Noncontact millimeter-wave real-time detection and tracking of heart rate on an ambulatory subject

IEEE Trans Inf Technol Biomed. 2012 Sep;16(5):927-34. doi: 10.1109/TITB.2012.2204760. Epub 2012 Jun 13.

Abstract

This paper presents a solution to an aiming problem in the remote sensing of vital signs using an integration of two systems. The problem is that to collect meaningful data with a millimeter-wave sensor, the antenna must be pointed very precisely at the subject's chest. Even small movements could make the data unreliable. To solve this problem, we attached a camera to the millimeter-wave antenna, and mounted this combined system on a pan/tilt base. Our algorithm initially finds a subject's face and then tracks him/her through subsequent frames, while calculating the position of the subject's chest. For each frame, the camera sends the location of the chest to the pan/tilt base, which rotates accordingly to make the antenna point at the subject's chest. This paper presents a system for concurrent tracking and data acquisition with results from some sample scenarios.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Algorithms
  • Female
  • Heart Rate / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / methods*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / instrumentation
  • Monitoring, Ambulatory / methods*
  • Thorax / physiology
  • Video Recording