ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER ASSEMBLY

• US 3,847,016 A
• Filed: 12/08/1971
• Issued: 11/12/1974
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kontron Inc (Roche Holding AG)
• Original Assignee: Janis Gunars Ziedonis
• Inventors: Ziedonis, Janis Gunars
• Primary Examiner(s): Queisser, Richard C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kreitman, Stephen A.
• Application Number:
  US05/206,012
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: 73/67.7,71.5 128/2V,2.5P.2.5Z
• US Class Current: 600/453
• 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 8/4281 characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0622 on one surface

Abstract

An ultrasonic transducer assembly for patient monitoring use, having an essentially clover-leaf like design with independent flexible arms for conforming to the body curvature. An ultrasonic receiver means is centrally located and ultrasonic transmitters are positioned at the outer portion of each arm to ultrasonically illuminate overlapping areas. The assembly is particularly useful for fetal monitoring.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic multiple element transducer assembly for use particularly in patient monitoring, comprising:

a. A base of substantially flattened cloverleaf type configuration and homogeneous, flexible material composition, having a center area with at least three arms extending outwardly therefrom, the arrangement of each of said arms being such as to be independently flexible relative to each other and to the center area with each arm having proximate said center area narrower width and thickness dimensions than the outer arm area and said center area, for enabling the assembly to conform to varying body curvatures, said base being constructed so as to virtually eliminate cross-coupling of ultrasonic energy therethrough between the center area and the arms;

b. ultrasonic transmitter means provided proximate the free end of each of said arms, said transmitter means being arranged and including lens means for providing overlapping direct beam illumination of a predetermined volume of the interior of the patient'"'"''"'"'s body intended to be monitored; and

c. ultrasonic receiver means provided at said center area and including lens means arranged to provide illumination of a substantially greater percentage of the portion of the patient intended to be monitored than that provided by the said transmitter means associated with any one of said arms, for enabling detection by said receiver means of ultrasonic energy from whichever of said transmitter means is illuminating the portion of the patient'"'"''"'"'s body intended to be monitored at any time.

2. The ultrasonic transducer assembly according to claim 1 wherein said arms are substantially equally spaced apart about the center area, with the transmitter means of each of said arms being substantially equally distant from the center area and from each other.

3. The ultrasonic transducer assembly according to claim 2 wherein said cloverleaf base configuration includes a stem portion by way of which a plurality of external conductive coupling elements are introduced into said base to extend therewithin to make electrical contact respectively with said receiver means and said transmitter means.

4. The ultrasonic transducer assembly according to claim 2 wherein each of said transmitter means is predeterminably shaped in relation to the lens means associated therewith for limiting radiation of ultrasonic energy to preselected directions.

5. The ultrasonic transducer assembly according to claim 2 wherein each said transmitter means and associated lens means constitutes a transmitting subassembly, each said transmitting subassembly being mounted in a cavity of correspondingly shape in the arm to which it is associated, said cavity providing around said transmitting subassembly a recess for the deposition of conductive coupling gel, said recess retaining said gel so as to substantiate inhibit dissipation thereof to permit efficient patient monitoring over long periods of time.

6. The ultrasonic transducer assembly according to claim 2 wherein each said transmitter means includes a crystal composed of lead-zirconate-titanate and said receiver means includes a crystal composed material from the group of quartz or lead-metaniobate, the use of said different crystal materials serving to provide highest system sensitivity with minimum input power.

7. The ultrasonic transducer assembly according to claim 2 wherein each of said arms is shaped to have narrower width and thickness proximate the juncture thereof with said center area relative to the free end thereof and also to the center area width and thickness.

8. The ultrasonic transducer assembly according to 2 wherein the distance between the centers of adjacent transmitter means is anywhere from seven to nine centimeters and the distance from the center of the receiver means the center of each transmitter means is anywhere from 4 to 5 centimeters.

9. The ultrasonic transducer assembly according to claim 1 wherein each of said transmitter means and its associated lens means constitutes a transmitting subassembly and said receiver means and its associated lens means constitutes a receiving subassembly, wherein said transmitting and receiving subassemblies are adapted to provide beam overlap and reception of returning ultrasonic energy whether or not said transmitting subassembly and said receiving subassembly are uniplanar in arrangement.

10. The ultrasonic transducer assembly according to claim 9 wherein said transmitting subassemblies are adapted and arranged to provide that ultrasonic energy transmitted therefrom is substantially unfocused at the portion of the patient intended to be monitored regardless of whether the placement of the assembly on the patient yields a substantially uniPlaner assembly configuration.