Communication and perception fusion based on UWB technology vital sign perception method

Abstract

This invention discloses a vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology, comprising a UWB terminal and at least one UWB radar. The method includes step S1: the UWB terminal periodically starts up at a preset time and the UWB radar is powered on, so that the UWB radar is in communication receiver mode; step S2: the UWB terminal transmits a terminal communication signal including a device ID code and a pulse train. This invention's vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology integrates the sensing and communication functions of UWB. It uses the communication function to obtain the distance information between the target person and the UWB radar, and then uses the radar to sense vibrations within a specific frequency range near that distance. This effectively filters out interference from other objects or people, ensuring that the radar detects only the vital sign information of the target person.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of vital sign sensing technology, specifically relating to a vital sign sensing method based on communication sensing fusion using UWB technology. Background Technology

[0002] Current non-contact personnel monitoring equipment generally uses radar or camera solutions, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages. There is no ideal solution that can identify personnel, specifically track and measure the vital signs (mainly breathing and heartbeat) of the target person, and is not disturbed by the surrounding regular vibrations, so as to achieve greater accuracy.

[0003] For radar, radar systems (UWB or FMCW radar) have good penetration, such as being able to penetrate clothing and blankets to detect the chest rise and fall caused by human breathing and heartbeat. However, they cannot identify a person's identity, or even whether it is a person. They are also easily interfered with by some regular vibrations, so they cannot track specific targets or judge their behavior. In addition, the measurement effect is better when the person is stationary, but it is difficult to measure accurately when the person is moving, and it is impossible to identify the person's identity.

[0004] As for cameras, they are convenient for seeing a person's location and relatively easy to identify a person's identity, but they are easily blocked by blankets, easily interfered with by light, and cannot measure heart rate or respiration.

[0005] Therefore, further improvements will be made to address the aforementioned issues. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The main objective of this invention is to provide a vital sign sensing method based on communication and sensing fusion using UWB technology. This method integrates the sensing and communication functions of UWB, using the communication function to obtain the distance information between the target person and the UWB radar, and then using the radar to sense vibrations in a specific frequency range near this distance (plus or minus a value). This effectively filters out interference from other objects or people, ensuring that the radar detects the vital sign information of the target person.

[0007] Another objective of this invention is to provide a vital sign sensing method based on communication and sensing fusion using UWB technology, which uses the difference in distance between devices measured by the TOF algorithm in two consecutive UWB communication measurements to determine whether the target person is dynamic or static (such as sleeping or sitting still).

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this invention provides a vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology communication-sensing fusion, comprising a UWB terminal and at least one UWB radar, and including the following steps:

[0009] Step S1: The UWB terminal is periodically started up according to a preset time and the UWB radar is powered on so that the UWB radar is in communication receiver mode.

[0010] Step S2: The UWB terminal transmits a terminal communication signal including the device ID code (here, the UWB chip ID, each UWB chip has a unique ID number) and a pulse train. After receiving the terminal communication signal, the UWB radar generates a communication signal with the same encoding rules and transmits it through the radar antenna to the UWB terminal. This allows the UWB terminal to receive the radar communication signal and then retransmit the terminal communication signal, repeating the back-and-forth response of the terminal communication signal and the coded communication signal a preset number of times.

[0011] Step S3: After the round-trip response ends, the UWB terminal enters sleep mode and the clock starts counting down until the next periodic startup; the UWB radar receives the terminal communication signal sent by the last UWB terminal and processes and analyzes the terminal communication signal according to the TOF algorithm to obtain the current distance X between the UWB terminal and the UWB radar.

[0012] Step S4: The UWB radar calculates the difference between the current distance X and the previously measured distance to determine whether the distance between the UWB radar and the UWB terminal is close to 0 or far from 0 (these two state values ​​are preset values). Based on the state, it determines whether to activate the radar perception mode and then perform vital sign detection.

[0013] As a further preferred technical solution to the above technical solution, step S4 is specifically implemented as follows:

[0014] Step S4.1: When the distance is determined to be far from 0, the UWB radar enters sleep mode;

[0015] Step S4.2: When the distance is determined to be close to 0, the UWB radar activates the perception mode and performs vital sign detection.

[0016] As a further preferred technical solution to the above technical solution, step S4.2 is specifically implemented as follows:

[0017] Step S4.2.1: Set the distance X±a as the boundary condition and extract the vibration information within the boundary condition range;

[0018] Step S4.2.2: Process the vibration information to filter out excessively high frequencies exceeding the preset upper limit and excessively low frequencies below the preset lower limit, thereby obtaining respiratory data and heart rate data;

[0019] Step S4.2.3: After the preset sensing time for UWB radar vital signs perception, switch to communication receiver mode.

[0020] As a further preferred technical solution to the above technical solution, the preset sensing time of the UWB radar (slightly) is shorter than the sleep time of the UWB terminal.

[0021] As a further preferred technical solution of the above technical solution, in step S4.2.2, the obtained respiratory data and heartbeat data are respectively subjected to matching correction processing to obtain corrected respiratory data and heartbeat data (correcting and compensating for inherent interference from the device itself and external interference from the environment).

[0022] As a further preferred technical solution to the above technical solution, in step S4.2, if more than one UWB radar activates the sensing mode, the corrected respiratory data and heartbeat data obtained by each UWB radar are integrated and processed to obtain the final respiratory data and heartbeat data after mutual compensation by multiple UWB radars.

[0023] As a further preferred technical solution to the above technical solution, the number of round-trip responses in step S2 is 3.

[0024] As a further preferred embodiment of the above technical solution, step S4 shall include the following:

[0025] Step S5: If the UWB radar does not receive a signal from a specific UWB terminal within several consecutive communication cycles (preset value), it is determined that the target (protected person) is not within the protection range or the UWB terminal has run out of power, and the preset alarm measures are activated. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of the vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology for communication sensing fusion according to the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The following description is intended to disclose the present invention and enable those skilled in the art to implement it. The preferred embodiments described below are merely examples, and other obvious variations will occur to those skilled in the art. The basic principles of the invention defined in the following description can be applied to other embodiments, modifications, improvements, equivalents, and other technical solutions that do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention.

[0028] In the preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art should note that the TOF algorithm and the like involved in the present invention can be considered as prior art.

[0029] Preferred embodiment.

[0030] This invention discloses a vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology communication-sensing fusion, including a UWB terminal and at least one UWB radar, comprising the following steps:

[0031] Step S1: The UWB terminal is periodically started up according to a preset time and the UWB radar is powered on so that the UWB radar is in communication receiver mode.

[0032] Step S2: The UWB terminal transmits a terminal communication signal including the device ID code (here, the UWB chip ID, each UWB chip has a unique ID number) and a pulse train. After receiving the terminal communication signal, the UWB radar generates a communication signal with the same encoding rules and transmits it through the radar antenna to the UWB terminal. This allows the UWB terminal to receive the radar communication signal and then retransmit the terminal communication signal, repeating the back-and-forth response of the terminal communication signal and the coded communication signal a preset number of times.

[0033] Step S3: After the round-trip response ends, the UWB terminal enters sleep mode and the clock starts counting down until the next periodic startup; the UWB radar receives the terminal communication signal sent by the last UWB terminal and processes and analyzes the terminal communication signal according to the TOF algorithm to obtain the current distance X between the UWB terminal and the UWB radar.

[0034] Step S4: The UWB radar calculates the difference between the current distance X and the previously measured distance to determine whether the distance between the UWB radar and the UWB terminal is close to 0 or far from 0 (these two state values ​​are preset values). Based on the state, it determines whether to activate the radar perception mode and then perform vital sign detection.

[0035] Specifically, step S4 is implemented as follows:

[0036] Step S4.1: When the distance is determined to be far from 0, the UWB radar enters sleep mode;

[0037] Step S4.2: When the distance is close to 0 (which indicates that the target is static and it is necessary to measure vital signs), the UWB radar activates the perception mode and performs vital sign detection.

[0038] More specifically, step S4.2 is implemented as follows:

[0039] Step S4.2.1: Set the distance X±a (X is generally in the range of several hundred meters, and a is generally set between 1 meter and 2 meters) as the boundary condition, and extract the vibration information within the boundary condition range;

[0040] Step S4.2.2: Process the vibration information to filter out excessively high frequencies exceeding the preset upper limit and excessively low frequencies below the preset lower limit, thereby obtaining respiratory data and heart rate data (a person's heart rate is generally between 50 and 200 beats per minute, and the ratio of breathing to heart rate is approximately 1:4, generally between 15 and 50 beats per minute).

[0041] Step S4.2.3: After the preset sensing time for UWB radar vital signs perception, switch to communication receiver mode.

[0042] Furthermore, the preset sensing duration of the UWB radar is (slightly) shorter than the sleep duration of the UWB terminal.

[0043] Furthermore, in step S4.2.2, the obtained respiratory data and heart rate data are respectively subjected to matching correction processing to obtain corrected respiratory data and heart rate data (correcting and compensating for inherent interference from the device itself and external interference from the environment).

[0044] Preferably, in step S4.2, if more than one UWB radar activates the sensing mode, the corrected respiratory data and heartbeat data obtained by each UWB radar are integrated and processed to obtain the final respiratory data and heartbeat data after mutual compensation by multiple UWB radars.

[0045] Preferably, the number of round trip responses in step S2 is 3.

[0046] Preferably, after step S4, the following steps are included:

[0047] Step S5: If the UWB radar does not receive a signal from a specific UWB terminal within several consecutive communication cycles (preset value), it is determined that the target (protected person) is not within the protection range or the UWB terminal has run out of power, and the preset alarm measures are activated.

[0048] Preferably, UWB ranging using communication methods employs the industry-standard Time-of-Flight (TOF) method. Typically, the UWB terminal actively sends out a communication signal, and then the UWB radar and the UWB terminal respond back and forth three times. The distance between the two is calculated by measuring the time difference of the electromagnetic waves.

[0049] Preferably, for UWB radar, it is externally powered or self-powered, has UWB signal transmission and reception capabilities, and has signal processing capabilities, which can extract micro-motion information from the received echo signals, including the frequency and amplitude of the micro-motions, and can find heartbeat and breathing data from them.

[0050] Preferably, the UWB terminal is self-powered and has the ability to transmit and receive UWB communication signals.

[0051] It is worth mentioning that the technical features such as the TOF algorithm involved in this patent application should be regarded as prior art. The specific structure, working principle and possible control methods and spatial arrangement methods of these technical features can be adopted using conventional choices in the field, and should not be regarded as the inventive point of this patent. This patent will not be further elaborated in detail.

[0052] For those skilled in the art, modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this invention should be included within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology through communication-sensory fusion, characterized in that, Including a UWB terminal and at least one UWB radar, the process includes the following steps: Step S1: The UWB terminal is periodically started up according to a preset time and the UWB radar is powered on so that the UWB radar is in communication receiver mode. Step S2: The UWB terminal transmits a terminal communication signal including the device ID code and a pulse train. After receiving the terminal communication signal, the UWB radar generates a communication signal with the same encoding rule and transmits it through the radar antenna to the UWB terminal. This allows the UWB terminal to receive the radar communication signal and then retransmit the terminal communication signal, repeating the back-and-forth response of the terminal communication signal and the coded communication signal a preset number of times. Step S3: After the round-trip response ends, the UWB terminal enters sleep mode and the clock starts counting down until the next periodic startup; the UWB radar receives the terminal communication signal sent by the last UWB terminal and processes and analyzes the terminal communication signal according to the TOF algorithm to obtain the current distance X between the UWB terminal and the UWB radar. Step S4: The UWB radar calculates the difference between the current distance X and the previously measured distance to determine whether the distance between the UWB radar and the UWB terminal is close to 0 or far from 0. Based on the state, it determines whether to activate the radar perception mode and then perform vital sign detection.

2. The vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S4 is implemented as follows: Step S4.1: When the distance is determined to be far from 0, the UWB radar enters sleep mode; Step S4.2: When the distance is determined to be close to 0, the UWB radar activates the perception mode and performs vital sign detection.

3. The vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology according to claim 2, characterized in that, Step S4.2 is implemented as follows: Step S4.2.1: Set the distance X±a as the boundary condition and extract the vibration information within the boundary condition range; Step S4.2.2: Process the vibration information to filter out excessively high frequencies exceeding the preset upper limit and excessively low frequencies below the preset lower limit, thereby obtaining respiratory data and heart rate data; Step S4.2.3: After the preset sensing time for UWB radar vital signs perception, switch to communication receiver mode.

4. The vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology according to claim 3, characterized in that, The preset sensing time of the UWB radar is shorter than the sleep time of the UWB terminal.

5. A vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology using communication-sensory fusion as described in claim 4, characterized in that, In step S4.2.2, the obtained respiratory data and heart rate data are respectively subjected to matching correction processing to obtain corrected respiratory data and heart rate data.

6. A vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology using communication-sensory fusion as described in claim 5, characterized in that, In step S4.2, if more than one UWB radar activates the sensing mode, the corrected respiratory data and heartbeat data obtained by each UWB radar are integrated and processed to obtain the final respiratory data and heartbeat data after mutual compensation by multiple UWB radars.

7. A vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology using communication-sensory fusion as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The number of round trip responses in step S2 is 3.

8. A vital sign sensing method based on UWB technology using communication-sensory fusion according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step S4 should be followed by: Step S5: If the UWB radar does not receive a signal from a specific UWB terminal within several consecutive communication cycles, it is determined that the target is not within the protection range or the UWB terminal has run out of power, and the preset alarm measures are activated.

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