EMI

What is EMI?
Electromagnetic interference: invisible
lines of force
Produced by combination of voltage
(electricity) and current flow (magnetism)
Signals may interfere with intended device
operation
The strength of EMI is
proportional to the
distance from the source.
The closer you are, the
more of an effect EMI will
have.

What is EMI?
Electric fields
Produced by voltage
Reduced in strength with increasing distance
from the source

What is EMI?
Magnetic fields
Produced by flow of current
Electric field also present
Reduced in strength with increasing distance
from the source

EMI
Interference in intentional receivers
Noise produced in an AM radio by nearby
lightning discharges
Radio not tuned to a particular transmitter
frequency,
receives it - reception of an
unintended signal
Interference in unintentional receivers
Strong transmission from an FM radio station
or TV
station -picked up by a digital
computer data
corrupted or incorrect
functioning of computer
Digital computer interference with a TV

How can EMI affect my device?

Implanted device may interpret EMI as rapid
signal from heart
Pacemaker: may withhold pacing
ICD: may deliver unneeded shock
An electric wheelchair with electronic
controls
Respirators also affected
Effects of EMI are temporary
Does not usually harm device

What about magnets?

Within six inches, a magnet

Magnets do the following
may cause implanted
things:
devices to respond
differently
Attract certain materials
- such as iron, nickel,
Pacemaker will respond
cobalt, certain steels and
by pacing at different,
other alloys
pre-set rate
Have an effect on
ICD will respond based on
electrical conductors
programming
when the magnet and
ICD may beep; move
conductor are moving in
away from object causing
relation to each other
beep, call doctor

Pacemakers

ICDs

To Use or Not Use How do you know?

Implanted devices are designed to
work properly around most
appliances and equipment.
Most things you handle or work
near every day will not cause a
problem.
Topics to be covered:

Personal Items
Kitchen, Tabletop, Household Items
Office, Shop and Yard Equipment
Entertainment Items
Travel/Environment
Dental and Medical Tests and
Procedures

Definitions
Safe under normal use:
Only considered safe when used normally
in accordance with their intended use.
Check with your doctor for any additional
restrictions that you may have for these
items.
Use precaution:
Getting too close to these items could
affect your device; when you are near
any of these items, you should use
precautions.
Check with your doctor for detailed
information before using these items.
Do not use:
Strong electromagnetic and magnetic
fields may affect your device.
Talk to your doctor. For specific brand
items, consult the original manufacturer
for any interaction with implantable
devices.

Personal Items
Safe under normal use

Electric blankets, toothbrushes

Hair dryers
Heating pads
Pagers
Patient alert devices
Personal digital assistants
(PDAs, unless used as cell
phone, see cell phone)

Use precaution
Cell phones
Keep 6 inches from device
Keep 12 inches from device if
transmits more than 3 watts
Hold phone to ear on the opposite
side of body from device
Do not carry phone in breast
pocket or belt within 6 inches of
device

Cordless phones, Electric

razors
Safe as long as not placed directly
over device

Hand-held massagers
Safe as long as not placed directly
over device

Dental and Medical Tests and Procedures

Safe under normal use

Use precaution

Most medical and dental

procedures will not affect your
device. Some examples
include:

Be especially careful with the

following procedures:
CT Scans
Electrocautery used in
surgery
External defibrillators
Radiation therapy, lithotripsy
TENS unit

Dental drills and cleaning

equipment
Diagnostic x-rays
Electrocardiogram
Mammography
Inform technician you have
device to ensure device does not
get compressed

Diagnostic
ultrasound

Boston Scientific. A Closer

Look. Computed Tomography
(CT) Scanning and
Implantable Pacemakers and
Defibrillators) August 18,
2008.

Do Not Use
Personal Items
Body fat measuring scales (hand-held)
Magnetic mattresses or chairs
Office, Shop and Yard Equipment
Jackhammers
Dental and Medical Tests
and Procedures
MRI Scans
Diathermy
Travel Entertainment
Stun guns

System is Electromagnetically
compatible (EMC) with its
environment if it satisfies three
criteria:
1. It does not cause interference with
other systems
2. It is not susceptible to emissions
from other systems
3. It does not cause interference with
itself

Sources of Interference
Ignition Systems
Charging Systems
Voltage Regulators
Electric Motors
Gauges and Instruments
Propeller Shaft(s)
Video Displays
Electronic Equipment
Fluorescent Lights

Three ways to prevent interference:

1. Suppress the emission at its source
2. Make the coupling path as
inefficient as possible
3. Make the receptor less susceptible
to the emission

General
Classes
Problems

of

1.Radiated
2.Conducted
3.Electrostatic discharge (ESD)

EMI

Routes for
Equipment

EMI

Interference

to

Prevention of EMI
Proper Grounding

Shielding
EMI Filtering
PCB Design

Electromagnetic Shielding
It is the process of reducing EM fieldin
a space by blocking the field with
barriers made of conductive and/or
magnetic materials
Shielding is typically applied
(1)to enclosures to isolate electrical
devices from the 'outside world' and
(2)to cables to isolate wires from the
environment through which the cable
runs

Cont.
Shielding can reduce the coupling of
Radio waves, Electromagnetic fields
&Electrostatic fields
Amount of reduction depends the
material used, its thickness, the size of
the shielded volume and the frequency of
the fields of interest and the size, shape
and orientation of apertures in a shield to
an incident electromagnetic field

Materials used for EM Shielding

Materials used for EM shielding Sheet
metal , metal screen, andmetal foam.
Any holes in the shield or mesh must
be significantly smaller than
thewavelength of the radiation that is
being kept out or the enclosure will not
effectively approximate an unbroken
conducting surface

Example of EM shield:
Shielded
cable
Shielding in the form of a wire mesh
surrounding an inner core conductor
Shielding impedes the escape of any
signal from the core conductor, and
also signals from being added to the
core conductor

Example of EM shield
Another commonly used shielding methodwith electronic goods housed in plastic
enclosures - coat the inside of the enclosure
with a metallic ink - ink consists of a carrier
material loaded with a suitable metal- copper
or nickel in the form of very small particlessprayed on to the enclosure - once dry,
produces a continuous conductive layer of
metal, which can be electrically connected to
the chassis ground of the equipment, thus
providing effective shielding

EMI Filter
One of the best EMI solutions to filter out EMI
- before they hit the receiver front end affects the desired signals only minimally
Several different types of filter - used in
reducing
interference
depending
on
circumstance
1.High-pass filter
2.Low-pass filter
3.Bandpass filter
4.Wavetrap

Ferrite Bead Filter

Ferrite bead - passive electric
component to suppress high
frequency noise in electronic circuits
It is a specific type of electronic
choke
Also called as ferrite blocks, ferrite
cores, ferrite rings, ferrite EMI filters,
ferrite chokes or ferrous beads

Ferrite Bead

A Ferrite bead at the end of a

USB Cable

Preventing EMI in ECG

Equipment

Transmission paths for EMI into

a Sensor System
Three principal transmission paths:
1.Penetration
2.Leakage
3.Conduction

Routes for
Equipment

EMI

Interference

to

Two Common Solutions for EMI

in Sensor Systems
Filtering

Shielding

Solution for EMI - Filtering

Solution for EMI - Shielding

References
Introduction
to
Biomedical
Equipment
Technology by Joseph J Carr & John M Brown