The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 21, 2010
Filed:
Jul. 10, 2008
Kyle J. Bunch, Richland, WA (US);
Brian J. Tucker, Pasco, WA (US);
Ronald H. Severtsen, Richland, WA (US);
Thomas E. Hall, Kennewick, WA (US);
Douglas L. Mcmakin, Richland, WA (US);
Wayne M. Lechelt, West Richland, WA (US);
Jeffrey W. Griffin, Kennewick, WA (US);
David M. Sheen, Richland, WA (US);
Kyle J. Bunch, Richland, WA (US);
Brian J. Tucker, Pasco, WA (US);
Ronald H. Severtsen, Richland, WA (US);
Thomas E. Hall, Kennewick, WA (US);
Douglas L. McMakin, Richland, WA (US);
Wayne M. Lechelt, West Richland, WA (US);
Jeffrey W. Griffin, Kennewick, WA (US);
David M. Sheen, Richland, WA (US);
Battelle Memorial Institute, Richland, WA (US);
Abstract
The present invention includes methods and apparatuses for imaging material properties in natural-fiber-containing materials. In particular, the images can provide quantified measures of localized moisture content. Embodiments of the invention utilize an array of antennas and at least one transceiver to collect amplitude and phase data from radiation interacting with the natural-fiber-containing materials. The antennas and the transceivers are configured to transmit and receive electromagnetic radiation at one or more frequencies, which are between 50 MHz and 1 THz. A conveyance system passes the natural-fiber-containing materials through a field of view of the array of antennas. A computing device is configured to apply a synthetic imaging algorithm to construct a three-dimensional image of the natural-fiber-containing materials that provides a quantified measure of localized moisture content. The image and the quantified measure are both based on the amplitude data, the phase data, or both.