Sample scanning and analysis system and methods for using the same

• US 10,264,993 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2007
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: RF Science & Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: RF Science & Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Looney, Erin Claude, Harra, David James
• Primary Examiner(s): Negin, Russell S
• Application Number:
  US11/821,481
• Publication Number:
  US 20080319293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,324 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G16B 5/00 ICT specially adapted for modelling or simulations in systems biology, e.g. gene-regulatory networks, protein interaction networks or metabolic networks
• CPC Class Codes: G16C 10/00 Computational theoretical chemistry, i.e. ICT specially adapted for theoretical aspects of quantum chemistry, molecular mechanics, molecular dynamics or the like

Abstract

A system and methods for scanning and analyzing one or more characteristics of a sample utilizing electromagnetic radiation is described. More particularly, the system 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 and a frequency sweep of electromagnetic radiation is transmitted through the sample to create a series of spectral data sets, which are developed into a composite spectrogram by the analyzer and processed 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 and to make other characteristic analysis applications possible. Samples include inert and living items and the characteristics include a wide variety of different applications. Although pattern recognition is utilized in some applications to match a present composite spectrogram with previously detected spectrograms, the present composite spectrogram can also be analyzed based on pattern components to make characteristic determinations without per-use calibration and without utilizing any pattern matching.

Claims

1. A portable sample scanning and analysis system comprising:

a sample housing including a human finger-sized housing for holding a sample to be scanned;

a scanner for scanning the sample, the scanner including a transmitter for transmitting a series of electromagnetic signals, each of the electromagnetic signals having a transmitted amplitude over a plurality of sample points within a range of frequencies, and a receiver for receiving the series of electromagnetic signals as the series of electromagnetic signals are reflected from or transmitted through the sample at substantially the same time as the series of electromagnetic signals are being transmitted, and generating a series of spectral data sets representing at least a scanned amplitude of each of the electromagnetic signals over the plurality of sample points;

magnets that produce a non-varying magnetic field around any portion of the sample to be scanned, the magnetic field representing substantially all of the magnetic field applied by the system around the sample at the same time the electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received, the transmitter and the receiver being held by the human finger-sized housing on either side of the sample and in close proximity to the magnets and the sample; and

an analyzer including a memory and a processor for generating one or more composite spectrograms from the series of spectral data sets, analyzing the composite spectrograms to recognize one or more patterns within the composite spectrograms representing one or more characteristics of the sample, and making a determination regarding the characteristics based on the patterns.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample housing includes at least one node connected to the transmitter and the receiver, the node being held in a fixed position relative to the sample.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the sample housing further includes a base formed from a dielectric material having a low dissipation factor in which the sample is positioned for scanning, and wherein the housing forms a shield around at least a portion of the base.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the shape, orientation and material composition of the node is selected to enhance the composite spectrograms.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the sample housing includes a transmitter node connected to the transmitter and a receiver node connected to the receiver and a base formed to hold the transmitter node and the receiver node in physical contact with the sample.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample housing includes a transmitter node connected to the transmitter and a receiver node connected to the receiver, and wherein the receiver node only receives the series of signals transmitted from the transmitter node.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample housing includes one or more transmitter nodes connected to the transmitter and one or more receiver nodes connected to the receiver, and wherein a single transmitter node corresponds to the one or more receiver nodes that each receives the series of signals transmitted from the single transmitter node.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample housing includes a transmitter node connected to the transmitter and a receiver node connected to the receiver and a base formed to hold the transmitter node and the receiver node in fixed positions relative to the sample, and wherein magnets include one or more pairs of magnets.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the shape, orientation, strength and material composition of the pairs of magnets are selected to enhance the composite spectrograms.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the number of pairs of magnets is selected to enhance the composite spectrograms.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the pairs of magnets are permanent magnets.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the pairs of magnets are nonpermanent magnets.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitted amplitude for each of the signals is approximately the same.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitted amplitude for each of the signals varies.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the range of frequencies is from approximately 9 KHz to approximately 810 THz.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a human finger and wherein the characteristic is a naturally occurring blood component.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the blood component is glucose, wherein the range of frequencies is from approximately 100 MHz to approximately 3 GHz, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a blood glucose level.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a human finger and wherein the characteristic is an introduced blood component.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristics are biometric markers associated with the human body part, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a positive or negative biometric identity match.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the range of frequencies is from approximately 10 MHz to approximately 12 GHz.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample housing and at least a portion of the scanner are situated within a unit physically separated from the analyzer, wherein the analyzer communicates the determination regarding the characteristics to the unit, and wherein the unit includes a display capable of displaying the determination regarding the characteristics.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the unit is wirelessly in communication with the analyzer.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the analyzer is operative to transmit additional information to the unit based on one or more of the following:

the sample, the determination, the characteristic.

24. The system of claim 1, wherein the patterns within the composite spectrums include specific peaks and valleys, representative variations in the composite spectrograms at particular frequencies, and a distance of specific points on the composite spectrograms from a baseline position within the composite spectrograms.

25. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristic is blood glucose, wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a blood glucose level, and wherein the patterns within the composite spectrums include a baseline position that correlates with a normal glucose level in humans, a low point, a variation pattern based on movements and variations in the human finger, and a trough formed by the low point.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the patterns further include a fine-tuning pattern that improves the determination of the blood glucose level in some humans.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristic is one or more blood components of a human having the human finger, and wherein the analyzer requires no additional information regarding the human to make the determination regarding the characteristics.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristic is one or more blood components of a human having the human finger, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristic is weight information regarding the human.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the memory and the processor of the analyzer further obtains caloric intake and expenditure information from the human to assist the analyzer in making the determination.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristics are biometric markers associated with the human finger, wherein the patterns within the composite spectrograms are matched to one or more pre-existing patterns within one or more pre-existing composite spectrograms for one or more humans, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a positive or negative biometric identity match based on whether the patterns within the composite spectrograms match one or more of the patterns within one or more of the pre-existing composite spectrograms.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the composite spectrograms and the pre-existing spectrograms have been processed by the analyzer to reduce dynamic variances prior to making the determination.

32. The system of claim 31, wherein the analyzer reduces dynamic variances using one or more of the following:

a filtered sum comparison, a personal identity determinator matrix, a least squares error estimation.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the composite spectrograms and the pre-existing spectrograms have been processed by the analyzer to create one or more filtered composite spectrograms in which dynamic variances have been reduced prior to making the determination using one or more of the following:

a filtered sum comparison, a personal identity determinator matrix, a least squares error estimation.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein the analyzer further analyzes each of the filtered composite spectrograms to factor in a degree of accuracy that each of the filtered composite spectrograms adds to the determination.

35. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a food product, wherein the characteristics are one or more conditions of the food product, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a suitability of the food product for human consumption.

36. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a food product, wherein the characteristics are one or more conditions of the food product, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is an ingredient mixture of the food product.

37. The system of claim 1, wherein the characteristic is the presence of a controlled or unwanted substance within the sample, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is an identification of the presence of the substance.

38. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is taken from air, water or ground, wherein the characteristics are a presence of one or more substances within the sample, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is an identification of the presence of the substances.

39. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a manufacturing material, wherein the characteristics are a presence of one or more substances within the sample, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is an identification of the presence or consistency of the substances.

40. The system of claim 39, wherein the manufacturing material is an output of a manufacturing operation.

41. The system of claim 39, wherein the manufacturing material is exhaust or effluent.

42. The system of claim 39, wherein the substances are one or more byproducts.

43. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a liquid, and wherein the characteristics are a composition of the liquid.

44. The system of claim 43, wherein the liquid is an identified liquid, wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is an indication of whether the liquid is the identified liquid.

45. The system of claim 1, wherein the sample is a valuable object, wherein the characteristics are one or more security markers identifying the valuable object, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is an indication of whether the security markers are present and appropriately correspond to the valuable object.

46. A portable sample scanning and analysis system comprising:

a sample housing having a human finger-sized housing for holding a sample to be scanned, including a base for positioning and orienting the sample and one or more pairs of magnets positioned so as to create a non-varying magnetic field surrounding at least a portion of the sample;

a scanner for scanning the sample, the scanner including a transmitter having one or more transmitter nodes for transmitting a series of electromagnetic signals, each of the electromagnetic signals having a transmitted amplitude over a plurality of sample points within a range of frequencies, and a receiver having one or more receiver nodes for receiving the series of electromagnetic signals as the series of electromagnetic signals are reflected from or transmitted through the sample at substantially the same time as the series of electromagnetic signals are being transmitted and generating a series of spectral data sets representing at least a scanned amplitude of each of the electromagnetic signals over the plurality of sample points, the sample housing being formed to hold the transmitter nodes and the receiver nodes on either side of the sample and in fixed positions relative to the sample, the magnetic field further surrounding the transmitter nodes and the receiver nodes, wherein the magnetic field represents substantially all of the magnetic field applied by the system around the sample at the same time the electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received; and

an analyzer including a memory and a processor for generating one or more composite spectrograms from the series of spectral data sets, analyzing the composite spectrograms to recognize one or more patterns within the composite spectrograms representing one or more characteristics of the sample, and making a determination regarding the characteristics based on the patterns.

47. The system of claim 46, wherein the base is formed from a dielectric material having a low dissipation factor.

48. The system of claim 46, wherein the housing that forms a shield around at least a portion of the base.

49. The system of claim 46, wherein a single transmitter node corresponds to a single receiver node that only receives the series of signals transmitted from the single transmitter node.

50. The system of claim 46, wherein a single transmitter node corresponds to one or more receiver nodes that each receives the series of signals transmitted from the single transmitter node.

51. The system of claim 46, wherein the shape, orientation and material composition of the transmitter nodes and the receiver nodes are selected to enhance the composite spectrograms'"'"' representation of one or more characteristics of the sample.

52. The system of claim 46, wherein the base is formed to hold the transmitter nodes and the receiver nodes in physical contact with the sample.

53. The system of claim 46, wherein the shape, orientation, strength and material composition of the pairs of magnets are selected to enhance the composite spectrograms.

54. The system of claim 46, wherein the number of pairs of magnets is selected to enhance the composite spectrograms.

55. The system of claim 46, wherein the pairs of magnets are permanent magnets.

56. The system of claim 46, wherein the pairs of magnets are nonpermanent magnets.

57. The system of claim 46, wherein the transmitted amplitude for each of the signals is approximately the same.

58. The system of claim 46, wherein the transmitted amplitude for each of the signals varies.

59. The system of claim 46, wherein the range of frequencies is from approximately 9 KHz to approximately 810 THz.

60. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample is a human finger and wherein the characteristic is a naturally occurring blood component.

61. The system of claim 60, wherein the blood component is glucose, wherein the range of frequencies is from approximately 100 MHz to approximately 3 GHz, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a blood glucose level.

62. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample is a human finger and wherein the characteristic is an introduced blood component.

63. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristics are biometric markers associated with the human finger, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a positive or negative biometric identity match.

64. The system of claim 63, wherein the range of frequencies is from approximately 10 MHz to approximately 12 GHz.

65. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample housing and at least a portion of the scanner modulo are situated within a unit physically separated from the analyzer, wherein the analyzer communicates the determination regarding the characteristics to the unit, and wherein the unit includes a display capable of displaying the determination regarding the characteristics.

66. The system of claim 65, wherein the unit is wirelessly in communication with the analyzer.

67. The system of claim 65, wherein the analyzer is operative to transmit additional information to the unit based on one or more of the following:

the sample, the determination, the characteristic.

68. The system of claim 46, wherein the patterns within the composite spectrums include specific peaks and valleys, representative variations in the composite spectrograms at particular frequencies, and a distance of specific points on the composite spectrograms from a baseline position within the composite spectrograms.

69. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristic is blood glucose, wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a blood glucose level, and wherein the patterns within the composite spectrums include a baseline position that correlates with a normal glucose level in humans, a low point, a variation pattern based on movements and variations in the human finger, and a trough formed by the low point.

70. The system of claim 69, wherein the patterns further includes a fine-tuning pattern that improves the determination of the blood glucose level in some humans.

71. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristic is one or more blood components of a human having the human finger, and wherein the analyzer requires no additional information regarding the human to make the determination regarding the characteristics.

72. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristic is one or more blood components of a human having the human finger, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristic is weight information regarding the human.

73. The system of claim 72, wherein the memory and the processor of the analyzer further obtains caloric intake and expenditure information from the human to assist the analyzer in making the determination.

74. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample is a human finger, wherein the characteristics are biometric markers associated with the human finger, wherein the patterns within the composite spectrograms are matched to one or more pre-existing patterns within one or more pre-existing composite spectrograms for one or more humans, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a positive or negative biometric identity match based on whether the patterns within the composite spectrograms match one or more of the patterns within one or more of the pre-existing composite spectrograms.

75. The system of claim 74, wherein the composite spectrograms and the pre-existing spectrograms have been processed by the analyzer to reduce dynamic variances prior to making the determination.

76. The system of claim 75, wherein the analyzer reduces dynamic variances using one or more of the following:

a filtered sum comparison, a personal identity determinator matrix, a least squares error estimation.

77. The system of claim 74, wherein the composite spectrograms and the pre-existing spectrograms have been processed by the analyzer to create one or more filtered composite spectrograms in which dynamic variances have been reduced prior to making the determination using one or more of the following:

a filtered sum comparison, a personal identity determinator matrix, a least squares error estimation.

78. The system of claim 77, wherein the analyzer further analyzes each of the filtered composite spectrograms to factor in a degree of accuracy that each of the filtered composite spectrograms adds to the determination.

79. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample is a liquid, and wherein the characteristics are a composition of the liquid.

80. The system of claim 79, wherein the liquid is alleged to be a specific type of liquid, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is an authentication of the specific liquid.

81. The system of claim 46, wherein the sample is a valuable object, wherein the characteristics are one or more security markers identifying the valuable object, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is an indication of whether the security markers are present and appropriately correspond to the valuable object.

82. A method for scanning and analyzing a sample, comprising the steps of:

receiving the sample within a human finger-sized housing of a sample housing of a portable device for scanning and analysis;

scanning the sample by transmitting a series of electromagnetic signals generated by a transmitter, each of the electromagnetic signals having a transmitted amplitude over a plurality of sample points within a range of frequencies, and receiving at substantially the same time as the series of signals are being transmitted each of the electromagnetic signals with a receiver as the electromagnetic signals are reflected from or transmitted through the sample in a non-varying magnetic field that surrounds any portion of the sample to be scanned, the magnetic field representing substantially all of the applied magnetic field at the same time the electromagnetic signals are transmitted and received, wherein the transmitter and the receiver are position on either side of and in close proximity to the sample;

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

generating a composite spectrogram from the series of spectral data sets;

analyzing the composite spectrogram to recognize one or more patterns within the composite spectrogram representing a characteristic of the sample; and

making a determination regarding the characteristic based on the patterns.

83. The method of claim 82, wherein the step of scanning includes the step of transmitting the series of signals through one or more transmitter nodes within the sample housing and receiving each of the signals with one or more receiver nodes within the sample housing.

84. The method of claim 83, wherein the step of scanning includes the step of shaping and orienting the transmitter nodes and the receiver nodes to enhance the composite spectrogram.

85. The method of claim 83, wherein the step of receiving includes the step of aligning the sample to physically contact the transmitter nodes and the receiver nodes.

86. The method of claim 83, wherein the step of receiving includes the step of positioning a pair of magnets to create the magnetic field.

87. The method of claim 86, wherein the step of receiving further includes shaping and orienting the pair of magnets to enhance the composite spectrogram.

88. The method of claim 82, wherein the step of scanning includes the step of transmitting the series of signals through a single transmitter node and receiving each of the signals with a single receiver node.

89. The method of claim 82, wherein the step of scanning includes the step of transmitting the series of signals through two or more transmitter nodes and receiving each of the signals with a single receiver node.

90. The method of claim 82, wherein the transmitted amplitude for each of the signals is approximately the same.

91. The method of claim 82, wherein the transmitted amplitude for each of the signals varies.

92. The method of claim 82, wherein the range of frequencies is from approximately 9 KHz to approximately 810 THz.

93. The method of claim 82, wherein the sample is a human body part and wherein the characteristic is a naturally occurring blood component.

94. The method of claim 93, wherein the blood component is glucose, wherein the range of frequencies is from approximately 100 MHz to approximately 3 GHz, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristic is a blood glucose level.

95. The method of claim 82, wherein the sample is a human body part and wherein the characteristic is an introduced blood component.

96. The method of claim 82, wherein the sample is a human body part, wherein the characteristics are biometric markers associated with the human body part, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristic is a positive or negative biometric identity match.

97. The method of claim 96, wherein the range of frequencies is from approximately 10 MHz to approximately 12 GHz.

98. The method of claim 82, wherein the steps of receiving, scanning and generating a series of spectral data sets are performed in a first location, wherein the steps of generating a composite, analyzing and making are performed in a second location, and further comprising the step of displaying the determination regarding the characteristic.

99. The method of claim 98, wherein the step of displaying is performed in the first location.

100. The method of claim 99, further comprising the steps of:

communicating the series of spectral data sets from the first location to the second location; and

communicating the determination regarding the characteristic from the second location to the first location.

101. The method of claim 100, further comprising the step of communicating additional information from the second location to the first location based on one or more of the following:

the sample, the determination, the characteristic.

102. The method of claim 82, wherein the patterns include specific peaks and valleys, representative variations in the composite spectrogram at particular frequencies, and one or more distances from specific points on the composite spectrogram to a baseline position within the composite spectrogram.

103. The method of claim 82, wherein the sample is a human body part, wherein the characteristic is blood glucose, wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a blood glucose level, and wherein the patterns within the composite spectrums include a baseline position that correlates with a normal glucose level in humans, a low point, a variation pattern based on movements and variations in the human body part, and a trough formed by the low point.

104. The method of claim 103, wherein the step of analyzing the composite spectrogram further includes the step of recognizing a fine-tuning pattern that improves the determination of the blood glucose level in some humans.

105. The method of claim 82, wherein the sample is a human body part, wherein the characteristic is one or more blood components of a human having the human body part, and wherein the step of making a determination requires no additional information regarding the human to make the determination regarding the characteristic.

106. The method of claim 82, wherein the sample is a human body part, wherein the characteristic is one or more blood components of a human having the human body part, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristic is weight information regarding the human.

107. The method of claim 106, wherein the step of making the determination includes obtaining caloric intake and expenditure information from the human.

108. The method of claim 82, wherein the sample is a human body part, wherein the characteristic is a biometric marker associated with the human body part, wherein the patterns within the composite spectrogram are matched to one or more pre-existing patterns within one or more pre-existing composite spectrograms for one or more humans, and wherein the determination regarding the characteristics is a positive or negative biometric identity match based on whether the patterns within the composite spectrogram matches one or more of the patterns within one or more of the pre-existing composite spectrograms.

109. The method of claim 108, wherein the step of generating a composite spectrogram includes the step of reducing dynamic variances in the composite spectrogram.

110. The method of claim 109, wherein the step of reducing dynamic variances uses one or more of the following:

a filtered sum comparison, a personal identity determinator matrix, a least squares error estimation.

111. The method of claim 108, wherein the step of generating a composite spectrogram includes the step of filtering the composite spectrogram to reduce dynamic variances using one or more of the following:

a filtered sum comparison, a personal identity determinator matrix, a least squares error estimation.

112. The method of claim 111, wherein the step of analyzing further includes the step of factoring in a degree of accuracy that a filtered composite spectrogram adds to the determination.