Patent ID: 7684856

Claim:
A method for detecting artifacts in a bioelectric signal, the method comprising the steps of: supplying an AC excitation signal through a signal path formed between a first electrode and a second electrode each attached to a subject's skin surface in a measurement area of the subject's body, the AC excitation signal having a frequency above a signal band including the bioelectric signal; measuring an impedance signal through the first and second attached to the subject's skin surface in the measurement area, the impedance signal being indicative of the impedance of the signal path; acquiring the bioelectric signal through the first and second attached to the subject's skin surface in the measurement area, the acquiring step being performed simultaneously with the measuring step; determining at least one first time period during which the impedance signal fulfills at least one predetermined criterion using a control unit; and based on the at least one first time period, defining at least one artifact-contaminated time period of the bioelectric signal using the control unit.