Portable ultrasonic probe

• US 4,917,096 A
• Filed: 11/25/1987
• Issued: 04/17/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1987
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Laboratory Equipment Corporation
• Original Assignee: Laboratory Equipment Corporation
• Inventors: Englehart, Theodore M., Morris, Richard F., Sanghvi, Narendra T.
• Primary Examiner(s): JAWORSKI, FRANCIS J
• Application Number:
  US07/125,403
• Time in Patent Office: 874 Days
• Field of Search: 73/618-623, 73/625, 73/633, 73/640, 73/641, 128/600.08-660.10
• US Class Current: 600/446
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0825 for diagnosis of the breast, e.g. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0858 involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4209 by using holders, e.g. positioning frames
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/352 by moving the transducer

Abstract

A hand-held portable ultrasonic scanning probe for use with energizing and receiving means for imaging sections of a body includes a fluid-filled enclosure coupled to a handle portion which houses a DC drive motor. The output shaft of the drive motor is directly coupled to a level wind drive screw. A holder assembly incorporating a pawl which coacts with the drive screw and a plano-concave transducer moves back and forth across the drive screw as a result of the DC motor output shaft rotation. The linear travel of the transducer creates a linear scan thereby eliminating the diagnostic imaging problems of sector scans.

Claims

1. A portable, hand-held, ultrasonic scanning probe for use with energizing and receiving means for imaging sections of a body by transmitting ultrasonic energy into the body and receiving image-representative signals from the body, comprising:

a fluid-tight enclosure;

fluid contained within said enclosure;

transducer means disposed within said enclosure and operable in response to said energizing and receiving means to generate an ultrasound beam into the body and receive image-representative signals back; and

linear drive means for moving said transducer means back and forth on a common axis in a linear path, said linear drive means including a level wind drive screw and a cooperating holder, said transducer means being secured to the said holder, said holder remaining static relative to said transducer means.

2. The scanning probe of claim 1 which further includes a one-directional, rotary drive motor coupled to said level wind drive screw.

3. The scanning probe of claim 2 which further includes magnetic field sensors, one at each end of said path, and a cooperating magnet carried by said holder.

4. The scanning probe of claim 3 wherein said transducer means includes a transducer of a plano-concave, focusing configuration.

5. The scanning probe of claim 4 wherein said fluid-tight enclosure includes a tapered portion through which said ultrasonic energy and received signals pass.

6. An apparatus for imaging sections of a body, comprising:

energizing and receiving circuitry means for generating and receiving electrical signals;

data presentation means electrically coupled to said energizing and receiving circuitry means for receiving data and presenting it in a preciptible form; and

a portable, hand-held, scanning probe electrically coupled to said energizing and receiving circuitry means and comprising;

a fluid-tight enclosure;

fluid contained within said enclosure;

transducer means disposed within said enclosure and operable in response to said energizing and receiving circuitry means to generate an ultrasound beam into the body and receive image-representative signals back; and

linear drive means for moving said transducer means back and forth on a common axis in a linear path, said linear drive means including a level wind drive screw and a cooperating holder, said transducer means being secured to said holder, said holder remaining static relative to said transducer means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 which further includes a one-directional, rotary drive motor coupled to said level wind drive screw.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 which further includes magnetic field sensors, one at each end of said path, and a cooperating magnet carried by said holder.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said transducer means includes a transducer of a plano-concave, focusing configuration.

10. A portable, hand-held, ultrasonic imaging probe for use in transmitting ultrasound into a body and receiving ultrasound echoes back from the body, comprising:

a transducer suitably arranged with drive circuitry to generate an ultrasound beam and convert received echoes into image-representative electrical signals; and

linear drive means for moving said transducer back and forth in a linear path, said linear drive means including a DC motor coupled to a level wind drive screw.

11. A portable ultrasonic scanning probe for use with energizing and receiving means for imaging sections of a body by transmitting ultrasonic energy into the body and receiving image-representative signals from the body, comprising:

a fluid-tight enclosure;

fluid contained within said enclosure;

transducer means disposed within said enclosure and operable in response to said energizing and receiving means to generate an ultrasound beam into the body and receive image-representative signals back;

drive means for moving said transducer means back and forth on a common axis in a linear path, said drive means including a level wind drive screw and a cooperating holder, said transducer means being secured to said holder, said drive means further including a one-directional, rotary drive motor coupled to said level wind drive screw; and

a pair of oppositely disposed magnetic field sensors, one of each end of said linear path, which remain stationary relative to the movement of said transducer and a cooperating trigger carried by said holder so as to define the edges of each frame of image data.

12. An ultrasonic imaging probe for use in transmitting ultrasound into a body and receiving ultrasound echoes back from the body, comprising:

a transducer suitably arranged with drive circuitry to generate an ultrasound beam and convert received echoes into image-representative electrical signals; and

drive means for moving said transducer back and forth in a linear path, said drive means including a unidirectional motor coupled to a level wind drive screw.