Non-Invasive Determination of Characteristics of a Sample

• US 20100072386A1
• Filed: 11/18/2009
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RF Science & Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Pindi Products, Inc.
• Inventors: Xu, Aiguo, Harra, David James
• Granted Patent: US 8,382,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/395
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/05 Detecting, measuring or recording for diagnosis by means of electric currents or magnetic fields; Measuring using microwaves or radio waves impedance plethysmography A61B5/0295; measuring movement of the entire body or parts thereof A61B5/11; detecting, measuring or recording bioelectric or biomagnetic signals of the body or parts thereof A61B5/24
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0507 using microwaves or terahertz waves
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/14532 for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/411 Detecting or monitoring allergy or intolerance reactions to an allergenic agent or substance

Abstract

Systems and methods for non-invasively scanning and analyzing one or more characteristics of a sample utilizing electromagnetic radiation are described. More particularly, the systems and methods utilize an electromagnetic radiation source connected to a transmitter and an analyzer connected to a receiver. A sample to be analyzed is placed between the transmitter and receiver in a variety of different manners and a frequency sweep of electromagnetic radiation is transmitted through the sample to create a series of spectral data sets that are used to create one or more composite spectrograms, which are then analyzed to determine one or more characteristics of the sample. A magnetic field can alternatively be applied around the transmitter, receiver and sample to enhance some characteristic analysis applications. Samples include inert and living items, and the characteristics include a wide variety of different applications.

Claims

1. A method of registering and enrolling a sample in a sample scanning and analysis system including a storage system, comprising the steps of:

scanning the sample with a scanning apparatus, the scanning apparatus including a transmitter for transmitting a series of electromagnetic signals, each of the signals having a transmitted amplitude over a plurality of sample points within a range of frequencies, and a receiver for receiving the series of signals as the series of signals are reflected from or transmitted through the sample;

generating a series of spectral data sets representing at least a scanned amplitude of each of the signals over the plurality of sample points; and

generating one or more composite spectrograms from the series of spectral data sets;

analyzing the composite spectrograms to identify a characteristic of the sample having a first variance that is minimized across the one or more composite spectrograms and a second variance that is maximally different from a plurality of characteristics corresponding to a plurality of other samples in the storage system;

storing the characteristic in the storage system; and

building a profile of the sample in the storage system, the profile being derived from the characteristic.