3-D ultrasound recording device

• US 20020062077A1
• Filed: 10/02/2001
• Published: 05/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AO Technology AG (Johnson & Johnson)
• Original Assignee: Synthes USA LLC (Johnson & Johnson)
• Inventors: Engfer, Olaf, Emmenegger, Niklaus
• Granted Patent: US 6,605,041 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2055 Optical tracking systems
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2034/2072 Reference field transducer attached to an instrument or patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/367 creating a 3D dataset from 2D images using position information
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2090/378 using ultrasound
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 34/20 Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4245 involving determining the position of the probe, e.g. with respect to an external reference frame or to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4263 using sensors not mounted on the probe, e.g. mounted on an external reference frame
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8934 using a dynamic transducer configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/163 Determination of attitude using inertial means G01C9/00; control of attitude G05D1/49

Abstract

The present invention is related to a device for recording three-dimensional ultrasound images. The device includes an ultrasound head which can be freely moved by hand, an ultrasound recording apparatus, an image processing system, and a position detection system. The position detection system has an analyzing unit and at least two sensors for detecting electromagnetic waves so that the position and orientation of the ultrasound head and, thus, the position and orientation of the ultrasound section images in space can be determined.

Claims

1. An ultrasound imaging system for creating a three-dimensional ultrasound image of a patient body comprising:

an ultrasound scanning head for acquiring a plurality of ultrasound images, the ultrasound images having a known orientation with respect to the ultrasound scanning head;

an optical position determining device for determining a position and orientation of the ultrasound scanning head; and

an image processor for relating the plurality of ultrasound images to one another to create the three-dimensional ultrasound image of the body.

2. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the optical position determining device is further configured to determine a position and orientation of the patient body.

3. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 2, wherein the system is configured to determine the position and orientation of the ultrasound images with respect to the patient body.

4. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 2, wherein the system is configured to determine the position and orientation of the three-dimensional ultrasound image with respect to the body.

5. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound scanning head is freely and manually positionable.

6. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound scanning head comprises electromagnetic wave emitting elements and the optical position determining device comprises electromagnetic wave receiving elements to thereby allow the position and orientation of the ultrasound scanning head to be determined.

7. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic wave emitting elements comprise light emitting diodes and the electromagnetic wave receiving elements comprise light sensitive elements.

8. An ultrasound imaging system for creating a three-dimensional ultrasound image of a patient body comprising:

an optically trackable ultrasound scanning head for acquiring ultrasound images having a known position and orientation relative to the patient body; and

an image processor for relating the ultrasound images to one another to create the three-dimensional ultrasound image of the body.

9. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 8, comprising an optical position determining device for determining a position and orientation of the ultrasound scanning head.

10. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 9, wherein the ultrasound scanning head comprises electromagnetic wave emitting elements and the optical position determining device comprises electromagnetic wave receiving elements to thereby allow the position and orientation of the ultrasound scanning head to be determined.

11. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 10, wherein the electromagnetic wave emitting elements comprise light emitting diodes and the electromagnetic wave receiving elements comprise light sensitive elements.

12. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 8, wherein the ultrasound scanning head is freely and manually positionable.

14. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 13, wherein the position determining device is configured to determine a position and orientation of the object.

15. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 14, wherein the image processor is configured to determine a position and orientation of the three dimensional ultrasound image with respect to the object.

13. An ultrasound imaging system for creating a three-dimensional ultrasound image representative of an object comprising:

an ultrasound scanning head for acquiring ultrasound images of the object, the ultrasound scanning head having a plurality of light emitters;

a position determining device having light sensitive elements configured to receive light emitted by the emitters to thereby determine a position and orientation of the ultrasound scanning head,

an image processor for relating the ultrasound images to one another to create the three-dimensional ultrasound image of the object.