Ultrasonic measuring apparatus which minimizes the number of digital values treated by processing means

• US 5,569,853 A
• Filed: 11/01/1993
• Issued: 10/29/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Original Assignee: Asulab SA (The Swatch Group AG)
• Inventors: Mignot, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Oda, Christine K.
• Application Number:
  US08/146,404
• Time in Patent Office: 1,093 Days
• Field of Search: 73/602, 73/622, 73/627, 73/615, 73/625, 128/661.01, 128/661.09, 128/660.01, 128/661.03, 128/661.04, 128/661.05, 128/661.06, 128/661.1, 364/413.25, 364/507, 364/508
• US Class Current: 73/602
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0858 involving measuring tissue layers, e.g. skin, interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02854 Length, thickness
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/044 Internal reflections (echoes), e.g. on walls or defects
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/38 by time filtering, e.g. using time gates
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/18 wherein range gates are used

Abstract

An ultrasonic measuring apparatus that includes an ultrasonic transducer for emitting ultrasonic pulses at a predetermined repetition frequency towards an object having a plurality of walls such as a blood vessel, receiving echoes reflected from such walls, and producing an echo signal having a plurality of elementary echo components (E_ant, E_post). A digitizer digitizes the echo signal into a series of digital values that are stored in a buffer memory under control of a circuit. A computer transfers the series of digital values stored in the buffer memory into a memory. The computer is programmed to process the digital values stored in the memory in the period between consecutive pulses and to remove a group of the digital values digitized between consecutive elementary components (E_ant, E_post) from those digital values to be treated between such consecutive pulses.

Claims

1. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer for emitting ultrasonic pulses at a predetermined repetition frequency towards an object having a plurality of walls, receiving echoes reflected from said walls, and producing echo signals having an plurality of elementary echo components (E_ant, E_post),

digitizing means for digitizing each one of said echo signals into a series of digital values,

a buffer memory coupled to said digitizing means for receiving and storing said digital values directly from said digitizing means,

control means for transferring said digital values from said digitizing means into said buffer memory,

memory means for receiving and storing said digital values from said buffer memory, and

processing means for transferring said series of digital values stored in said buffer memory into said memory means,

said processing means processing the digital values stored in said memory means between consecutive ones of said pulses, wherein said processing means further includes means for deleting a contiguous group of said digital values digitized between consecutive elementary echo components produced by said consecutive pulses from the digital values to be processed by said processing means between said consecutive pulses, said deleting means deleting said contiguous group of said digital values before the remaining digital values are processed by said processing means.

2. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said deleting means deletes said group of digital values from said series of digital values prior to the storage of said digital values in said memory means.

3. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said deleting means deletes said group of digital values from said series of digital values prior to the storage of said digital values in said buffer memory.

4. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

user input means for selecting said group of digital values.

5. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further including:

display means for displaying said series of digital values to enable visualization of said echo signal, said display means additionally indicating said selected group of digital values prior to their removal from said digital values treated between consecutive pulses.

6. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

user input means for selecting said group of digital values.

7. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

user input means for selecting said group of digital values.

8. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

display means for displaying said series of digital values to enable visualization of said echo signal, said display means additionally indicating said selected group of digital values prior to their removal from said digital values treated between said consecutive pulses.

9. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

display means for displaying said series of digital values to enable visualization of said echo signal, said display means additionally indicating said selected group of digital values prior to their removal from said digital values treated between said consecutive pulses.

10. Ultrasonic measuring apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising:

display means for displaying said series of digital values to enable visualization of said echo signal, said display means additionally indicating said selected group of digital values prior to their removal from said digital values treated between said consecutive pulses.