UWB Radar based Respiratory Rate Detection for Driver

Title

UWB Radar based Respiratory Rate Detection for Driver

Creator

Udhyami, M.B.; Rodrigues, Joseph

Description

Continuous health monitoring and the early detection of physiological abnormalities play an important role in vehicular environments. In particular, respiration rate and heart rate estimations are crucial for preventing accidents caused by sudden health impairments to the driver. Impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) radar provides an effective solution for long-duration and non-invasive respiration rate monitoring. UWB systems offer sub-nanosecond time resolution while operating at low transmitted power levels, making them suitable for continuous monitoring of the human body. UWB pulses possess strong penetration capability, allowing signals to pass through obstacles such as clothing and vehicle seat covers. This paper presents an IR-UWB radar-based framework for estimating respiration rate using a seat-integrated monostatic radar configuration, where UWB signals propagate through the thoracic region from the posterior side toward the lung. Respiration-induced variations in lung geometry and dielectric properties under different physiological conditions result in corresponding changes in the reflected pulses, which can be analysed for respiration monitoring. Furthermore, variations in the antenna reflection coefficient (S11) exhibit noticeable differences under different lung conditions, from which respiration waveforms can be derived. The extracted respiration-related signal is subsequently transformed into the frequency domain using the Fast Fourier transform (FFT), which enables the accurate estimation of the respiration rate. In this paper, the UWB signal for radar communication complies the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) spectral mask from 3.1 - 10.6 GHz to ensure human safety. The results presented in this paper confirm that the proposed UWB Gaussian seventh-derivative IR-UWB Radar combined with FFT-based processing enables reliable respiration rate estimation and is well-suited for continuous in-seat vital sign monitoring in driving environments. 2026 IEEE.

Source

Proceedings of the 2026 International Conference on AI-Driven Smart Systems and Ubiquitous Computing, ICAUC 2026;pp.477-483

Date

01-01-2026

Publisher

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.

Subject

IR-UWB Gaussian pulse propagation; Non-invasive vital sign detection UWB monostatic Radar; Scattering parameter; UWB monostatic Radar; Vehicular communication

Coverage

Udhyami M.B., Christ Deemed to be University, Department of Electrical and Electronics, Bangalore, India; Rodrigues J., Christ Deemed to be University, Department of Electrical and Electronics, Bangalore, India

Rights

Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library

Relation

ISBN: 979-833155851-2;

Format

online

Language

English

Type

Conference paper

Identifier

https://doi.org/10.1109/ICAUC68182.2026.11441090

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105037454073?origin=resultslist