Transducer array imaging system

• US 20080114251A1
• Filed: 11/10/2006
• Published: 05/15/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• 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.
• Application Number:
  US11/595,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20080114251A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/447
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4422 related to hygiene or sterilisation
• 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 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8918 the array being linear
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52028 using digital techniques
• 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

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 system for conducting ultrasound interrogation of a medium, comprising:

a main unit;

a remote unit;

a first communication channel for communicating ultrasound data with the main unit and the remote unit, wherein the first communication channel is wireless; and

a second communication channel for communicating with the main unit and the remote unit.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel is at least one of the following:

wireless and wired.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound data communicated by the first wireless communication channel is digital.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel communicates digital ultrasound data with the main unit and the remote unit.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel communicates control data with the main unit and the remote unit.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel communicates different digital ultrasound data than the first wireless communication channel.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel communicates at least a portion of the digital ultrasound data communicated on the first wireless communication channel.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel includes different communication characteristics than the first wireless communication channel.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication characteristics include at least one of the following:

bandwidth capacity, transmission rate, transmission protocol, operating frequency, orthogonal relationship with respect to one another, and temporal interleaving.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel cooperates with communication on the first wireless communication channel to increase a transfer rate of the digital ultrasound data.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel cooperates with communication on the first wireless communication channel to minimize a transfer of errors of the digital ultrasound data.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel provides a greater directional communication path than the first wireless communication channel.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel allows the main unit to initiate communication with the remote unit.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the second communication channel allows the remote unit to initiate communication with the main unit.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the main unit and remote unit multiplexes data communicated on the first and second communication channels using at least one of the following techniques:

time-division multiplexing, frequency-division multiplexing, code-division multiplexing, and pulse width-division multiplexing.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the data is multiplexed as a function of at least one of the following:

time, position of communication channels, and data bit position.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote unit forms an image frame from the data, storing the data, and transmitting the data after at least one image frame of data is stored.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the main unit and the remote unit receives configuration information from the 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.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the main unit and the remote unit adjusts a transmission rate on at least one of the communication channels as a function of a minimum acceptable rate of displaying an image frame and an amount of data per image frame.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the main unit and the remote unit reduces a bandwidth of the data communicated on at least one of the channels by at least one of the following:

quadrature sampling, second order sampling, and third order sampling.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the main unit and the remote unit transmits a unique identifier with the data, wherein the unique identifier is used for at least one of the following:

initiating communication with the remote unit, synchronizing communication with the remote unit, and ensuring communication with a predetermined remote unit.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the first communication channel transmits the data a distance of less than 3 meters.

23. The system of claim 1, wherein the data is communicated at a rate that varies with at least one of the following:

capability of the remote unit, power status of the remote unit, capability of the main unit, power status of the main unit, frequency range, array configuration, power warnings, quality of transmission of the data, quantity of errors in transmission of the data, availability of power of the main unit, availability of power of the remote unit, a change in transmission rate, and transmission characteristics of the data.

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

communicating ultrasound data over a first communication channel with a main unit and a remote unit, wherein the first communication channel is wireless; and

communicating ultrasound data over a second communication channel with the main unit and the remote unit.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the second communication channel is at least one of the following:

wireless and wired.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising communicating digital ultrasound data with the first wireless communication channel.

27. The method of claim 24, further comprising communicating digital ultrasound data with the main unit and the remote unit via the second communication channel.

28. The method of claim 24, further comprising communicating control data with the main unit and the remote unit via the second communication channel.

29. The method of claim 24, further comprising communicating digital ultrasound data via the second communication channel that is different than digital ultrasound data communicated with the first wireless communication channel.

30. The method of claim 24, further comprising communicating at least a portion of the digital ultrasound data the second communication channel that is communicated on the first wireless communication channel.

31. The method of claim 24, wherein the second communication channel includes different communication characteristics than the first wireless communication channel.

32. The method of claim 24, wherein the communication characteristics include at least one of the following:

bandwidth capacity, transmission rate, transmission protocol, operating frequency, orthogonal relationship with respect to one another, and temporal interleaving.

33. The method of claim 24, further comprising the second communication channel cooperating with communication on the first wireless communication channel to increase a transfer rate of the digital ultrasound data.

34. The method of claim 24, further comprising the second communication channel cooperating with communication on the first wireless communication channel to minimize a transfer of errors of the digital ultrasound data.

35. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing a greater directional communication path with the second communication channel than the first wireless communication channel.

36. The method of claim 24, further comprising initiating communication with the remote unit via the second communication channel.

37. The method of claim 24, further comprising initiating communication between the remote unit and the main unit via the second communication channel.

38. The method of claim 24, further comprising multiplexing data communicated on the first and second communication channels using at least one of the following techniques:

time-division multiplexing, frequency-division multiplexing, code-division multiplexing, and pulse width-division multiplexing.

39. The method of claim 38, wherein the data is multiplexed as a function of at least one of the following:

time, position of communication channels, and data bit position.

40. The method of claim 24, further comprising forming an image frame from the data, storing the data, and transmitting the data after at least one image frame of data is stored.

41. The method of claim 24, further comprising receiving configuration information from the 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.

42. The method of claim 24, further comprising adjusting a transmission rate on at least one of the communication channels as a function of a minimum acceptable rate of displaying an image frame and an amount of data per image frame.

43. The method of claim 24, further comprising reducing a bandwidth of the data communicated on at least one of the channels by at least one of the following:

quadrature sampling, second order sampling, and third order sampling.

44. The method of claim 24, further comprising transmitting a unique identifier with the data, wherein the unique identifier is used for at least one of the following:

initiating communication with the remote unit, synchronizing communication with the remote unit, and ensuring communication with a predetermined remote unit.

45. The method of claim 24, wherein the first communication channel transmits the data a distance of less than 3 meters.

46. The method of claim 24, further comprising varying a rate that the data is communicated with at least one of the following:

capability of the remote unit, power status of the remote unit, capability of the main unit, power status of the main unit, frequency range, array configuration, power warnings, quality of transmission of the data, quantity of errors in transmission of the data, availability of power of the main unit, availability of power of the remote unit, a change in transmission rate, and transmission characteristics of the data.