Ultrasound probe with integrated electronics

• US 20030073894A1
• Filed: 03/11/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Teratech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Tera Tech Corp.
• Inventors: Chiang, Alice M., Brodsky, Michael, Kischell, Eric R., Litchfield, Michael P.
• Granted Patent: US 6,969,352 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/407
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/546 involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/585 Automatic set-up of the device
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• 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 7/52025 for pulse systems G01S7/52034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52055 in association with ancillary recording equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52079 Constructional features constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5208 with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead
• 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

Abstract

A hand-held ultrasound system includes integrated electronics within an ergonomic housing. The electronics includes control circuitry, beamforming and circuitry transducer drive circuitry. The electronics communicate with a host computer using an industry standard high speed serial bus. The ultrasonic imaging system is operable on a standard, commercially available, user computing device without specific hardware modifications, and is adapted to interface with an external application without modification to the ultrasonic imaging system to allow a user to gather ultrasonic data on a standard user computing device such as a PC, and employ the data so gathered via an independent external application without requiring a custom system, expensive hardware modifications, or system rebuilds. An integrated interface program allows such ultrasonic data to be invoked by a variety of such external applications having access to the integrated interface program via a standard, predetermined platform such as visual basic or c++.

Claims

1. A method of external application integration in an ultrasonic imaging system comprising:

providing an ultrasonic application server having at least one ultrasonic operation;

sending, from the external application, a command indicative of at least one of the ultrasonic operations; and

executing, in the ultrasonic application server, a result corresponding to the command.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

defining an integrated interface program having a plurality of entry points into the ultrasonic application server, the entry points operable to access each of the at least one ultrasonic operations;

transmitting, via the integrated interface program, the command to the ultrasonic application server;

receiving, over a predetermined communication interface, ultrasonic data indicative of ultrasonic image information; and

transmitting, via the integrated interface program, the result to the external application.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the integrated interface program is adapted to transmit information pertinent to data selected from the group consisting of radiation therapy, fetal images, cardiac images, and image guided surgery.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the result is image data and transformation parameters.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the external application is on a remote computer.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the remote computer is connected to the ultrasonic application server by a public access network.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the public access network is the Internet.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the external application is on the same computer.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the command includes an instruction and at least one parameter.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the command conforms to a predetermined interprocess communication interface.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the command includes operations selected from the group consisting of freeze live data, fetch live data, export image, exit, initialize, and get status.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the transmitting via the integrated interface program employs sockets.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the transmitting via the integrated interface program conforms to a predetermined protocol.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the protocol is TCP/IP.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the receiving of ultrasonic data further comprises receiving according to a standardized interface.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the standardized interface is IEEE 1394.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein the ultrasonic application server includes a graphical user interface (GUI).

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the GUI includes image control presets.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the image control presets are operable to store image settings.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the image settings include settings selected from the group consisting of size, depth, focus, time gain compensation (TGC) and TGC lock.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing a probe housing having a transducer array that is connected to a processing circuit having a beamforming circuit, a memory, a system controller integrated circuit and a digital communication control circuit;

connecting the digital communication control circuit to a personal computer with a standard communication interface; and

transmitting data along the communication interface.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising providing an interface housing in which the first circuit board assembly and the second board assembly are mounted.

23. The method of claim 21 further comprising providing an interface housing in which a first circuit board assembly having the beamforming circuit and a second circuit board assembly having the memory, controller and communication control circuit are mounted.

24. The method of claim 21 further comprising providing a body mounted personal computer.

25. The method of claim 21 further comprising providing a body mounted interface housing.

26. The method of claim 21 wherein the communication interface is a wireless interface.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the wireless interface is a RF interface.

28. The method of claim 26 wherein the wireless interface is an infrared interface.

29. A system for external application integration in an ultrasonic imaging system comprising:

a user computing device having an ultrasonic application server operable to receive and process ultrasonic data via a predetermined interface;

an integrated interface program in communication with the ultrasonic application server and operable to invoke operations in the ultrasonic application server;

an external application operable to generate a command corresponding to the operations, and further operable to transmit the commands to the integrated interface program, wherein the integrated interface program invokes the ultrasonic application server to compute a result in response to the command, and transmits the result back to the external application.

30. The system of claim 29 wherein the integrated interface program is adapted to transmit information pertaining to data selected from the group consisting of radiation therapy data, fetal images, cardiac images, and image guided surgery.

31. The system of claim 29 wherein the result further comprises image data and transformation parameters.

32. The system of claim 29 further comprising a remote computer wherein the external application is on a remote computer.

33. The system of claim 29 further comprising a public access network, wherein the remote computer is connected to the ultrasonic application via the public access network.

34. The system of claim 33 wherein the public access network is the Internet.

35. The system of claim 29 wherein the external application is on a remote computer.

36. The system of claim 29 wherein the command further comprises an instruction and at least one parameter.

37. The system of claim 36 wherein the command conforms to a predetermined interprocess communication interface.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein the command includes operations selected from the group consisting of freeze live data, fetch live data, export image, exit, initialize, and get status.

39. The system of claim 29 wherein at least one of the interfaces is a wireless interface.

40. The system of claim 34 wherein the transmitting via the integrated interface program further includes sockets.

41. The system of claim 34 wherein the transmitting via the integrated interface program conforms to a predetermined protocol.

42. The system of claim 35 wherein the predetermined protocol is TCP/IP.

43. The system of claim 34 further comprising a standardized interface, wherein the ultrasonic data is received via the standardized interface.

44. The system of claim 37 wherein the standardized interface is IEEE 1394.

45. The system of claim 34 wherein the ultrasonic application server includes a graphical user interface (GUI).

46. The system of claim 40 wherein the GUI includes image control presets.

47. The system of claim 41 wherein the image control presets are operable to store image settings.

48. The system of claim 42 wherein the image settings include settings selected from the group consisting of size, depth, focus, time gain compensation (TGC) and TGC lock.

49. The system of claim 29 further comprising:

a probe housing having a transducer array;

an interface system communicating with the probe housing, the interface system having a beamforming circuit, a memory, a system controller integrated circuit and a communication control circuit connected to the computing device with a standard communication interface.

50. The system of claim 49 wherein the interface system has a first circuit board assembly and a second circuit board assembly are mounted in an interface housing.

51. The system of claim 50 wherein the first circuit board assembly and the second circuit board assembly are electrically connected by a connector.

52. The system of claim 49 wherein the computing device comprises a body mounted system.

53. The system of claim 49 wherein the memory further comprises a video random access memory (VRAM).

54. The system of claim 49 wherein the standard communication interface comprises an IEEE 1394 interface.

55. The system of claim 49 wherein the standard communication interface comprises a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

56. The system of claim 49 wherein the communication system is a wireless interface between the communication control circuit of the interface system and the computing device.

57. A computer program product having computer program instructions for external application integration in an ultrasonic imaging system comprising:

computer program instructions for defining an ultrasonic application server having at least one ultrasonic operation;

computer program code for defining an integrated interface program having a plurality of entry points into the ultrasonic application server, the entry points operable to access each of the at least one ultrasonic operations;

computer program code for sending, from the external application, a command indicative of at least one of the ultrasonic operations; and

computer program code for executing, in the ultrasonic application server, a result corresponding to the command.

58. A system for accessing and displaying ultrasonic imaging data, comprising:

a portable information device having a wireless interface port; and

a computing device having a wireless interface port being operable to communicate with the portable information device and able to respond to requests for transmitting ultrasonic imaging data to the portable information device.

59. The system of claim 58 further comprising a standardized interface in the portable information device and the computing device, wherein the ultrasonic data is requested and received via the standardized interface.

60. The system of claim 59 wherein the standardized interface is an IEEE 1394 interface.

61. The system of claim 58 further comprising:

a probe having a transducer array, a beamforming circuit, a memory, a system controller integrated circuit and a communication control circuit, the probe being operable to communicate with at least one of the computing device and the portable information device.

62. A method for accessing and displaying ultrasonic imaging data comprising the steps of:

sending a connection request from a portable information device to a computing device in communication with a probe having a transducer array, control circuitry and communication control circuitry;

accepting and responding to the connection request by the computing device; and

sending ultrasonic imaging data from the computing device to the portable information device.

63. The method of claim 62, wherein the portable information device and the computing device communicate amongst each other using at least one wireless link.

64. The method of claim 63, wherein the wireless link is a radio-frequency (RF) communication link.

65. A computer readable medium having stored therein a set of instructions for causing a processing unit to execute the steps of the method of claim 62.

66. A portable information device for accessing and displaying ultrasonic imaging data, comprising:

an interface for receiving a user input;

a wireless transceiver for transmitting and receiving wireless messages; and

a processor coupled to the interface and the wireless transceiver, the processor being configured to execute an ultrasonic imaging application, the processor being further configured to format a wireless message in accordance with a predetermined protocol suitable for communication with a computing device having ultrasonic imaging data and wherein the processor outputs a wireless connection message to the wireless transceiver for transmission.

67. The portable information device of claim 66, wherein the wireless transceiver further comprises a radio frequency transmitter and receiver and wherein the predetermined protocol further comprises a radio frequency protocol such as one complaint with IEEE 1394.

68. The portable information device of claim 66 further comprising one of at least controlling and monitoring a plurality of operations of the collection and processing of the ultrasonic imaging data in at least one of a probe assembly and at a computing device.

69. An ultrasonic imaging system comprising:

a probe having a transducer array, and a control circuitry and a digital communication control circuit, the control circuitry including a transmit/receive module, beamforming module and a system controller; and

a computing device connected to the digital communication control circuit of the probe with a communication interface, the computer processing display data.

70. The system of claim 69 wherein the communication interface between the probe and the computing device is a wireless interface.

71. The system of claim 70 wherein the wireless interface is a RF interface.

72. The system of claim 70 wherein the wireless interface is an infrared interface.

73. The system of claim 69 wherein the communication interface between the probe and the computing device is a wired link.

74. The system of claim 69 wherein the beamforming module is a charge domain processor beamforming module and wherein the control circuitry further comprises a pre-amp/TGC module.

75. The system of claim 69 further comprising a supplemental display device connected to the computing device by a second communication interface.

76. The system of claim 75 wherein the supplemental display device is a computing device.

77. The system of claim 75 wherein at least one of the communication interfaces is a wireless interface.

78. The system of claim 75 wherein the communication interface between the probe and the computing device is a wireless interface and the second communication interface between the supplemental display device and the computing device is wireless.

79. The system of claim 75 wherein the second communication interface includes a hub to connect a plurality of secondary supplemental devices.

80. The system of claim 76 wherein the computing device has a different velocity estimation system.

81. The system of claim 80 wherein the different velocity estimation system is one of color-flow imaging, power-Doppler or spectral sonogram.

82. The system of claim 69 wherein the probe and the computing device each have a wireless port.