Compact rotationally steerable ultrasound transducer
First Claim
1. An ultrasonic imaging system having a remote ultrasound console and a probe connected thereto for inspecting an interior region of a body, comprising:
- a scanhead housing disposed at a distal end of the probe;
a transducer mounted upon a rotatable support structure within the scanhead housing;
means for electrically connecting the transducer to the remote ultrasound console; and
a magnetic sensor connected to the rotatable support structure and electrically coupled to the remote ultrasound console.
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Accused Products
Abstract
According to the present invention, an ultrasonic imaging system having a remote ultrasound console and a probe connected thereto for inspecting an interior region of a body is provided. The ultrasonic imaging system includes a scanhead housing disposed at a distal end of the probe. A transducer is mounted upon a support structure within the scanhead housing and is electrically connected to the ultrasonic imaging system. The present invention also includes a magnetic position sensor located within the scanhead housing and coupled to the ultrasonic imaging system. The magnetic sensor may be attached to the support structure. In addition, the present invention may include a piezomotor mounted within an ultrasound probe, the piezomotor being mechanically coupled to an acoustic device within the probe.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. An ultrasonic imaging system having a remote ultrasound console and a probe connected thereto for inspecting an interior region of a body, comprising:
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a scanhead housing disposed at a distal end of the probe; a transducer mounted upon a rotatable support structure within the scanhead housing; means for electrically connecting the transducer to the remote ultrasound console; and a magnetic sensor connected to the rotatable support structure and electrically coupled to the remote ultrasound console. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. An ultrasonic imaging system, comprising:
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a scanhead housing disposed at a distal end of a cable connected to the remote ultrasonic imaging system; a transducer mounted for rotation upon a support structure within the scanhead housing, the support structure comprising a container and being fabricated from a non-magnetic material; means for electrically connecting the transducer to the remote ultrasonic imaging system; and a magnetic position sensor attached to the rotatable support structure and electrically coupled to the remote ultrasonic imaging system through electrical traces formed on the surface of the container. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method of determining a position of an ultrasound probe containing a rotatable ultrasonic transducer, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a magnetic position sensor attached to the transducer, the transducer being mounted upon a rotatable support structure; generating a magnetic field; locating the magnetic position sensor within the magnetic field; and receiving a signal from the magnetic position sensor representing the position of the transducer within the magnetic field. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27)
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28. An ultrasonic imaging system having a remote ultrasound console and a probe connected thereto for inspecting an interior region of a body, comprising:
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an acoustic device mounted within the probe; a piezomotor mounted within the probe and mechanically coupled to the acoustic device, the piezomotor being operable to rotate the acoustic device about an axis; and means for electrically coupling the acoustic device and the piezomotor to the remote ultrasound console. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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Specification