Abstract: A sensing system and method uses a sense electrode arrangement for coupling to a surface of a body such that the sense electrode arrangement and the body (and the spacing between them) define a coupling capacitance. First and second sensing circuits have different transfer functions and generate first and second outputs. These outputs are processed to determine the coupling capacitance. The electrophysiological signal being monitored is also acquired by one or both of the sensing circuits. In this way, the quality of the electrode coupling can be determined in a simple and passive manner.

Abstract: A successive operation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit includes a bit reliability circuit that detects a delay time of the voltage comparator and, if the detected delay time is greater than a delay threshold time ?MV, outputs a bit reliability decision signal; a digital noise reduction circuit that is selectively activated if the bit reliability decision signal indicates the detected delay time is greater than the delay threshold time ?MV and produces a noise-reduced decision output that supersedes the decision output of the voltage comparator. In a preferred embodiment, the digital noise reduction circuit uses a multiple voting logic to produce a majority vote value as the noise-reduced decision output.

Abstract: A successive operation register (SAR) analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit includes a bit reliability circuit that detects a delay time of the voltage comparator and, if the detected delay time is greater than a delay threshold time ?MV, outputs a bit reliability decision signal; a digital noise reduction circuit that is selectively activated if the bit reliability decision signal indicates the detected delay time is greater than the delay threshold time ?MV and produces a noise-reduced decision output that supersedes the decision output of the voltage comparator. In a preferred embodiment, the digital noise reduction circuit uses a multiple voting logic to produce a majority vote value as the noise-reduced decision output.