Fan beams are patterns of matter or energy emitted by a transmitter, used in medical imaging and radio astronomy. They have an elliptical cross-section and are effective in scanning deep space for radio signals. Fan mounts are used in paint sprayers and garden sprinklers for even application. The fan transmitter is preferred in medical imaging and radio astronomy due to uniform data density. Computed tomography uses fan beam technology to create two-dimensional or three-dimensional images. Fan antennas are being studied in the wireless industry to reduce signal loss.
The fan beam describes a pattern of matter or energy emitted by a transmitter, especially a radio wave transmitter. The beam shape of various medical imaging instruments can determine the clarity and resolutions of the images. Fan beams, applied in radio astronomy, are more effective than narrow pencil beams in scanning deep space for radio signals.
The cross-sectional shape of a fan beam is an ellipse. An ellipse, or oval, has a major axis and a minor axis. Both axes cut the oval into two equal halves. In a fan beam, the major axis is at least three times as long as the minor axis, resulting in a somewhat squashed oval. If the ray could be seen from the side, it would look like a fan with rays pointing from the origin and extending in a radial direction.
Paint sprayers often have a fan mount to create a large beam with a low height. Garden sprinklers are also configured in this form. Nozzles with this shape create a wide beam, making an even application more likely. The distance between the nozzle and the object determines the width of the beam and the density of the applied material.
Medical imaging and radio astronomy applications prefer the Fan Transmitter. It’s effective because more data is accumulated in a single pass, but the data density is uniform. This density is critical when scanning space, as changes in density could be misinterpreted as significant radio signals. The data returned by the scans must be manipulated to create useful images. Mathematicians have developed a mathematical routine, the fan beam function, which takes into account the geometry of the beam.
Computed tomography (CT), a medical imaging device, demonstrates the complexity of these calculations. In this machine, X-rays bounce off tissues in the body area being examined and are collected by detectors. The machine surrounds the patient, taking more than a thousand transversal images. A computer manipulates the data and recreates a two-dimensional image or three-dimensional model of the scanned area.
The wireless industry is also studying fan beam technology. In the radio frequency range assigned to wireless local communications, 60 gigahertz (60 GHz), radio waves diffract or bend poorly around obstacles. A person standing between the transmitter and a person using a laptop will cause a substantial loss of signal received by the computer. Fan antennas greatly reduce this problem.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
