Shear elastic wave imaging method and apparatus for collecting flexible solid information

摘要

This shear wave imaging method, for collecting information on a target region (R) of a soft solid (S), comprises at fi least the steps a) of generating at least one shear wave (SW) in the target region, and b) of detecting a propagation pattern of the shear wave in the target region. Step a) is realized by applying to particles of the target region (R) some Lorentz forces resulting from an electric field (E) and from a magnetic field (B). At least one of the electric field (E) and the magnetic field (B) is variable in time, with a central frequency (fo) between 1 Hz and 10 kHz. Alternatively, both the electric and magnetic fields (E, B) are variable in time, with a central difference frequency (Δfo) between 1 Hz and 10 kHz. The shear wave imaging installation comprises a first system (4, 7) for generating at least one shear wave (SW) in the target region (R) and a second system (10) for detecting a propagation pattern of the shear wave. The first system includes first means (4) to apply an electric field (E) through the target region (R) and second means (7) to apply a magnetic field (B) through the target region. The first and second means are configured to apply to particles of the target region some Lorentz forces resulting from the electric field (E) and the magnetic field (B), where at least one of these fields is a quantity variable in time, with a central frequency (fo) between 1 Hz and 10 kHz, or both fields are quantities variable in time, with a central difference frequency (Δfo) between 1 Hz and 10 kHz.