A New Calculation Method of the Sensitivity Coefficient for the ERT System

Abstract

Electrical Resistance Tomography (ERT) is a promising technique owing to its low cost, high speed, and visualization features. The sensitivity coefficient plays a significant role in ERT image reconstruction as a priori information. However, the existing methods for calculating sensitivity matrix suffer from poor interpretability and operability. The result leads to an obstacle to improving the quality of the reconstructed images. Therefore, we propose a new sensitivity calculation method that has the advantages of clear physical significance, high robustness, and strong interpretability. We compared the existing and new sensitivity matrices with some metrics, such as correlation coefficient and relative error, and tested the new method's performance by numerical simulations and experiments. The results show that the new sensitivity matrix is feasible and has better performance in ERT imaging reconstruction, especially in the presence of noise.INDEX TERMS Electrical resistance tomography, sensitivity matrix, electromagnetic field theory.