Apparatus and system for adaptively scheduling ultrasound system actions

• US 10,235,988 B2
• Filed: 08/23/2017
• Issued: 03/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: White Eagle Sonic Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: White Eagle Sonic Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Tobias, Richard, Wu, Bicheng, Parikh, Ashish
• Primary Examiner(s): Baghdasaryan, Hovhannes
• Application Number:
  US15/684,714
• Publication Number:
  US 20170352343A1
• Time in Patent Office: 573 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0207 Driving circuits specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclass, e.g. G01; circuits for steering transducer arrays G10K11/34; basic circuits H03
• CPC Class Codes: F04C 2270/041 Controlled or regulated
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/899 Combination of imaging systems with ancillary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52082 involving a modular construction, e.g. a computer with short range imaging equipment modular ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/4411
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52098 related to workflow protocols
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/18 Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound G10K11/02, G10K11/36 take precedence

Abstract

Apparatus for adaptively scheduling ultrasound device actions includes a probe interface, a beamer, a receiver, a processor, and a memory. The probe interface may interface with probe units to transmit signals generated by the beamer to the probe units and to receive data signals from the probe units. The processor may be coupled to the probe interface, the beamer, and the receiver. The memory may store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to generate a task list and to signal to the beamer to generate signals to the probe units associated with the plurality of task actions. The task list may include a plurality of task actions associated with probe units, and the processor may signal to the beamer in accordance with a timed beam firing sequence. Other embodiments are also described.

Claims

1. An apparatus for adaptively scheduling ultrasound device actions comprising:

a probe interface to interface with at least one probe unit, the probe interface to transmit signals to the at least one probe unit and to receive data signals from the at least one probe units;

a beamer to generate the signals, wherein the beamer is coupled to the probe interface;

a receiver to receive and process the data signals from the probe interface;

a processor coupled to the probe interface, the beamer, and the receiver;

a memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor

to generate a task list that includes a plurality of task actions that is used by the apparatus for adaptive scheduling, wherein the plurality of task actions include a plurality of parallel tasks, wherein the plurality of task actions are associated with the at least one probe unit,

to adaptively modify the task list based on signals received from an input device or from the receiver, wherein adaptively modifying the task list includes;

determining if a task action included in a next task in the task list can start, wherein determining if the next task action can start includes determining if the task action can be completed without interfering with a start of a higher priority task in the task list, and

to signal to the at least one probe unit associated with the plurality of task actions to continue task actions based on the modified task list.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the task actions comprises a plurality of parallel ultrasound tasks.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to signal to the receiver to receive and process data signals in accordance with a timed beam firing sequence, wherein at least one of the task actions include the timed beam firing sequence.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the receiver processes the data signals by performing at least one of:

analog-to-digital conversion, noise reduction or noise filtering.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor to signal to the beamer to generate signals to the at least one probe unit associated with the plurality of task actions further comprises:

the beamer transmitting the signals to the probe interface, and

the probe interface transmitting the signals to the at least one probe unit, respectively.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the signals cause the at least one probe unit to fire their beams, respectively.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the beams include at least one of ultrasound beams or a laser beam.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor:

to analyze the processed data signals received from the receiver,

to modify the timed beam firing sequence, wherein modifying the timed beam firing sequence includes at least one of;

adding task actions to the task list, or deleting task actions from the task list, and

to signal to the beamer to generate signals to the at least one probe unit associated with the modified timed beam firing sequence, wherein the processor signals to the beamer in accordance to the modified timed beam firing sequence.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor:

to receive the timed beam firing sequence from the input device,

to add task actions included in the timed beam firing sequence to the task list, wherein the task list includes a plurality of tasks actions scheduled to be performed by an ultrasound system.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor:

to delete task actions from the task list.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor:

to select a next task in the task list,

to determine if a task action included in the next task can start, wherein determining if the task action can start includes determining if the task action can be completed without interfering with a start of a higher priority task in the task list,

to signal to a probe unit associated with the task action to start and perform the task action upon determination that the next task action can start,

to determine whether the end of the task list has been reached upon determination that the next task action cannot start; and

to select a task that follows the next task in the task list upon determination that the end of the task list has not been reached.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a high voltage generator coupled to the beamer to provides a voltage to operate the at least one probe unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the probe interface to interface with a plurality of external units, the probe interface to transmit signals to the plurality of external units and to receive data signals from the plurality of external units.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an imager to generate display signals based on the processed data signals received from the receiver and to transmit the display signals to a display.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 being implemented on an integrated circuit or on a system-on-chip.

16. A system for adaptively scheduling ultrasound device actions comprising:

at least one probe unit;

an input device to receive input by a user;

an adaptive scheduler that comprises;

a probe interface to interface with the at least one probe unit, the probe interface to transmit signals to the at least one probe unit and to receive data signals from the at least one probe unit;

a beamer to generate the signals, wherein the beamer is coupled to the probe interface;

a receiver to receive and process the data signals from the probe interface;

a processor coupled to the probe interface, the beamer, and the receiver;

a memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor

to generate a task list that includes a plurality of task actions that is used by the apparatus for adaptive scheduling, wherein the plurality of task actions include a plurality of parallel tasks, wherein the plurality of task actions are associated with the at least one probe unit,

to adaptively modify the task list based on signals received from an input device or from the receiver, wherein adaptively modifying the task list includes;

determining if a task action included in a next task in the task list can start, wherein determining if the next task action can start includes determining if the task action can be completed without interfering with a start of a higher priority task in the task list, and

to signal to the at least one probe unit associated with the plurality of task actions to continue task actions based on the modified task list.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein each of the task actions comprises a plurality of parallel ultrasound tasks.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to signal to the receiver to receive and process data signals in accordance with a timed beam firing sequence, wherein at least one of the task actions include the timed beam firing sequence.

19. An automated ultrasound system comprising:

an adaptive scheduler to schedule actions from a task list including a plurality of parallel tasks wherein the adaptive scheduler modifies the task list by;

determining if a task action included in a next task in the task list can start, wherein determining if the next task action can start includes determining if the task action can be completed without interfering with a start of a higher priority task in the task list, and

an analysis software to monitor a plurality of ultrasound results to identify events that require changes in the task list, to identify the changes to be made to the task list and to signal to the adaptive scheduler to update the task list by making the identified changes to the task list, wherein once the adaptive scheduler updates the task list, the adaptive scheduler schedules actions from the updated task list.

20. The automated ultrasound system in claim 19, further comprising:

a plurality of hardware elements for performing the task actions,

wherein the adaptive scheduler is configured to finely synchronize on a cyclic basis the task actions to be performed by the plurality of hardware elements for a particular application, and

wherein the adaptive scheduler updating the task list includes altering an order of task actions to be performed responsive to a user input or automatically responsive to information collected from external units, probe units and input devices to complete the particular application.

21. An apparatus for adaptively scheduling ultrasound device actions comprising:

a probe interface to interface with at least one probe unit, the probe interface to transmit signals to the at least one probe unit and to receive data signals from the at least one probe units;

a beamer to generate the signals, wherein the beamer is coupled to the probe interface;

a receiver to receive and process the data signals from the probe interface;

a processor coupled to the probe interface, the beamer, and the receiver;

a memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor

to generate a task list that includes a plurality of task actions that is used by the apparatus for adaptive scheduling, wherein the plurality of task actions include a plurality of parallel tasks, wherein the plurality of task actions are associated with the at least one probe unit,

to adaptively modify the task list based on signals received from an input device or from the receiver, and

to signal to the at least one probe unit associated with the plurality of task actions to continue task actions based on the modified task list;

wherein each of the task actions comprises a plurality of parallel ultrasound tasks;

wherein the memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor to signal to the receiver to receive and process data signals in accordance with a timed beam firing sequence, wherein at least one of the task actions include the timed beam firing sequence;

wherein the memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor;

to analyze the processed data signals received from the receiver,

to modify the timed beam firing sequence, wherein modifying the timed beam firing sequence includes at least one of;

adding task actions to the task list, or deleting task actions from the task list, and

to signal to the beamer to generate signals to the at least one probe unit associated with the modified timed beam firing sequence, wherein the processor signals to the beamer in accordance to the modified timed beam firing sequence;

wherein the memory to store instructions, which when executed by the processor, causes the processor;

to select a next task in the task list,

to determine if a task action included in the next task can start, wherein determining if the task action can start includes determining if the task action can be completed without interfering with a start of a higher priority task in the task list,

to signal to a probe unit associated with the task action to start and perform the task action upon determination that the next task action can start,

to determine whether the end of the task list has been reached upon determination that the next task action cannot start; and

to select a task that follows the next task in the task list upon determination that the end of the task list has not been reached.