60 GHz MMW sensor for monitoring driver’s vital signs

Abstract

Many fatal traffic accidents caused by professional drivers are attributed not only to fatigue and stress, but also heart and cardiovascular disease. Heartbeat interval (HBI) is one of the primary vital signs that indicates a sudden change in a person’s physical condition. In addition, blood pressure, particularly continuous blood pressure (BP), is highly correlated with cardiovascular disease. However, to our knowledge, there are no studies on monitoring a driver’s HBI and continuous BP simultaneously. In this paper, we present a 60 GHz millimeter-wave vital signs sensor to monitor the driver’s HBI and continuous BP in a non-contact manner. The driver’s HBI and continuous BP were measured while driving and each measured vital sign was evaluated using correlation and Bland-Altman analysis.