Description
A Master of Science Thesis in Electrical Engineering submitted by Soudeh Heyadri Nasabentitled, "Design of a Pseudo-Real Time Microwave Imaging System for Cylindrical Dielectric Structures," submitted in May 2011. Available are both soft and hard copies of the thesis.
Abstract
In this thesis, the design and implementation of a pseudo-real time Microwave imaging system for cylindrical dielectric structures is investigated. Two different prototypes that have the same frequency of operation (7.5 GHz) but different receiving antenna shape and switching scheme were designed, fabricated and tested. The cylindrical retina was able to obtain an image from one third of a cylindrical structure while the single column retina, which has rotational capability, was able to create a 360o view of the structure under test. Both imaging schemes were tested for different structures of various size and dielectric material and they were able to successfully detect the impurities. Furthermore, a comparison between the system of cylindrical retina and a planner microwave imaging system was made. Most of the research conducted in field of microwave imaging focused on planner structures and was aimed to inspect the presence of inhomogeneities. Imaging of cylindrical object received some attention recently. However, very few attempts have been done to design an imaging system to specifically interrogate the integrity of cylindrical structures. This thesis specifically focuses on this area and the system offer novelty in terms of shape of retina and accuracy of distinguishing between materials of various dielectric constants. The scanning and switching stage designed for this project is also novel.