Variational Encoder-Decoder Neural Network for Interference Removal in Doppler Radar Vital Sign Detection

Core Concepts

A novel variational encoder-decoder neural network approach is presented for removing interference motions from Doppler radar signals to enable accurate extraction of vital signs.

Abstract

The paper addresses the challenge of extracting vital sign information, such as respiration rate and heart rate, from Doppler radar signals in the presence of interfering body motions. A key problem is that the vital sign contributions and the interference motions can have overlapping Doppler bands and significant differences in power levels, making them difficult to separate using traditional signal processing techniques.

The proposed solution utilizes a variational convolutional neural network (CNN) as an interference removal system. The network is trained on a semi-experimental dataset, where the vital sign STFT (Short-Time Fourier Transform) signals are derived from real recordings and the interference motion is synthesized according to a widely applied model.

The results demonstrate that the network is capable of generalizing beyond the training dataset and can produce outputs with low reconstruction loss for unseen samples. Furthermore, the network's output is shown to enable more accurate extraction of the respiration rate compared to the original mixed signal, even in the presence of high levels of interference and additive noise.

The key highlights of the proposed approach are:

• It operates solely on single-channel complex radar signals, making it flexible for a wide range of applications.
• The probabilistic nature of the variational architecture allows the model to learn more realistic representations of the signal.
• The framework can be adjusted by controlling the datasets used for training, enabling application to various interference removal scenarios.

Stats

The radar data within the dataset is supplied in quadrature format, with separate traces for I and Q signals.
The power ratio between the vital sign signal and the simulated interference motion is controlled by first normalising the power of both signals to achieve zero-mean and unit-variance, followed by scaling of the interference signal to match a given Signal-to-Interference Ratio (SIR) ratio.

Quotes

"The contribution presented in this work constitutes the first application of a variational encoder-decoder neural network for interference removal from vital signs radar returns."
"The probabilistic nature of the architecture allows the model to learn a more realistic representations of the signal, where a given input is matched with a distribution of possible satisfactory output samples rather than a single sample."

Key Insights Distilled From

Interference Motion Removal for Doppler Radar Vital Sign Detection Using Variational Encoder-Decoder Neural Network

by Mikolaj Czer... at arxiv.org 04-15-2024

https://arxiv.org/pdf/2404.08298.pdf

Deeper Inquiries

How could this approach be extended to handle more complex interference scenarios, such as multiple moving targets or non-stationary interference?

To handle more complex interference scenarios, the variational encoder-decoder network could be enhanced by incorporating advanced signal processing techniques such as adaptive filtering algorithms. These algorithms can adaptively adjust filter coefficients to suppress interference from multiple moving targets or non-stationary sources. Additionally, the network architecture could be modified to include attention mechanisms that focus on specific regions of the input signal where interference is prominent. By training the network on a diverse dataset that includes various interference patterns, it can learn to differentiate between vital sign contributions and different types of interference, thus improving its ability to handle complex scenarios.

What other signal processing or machine learning techniques could be combined with the variational encoder-decoder network to further improve the interference removal and vital sign extraction performance?

In conjunction with the variational encoder-decoder network, techniques such as sparse signal processing could be employed to enhance interference removal and vital sign extraction. Sparse signal models can help in separating vital sign signals from interference by exploiting the sparse nature of the vital sign contributions. Additionally, deep learning methods like recurrent neural networks (RNNs) or attention mechanisms can be integrated to capture temporal dependencies in the radar signals, improving the network's ability to extract vital signs accurately. Furthermore, unsupervised learning techniques like clustering algorithms can assist in identifying and separating different sources of interference, leading to more effective removal.

What potential applications beyond vital sign monitoring could benefit from this type of interference removal framework using Doppler radar signals?

The interference removal framework using Doppler radar signals could find applications in various fields beyond vital sign monitoring. One potential application is in security and surveillance systems, where the network can help in detecting and tracking human movements in complex environments with multiple obstructions. Additionally, in automotive radar systems, this framework could aid in improving object detection and tracking by removing interference from surrounding vehicles or environmental factors. Furthermore, in industrial settings, the framework could be utilized for monitoring worker activities or detecting anomalies in machinery by isolating vital signals from background noise. Overall, the robust interference removal capabilities of the network make it versatile for applications requiring accurate signal extraction in the presence of complex interference.