1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus and a method of controlling a temperature of a matching material, and more particularly, to an apparatus and a method of maintaining a property of a matching material associated with an electromagnetic wave loss by controlling a temperature of the matching material used in an apparatus for generating a tomographic image. “This invention was funded by the MISP (Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning), Korea in the ICT R&D Program 2013 into an information and communication technology (ICT) research development program in 2013”
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent times, research into microwave tomography (MT) using an electromagnetic wave is being conducted to develop a new technology for diagnosing breast cancer.
An apparatus for generating a tomographic image may immerse a breast in a predetermined matching material that allows an electromagnetic wave to readily penetrate the breast, and reconfigure a tomographic image of the breast based on wave scattering data that penetrates the breast.
The apparatus for generating the tomographic image may use amplitude and phase information of the electromagnetic wave that passes through the breast as key information to be used to reconfigure the tomographic image of the breast.
However, the matching material has a property of causing a loss in the electromagnetic wave that passes through the matching material, and the property may vary based on a temperature of the matching material.
When the property of the matching material is maintained, the amplitude and phase information of the electromagnetic wave that passes through the breast may be measured precisely based on the property of the matching material. However, when the property of the matching material changes, a time may needed to reconfigure the tomographic image or an error may occur in the reconfiguring.
Furthermore, the property of the matching material may vary in response to the temperature of the matching material decreasing based on a period of time elapsing because the temperature of the matching material is higher than a general room temperature.
Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus and a method of preventing the amplitude and phase information of the electromagnetic wave that passes through the breast from being deteriorated due to the change in the property of the matching material based on a period of time elapsing.