Passive microwave assessment of human body core to surface temperature gradients and basal metabolic rate

• US 8,013,745 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Issued: 09/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Icove & Associates LLC
• Original Assignee: University of Tennessee Research Foundation (University of Teesside)
• Inventors: Feld, Neil, Zemel, Michael B., Lyster, Carl T., Icove, David J.
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/483,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20100069782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 816 Days
• Field of Search: 340/573.1, 340/565, 340/567, 600/549
• US Class Current: 340/573.1
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 11/006 using measurement of the effect of a material on microwaves or longer electromagnetic waves, e.g. measuring temperature via microwaves emitted by the object G01K17/003, G01J5/00 take precedence; measuring the effect of a material on X-, gamma- or particle radiation G01K11/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 13/20 Clinical contact thermometers for use with humans or animals
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 3/14 in respect of space

Abstract

A passive microwave thermography apparatus uses passive microwave antennas designed for operation, for example, at WARC protected frequencies of 1.400 to 1.427 GHz and 2.690 to 2.70 GHz (for core body gradient temperature measurement) and 10.68 to 10.700 GHz or higher microwave frequency (for surface body gradient temperature measurement) and a related directional antenna or antenna array to measure microwave radiation emanating from an animal, especially, a human body. The antennae may be radially directed toward a point within or on the surface of a human body for comparison with known temperature distribution data for that point and a given ambient temperature. Each frequency band may provide a plurality of adjacent noise measuring channels for measuring microwave noise naturally emitted by the human body. The apparatus measures short-term changes in, for example, core and body surface temperatures to establish a basal metabolic rate. Changes in core body temperature may be stimulated by the administration of food or certain organic and drug-related substances or stress to induce a change in basal metabolic rate over time. These changes correlate directly with a human subject'"'"'s metabolism rate at rest and under certain dietary constraints and can be used to determine courses of treatment for obesity, metabolic disease, and other disorders. The apparatus can also be used to remotely monitor patients and subjects without physical contact.

Claims

1. A system configured for the assessment of a human temperature gradient between at least two points at different radial depths of a human subject, the system comprising

a passive microwave receiver for operation within a selected microwave frequency range of a plurality of WARC protected microwave frequency ranges, each WARC protected microwave range having a bandwidth, whereby the lower the selected microwave frequency range, the greater the depth of penetration for passive receipt of a noise signal from the human subject, a bandwidth of the selected microwave frequency range comprising at least two noise measuring channels, the passive microwave receiver comprising a directional antenna configured for radial direction toward a specific location on the skin surface of the human subject and toward a human body part comprising one of an ear, the hypothalamus, the nasopharyngeal cavity, the rectum, a breast, the heart, an arm, a hand, a leg, a foot and the tongue,

wherein the selected WARC protected microwave frequency range comprises one of 1.400 to 1.427 GHz, providing a 27 MHz bandwidth;

2.690 to 2.700 GHz, providing a 10 MHz bandwidth;

10.680 to 10.700 GHz, providing a 20 MHz bandwidth; and

23.600 to 24.000 GHz, providing a 400 MHz bandwidth and the at least two noise measuring channels are configured to detect respective noise signals for assessment of the human temperature gradient between the at least two points at different radial depths of the human subject.

2. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein the quantity of the plurality of noise-measuring channels is selected such that a frequency difference between center frequencies of noise-measuring channels corresponds to an inter-spatial difference in depth between cells of the subject at the radial depth of the human subject.

3. A system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a computer and memory, the memory for storing three dimensional coordinates of a human body and corresponding expected temperatures for the coordinates of human tissue for comparison with measurements of the at least two noise measuring channels.

4. A system as recited in claim 1 further comprising a computer and memory, the memory for storing three dimensional coordinates of a human body and corresponding expected temperatures for the coordinates of blood vessels for comparison with measurements of the at least two noise measuring channels.

5. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein the selected microwave frequency range used by the passive microwave receiver comprises at least two WARC protected frequency ranges selected from 1.400 to 1.427 GHz, 1.6 to 1.7 GHz, 2.69 to 2.70 GHz, 10.680 to 10.700 GHz and 23.600 to 24.000 GHz.

6. A system as recited in claim 1 comprising head gear for surrounding left and right ears of the subject, the head gear for wireless connection to a signal processor, the head gear comprising first and second directional antennae, the first and second directional antennae configured for radial direction toward the left and right ears of the subject respectively.

7. An assessment method for assessing human metabolic response, the method comprising

directing a directional antenna of a passive microwave receiver, the passive microwave receiver for receiving a plurality of noise signals from a corresponding plurality of adjacent noise-measuring channels within a selected microwave frequency range, the directional antenna configured for radial direction toward a given body part of a human under assessment for human metabolic response,

determining from the selected microwave frequency range and from said radial direction toward the given body part of the human under assessment, corresponding radial depths of human body tissue from which the noise signals are passively received,

correlating corresponding radial depths of the human under assessment from which the noise signals are passively received, and the corresponding radial depths of human body tissue, with stored data for temperature of a normal human body;

and

determining a temperature gradient from the passively received noise signals of the plurality of adjacent noise-measuring channels at the corresponding radial depths of human body tissue for assessing human metabolic response.

8. The assessment method as recited in claim 7 further comprising

introducing a stimulus to the human under observation,

determining a temperature gradient for the plurality of noise-measuring channels and corresponding radial depths.

9. The assessment method as recited in claim 8 wherein the stimulus comprises ingestion of a substance having the properties of rapid absorption by the human under assessment and provoking a transient increase in core body temperature of the human under assessment.

10. The assessment method as recited in claim 8 wherein the stimulus comprises controlled exercise.

11. The assessment method as recited in claim 8 wherein the stimulus comprises temperature stress of a human body part.

12. The assessment method as recited in claim 7 for use at a gateway configured for assessing humans crossing a border via the gateway, the assessment method for use in detecting a human carrier of infectious disease of the humans under assessment attempting to cross the border via the gateway.

13. The assessment method as recited in claim 7 wherein the ambient environmental temperature is maintained at a constant.

14. The assessment method as recited in claim 7 further comprising introducing a known temperature inducing stimulus to said human subject wherein the temperature inducing stimulus comprises one of a dosage of caffeine, a dosage of nicotine and stress prior to determining the temperature gradient.

15. The assessment method as recited in claim 7 wherein the selected microwave frequency range is a selected WARC protected frequency range comprising 10.680 to 10.700 GHz, providing a 20 MHz bandwidth.

16. The assessment method as recited in claim 7 wherein the selected microwave frequency range is a selected WARC protected frequency range comprising 2.69 to 2.70 GHz, providing a 10 MHz bandwidth.

17. The assessment method as recited in claim 7 wherein the selected microwave frequency range is a selected WARC protected frequency range comprising 23.600 to 24.000 GHz, providing a 400 MHz bandwidth.

18. The assessment method as recited in claim 7 wherein the selected microwave frequency range is a selected WARC protected frequency range comprising 1.400 to 1.427 GHz providing a 27 MHz bandwidth.

19. A system configured for the assessment of a human temperature gradient between two points, each point at a different calculated radial depth of a human subject, the different radial depths being calculated based on different microwave frequencies of respective noise measuring channels and based on relative water composition of skin, fat, muscle and bone tissue of the human subject, the system comprising

a passive microwave receiver for operation within a selected microwave frequency range of a plurality of WARC protected microwave frequency ranges, the selected microwave frequency range comprising two respective noise measuring channels for passively receiving noise signals from the two points at the different calculated radial depths of the human subject, the passive microwave receiver comprising a directional antenna configured for radial direction toward tissue of the human subject including the two points at the different calculated radial depths of the human subject, the two points being located at the different calculated radial depths within a selected human body part of the human subject,

a computer coupled to the passive microwave receiver, and

a memory for storing noise voltage measurements of the two passively received microwave noise measuring channels over time, the computer calculating the human temperature gradient from the noise voltage measurements.

20. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein said memory further comprises data representing three dimensional coordinates of a human body and corresponding expected temperatures for the coordinates of one of human tissue and a blood vessel for comparison with measurements of the two respective noise measuring channels.

21. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein said selected microwave frequency range comprises a selected WARC protected frequency range including 1.400 to 1.427 GHz comprising 27 megaHertz of bandwidth, said passive microwave receiver also for operation at a “

primary shared with active”

frequency range of 1.6 to 1.7 GHz comprising 100 megaHertz of bandwidth.

22. The system as recited in claim 21 wherein said 100 megaHertz of bandwidth comprises two noise measuring channels of greater than 10 MHz bandwidth separated by a guard band.

23. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein the selected microwave frequency range is a selected WARC protected frequency range comprising 10.680 to 10.700 GHz, providing a 20 MHz bandwidth.

24. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein the selected microwave frequency range is a selected WARC protected frequency range comprising 2.69 to 2.70 GHz, providing a 10 MHz bandwidth.

25. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein the selected microwave frequency range is a selected WARC protected frequency range comprising 23.600 to 24.000 GHz, providing a 400 MHz bandwidth.

26. The system as recited in claim 19 wherein the selected microwave frequency range is a selected WARC protected frequency range comprising 1.400 to 1.427 GHz, providing a 27 MHz bandwidth.