Patent ID: 7179231

Claim:
An apparatus for sensing the amplitude of a signal traveling through a body, comprising: an excitation device operatively engageable with the body, the excitation device generating the signal that travels along a nerve in the body; sensing electrode operatively engagable with the body under a pressure downstream of the excitation device for sensing the signal generated by the excitation device and traveling along the nerve in the body; a pressure mounting structure operatively connected to the sensing electrode for controlling the pressure at which the sensing electrode engages the body; a pressure sensor disposed adjacent the sensing electrode, the pressure sensor generating a pressure signal corresponding to the pressure at which the sensing electrode engages the body; and a controller electrically connected to the pressure sensor for receiving the pressure signal and to the sensing electrode for receiving the signal sensed by the sensing electrode and performing the step of: determining a pressure normalization ratio in response to the pressure signal acquired from the pressure sensor; and normalizing the acquired signal from the sensing electrode based on the pressure normalization ratio.