Detection of ADC clipping, quantization noise, and amplifier saturation in surface electromyography

This paper focuses on the detection and quantification of three types of noise, analog-to-digital converter (ADC) clipping, quantization noise, and amplifier saturation, in surface electromyography (sEMG) without prior information regarding the sEMG setup. ADC clipping can be detected by searching for consecutive minimum and maximum values in a signal. Quantization noise can be expressed as a signal-to-quantization noise ratio which is estimated from the smallest observable step size in the signal. Amplifier saturation is quantified using a normality test, as amplifier saturation will reduce the normality of the signal amplitude distribution. Experimental results, using simulated sEMG, demonstrate the successful application of these methods.