Location sensing with real-time ultrasound imaging
First Claim
1. Apparatus for mapping a surface of a cavity within a body of a subject, comprising:
- an elongate probe, having a longitudinal axis and comprising a distal portion adapted for insertion into the cavity;
a primary acoustic transducer on the distal portion of the probe, adapted to emit acoustic waves while the probe is in the cavity; and
a plurality of secondary acoustic transducers, distributed along the longitudinal axis over the distal portion of the probe, which are adapted to receive the acoustic waves after reflection of the waves from the surface of the cavity and to generate, responsive to the received waves, electrical signals indicative of times of flight of the waves.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Apparatus for mapping a surface of a cavity within a body of a subject includes an elongate probe, having a longitudinal axis and including a distal portion adapted for insertion into the cavity. A primary acoustic transducer on the distal portion of the probe is adapted to emit acoustic waves while the probe is in the cavity. A plurality of secondary acoustic transducers, distributed along the longitudinal axis over the distal portion of the probe, are adapted to receive the acoustic waves after reflection of the waves from the surface of the cavity and to generate, responsive to the received waves, electrical signals indicative of times of flight of the waves.
113 Citations
48 Claims
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1. Apparatus for mapping a surface of a cavity within a body of a subject, comprising:
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an elongate probe, having a longitudinal axis and comprising a distal portion adapted for insertion into the cavity;
a primary acoustic transducer on the distal portion of the probe, adapted to emit acoustic waves while the probe is in the cavity; and
a plurality of secondary acoustic transducers, distributed along the longitudinal axis over the distal portion of the probe, which are adapted to receive the acoustic waves after reflection of the waves from the surface of the cavity and to generate, responsive to the received waves, electrical signals indicative of times of flight of the waves. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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27. A method for mapping a surface of a cavity within a body of a subject, comprising:
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inserting a probe into the cavity, the probe having a longitudinal axis;
emitting acoustic waves within the cavity from a primary point on the probe;
receiving the acoustic waves at each of a plurality of secondary points distributed along the longitudinal axis of the probe, following reflection of the emitted waves from the surface of the cavity;
analyzing the received waves to determine times of flight of the waves; and
reconstructing a three-dimensional shape of the surface of the cavity based on the determined times of flight.
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Specification