Breathing Rate App
Algorithm
This application is designed to measure breathing rate only. It is not designed to detect and measure heart rate. It is not intended as a medical device algorithm, but it will give you a good estimate of a person’s breathing rate and pattern.
The algorithm is trying to extract certain frequency components within the radar data received from the sensor. As the breathing movement is characterized by small displacements, the subject must be relatively still during measurement, such as sitting in a chair or sleeping in bed, otherwise the measurement will not work.
Considerations
The results are dependent on a few factors;
Radar cross section
This is determined by the size of the test subject (adult vs infant), the position of the torso relative to the radar sensor as shown in the below image (side chest vs frontal chest).
Distance to test subject
The longer the range, the less signal is returned to the sensor, which in combination with a weak radar cross section (Described above) can impact detectability. You can improve the detection range by adding a dielectric lens in front of the sensor. Typical range for breathing measurement is between 200 – 2500 mm.
Sensor positioning
To get a good reading, the sensor should be positioned perpendicular to the chest of the test subject. A sensor that is, for instance, mounted in the ceiling of a room is well positioned to detect breathing rate of a person placed horizontally beneath, but will not detect the breathing of standing person.
For more information and details about our reference application and it’s algorithms please go to: Breathing — Acconeer docs
REFERENCE VIDEO BREATHING
This video will give you an overview of our reference application capabilities.