Electronic device, method for controlling electronic device, and program

Abstract

This electronic device comprises: a transmission unit for transmitting a transmission wave; a reception unit for receiving a reflected wave generated when the transmission wave is reflected by a target; a signal processing unit for detecting the target on the basis of the transmission wave and the reflected wave; and a control unit for setting either a first mode in which a first transmission wave having a first directivity is transmitted from the transmission unit, or a second mode in which a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity is transmitted from the transmission unit. The signal processing unit: acquires the position of the target on the basis of the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a reflected wave generated when the first transmission wave is reflected by the target; and then, at the location of the target, detects vibration of the target on the basis of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and a reflected wave generated when the second transmission wave is reflected by the target.

Description

Electronic device, electronic device control method, and program CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-121397, filed on July 26, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, a control method for an electronic device, and a program.

[0003] For example, in the automotive industry and other fields, there are technologies for measuring the distance between a vehicle and a predetermined object. In particular, in recent years, various RADAR (Radio Detecting and Ranging) technologies have been researched, which measure the distance between a vehicle and an object by transmitting radio waves such as millimeter waves and receiving the waves reflected by surrounding objects. Such technologies for measuring distance are expected to be increasingly used in the future along with the development of technologies for assisting drivers and technologies related to autonomous driving, which automates driving partially or completely.

[0004] Various proposals have been made regarding technologies for detecting the presence of a specific object by receiving a reflected wave of a transmitted radio wave reflected by the object. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a device that can detect the presence of a person and their biological information by using microwaves. Also, Patent Document 2 proposes a device that detects vital signs such as the frequency of a living body's breathing or heartbeat based on a reflected signal from a microwave radar.

[0005] JP 2002-71825 A JP 2021-32880 A

[0006] An electronic device according to one embodiment includes a transmitter that transmits a transmission wave, a receiver that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by a target, a signal processor that detects the target based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave, and a controller that sets either a first mode in which the transmitter transmits a first transmission wave having a first directivity or a second mode in which the transmitter transmits a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity. The signal processor acquires a position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target, and then detects vibration of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and a reflected wave of the second transmission wave reflected by the target.

[0007] According to one embodiment, a method for controlling an electronic device includes: a transmitter that transmits a transmission wave; a receiver that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by a target; a signal processor that detects the target based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave; and a controller that sets either a first mode in which the transmitter transmits a first transmission wave having a first directivity or a second mode in which the transmitter transmits a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity. The method for controlling an electronic device includes: acquiring a position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target; and detecting vibration of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and a reflected wave of the second transmission wave reflected by the target.

[0008] A program according to one embodiment causes an electronic device including: a transmitting unit that transmits a transmission wave; a receiving unit that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by a target; a signal processing unit that detects the target based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave; and a control unit that sets either a first mode in which a first transmission wave having a first directivity is transmitted from the transmitting unit, or a second mode in which a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity is transmitted from the transmitting unit; to acquire the position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and the reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target; and to detect vibration of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and the reflected wave of the second transmission wave reflected by the target.

[0009] 1 is a diagram illustrating a usage mode of an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram schematically illustrating a configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a signal processed by an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating signal processing by an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating signal processing by an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of antenna arrangement in an antenna array of an electronic device according to an embodiment and an operating principle. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of antenna arrangement in an antenna array of an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mode in which biometric information of a subject is detected by an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mode in which biometric information of a subject is detected by an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of an antenna configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of detection (estimation) of a body part of a subject by an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mode in which biometric information of a subject is detected by an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating an example of a mode in which biometric information of a subject is detected by an electronic device according to an embodiment. FIG. 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of an electronic device according to an embodiment.

[0010] If it were possible to detect weak vibrations such as the heartbeat of a human body or the like with high accuracy, such as the heart rate of the human body, by transmitting and receiving radio waves, such as millimeter waves, and thereby detect the human body's biometric information with high accuracy, this would be useful in a wide variety of fields. The present disclosure relates to providing an electronic device, a control method for an electronic device, and a program that can detect the human body's biometric information with high accuracy, such as the heart rate of a human body, by transmitting and receiving radio waves. According to one embodiment, it is possible to provide an electronic device, a control method for an electronic device, and a program that can detect the human body's biometric information with high accuracy, such as the heart rate of a human body, by transmitting and receiving radio waves. Hereinafter, one embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0011] In the present disclosure, an "electronic device" may refer to a device that is powered by electricity. Furthermore, a "user" may refer to a person (typically a human) or an animal that uses a system and / or an electronic device according to an embodiment. A user may include a person who monitors a target, such as a human, by using an electronic device according to an embodiment. Furthermore, a "target" may refer to a person (e.g., a human or an animal) that is monitored by an electronic device according to an embodiment. Furthermore, a user may include a target.

[0012] In this disclosure, a "heart beat" may refer to the beating of the heart, and a "beat" may refer to the rhythmic contraction of the heart.

[0013] In addition, in this disclosure, the term "heart rate" refers to the number of times the heart beats within a certain period of time. For example, the heart rate may be the number of beats per minute. When the heart pumps blood, pulsations occur in the arteries. Therefore, the number of times the arteries beat may be referred to as the pulse rate, or simply as the pulse.

[0014] Furthermore, in the present disclosure, a "heart sound" may refer to the sound of the heart beating. That is, a heart sound may refer to the sound that occurs when the heart contracts and expands. Here, a "heart sound" may be composed of a first low, long sound resulting from ventricular muscle tension, mitral valve closure, the start of blood ejection into the arteries, and / or acceleration of blood flow, followed by a second high, short sound resulting from aortic valve closure and / or pulmonary valve closure.

[0015] In the present disclosure, heart sounds are not necessarily limited to physical sounds based on air vibrations, but may refer to the vibrations themselves caused by the heartbeat (pulsation). For example, in the present disclosure, heartbeats may imply a vibration source, and heart sounds may imply the vibrations themselves caused by the vibration source. Furthermore, in the present disclosure, heartbeats may also imply heart sounds depending on the situation.

[0016] An electronic device according to an embodiment can detect the heartbeat of a target, such as a human, present in the vicinity of the electronic device. Therefore, the electronic device according to an embodiment may be used in specific facilities used by socially active individuals, such as companies, hospitals, nursing homes, schools, sports gyms, and care facilities. For example, in a company, the health status of employees may be monitored and / or managed. Similarly, in a hospital, the health status of patients and medical professionals may be monitored and / or managed, and in a nursing home, the health status of residents and staff may be monitored and / or managed. The electronic device according to an embodiment may be used in any facility where monitoring and / or management of a target's health status is desired, without being limited to the aforementioned facilities such as companies, hospitals, and nursing homes. Such facilities may also include non-commercial facilities, such as a user's home. Furthermore, the electronic device according to an embodiment may be used not only indoors but also outdoors. For example, the electronic device according to an embodiment may be used inside a moving vehicle, such as a train, bus, or airplane, or at a station or platform. Furthermore, the electronic device according to one embodiment may be used in a moving object such as an automobile, an airplane, or a ship, a hotel, a user's home, a living room, a bathroom, a toilet, or a bedroom.

[0017] An electronic device according to an embodiment may be used, for example, in a nursing care facility or the like, to detect or monitor the heartbeat of a subject, such as a person requiring nursing care or a care recipient. Furthermore, the electronic device according to an embodiment may issue a predetermined warning to the subject and / or other persons when an abnormality is detected in the heartbeat of the subject, such as a person requiring nursing care or a care recipient. Therefore, the electronic device according to an embodiment may allow the subject and / or staff at the nursing care facility or the like to recognize that an abnormality is detected in the pulse of the subject, such as a person requiring nursing care or a care recipient. On the other hand, the electronic device according to an embodiment may notify the subject and / or other persons when no abnormality is detected in the heartbeat of the subject, such as a person requiring nursing care or a care recipient (e.g., the heartbeat is recognized as normal). Therefore, the electronic device according to an embodiment may allow the subject and / or staff at the nursing care facility or the like to recognize that the pulse of the subject, such as a person requiring nursing care or a care recipient, is normal.

[0018] The electronic device according to an embodiment may also detect the pulse of animals other than humans. As an example, the electronic device according to the embodiment described below will be described as detecting the pulse of a human using a sensor based on technology such as millimeter-wave radar.

[0019] An electronic device according to an embodiment may be installed on any stationary object or any mobile object. The electronic device according to an embodiment can transmit a transmission wave to the surroundings of the electronic device from a transmission antenna. The electronic device according to an embodiment can receive a reflected wave of the transmission wave from a reception antenna. At least one of the transmission antenna and the reception antenna may be provided in the electronic device, or may be provided in, for example, a radar sensor.

[0020] Hereinafter, as a typical example, an electronic device according to an embodiment will be described as being stationary. Meanwhile, the subject (human) whose pulse is detected by the electronic device according to an embodiment may be stationary, moving, or moving while stationary. The electronic device according to an embodiment can measure the distance between the electronic device and an object in a situation where the object around the electronic device may be moving, similar to a normal radar sensor. Furthermore, the electronic device according to an embodiment can measure the distance between the electronic device and an object even when both the electronic device and the object are stationary.

[0021] An electronic device according to an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. First, an example of object detection by the electronic device according to an embodiment will be described.

[0022] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a usage mode of an electronic device according to an embodiment, showing an example of an electronic device having a sensor function and including a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna according to an embodiment.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 1 , an electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include a transmitter and a receiver, which will be described later. As described below, the transmitter may include a transmitter antenna array 24. The receiver may include a receiver antenna array 31. Specific configurations of the electronic device 1, the transmitter, and the receiver will be described later. For ease of viewing, FIG. 1 illustrates the electronic device 1 including the transmitter antenna array 24 and the receiver antenna array 31. The electronic device 1 may also include at least one of the other functional units, such as at least a portion of the control unit 10 ( FIG. 2 ), as appropriate. The electronic device 1 may also include at least one of the other functional units, such as at least a portion of the control unit 10 ( FIG. 2 ), external to the electronic device 1. In FIG. 1 , the electronic device 1 may be moving or may be stationary.

[0024] In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the electronic device 1 is shown in a simplified form, with a transmitter including a transmitting antenna array 24 and a receiver including a receiving antenna array 31. The electronic device 1 may include, for example, multiple transmitters and / or multiple receivers. The transmitter may include a transmitting antenna array 24 consisting of multiple transmitting antennas. The receiver may include a receiving antenna array 31 consisting of multiple receiving antennas. Here, the locations at which the transmitters and / or receivers are installed in the electronic device 1 are not limited to the locations shown in FIG. 1 , and may be other locations as appropriate. The number of transmitters and / or receivers may be any number greater than or equal to one, depending on various conditions (or requirements) such as the range and / or accuracy of heartbeat detection by the electronic device 1.

[0025] As described below, the electronic device 1 transmits electromagnetic waves as transmission waves from the transmitting antenna array 24. For example, if a predetermined object (e.g., the target 200 shown in FIG. 1 ) is present around the electronic device 1, at least a portion of the transmission waves transmitted from the electronic device 1 is reflected by the object and becomes a reflected wave. Then, by receiving such a reflected wave, for example, with the receiving antenna array 31 of the electronic device 1, the electronic device 1 can detect the object as a target. The object 200 shown in FIG. 1 may be a target object detected by the electronic device 1.

[0026] The electronic device 1 including the transmitting antenna array 24 may typically be a RADAR (Radio Detecting and Ranging) sensor that transmits and receives radio waves. However, the electronic device 1 is not limited to a radar sensor. The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may be a sensor based on, for example, light wave-based LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging, Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging) technology. Such sensors may include, for example, a patch antenna. Since technologies such as RADAR and LIDAR are already known, detailed descriptions thereof may be appropriately simplified or omitted. Furthermore, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may be a sensor based on, for example, technology that detects objects by transmitting and receiving sound waves or ultrasonic waves.

[0027] The electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 1 receives, from the receiving antenna array 31, reflected waves of transmitted waves transmitted from the transmitting antenna array 24. In this way, the electronic device 1 can detect a predetermined object 200 present within a predetermined distance from the electronic device 1 as a target. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the electronic device 1 can measure the distance L between the electronic device 1 and the predetermined object 200. The electronic device 1 can also measure the relative speed between the electronic device 1 and the predetermined object 200. Furthermore, the electronic device 1 can also measure the direction (arrival angle θ) in which the reflected wave from the predetermined object 200 arrives at the electronic device 1.

[0028] In Fig. 1, the XY plane may be, for example, a plane substantially parallel to the ground surface. In this case, the positive direction of the Z axis shown in Fig. 1 may indicate a vertically upward direction. In Fig. 1, the electronic device 1 may be disposed on a plane parallel to the XY plane. Also, in Fig. 1, the target 200 may be, for example, standing on the ground surface substantially parallel to the XY plane.

[0029] Here, the target 200 may be, for example, a human being present around the electronic device 1. The target 200 may also be a non-human living thing, such as an animal present around the electronic device 1. As described above, the target 200 may be moving, stationary, or static. In the present disclosure, the object detected by the electronic device 1 includes not only inanimate objects such as any object, but also living things such as people, dogs, cats, horses, and other animals. The object detected by the electronic device 1 of the present disclosure may include targets detected using radar technology, including people, objects, and animals. In the present disclosure, targets may include people, objects, and animals. In the following description, it is assumed that an object such as the target 200 present around the electronic device 1 is a human being (or an animal). Hereinafter, the "target 200" may also be referred to as the "subject 200" as appropriate. In the present disclosure, the target may be the target 200 described above.

[0030] 1, the ratio between the size of the electronic device 1 and the size of the target 200 does not necessarily represent the actual ratio. Also, in FIG. 1, the transmitting antenna array 24 of the transmitting unit and the receiving antenna array 31 of the receiving unit are shown installed outside the electronic device 1. However, in one embodiment, the transmitting antenna array 24 of the transmitting unit and / or the receiving antenna array 31 of the receiving unit may be installed at various positions on the electronic device 1. For example, in one embodiment, the transmitting antenna array 24 of the transmitting unit and / or the receiving antenna array 31 of the receiving unit may be installed inside the electronic device 1 so as not to be visible from the outside of the electronic device 1.

[0031] In the following description, as a typical example, the transmitting antenna of the electronic device 1 will be described as transmitting radio waves in a frequency band such as millimeter waves (30 GHz or higher) or quasi-millimeter waves (for example, around 20 GHz to 30 GHz). On the other hand, the transmitting antenna of the electronic device 1 may transmit radio waves having a frequency bandwidth of 4 GHz, such as 77 GHz to 81 GHz.

[0032] 2 is a functional block diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. An example of the configuration of the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment will be described below.

[0033] When measuring distances and the like using millimeter-wave radar, frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar (hereinafter referred to as FMCW radar) is often used. FMCW radar generates a transmission signal by sweeping the frequency of the radio waves to be transmitted. Therefore, in a millimeter-wave FMCW radar using radio waves in the 79 GHz frequency band, for example, the frequency of the radio waves used has a frequency bandwidth of 4 GHz, such as 77 GHz to 81 GHz. Radar using the 79 GHz frequency band is characterized by a wider usable frequency bandwidth than other millimeter-wave / quasi-millimeter-wave radars, such as those using the 24 GHz, 60 GHz, and 76 GHz frequency bands. Hereinafter, such an embodiment will be described as an example.

[0034] The FMCW radar system used in the present disclosure may include an FCM (Fast-Chirp Modulation) system that transmits chirp signals at a shorter period than normal. The signals generated by the electronic device 1 are not limited to FMCW signals. The signals generated by the electronic device 1 may be signals of various systems other than FMCW. The transmission signal sequence stored in any memory unit may differ depending on these various systems. For example, in the case of the above-mentioned FMCW radar signal, signals whose frequency increases and decreases with each time sample may be used. Since known technologies can be applied as appropriate to the above-mentioned various systems, further detailed description will be omitted.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 2 , the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment includes a control unit 10. The control unit 10 may include a signal generation / processing unit 11, a signal processing unit 12, a heartbeat extraction unit 13, a calculation unit 14, and a storage unit 15. The heartbeat extraction unit 13 may, for example, execute a process of extracting micro-Doppler components. The heartbeat extraction unit 13 may also execute a process of extracting an envelope of the heart sounds of the subject 200. The calculation unit 14 may, for example, execute a process of calculating the heartbeat interval (RRI) of the subject 200. The calculation unit 14 may also execute a process of calculating the heartbeat of the subject 200. The calculation unit 14 may also execute a process of calculating the heart rate validity (HRV) of the subject 200. In this case, the calculation unit 14 may execute a process of performing frequency analysis on the extracted time-series data of the heartbeat interval of the subject 200. The calculation unit 14 may also execute a process for calculating the heart rate variability of the subject 200 based on frequency analysis of time-series data of heart rate intervals. In the present disclosure, the calculation unit 14 may calculate the heart rate interval and use it to calculate the heart rate variability. The signal generation processing unit 11, the signal processing unit 12, the heart rate extraction unit 13, and the calculation unit 14 will be described further below as appropriate. In the present disclosure, the heart sound may be, for example, a chest vibration waveform directly observed by radar, or may be chest vibration. The heart rate is the heartbeat itself. The heart rate interval, heart rate, etc. may be calculated from the heart rate movement. The heart rate interval may be the time interval between one heartbeat and the next. The storage unit 15 may be any other storage medium, such as a RAM, a ROM, a HDD, or an SSD. The storage unit 15 may be capable of storing various programs and / or data, such as an operating system (OS) and / or application software, used in the electronic device 1.

[0036] The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment includes a transmitting unit including a transmitting DAC 21, a transmitting circuit 22, a millimeter-wave transmitting circuit 23, and a transmitting antenna array 24. The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment includes a receiving unit including a receiving antenna array 31, a mixer 32, a receiving circuit 33, and a receiving ADC 34. The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may not include at least one of the functional units shown in FIG. 2 , or may include functional units other than the functional units shown in FIG. 2. The electronic device 1 shown in FIG. 2 may be configured using circuits that are basically similar to those of a general radar that uses electromagnetic waves in the millimeter-wave band or the like. Meanwhile, in the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, the signal processing and / or control by the control unit 10 may include processing and / or control that differs from that of conventional general radar.

[0037] The control unit 10 included in the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can control the overall operation of the electronic device 1, including the control of each functional unit constituting the electronic device 1. In particular, the control unit 10 performs various processes on signals handled by the electronic device 1. The control unit 10 may include at least one processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a digital signal processor (DSP), to provide control and processing capabilities for executing various functions. The control unit 10 may be implemented as a single processor, several processors, or individual processors. The processor may be implemented as a single integrated circuit. An integrated circuit is also referred to as an IC (integrated circuit). The processor may be implemented as multiple integrated circuits and discrete circuits connected to each other in a communicative manner. The processor may also be implemented based on various other known technologies. In an embodiment, the control unit 10 may be configured as, for example, a CPU (hardware) and a program (software) executed by the CPU. At least a portion of the functional units constituting the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may be implemented by specific means in which software and hardware resources work together. The control unit 10 may include a storage unit 15 (memory) that stores programs and / or data necessary for the operation of the control unit 10 as appropriate.

[0038] The signal generation processing unit 11 of the control unit 10 generates a signal to be transmitted from the electronic device 1. In one embodiment of the electronic device 1, the signal generation processing unit 11 may generate a transmission signal (transmission chirp signal) such as a chirp signal. In particular, the signal generation processing unit 11 may generate a signal whose frequency changes periodically and linearly (linear chirp signal). For example, the signal generation processing unit 11 may generate a chirp signal whose frequency periodically and linearly increases from 77 GHz to 81 GHz over time. Alternatively, the signal generation processing unit 11 may generate a signal whose frequency periodically and linearly increases (up-chirp) and decreases (down-chirp) from 77 GHz to 81 GHz over time. The signal generated by the signal generation processing unit 11 may be preset in, for example, the control unit 10. Alternatively, the signal generated by the signal generation processing unit 11 may be pre-stored in, for example, an arbitrary storage unit in the control unit 10. Chirp signals used in technical fields such as radar are well known, so a detailed description thereof will be appropriately simplified or omitted. The signal generated by the signal generating processing unit 11 is supplied to the transmission DAC 21. Therefore, the signal generating processing unit 11 may be connected to the transmission DAC 21.

[0039] The transmission DAC (digital-to-analog converter) 21 has a function of converting the digital signal supplied from the signal generation processing unit 11 into an analog signal. The transmission DAC 21 may be configured to include a general digital-to-analog converter. The analog signal converted by the transmission DAC 21 is supplied to the transmission circuit 22. For this reason, the transmission DAC 21 may be connected to the transmission circuit 22.

[0040] The transmission circuit 22 has a function of converting the analog signal converted by the transmission DAC 21 into an intermediate frequency (IF) band. The transmission circuit 22 may be configured to include a general IF band transmission circuit. The signal processed by the transmission circuit 22 is supplied to the millimeter wave transmission circuit 23. For this reason, the transmission circuit 22 may be connected to the millimeter wave transmission circuit 23.

[0041] The millimeter-wave transmission circuit 23 has a function of transmitting the signal processed by the transmission circuit 22 as a millimeter wave (RF wave). The millimeter-wave transmission circuit 23 may be configured to include a general millimeter-wave transmission circuit. The signal processed by the millimeter-wave transmission circuit 23 is supplied to the transmission antenna array 24. For this reason, the millimeter-wave transmission circuit 23 may be connected to the transmission antenna array 24. The signal processed by the millimeter-wave transmission circuit 23 is also supplied to the mixer 32. For this reason, the millimeter-wave transmission circuit 23 may also be connected to the mixer 32.

[0042] The transmitting antenna array 24 is an array of multiple transmitting antennas. Fig. 2 shows a simplified configuration of the transmitting antenna array 24. The transmitting antenna array 24 transmits the signal processed by the millimeter-wave transmitting circuit 23 to the outside of the electronic device 1. The transmitting antenna array 24 may be configured to include a transmitting antenna array used in a general millimeter-wave radar.

[0043] In this way, the electronic device 1 according to the embodiment includes a transmitting antenna (transmitting antenna array 24 ) and can transmit a transmitting signal (for example, a transmitting chirp signal) as a transmitting wave from the transmitting antenna array 24 .

[0044] 2 , assume that an object such as a subject 200 is present around the electronic device 1. In this case, at least a portion of the transmission waves transmitted from the transmitting antenna array 24 is reflected by the object such as the subject 200. At least a portion of the transmission waves transmitted from the transmitting antenna array 24 and reflected by the object such as the subject 200 may be reflected toward the receiving antenna array 31.

[0045] The receiving antenna array 31 receives the reflected waves, which may be at least a portion of the transmitted waves transmitted from the transmitting antenna array 24 that are reflected by an object such as the subject 200.

[0046] The receiving antenna array 31 is an array of multiple receiving antennas. In FIG. 2, the configuration of the receiving antenna array 31 is shown in a simplified form. The receiving antenna array 31 receives reflected waves that are the result of reflection of the transmitted waves transmitted from the transmitting antenna array 24. The receiving antenna array 31 may be configured to include a receiving antenna array used in a general millimeter-wave radar. The receiving antenna array 31 supplies the received signals received as reflected waves to the mixer 32. For this reason, the receiving antenna array 31 may be connected to the mixer 32.

[0047] The mixer 32 converts the signal (transmission signal) processed by the millimeter-wave transmission circuit 23 and the reception signal received by the reception antenna array 31 into an intermediate frequency (IF) band. The mixer 32 may be configured to include a mixer used in a general millimeter-wave radar. The mixer 32 supplies the signal generated as a result of the combination to the reception circuit 33. For this reason, the mixer 32 may be connected to the reception circuit 33.

[0048] The receiving circuit 33 has a function of performing analog processing on the signal converted to the IF band by the mixer 32. The receiving circuit 33 may be configured to include a receiving circuit that converts to a general IF band. The signal processed by the receiving circuit 33 is supplied to the receiving ADC 34. For this reason, the receiving circuit 33 may be connected to the receiving ADC 34.

[0049] The receiving ADC (analog-to-digital converter) 34 has a function of converting the analog signal supplied from the receiving circuit 33 into a digital signal. The receiving ADC 34 may be configured to include a general analog-to-digital converter. The signal digitized by the receiving ADC 34 is supplied to the signal processing unit 12 of the control unit 10. For this reason, the receiving ADC 34 may be connected to the control unit 10.

[0050] The signal processing unit 12 of the control unit 10 has the function of performing various processes on the digital signal supplied from the receiving DAC 34. For example, the signal processing unit 12 calculates the distance from the electronic device 1 to an object such as the subject 200 based on the digital signal supplied from the receiving DAC 34 (distance measurement). The signal processing unit 12 also calculates the relative velocity of an object such as the subject 200 relative to the electronic device 1 based on the digital signal supplied from the receiving DAC 34 (speed measurement). Furthermore, the signal processing unit 12 calculates the azimuth angle of an object such as the subject 200 as seen from the electronic device 1 based on the digital signal supplied from the receiving DAC 34 (angle measurement). Specifically, I / Q converted data may be input to the signal processing unit 12. Upon receiving such data, the signal processing unit 12 performs a fast Fourier transform (2D-FFT) in the range direction and the velocity direction, respectively. Thereafter, the signal processing unit 12 suppresses false alarms by removing noise points using processing such as CFAR (Constant False Alarm Rate) and sets a constant probability. The signal processing unit 12 then performs angle of arrival estimation for points that satisfy the CFAR criteria, thereby obtaining the position of an object such as the subject 200. Information generated as a result of measuring the distance, speed, and angle by the signal processing unit 12 may be supplied to the heart rate extraction unit 13.

[0051] The heartbeat extraction unit 13 extracts information related to the heartbeat from the information generated by the signal processing unit 12. The operation of extracting information related to the heartbeat by the heartbeat extraction unit 13 will be described further below. The information related to the heartbeat extracted by the heartbeat extraction unit 13 may be supplied to the calculation unit 14.

[0052] The calculation unit 14 performs various calculation processes and / or arithmetic processes on the information related to the heart rate supplied from the heart rate extraction unit 13. The various calculation processes and / or arithmetic processes performed by the calculation unit 14 will be described further below. The various pieces of information calculated and / or processed by the calculation unit 14 may be supplied to, for example, a communication interface 50. For this reason, the calculation unit 14 and / or the control unit 10 may be connected to the communication interface 50. The various pieces of information calculated and / or processed by the calculation unit 14 may be supplied to functional units other than the communication interface 50.

[0053] The communication interface 50 includes an interface that outputs information supplied from the control unit 10 to, for example, an external device 60. The communication interface 50 may output at least one of information regarding the position, velocity, and angle of an object such as the subject 200 as a signal such as a CAN (Controller Area Network). For example, at least one of information regarding the position, velocity, and angle of an object such as the subject 200 may be supplied to the external device 60 via the communication interface 50. For this reason, the communication interface 50 may be connected to the external device 60.

[0054] 2 , the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may be connected to an external device 60 via a communication interface 50 in a wired or wireless manner. In an embodiment, the external device 60 may include any computer and / or any control device. The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may also include the external device 60. The external device 60 may have various configurations depending on how the information on the heartbeat and / or heart sounds detected by the electronic device 1 is used. Therefore, a detailed description of the external device 60 will be omitted.

[0055] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a chirp signal generated by the signal generation processing unit 11 of the control unit 10. In FIG.

[0056] FIG. 3 shows the time structure of one frame when using the FCM (Fast-Chirp Modulation) method. FIG. 3 shows an example of a received signal in the FCM method. FCM is a method in which chirp signals shown as c1, c2, c3, c4, ..., cn in FIG. 3 are repeated at short intervals (for example, at least the round-trip time between the electromagnetic wave radar and the target, calculated from the maximum ranging distance). In FCM, for convenience of signal processing of the received signal, transmission and reception processing is often performed by dividing the signal into subframe units as shown in FIG. 3.

[0057] In Fig. 3, the horizontal axis represents elapsed time, and the vertical axis represents frequency. In the example shown in Fig. 3, the signal generation processing unit 11 generates linear chirp signals whose frequencies change periodically and linearly. In Fig. 3, each chirp signal is represented as c1, c2, c3, c4, ..., cn. As shown in Fig. 3, the frequency of each chirp signal increases linearly over time.

[0058] In the example shown in FIG. 3 , several chirp signals such as c1, c2, c3, c4, ..., cn are included in one subframe. That is, subframe 1 and subframe 2 shown in FIG. 3 are each composed of several chirp signals such as c1, c2, c3, c4, ..., cn. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 3 , several subframes such as subframe 1, subframe 2, ..., subframe N are included in one frame (one frame). That is, one frame shown in FIG. 3 is composed of N subframes. Also, one frame shown in FIG. 3 may be frame 1, followed by frame 2, frame 3, ..., etc. Each of these frames may be composed of N subframes, just like frame 1. Also, a frame interval of a predetermined length may be included between frames. One frame shown in FIG. 3 may be, for example, 30 to 50 milliseconds long.

[0059] In the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, the signal generation processing unit 11 may generate a transmission signal as any number of frames. Also, some chirp signals are omitted from the illustration in Fig. 3. In this manner, the relationship between time and frequency of the transmission signal generated by the signal generation processing unit 11 may be stored in, for example, a storage unit of the control unit 10.

[0060] In this manner, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may transmit a transmission signal composed of subframes each including a plurality of chirp signals. Also, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may transmit a transmission signal composed of a frame each including a predetermined number of subframes.

[0061] Hereinafter, the electronic device 1 will be described as transmitting a transmission signal having a frame structure as shown in FIG. 3 . However, the frame structure as shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and for example, the number of chirp signals included in one subframe may be arbitrary. That is, in one embodiment, the signal generation processing unit 11 may generate subframes including any number (e.g., any plural number) of chirp signals. Also, the subframe structure as shown in FIG. 3 is merely an example, and for example, the number of subframes included in one frame may be arbitrary. That is, in one embodiment, the signal generation processing unit 11 may generate frames including any number (e.g., any plural number) of subframes. The signal generation processing unit 11 may generate signals of different frequencies. The signal generation processing unit 11 may generate multiple discrete signals, each having a frequency f with a different bandwidth.

[0062] Fig. 4 is a diagram showing, in another aspect, a part of the subframe shown in Fig. 3. Fig. 4 shows each sample of the received signal obtained by receiving the transmitted signal shown in Fig. 3 as a result of performing 2D-FFT (Two Dimensional Fast Fourier Transform), which is processing performed by the signal processing unit 12 (Fig. 2) of the control unit 10.

[0063] As shown in Fig. 4, chirp signals c1, c2, c3, c4, ..., cn are stored in each subframe, such as subframe 1, ..., subframe N. In Fig. 4, each chirp signal c1, c2, c3, c4, ..., cn is composed of samples, each represented by a square arranged in the horizontal direction. The received signal shown in Fig. 4 is subjected to 2D-FFT, CFAR, and / or integrated signal processing for each subframe by the signal processing unit 12 shown in Fig. 2.

[0064] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a point cloud calculated on a range-Doppler (distance-velocity) plane as a result of 2D-FFT, CFAR, and integrated signal processing of each subframe being performed in the signal processing unit 12 shown in FIG.

[0065] In FIG. 5 , the horizontal direction represents range (distance), and the vertical direction represents velocity. The filled squares s1 in FIG. 5 represent point clouds indicating signals that exceed the CFAR threshold. The unfilled squares s2 in FIG. 5 represent bins (2D-FFT samples) without point clouds that do not exceed the CFAR threshold. The point clouds on the range-Doppler plane calculated in FIG. 5 have their azimuth from the radar calculated by direction estimation, and their position and velocity on a two-dimensional plane are calculated as point clouds indicating an object such as the subject 200. Here, the direction estimation may be calculated using a beamformer and / or a subspace method. Representative subspace method algorithms include MUSIC (MUltiple SIgnal Classification) and ESPRIT (Estimation of Signal Parameters via Rotation Invariance Technique).

[0066] 6 is a diagram showing an example of the results of the signal processing unit 12 converting the point cloud coordinates from the range-Doppler plane shown in FIG. 5 to the XY plane after performing direction estimation. As shown in FIG. 6, the signal processing unit 12 can plot the point cloud PG on the XY plane. Here, the point cloud PG is made up of individual points P. Furthermore, each point P has an angle θ and a radial velocity Vr in polar coordinates.

[0067] The signal processing unit 12 detects an object present within the range in which the transmission wave T is transmitted based on at least one of the results of the 2D-FFT and the angle estimation. The signal processing unit 12 may perform object detection by, for example, performing clustering processing based on the estimated distance information, velocity information, and angle information. Known algorithms used for clustering data include DBSCAN (Density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise). This is an algorithm that performs clustering based on density. In the clustering processing, for example, the average power of the points constituting the detected object may be calculated. The distance information, velocity information, angle information, and power information of the object detected by the signal processing unit 12 may be supplied to an external device 60, for example, via the communication interface 50.

[0068] As described above, the electronic device 1 may include a transmitting antenna (transmitting antenna array 24), a receiving antenna (receiving antenna array 31), and a control unit 10. The transmitting antenna array 24 transmits a transmission wave T. The receiving antenna array 31 receives a reflected wave R resulting from reflection of the transmission wave T. The control unit 10 then detects an object (such as the subject 200) that reflects the transmission wave T based on the transmission signal transmitted as the transmission wave T and the reception signal received as the reflected wave R.

[0069] Next, estimation of the direction of an incoming wave by the antenna array of the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment will be further described.

[0070] 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the receiving antenna array 31 of the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment and the principle of estimating the direction of an incoming wave by the receiving antenna array 31. FIG. 7 shows an example of reception of radio waves by the receiving antenna array 31.

[0071] As shown in Figure 7, the receive antenna array 31 may be a linear arrangement of sensors such as receive antennas. As shown in Figure 7, in one embodiment, the receive antenna array 31 may include multiple receive antennas arranged in a linear arrangement. In Figure 7, the receive antenna array 31 includes antenna x １ , x ２ , x ３ , …, x Ｍ The receiving antenna array 31 may be composed of any number of antennas. As shown in FIG. 7, the multiple antennas constituting the receiving antenna array 31 are arranged at an interval of an array pitch d. A sensor array in which sensors (antennas, ultrasonic vibrators, microphones, etc.) corresponding to various physical waves are arranged in an array is also called a Uniform Linear Array (ULA). As shown in FIG. 7, physical waves (electromagnetic waves, sound waves, etc.) are transmitted along a direction, for example, θ １ and θ ２ where θ １ and θ ２ may be the angle of arrival described above. In this way, a sensor array such as the receiving antenna array 31 can estimate the direction of arrival (angle of arrival) by utilizing the phase difference that occurs in the measurements between sensors depending on the direction of arrival of the physical wave. This method of estimating the direction of arrival of a wave is also referred to as angle of arrival estimation or direction of arrival (DoA).

[0072] In the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment, at least one of the transmitting antenna array 24 and the receiving antenna array 31 may be configured with multiple antennas arranged in a line. This allows, for example, millimeter-wave radar to appropriately narrow the directivity when transmitting and receiving radio waves. When transmitting a transmitted wave, the direction of the transmitted beam is often controlled by a beamformer. On the other hand, when receiving a reflected wave, the direction of arrival of the reflected wave is often estimated using a subspace method (such as the above-mentioned MUSIC and ESPRIT) rather than a beamformer. In the beamformer and subspace method, in a ULA such as that shown in FIG. 7 , a phase difference occurs in the measurements between sensors depending on the direction of arrival of electromagnetic waves arriving from various directions. Therefore, the phase difference can be used to estimate the direction of arrival of the reflected wave.

[0073] Next, estimation of angles of incoming waves in two directions by the antenna array of the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment will be further described.

[0074] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an antenna arrangement for estimating the directions of arrival at two orthogonal angles.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 8, in the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment, the transmitting antenna array 24 and / or the receiving antenna array 31 may be configured to include an array of a plurality of patch antenna units.

[0076] In the transmitting antenna array 24 shown in Fig. 8, one patch antenna unit may be configured to include a plurality of elements electrically connected in the direction 1 shown in the figure. The direction 1 shown in Fig. 8 may be the X-axis direction shown in Fig. 1. In each patch antenna unit shown in Fig. 8, the plurality of elements may be electrically connected by wiring such as a stripline on a substrate. In each patch antenna unit, each of the plurality of elements is spaced apart by an interval d １，ｔ8, each patch antenna unit may have two or more elements electrically connected to each other. In the present disclosure, the spacing between the antenna elements may be changed as appropriate for beamforming design. In this case, the spacing between the antenna elements may not be limited to be shorter than λ / 2.

[0077] 8, the transmitting antenna array 24 may be configured by arraying a plurality of patch antenna units in a direction 2 shown in the figure. The direction 2 shown in FIG. 8 may be the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 1. The patch antenna units shown in FIG. 8 are spaced apart by an interval d ２，ｔ In one embodiment, the transmit antenna array 24 may include any number of patch antenna units greater than or equal to two. The patch antenna units may be spaced apart by a distance d to obtain a phase difference in the vertical direction (direction 2). 3，ｔ The electrodes may be spaced apart by a distance of 100 mm.

[0078] As shown in Fig. 8, in one embodiment, the receiving antenna array 31 may be a modified version of the arrangement of the elements in the transmitting antenna array 24. That is, in the receiving antenna array 31 shown in Fig. 8, one patch antenna unit may be configured to include a plurality of elements electrically connected in the direction 2 shown in the figure. In each patch antenna unit, the plurality of elements may be electrically connected by wiring such as a stripline on a substrate. In each patch antenna unit, each of the plurality of elements is spaced apart by an interval d ２，ｓ 8, each patch antenna unit may have any number of elements greater than or equal to two electrically connected together.

[0079] 8, the receiving antenna array 31 may be configured by arraying a plurality of patch antenna units in the direction 1 shown in the figure. The patch antenna units are spaced apart at intervals d １，ｓ In one embodiment, the receive antenna array 31 may include any number of patch antenna units greater than or equal to two.

[0080] The elements included in the transmitting antenna array 24 and the receiving antenna array 31 may all be arranged on the same plane (for example, on the surface layer of the same substrate). The transmitting antenna array 24 and the receiving antenna array 31 may also be arranged close to each other (monostatically). Furthermore, directions 1 and 2 shown in FIG. 8 may be geometrically orthogonal to each other.

[0081] By appropriately designing the number of patches of the transmitting antenna array 24 and the receiving antenna array 31 as shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to appropriately narrow the directivity of each of the transmitting antennas and the receiving antennas. Furthermore, by using the transmitting antenna array 24 as shown in FIG. 8 and controlling the direction of transmission of each transmission wave (transmission signal) at each timing of transmission, it is possible to realize a beamformer for direction 2 shown in FIG. 8. Furthermore, by using the receiving antenna array 31 as shown in FIG. 8, it is possible to realize estimation of the direction of arrival of the reflected wave for direction 1 shown in FIG. 8. In this way, it is possible to estimate the direction of arrival of the reflected wave for two angles that are substantially orthogonal. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a point cloud representing an object such as the subject 200 in three dimensions.

[0082] At least a part of each functional unit constituting the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may be constituted by specific means in which software and hardware resources work together.

[0083] Next, a manner in which the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment detects the heartbeat of the subject 200 will be described.

[0084] An electronic device 1 according to an embodiment transmits a transmission wave, such as a millimeter-wave radar wave, to a subject 200 and measures (estimates) the heart rate of the subject 200 based on the result of receiving a reflected wave reflected from the subject's chest where the heart is located. As described above, the subject 200 may be a human or an animal. In this case, for example, a component assumed to be the heart rate envelope can be extracted by frequency filtering vibrations at the subject's 200 location detected by radar. Once the component assumed to be the heart rate envelope is extracted, the heart rate interval can be calculated by taking the interval between peaks of the envelope as the heart rate interval. Here, an approximation can be used in which the peak of the heart rate envelope roughly coincides with the R peak of an electrocardiogram. For this reason, the "heart rate interval" is also referred to as the RR interval or RRI (RR interval), similar to the term used in electrocardiograms.

[0085] According to the electronic device 1 of the embodiment, it is possible to perform non-contact vital sensing of a human body or the like by transmitting and receiving radio waves such as millimeter waves.

[0086] The applicant has filed multiple patent applications for electronic devices that detect biometric information, such as the heart rate of a human body, by transmitting and receiving radio waves (e.g., Patent Application No. 2022-148633). Through research and development to date, the applicant has confirmed that when detecting weak vibrations, such as the heart rate of a human body, by transmitting and receiving radio waves, such as millimeter waves, it is important that the main beam of the radio waves is properly irradiated onto the subject's chest. That is, if the main beam of the radio waves is properly irradiated onto the subject's chest (or the vicinity of the chest), the subject's biometric information can be detected with high accuracy. On the other hand, if the main beam of the radio waves is not properly irradiated onto the subject's chest (or the vicinity of the chest), the subject's biometric information cannot be detected with high accuracy. Therefore, it is important that the sensor that transmits and receives the radio waves is properly positioned relative to the subject so that the main beam of the radio waves is irradiated onto the subject's chest.

[0087] 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating an example of how biometric information of a subject is detected by an electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. FIGS. 9A and 9B are diagrams illustrating how the main beam ML of the electronic device 1 is directed toward the subject 200. In FIGS. 9A and 9B , the subject 200 is shown sitting on a chair or the like. The subject 200 may be standing, or lying on a bed or the like. Alternatively, the subject 200 may be sitting, standing, playing sports such as running, jogging, or dancing, driving, working in a factory, carrying something, sleeping, or any other suitable state. As illustrated in FIGS. 9A and 9B , the electronic device 1 may be attached to a mechanism such as a stand or arm so that it faces the subject 200. The electronic device 1 may also be attached to another member, such as a wall, so that it faces the subject 200.

[0088] FIG. 9A is a diagram showing an example of a manner in which the electronic device 1 can appropriately detect biometric information of the subject 200. When the electronic device 1 is positioned on the subject 200 as shown in FIG. 9A , the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the electronic device 1 using the transmitting antenna array 24 and the receiving antenna array 31 is directed toward the chest Ph of the subject 200. That is, in this case, the main beam ML faces the chest Ph of the subject 200. Therefore, in a situation such as that shown in FIG. 9A , the electronic device 1 can appropriately detect the biometric information of the subject by transmitting and receiving radio waves. Hereinafter, the transmitting antenna array 24 will also be simply referred to as the "transmitting antenna 24." Furthermore, the receiving antenna array 31 will also be simply referred to as the "receiving antenna 31."

[0089] 9B is a diagram showing an example of a situation in which it is assumed that it is difficult for the electronic device 1 to properly detect the biometric information of the subject 200. When the electronic device 1 is positioned on the subject 200 as shown in FIG. 9B , the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the electronic device 1 via the transmitting antenna 24 and the receiving antenna 31 is directed toward a part of the subject 200 that is not facing the chest Ph of the subject 200. That is, in this case, the main beam ML does not face the chest Ph of the subject 200. Therefore, in a situation such as that shown in FIG. 9B , it is assumed that it is difficult for the electronic device 1 to properly detect the biometric information of the subject by transmitting and receiving radio waves.

[0090] As described above, when acquiring biometric information of a human body or the like in a non-contact manner using radio waves such as millimeter waves, it is desirable that the direction of the main beam ML of the electronic device 1 faces the chest Ph of the subject 200. To acquire minute vibrations in the chest Ph of the subject 200, it is desirable to acquire a signal with a high S / N ratio. Therefore, when acquiring biometric information of a human body or the like in the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, it is desirable to use a high-gain antenna with a narrow beam width. In this case, if the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the transmitting antenna 24 and the receiving antenna 31 does not face the chest Ph of the subject 200, it is expected that the electronic device 1 will have difficulty acquiring chest vibrations resulting from the heart and lungs of the subject 200.

[0091] Therefore, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may first use an antenna with a relatively wide directivity (hereinafter also referred to as wide directivity) to detect (estimate) the body part of the subject 200. Then, when the main beam ML of the radio waves faces the chest Ph of the subject 200, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may use an antenna with a relatively narrow directivity (hereinafter also referred to as narrow directivity) to detect (estimate) vibrations of the chest Ph of the subject 200. Features of the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment will be further described below.

[0092] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of antenna configurations (antenna patterns) for transmitting and receiving radio waves in the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment. In Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B, the surface facing the user (positive Y-axis direction) represents the surface onto which radio waves are emitted. The antenna arrangements and / or configurations shown in Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B are merely examples, and other antenna arrangements and / or configurations may be adopted in the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment.

[0093] As shown in FIG. 10A , the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include a wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W and a wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W. For example, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include an antenna element Tx1 as the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W. The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may also include antenna elements Rx1-Rx16 as the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W. The antenna elements Rx1-Rx16 may be spaced apart by half a wavelength (λ / 2) in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 10A . Each of the antenna elements Tx1 and Rx1-Rx16 may include, for example, a single patch. Furthermore, the antenna elements Tx1 and Rx1-Rx16 may be powered from the surface opposite the surface irradiated with radio waves, which faces toward the user (positive Y-axis direction) shown in FIG. 10A .

[0094] As shown in FIG. 10A , the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include a narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N and a narrow-directivity receiving antenna 31N. For example, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include antenna elements Tx2-Tx10 as the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N. The antenna elements Tx2-Tx10 may be arranged spaced apart by one wavelength (λ) in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 10A . The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may also include antenna elements Rx17-Rx20 as the narrow-directivity receiving antenna 31N. The antenna elements Rx17-Rx20 may be arranged spaced apart by half a wavelength (λ / 2) in the X-axis direction shown in FIG. 10A . The antenna elements Tx2-Tx10 and the antenna elements Rx17-Rx20 may each be an antenna element including two patches connected side by side in the Z-axis direction, for example. In one embodiment, the antenna elements Tx2-Tx10 and the antenna elements Rx17-Rx20 may each include, for example, three or more patches. The antenna elements Tx2-Tx10 and the antenna elements Rx17-Rx20 may be fed from the downward direction (negative direction of the Z axis) shown in FIG. 10A.

[0095] As shown in FIG. 10B , the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include a wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W and a wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W. For example, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include antenna elements Tx1-Tx3 as the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W. The antenna elements Tx1-Tx3 may be arranged spaced apart by one wavelength (λ) in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 10B . The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may also include antenna elements Rx1-Rx4 as the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W. The antenna elements Rx1-Rx4 may be arranged spaced apart by half a wavelength (λ / 2) in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 10B . Each of the antenna elements Tx1-Tx3 and the antenna elements Rx1-Rx4 may be an antenna element including, for example, a single patch. Furthermore, the antenna elements Tx1-Tx3 and the antenna elements Rx1-Rx4 may be supplied with power from the surface opposite to the surface irradiated with radio waves facing forward (positive direction of the Y axis) as shown in FIG. 10B.

[0096] As shown in FIG. 10B , the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include a narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N and a narrow-directivity receiving antenna 31N. For example, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may include antenna elements Tx4-Tx12 as the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N. The antenna elements Tx4-Tx12 may be arranged spaced apart by one wavelength (λ) in the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction shown in FIG. 10B . The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may also include antenna elements Rx5-Rx8 as the narrow-directivity receiving antenna 31N. The antenna elements Rx5-Rx8 may be arranged spaced apart by half a wavelength (λ / 2) in the X-axis direction shown in FIG. 10B . The antenna elements Tx4-Tx12 and the antenna elements Rx5-Rx8 may each be an antenna element including two patches connected side by side in the Z-axis direction, for example. In one embodiment, the antenna elements Tx4-Tx12 and the antenna elements Rx5-Rx8 may each include, for example, three or more patches. The antenna elements Tx4-Tx12 and the antenna elements Rx5-Rx8 may be fed from the downward direction (negative direction of the Z axis) shown in FIG. 10B.

[0097] According to the antenna configuration shown in FIG. 10B, the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W (antenna elements Tx1-Tx3) can be used to transmit radio waves in a time-division manner. Furthermore, according to the antenna configuration shown in FIG. 10B, the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W (antenna elements Rx1-Rx4) can be used to configure virtual receiving antennas in both the horizontal and vertical directions. According to the antenna configuration shown in FIG. 10B, the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W (antenna elements Rx1-Rx4) can be used to acquire point cloud information and estimate the direction of arrival of radio waves. Therefore, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can detect (estimate) the body part of the subject 200 by using the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W and the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W.

[0098] 10B , by appropriately using the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N (antenna elements Tx4-Tx12), the main beam ML of radio waves can be transmitted while being directed (opposed) to the chest Ph of the subject 200. Also, by using the narrow-directivity receiving antenna 31N (antenna elements Rx5-Rx8), the antenna configuration shown in FIG. 10B can estimate the horizontal direction of arrival of radio waves and detect vibrations of the chest Ph of the subject 200. Therefore, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can detect (estimate) biometric information of the subject 200 (vital sensing) by using the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W and the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W.

[0099] As described above, with the antenna configuration shown in FIG. 10B , radio waves can be transmitted in a time-division manner by using the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W (antenna elements Tx1-Tx3). Specifically, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can transmit radio waves in a time-division manner using the antenna elements Tx1-Tx3 constituting the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W shown in FIG. 10B (e.g., transmit individually in the order Tx1 → Tx2 → Tx3). Furthermore, as described above, with the antenna configuration shown in FIG. 10B , virtual receiving antennas can be configured in both the horizontal and vertical directions by using the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W (antenna elements Rx1-Rx4). In this manner, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can transmit a transmission wave from the transmitting antenna 24W. The transmitted transmission wave may be reflected by a target or the like. Waves resulting from the reflection of the transmitted transmission wave by a target or the like are also referred to as reflected waves. The electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can perform predetermined signal processing, such as direction-of-arrival estimation, on signals based on the reflected waves received from the receiving antenna 31W. In this way, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can acquire point cloud information indicating the position of a target, etc. Furthermore, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can acquire three-dimensional point cloud position information of the target by performing predetermined signal processing on the acquired point cloud information.

[0100] An electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can perform time-division transmission using a wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W as shown in FIG. 10B , and virtually arrange a receiving antenna 31W in both horizontal and vertical directions, thereby achieving bidirectional direction-of-arrival estimation. In this manner, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can reduce the number of physical antenna elements by performing time-division transmission using the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W. Therefore, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can facilitate downsizing of the device. Furthermore, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can be configured such that the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W is arranged in both horizontal and vertical directions to perform direction-of-arrival estimation. For example, as shown in FIG. 10A , the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can include antenna elements Rx1-Rx16 arranged as the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W, with four elements arranged in the horizontal direction (X-axis direction) and four elements arranged in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction).

[0101] Hereinafter, an operation of detecting (estimating) a body part of the subject 200 by the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment will be described.

[0102] The electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may acquire the point cloud information as described above, for example, by transmitting a transmission wave from the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W toward the subject 200 and receiving a reflected wave of the transmission wave from the receiving antenna 31W. Then, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment can acquire three-dimensional position information (x, y, z) for each body part of the subject 200 relative to the electronic device 1 from the acquired point cloud information using machine learning.

[0103] For example, in the learning phase of machine learning using a neural network or the like, body parts of the subject 200 may be learned for a large number of pieces of three-dimensional position information (x, y, z) relative to the electronic device 1. In this case, for example, correct answer data (teacher data) for each body part of the subject 200 may be provided for the three-dimensional position information (x, y, z) relative to the electronic device 1.

[0104] By appropriately performing machine learning in the learning phase as described above, the electronic device 1 of one embodiment can detect (estimate) the body parts of the subject 200 based on the electronic device 1 in the inference phase.

[0105] FIG. 11 is a diagram conceptually illustrating an example of detection (estimation) of a body part of a subject 200 by the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment.

[0106] The "millimeter wave point cloud data" shown on the left side of Figure 11 shows an example of point cloud data obtained by transmitting millimeter waves from the electronic device 1 to the subject 200 via the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W and receiving the reflected waves via the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W.

[0107] The point cloud information acquired by the electronic device 1 may include information on x-coordinates, y-coordinates, z-coordinates, signal strength (reflection strength), and target speed (relative speed). Therefore, the electronic device 1 may learn three-dimensional coordinates of body parts of the subject 200 relative to the electronic device 1 using this information. In one embodiment, the point cloud data thus obtained may be input to a neural network, such as a skeletal estimation network, as shown in the center of FIG. 11 . By appropriately performing machine learning in the learning phase, the skeletal estimation network can output (estimate) three-dimensional coordinates of body parts of the subject 200 in the inference phase, as shown in the "output data" on the right side of FIG. 11 . The "output data" on the right side of FIG. 11 illustrates an example in which information on three-dimensional coordinates (x-coordinates, y-coordinates, z-coordinates) corresponding to each body part of the subject 200 estimated by the skeletal estimation network in response to input of point cloud information is output. In this way, the electronic device 1 of one embodiment can detect (estimate) three-dimensional position information for each part of the subject 200's body relative to the electronic device 1 by using machine learning from point cloud information obtained by transmitting and receiving radio waves such as millimeter waves.

[0108] The applicant has already filed a patent application relating to an electronic device that learns and estimates body parts, such as a human body, by transmitting and receiving radio waves (for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-29203 (JP Patent Publication No. 2022-130176)). Therefore, a detailed description of the learning and estimation of body parts, such as a human body, by transmitting and receiving radio waves will be omitted. In the above application, two-dimensional coordinates are input and two-dimensional coordinates are output. However, based on a similar idea to the invention of the application, three-dimensional coordinates can also be output by using three-dimensional coordinates during learning.

[0109] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the electronic device 1 may not only acquire three-dimensional coordinates of each part of the body of the subject 200, but may also detect (estimate) the three-dimensional position of the chest Ph of the subject 200. By detecting (estimating) the position of the chest Ph of the subject 200, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can determine whether the main beam of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N and receiving antenna 31N is directed toward the position of the chest Ph of the subject 200. Here, the positions of the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W and receiving antenna 31W and the positions of the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N and receiving antenna 31N may each be known relative to the electronic device 1. Furthermore, the directions of the radio waves transmitted and received by the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W and receiving antenna 31W and the directions of the main beams of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N and receiving antenna 31N may each be known relative to the electronic device 1. In other words, the electronic device 1 of one embodiment can determine whether the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow-directional antennas (24N, 31N) is directed toward the position of the chest Ph of the subject 200, based on the detection results by the wide-directional antennas (24W, 31W).

[0110] As described above, when it is determined that the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N and the receiving antenna 31N is directed toward the position of the chest Ph of the subject 200, the electronic device 1 may start detecting biological information of the subject 200. That is, in this case, the electronic device 1 may detect biological information such as the heart rate of the subject 200 by transmitting a transmission wave from the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N and receiving a reflected wave reflected by the subject 200 from the receiving antenna 31N.

[0111] On the other hand, if it is determined that the main beam of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow directivity transmitting antenna 24N and the receiving antenna 31N is not directed toward the position of the chest Ph of the subject 200, it is assumed that the electronic device 1 will not be able to accurately detect the biological information of the subject 200. In this case, the electronic device 1 may detect the degree of "deviation" of the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) from the direction of the chest Ph of the subject 200, based on the detection result by the wide directivity antennas (24W, 31W).

[0112] Once the degree of misalignment is detected in this manner, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may operate to automatically cancel the "misalignment" if possible.

[0113] For example, in one embodiment, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 can perform beamforming by controlling the phase of radio waves transmitted from the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N). In this case, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 may realize beamforming so as to cancel the "shift" by controlling the phase of radio waves transmitted from the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N), for example.

[0114] For example, as shown in Fig. 9B, a situation is assumed in which, based on the detection results from the wide directivity antennas (24W, 31W), the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) is misaligned with the chest Ph of the subject 200. In this case, the control unit 10 may detect the degree of the "misalignment" and, by controlling the phase of the radio waves transmitted from the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N), for example, as shown in Fig. 12A, realize beamforming so as to cancel the "misalignment."

[0115] Furthermore, for example, in one embodiment, the electronic device 1 is provided with a mechanism (angle adjustment mechanism 80) capable of adjusting the tilt of the radiation surface of the radio waves transmitted from the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N). In this case, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 may cancel the "deviation" by adjusting the tilt of the radiation surface of the radio waves transmitted from the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) using the angle adjustment mechanism 80.

[0116] For example, as shown in Fig. 9B, it is assumed that, based on the detection results from the wide directivity antennas (24W, 31W), the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) is "offset" from the chest Ph of the subject 200. In this case, the control unit 10 may detect the degree of "offset" and, by adjusting the tilt of the radiation surface of the radio waves transmitted from the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) using the angle adjustment mechanism 80, cancel the "offset," as shown in Fig. 12B, for example.

[0117] Furthermore, for example, in one embodiment, the electronic device 1 is provided with a mechanism (height adjustment mechanism 90) capable of adjusting the height of the radiation surface of the radio waves transmitted from the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N). In this case, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 may cancel the "deviation" by adjusting the height of the radiation surface of the radio waves transmitted from the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) using the height adjustment mechanism 90.

[0118] For example, as shown in Fig. 9B, it is assumed that, based on the detection results from the wide directivity antennas (24W, 31W), the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) is "offset" from the chest Ph of the subject 200. In this case, the control unit 10 may detect the degree of "offset" and, by adjusting the height of the radiation surface of the radio waves transmitted from the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) using the height adjustment mechanism 90, cancel the "offset," as shown in Fig. 12C, for example.

[0119] Furthermore, when the degree of misalignment is detected as described above, the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment may, if possible, notify the user of the misalignment and prompt the user to cancel the misalignment. For example, in one embodiment, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 may notify the subject 200 whether the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow-directivity antennas (24N, 31N) is misaligned from the direction of the chest Ph of the subject 200. In this case, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 may output information indicating whether the above-described misalignment has occurred as information that appeals to at least one of the visual, auditory, and tactile senses. Furthermore, in one embodiment, if the above-described misalignment has occurred, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 may output the degree of the misalignment as information that appeals to at least one of the visual, auditory, and tactile senses.

[0120] For example, in one embodiment, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 may output information necessary to make the main beam face the chest Ph, such as the fact that the chest Ph of the subject 200 is shifted, for example, 10 cm in the vertical direction, for example, 5 cm to the right, from the reference position of the electronic device 1.

[0121] By performing such an operation, the subject 200 can recognize whether or not the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow-directivity antennas (24N, 31N) is deviated from the direction of the chest Ph of the subject 200, and the degree of deviation. In this case, the subject 200 can cancel the "deviation" by, for example, manually changing the direction or height of the electronic device 1.

[0122] In addition, in one embodiment, the electronic device 1 may output the degree of "misalignment" as information that appeals to at least one of the senses of sight, hearing, and touch, even while the subject 200 is manually changing the orientation or height of the electronic device 1.

[0123] In this way, the electronic device 1 can direct (face) the main beam ML of radio waves from the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N and the receiving antenna 31N toward (facing) the chest Ph of the subject 200. Therefore, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment can detect the biometric information of the subject 200 with high accuracy by using the wide-directivity transmitting antenna 24W and the wide-directivity receiving antenna 31W.

[0124] If the main beam ML of radio waves from the narrow-directivity transmitting antenna 24N and receiving antenna 31N can be directed (facing) toward the chest Ph of the subject 200, it is possible to acquire (estimate) the biometric information of the subject 200 by using a method described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application No. 2022-148633. Therefore, a more detailed description of acquiring (estimating) the biometric information of the subject 200 will be omitted.

[0125] As described above, the electronic device 1 can determine whether the main beam ML of the radio waves transmitted and received by the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) is directed toward the position of the chest Ph of the subject 200 based on the detection results from the wide directivity antennas (24W, 31W). Herein, the terms "wide directivity" and "narrow directivity" are relative concepts. In the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, a "wide directivity" antenna may have a wider directivity than a "narrow directivity" antenna. Furthermore, in the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, a "narrow directivity" antenna may have a narrower directivity than a "wide directivity" antenna. Hereinafter, for convenience, "wide directivity" may be referred to as "first directivity." Furthermore, a transmission wave having a first directivity may be referred to as a "first transmission wave." Furthermore, a mode (operation mode) in which a first transmission wave having a first directivity is transmitted from a wide directivity antenna may be referred to as a "first mode." Similarly, "narrow directivity" may be referred to as "second directivity" for convenience. A transmission wave having second directivity may be referred to as "second transmission wave." Furthermore, a mode (operation mode) in which a second transmission wave having second directivity is transmitted from, for example, a narrow directivity antenna may be referred to as "second mode."

[0126] As described above, in the electronic device 1, the wide-directivity antennas (24W, 31W) are used to acquire information about body parts of the subject 200. For this reason, the wide-directivity antennas (24W, 31W) may have directivity such that the half-power angle in the narrower of the horizontal and vertical planes is approximately ±35 degrees or more. On the other hand, in the electronic device 1, the narrow-directivity antennas (24N, 31N) are used to acquire information about the biological information of the subject 200, such as vibrations of the chest Ph of the subject 200. For this reason, the narrow-directivity antennas (24N, 31N) may have directivity such that the half-power angle in the narrower of the horizontal and vertical planes is approximately ±15 degrees or less.

[0127] 13 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment. The operation shown in FIG. 13 may start when the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment starts detecting biological information of the subject 200.

[0128] When the operation shown in FIG. 13 starts, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 transmits radio waves to the subject 200 using a wide-directivity antenna (24 W, 31 W) and receives reflected waves (step S11).

[0129] Next, the signal processing unit 12 detects (estimates) the body part of the subject 200 based on the transmitted signal and the received signal (step S12).

[0130] Next, the control unit 10 determines whether the main beam ML of the narrow-directional antenna (24N, 31N) is directed toward (facing) the chest Ph of the subject 200 based on the information of the detected (estimated) body part of the subject 200 (step S13).

[0131] In step S13, if it is determined that the main beam ML of the narrow-directivity antenna (24N, 31N) is directed toward (facing) the chest Ph of the subject 200 (Yes), the control unit 10 may proceed to the operation of step S14.

[0132] In step S14, the control unit 10 transmits radio waves to the subject 200 using the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) and receives reflected waves (step S14).

[0133] Next, the signal processing unit 12 may detect (estimate) the biometric information of the subject 200 by detecting vibrations of the chest of the subject 200 based on the transmitted signal and the received signal (step S15), and then terminate the operation shown in Figure 13.

[0134] On the other hand, in step S13, if it is determined that the main beam ML of the narrow-directivity antenna (24N, 31N) is not directed toward (facing) the chest Ph of the subject 200 (No), the control unit 10 may perform the operation of step S16 and then proceed to the above-mentioned steps S14 and S15.

[0135] In step S16, the control unit 10 controls the main beam ML of the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) to be directed (facing) toward the chest Ph of the subject 200. In step S16, the control unit 10 may, for example, perform beamforming ( FIG. 12A ), adjust the tilt of the radio wave radiation surface using the angle adjustment mechanism 80 ( FIG. 12B ), or adjust the height of the radio wave radiation surface using the height adjustment mechanism 90 ( FIG. 12C ). Furthermore, in step S16, the control unit 10 may output, to the subject 200, information for directing (facing) the main beam ML of the narrow directivity antennas (24N, 31N) toward the chest Ph of the subject 200.

[0136] As described above, the electronic device 1 according to one embodiment may include wide-directivity antennas (24W, 31W) and narrow-directivity antennas (24N, 31N). The wide-directivity antennas (24W, 31W) may be used to estimate a body part of the subject 200 based on the electronic device 1. The narrow-directivity antennas (24N, 31N) may be used to detect minute vibrations in the chest of the subject 200 resulting from the heart and lungs of the subject 200. In one embodiment, the control unit 10 may operate the electronic device 1 in a mode (first mode) in which the wide-directivity antennas (24W, 31W) are used to estimate a body part of the subject 200. In another embodiment, the control unit 10 may operate the electronic device 1 in a mode (second mode) in which the narrow-directivity antennas (24N, 31N) are used to detect vibrations in the chest Ph of the subject 200. In one embodiment, the control unit 10 may switch (set) whether the electronic device 1 operates in the first mode or the second mode.

[0137] In addition, the control unit 10 of the electronic device 1 in one embodiment may control the main beam direction of the transmitted wave in the second mode to face the chest Ph of the subject 200 based on the results of estimating the body part of the subject 200 in the first mode.

[0138] The electronic device 1 according to one embodiment may include a transmitter that transmits a transmission wave and a receiver that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by a target (e.g., the subject 200). In one embodiment, the "transmitter" may include at least one of a signal generation / processing unit 11, a transmission DAC 21, a transmission circuit 22, a millimeter-wave transmission circuit 23, and a transmission antenna 24. In another embodiment, the "receiver" may include at least one of a receiving antenna 31, a mixer 32, a receiving circuit 33, a receiving ADC 34, and a signal processing unit 12. The electronic device 1 may also include a signal processing unit 12 that detects a target (e.g., the subject 200) based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave, and a control unit 10.

[0139] In one embodiment, the control unit 10 sets either a first mode in which a first transmission wave having a first directivity is transmitted from the transmitter unit, or a second mode in which a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity is transmitted from the transmitter unit. The signal processing unit 12 acquires the position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a wave reflected from the target of the first transmission wave. After acquiring the position of the target, the signal processing unit 12 detects vibration of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and a wave reflected from the target of the second transmission wave.

[0140] In one embodiment, the control unit 10 may acquire the position of the target based on a first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a wave reflected by the target from the first transmission wave. In this case, the control unit 10 may perform beamforming of a second transmission wave toward the position of the target in the second mode based on the acquired position of the target.

[0141] In one embodiment, the electronic device 1 may include an angle adjustment mechanism 80 that adjusts the tilt angle of the electronic device 1. In this case, the control unit 10 may acquire the position of a target based on a first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a wave reflected by the target from the first transmission wave. The control unit 10 may also control the angle adjustment mechanism 80 to adjust the tilt angle of the electronic device 1 so that the main beam of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode is directed toward the acquired position of the target.

[0142] In one embodiment, the electronic device 1 may include a height adjustment mechanism 90 that adjusts the height position of the electronic device 1. In this case, the control unit 10 may acquire the position of the target based on a first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a wave reflected by the target from the first transmission wave. The control unit 10 may also control the height adjustment mechanism 90 to adjust the height position of the electronic device 1 so that the main beam of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode is directed toward the acquired position of the target.

[0143] In one embodiment, the signal processing unit 12 may detect (estimate) the position of a specific part of the target based on a first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a wave reflected by the target from the first transmission wave. In another embodiment, when the target is a person, the signal processing unit 12 may detect (estimate) the position of the specific part of the target, that is, the position of the chest of the person.

[0144] In the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, the number of patches constituting the transmitting antenna element that transmits the second transmission wave in the second mode may be greater than the number of patches constituting the transmitting antenna element that transmits the first transmission wave in the first mode. In the electronic device 1 according to an embodiment, the half width of the main beam of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode may be smaller than the half width of the main beam of the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode.

[0145] In one embodiment, the electronic device 1 may be installed in, for example, a mobile object. In this case, the control unit 10 may detect, at a predetermined time, vibration of the target at the position of the target based on a second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and a wave reflected by the target from the second transmission wave. Here, the predetermined time may be at least one of a time when the mobile object is started, a time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the mobile object was started, a time when opening or closing of a door of the mobile object is detected, a time when the traveling distance of the mobile object reaches a predetermined distance, and a time when stopping of the mobile object is detected.

[0146] In addition, in one embodiment, if the target is a person, the control unit 10 may estimate at least one of the person's heart rate, breathing, pulse rate, and body movement based on the vibration of the target at the target's position.

[0147] According to the electronic device 1 of the embodiment, a wide-directivity antenna is used to estimate the body part of the subject 200, and the result is used to direct the main beam of the radio waves from the narrow-directivity antenna toward the chest Ph of the subject 200. Furthermore, according to the electronic device 1 of the embodiment, it is expected that the electronic device 1 alone can detect biometric information with good accuracy, regardless of the physique of the subject 200.

[0148] While the present disclosure has been described based on various drawings and examples, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily make various modifications and alterations based on the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be noted that these modifications and alterations are within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the functions included in each functional unit can be rearranged so as not to cause logical inconsistencies. Multiple functional units can be combined into one or divided. The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to faithful implementation of each of the described embodiments, but can be implemented by combining each feature or omitting some features as appropriate. In other words, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations to the contents of the present disclosure based on the present disclosure. Therefore, these modifications and alterations are within the scope of the present disclosure. For example, in each embodiment, each functional unit, each means, each step, etc. can be added to other embodiments so as not to cause logical inconsistencies, or can be replaced with each functional unit, each means, each step, etc. of other embodiments. Furthermore, in each embodiment, multiple functional units, each means, each step, etc. can be combined into one or divided into two or more. Furthermore, each of the above-described embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to being implemented faithfully according to each of the described embodiments, but can also be implemented by combining each feature or omitting some of them as appropriate.

[0149] The above-described embodiment is not limited to implementation as the electronic device 1. For example, the above-described embodiment may be implemented as a control method for a device such as the electronic device 1. Furthermore, the above-described embodiment may be implemented as a program executed by a device such as the electronic device 1, or as a storage medium or recording medium on which a program is recorded.

[0150] The electronic device 1 according to the above-described embodiment has been described as including components constituting a so-called radar sensor, such as the transmitting antenna array 24 and the receiving antenna array 31. However, the electronic device according to the embodiment may be implemented as, for example, a configuration such as the control unit 10. In this case, the control unit 10 may be implemented as having a function of processing signals handled by the transmitting antenna array 24, the receiving antenna array 31, and the like.

[0151] While the electronic device and the like according to an embodiment have been described above, the electronic device, control method, and / or program according to an embodiment may be implemented, for example, as follows, as long as there is no physical or logical contradiction. [Supplementary Note 1] An electronic device comprising: a transmitter that transmits a transmission wave; a receiver that receives a reflected wave obtained by reflecting the transmission wave by a target; a signal processor that detects the target based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave; and a controller that sets either a first mode in which the transmitter transmits a first transmission wave having a first directivity, or a second mode in which the transmitter transmits a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity, wherein the signal processor acquires the position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a reflected wave obtained by reflecting the first transmission wave by the target, and then detects vibration of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and a reflected wave obtained by reflecting the second transmission wave by the target. [Supplementary Note 2] The electronic device according to Supplementary Note 1, wherein the control unit performs beamforming of the second transmission wave toward a position of the target in the second mode based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a position of the target acquired based on a wave reflected by the target of the first transmission wave. [Supplementary Note 3] The electronic device according to Supplementary Note 1, further comprising an angle adjustment mechanism that adjusts a tilt angle of the electronic device, and the control unit controls the angle adjustment mechanism to adjust the tilt angle of the electronic device so that a main beam of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode is directed toward the position of the target acquired based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a wave reflected by the target of the first transmission wave.[Supplementary Note 4] The electronic device according to Supplementary Note 1, further comprising: a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting a height position of the electronic device; and the control unit controls the height adjustment mechanism to adjust the height position of the electronic device so that a main beam of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode is directed toward a position of the target acquired based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a wave reflected by the target of the first transmission wave. [Supplementary Note 5] The electronic device according to any one of Supplements 1 to 4, wherein the signal processing unit detects a position of a specific part of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a wave reflected by the target of the first transmission wave. [Supplementary Note 6] The electronic device according to Supplementary Note 5, wherein the signal processing unit detects, when the target is a person, a position of the chest of the person as the position of the specific part of the target. [Supplementary Note 7] The electronic device according to any one of Supplements 1 to 6, wherein the number of patches constituting a transmitting antenna element that transmits the second transmission wave in the second mode is greater than the number of patches constituting a transmitting antenna element that transmits the first transmission wave in the first mode. [Supplementary Note 8] The electronic device according to any one of Supplements 1 to 7, wherein a half width of a main beam of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode is smaller than a half width of a main beam of the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode. [Supplementary Note 9] The electronic device according to any one of Supplements 1 to 8, wherein the electronic device is installed in a moving object, and the control unit detects, at a predetermined time point, vibration of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and a wave reflected by the target from the second transmission wave. [Supplementary Note 10] The electronic device according to Supplementary Note 9, wherein the predetermined time point is at least one of a time point when the moving object is started, a time point when a predetermined time has elapsed since the moving object was started, a time point when opening or closing of a door of the moving object is detected, a time point when the traveling distance of the moving object reaches a predetermined distance, and a time point when stoppage of the moving object is detected.[Supplementary Note 11] The electronic device according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 10, wherein, when the target is a human, the control unit estimates at least one of a heart rate, respiration, pulse, and body movement of the human based on vibrations of the target at the position of the target. [Supplementary Note 12] A control method for an electronic device comprising: a transmitter that transmits a transmission wave; a receiver that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by the target; a signal processor that detects the target based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave; and a control unit that sets either a first mode in which the transmitter transmits a first transmission wave having a first directivity, or a second mode in which the transmitter transmits a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity, the control method comprising: acquiring the position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target; and detecting vibrations of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and a reflected wave of the second transmission wave reflected by the target. a signal processing unit that detects the target based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave; and a control unit that sets either a first mode in which a first transmission wave having a first directivity is transmitted from the transmission unit, or a second mode in which a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity is transmitted from the transmission unit, the program causing an electronic device to acquire a position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and the reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target, and to detect vibration of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and the reflected wave of the second transmission wave reflected by the target.

[0152] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 Electronic device 10 Control unit 11 Signal generation processing unit 12 Signal processing unit 13 Heart rate extraction unit 14 Calculation unit 21 Transmission DAC 22 Transmission circuit 23 Millimeter wave transmission circuit 24 Transmission antenna array 31 Reception antenna array 32 Mixer 33 Reception circuit 34 Reception ADC 50 Communication interface 60 External device 80 Angle adjustment mechanism 90 Height adjustment mechanism

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising: a transmitter that transmits a transmission wave; a receiver that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by a target; a signal processor that detects the target based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave; and a controller that sets either a first mode in which the transmitter transmits a first transmission wave having a first directivity, or a second mode in which the transmitter transmits a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity, wherein the signal processor acquires the position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and the reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target, and then detects vibrations of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and the reflected wave of the second transmission wave reflected by the target.

2. The electronic device described in claim 1, wherein the control unit performs beamforming of the second transmission wave toward the position of the target in the second mode based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and the position of the target acquired based on the reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target.

3. An electronic device as described in claim 1, comprising an angle adjustment mechanism for adjusting the tilt angle of the electronic device, wherein the control unit controls the angle adjustment mechanism to adjust the tilt angle of the electronic device so that the main beam of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode is directed toward the position of the target acquired based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and the reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target.

4. An electronic device as described in claim 1, comprising a height adjustment mechanism for adjusting the height position of the electronic device, wherein the control unit controls the height adjustment mechanism to adjust the height position of the electronic device so that the main beam of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode is directed toward the position of the target obtained based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and the reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit detects the position of a specific part of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and a wave reflected by the target from the first transmission wave.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein the signal processing unit detects the position of the specific part of the target as the position of the chest of the person when the target is a person.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the number of patches constituting the transmitting antenna element that transmits the second transmission wave in the second mode is greater than the number of patches constituting the transmitting antenna element that transmits the first transmission wave in the first mode.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the half-width of the main beam of the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode is smaller than the half-width of the main beam of the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronic device is installed on a moving body, and the control unit detects, at a predetermined time, vibrations of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and a wave reflected by the target from the second transmission wave.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the predetermined time is at least one of the time when the moving body is started, the time when a predetermined time has elapsed since the moving body was started, the time when opening or closing of a door of the moving body is detected, the time when the traveling distance of the moving body reaches a predetermined distance, and the time when it is detected that the moving body has stopped.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the control unit estimates at least one of the heart rate, breathing, pulse rate, and body movement of a person when the target is a person, based on the vibration of the target at the position of the target.

12. A control method for an electronic device comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits a transmission wave; a receiving unit that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by a target; a signal processing unit that detects the target based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave; and a control unit that sets either a first mode in which the transmitting unit transmits a first transmission wave having a first directivity, or a second mode in which the transmitting unit transmits a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity, wherein the control method obtains the position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and the reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target, and detects vibration of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and the reflected wave of the second transmission wave reflected by the target.

13. A program that causes an electronic device comprising: a transmitting unit that transmits a transmission wave; a receiving unit that receives a reflected wave of the transmission wave reflected by a target; a signal processing unit that detects the target based on the transmission wave and the reflected wave; and a control unit that sets either a first mode in which the transmitting unit transmits a first transmission wave having a first directivity, or a second mode in which the transmitting unit transmits a second transmission wave having a second directivity narrower than the first directivity, to acquire the position of the target based on the first transmission wave transmitted in the first mode and the reflected wave of the first transmission wave reflected by the target, and to detect vibration of the target at the position of the target based on the second transmission wave transmitted in the second mode and the reflected wave of the second transmission wave reflected by the target.

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