Signal Separation Using a Mathematical Model of Physiological Signals for the Measurement of Heart Pulse Wave Propagation With Array Radar

The arterial pulse wave, which propagates along the artery, is an important indicator of various cardiovascular diseases. By measuring the displacement at multiple parts of the human body, pulse wave velocity can be estimated from the pulse transit time. This paper proposes a technique for signal separation using an antenna array, so that pulse wave propagation can be measured in a non-contact manner. The body displacements due to the pulse wave at different body parts are highly correlated, and cannot be accurately separated using techniques that assume independent or uncorrelated signals. The proposed method formulates the signal separation as an optimization problem, based on a mathematical model of the arterial pulse wave. The objective function in the optimization comprises four terms that are derived based on a small-displacement approximation, unimodal impulse response approximation, and a causality condition. The optimization process was implemented using a genetic algorithm. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated through numerical simulations and experiments.Comment: This paper has been published in IEEE Access (Early Access), 12 pages, 17 figure

Cuffless blood pressure estimation from the carotid pulse arrival time using continuous wave radar

peer reviewedAmbulatory blood pressure monitors based on pulse transit time are limited by the challenge of changing vascular tone. This study focuses on the use of the carotid artery as an alternative location for arterial pulse acquisition. We use continuous wave radio frequency (RF) radar coupled directly to the body to detect the pulse wave signal. We have shown that the blood pressure-pulse transit time calibration using the carotid pulse is as accurate as that of the radial arterial pulse. The results of this investigation may be useful in developing wearable sensors for long-term monitoring of the pulse wave signal at the carotid artery. © 2015 IEEE