Apparatus and method for imaging small cavities
First Claim
Patent Images
1. An imaging device for emitting ultrasonic acoustic waves and providing a useable image in response to detection of reflections of said ultrasonic acoustic waves, said imaging device comprising:
- a body for insertion into a cavity;
an array of transducer elements mounted to said body for generating first electrical signals containing imaging information in response to said reflections of said ultrasonic acoustic waves;
a cable connecting said body to an environment external of said cavity and including at least one signal channel for transporting said first electrical signals;
means mounted on said body and proximate to said array of transducer elements for receiving said first electrical signals from said array of transducer elements and converting said first electrical signals to second electrical signals that may be transmitted along said at least one channel in said cable without significant loss of imaging information;
a processor responsive to said second electrical signals from said cable for providing imaging data; and
a display responsive to said imaging data for providing a visual image of said cavity and its surrounding structure.
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Abstract
An in vivo imaging device is provided for producing real-time images of small, moving or stationary cavities and surrounding tissue structure. The imaging device includes a probe assembly of very small dimensions and preferably sufficiently small to fit within cavities having a diameter on the order of that of a human coronary artery. The probe assembly may be mounted to a positioning device such as a catheter, which allows for the use of, for example, conventional guiding catheters and guide wires.
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Citations
38 Claims
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1. An imaging device for emitting ultrasonic acoustic waves and providing a useable image in response to detection of reflections of said ultrasonic acoustic waves, said imaging device comprising:
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a body for insertion into a cavity; an array of transducer elements mounted to said body for generating first electrical signals containing imaging information in response to said reflections of said ultrasonic acoustic waves; a cable connecting said body to an environment external of said cavity and including at least one signal channel for transporting said first electrical signals; means mounted on said body and proximate to said array of transducer elements for receiving said first electrical signals from said array of transducer elements and converting said first electrical signals to second electrical signals that may be transmitted along said at least one channel in said cable without significant loss of imaging information; a processor responsive to said second electrical signals from said cable for providing imaging data; and a display responsive to said imaging data for providing a visual image of said cavity and its surrounding structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of imaging characteristics of a small cavity and surrounding structure using a probe assembly provided with an array of transducer elements and located at the end of a transmission line, said method comprising the steps of:
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inserting said probe assembly into small cavity, emitting ultrasonic signals into said small cavity and surrounding structure by selectively exciting at least one of said transducer elements, detecting reflections of said ultrasonic signals by receiving first electrical signals generated by said reflections impinging on at least one of said transducer elements, converting said first electrical signals to second electrical signals suitable for transmission on said transmission line, transmitting said second electrical signals on said transmission line to an area external from said small cavity, processing said second electrical signals into image data, and displaying said image data on a visual display. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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15. In a system for approximating real-time images of a structure including a probe assembly having an array of transducer elements for collecting image information and a remotely located high-speed memory for storing said image information, a method comprising the steps of:
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a. exciting at least one of said array of transducer elements into mechanical vibration a plurality of times so as to generate ultrasonic waves for propagating through said structure; b. detecting and averaging electrical signals derived from the excitation of at least one of said array of transducer elements in response to the reflections of said ultrasonic waves impinging on said array of transducer elements; c. storing said average of said detected signals in said high-speed memory; d. incrementing to a next at least one of said array of transducer elements in accordance with a predetermined sequence and repeating steps (a) through (c); e. repeating steps (a) through (d) until end of said sequence; f. finding values from the averages stored in said high-speed memory for a plurality of focal points spatially distributed about said probe assembly; and g. mapping onto a display screen said focal points such that said values for all the focus points required for each frame of said display screen may be determined at a sufficiently high rate of speed so as to maintain the visual appearance of a real-time image. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A system for providing images of the interior of a small cavity and surrounding structure comprising:
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a probe assembly having an array of transducer elements for generating (1) ultrasonic waves in response to excitation signals and (2) imaging signals in response to reflections of said ultrasonic waves impinging on said array; means (1) remote from said probe assembly for generating said excitation signals and control signals; sequencing means (2) on-board said probe assembly responsive to said control signals for selectively and sequentially distributing said excitation signals to said array of transducer elements and providing a plurality of said excitation signals in succession to a same at least one transducer element in said array of transducer elements; means (3) responsive to the imaging signals derived from the reflections of said plurality of successive excitation signals impinging on said array of transducer elements for averaging said imaging signals and providing an averaged imaging signal; a processor responsive to said averaged imaging signal for providing display data; and a display responsive to said display data for providing a visual image. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. In an ultrasonic imaging system, a probe assembly responsive to a source of excitation signals for insertion into a small cavity, said probe assembly comprising, in combination:
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a body; a transducer material forming an acoustically continuous surface and mounted to said body for generating ultrasonic acoustic waves in response to said excitation signals from said source and for generating imaging signals in response to the impinging of reflections of said ultrasonic acoustic waves; a plurality of conductive traces on said body and underlying said transducer material; a ground plane overlying said transducer material; a plurality of elements forming an array, each of said elements comprising a conductive trace, a portion of said transducer material overlying said conductive trace and said ground plane such that application of said excitation signal from said source to at least one of said conductive traces causes an area of said transducer material proximate to or overlying said conductive trace to mechanically vibrate and generate said ultrasonic acoustic waves and reflections of said ultrasonic imaging devices impinging on said transducer material causes the generation of said imaging signals on at least one of said conductive traces; and means (1) on-board said body for processing said excitation signals prior to their delivery to at least one of said conductive traces and processing said imaging signals prior to their delivery to a remote imaging device. - View Dependent Claims (28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35)
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36. An imaging device for emitting ultrasonic acoustic waves and providing a useable image in response to detection of reflections of said ultrasonic acoustic waves, said imaging device comprising:
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a body for insertion into a small cavity; an array of transducer elements mounted to said body for generating first electrical signals in response to said reflections of said ultrasonic acoustic waves and emitting said ultrasonic acoustic waves in response to second electrical signals; a cable connecting said body to an environment external of said cavity and having a number of signal channels for transporting said first and second electrical signals where said number of signal channels is less than the number of elements in said array; a signal processor for receiving said first electrical signals from said cable and transmitting to said cable said second electrical signals; and distribution means mounted on said body for serially receiving said second electrical signals from said cable and applying said second electrical signals to said array of transducer elements in a predetermined sequence of selected elements, where the number of steps in the sequence is greater than the number of signal channels in said cable. - View Dependent Claims (37, 38)
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Specification