Kyocera Corporation has developed a new contactless intelligent millimeter-wave (mmWave) sensing system. The system includes a high-precision, low-noise sensor that can detect minute vibrations (measured in microns) with no physical contact. In addition, it also includes various software modules for comprehensive AI-based solutions for various applications.

R&D Background

Japan’s current economic environment requires businesses to improve labor output efficiency. This is to account for labor shortages caused by an aging workforce, declining birthrates, and other factors. For that reason, there is a growing demand for intelligent mmWave systems to perform routine inspections for building safety and to support predictive maintenance of factory equipment.

Also, since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have been experiencing stress in their daily lives because of decreased communication with family and friends and increased time at home, creating concern for daily healthcare needs. Both diagnosing people and collecting inspection data involve tremendous volumes of information, often obtained from minute vibrations.

Kyocera’s new Millimeter-Wave Sensing System is capable of non-contact, high-precision detection of micron-scale vibrations using a mmWave signal. Thus, making it possible to accurately detect human heartbeat and respiratory fluctuations, as well as minute vibrations of machines and buildings, wirelessly and remotely.

This system’s application is suitable in many routine healthcare diagnostics, efficient physical health monitoring, and for detecting anomalies in manufacturing equipment. Hence, all contributing to healthcare and fulfilling societal needs for a more labor-saving workplace.

Features

The system features low-loss millimeter-wave substrates made from Kyocera’s proprietary materials, high-precision substrate manufacturing, and advanced statistical signal-processing technology developed for telecommunications equipment.

Contactless Detection of Minute Vibrations

Many systems that sense a person’s heartbeat or breathing require physical contact, which limits potential applications. To accurately detect minute vibrations with a contactless intelligent mmWave sensor, a main technical challenge has involved improving the sensor’s signal-to-noise ratio.

Kyocera solved these problems by combining its original materials and signal processing technologies. Figure 1 compares a highly accurate Laser Doppler Vibrometer with Kyocera’s millimeter-wave sensor, confirming the high accuracy of Kyocera’s system.

Accurate Heartbeat Interval Sensing

Contactless sensing systems for heartbeat and respiration using ordinary radio waves^*1 and ultrasonic waves have been unable to deliver highly accurate data for psychoemotional monitoring and other applications. Thus, Kyocera came out with a system to enable more accurate measurement of heart rate variability. Most importantly, it can detect chest vibrations caused by a person’s heartbeat with high accuracy.

In addition, this technique is also suitable to stress analysis, autonomic analysis, and other applications, aside from daily healthcare measurement.

AI Solutions and Software Modules for a Variety of Applications

The system’s high-precision vibration detection capability not only detects and extracts human heartbeat and breathing. Most importantly, it also allows motion detection from building vibrations and manufacturing equipment in factories.

Kyocera is also proceeding with R&D into AI technologies that analyze and utilize millimeter-wave sensor data, and aims to provide solutions for a wide variety of applications by combining these technologies with various software modules (add-ons).

Note:
*1 Radio waves are a general term for electromagnetic waves in the millimeter-wave band, microwave band, etc.