Radar-Based Biometric Recognition

• US 20160054792A1
• Filed: 10/20/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Poupyrev, Ivan
• Application Number:
  US14/518,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20160054792A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/011 Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality blind teaching G09B21/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/015 Input arrangements based on nervous system activity detection, e.g. brain waves [EEG] detection, electromyograms [EMG] detection, electrodermal response detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]

Abstract

This document describes techniques and devices for radar-based biometric recognition. The techniques enable biometric recognition through a radar-based biometric-recognition system thereby permitting control of devices and applications with little or no active engagement from users.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, from a radar-based biometric-recognition system configured to sense human tissue, biometric data for a person;

determining a biometric condition for the person based on the biometric data received from the radar-based biometric-recognition system;

determining, based on the determined biometric condition, a device or application to control; and

controlling the device or application.

2. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the biometric condition indicates a possible health problem for the person, determining the device or application to control determines an emergency response application, and controlling the device or application causes the emergency response application to request medical assistance for the person.

3. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the biometric condition indicates a body temperature or heart rate for the person, determining the device or application to control determines an exercise program, and controlling the device or application causes the exercise program to record the body temperature or the heart rate or alter an exercise regimen of the exercise program.

4. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the biometric condition indicates a body temperature for the person, determining the device or application to control determines a climate device, and controlling the device or application causes the climate device to raise or lower a temperature or air movement based on the body temperature.

5. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein the biometric condition indicates a stress, energy, or awakeness level for the person, determining the device or application to control determines a media playing device or application, and controlling the device or application causes the media playing device or application to alter presentation of media based on the stress, energy, or awakeness level for the person.

6. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein determining the device or application to control maps the determined biometric condition to one of multiple control inputs associated with respective devices and applications.

7. The computer-implemented method as described in claim 1, wherein controlling the device or application causes a transmitting device to transmit a control input to a remote device associated with the device or application effective to control of the device or application.

8. A radar-based biometric-recognition system comprising:

a microwave radio element configured to provide a radar field, the radar field configured to reflect from human tissue and penetrate non-human material;

an antenna element configured to sense human-tissue reflections in the radar field; and

a signal processor configured to process the sensed human-tissue reflections in the radar field sufficient to provide biometric data usable to determine a biometric condition from the sensed human-tissue reflections.

9. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, wherein the radar field is a small radar field, the radar-based biometric-recognition system is integral with a wearable computing device, and further comprising a transmitting device configured to transit the biometric data to a remote device, the biometric data provided in a format usable by the remote device to determine a biometric condition.

10. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, wherein the microwave radio element is further configured to provide the radar field configured to reflect from one type of human tissue differently from another type of human tissue.

11. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, wherein the human tissue is skin and the biometric condition is a temperature of the skin.

12. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, wherein the human tissue is skin and the biometric data indicates salt or water on the skin, the salt or water indicating that the biometric condition is perspiration.

13. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, wherein the human tissue is heart muscle and the biometric condition is a heart rate or condition of the heart muscle.

14. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, wherein the human tissue is bone and the biometric condition is skeletal orientation or movement.

15. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, wherein the microwave radio element provides the radar field as a surface penetrating fabric and applied to skin, the antenna element is capable of sensing a human-tissue reflection from the skin on the surface, and the signal processor is configured to process the sensed human-tissue reflection on the surface sufficient to provide biometric data usable to determine a temperature of, or a perspiration on, the skin.

16. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, wherein the antenna element or signal processor is configured to differentiate between reflections in the radar field caused by clothing from human-tissue reflections in the radar field caused by human tissue.

17. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, wherein the microwave radio element is configured to emit continuously modulated radiation, ultra-wideband radiation, or sub-millimeter-frequency radiation.

18. The radar-based biometric-recognition system as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

a transceiver;

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising;

determining, based on the provided biometric data from the signal processor, the biometric condition;

mapping the determined biometric condition to a control input for an application associated with a remote device; and

causing the transceiver to transmit the control input to the remote device effective to enable control of the application.

19. A computing device comprising:

a radar-based biometric-recognition system;

one or more computer processors; and

one or more computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising;

causing the radar-based biometric-recognition system to provide a radar field;

determining a biometric condition based on a human-tissue reflection in the radar field; and

passing the determined biometric condition to an application or operating system of the computing device or to a remote device effective to cause the application or operating system or the remote device to receive an input corresponding to the determined biometric condition.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the radar-based biometric-recognition system includes a microwave radio element, an antenna element, and a signal processor, and wherein the operation of causing causes the microwave radio element to provide the radar field, the human-tissue reflection in the radar field is received by the antenna element and processed by the signal processor, and the determining is responsive to receiving the processed human-tissue reflection from the signal processor.