasting stomach acidity of pH = 1.8.
c) Derive the transfer function relating Vy to change in stomach acidity ΔpH. Highlight any
assumptions you need to make to derive the transfer function, H(ω) = Vy(ω) / ΔpH(ω).
d) What is Vy in a (likely dying) patient who accidentally ingested a pint of bleach (pH = 11.8)?
2) Consider this circuit, used to measure absorption of
infrared light by a liquid placed between a 1234 nm
light-emitting diode (LED) and a photodiode (P/D)
with responsivity of 50 μA/W to 1234 nm light.
Liquid is held in a 1.0 cm thick, perfectly transparent
vial between the two diodes.
a) When an empty vial is placed between the LED
and the P/D, the measured Vout is -10.0 V. Find
the default light transmitted, P0.
b) When the 1.0 cm thick vial is filled with water,
Vout = -9.048 V. Find the percent transmittance of the 1234 nm light.
c) When filled with ethanol, Vout = -302 mV. Find the absorption of 1234 nm light by ethanol, in cm-1.
d) Considering that pure mixtures of water and ethanol are tested by this circuit, find an expression for
the fraction of alcohol (F) in the liquid, as a function of Vout. Why can't this relationship be expressed
as a transfer function?
3) You create a device to rehabilitate flexion &
extension in patients with various ankle problems.
You build a device that the patient must strap on and
repeatedly flex & extend her ankle. She must flex her
ankle until the red LED turns on, and then extend her
ankle until the blue LED turns on. In the circuit at
right, the green circle on the ankle has a radius of 8/π
cm (~1.0 inch) and represents a material with a
resistivity, ρ =12.5 kΩ/m. The black circle is a
metallic brush. The angle between the foot and leg is
θ, while the angle between the foot and the heel
contact is π/2.
PS9, p1
BME 4101: BioSystems Analysis
a) Choose a reasonable Rc and defend the choice you make, in terms of a resting value for θ.
b) Find a linear transfer function — between the voltage at the output of the op-amp VA and the change
in foot angle dθ — for H(ω)=VA/dθ, as a function of gain A. Describe any approximations.
c) From the transfer function H(ω), find amplifier gain A that lets an ankle flexion of π/10 rads
(i.e., θ = 2π/5) light the red LED.
d) From the transfer function H(ω), find resistance Rd that lets an ankle extension of 3π/10 rads
(i.e., θ = 4π/5) light the blue LED.
e) An ankle rehabilitation patient also has Parkinson's disease, with an ankle tremor at 10/π Hz. You
want the mean ankle position to move from π/10 flexion to 3π/10 extension without the diodes being
affected by high-frequency tremor. With at most one op-amp, add a single-pole filter between the
differential amplifier and the red diode, to reduce oscillations at f = 10/π Hz by one order of
magnitude. You may use any resistors you like, but the only available capacitors have capacitance
C = 1.0 mF. Sketch your revised circuit with parameter values. There are many solutions to this
problem; explain weaknesses in your approach. If you use an op-amp, justify its need. For a
challenge, see if you can build this filter using resistors with only one resistance value.
PS9, p2
