Patent ID: 7302284

Claim:
A pulse oximeter comprising: a sensor configured to detect first and second electromagnetic radiation signals from a patient corresponding to first and second wavelengths of light; an analog to digital converter, coupled to the sensor, for converting said first and second electromagnetic radiation signals into first and second digital signals; and a processor coupled to the analog to digital converter, the processor being programmed with: a filter module configured to filter the first and second digital signals, a first oxygen saturation calculation module configured to determine a first oxygen saturation value using a first saturation calculation algorithm applied to the first and second digital signals, a second oxygen saturation calculation module configured to determine a second oxygen saturation value using a second saturation calculation algorithm applied to the first and second digital signals, and an arbitration module configured to arbitrate between the first and second oxygen saturation values based on a saturation confidence associated with the first and second oxygen saturation values to select a best oxygen saturation value.