Health related diagnostics employing spectroscopy in radio / microwave frequency band

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10548503-B2
Application number	US-201916405749-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 7, 2019
Priority date	May 8, 2018
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

An automated medical diagnostic system includes antennas, transmitter, receiver, and a processor-based device or system. Excitations signals are transmitted into bodily tissue at each of a plurality of discrete frequencies (e.g., steps of 1 MHz from 300 MHz to 2500 MHz) or unequal steps. The response signals are received and analyzed against the excitation signals at each of a number of the frequencies, for example determining gain/loss due to passage through bodily tissue. The results are analyzed for patterns indicative of a presence or absence of an abnormal condition, and results presented.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A system to perform in vivo diagnostics on bodily tissue, comprising:
a transmitter coupled or coupleable to at least one antenna and operable to transmit a plurality of excitation signals at each of a plurality of wavelengths in at least one of a radio frequency band and, or, a microwave frequency band of the electromagnetic spectrum via at least one antenna;
a receiver coupled or coupleable to at least one antenna and operable to receive a plurality of response signals to the excitation signals which are returned through the bodily tissue via at least one antenna in response to the excitation signals and which represent at least one physical characteristic of the bodily tissue from which the response signals are returned;
at least one processor; and
at least one nontransitory processor-readable medium that stores at least one of processor-executable instructions or data which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:
for a first sampling cycle,
for each of a number of the plurality of wavelengths, determine a sampling difference between a respective excitation signal and a respective response signal at the respective wavelength;
for each of a number of the plurality of wavelengths, determine a sampling to baseline difference between the determined sampling difference and a respective baseline difference for the respective wavelength, the baseline difference which represents a difference between a baseline excitation signal at the respective wavelength and a baseline response signal at the respective wavelength, each baseline response signal which represent respective response to the respective baseline excitation signal at the respective frequency for a baseline physical condition of the bodily tissue;

compare at least some of the determined sampling to baseline differences to a defined pattern of differences; and
indicate an existence or absence of an anomalous physical condition based on the comparison of at least some of the determined sampling to baseline differences to a defined pattern of differences.

2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
for a second sampling cycle,
for each of a number of the plurality of wavelengths, determine a sampling difference between a respective excitation signal and a respective response signal at the respective wavelength;
for each of a number of the plurality of wavelengths, determine a sampling to baseline difference between the determined sampling difference and a respective baseline difference for the respective wavelength, the baseline difference which represents a difference between a baseline excitation signal at the respective wavelength and a baseline response signal at the respective wavelength, each baseline response signal which represent respective response to the respective baseline excitation signal at the respective frequency for a baseline physical condition of the bodily tissue.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to: compare at least some of the determined sampling to baseline differences to defined pattern of differences for the sampling response signals collected during both the first and the second sampling cycles.

4. The system of claim 2 , further comprising:
for a third sampling cycle,
for each of a number of the plurality of wavelengths, determine a sampling difference between a respective excitation signal and a respective response signal at the respective wavelength;
for each of a number of the plurality of wavelengths, determine a sampling to baseline difference between the determined sampling difference and a respective baseline difference for the respective wavelength, the baseline difference which represents a difference between a baseline excitation signal at the respective wavelength and a baseline response signal at the respective wavelength, each baseline response signal which represent respective response to the respective baseline excitation signal at the respective frequency for a baseline physical condition of the bodily tissue.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein the at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to: compare at least some of the determined sampling to baseline differences to defined pattern of differences for the sampling response signals collected during the first, the second, and the third sampling cycles.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:
for each of the frequencies, average two or more response signals to the respective excitation signal at the respective frequency which are returned through the bodily tissue over a period of time.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:
for each of the frequencies, sequentially transmit two or more excitation signals at the respective frequency over a period of time.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the at least one of processor-executable instructions or data, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to:
ignore at least one response signal to the respective excitation signal for at least one of the frequencies.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter transmits the plurality of excitation signals at each of the plurality of discrete frequencies in equal steps or unequal steps from a first frequency to a second frequency.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter transmits the plurality of excitation signals at each of the plurality of discrete frequencies in equal steps of 1 MHz from a first frequency to a second frequency.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter transmits the plurality of excitation signals at each of the plurality of discrete frequencies in equal steps or unequal steps from a first frequency of approximately 300 MHz to a second frequency.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter transmits the plurality of excitation signals at each of the plurality of discrete frequencies in equal steps or unequal steps from a first frequency to a second frequency of approximately 2500 MHz.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter transmits the plurality of excitation signals at each of the plurality of discrete frequencies in equal steps or unequal steps from 300 MHz to 2500 MHz.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter transmits the plurality of excitation signals at each of the plurality of discrete frequencies in a set of frequencies in equal steps or unequal steps for each of one or more subsets of frequencies in the set of frequencies, and skips one or more frequencies between the subsets of frequencies.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the transmitter transmits the plurality of excitation signals at each of the plurality of discrete frequencies in a set of frequencies, and skips one or more frequencies associated with one or more natural resonance frequencies of water.

16. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
an interface that interfaces with the bodily tissue, the interface comprising: a first antenna; at least a second antenna, the second antenna spaced laterally offset at any angle with respect to the first antenna by a first range of distances; an

Assignees

• Know Labs Inc

Inventors

• Bosua Phillip

Classifications

• A61B5/14532

  for measuring glucose, e.g. by tissue impedance measurement · CPC title

• A61B5/0075 Primary

  by spectroscopy, i.e. measuring spectra, e.g. Raman spectroscopy, infrared absorption spectroscopy (A61B5/0071 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B5/6831

  Straps, bands or harnesses · CPC title

• A61B5/0507 Primary

  using microwaves or terahertz waves · CPC title

• A61B5/1071

  measuring angles, e.g. using goniometers (A61B5/1123 takes precedence) · CPC title