Cardiorespiratory Frequency Monitoring Using the Principal Component Analysis Technique on UWB Radar Signal

Erika Pittella,Stefano Pisa,Anna Bottiglieri,Marta Cavagnaro

doi:10.1155/2017/4803752

Abstract

In this paper, Principal Component Analysis technique is applied on the signal measured by an ultra wide-band radar to compute the breath and heart rate of volunteers. The measurement set-up is based on an indirect time domain reflectometry technique, using an ultra wide-band antenna in contact with the subject’s thorax, at the heart height, and a vector network analyzer. The Principal Component Analysis is applied on the signal reflected by the thorax and the obtained breath frequencies are compared against measures acquired by a piezoelectric belt, a widely used commercial system for respiratory activity monitoring. Breath frequency results show that the proposed approach is suitable for breath activity monitoring. Moreover, the wearable ultra wide-band radar gives also promising results for heart activity frequency detection.

Highlights

Continuous monitoring of breath rate is one of the most important issues to detect patients’ respiratory diseases throughout hospitalization time and home therapy periods
Heart activity is conventionally measured through electrocardiography apparatuses using on-body electrodes [2] or using the pulse oximetry [3]
Elaboration was performed applying the previously described Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique to filter out the static components in the received signal

Summary

Introduction

Continuous monitoring of breath rate is one of the most important issues to detect patients’ respiratory diseases throughout hospitalization time and home therapy periods. Breath monitoring is performed using a piezoelectric belt, wrapped around the patient body. This equipment can be uncomfortable or can give rise to artifacts [1]. Heart activity is conventionally measured through electrocardiography apparatuses using on-body electrodes [2] or using the pulse oximetry [3] This latter device has been realized for the monitoring of oxygen saturation in blood but it gives information on the heart rate . Both systems are reliable and provide good signal quality; they are problematic and inadequate for long-term, everyday measurements. These devices require direct contact of the sensor with the body

Methods

Results

Conclusion