SYSTEMS FOR MEASURING FORCE AND TORQUE ON ULTRASOUND PROBE DURING IMAGING THROUGH STRAIN MEASUREMENT

• US 20160015363A1
• Filed: 03/27/2014
• Published: 01/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
• Inventors: TAHMASEBI MARAGHOOSH, Amir Mohammed, SHARIFI, Mahmoudreza, STANTON, Douglas Allen
• Granted Patent: US 11,166,697 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0261 Strain gauges
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/429 characterised by determining or monitoring the contact between the transducer and the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5292 using additional data, e.g. patient information, image labeling, acquisition parameters

Abstract

An ultrasound system employs an ultrasound probe (31), a strain sensor(33) and a workstation (20). The ultrasound probe (31) includes an ultrasound transducer for acquiring ultrasound images (40) of an anatomical region. The strain sensor(33) is arranged on the ultrasound probe (31) to measure a longitudinal strain applied by the anatomical region to the ultrasound probe (31) as the ultrasound transducer acquires ultrasound images (40) of the anatomical region. The strain sensor(33) encircles a longitudinal axis of the ultrasound probe (31) and is spaced from the ultrasound transducers relative to the longitudinal axis of the ultrasound probe (31). The workstation (20) reconstructs an ultrasound volume (41) from the ultrasound images (40) acquired by ultrasound transducer, and responsive to the longitudinal strain measured by strain sensor (33), determines an axial force and/or 36 a bending force applied by the anatomical region to the ultrasound probe (31) as the ultrasound transducer acquires ultrasound images (40) of the anatomical region.

Claims

1. A medical instrument, comprising:

an ultrasound probe including an ultrasound transducer for acquiring images of anatomical region; and

a strain sensor arranged on the ultrasound probe to measure a longitudinal strain applied by the anatomical region to the ultrasound probe as the ultrasound transducer acquires ultrasound images of the anatomical region,

wherein strain sensor encircles a longitudinal axis of the ultrasound probe and is spaced from the ultrasound transducer relative to the longitudinal axis of the ultrasound probe.

2. The medical instrument of claim 1, wherein the strain sensor includes at least one strain gauge (SG) arranged on the ultrasound probe.

3. The medical instrument of claim 1, wherein the strain sensor includes

a plurality of strain gauges (SG) arranged in a grid pattern on the ultrasound probe.

4. The medical instrument of claim 3, wherein the plurality of strain gauges (SG) are equally spaced within the grid pattern.

5. The medical instrument of claim 1, wherein the strain sensor is arranged adjacent a proximal end of the ultrasound probe and the ultrasound transducer is positioned at a distal end of the ultrasound probe.

6. The medical instrument of claim 1, wherein the longitudinal strain measured by the strain sensor facilitates a determination of at least one of an axial force and a bending force applied by the anatomical region to the ultrasound probe as the ultrasound transducer acquires ultrasound images of the anatomical region.

7. An ultrasound system, comprising:

an ultrasound probe including ultrasound transducer for acquiring images an anatomical region;

a strain sensor arranged on the ultrasound probe to measure a longitudinal strain applied by the anatomical region to the ultrasound probe as the ultrasound transducer acquires ultrasound images of the anatomical region,

wherein the strain sensor encircles a longitudinal axis of the ultrasound probe and is spaced from the ultrasound transducer relative to the longitudinal axis of the ultrasound probe; and

a workstation operable to reconstruct an ultrasound volume from the ultrasound images acquired by the ultrasound transducer,

wherein, responsive to the longitudinal strain measured by the strain sensor, the workstation is further operable to determine at least one of an axial force and a bending force applied by the anatomical region to the ultrasound probe as the ultrasound transducer acquires ultrasound images of the anatomical region.

8. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein the strain sensor includes at least one strain gauge (SG) arranged on the ultrasound probe.

9. The ultrasound system of claim 8, wherein the strain sensor includes

a plurality of strain gauges (SG) arranged in a grid pattern on the ultrasound probe.

10. The ultrasound system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of strain gauges (SG) are equally spaced within the grid pattern.

11. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein the strain sensor is arranged adjacent a proximal end of the ultrasound probe and the ultrasound transducer is positioned at a distal end of the ultrasound probe.

12. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein the axial force is a function of at least one of an elasticity module of the ultrasound probe and a cross-sectional area of the ultrasound probe.

13. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein the bending force is a function of at least one of an elasticity module of the ultrasound probe, an external radius of the ultrasound probe, a moment of area of the ultrasound probe and a distance of a center of the strain sensor from a distal tip of the ultrasound probe.

14. The ultrasound system of claim 7, wherein the workstation is further operable to display visual representations for at least one of the axial force and the bending force as determined by the workstation.

15. The ultrasound system of claim 14, wherein the workstation is further operable to determine an angle between the bending force and a measuring axis of the strain sensor.