Ultrasonic medical device and associated method
First Claim
13. A medical method comprising:
- providing a carrier holding a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers;
placing said carrier and a patient adjacent to one another so that said transducers are disposed in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with the patient;
supplying a first plurality of said transducers with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient;
receiving, via a second plurality of said transducers, second pressure waves produced at internal tissue structures of the patient in response to said first pressure waves; and
performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging of said internal tissue structures by analyzing signals generated by said second plurality of said transducers in response to said second pressure waves, at least one of the supplying and receiving steps being executed to effectuate an electronic scanning of said internal tissue structures.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A medical system includes a carrier and a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers mounted to the carrier, the transducers being disposable in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with a patient. Energization componentry is operatively connected to a first plurality of the transducers for supplying the same with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient. A control unit is operatively connected to the energization componentry and includes an electronic analyzer operatively connected to a second plurality of the transducers for performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging (which includes determining three-dimensional shapes) of internal tissue structures of the patient by analyzing signals generated by the second plurality of the transducers in response to second pressure waves produced at the internal tissue structures in response to the first pressure waves. The control unit includes phased-array signal processing circuitry for effectuating an electronic scanning of the internal tissue structures which facilitates one-dimensional (vector), 2D (planar), and 3D (volume) data acquisition. The control unit further includes circuitry for defining multiple data gathering apertures and for coherently combining structural data from the respective apertures to increase spatial resolution. When the data gathering apertures are contained in a flexible web or carrier so that the instantaneous positions of the data gathering apertures are unknown, a self-cohering algorithm is used to determine their positions so that coherent aperture combining can be performed.
221 Citations
41 Claims
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13. A medical method comprising:
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providing a carrier holding a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers;
placing said carrier and a patient adjacent to one another so that said transducers are disposed in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with the patient;
supplying a first plurality of said transducers with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient;
receiving, via a second plurality of said transducers, second pressure waves produced at internal tissue structures of the patient in response to said first pressure waves; and
performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging of said internal tissue structures by analyzing signals generated by said second plurality of said transducers in response to said second pressure waves, at least one of the supplying and receiving steps being executed to effectuate an electronic scanning of said internal tissue structures. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A medical system comprising:
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a carrier;
a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers mounted to said carrier;
energization means operatively connected to a first plurality of said transducers for supplying same with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient; and
a control unit operatively connected to said energization means for operating same to produce said first pressure waves in the patient, said control unit including an electronic analyzer operatively connected to a second plurality of said transducers for performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging of internal tissues of the patient by analyzing signals generated by said second plurality of said transducers in response to second pressure waves produced at internal tissues of the patient in response to said first pressure waves, said control unit being operatively connected to said second plurality of said transducers to gather and organize data from said second plurality of said transducers so that said second plurality of transducers define a plurality of data gathering apertures, said control unit including circuitry for coherent aperture combining to coherently combine structural data from the respective apertures. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A medical method comprising:
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providing a carrier holding a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers defining respective data gathering apertures;
placing said carrier and a patient adjacent to one another so that said transducers are disposed in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with the patient;
supplying a first plurality of said transducers with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient;
receiving, via a second plurality of said transducers, second pressure waves produced at internal tissue structures of the patient in response to said first pressure waves; and
performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging of said internal tissue structures by analyzing signals generated by said second plurality of said transducers in response to said second pressure waves, at least one of the steps of supplying and receiving including coherently combining structural data from the respective apertures. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A medical scanning apparatus comprising:
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a plurality of 1.5D transducer arrays rigidly connected to one another; and
phased-array signal processing circuitry operatively connected to said 1.5D transducer arrays, said phased-array signal processing circuitry for operating said transducer arrays and processing signals therefrom in a coherent aperture combining mode to effectuate an electronic 3D volumetric scan of a patient'"'"'s internal tissues. - View Dependent Claims (38)
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39. A medical method comprising:
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disposing a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers in a predetermined array in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with a patient;
after the disposing of said transducers in contact with the patient, selectively energizing a first plurality of said transducers to transmit a plurality of ultrasonic pulses into the patient, said pulses inducing a generation of reflected pressure waves at internal tissue structures in the patient, said pulses being transmitted into the patient prior to a return to said transducers of a substantial amount of the reflected pressure waves, said pulses being differentially coded to enable detection of respective series of reflected pressure waves;
receiving, via a second plurality of said transducers, the reflected pressure waves produced at the internal tissue structures of the patient in response to said pulses;
decoding the reflected pressure waves to associate the reflected pressure waves with respective ones of said pulses; and
performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging of said internal tissue structures in part by analyzing the decoded received reflected pressure waves. - View Dependent Claims (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 40, 41)
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40-1. The method defined in claim 39 wherein said transducers are mounted to a flexible web, the disposing of said transducers in a predetermined array in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with a patient including placing said web in contact with the patient.
Specification