Linear-frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar for vital-sign monitoring

The application of radar sensors to monitor vital signs is currently receiving much attention. Several radar architectures have been proposed in the technical literature for this task, although with some limitations. Here, a linear-frequency-modulated continuous-wave (LFMCW) approach is analyzed. By extracting the phase of particular range bins, precise tracking of vital signs (e.g., breathing) could be accomplished, outperforming other approaches. A prototype has been built and some experimental data coming from a sinusoidally-moving metal plate are presented. Also, preliminary results for breathing signals are shown and discussed.