| Summary: | 碩士 === 國立臺北科技大學 === 自動化科技研究所 === 92 === Breast Cancer is becoming one of the most frequent cancers for women and continues to grow rapidly in recent years in Taiwan. One of the best ways to reduce the death rate of breast cancer is to detect the cancer as early as possible. Although there are several diagnosis methods, such as mammography and ultrasonic scanning, the self breast examination through palpation is still the most convenient and cost-effective way for women physically and psychologically. However, the outcome of self breast examination is limited because palpation is hard to be quantified and dependent very much on experiences. In this study, we have developed a finite element model for breast palpation. Based on this model, we investigated the relationship between the contact depth and the reaction force during palpation. The palpation data was analyzed and several parameters have been identified. Using these parameters, we could distinguish not only the existence of the underlying hard object under breast model, but also its size and underlying depth. We also demonstrated the recognition procedure experimentally. By comparing these parameters of a specific measured palpation data with those of palpation data in our demonstrated data base, the location, size and underlying depth of a hard object could be successfully identified.
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