Real-time Peak Detection for General Biosignals: A Maximum A Posteriori Estimation Approach Yoon Jong Seo Department of Biomedical Engineering Graduate School of Konkuk University With the growing importance of real-time, personalized healthcare throu...
Real-time Peak Detection for General Biosignals: A Maximum A Posteriori Estimation Approach Yoon Jong Seo Department of Biomedical Engineering Graduate School of Konkuk University With the growing importance of real-time, personalized healthcare through wearable devices, the need for a general-purpose peak detection algorithm that is accurate, efficient, and applicable to various biosignals within resource-constrained environments has become critical. However, existing rule-based and signal processing-based algorithms, while computationally efficient, are often limited to specific signals and lack robustness. Conversely, deep learning-based models, despite their high accuracy, have fundamental limitations of excessive computational load and a lack of generality. To address these issues, this study proposes a novel real-time adaptive peak detection framework based on the 'Maximum a Posteriori (MAP) based Look-Around Algorithm (LAA)', which operates in a single pass without post-processing. The proposed algorithm dynamically adjusts the Look-Around Period (LAP) using the mode of recent RR-intervals to adapt to real-time changes in the cardiac cycle. Furthermore, to handle practical challenges such as T-wave misdetection, peak omission, and R/S waveform ambiguity, the algorithm's robustness is significantly enhanced by incorporating a multi-stage exception handling mechanism based on clear physiological principles, including amplitude comparison, a look-back search, and the 'Preceding Priority' rule. Through rigorous performance verification on the standard benchmark MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database, the final proposed algorithm achieved an average F1-Score of 98.23%, surpassing the prior study (F1-Score 96.89%) which relied on non-real-time post-processing. Notably, the 'Preceding Priority' rule, based on physiological principles, improved the overall F1-Score by 3.19 percentage points compared to the basic adaptive algorithm and dramatically improved performance on records such as 107, where the empirical rule of the prior study had failed. Moreover, its generality was demonstrated by achieving stable peak detection on PPG and respiration signals with only minimal parameter changes. The significance of this study lies in its proposal of a new design paradigm: a hybrid approach combining an efficient probabilistic model with minimal physiological domain knowledge can be a powerful alternative to computationally intensive deep learning models. This work provides a practical foundation for the development of intelligent on-device healthcare technologies to be embedded in various wearable devices. Keywords: Real-time Peak Detection, General Biosignal Processing, Look-Around Algorithm, Maximum a Posteriori (MAP), Adaptive Algorithm, Wearable Healthcare