US 12,241,847 B2
Microwave sensor for identifying the presence of a biological material in a sample
Patryk Kot, Liverpool (GB); Magomed Muradov, Liverpool (GB); Andrew Shaw, Liverpool (GB); and Kah Hou Teng, Liverpool (GB)
Assigned to LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY, Merseyside (GB)
Appl. No. 17/756,025
Filed by LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY, Liverpool (GB)
PCT Filed Oct. 23, 2020, PCT No. PCT/GB2020/052691
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date May 13, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/094707, PCT Pub. Date May 20, 2021.
Claims priority of application No. 1916716 (GB), filed on Nov. 15, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0404293 A1, Dec. 22, 2022
Int. Cl. G01N 22/00 (2006.01); G01N 33/483 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 22/00 (2013.01) [G01N 33/483 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sensor for identifying the presence of a biological material in a sample, the sensor comprising:
an antenna apparatus for transmitting and receiving microwave electromagnetic (EM) signals;
a signal transmitter apparatus coupled to the antenna apparatus and arranged to transmit a microwave-frequency output signal to the antenna apparatus for emission therefrom as an output electromagnetic (EM) signal for reflection at a said sample and to receive a microwave-frequency return signal from the antenna apparatus in response to a return electromagnetic (EM) signal received thereat by reflection from a said sample;
a signal processor arranged to calculate a complex-valued reflection coefficient, comprising a real component and an imaginary component, according to said return signal and said output signal, and to detect the presence of said biological material in said sample according to both the real component and the imaginary component of said reflection coefficient.