Patent ID: 8362942

Claim:
A method for determining a motion of a system, the method comprising: transmitting a stepped-frequency radar signal through a wall to a region on an opposite side of the wall; detecting reflections of the transmitted signal with an antenna; generating data including information associated with frequency and phase shifts between the transmitted signal and the detected reflections of the transmitted signal; analyzing the generated data to determine a first apparent phase of an object in the region; transmitting a second stepped-frequency radar signal through the wall; detecting reflections of the second transmitted signal with the antenna; generating second data including information associated with frequency and phase shifts between the second transmitted signal and the reflections of the second transmitted signal; analyzing the generated data to determine a second apparent phase of the object; comparing the first apparent phase of the object to the second apparent phase of the object; and determining a motion of a system that includes the antenna based on the comparison information associated with a moving object located beyond the second side of the wall, the analyzing including using the determined one or more characteristics of the motion of the transmitted signal and the reflections of the transmitted signal.