M-sequence-based ultra-wideband sensor network for vitality monitoring of elders at home

• Published in: IET radar, sonar & navigation Vol. 9; no. 2; pp. 125 - 137
• Main Authors: Sachs, Jürgen, Herrmann, Ralf
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 01.02.2015
• Subjects: biomedical transducers; breathing motion; ECC‐band; elder vitality monitoring; elderly people; Electronics; fall detection; Feature extraction; frequency 6 GHz to 8.5 GHz; gait analysis; gait feature extraction; geriatrics; health risk mitigation; medical signal detection; microwave detectors; Monitoring; motion detection; motion tracking; m‐sequence; m‐sequence technology; m‐sequences; Networks; patient monitoring; pneumodynamics; Radar; radar detection; radar sensor; radar tracking; radio direction‐finding; remote monitoring; Risk; Sensors; Special Issue on Application of Radar to Remote Patient Monitoring and Eldercare; ultra wideband communication; ultra wideband radar; Ultrawideband; ultrawideband radio sensor network; UWB radio sensor network; UWB‐radar data extraction; wireless sensor networks; radio direction-finding; breathing motion; radar detection; wireless sensor networks; frequency 6 GHz to 8.5 GHz; ultra wideband communication; m-sequence technology; motion detection; UWB-radar data extraction; pneumodynamics; ultrawideband radio sensor network; patient monitoring; gait analysis; gait feature extraction; microwave detectors; m-sequences; feature extraction; elder vitality monitoring; health risk mitigation; remote monitoring; m-sequence; radar tracking; fall detection; UWB radio sensor network; ultra wideband radar; elderly people; medical signal detection; geriatrics; ECC-band; biomedical transducers; motion tracking; radar sensor
• ISSN: 1751-8784; 1751-8792; 1751-8792
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-rsn.2014.0214

The western societies are increasingly faced with the challenges of enabling a self-determined and safe life for a growing number of elderly people. Remote monitoring of vitality is an important tool for health risk mitigation but many of the current methods either deliver only infrequent information or require conscious cooperation of the senior. The authors propose an ultra-wideband (UWB) radio sensor network based on M-sequence technology specifically designed for the vitality monitoring of persons living alone. It uses the frequency band in the range from 6 to 8.5 GHz (electronic communications committee (ECC)-band), and provides precise localisation, captures breathing motion during rests, can be used for fall detection and allows the extraction of gait features. The sensor network can be installed in common living spaces. It operates continuously in the background without any user interaction. Vitality monitoring by radar sensors is based on motion detection and tracking. This poses some challenges to radar devices because of the harsh multi-path conditions in apartments. This study discusses these challenges, illustrates how to meet them and gives examples for vitality features which can be extracted from UWB-radar data.