US 8,013,745 B2 · Passive microwave assessment of human body core to surface temperature gradients and basal metabolic rate

Abstract

A passive microwave thermography apparatus uses passive microwave antennas designed for operation, for example, at WARC protected frequencies of 1.400 to 1.427 GHz and 2.690 to 2.70 GHz (for core body gradient temperature measurement) and 10.68 to 10.700 GHz or higher microwave frequency (for surface body gradient temperature measurement) and a related directional antenna or antenna array to measure microwave radiation emanating from an animal, especially, a human body. The antennae may be radially directed toward a point within or on the surface of a human body for comparison with known temperature distribution data for that point and a given ambient temperature. Each frequency band may provide a plurality of adjacent noise measuring channels for measuring microwave noise naturally emitted by the human body. The apparatus measures short-term changes in, for example, core and body surface temperatures to establish a basal metabolic rate. Changes in core body temperature may be stimulated by the administration of food or certain organic and drug-related substances or stress to induce a change in basal metabolic rate over time. These changes correlate directly with a human subject's metabolism rate at rest and under certain dietary constraints and can be used to determine courses of treatment for obesity, metabolic disease, and other disorders. The apparatus can also be used to remotely monitor patients and subjects without physical contact.

Claims26

Dependent claims

A system configured for the assessment of a human temperature gradient between at least two points at different radial depths of a human subject, the system comprising

a passive microwave receiver for operation within a selected microwave frequency range of a plurality of WARC protected microwave frequency ranges, each WARC protected microwave range having a bandwidth, whereby the lower the selected microwave frequency range, the greater the depth of penetration for passive receipt of a noise signal from the human subject, a bandwidth of the selected microwave frequency range comprising at least two noise measuring channels, the passive microwave receiver comprising a directional antenna configured for radial direction toward a specific location on the skin surface of the human subject and toward a human body part comprising one of an ear, the hypothalamus, the nasopharyngeal cavity, the rectum, a breast, the heart, an arm, a hand, a leg, a foot and the tongue,
wherein the selected WARC protected microwave frequency range comprises one of 1.400 to 1.427 GHz, providing a 27 MHz bandwidth;
2.690 to 2.700 GHz, providing a 10 MHz bandwidth;
10.680 to 10.700 GHz, providing a 20 MHz bandwidth;
and 23.600 to 24.000 GHz, providing a 400 MHz bandwidth and the at least two noise measuring channels are configured to detect respective noise signals for assessment of the human temperature gradient between the at least two points at different radial depths of the human subject.

2 more elements

A system configured for the assessment of a human temperature gradient between two points, each point at a different calculated radial depth of a human subject, the different radial depths being calculated based on different microwave frequencies of respective noise measuring channels and based on relative water composition of skin, fat, muscle and bone tissue of the human subject, the system comprising

a passive microwave receiver for operation within a selected microwave frequency range of a plurality of WARC protected microwave frequency ranges, the selected microwave frequency range comprising two respective noise measuring channels for passively receiving noise signals from the two points at the different calculated radial depths of the human subject, the passive microwave receiver comprising a directional antenna configured for radial direction toward tissue of the human subject including the two points at the different calculated radial depths of the human subject, the two points being located at the different calculated radial depths within a selected human body part of the human subject,
a computer coupled to the passive microwave receiver, and
a memory for storing noise voltage measurements of the two passively received microwave noise measuring channels over time, the computer calculating the human temperature gradient from the noise voltage measurements.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Passive microwave assessment of human body core to surface temperature gradients and basal metabolic rate

Life of this patent

Passive microwave assessment of human body core to surface temperature gradients and basal metabolic rate

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims26