3D QUANTITATIVE-IMAGING ULTRASONIC METHOD FOR BONE INSPECTIONS AND DEVICE FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of 3D Quantitative-Imaging Ultrasonic Tomography for inspecting a heterogeneous object;
- wherein said method comprises the step of;
a. providing a 3D quantitative imaging ultrasound tomography system, said system comprises at least;
i. a three dimensional ultrasonic unit characterized by;
(a) a grid array of evenly spaced ultrasonic transducers capable of transmitting an ultrasonic wave at an angle to said grid in response to excitation pulses, and capable of producing a signals in response to received ultrasonic waves at an angle to said grid;
said transducer grid is in acoustic contact with said inspected object; and
,(b) a layered system comprising the inspected object, said layered system is characterized by acoustic impedance gradient causing the ultrasonic waves to propagate through said system and the object along a non-linear paths;
ii. a signal generator generating short excitation pulses;
iii. a scanning position controller adapted for consecutively emitting said generated excitation pulses and directing said pulses to a selected transmitting transducer in said transducer'"'"'s grid array and receiving signals created in other receiving transducers of grid'"'"'s array in response to said ultrasonic waves emitted by said transmitted transducer and propagating along the non-linearly paths passed through said inspected system according to a predetermined protocol;
iv. a measuring time unit receiving said signals from said receiving transducers and measuring a time of wave travel between corresponding pair of transmitting transducer and receiving transducer;
v. a processor adapted for acquiring a plurality of measured travel times corresponding to a plurality of paths between said transmitting and receiving transducers;
calculating according to the differential approach plurality of time values corresponding to plurality elementary volumes composing of said object and calculating length of elastic wave paths in elementary cells and calculating of said longitudinal wave velocity and porosity corresponding to a plurality of travel times further corresponding to each combination of a pair of adjacent transmitting transducers and a pair of adjacent receiving transducers for direct and reciprocal directions; and
evaluating longitudinal wave velocity in material matrix part of said heterogeneous object;
vi. an image formation unit;
vii. memory(b) providing non-linear ultrasonic waves propagation through the layered system by;
i. establishing acoustical contact between said grid of transducers and a surface of said layered system in a unilateral way; and
ii. consecutively transmitting ultrasonic waves by each transducer and receiving ultrasonic waves by the rest of transducers of said grid'"'"'s array said ultrasonic waves being transmitted and received at an angle to the layered system;
(c) measuring travel times of said ultrasonic waves transmitted and received at said step of consecutively transmitting ultrasonic waves;
(d) interpreting said layered system containing inspected object as a plurality of elementary cells arranged in columns and rows;
(e) by means of differential approach calculating travel times corresponding to each elementary cell;
i. calculating changes in travel times Δ
tm corresponding to each subsequent cell relatively to the previous cell along each column by combining the average values τ
m, τ
m−
1, τ
dir, τ
rec from eight travel times of the direct and reciprocal directions according to equation;
Δ
τ
m=τ
m+τ
m−
1−
τ
dir−
τ
rec, where τ
m is the average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for the transducers arrangement from points m to point (−
)m, were m is a number of a transducer location;
τ
m−
1 is an average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for transducers arrangement from point (m−
1) to point (−
m+1);
τ
dir is an average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for transducers arrangement from point (−
m) to point (m−
1) and τ
rec is an average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for transducers arrangement from point m to point (−
m+1);
ii. calculating a sequence of travel time values corresponding to each of said elementary cell of said column by summing said values of said changes travel times in said elementary cells Δ
τ
m (Δ
τ
1, Δ
τ
2, Δ
τ
3, Δ
τ
4 . . . Δ
τ
m) and the travel times in said previous elementary cell in said column tm (t1, t2, t3, . . . tm) according to equation;
τ
2=t1+Δ
τ
1, τ
3=t2+Δ
τ
2, τ
3=t2+Δ
τ
2 . . . and τ
m=tm−
1+Δ
τ
m−
1;
(f) calculating of longitudinal wave velocity values associated with ultrasonic waves propagating in each elementary cell, said calculating is carried out by dividing a length of a beam travel in the elementary cell by said travel time calculated at the step (e).ii;
wherein said travel length associated with a first cells of a columns is equal to 2b/sin α and
said travel length associated with the rest of cells of the same columns is equal to π
b, where b is a distance between adjacent transducers and α
is the incident angle on the layered system surface;
(g) statistical evaluating of longitudinal wave velocity value associated with ultrasonic waves propagating in the material matrix portion of said inspected object, said evaluating is carried out by means of histogramming of obtained longitudinal wave velocity values corresponding to said plurality of elementary cells;
(h) calculating of porosity values n for said plurality of elementary cells according to the formula;
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Abstract
The Ultrasonic Tomographical method and system is provided using measurements of time of flight low frequency acoustic waves. Differences in first signal arrival times from plurality of known transmitters'"'"' locations to plurality of known receivers'"'"' location are used, wherein the transmitters and receivers are at an angle to the surface of the observed object. 3D mapping of the acoustic propagation speed is reconstructed, revealing anatomical details and physiological properties.
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Citations
23 Claims
-
1. A method of 3D Quantitative-Imaging Ultrasonic Tomography for inspecting a heterogeneous object;
- wherein said method comprises the step of;
a. providing a 3D quantitative imaging ultrasound tomography system, said system comprises at least; i. a three dimensional ultrasonic unit characterized by; (a) a grid array of evenly spaced ultrasonic transducers capable of transmitting an ultrasonic wave at an angle to said grid in response to excitation pulses, and capable of producing a signals in response to received ultrasonic waves at an angle to said grid;
said transducer grid is in acoustic contact with said inspected object; and
,(b) a layered system comprising the inspected object, said layered system is characterized by acoustic impedance gradient causing the ultrasonic waves to propagate through said system and the object along a non-linear paths; ii. a signal generator generating short excitation pulses; iii. a scanning position controller adapted for consecutively emitting said generated excitation pulses and directing said pulses to a selected transmitting transducer in said transducer'"'"'s grid array and receiving signals created in other receiving transducers of grid'"'"'s array in response to said ultrasonic waves emitted by said transmitted transducer and propagating along the non-linearly paths passed through said inspected system according to a predetermined protocol; iv. a measuring time unit receiving said signals from said receiving transducers and measuring a time of wave travel between corresponding pair of transmitting transducer and receiving transducer; v. a processor adapted for acquiring a plurality of measured travel times corresponding to a plurality of paths between said transmitting and receiving transducers;
calculating according to the differential approach plurality of time values corresponding to plurality elementary volumes composing of said object and calculating length of elastic wave paths in elementary cells and calculating of said longitudinal wave velocity and porosity corresponding to a plurality of travel times further corresponding to each combination of a pair of adjacent transmitting transducers and a pair of adjacent receiving transducers for direct and reciprocal directions; and
evaluating longitudinal wave velocity in material matrix part of said heterogeneous object;vi. an image formation unit; vii. memory (b) providing non-linear ultrasonic waves propagation through the layered system by; i. establishing acoustical contact between said grid of transducers and a surface of said layered system in a unilateral way; and ii. consecutively transmitting ultrasonic waves by each transducer and receiving ultrasonic waves by the rest of transducers of said grid'"'"'s array said ultrasonic waves being transmitted and received at an angle to the layered system; (c) measuring travel times of said ultrasonic waves transmitted and received at said step of consecutively transmitting ultrasonic waves; (d) interpreting said layered system containing inspected object as a plurality of elementary cells arranged in columns and rows; (e) by means of differential approach calculating travel times corresponding to each elementary cell; i. calculating changes in travel times Δ
tm corresponding to each subsequent cell relatively to the previous cell along each column by combining the average values τ
m, τ
m−
1, τ
dir, τ
rec from eight travel times of the direct and reciprocal directions according to equation;
Δ
τ
m=τ
m+τ
m−
1−
τ
dir−
τ
rec, where τ
m is the average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for the transducers arrangement from points m to point (−
)m, were m is a number of a transducer location;
τ
m−
1 is an average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for transducers arrangement from point (m−
1) to point (−
m+1);
τ
dir is an average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for transducers arrangement from point (−
m) to point (m−
1) and τ
rec is an average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for transducers arrangement from point m to point (−
m+1);ii. calculating a sequence of travel time values corresponding to each of said elementary cell of said column by summing said values of said changes travel times in said elementary cells Δ
τ
m (Δ
τ
1, Δ
τ
2, Δ
τ
3, Δ
τ
4 . . . Δ
τ
m) and the travel times in said previous elementary cell in said column tm (t1, t2, t3, . . . tm) according to equation;
τ
2=t1+Δ
τ
1, τ
3=t2+Δ
τ
2, τ
3=t2+Δ
τ
2 . . . and τ
m=tm−
1+Δ
τ
m−
1;(f) calculating of longitudinal wave velocity values associated with ultrasonic waves propagating in each elementary cell, said calculating is carried out by dividing a length of a beam travel in the elementary cell by said travel time calculated at the step (e).ii;
wherein said travel length associated with a first cells of a columns is equal to 2b/sin α and
said travel length associated with the rest of cells of the same columns is equal to π
b, where b is a distance between adjacent transducers and α
is the incident angle on the layered system surface;(g) statistical evaluating of longitudinal wave velocity value associated with ultrasonic waves propagating in the material matrix portion of said inspected object, said evaluating is carried out by means of histogramming of obtained longitudinal wave velocity values corresponding to said plurality of elementary cells; (h) calculating of porosity values n for said plurality of elementary cells according to the formula; - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 21, 22, 23)
- wherein said method comprises the step of;
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11. A method of 3D quantitative—
- Imaging Ultrasonic Tomography for inspecting of a homogeneous object;
wherein said method comprising the step of;(a) providing a 3D quantitative imaging ultrasound tomography system, said system comprises at least; i. a three dimensional ultrasonic unit characterized by; a. a grid array of evenly spaced ultrasonic transducers capable of transmitting an ultrasonic wave at an incident angle to said grid in response to excitation pulses, and capable of producing a signals in response to received ultrasonic waves at an angle to said grid;
said transducer grid array is in acoustic contact with said inspected homogeneous object; and
,b. a layered system adapted for containing the inspected object;
the system is characterized by acoustic impedance gradient to provide non-linear beam paths in the heterogeneous object;ii. a signal generator generating short excitation pulse; iii. a scanning position controller adapted for consecutively emitting said generated excitation pulses and directing said pulses to a selected transmitting transducer in said transducer'"'"'s grid and receiving signals created in other receiving transducers in response to said ultrasonic wave emitted by said transmitted transducer and passed through said system according to a predetermined protocol; iv. a measuring time unit capable of receiving said signals from said receiving transducers and measuring a time of wave travel between corresponding pair of transmitting transducer and receiving transducer; v. a processor adapted for acquiring a plurality of measured travel times corresponding to a plurality of paths between said transmitting and receiving transducers;
calculating according to the differential approach plurality of time values corresponding to plurality elementary volumes composing of said object;
according to the times and length of elastic wave paths in elementary cells calculating of said longitudinal wave velocity and porosity corresponding to a plurality of travel times further corresponding to each combination of a pair of adjacent transmitting transducers and a pair of adjacent receiving transducers for direct and reciprocal directions; and
evaluating longitudinal wave velocity in material matrix part of object;vi. an image formation unit; vii. memory (b) providing a refracted ultrasonic waves in said inspected object by; i. acoustically contacting said grid of transducers to the surface of said system with inspected object; and
,ii. consecutively transmitting ultrasonic waves by at least one of said transducers and receiving ultrasonic waves by other transducers of said grid;
said ultrasonic wave is refracted by said inspected homogeneous object;
said transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves are performed angularly to said surface of said object;(c) measuring travel times of said ultrasonic waves transmitted and received at said step consecutively transmitting ultrasonic waves; (d) dividing said homogeneous object into a plurality of elementary cells arranged in columns and rows; (e) differentially calculating travel times corresponding to each elementary cell of said inspected object by means of the differential approach; i. calculating changes in travel times Δ
tm corresponding to each subsequent cell relatively to the previous cell along each column by combining the average values τ
m, τ
m−
1, τ
dir, τ
rec from at least 8 travel times of the direct and reciprocal directions according to equation;
Δ
τ
m=τ
m+τ
m−
1−
τ
dir−
τ
rec, where τ
m is the average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for the transducers arrangement from points m to point (−
m), were m is a number of a transducer location;
τ
m−
1 is an average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for transducers arrangement from point (m−
1) to point (−
m+1);
τ
dir is an average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for transducers arrangement from point (−
m) to point (m−
1) and τ
rec is an average value between longitudinal wave travel time for direct and reciprocal directions for transducers arrangement from point m to point (−
m+1);(ii) calculating a sequence of travel time values corresponding to each of said elementary cell of said column by summing said values of said changes travel times in said elementary cells Δ
τ
m (Δ
τ
1, Δ
τ
2, Δ
τ
3, Δ
τ
4 . . . Δ
τ
m) and the travel times in said previous elementary cell in said column tm (t1, t2, t3, . . . tm) according to equation;
τ
2=t1+Δ
τ
1, τ
3=t2+Δ
τ
2, τ
3=t2+Δ
τ
2 . . . and τ
m=tm−
1+Δ
τ
m−
1;f. calculating longitudinal wave velocity values corresponding to each elementary cell by dividing a length of beams travel in elementary cell by said travel time;
said length within said cells of columns is equal to 2b/sin α
where b is a distance between said transducers in said grid and α
is the incident angle and;g. evaluating longitudinal wave velocity value in a material matrix portion of said inspected object by means of histogramming of said obtained longitudinal wave velocity values corresponding to said plurality of said elementary cells by maximizing thereof; h. calculating porosity values n for said plurality of said cells according to the following formula; - View Dependent Claims (12)
- Imaging Ultrasonic Tomography for inspecting of a homogeneous object;
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13. An imaging ultrasound tomography system for inspecting of an object, wherein said system comprising:
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(a) a three dimensional ultrasonic unit comprising i. a grid of evenly spaced ultrasonic transducers capable of transmitting an ultrasonic wave at an incident angle to said grid in response to excitation pulses, and capable of producing signals in response to received ultrasonic waves by other transducers of said grid at an angle to said grid;
said transducer grid is in acoustic contact with said inspected object; andii. a layered system adapted for accommodating said inspected object;
said system is characterized by an acoustic impedance gradient causing the ultrasonic waves to propagate through the object along a non-linear beam paths in said heterogeneous object;(b) a signal generator capable of generating short excitation pulses; (c) a scanning position controller adapted for consecutively emitting said excitation pulses and directing said pulses to a selected transmitting transducer in said transducer'"'"'s grid and receiving signals created in other receiving transducers in response to said ultrasonic wave emitted by said transmitted transducer and non-linearly propagating through said inspected system according to a predetermined protocol; (d) a measuring time unit capable of receiving said signals from said receiving transducers and measuring a time of wave travel between corresponding pair of transmitting transducer and receiving transducer; (e) a processor adapted for (i) acquiring a plurality of measured travel times corresponding to a plurality of paths between said transmitting and receiving transducers;
(ii) calculating according to the differential approach plurality of time values corresponding to elementary cells composing an inspected object and lengths of ultrasonic wave in elementary cells;
(iii) calculating values of longitudinal wave velocity and porosity corresponding to a plurality of travel times corresponding to a plurality of elementary cells; and
, (iv) evaluating longitudinal wave velocity in material matrix of said heterogeneous object;(f) an image formation unit adapted for; (i) two- and three-dimensional mapping distributions of said longitudinal wave velocity and porosity in an inspected object volume; (ii) contouring a physiologically distinct area of a human body; (iii) contouring a defected area of risk of object fracture; (iv) evaluating longitudinal wave velocity within said defected area; and (v) estimating a fracture risk value for said inspected object. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification