Ultrasonic transducer assembly

• US 3,927,662 A
• Filed: 11/08/1974
• Issued: 12/23/1975
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1971
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Kontron (S&T AG)
• Original Assignee: Janis Gunars Ziedonis
• Inventors: Ziedonis, Janis Gunars
• Primary Examiner(s): Kamm, William E.
• Application Number:
  US05/522,171
• Time in Patent Office: 410 Days
• Field of Search: 128/2V,2.5P,2.6E,24A 73/71.5Q,71.5US,67.7,67.8R
• US Class Current: 600/459
• 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 8/4483 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

A series of ultrasonic multi-element transducer assemblies is disclosed for patient monitoring use and particularly fetal monitoring prior to and during delivery. Each assembly is comprised of a flexible material shaped, at least in part, in a cloverleaf type configuration wherein the cloverleaf arms are independently flexible relative to the center area and to each other for easy conformity to the body. Each of the arms carries at least one transmitting transducer and the cloverleaf center area is provided with a receiving transducer. Each of the transducers is provided with an appropriate lens arrangement for enabling overlapping direct beam illumination of a substantial portion of the interior of the body. The middle arm of the basic cloverleaf configuration is extended to include additional transmitting and receiving transducers for predetermined greater coverage, for example, a straight extension to the middle arm bearing an additional receiving and transmitting transducer in staggered arrangement or mated together under a single lens yielding greater longitudinal coverage of a fetus as it progresses down the birth canal during labor. Disclosed variations thereof employ a Y-shaped extension to the middle arm, wherein the branches of the Y extension are provided with singular transmitting transducers or combined transmitting and receiving transducers under a single lens, in possible combination with an additional receiving transducer located at the base of the Y extension. Such arrangements provide greaterside-to side coverage as well as extended longitudinal coverage of the lower portions of the abdomen with regard to moving target such as a fetus undergoing the birth process.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic multiple-element transducer assembly for use particularly in patient monitoring, comprising a substantially flattened base of homogeneous, flexible material composition, which includes a cloverleaf-like configured portion having a center area with at least three arms extending outwardly therefrom, the arrangement 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 other arm area and said center area, for enabling the assembly to conform to varying body curvatures, each of said arms being provided proximate the end thereof remote from said center portion with at least one active element in the form of a transmitting means, said transmitting 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 said center area being provided with at least one active element in the form of an ultrasonic receiving means, said ultrasonic receiving means 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 transmitting means associated with any of said arms of said cloverleaf portion, for enabling detection by said receiver means of ultrasonic energy from whichever of said transmitting means is illuminating the portion of the patient'"'"''"'"'s body intended to be monitored at any time, wherein the middle arm of said cloverleaf configured portion is extended to provide for at least one additional active element for predetermined greater longitudinal and/or transverse coverage.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein a pair of additional active elements is provided on said extension portion of said middle arm in the form of a transmitting means and a receiving means.

3. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein both the cloverleaf and extended portions of said base are constructed so as to virtually eliminate cross-coupling of the ultrasonic energy therethrough between active elements.

4. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein said cloverleaf portion includes a stem appendage by way of which a pair of external conductive coupling elements are introduced into said base to extend therewithin to make electrical contact respectively with said each receiver means and each transmitting means.

5. An assembly according to claim 4, wherein said conductive coupling elements are of fine gauge and are predeterminably disposed in general proximate the periphery of said base and extending from active element to active element, the fine gauge and routing of said coupling elements using such as to optimize the flexibility of the assembly for conformity to the body.

6. An assembly according to claim 2 whErein the thickness and width dimensions of the middle arm are uniformly narrowed between each of the locations of active elements associated therewith in predetermined amount.

7. An assembly according to claim 6 wherein the narrowed width dimension constitutes approximately a 20 percent width reduction and the narrowed thickness dimension constitutes approximately a 50 percent thickness reduction.

8. An assembly according to claim 2 wherein each of the transmitting means associated with the left and right side arms of said cloverleaf portion is predeterminably shaped relative to the lens means associated therewith for limiting radiation of ultrasonic energy to preselected directions, and wherein the receiving means associated with said cloverleaf portion is provided with an operational surface area approximately twice the operative surface area of any one of said predeterminably shaped transmitting means.

9. An assembly according to claim 8 wherein the total operating surface area provided for said transmitting means associated with said cloverleaf portion exceeds the total operative surface area provided for said receiving means associated with said cloverleaf portion approximately by the ratio of 1 1/2 to 1.

10. An assembly according to claim 8 wherein the lens means associated with the individual transmitting and receiving means of said cloverleaf portion have approximately the same radium of curvature.

11. An assembly according to claim 10 wherein the beam spread associated with said receiving means of said cloverleaf portion is greater than the beam spread of any one of the transmitting means associated with said cloverleaf portion.

12. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein the side arms of said assembly are symmetrically disposed on either side of said middle arm and wherein each said side arms forms a predetermined angle Alpha with the middle arm.

13. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein said extension to said middle arm is a substantially straight extension having at least one location at which there is provided said at least one additional active element.

14. An assembly according to claim 13 wherein said transducer assembly has a longitudinal axis of symmetry and the straight extension to said middle arm is directed along said axis and said at least one active element location is on said axis.

15. An assembly according to claim 14 wherein said extended portion has a plurality of active element locations, each of which having associated therewith at least one active element.

16. An assembly according to claim 15 wherein said transducer assembly has a longitudinal axis of symmetry along which said straight extension is situate and each of said plurality of active element locations is centered on said axis, and wherein said plurality of locations constitutes a pair of locations each having a single active element and corresponding lens means associated therewith.

17. An assembly according to claim 16 wherein the active element location of said extended portion closest to said cloverleaf portion is provided with a receiving means having a circular operating surface, and the remaining active element location of said extended portion is provided with a transmitting means having an operative surface shaped relative to the lens means associated therewith for limiting radiation of ultrasonic energy to predetermined directions.

18. An assembly according to claim 17 wherein said cloverleaf portion includes a stem appendage by way of which a pair of external conductive coupling elements are introduced into said base to extend therewithin to make electrical contact respectively with each said receiving means and each transmitting means, the conductive coupling element associated with the transmitting means being extended along the periphery of said base to electrically couple to said transmitting means associated with said extended portion and the conductive element associated with the receiving Means being extended along the periphery of said base to electrically couple to said receiving means associated with the said extended portion, the extensions of said conductive coupling elements into said extended portion being such as to preserve the flexibility of said transducer assembly throughout.

19. An assembly according to claim 16 wherein the spaced separation between adjacent ones of the active element locations associated with the cloverleaf and extended portions positioned along said axis is constant.

20. An assembly according to claim 16 wherein the active element location of said cloverleaf portion which is closest to said extended portion is provided with a transmitting means having a circular operating surface and associated lens means.

21. An assembly according to claim 15 wherein the center-to-center spaced separation between adjacent ones of said plurality of active element locations is the same as the center-to-center separation between adjacent active element locations associated with said cloverleaf portion.

22. An assembly according to claim 13 wherein there is associated with said straight extension a single active element location at which single location there is provided a pair of active elements in the form of a transmitting means and a receiving means.

23. An assembly according to claim 22 wherein said transmitting means and said receiving means at said single active element location are operatively arranged to be associated with a single lens means.

24. An assembly according to claim 23 wherein the operative surfaces of said receiving means and said transmitting means associated with said single lens means are each shaped substantially in a half circle, with the flat edges thereof facing each other.

25. An assembly according to claim 24 wherein means are provided between said half circle-shaped active elements for preventing cross-coupling of ultrasonic energy therebetween.

26. An assembly according to claim 22 wherein said single active element location is situate at a predetermined spaced separation, center-to-center, from the active element location on said cloverleaf portion closest thereto.

27. An assembly according to claim 26 wherein said predetermined spaced separation is different from the center-to-center separation of any two adjacent ones of the active element locations of said cloverleaf portion.

28. An assembly according to claim 22 wherein said single active element locations is situate closest to a transmitting means location on said cloverleaf portion, said closest transmitting means having a circular operative surface and associated lens means.

29. An assembly according to claim 22 wherein said cloverleaf portion includes a stem appendage by way of which a pair of external conductive coupling elements are introduced into said base to extend therewithin to make electrical contact respectively with each said receiver means and each transmitting means, the conductive coupling element associated with the transmitting means being extended along the periphery of said base to electrically couple to said transmitting means associated with said extended portion and the conductive coupling element associated with the receiving means being extended along the periphery of said base to electrically couple to said receiving means associated with said extended portion the extensions of said conductive coupling elements into said extended portion being such as to preserve the flexibility of said transducer assembly throughout.

30. An assembly according to claim 1 wherein said extension to said middle arm is a substantially Y-shaped extension having an active element location associated with each branch arm of said extension and the base portion thereof communicating with said middle arm.

31. An assembly according to claim 30 wherein said active element location associated with each branch of said Y extension is situate proximate the free end of the respective branch and wherein each saiD active element location is provided with a pair of active elements in the form of a transmitting means and a receiving means.

32. An assembly according to claim 31 wherein said transmitting means and said receiving means at each said single active element location are operatively arranged to be associated with a single lens means.

33. An assembly according to claim 31 wherein each said active element location is situate a predetermined spaced separation, center-to-center, from the active element location of said cloverleaf portion closest thereto.

34. An assembly according to claim 33 wherein said spaced separation of each branch active element location from the closest cloverleaf portion active element location is the same as the center-to-center separation of any two closest adjacent ones of active element locations of said cloverleaf portion.

35. An assembly according to claim 31 wherein said Y extension is arranged closest to a transmitting means location on said cloverleaf portion, said closest transmitting means having a circular operating surface and associated lens means.

36. An assembly according to claim 31 wherein the operative surfaces of said receiving means and said transmitting means associated with said single lens means are each shaped substantially in a half circle, with the flat edges thereof facing each other.

37. An assembly according to claim 36, wherein means are provided between said half circle-shaped active element for preventing cross-coupling of ultrasonic energy therebetween.

38. An assembly according to claim 31 wherein said cloverleaf portion includes a stem appendage by way of which a pair of external conductive coupling elements is introduced into said base to extend therewithin to make electrical contact respectively with each of said receiver means and each transmitting means, the conductive coupling element associated with the transmitting means being extended within said base to electrically couple to each said transmitting means associated with said extended portion and the conductive coupling element associated with the receiving means being extended within said base to electrically couple to each said receiving means associated with said extended portion, the extensions of said conductive coupling elements into said extended portion being such as to preserve the flexibility of said transducer assembly throughout.

39. An assembly according to claim 31 wherein the center-to-center separation of said active element locations associated with said extended portion is different from the center-to-center separation between any two active element locations associated with said cloverleaf portion.

40. An assembly according to claim 30 wherein there is provided a further active element location proximate the junction point of said branches of said Y extension and wherein said active element location associated with each branch of said Y extension is situate proximate the free end of the respective branch.

41. An assembly according to claim 40 wherein a single active element and associated lens means is provided at each active element location associated with said extended portion.

42. An assembly according to claim 41 wherein the active element location situate proximate the junction of said branches is provided with a receiving means having a circular operative surface and the active element location associated with each of said branches of said Y extension is provided with a transmitting means.

43. An assembly according to claim 42 wherein the operative surface of each said transmitting means associated with said extended portion is predeterminably shaped relative to the lens means associated therewith for limiting radiation of ultrasonic energy to preselected directions.

44. An assembly according to claim 40 wherein said transducer assembly has complete longitudinal and transverse symmetry with regard to the active element locations and with regard to the overall shape of the transducer assemblY relative to a center position defined by the active element location on the cloverleaf portion closest to said extended portion.

45. An assembly according to claim 40 wherein the center-to-center spacing of adjacent active element locations is the same throughout the transducer assembly.

46. An assembly according to claim 40 wherein the center-to-center spacing between adjacent transmitting means locations is the same throughout the transducer assembly.

47. An assembly according to claim 40 wherein said cloverleaf portion includes a stem appendage by way of which a pair of external conductive coupling elements is introduced into said base to extend therewithin to make electrical contact respectively with each said receiver means and each transmitting means, the conductive coupling element associated with the transmitting means being extended along the periphery of said base to electrically couple to said transmitting means associated with said extended portion, and the conductive coupling element associated with the receiving means being extended along the periphery of said base to electrically couple to said receiving means associated with said extended portion, the extensions of said conductive coupling elements into said extended portion being such as to preserve the flexibility of said transducer assembly throughout.