Combining Radon transform and electrical capacitance tomography for a 2d + 1 imaging device

Abstract

This paper describes a coplanar non invasive non destructive capacitive imaging device. We first introduce a mathematical model for its output, and discuss some of its theoretical capabilities. We show that the data obtained from this device can be interpreted as a weighted Radon transform of the electrical permittivity of the measured object near its surface. Image reconstructions from experimental data provide good surface resolution as well as short depth imaging, making the apparatus a 2d + 1 imager. The quality of the images leads us to expect that excellent results can be delivered by ad hoc optimized inversion formulas. There are also interesting, yet unexplored, theoretical questions on imaging that this sensor will allow us to test.