Intelligent signal processing routine for instantaneous heart rate detection using a Six-Port microwave interferometer

Abstract

Instantaneous heart rate detection is one of the key parameters in medical vital parameter monitoring. In medical centers e.g., real time monitoring of the vital signs of a patient under surveillance is necessary. Nowadays, the dominant technologies are electrocardiogram (ECG) or ballistocardiogram (BCG), but the required direct contact to the person-under-surveillance is a common drawback of these sensors. In this paper, a Six-Port microwave interferometer is presented and used to detect the current heart rate of a person-under-test. An intelligent signal processing routing is proposed that avoids the fast Fourier transform (FFT) due to the implicated longsome observation window and operates directly in the time domain instead. A commercial ECG product is used to proof the reliability of the presented signal processing routine to establish Six-Port microwave interferometers for instantaneous heart rate detection.