Mountain-Shaped Coupler for Ultra Wideband Applications

This paper demonstrates a novel mountain-shaped design for a compact 3-dB coupler operating at ultra-wideband (UWB) frequencies from 3.1GHz to 10.6 GHz. The proposed design was accomplished using multilayer technology in which the structure is formed by three layers of conductors interleaved by a layer of substrate between each conductor layer. Simulation was carried out using CST Microwave Studio; the result was then compared with results from rectangular and star-shaped couplers that implemented the same technique. The results obtained show that the proposed new coupler has better performance compared to both rectangular and star-shaped coupler designs in terms of return loss, isolation, and phase difference. The coupler was fabricated and measured; the measurement results satisfactorily agree with the simulation results

Microwave Breast Imaging Techniques and Measurement Systems

Electromagnetic waves at microwave frequencies allow penetration into many optically non-transparent mediums such as biological tissues. Over the past 30 years, researchers have extensively investigated microwave imaging (MI) approaches including imaging algorithms, measurement systems and applications in biomedical fields, such as breast tumor detection, brain stroke detection, heart imaging and bone imaging. Successful clinical trials of MI for breast imaging brought worldwide excitation, and this achievement further confirmed that the MI has potential to become a low-risk and cost-effective alternative to existing medical imaging tools such as X-ray mammography for early breast cancer detection. This chapter offers comprehensive descriptions of the most important MI approaches for early breast cancer detection, including reconstruction procedures and measurement systems as well as apparatus

UWB Pulse Radar for Human Imaging and Doppler Detection Applications

We were motivated to develop new technologies capable of identifying human life through walls. Our goal is to pinpoint multiple people at a time, which could pay dividends during military operations, disaster rescue efforts, or assisted-living. Such system requires the combination of two features in one platform: seeing-through wall localization and vital signs Doppler detection. Ultra-wideband (UWB) radar technology has been used due to its distinct advantages, such as ultra-low power, fine imaging resolution, good penetrating through wall characteristics, and high performance in noisy environment. Not only being widely used in imaging systems and ground penetrating detection, UWB radar also targets Doppler sensing, precise positioning and tracking, communications and measurement, and etc. A robust UWB pulse radar prototype has been developed and is presented here. The UWB pulse radar prototype integrates seeing-through imaging and Doppler detection features in one platform. Many challenges existing in implementing such a radar have been addressed extensively in this dissertation. Two Vivaldi antenna arrays have been designed and fabricated to cover 1.5-4.5 GHz and 1.5-10 GHz, respectively. A carrier-based pulse radar transceiver has been implemented to achieve a high dynamic range of 65dB. A 100 GSPS data acquisition module is prototyped using the off-the-shelf field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) based on a low cost solution: equivalent time sampling scheme. Ptolemy and transient simulation tools are used to accurately emulate the linear and nonlinear components in the comprehensive simulation platform, incorporated with electromagnetic theory to account for through wall effect and radar scattering. Imaging and Doppler detection examples have been given to demonstrate that such a “Biometrics-at-a-glance” would have a great impact on the security, rescuing, and biomedical applications in the future

Miniaturized ultra wideband microstrip antenna based on a modified koch snowflake geometry for wireless applications

This paper presents a compact micro-strip patch antenna for ultra wideband (UWB) applications using a Koch Snowflake fractal radiating antenna. The antenna supports two ultra widebands. For the lower band, a good impedance bandwidth of 6.55GHz has been achieved from 3.4892GHz to 10.0392GHz. While the upper band covers 5.4976GHz (from 10.9013GHz to 16.3989GHz). It is fed by a 50? micro-strip transmission line with an overall size of 30x27 mm. The simulation was performed by Computer Simulation Technology (CST) MICROWAVE STUDIO software, and compared with High Frequency Structural Simulator (HFSS) software. The results show that the proposed antenna has interesting characteristics for UWB applications

Miniaturized UWB elliptical patch antenna for skin cancer diagnosis imaging

The biomedical imaging shows promising results in many applications such as protein characterization and cancer detection using non-ionizing radiation. Skin cancer is one of the most common types of cancer because it is exposed by sun rays during the day. Many techniques have been offered to detect the tumor in the early stage such as ultrasonic and MW imaging. However, most of these studies showed a large printing area with lower BW so as the low resolution. To overcome these drawbacks, a new low profile UWB elliptical patch antenna with high performance is designed on PTFE as a substrate. Then a layer of Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) applies to improve the antenna radiation characteristics. The proposed antenna has a broad BW from 3.9 GHz to 30 GHz along with a resonance at 2.4 GHz. Furthermore, the antenna presents a maximum gain of 7.3 dB, maximum directivity of 7.78 dBi, the maximum radiation efficiency of 92 %, and consistent, stable radiation pattern throughout the frequency band. Besides, the time-domain characteristics show that the antenna can be a suitable candidate for microwave imaging of skin cancer

CPW and microstrip line-fed compact fractal antenna for UWB-RFID applications

In this study, we present an implementation of Ultra Wide Band (UWB) Koch Snowflake antenna for Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) applications. The compact antenna, based on the Koch Snowflake shape, is fed by coplanar waveguide (CPW) and by microstrip line with an overall size of 31 × 27 × 1.6mm3. The simulation analysis is performed by CST Microwave Studio and compared with HFSS software. The antenna design exhibits a very wide operating bandwidth of 13GHz (3.4- 16.4GHz) and 11 GHz (3.5-14.577 GHz) with return loss better than 10 dB for microstrip line antenna and CPW antenna respectively. A prototype of CPW and microstrip antenna was fabricated on an FR4 substrate and measured. Simulated and measured results are in close agreement. The small size of the antenna and the obtained results show that the proposed antenna is an excellent candidate for UWB-RFID localization system applications

Evaluating a breast tumor monitoring vest with flexible UWB antennas and realistic phantoms:a proof-of-concept study

Abstract. The introduction provides an overview of the global significance of breast cancer as a health concern and the limitations of existing breast cancer screening methods. It introduces the concept of microwave-based breast cancer monitoring and highlights the promising findings from a previous research paper. The objective of the master thesis is presented, which is to develop and evaluate a self-monitoring vest equipped with UWB antennas and channel analysis to overcome the limitations of current screening methods and enable regular breast cancer monitoring from home. The "Background and Literature Review," provides a comprehensive overview of the relevant topics related to microwave techniques for breast cancer detection. It starts by discussing the anatomy of the female breast, highlighting the importance of understanding its structure for effective tumor detection. The section then delves into the microwave properties of the human breast, elucidating the interactions between microwaves and breast tissue. The basic principle of microwave channel analysis is explained, emphasizing its significance in detecting breast tumors. Furthermore, the advantages of microwave-based tumor detection methods are explored, showcasing their potential for improved breast cancer screening. Various microwave techniques used in breast cancer detection, including microwave tomography and radar-based UWB microwave imaging, are discussed, along with different self-monitoring vests integrated with UWB antennas. This section serves as a foundation for the subsequent chapters of the thesis, providing a comprehensive background and literature review to support the research and development of the practical self-monitoring vest for early detection of small-sized breast tumors. The "Preparation of Tissue Phantoms" section in the master’s thesis explores the comprehensive methodology for creating tissue phantoms that replicate the dielectric properties of various human tissues. While the section primarily focuses on fat tissue, it also acknowledges the existence of other phantom types. The outlined approach involves careful ingredient selection, formulation development, fabrication techniques, and stability evaluation for the creation of skin, muscle, fat, tumor, and gland tissue phantoms. By following these procedures, researchers can successfully produce tissue phantoms that closely mimic the properties of real human tissues. These phantoms serve as essential tools for investigating microwave-based applications in medical diagnostics and provide a reliable and versatile platform for further research in the field. The third section discusses the assembly of heterogeneous breast phantoms used for evaluating the performance of the tumor detection vest. The phantoms consisted of outer and inner molds, with the outer molds resembling the shape of a prone human breast. Two breast density types, representing very dense and less dense breasts, were used. For the dense breast phantoms, liquid fat material was solidified in the outer molds, and a glandular liquid was poured into the inner mold, with tumors inserted and covered with additional glandular liquid. For the less dense breast phantoms, fat liquid was solidified in the outer molds, and cylindrical glandular molds were inserted. A skin layer and muscle layer were added to complete the assembly, accurately simulating the composition and structure of a breast. This realistic breast phantom assembly allowed for accurate measurements and evaluation of the vest’s performance under different breast density conditions, contributing to breast imaging research and development. The "Monitoring Vest" section discusses the antennas used in the tumor detection vest and the design of two different vest versions. Antenna1 is a UWB monopole antenna with a flexible laminate substrate, while Antenna2 is a textile-based version of Antenna1. Antenna3 has a Kapton-based substrate and larger dimensions. The combination of these antennas ensures accurate tumor detection in various breast conditions. The section also highlights the measurement and comparison of the S11 parameter for the PCB antenna in free space and when placed on the skin, emphasizing the impact of the skin on antenna performance. The section concludes by describing the design of the vests, including the arrangement of pockets and the use of RF cables for connection. The careful design and implementation of the vests and antenna placement ensure accurate measurements and reliable performance evaluation. The results section of the study shows that the presence of tumors in breast tissue leads to a noticeable decrease in channel attenuation. The higher dielectric properties of tumors cause additional reflections and diffraction, affecting signal propagation within the breast. These changes in channel characteristics are influenced by factors such as tumor size, breast density, and antenna configuration. The study demonstrates the detectability of tumors and provides valuable insights for developing effective tumor detection systems in different breast tissue scenarios. In this master thesis, a prototype of a breast tumor monitoring vest utilizing UWB flexible antennas was developed and evaluated. The research demonstrated the effectiveness of the vest in detecting breast tumors, even as small as 1cm, by leveraging the distinct characteristics of radio channels among multiple on-body antennas embedded in the vest. Higher frequencies in the 7–8 GHz range showed improved resolution and contrast in relative permittivity, enhancing the accuracy of tumor detection. The development of tissue phantoms played a crucial role, enabling reliable experiments to mimic human tissues. Integration of advanced AI algorithms and 6G technology holds promise for enhancing diagnostic capabilities and revolutionizing healthcare. Overall, the breast tumor monitoring vest shows potential for widespread implementation in breast health checks, home monitoring, and wireless healthcare systems

3D Huygens Principle based Microwave Imaging through MammoWave Device: Validation through Phantoms.

This work focuses on developing a 3D microwave imaging (MWI) algorithm based on the Huygens principle (HP). Specifically, a novel, fast MWI device (MammoWave) has been presented and exploited for its capabilities of extending image reconstruction from 2D to 3D. For this purpose, dedicated phantoms containing 3D structured inclusion have been prepared with mixtures having different dielectric properties. Phantom measurements have been performed at multiple planes along the z-axis by simultaneously changing the transmitter and receiver antenna height via the graphic user interface (GUI) integrated with MammoWave. We have recorded the complex S21 multi-quote data at multiple planes along the z-axis. The complex multidimensional raw data has been processed via an enhanced HP-based image algorithm for 3D image reconstruction. This paper demonstrates the successful detection and 3D visualization of the inclusion with varying dimensions at multiple planes/cross-sections along the z-axis with a dimensional error lower than 7.5%. Moreover, the paper shows successful detection and 3D visualization of the inclusion in a skull-mimicking phantom having a cylindrically shaped inclusion, with the location of the detected inclusion in agreement with the experimental setup. Additionally, the localization of a 3D structured spherical inclusion has been shown in a more complex scenario using a 3-layer cylindrically shaped phantom, along with the corresponding 3D image reconstruction and visualization