Comparison between UWB and CW radar sensors for breath activity monitoring

In this paper the ability of four radar sensors in detecting breath activity has been tested. In particular, range gating UWB, CMOS UWB, CW phase detecting, and FMCW radars have taken into account. Considering a realistic scenario, the radar antenna has been pointed towards the thorax of a breathing subject and the recorded signals have been compared with those of a piezoelectric belt placed around the thorax. Then the ability of the radars in detecting small movements has been tested by means of an oscillating copper plate placed at various distances from the radar antenna. All the considered radars were able to detect the plate movements with a distance-dependent resolution. © 2014 SPIE.