Temperature-measuring microwave radiometer apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed are four improvements in temperature-measuring radiometric equipment. The first improvement is directed to increasing the sensitivity of a radiometer by employing microwave noise power derived from a reference noise source in an amount that corresponds to a temperature higher than that of the specimen, and applying the reference-noise-source-derived microwave noise power as an input to the radiometer for a shorter time than is microwave noise power derived from a specimen. The second improvement is directed to reducing emissivity error by employing open-loop means comprising a microwave circulator for applying microwave noise power generated by at least one resistor thermostatically heated to a temperature in the neighborhood of the temperature of a patient's body tissue back to the body tissue. The third improvement, which is suitable for use in an applicator insertable into a natural opening of a patient's body that is employed in the detection and location of a cancerous lesion, is directed to a microwave radiometer that employs two displaced microwave antennas to measure the temperature difference between two points of a patient's body tissue or other type of specimen. The fourth improvement is directed to radiometric equipment that is combined with mammographic equipment to provide a superior capability for detecting and locating a breast cancer lesion.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.