Microwave Heating Apparatus for Uniform Whole-Body Hyperthermia
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current whole-body hyperthermia treatments using infrared radiation are inefficient, causing slow heat transfer, risk of skin burns, prolonged treatment times, and the need for anesthesia, with limited application and increased adverse effects.
Innovation Solution
A microwave heating apparatus and method that generates a pseudo uniform microwave electromagnetic field using non-interfering microwaves, penetrating deeper into tissue to rapidly heat the body without localized overheating, utilizing an array of controllable antenna units and a computer-based control system for efficient energy distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If infrared radiation is used for whole-body heating, then the heating method can be applied to the entire body, but the heat transfer is very slow and treatment time is prolonged to 5-6 hours
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces infrared radiation heating with microwave heating technology. Microwaves directly penetrate and heat the body tissues through dielectric heating, bypassing the slow conductive heat transfer mechanism of infrared heating. This substitution reduces treatment time from 5-6 hours to approximately 1-2 hours while maintaining whole-body heating capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the heating parameter from infrared wavelength to microwave wavelength. This parameter change enables deeper penetration into body tissues and more efficient energy absorption, directly addressing the slow heat transfer problem while preserving the ability to heat the entire body.
2Adaptability or versatility
If infrared radiation is used for heating, then the heating method can be applied, but the risk of skin burns is severe when temperature exceeds 46°C
Solution Approach 1:
The patent substitutes infrared heating with microwave heating, which penetrates deeper into tissues and heats internal organs directly rather than heating the skin surface first. This eliminates the skin burn risk associated with infrared heating, as microwaves deliver energy to deeper tissues before significant skin temperature elevation occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces water molecules within body tissues as an intermediary that absorbs microwave energy and converts it to heat internally. This intermediary mechanism allows energy deposition deep within tissues, bypassing the skin and preventing direct thermal damage to the epidermis that occurs with infrared heating.
3Temperature
If infrared radiation is used for heating, then the heating process can proceed, but the temperature difference between treatment chamber and body is limited to about 8°C, resulting in very slow heat transfer
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conductive heat transfer through skin with direct microwave dielectric heating of internal tissues. This substitution allows the body to be heated from the inside out, eliminating the limitation of small temperature gradients and enabling rapid temperature elevation without requiring a large difference between chamber and body temperature.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the periodic oscillation of microwave electromagnetic fields at 2.45 GHz to agitate water molecules within tissues, generating heat through molecular friction. This periodic energy input efficiently converts electromagnetic energy to thermal energy directly within the body, achieving rapid heating without relying on external heat conduction.
4Adaptability or versatility
If infrared radiation is used for heating, then the treatment can be performed, but prolonged exposure to 45°C for 5-6 hours requires deep anesthesia which adds stress and risk
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces infrared heating with microwave heating, which achieves the required therapeutic temperature elevation in 1-2 hours rather than 5-6 hours. This time reduction eliminates the need for prolonged deep anesthesia, thereby removing the associated stresses and risks while maintaining treatment feasibility.
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
This approach significantly reduces treatment time, minimizes the risk of injury, and allows for both whole-body and regional hyperthermia treatments without the need for deep anesthesia, providing more comfortable and effective cancer therapy.
Implementation Method 1
Microwave heating can be used to selectively deliver energy to certain types of molecules having dipole moments, such as water; the result of absorption of this energy is an increase in temperature
Implementation Method 2
the infrared energy is absorbed at the surface of the skin, and the heated skin gradually transfers the heat to the fat and then to the muscle by conductive heat transfer
Implementation Method 3
each antenna unit comprises a microwave radiator that radiates a spherical microwave, and a converter that converts the spherical microwave into a plane microwave
Implementation Method 4
a temperature monitoring subsystem and a control system, wherein the control system uses temperature information from the temperature monitoring subsystem to adjust the power output of one or more antenna units
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a microwave heating method and apparatus for evenly heating an object, such as a person's body. The methods and apparatus involve use of microwave source (or sources) that outputs multiple microwaves that are non-correlated with each other in phase; an array of antennas that radiate substantially plane microwaves to form a pseudo uniform microwave electromagnetic field, where the microwaves are not phase-correlated, in order to eliminate non-uniform heating caused by interference. Each of the antenna array consists of multiple antenna units, each antenna unit consists of at least one microwave radiator and at least one converter that converts the spherical microwave to plane microwave. A computer based control system and a temperature monitoring subsystem can be used to adjust the output of each antenna, in order to enhance the uniform heating effect. The apparatus and method can be used to perform whole-body hyperthermia or regional hyperthermia.