Noninvasive/non-contact device and method for detecting and diagnosing sleep apnea by using IR-UWB radar

A device for detecting and diagnosing sleep apnea, the device comprising:

• a signal acquisition unit configured to acquire clutter subtraction signals by removing a clutter signal from reception signals received when impulse signals are emitted from one or more impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) radars disposed at predetermined positions and are reflected;
• a respiration signal extraction unit configured to determine a position at which a change is greatest in the plurality of clutter subtraction signals acquired during a predetermined signal acquisition period, extract the clutter subtraction signal at the determined position to acquire a respiration signal that is a respiration waveform signal, and detect a local maximum value and a local minimum value that are peaks of the respiration signal;
• a threshold value setting unit configured to accumulate deviations between the local maximum value and the local minimum value to set a first threshold value that is a criterion for a normal state, set a first weight for determining a start of an apnea state according to a change in the local maximum value or the local minimum value, set a second weight for determining an end of the apnea state according to a change in the number of the local maximum values and the local minimum values obtained during a predetermined reference time period, and set a second threshold value, which is a criterion for determining the apnea state, from the first threshold value and the first and second weights;
• and
• a detection diagnosis unit configured to compare the deviation with the second threshold value to detect the apnea state and diagnose a level of sleep apnea of an examinee based on the number of times of the detected apnea state.