Novel Heart Rate Detection Method Using UWB Impulse Radar

Non-invasive and non-restrictive methods for measuring the physiological functions of the human body are useful for both patients and healthy people, and will serve to improve quality of life. Among the various methods of this kind, one practical option involves the use of radar technology. In this paper, considering the issues of low power consumption, low implementation complexity, and safety with regard to exposure to the human body, a novel method that detects the human heart rate by utilizing an ultra wideband (UWB) impulse radar is proposed. Further, the interactions between the electromagnetic waves and the human body are analyzed, in order to understand the shape of the reflected pulse and to prevent harmful effects on the body. The radar signal is processed in the time domain for morphological analysis. The experimental results show that the detection of heart rate is possible with high accuracy. In addition, it is confirmed that the proposed method can be used to extract the transient characteristics of the heartbeat from the radar signals.