Patent classifications
G01S15/894
ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF
Disclosed herein is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasound probe provided with an array having at least one transducer; a display configured to display an image captured by the array; a body provided with a controller configured to, when at least one image is selected by a user among a plurality of images captured according to a rotation angle of the array, control a rotation angle of the array to allow the selected image to be displayed on the display.
Methods and Instrumentation for Estimation of Wave Propagation and Scattering Parameters
Estimation and imaging of linear and nonlinear propagation and scattering parameters in a material object where the material parameters for wave propagation and scattering has a nonlinear dependence on the wave field amplitude. The methods comprise transmitting at least two pulse complexes composed of co-propagating high frequency (HF) and low frequency (LF) pulses along at least one LF and HF transmit beam axis, where said HF pulse propagates close to the crest or trough of the LF pulse along at least one HF transmit beam, and where one of the amplitude and polarity of the LF pulse varies between at least two transmitted pulse complexes. At least one HF receive beam crosses the HF transmit beam at an angle >20 deg to provide at least two HF cross-beam receive signals from at least two transmitted pulse complexes with different LF pulses. The HF cross-beam receive signals are processed to estimate one or both of i) a nonlinear propagation delay (NPD), and ii) a nonlinear pulse form distortion (PFD) of the transmitted HF pulse for said cross-beam observation cell.
3D TRACKING OF AN INTERVENTIONAL INSTRUMENT IN 2D ULTRASOUND GUIDED INTERVENTIONS
An interventional instrument (30) having ultrasound sensors (S1, S2, S3, S4, . . . ) is tracked using an ultrasound imaging device (10) that acquires and displays a 2D ultrasound image of a visualization plane (18), and performs 2D ultrasound sweeps for a range of plane angles () obtained by rotating the ultrasound probe (12) and encompassing the visualization plane angle. For each ultrasound sensor, an optimal plane is found based on its emitted signal strength over the range of plane angles, and the ultrasound sensor is located in its optimal plane by analyzing the sensor signal as a function of the timing of the beams fired by the ultrasound probe. These locations in their respective optimal planes are transformed to a 3D reference space using a transform (42) parameterized by plane angle, and a visual indicator is displayed of spatial information (T, L) for the interventional instrument generated from the locations of the one or more ultrasound sensors in the 3D reference space.
Intelligent localized high-resolution imaging of tubulars
A device and method used to image wells and other fluid-carrying tubulars having localized features of interest. The device scans large areas of the tubular first in a low-resolution mode using an ultrasound sensor and in a high-resolution mode using a camera, then identifies areas that contain those localized features with some probability. The device images are stored for further image processing. The two sensors are axially spaced-apart on the device. A computer remote from the imaging device renders a visualization of the tubular and localized features using the optical and ultrasound images.
VIBRATION CANCELING MOTOR ASSEMBLY AND ULTRASOUND PROBE INCLUDING THE SAME
A vibration canceling motor assembly and an ultrasound probe are provided, including a driving force transmission member rotating in a state of being fixed to a shaft and transmitting a driving force to outside, a mass body arranged on at least a portion of an outer circumferential surface of the driving force transmission member, and an adhesion member configured to couple the mass body to the driving force transmission member. Accordingly, a vibration is efficiently attenuated.
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FAILURE DETECTION OF A MECHANICAL ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCER ASSEMBLY
An ultrasound probe may include a mechanical transducer and a probe housing. The mechanical transducer may be rotatable about an axis. The mechanical transducer may be operable to acquire ultrasound image data at one or more rotational positions of a plurality of rotational positions. The probe housing may include a probe cap covering the mechanical transducer. The mechanical transducer may be directed toward the probe cap at each of the plurality of rotational positions. The probe cap may include a defined structure having a first thickness and a remainder portion having a second thickness different than the first thickness. In various embodiments, at least a portion of the defined structure is at a center section of the probe cap corresponding with a center rotational position of the mechanical transducer.
LOCATING APPARATUS, LOCATING METHOD AND SHELF
The arrangements of the present disclosure provide a locating apparatus, a locating method, and a shelf. The locating apparatus includes a rotating mechanism, a distance measuring mechanism, and a locating circuit. The rotating mechanism is configured to control the distance measuring mechanism to rotate in a plane where the distance measuring mechanism is positioned, and to measure a rotation angle of the distance measuring mechanism in the plane. The distance measuring mechanism is configured to measure a distance between the distance measuring mechanism and an obstacle. The locating circuit is configured to determine a position of the obstacle in the plane based on the rotation angle of the distance measuring mechanism in the plane and the distance between the distance measuring mechanism and the obstacle.
SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MAKING FREQUENCY-BASED ADJUSTMENTS TO SIGNAL PATHS ALONG INTRAVASCULAR ULTRASOUND IMAGING SYSTEMS
An adaptor for adjusting electrical signals propagated along an electrically-conductive path between a drive unit and a catheter of an intravascular ultrasound imaging system includes a catheter connector disposed along a first end of a housing and configured to receive the catheter. A drive-unit connector is disposed along a second end of the housing and is configured to couple the adaptor to the drive unit. A catheter-conductor interface electrically-couples to a transducer conductor of the catheter. A drive-unit-conductor interface electrically-couples to an electrical conductor of the drive unit. An adaptor conductor electrically-couples the catheter-conductor interface to the drive-unit-conductor interface. A tuning element is electrically-coupled to the adaptor conductor and is configured to adjust electrical signals propagating along the adaptor conductor based, at least in part, on an operational frequency of a transducer disposed in the catheter.
Devices and methods for three-dimensional internal ultrasound usage
There are disclosed embodiments of devices and methods for ultrasound imaging, for example of the inside of a body part such as a blood vessel. In particular embodiments, a catheter has a tip chamber, within which is an ultrasound transducer mounted on a pivot mechanism, a motor for turning the transducer, and an implement for pivoting the transducer. Examples of such an implement are a second motor operating a shaft or a filament, and the pivot mechanism may be biased to return to a base position when the implement is not pivoting the transducer. In other embodiments, a mirror reflecting ultrasound signals from the transducer may be rotated and/or pivoted, using similar mechanisms.
3-D Ultrasound Imaging with Multiple Single-Element Transducers and Ultrasound Signal Propagation Correction
A method includes receiving first electrical signals from a first single-element transducer (112.sub.1) and second electrical signals from a second single-element transducer (112.sub.2). The transducers are disposed on a shaft (110), which has a longitudinal axis (200), of an ultrasound imaging probe (102) with transducing sides disposed transverse to and facing away from the longitudinal axis. The transducers are angularly offset from each other on the shaft by a non-zero angle. The transducers are operated at first and second different cutoff frequencies. The shaft concurrently translates and rotates while the transducers receive the first and second ultrasound signals. The method further includes delay and sum beamforming, with first and second beamformers (120.sub.1, 120.sub.2), the first and second electrical signals, respectively via different processing chains (712.sub.1, 712.sub.2), employing an adaptive synthetic aperture technique, producing first and second images. The method further includes combining the first and second images, creating a final image, and displaying the final image.