Hand held ultrasonic diagnostic instrument

• US 5,722,412 A
• Filed: 06/28/1996
• Issued: 03/03/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: FUJIFILM SonoSite, Inc. (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Technology Materials, Inc. (Entegris Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pflugrath, Lauren S., Souquet, Jacques
• Primary Examiner(s): MANUEL, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US08/672,782
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 128/660.07, 128/660.08, 128/660.01, 128/661.1, 128/660.09, 128/662.03, 128/660.04, 128/660.05, 128/661.08, 128/661.09
• US Class Current: 600/459
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0456 Apparatus provided with a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4455 Features of the external shape of the probe, e.g. ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/892 the array being curvilinear
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/899 Combination of imaging systems with ancillary equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52028 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52063 Sector scan display
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52074 Composite displays, e.g. split-screen displays; Combination of multiple images or of images and alphanumeric tabular information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52077 with means for elimination of unwanted signals, e.g. noise or interference
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52079 Constructional features constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5208 with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/004 Mounting transducers, e.g. provided with mechanical moving or orienting device mountings specially adapted to a particular sound-producing device, see the preceding groups G10K1/00 - G10K9/00, e.g. G10K1/26, G10K1/28, G10K9/22; arrangements of sonic watch equipment on submarines B63G8/39; buoys B63B22/00
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/345 using energy switching from one active element to another

Abstract

A hand held ultrasonic instrument is provided in a portable unit which performs both B mode and Doppler imaging. In a preferred embodiment an array transducer, digital beamformer, digital filter, and image processor are packaged in one or more enclosures weighing ten pounds (4.5 kilograms) or less.

Claims

1. A portable ultrasound system comprising:

an array transducer; and

a sampled data beamformer for delaying and combining samples of echo signals received by elements of said array transducer,

wherein said array transducer and said beamformer are located in a common enclosure.

2. The portable ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein said array transducer is a linear array.

3. The portable ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein said array transducer is a curved linear array.

4. The portable ultrasound system of claim 1, further comprising means for sampling echo signals received by said array transducer.

5. The portable ultrasound system of claim 4, wherein said means for sampling echo signals comprises analog to digital converters.

6. The portable ultrasound system of claim 5, wherein said beamformer is a digital beamformer, coupled to receive echo signal samples from said analog to digital converters, which delays and combines digital echo signals.

7. The portable ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein said beamformer is a digital beamformer which delays and combines digital echo signals.

8. The portable ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein said common enclosure is suitable for being held by an operator to ultrasonically scan the body of a patient for reception of echo signals by said array transducer.

9. The portable ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein said sampled data beamformer is fabricated on an integrated circuit chip.

10. The portable ultrasound system of claim 9, wherein said integrated circuit chip is an application specific integrated circuit.

11. A handheld ultrasound system comprising:

an array transducer; and

a sampled data beamformer for delaying and combining samples of echo signals received by elements of said array transducer,

wherein said array transducer and said beamformer are located in one or more enclosures weighing less than ten pounds (4.5 kilograms).

12. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 11, further comprising a digital filter coupled to the output of said beamformer and located in the same enclosure as said beamformer.

13. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 11, further comprising an image processor coupled to the output of said digital filter and located in the same enclosure as said digital filter.

14. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 13, further comprising an image display coupled to the output of said image processor.

15. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 14, wherein said beamformer, said digital filter, and said image processor are located in a first enclosure, and said image display is located in a second enclosure.

16. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 11, wherein said beamformer is a digital beamformer which delays and combines digital echo signals.

17. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 16, further comprising a digital filter and an image processor located in a common enclosure with said digital beamformer.

18. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 17, wherein said image processor includes a digital scan converter.

19. A handheld ultrasound system comprising:

a transducer;

a B mode signal processor; and

a Doppler signal processor,

wherein said transducer, said B mode signal processor and said Doppler signal processor are located in a common handheld enclosure.

20. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 19, wherein said common handheld enclosure weighs less than ten pounds (4.5 kilograms).

21. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 20, further comprising a digital beamformer located in said common handheld enclosure.

22. A handheld ultrasound system comprising:

an array transducer; and

a beamformer integrated circuit for delaying and combining echo signals received by elements of said array transducer,

wherein said array transducer and said beamformer integrated circuit are located in a handheld enclosure,

wherein said beamformer integrated circuit comprises a sampled data beamformer.

23. The handheld ultrasound system of claim 22, wherein said sampled data beamformer comprises a digital beamformer.

24. A handheld ultrasound system comprising:

an array transducer; and

a beamformer integrated circuit for delaying and combining echo signals received by elements of said array transducer,

wherein said array transducer and said beamformer integrated circuit are located in a handheld enclosure;

further comprising an image processing integrated circuit for producing image signals in response to echo signals produced by said beamformer integrated circuit,

wherein said image processing integrated circuit comprises a digital scan converter.