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    Using BMP388 to measure breath pressure - problems

    Using BMP388 to measure breath pressure - problems

    Norm
    New Poster

    I am using the bmp388 to measure human breath pressure. I notice that after I blow into the chamber that contains the sensor, the rest value for the sensor increases. If I blow several times in a row, that increase is significant.  (see attached graph) Can you help me understand what I am seeing, and how I might eliminate or compensate for this behavior?

    3 REPLIES 3

    FAE_CA1
    Community Moderator
    Community Moderator

    Hi,

    Thanks for your inquiry.

    I don't see your attached graph. But BMP388 is a right sensor to measure human breath pressure. You may consider BME280 as well which is the 3-in-1 sensor for temperature, pressure and humidity.

    In some use cases BMP388 or BME280 can be used to detect the human breath event so that the microcontroller can wake up and do other things for example measure alcohol level or CO concentration of the breath.

    If you want to precisely measure human breath pressure like a spirometer, then you need to design the tube carefully and develop your own calibration algorithm based on a reference meter.

    Thanks.

    Saint_chablo
    New Poster

    I'm not a medical expert or something, but via physics, if you blow inside a tube, you are basically applying a force on a given area which is one of the definitions of pressure. So pressure readings will increase. Also within a given volume, your breath is warm and contains moisture. This can also increase pressure as air molecules have some kinetic energy and collide on walls(Hence increasing force exerted thus pressure). also increasing volume e.g inhaling lungs causes pressure to decrease, thus the outside pressure is greater than the outside so air is forced inside the lungs(that's how breathing works).

    So what you are seeing has got nothing to do with the sensor itself(the sensor is perfect, but its the scenario and environment that affects these readings.) Look up about pressure and gas laws. For what you are trying to make, measuring breathe pressure is very difficult because you need to take into account the volume of lungs, the flow rate of air, temperature etc. I don't know how they do it but it's not as simple as putting a sensor inside a tube and getting pressure readings because these values do not represent pressures inside the lungs. You could, however, use something inflatable which mimics lung volume, then place sensor inside it. that could work now I'm thinking about it. the temperature will still affect values which is fine because humans are naturally warm(so this is a constant). So if you actually want to see the pressure increase and decrease, increase and decrease the inflatable just like breathing. This was an overkill explanation but oh well

    FAE_CA1
    Community Moderator
    Community Moderator

    Hi Norm,

    Do you have more questions? If not, then please click the "Accept as Solution" button to close this case.

    Thanks.

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