Mobile UWB Sensor for Real-Time Tissue Layer Imaging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for monitoring fat thickness, such as UWB sensors, are limited by the need for stationary positions, time-consuming data processing, and inability to scan bodily organs during movement, leading to inefficient and bulky devices that cannot accurately measure fat thickness or visualize tissue structures in real-time.
Innovation Solution
A mobile device with a receiver and processor that moves along the body surface, using ultra-wideband microwave signals and flexible antennas to generate information on tissue layers, including fat thickness, through amplitude and phase delay analysis, enabling non-invasive, real-time 2D or 3D imaging and visualization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a stationary UWB sensor is used for depth information analysis, then measurement precision is improved, but productivity deteriorates due to time-consuming sequential sweep processing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a stationary sensor requiring sequential delay sweeps to a mobile sensor that moves continuously while collecting data. The mobile device captures depth information at multiple positions simultaneously, eliminating the need for time-consuming sequential processing at fixed locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary synchronization by tracking the mobile device's position in real-time and pre-aligning the received signals with corresponding spatial locations. This allows immediate processing of depth information without requiring subsequent sequential sweeps at each position.
2Measurement precision
If a fixed position UWB sensor is used for physiological data extraction, then measurement precision is improved, but adaptability deteriorates as scanning along body surface is not supported
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables dynamic movement of the UWB sensor along the body surface while maintaining measurement precision through real-time position tracking and signal synchronization. This allows the sensor to adapt to different body regions and scan areas that would be inaccessible to a fixed-position sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile UWB sensor system provides universal applicability across different body regions and measurement scenarios. The same device can measure physiological data at multiple locations (abdomen, chest, limbs) and perform both depth analysis and physiological parameter extraction, eliminating the need for multiple fixed sensors.
3Measurement precision
If a stationary UWB sensor array is used for 3D visualization, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases requiring bulky device size
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces a large stationary antenna array with a compact mobile sensor that achieves equivalent or superior 3D visualization resolution through movement. By collecting data at multiple positions during traversal, the mobile sensor synthesizes high-resolution images without requiring a physically large antenna structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system adds the temporal dimension of movement to the spatial measurement process. Instead of achieving resolution through a large static array in three spatial dimensions, the mobile sensor achieves equivalent resolution by traversing through space over time, effectively using the fourth dimension (time) to compensate for reduced spatial footprint.
4Measurement precision
If a stationary UWB sensor is used for vital signal reconstruction, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases as sensor displacement disrupts measurement
Solution Approach 1:
The system is designed to accommodate continuous movement rather than requiring stationary positioning. The mobile device maintains measurement precision during motion by synchronizing signal reception with position tracking, eliminating measurement interruptions that occur when displacing fixed sensors.
Solution Approach 2:
The mobile UWB sensor enables continuous measurement of vital signals during movement along the body surface. The system maintains uninterrupted data collection by continuously tracking position and synchronizing signal acquisition, allowing vital signal reconstruction without the stops and starts required by stationary sensor systems.
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 solution allows for accurate, efficient, and non-invasive monitoring of fat thickness and tissue structure, providing high-resolution images and enabling continuous movement, thus overcoming the limitations of existing technologies.
Implementation Method 1
a receiver configured to receive signals radiated to an object and reflected from the object during a movement of the mobile device along a surface of the object
Implementation Method 2
generate information on at least one tissue layer of the object based on the signals and relative positions of the mobile device
Implementation Method 3
The controller is configured for determining amplitude and phase frequency characteristics of the reflected signal
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2a
Figure 2b~3
AI summary
An electronic device, including a receiver configured to receive signals reflected from an object; and a controller configured to generate information corresponding to at least one tissue layer of the object based on the signals and a plurality of positions of the electronic device, wherein the plurality of positions are determined while the electronic device moves.