Patent ID: 7570063
Filing Date: 2009-08-04
Classification: A61B

Abstract:
1. A space-time microwave imaging system for imaging an object comprising: (a) an array of antennas for radiating and receiving microwaves; (b) a microwave pulse source connected to the array of antennas to provide pulse signals to the antennas; (c) a receiver connected to the antennas to detect the microwave signals received by the antennas and provide signal data corresponding thereto; and (d) a computer connected to receive the signal data, the computer programmed to estimate an artifact reflection component of the signal at each antenna as a filtered combination of the signals at all other antennas and to subtract the estimated artifact reflection component from the signal data to provide corrected signal data, with weights of the filters chosen to minimize the residual signal over that portion of the received data dominated by the reflection, and the computer further programmed to process the corrected signal data in a beamformer process to time shift the corrected signal data to approximately align the returns from a scatterer at a candidate location, to pass the time aligned signals through a bank of filters with a filter for each antenna, to sum the outputs of the filters to form a summed signal, and to calculate the power in the summed signal to produce a beamformer output signal, wherein the beamformer filters are designed to present maximum gain to scattered signals originating from the candidate location, and to scan the beamformer process to a plurality of different candidate locations in the object to be imaged by changing the time shifts and filter weights to generate multi-dimensional output power data.