UWB Microwave Monopulse Radar System for breast cancer detection

Abstract

The concept of an Ultra Wideband (UWB) Monopulse Microwave Radar System for detection and location of breast cancer is described. The system uses a two-element Tapered Slot Antenna (TSA) array accompanied by a UWB 180° hybrid which scans the breast. When the breast tissue features symmetry with respect to the array axis and the hybrid enables the 180° out phase feeding operation, the array automatically eliminates background while extracting information about an off axis target. The data obtained from the scan is post-processed using a novel imaging algorithm to locate the target. The design of the required 2-element UWB array antenna and the 180° hybrid is presented. The validity of the proposed breast cancer detection method is demonstrated in an example of a simple breast phantom formed by a cylindrical plastic container filled with a vegetable oil and small cylindrical targets.