Hiroki WAKATSUCHI Masahiro HANAZAWA Soichi WATANABE Atsuhiro NISHIKATA Masaki KOUZAI Masami KOJIMA Yoko YAMASHIRO Kazuyuki SASAKI Osamu HASHIMOTO
We measured the complex permittivities of whole blood and blood plasma in quasi millimeter and millimeter wave bands using a coaxial probe method. The validity of these measurements was confirmed by comparing with those of a different measurement method, i.e., a dielectric tube method. It is shown that the complex permittivities of the blood samples are similar to those of water in quasi millimeter and millimeter wave bands. Furthermore, the temperature dependences of the complex permittivities of the samples were measured.
Haruhiro TERADA Fumio KITAGAWA Nobuo OKAMOTO Soichi WATANABE Masao TAKI Masao SAITO
This paper presents an analysis of the dose rate in tissue irradiated by an electromagnetic near field of a circular loop antenna. An analytical model comprised of a circular loop antenna located in the vicinity of the semi-infinite plane of a homogeneous biological medium was formulated. A quasi-static hypothesis was not introduced. The theoretical formulation was rigorously developed based on Maxwell equations which used an electric vector potential, cylindrical coordinates and a Hankel transform. The internal electric field E and the specific absorption rate (SAR) were adopted as indices for the dose in the tissue. This formulation was applied to the dosimetry of a high-frequency therapeutic device (HFTD) and experiment of irradiation to a frog web. The frequency of the applied electro-magnetic fields (EMF) was 9-10MHz. The distance between the antenna and tissue was 2.0-3.2mm. The dose of HFTD were 0.75V/m and 0.35mW/kg, respectively. The dose of experiment of the irradiation to a frog web were 0.42-2.08V/m and 0.11-2.69mW/kg, respectively. The SAR values obtained by this analysis were small enough to conclude that the effects were non-thermal. The calculated SARs of these experiments were compared with estimated SARs in experiments on calcium efflux change due to a weak modulated RF field. All were found to be of the same order of magnitude.
Nozomu ISHII Takuhei AKAGAWA Ken-ichi SATO Lira HAMADA Soichi WATANABE
In the 300 MHz to 3 GHz range, probes used to measure specific absorption rate (SAR) of mobile communication devices are usually calibrated using a rectangular waveguide filled with tissue-equivalent liquid. Above 3 GHz, however, this conventional calibration can be inaccurate because the diameter of the probe is comparable to the cross-sectional dimension of the waveguide. Therefore, an alternative method of SAR probe calibration based on another principle was needed and has been developed by the authors. In the proposed calibration method, the gain of the reference antenna in the liquid is first evaluated using the two-antenna method based on the Friis transmission formula in the conducting medium. Then the electric field intensity radiated by the reference antenna is related to the output voltage of the SAR probe at a given point in the liquid. However, the fields are significantly reduced in the liquid, and the gain is impossible to calibrate in the far-field region. To overcome this difficulty, the Friis transmission formula in the conducting medium must be extended to the near-field region. Here, we report results of simulations and experiments on estimated gain based on the extended Friis transmission formula, which holds in the near-field region, and test the validity of the new formula.
Nadege VARSIER Kanako WAKE Masao TAKI Soichi WATANABE
We compared SAR distributions in major anatomical structures of the brain of a homogeneous and a heterogeneous model using FDTD calculations. Our results proved a good correlation between SAR values in lobes of the brain where tumors may arise more frequently. However SAR values at some specific locations were shown to be under or overestimated.
Shoji MOCHIZUKI Soichi WATANABE Masao TAKI Yukio YAMANAKA Hiroshi SHIRAI
A new hybrid formulation has been derived for analyzing biological electromagnetic compatibility (Bio-EMC) problems by combining the frequency-domain Method of Moments (MoM) and the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method. This hybrid form is different from, and more direct than, the method previously proposed by Mangoud et al. Some numerical examples are given for the human head exposure field due to a half wavelength dipole and a one-wavelength loop antenna. Our iterative method is found to have fast convergence. In addition, our method works well for cases when the radiation antenna wires are not aligned with the FDTD lattice.
Tsung-ting TSAI Soichi WATANABE Yung-Liang HUANG Takuro SATO
In this paper, a sub-optimal Rake receiver combined with a Wiener Filter is investigated for use in an indoor environment. Inner-Chip-interference is dominant when the application is indoors, so the inner-chip-interference rejection function becomes critical for the receiver. Pilot symbols in each slot are used for channel estimation and weight calculation of Rake combining through Wiener Filter. Compared to conventional combining which uses maximum ratio combining, Wiener combining using IRC (Interference rejection combining) achieves better ICI (Inner-chip-Interference) rejection. This paper clarified that the sub optimal Rake receiver using Wiener Filter is 4 dB better than the conventional Rake receiver under the indoor application.
Tomohide SONODA Rui TOKUNAGA Koichi SETO Yukihisa SUZUKI Kanako WAKE Soichi WATANABE Masao TAKI
In this paper, dosimetry of an in vitro exposure apparatus based on a cylindrical waveguide is performed. The SAR distributions are first obtained numerically by using FDTD method. The thermal fields in the medium are then estimated by numerical calculations of the equation of heat conduction. The maximum temperature rise for 17.9 W/kg average SAR during 3000 s exposure is about 2 on the bottom of the medium where cells are located. The thermal distribution is relatively uniform near the center of the dish and the temperature in this region is around 38.7. The results of the numerical calculation are experimentally supported. The results provide the electromagnetic and thermal characteristics of the exposure apparatus, which will define the exposure conditions of the planned experiments using this apparatus.
Takashi HIKAGE Toshio NOJIMA Soichi WATANABE Takashi SHINOZUKA
The electromagnetic field (EMF) distributions created inside a train carriage by the cellular radios of the passengers are analyzed and the impact their electromagnetic interference (EMI) on the implantable cardiac pacemakers is evaluated based upon the analysis results. Both computer simulations and experiments using 800 MHz and 2 GHz transmitters in an actual train carriage confirm that excessively high EMF, high enough to affect the normal functions of the pacemaker, does not occur inside the carriage provided the safe distance of 22 cm specified for pacemaker users is kept. A simplified histogram estimation method for electric field strength is newly developed to deal with the complicated EMF distributions. It allows the EMI risk to pacemakers by cellular radio transmission to be quantitatively evaluated. Methodologies are described first. Typical results of FDTD analysis and actual measurement data are then shown. Finally, considerations and conclusions are made.
Nozomu ISHII Yukihiro MIYOTA Ken-ichi SATO Lira HAMADA Soichi WATANABE
The probe used in the conventional SAR measurement is usually calibrated in a well filled with tissue-equivalent liquid surrounded by a rectangular waveguide and a matching dielectric window in the frequency range from 800 MHz to 3 GHz. However, below 800 MHz, the waveguides are too large to be used for the calibration. Therefore, we have developed another technique of calibrating the SAR-probe, that is, relating the output voltage of the probe to the field intensity produced by a reference antenna in the tissue-equivalent liquid by using two-antenna method. In this paper, the calibration system using the reference dipole antennas in the liquid at 450 MHz, 900 MHz and 2450 MHz is presented and far-field gain of the reference antenna and calibration factor of the SAR-probe are measured and compared with those obtained by using the conventional waveguide system.
Yuta ENDO Kazuyuki SAITO Soichi WATANABE Masaharu TAKAHASHI Koichi ITO
Although the effect of electromagnetic interference on an implanted cardiac pacemaker due to a nearby mobile phone has been investigated, there have been few studies on the enhancement of the specific absorption rate (SAR) around an implanted cardiac pacemaker due to a nearby mobile phone. In this study, the SAR distribution around a pacemaker model embedded in a parallelepiped torso phantom when a mobile phone was nearby was numerically calculated and experimentally measured. The results of both investigations showed a characteristic SAR distribution. The system presented can be used to estimate the effects of electromagnetic interference on implanted electric circuits and thus could lead to the development of guidelines for the safe use of mobile radio terminals near people with medical implants.
Yoshitsugu KAMIMURA Katsuo KOMORI Masahiro SHOJI Yoshifumi YAMADA Soichi WATANABE Yukio YAMANAKA
The radio-frequency protection guideline of Japan recommend the limits of contact current for contact hazard due to an ungrounded metallic object under an electromagnetic field in the frequency range from 10 kHz to 15 MHz. To arrange the standard measurement methods of contact current in Japan, the contact body impedance for the Japanese in the frequency range from 75 kHz to 15 MHz is obtained, and the simplified equivalent circuit is determined using nonlinear least squares method. In addition, the human body impedance is obtained from numerical simulation using the impedance method and voxel human model, and compared it with measured one.
Hiroki KAWAI Kanako WAKE Takuji ARIMA Soichi WATANABE
This paper proposes a head-local-exposure system using a figure-8 loop antenna for 2-GHz band operation. This system allows us to observe biological effects through microcirculation of the rat brain simultaneously with exposure through a cranial window, i.e., the window made by transparent glass and implanted on the surface of the rat brain. The specific absorption rate (SAR) in a rat exposed to microwaves due to the new exposure system is estimated numerically and experimentally. The ratio of averaged SAR between the target area, which is the brain's surface just under the cranial window, and the whole body is about 59 for the 8-week rat model and 13 for the 2-week rat model. This antenna achieves local exposure for the rat brain for 2-GHz band operation.
Akihiro TATENO Shimpei AKIMOTO Tomoaki NAGAOKA Kazuyuki SAITO Soichi WATANABE Masaharu TAKAHASHI Koichi ITO
As the electromagnetic (EM) environment is becoming increasingly diverse, it is essential to estimate specific absorption rates (SARs) and temperature elevations of pregnant females and their fetuses under various exposure situations. This study presents calculated SARs and temperature elevations in a fetus exposed to EM waves. The calculations involved numerical models for the anatomical structures of a pregnant Japanese woman at gestational stages of 13, 18, and 26 weeks; the EM source was a wireless portable terminal placed close to the abdomen of the pregnant female model. The results indicate that fetal SARs and temperature elevations are closely related to the position of the fetus relative to the EM source. We also found that, although the fetal SAR caused by a half-wavelength dipole antenna is sometimes comparable to or slightly more than the International Commission Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection guidelines, it is lower than the guideline level in more realistic situations, such as when a planar inverted-F antenna is used. Furthermore, temperature elevations were significantly below the threshold set to prevent the child from being born with developmental disabilities.
Jingjing SHI Jerdvisanop CHAKAROTHAI Jianqing WANG Kanako WAKE Soichi WATANABE Osamu FUJIWARA
With the rapid increase of various uses of wireless communications in modern life, the high microwave and millimeter wave frequency bands are attracting much attention. However, the existing databases on above 6GHz radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic (EM) field exposure of biological bodies are obviously insufficient. An in-vivo research project on local and whole-body exposure of rats to RF-EM fields above 6GHz was started in Japan in 2013. This study aims to perform a dosimetric design for the whole-body-average specific absorption rates (WBA-SARs) of unconstrained rats exposed to 6GHz RF-EM fields in a reverberation chamber (RC). The required input power into the RC is clarified using a two-step evaluation method in order to achieve a target exposure level in rats. The two-step method, which incorporates the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical solutions with electric field measurements in an RC exposure system, is used as an evaluation method to determine the whole-body exposure level in the rats. In order to verify the validity of the two-step method, we use S-parameter measurements inside the RC to experimentally derive the WBA-SARs with rat-equivalent phantoms and then compare those with the FDTD-calculated ones. It was shown that the difference between the two-step method and the S-parameter measurements is within 1.63dB, which reveals the validity and usefulness of the two-step technique.
Soichi WATANABE Masao TAKI Yoshitsugu KAMIMURA
The frequency characteristics of whole-body averaged specific absorption rates (SARs) in a human model exposed to a near field of an electric dipole or a magnetic dipole are calculated, using a finite-difference time-domain method. The dependences of the characteristics on the orientation of the dipole and on the distance from the source to the model are investigated. It is shown that the resonant peak of the SAR that appears in the E-polarized far-field exposure is observed only when the source is E-polarized and is located at 80cm, while the peak vanishes or is not noted when the source is located at 40cm and 20cm nor when it is H-polarized. The relationships between the whole-body averaged SARs and the incident electromagnetic field strengths are also investigated. It is suggested that the spatially-averaged value of the dominating component between the electric field and the magnetic field over the space where a human body would occupy provides a relevant measure to estimate the whole-body averaged SAR of a body in the vicinity of a small radiation source.
Jen Shu SHIH Ken-ichi ITOH Soichi WATANABE Takuro SATO
This paper assesses the performance of the handoff algorithm based on distance and RSSI measurements in a multi-cellular environment by computer simulation. The algorithm performs a handoff if handoff initiation conditions, handoff possible conditions, and handoff selective conditions are met. The performance criteria are based on the average number of handoffs, the crossover points and the average number of outages. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the algorithm. The performance of the distance-assisted handoff algorithm is compared with that of a conventional algorithm that utilizes signal strength alone. Overall, the distance-assisted algorithm exhibits higher performance in average number of handoffs and the crossover points, yet exhibits a higher number of outages on average than the conventional algorithm.
Jingjing SHI Jerdvisanop CHAKAROTHAI Jianqing WANG Kanako WAKE Soichi WATANABE Osamu FUJIWARA
This paper aims to achieve a high-quality exposure level quantification of whole-body average-specific absorption rates (WBA-SARs) for small animals in a medium-size reverberation chamber (RC). A two-step method, which incorporates the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical solutions with electric field measurements in an RC-type exposure system, has been used as an evaluation method to determine the whole-body exposure level in small animals. However, there is little data that quantitatively demonstrate the validity and accuracy of this method in an RC up to now. In order to clarify the validity of the two-step method, we compare the physical quantities in terms of electric field strength and WBA-SARs by using a direct numerical assessment method known as the method of moments (MoM) with ten homogenous gel phantoms placed in an RC with 2GHz exposure. The comparison results show that the relative errors between the two-step method and the MoM approach are approximately below 10%, which reveals the validity and usefulness of the two-step technique. Finally, we perform a dosimetric analysis of the WBA-SARs for anatomical mouse models with the two-step method and determine the input power related to our developed RC-exposure system to achieve a target exposure level in small animals.
Atsushi KITAGAWA Takashi HIKAGE Toshio NOJIMA Ally Y. SIMBA Soichi WATANABE
The purpose of this study is to estimate the possible effect of cellular radio on implantable cardiac pacemakers in elevators. We previously investigated pacemaker EMI in elevator by examining the E-field distribution of horizontal plane at the height of expected for implanted pacemakers inside elevators. In this paper, we introduce our method for estimating EMI impact to implantable cardiac pacemakers using EMF distributions inside the region of the human body in which pacemakers are implanted. Simulations of a human phantom in an elevator are performed and histograms are derived from the resulting EMF distributions. The computed results of field strengths are compared with a certain reference level determined from experimentally obtained maximum interference distance of implantable cardiac pacemakers. This enables us to carry out a quantitative evaluation of the EMI impact to pacemakers by cellular radio transmission. This paper uses a numerical phantom model developed based on an European adult male. The simulations evaluate EMI on implantable cardiac pacemakers in three frequency bands. As a result, calculated E-field strengths are sufficiently low to cause the pacemaker to malfunction in the region examined.
Soichi WATANABE Takuro SATO Takeo ABE
This paper describes a forward subchannel control of multi-carrier scheme intended to compensate for phase/amplitude distortions under frequency selective fading. The forward subchannel control scheme is used for a Time Division Duplex (TDD) multi-carrier system on up-link. The forward subchannel control scheme provides forward subchannel control of phase/amplitude variation and subchannel assignment control. These controls are applied before transmission of an up-link signal. The forward control parameters are estimated by a preamble down-link signal. Simulation results clarify that the BER performance with the forward subchannel control scheme shows a superiority of more than one order at the condition of 22 dB of Eb/N0 and 400 Hz of fading frequency.
Teruo ONISHI Takahiro IYAMA Lira HAMADA Soichi WATANABE Akimasa HIRATA
This paper investigates the relationship between averaged SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) over 10 g mass and temperature elevation in Japanese numerical anatomical models when devices are mounted on the body. Simplifying the radiation source as a half-wavelength dipole, the generated electrical field and SAR are calculated using the FDTD (Finite-Difference Time-Domain) method. Then the bio-heat equation is solved to obtain the temperature elevation due to the SAR derived using the FDTD method as heat source. Frequencies used in the study are 900 MHz and 1950 MHz, which are used for mobile phones. In addition, 3500 MHz is considered because this frequency is reserved for IMT-Advanced (International Mobile Telecommunication-Advanced System). Computational results obtained herein show that the 10 g-average SAR and the temperature elevation are not proportional to frequency. In addition, it is clear that those at 3500 MHz are lower than that at 1950 MHz even though the frequency is higher. It is the point to be stressed here is that good correlation between the 10 g-average SAR and the temperature elevation is observed even for the body-worn device.