Method and apparatus for detecting breathing radar targets

One or more non-transitory computer readable storage media, storing a computer program adapted to be run on a computer processor to perform a computer-implemented method comprising:

• separating an electric signal generated by Doppler processors of a radar into alternating current (AC) magnitudes with Doppler frequencies corresponding to absolute values between 0.1 and 4 Hz and direct current (DC) magnitudes with no frequency;
• generating a AC line by calculating a sum of the AC magnitudes across Doppler cells for one or more range cells and by running constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detector algorithm for the sum of the AC magnitudes;
• generating a DC line by calculating a sum of the DC magnitudes across the Doppler cells for each range cell and by running CFAR detector algorithm for the sum of the DC magnitudes;
• comparing an energy level difference between an energy spike in the AC line and another energy spike in the DC line with a threshold set for detecting a breathing target;
• and
• based on ascertaining that the energy level difference between the energy spikes respective to the AC line and the DC line is greater than the threshold, detecting the breathing target that is stationary and generating an output that informs a user of the radar of the breathing target with a range value of the breathing target from the radar.

A radar system, comprising:

• a transmitter to emit radio waves;
• a detector to receive the radio waves that has been reflected from an object at a distance, and to generate an electric signal corresponding to the radio waves;
• and
• a processor for processing the electric signal, comprising:
• a first functional block that separates the electric signal into alternating current (AC) magnitudes with Doppler frequencies corresponding to absolute values between 0.1 and 4 Hz and direct current (DC) magnitudes with no frequency;
• and
• a second functional block that detects a breathing target without motion based on a difference between an energy spike of an AC line and another energy spike of a DC line being greater than a threshold for detecting the breathing target that is stationary, based on processing the AC line by calculating a sum of the AC magnitudes across Doppler cells for one or more range cells and by running the constant false alarm rate (CFAR) detector algorithm for the sum of the AC magnitudes, and processing the DC line by calculating a sum of the DC magnitudes across Doppler cells for each range cell and by running the CFAR detector algorithm for the sum of the DC magnitudes.