Transducer array imaging system

• US 20080114248A1
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Penrith Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Randall, Kevin S., Klessel, Jodi Schwartz, Urbano, Joseph A., Lannutti, Anthony P., Weymer, Raymond F.
• Granted Patent: US 8,499,634 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/447
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/7232 involving compression of the physiological signal, e.g. to extend the signal recording period
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4438 Means for identifying the diagnostic device, e.g. barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4494 characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements devices for short-range imaging using particular transducer elements arrangements under G01S15/8909; arrangements of transducers in generation of mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic frequency B06B1/0607
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8925 the array being a two-dimensional transducer configuration, i.e. matrix or orthogonal linear arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8927 using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52033 Gain control of receivers for seismic signals G01V1/245
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52034 Data rate converters
• 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 7/52096 related to power management, e.g. saving power or prolonging life of electronic components details of power supplies for ultrasonic medical diagnostic imaging devices A61B8/56

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments include a method, system, and device for conducting ultrasound interrogation of a medium. The novel method includes transmitting a non-beamformed or beamformed ultrasound wave into the medium, receiving more than one echoed ultrasound wave from the medium, and converting the received echoed ultrasound wave into digital data. The novel method may further transmit the digital data. In some embodiments, the transmitting may be wireless. The novel device may include transducer elements, an analog-to-digital converter in communication with the transducer elements, and a transmitter in communication with the analog-to-digital converter. The transducers may operate to convert a first electrical energy into an ultrasound wave. The first electrical energy may or may not be beamformed. The transducers also may convert an echoed ultrasound wave into a second electrical energy. The analog-to-digital converter may convert the electrical energy into digital data, and the transmitter may transmit the digital data.

Claims

1. A method for conducting ultrasound interrogation of a medium, comprising:

transmitting a non-beamformed ultrasound wave into the medium;

receiving a first echoed ultrasound wave from the medium at a first location;

converting the first received echoed ultrasound waves into a first digital data;

receiving a second echoed ultrasound wave from the medium at a second location;

converting the second received echoed ultrasound waves into a second digital data;

wirelessly transmitting the first and second digital data to a relatively remote location;

receiving the first digital data;

receiving a second digital data; and

combining the first and second digital data at the relatively remote location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received echo waves are reflected from various points in the medium.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the non-beamformed ultrasound wave interrogates a relatively broad area of the medium.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming an image frame from the digital data.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising upon interruption of transmitting the digital data, storing the digital data.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the transmitted ultrasound wave using at least one of the following techniques:

focusing, unfocusing, and defocusing.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving configuration information from a remote unit, wherein the configuration information comprises at least one of the following:

power status, designation of device, type of device, frequency range, array configuration, power warnings, capability of a remote unit, quality of transmission of digital data, quantity of errors in transmission of digital data, availability of power required for transmission of digital data, change in transmission rate, completion of transmission, quality of data transmission, look-up tables, programming code for field programmable gate arrays and microcontrollers, transmission characteristics of the non-beamformed ultrasound wave, processing characteristics of the echoed ultrasound wave, processing characteristics of the digital data, and transmission characteristics of the digital data.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a transmission rate based on a minimum acceptable rate of displaying an image frame and an amount of digital data per image frame.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting a displayed frame rate based on a rate of the transmission of the digital data.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising adjusting an amount of digital data per image frame based on a rate of the transmission of the digital data.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing a power required to convert the received echoed ultrasound wave into digital data.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining the medium and a non-beamformed ultrasound wave transmitter substantially stationary.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising sensing movement of at least one of the following:

a non-beamformed ultrasound wave transmitter and the medium, and compensating for the movement by reducing a time interval for receiving the echoed ultrasound waves.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting multiple non-beamformed ultrasound waves at substantially the same time.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting multiple non-beamformed ultrasound waves substantially sequentially.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing a bandwidth of the digital data by at least one of the following:

converting the echo ultrasound wave to a different frequency band prior to converting to digital data, quadrature sampling, second order sampling, and third order sampling.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising reducing a quantity of the digital data by limiting the transmitted digital data as a function of displayed region of interest of the medium.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating an image based on the combining.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising determining an image value representing a location in the medium by combining the first digital data with the second digital data.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising creating an image frame based on the received digital data.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising displaying the image frame.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising forming a pixel in the image frame based on the digital data.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein characteristics of the pixel are determined as a function of amplitude and phase.

24. The method of claim 22, further comprising forming the pixel via interpolation of the digital data.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising forming the pixel directly from the digital data.

26. The method of claim 1, further comprising controlling characteristics of transmission of the received digital data based on at least one of the following:

a rate of displaying an image frame, an amount of digital data per image frame, a region of interest of the medium, a rate sufficient to display the image frame at a predetermined display resolution, and a rate at least equal to a product of a rate of displaying the image frames and an amount of digital data per image frame.

27. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the digital data as a function of a region of interest of the medium.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising requesting retransmission of a compromised data packet of digital data.

29. The method of claim 1, further comprising arranging the digital data.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein arranging the digital data comprises at least one of the following:

demultiplexing and deinterleaving.

31. The method of claim 30, further comprising demultiplexing using at least one of the following techniques:

time-division demultiplexing, frequency-division demultiplexing, code-division demultiplexing, pulse width-division demultiplexing, and a combination thereof.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the digital data is deinterleaved as a function of at least one of the following:

time, channel position, data bit position, and a combination thereof.

33. A system for conducting ultrasound interrogation of a medium, comprising:

an array of transducers, wherein each transducer transmits a non-beamformed ultrasound wave into the medium, and wherein each transducer receives a first echoed ultrasound wave from the medium and a second echoed ultrasound wave from the medium;

an analog-to-digital converter in communication with the array of transducers for converting the first received echoed ultrasound waves into a first digital data and for converting the second received echoed ultrasound waves into a second digital data;

a wireless transmitter in communication with the analog-to-digital converter for transmitting the first and second digital data to a relatively remote location;

a wireless receiver in wireless communication with the wireless transmitter, wherein the wireless receiver receives the first digital data and the second digital data; and

a processor in communication with the wireless receiver, wherein the processor combines the first and second digital data at the relatively remote location.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising a multiplexer in communication with the analog-to-digital converter for multiplexing the digital data.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the multiplexer uses at least one of the following techniques:

time-division multiplexing, frequency-division multiplexing, code-division multiplexing.

36. The system of claim 33, wherein a number of ultrasound waves provided by the transducer element to create an image frame is reduced.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein at least a portion of the digital data comprises an image frame, and wherein the data store is operable when transmission time of the image frame is equal to or greater than acquisition time of the image frame.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein the ultrasound waves are at least one of the following:

focused, unfocused, and defocused.

39. The system of claim 33, further comprising a preamplifier in communication with the transducer element, wherein the preamplifier comprises low-noise characteristics, and wherein the preamplifier provides a variable gain.

40. The system of claim 33, wherein the echoed ultrasound waves are substantially simultaneously received on a portion of the available transducer elements.

41. The system of claim 33, wherein the analog-to-digital converter is turned off.

42. The system of claim 33, wherein the analog-to-digital converter is turned on for a time duration sufficient to convert the echoed ultrasound wave into digital data.

43. The system of claim 33, wherein the analog-to-digital converter is turned on for a time duration sufficient for the echoed ultrasound wave to return to the transducer element.

44. The system of claim 33, wherein the transducer element and the medium are substantially stationary.

45. The system of claim 33, wherein the transducer elements create multiple ultrasound waves at substantially the same time.

46. The system of claim 33, wherein the transducer elements create multiple ultrasound waves substantially sequentially.

47. The system of claim 33, wherein a bandwidth of the digital data is reduced by converting the second electrical energy is converted to another frequency band prior to converting to digital data.

48. The system of claim 33, further comprising a display device for displaying the image frames.

49. The system of claim 48, wherein the display device displays at least one of the following:

change in receiving rate, completion of receiving, quality of data reception, power status, designation of remote unit, type of remote unit, frequency range, array configuration, power warnings, capability of the device, quality of transmission of digital data, quantity of errors in transmission of digital data, availability of power required for transmission of digital data, and wireless signal strength.

50. The system of claim 33, wherein the processor weights the first and second digital data.

51. The system of claim 33, wherein the processor adds the first and second digital data.