Array configurations of a UWB near field imaging system for the detection of water accumulation in human body

In medical field, the reflected UWB signals from the boundaries of human tissues with high contrast of dielectric properties are utilized. In this paper, a synthetic aperture-based microwave near field imaging system using UWB signal for the detection of water accumulation in human body (such as urine in the human bladder, water accumulation in lung or stomach) is proposed. Rectangular and circular array configurations are compared with respect to the cross-range resolution and signal- to-clutter ratio of the images. The imaging system is investigated both in a simulation model with regards to dielectric properties of various human tissues and is further verified through measurements with a phantom model. The results show the preference of rectangular array configuration due to its superior performance as well as its ease of realization and the potential of this imaging system for the detection of water accumulation in human body.