In-Vehicle UWB Radar Fusion for Occupant Biometric Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle radar systems struggle to accurately measure biometric characteristics such as heart rate and heart rate variability of occupants using millimeter-wave radars, which are costly and may not be optimally integrated with existing ultrawideband (UWB) radar systems for other vehicle functions.
Innovation Solution
Utilizing a combination of UWB radars installed in a vehicle to generate a combined radar data stream by averaging multiple UWB radar data streams, allowing for precise biometric characteristic measurement, such as heart rate variability, without the need for more powerful sensors like millimeter-wave radars.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If millimeter-wave radars are used to measure biometric characteristics, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple UWB radar data streams into a single composite signal to achieve biometric measurement capability comparable to millimeter-wave radars. By merging signals from multiple antennas and processing them together, the system achieves sufficient measurement precision without requiring expensive millimeter-wave technology.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables UWB radars, originally designed for other vehicle functions, to perform biometric characteristic measurements as well. This multi-functionality allows the same radar infrastructure to serve multiple purposes, eliminating the need for separate millimeter-wave radar systems dedicated solely to biometric sensing.
2Measurement precision
If millimeter-wave radars are used for biometric measurement, then measurement precision is improved, but cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses UWB radar technology, which is cheaper and more readily available than millimeter-wave radar systems. By leveraging existing, lower-cost UWB infrastructure and processing multiple data streams computationally, the system achieves biometric measurement capability without the high cost of dedicated millimeter-wave sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from using higher-frequency millimeter-wave signals to using lower-frequency UWB signals processed in a different manner. By altering the signal processing parameters and combining multiple UWB streams, the system achieves comparable measurement precision at lower cost.
3Measurement precision
If multiple UWB radars are combined to improve measurement precision, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the radar system into multiple independent UWB antennas and data streams, each handling a portion of the sensing task. By segmenting the overall function across multiple simpler components rather than using a single complex millimeter-wave system, the architecture becomes more manageable and cost-effective.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces signal processing algorithms as an intermediary that combines and processes multiple UWB data streams. This computational mediator integrates the information from multiple sources to achieve biometric measurement precision without requiring direct hardware complexity of millimeter-wave systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables accurate measurement of biometric characteristics like heart rate variability, facilitating vehicle component actuation and alerting systems based on these measurements, while leveraging existing UWB radar infrastructure for enhanced vehicle functionality.
Implementation Method 1
receive a plurality of radar data streams from a respective plurality of ultrawideband (UWB) radars
Data Source
AI summary
A computer includes a processor and a memory, and the memory stores instructions executable by the processor to receive a plurality of radar data streams from a respective plurality of ultrawideband (UWB) radars in a passenger compartment of a vehicle, generate a combined radar data stream by averaging the radar data streams together, measure a biometric characteristic of an occupant of the passenger compartment based on the combined radar data stream, and actuate a component of the vehicle based on the biometric characteristic.