Abdominal Sonar System and Apparatus

• US 20120179046A1
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Published: 07/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kabakov, Serguei, Falk, Steven M., Russell-wood, Karsten A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,168,022 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/453
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02411 of foetuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/02 Measuring pulse or heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0866 involving foetal diagnosis; pre-natal or peri-natal diagnosis of the baby
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4227 characterised by straps, belts, cuffs or braces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4477 using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes

Abstract

An abdominal sonar includes an ultrasound transducer array with a plurality of ultrasound transducers. The abdominal sonar further includes at least one additional ultrasound transducer. A digital signal processor is communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor individually operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor receives reflected ultrasound signals back from each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer and converts the received reflected ultrasound signals into an audio signal. A system for monitoring a pregnancy includes an ultrasound transducer array and at least one additional ultrasound transducer. A digital signal processor is communicatively connected to the ultrasound transducer array and the at least one ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor converts received raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms into an audio signal. A wireless transmitter broadcasts the received audio signal. A wireless receiver receives the broadcast audio signal. A patient monitor extracts the raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms from the audio signal and processes the waveforms to obtain an indication of fetal heart rate and an indication of uterine activity.

Claims

1. An abdominal sonar for use with a pregnant patient, the abdominal sonar comprising:

an ultrasound transducer array comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers;

at least one additional ultrasound transducer;

a digital signal processor communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array and communicatively connected to the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the digital signal processor individually operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to produce an ultrasound signal, receives reflected ultrasound signals back from each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, and converts the received reflected ultrasound signals into an audio signal; and

a wireless transmitter communicatively connected to the digital signal processor, the wireless transmitter receives the audio signal from the digital signal processor and broadcasts the received audio signal.

2. The abdominal sonar of claim 1, wherein the digital signal processor operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array to each produce an ultrasound tone signal.

3. The abdominal sonar of claim 2, wherein the digital signal processor operates the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to produce an ultrasound chirp signal.

4. The abdominal sonar of claim 3, wherein the ultrasound tone signals of the plurality of ultrasound transducers are used to monitor fetal heart rate and the ultrasound chirp signal of the at least one additional ultrasound transducer is used to monitor uterine contractions.

5. The abdominal sonar of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound transducer array further comprises the at least one additional ultrasound transducer.

6. The abdominal sonar of claim 1 further comprising:

front end circuitry communicatively connected between the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array, the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, and the digital signal processor;

wherein the front end circuitry processes reflected ultrasound signals before transmitting the ultrasound signals to the digital signal processor.

7. The abdominal sonar of claim 6, wherein the front end circuitry comprises an amplifier, a low pass filter, and an analog to digital converter, that respectively amplify, filter, and digitize the reflected ultrasound signals.

8. The abdominal sonar of claim 6, wherein the digital signal processor operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array to each produce an ultrasound tone signal which is used by the digital signal processor to monitor fetal heart rate;

and

wherein the digital signal processor operates the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to produce an ultrasound chirp signal which is used by the digital signal processor to monitor uterine contractions.

9. The abdominal sonar of claim 6, further comprising a switch connected to each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array and connected to the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the switch operates between a first condition that communicatively connects the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array to the front end circuitry and a second condition that communicatively connects the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to the front end.

10. The abdominal sonar of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery electrically connected to the digital signal processor and to the wireless transmitter, the battery provides energization to the digital signal processor and to the wireless transmitter;

an exterior case at least partially surrounding the ultrasound transducer array, at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the digital signal processor, the wireless transmitter, and the battery; and

an elastomeric band secured to the exterior case, the elastomeric band configured to removably secure the abdominal sonar to an abdomen of the pregnant patient.

11. A system for monitoring a pregnancy, the system comprising:

an ultrasound transducer array comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers;

at least one additional ultrasound transducer;

a digital signal processor communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array and communicatively connected to the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the digital signal processor individually operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to produce an ultrasound signal, receives raw fetal heart waveforms back from the plurality of ultrasound transducers and raw uterine activity waveforms back from the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, and converts the received raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms into an audio signal;

a wireless transmitter communicatively connected to the digital signal processor, the wireless transmitter receives the audio signal from the digital signal processor and broadcasts the received audio signal;

a wireless receiver communicatively connected to the wireless transmitter, such that the wireless receiver receives the broadcast analog audio signal; and

a patient monitor communicatively connected to the wireless receiver, the patient monitor extracts the raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms from the audio signal and processes the raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms to obtain an indication of fetal heart rate and an indication of uterine activity.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the wireless transmitter is a Bluetooth headset transmitter and the wireless receiver is a Bluetooth headset receiver.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the digital signal processor down converts the raw fetal heart waveforms.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the digital signal processor modulates the raw uterine activity waveforms.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the patient monitor demodulates the audio signal to extract the raw fetal heart waveforms and the raw uterine activity waveforms.

16. A system for monitoring a pregnancy, the system comprising:

an ultrasound transducer array comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers;

at least one additional ultrasound transducer;

a digital signal processor communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array and communicatively connected to the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the digital signal processor operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers to produce ultrasound tone signals and operates the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to produce an ultrasound chirp signal, the digital signal processor receives reflected ultrasound tone signals back from each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers and a reflected ultrasound chirp signal from the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, and the digital signal processor combines the received reflected ultrasound tone signals and received reflected ultrasound chirp signal into an audio signal;

a wireless transmitter communicatively connected to the digital signal processor, the wireless transmitter receives the analog audio signal from the digital signal processor and broadcasts the received audio signal;

a wireless receiver communicatively connected to the wireless transmitter, such that the wireless receiver receives the broadcast audio signal; and

a patient monitor communicatively connected to the wireless receiver, the patient monitor extracts the received reflected ultrasound tone signals and the received reflected ultrasound chirp signal from the audio signal and processes the received reflected ultrasound tone signals to obtain an indication of fetal heart rate and processes the received reflected ultrasound chirp signal to obtain an indication of uterine activity.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the reflected ultrasound tone signals are raw fetal heart waveforms and the reflected ultrasound chirp signal is a raw uterine activity waveform.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the digital signal processor modulates the raw fetal heart waveforms and the raw uterine activity waveform before combining the raw fetal heart waveforms and the raw uterine activity waveforms into the audio signal;

and

wherein the patient monitor demodulates the analog audio signal to extract the raw fetal heart waveforms and the raw uterine activity waveform.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the patient monitor obtains the indication of uterine activity by measuring a time delay between echo pulses in the raw uterine activity waveform.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the audio signal is an analog audio signal, the wireless transmitter is a Bluetooth headset (BTHS) transmitter, and the wireless receiver is a Bluetooth headset (BTHS) receiver.