Microwave Antenna Array Rotation for Breast Imaging Resolution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical imaging techniques, such as microwave imaging, face challenges in achieving high image quality due to limitations in spatial resolution and the presence of artefacts, particularly in breast tissue imaging.
Innovation Solution
A medical imaging system utilizing a microwave antenna array formed on a contoured substrate, with an actuator to rotate the array relative to the body part, positions antennae in a tilted tessellation formation to achieve effective spacings less than half the wavelength of the microwave signal, enhancing image resolution and preventing artefacts like grating lobes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the physical spacing between antennae is increased to reduce mutual coupling and improve signal quality, then signal quality improves, but the effective sampling density decreases leading to reduced spatial resolution and grating lobes
Solution Approach 1:
The antenna array is rotated to multiple angular configurations during the imaging process. This dynamic repositioning allows the same physical antenna spacing to achieve different effective sampling densities, resolving the contradiction by temporally separating the requirements for reduced mutual coupling and improved spatial resolution
Solution Approach 2:
The invention adds the temporal dimension by rotating the antenna array through multiple configurations. This transforms a static spatial sampling problem into a dynamic multi-dimensional sampling process, where the fourth dimension (time/sequence of configurations) enables effective sub-wavelength sampling without requiring physically closer antennas
2Measurement precision
If the antenna array is made larger to improve spatial resolution, then spatial resolution improves, but the device complexity and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a large static array, the invention employs a smaller array that is dynamically rotated through multiple configurations. This achieves the equivalent sampling density of a larger array while maintaining a compact physical footprint, thereby reducing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation process creates multiple copies of the sampling pattern at different angular positions. These copied sampling patterns combine to achieve the effective resolution of a much larger array, without requiring the physical size of such a large array
3Measurement precision
If the antenna spacing is reduced to improve spatial resolution, then spatial resolution improves, but mutual coupling between adjacent antennae increases degrading signal quality
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses dynamic rotation to achieve fine effective sampling without physically placing antennas close together. By temporally separating the sampling events at different angles, the system achieves high spatial resolution while maintaining large physical spacing to avoid mutual coupling
Solution Approach 2:
The multiple antenna configurations are pre-planned and executed in a specific sequence. This preliminary arrangement of sampling positions ensures that the effective sampling density is sufficient for high resolution while the actual physical positions maintain adequate spacing to prevent coupling
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system improves image resolution by creating a 'virtual' array with denser effective spacing, allowing for better detection of tumours and other pathologies within breast tissue, while minimizing signal loss and artefacts, thus enhancing diagnostic capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
A medical imaging system utilizing a microwave antenna array
Data Source
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AI summary
A medical imaging system 2 comprising: a microwave antenna array 6 comprising a plurality of antennae 16 which are spaced from one another, the plurality of antennae defining a transmitting antenna and receiving antennae, wherein the transmitting antenna is configured to transmit microwave signals so as to illuminate a body part 36 of a patient and the receiving antennae are configured to receive the microwave signals following scattering within the body part; wherein the microwave antenna array has a plurality of configurations defining positions of the plurality of antennae relative to the body part, wherein in each configuration the plurality of antennae are located at positions which are unoccupied in the other configurations; the medical imaging system further comprising: an actuator 8 configured to move the microwave antenna array between the plurality of configurations so as to position the plurality of antennae at previously unoccupied positions; and a processor 4 configured to obtain a data set for the microwave signals produced in each of the plurality of configurations of the microwave antenna array and to generate an output indicative of the internal structure of the body part from a concatenation of the data sets.