A Firmware Platform for Breast Cancer Microwave Imaging

This work reports a control platform development for a low-cost and portable medical imaging breast cancer detection system. Firmware was developed from scratch contemplating the hardware control, automated internal sweeping routines, and attending personal computer queries via USB communication. Custom commands were implemented for the external communication employing a simple and effective ASCII protocol. The platform allows both hardware technician and exam operator to interact with the hardware from register level to elaborated routines, enabling advanced intervention as well as automatic and fast measurement tasks. Results reported calibration and sweeping times reduced from minutes to less than 2.5 seconds per examination step. A complete 64 positions exam time is estimated in 28 minutes and currently depends primarily on the mechanical equipment setup.