Radio-frequency imaging system for medical and other applications

• US 6,885,191 B1
• Filed: 02/12/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/13/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Stuart M. Gleman
• Original Assignee: Stuart M. Gleman
• Inventors: Gleman, Stuart M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shrivastav, Brij
• Assistant Examiner(s): FETZNER, TIFFANY A
• Application Number:
  US10/074,826
• Time in Patent Office: 1,169 Days
• Field of Search: 324/300, 324/309, 324/318, 324/322, 324/638, 324/642, 600/413, 600/425, 600/428, 600/476, 600/477, 600/430, 600/407, 600/410, 342/22, 378/87, 378/98, 378/99
• US Class Current: 324/300
• 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 5/0536 Impedance imaging, e.g. by tomography
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging

Abstract

An imaging system for medical and other applications in which the internal structures of an overall object must be seen without invading or damaging the object. The system works by transmitting electromagnetic waves of single or a multiplicity of frequencies through the object (for example the human body) and measuring the absorption and scattering of these waves by the various structures and inhomogeneities of the object, using scanning sub-wavelength resolution detectors.

Claims

1. A radio-frequency imaging system for noninvasively imaging the internal structure of an object, comprising:

means for generating a first beam comprised of multiple differing simultaneous radio frequency signals, said signals having a particular wavelength, that is to be passed through said object;

means for transmitting said first beam comprised of multiple differing simultaneous radio frequency signals toward said object, said means for transmitting said first beam disposed at a first side of the object;

means for receiving non-reflected portions of said first beam after said non-reflected portions have passed through said object;

means for transmitting, at a different frequency than the RF signals of the first beam, an additional beam comprised of radio frequency signals towards said object in a non-parallel crossed travel path with respect to a travel path of the first beam, at the same time said first beam is transmitted, in order to obtain localized RF energy cross-beam information;

means for receiving a non-reflected portion of said additional beam after said non-reflected portion of said additional beam has passed through said object;

means for generating one or more images of at least a portion of said object'"'"'s internal structure based on received non-reflected portions of said first beam; and

means for displaying said one or more images.

2. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said radio frequency signals are provided as a train of pulses.

3. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said radio frequency signals are provided as a continuous wave.

4. The imaging system of claim 1 further comprising:

computer means for comparing said generated images of said object with generic raw output of said object, said generic raw output of said object being stored in a computer storage medium, said means for comparing determining when said object is missing components, and when said object is a human or animal, in order to determine when said object is missing an internal organ or has broken or damaged an internal organ, said computer means capable of correcting said generated image in order to more closely match said stored raw output.

5. The imaging system of claim 4 further comprising software instructions stored in said computer storage medium, said software instructions compensating for diffraction effects from the object.

6. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 further including scanning means physically connected to said first beam transmitting means and said first beam receiving means which moves one or both in a linear orientation proximate said object in order to measure said first beam'"'"'s attenuation and creates a planar scan of said object representing a spatial position of said first beam through said object.

7. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 further including scanning means physically connected to said first beam transmitting means and said first beam receiving means which moves one or both in a rotational orientation about said object, and which moves one or both along said object, in order to measure said first beam'"'"'s attenuation as a function of axial position and azimuth angle and to create a three-dimensional cylindrical tomographical scan of said object representing attenuation of the first beam as a function of a spatial position of said first beam through said object.

8. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said signal transmitting means is a parabolic reflector antenna.

9. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said signal transmitting means is a cassegrain antenna.

10. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said signal transmitting means is a horn antenna.

11. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said signal transmitting means is a waveguide having a small aperture.

12. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said first beam has a width greater than the wavelength of said radio frequency signals.

13. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said signal beam is comprised of spherical wavefronts.

14. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said first beam receiving means are situated within a travel path of the non-reflected portion of the first beam, said first beam receiving means measuring a ratio of received signal power of the non-reflected portion passed through the object to transmitted signal power.

15. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 wherein said beam receiving means are situated within a travel path of the non-reflected portion of the additional beam, said additional beam receiving means measuring a ratio of received signal power to transmitted signal power.

16. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 further comprising one or more auxiliary detectors receiving deflected portions of the first beam, said one or more auxiliary detectors in communication with said means for generating said images, said auxiliary detectors situated at predetermined angles in relation to the path of said first beam in order to gather additional information regarding RF energy scattered out of said first beam.

17. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 1 further comprising one or more auxiliary detectors receiving deflected portions of the additional beam, said one or more auxiliary detectors in communication with said means for generating said images, said auxiliary detectors situated at predetermined angles in relation to the path of said beams in order to gather additional information about RF energy scattered out of said additional beam.

18. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 17 wherein said one or more auxiliary detectors are sensitive to a different frequency caused by interaction of said beams with the internal structure or organs of said object.

19. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 18 wherein said object is a live human or animal and said interaction of said beams produces a therapeutic effect.

20. The radio-frequency imaging system of claim 14 wherein said first beam receiving means further comprises an effective detector aperture less than or equal to one wavelength of the transmitted and received radio frequency signals.

21. An imaging system for noninvasively scanning people or objects comprising:

means for generating a first beam comprised of radio frequency signals of at least one frequency, said signals having a particular wavelength with at least a portion of the signals passing through said person or said object;

first means for transmitting said first beam toward said person or said object;

first means for receiving the portion of the signals of said first beam that are passed through said person or said object;

scanning means for moving said first means for transmitting and said first means for receiving with respect to the position;

means for generating a second beam comprised of radio frequency signals of at least one frequency, which is transmitted at a different frequency than a transmission frequency of the radio frequency signals of said first beam, said signals of said second beam having a particular wavelength with at least a portion of the signals passing through said person or said object;

second means for transmitting said second beam toward said person or said object simultaneous with the transmission of said first beam and in a non-parallel travel path with respect to a travel path of said first beam;

second means for receiving the portion of the signals of said second beam that are passed through said person or said object;

scanning means for moving said second means for transmitting and said second means for receiving with respect to the position;

means for generating one or more images of at least a portion of said person or said object'"'"'s internal structure based on the portion of the signals received by said first and second means for receiving; and

means for displaying said one or more images.

22. A method of noninvasively imaging the internal structure of an object, person or animal, said method comprising the steps of:

generating a first beam comprised of radio frequency signals with at least a portion of the radio frequency signals to be passed through said object;

transmitting said first beam toward said object;

receiving a non-deflected portion of said first beam after the non-deflected portion of said beam has passed through said object;

generating a second beam comprised of radio frequency signals transmitted at a different frequency than a transmission frequency of the radio frequency signals of said first beam, with at least a portion of the radio frequency signals of said second beam to be passed through said object;

transmitting said second beam toward said object simultaneous with the transmission of said first beam and in a non-parallel travel path with respect to a travel path of said first beam;

receiving a non-deflected portion of said second beam after the non-deflected portion of said second beam has passed through said object;

generating one or more images of at least a portion of said object'"'"'s internal structure; and

displaying said one or more images.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein said radio frequency signals are provided as a train of pulses.

24. The method of claim 22 wherein said radio frequency signals are provided as a continuous wave.

25. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of:

comparing said generated images of said object with raw output of said object, via a computer means, said raw output of said object stored in a computer storage medium, and said step of comparing determining when said object is missing components, whether the object is a human or animal, and determining when said object is missing an internal organ or has broken an internal organ, wherein said computer means is capable of correcting said generated image in order to more closely match said stored raw output.

26. The method of claim 22 further including the steps of measuring said beam'"'"'s attenuation and creating an X-Y planar or planar tomographic scan of said object representing a spatial position of said beam through said object.

27. The method of claim 22 further including the steps of measuring said beam'"'"'s attenuation to create an attenuation map, creating a three-dimensional cylindrical tomographical scan of said object representing a spatial position of said beam through said object, and processing the attenuation map to yield an image of internal organs or structures of the object.

28. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of measuring a ratio of received signal power of the non-reflected portion passed through the object to transmitted signal power, said step of measuring performed by said beam receiving means situated within a travel path of the non-reflected portion of said first beam.

29. The method of claim 28 further comprising the step of providing a detector with an effective aperture less than or equal to one wavelength of the transmitted and received radio frequency signals.

30. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of measuring a ratio of received signal power of the non-reflected portion passed through the object to transmitted signal power, said step of measuring performed by said beam receiving means situated within a travel path of the non-reflected portion of said second beam.

31. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of gathering additional information about RF energy scattered out from a deflection portion of said first beam, said step of gathering accomplished via one or more auxiliary detectors situated at predetermined angles in relation to the path of said first beam.

32. The method of claim 22 further comprising the step of gathering additional information about RF energy scattered out from a deflection portion of said beams, said step of gathering accomplished via one or more auxiliary detectors situated at predetermined angles in relation to the path of said beams.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein said one or more auxiliary detectors are sensitive to a different frequency caused by interaction of said beams with the internal structure or organs of said object.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein said object is a live human or animal and said interaction of said beams produces a therapeutic effect.

35. A system for noninvasively affecting, processing or interacting with internal structures, subsystems and/or components of an industrial object or system comprising:

means for simultaneously transmitting a plurality of crossed beams of radio frequency energy wherein each of said plurality of crossed beams is transmitted at a different frequency than the other beams of said plurality of crossed beams, wherein a non-reflected portion of each transmitted beam is passed through the object or the system such that the radio frequency energies are delivered to a volume of intersection of said beams, and wherein combinations of said frequencies interact specifically with said internal structures, said subsystems and/or said components creating a desired effect.