Portable ultrasound imaging system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method of ultrasound imaging comprising:
- providing a hand-held probe housing having a transducer array and a beamformer circuit;
receiving ultrasound signals with the transducer array from a region of interest and generating a continuous time input signal;
sampling the continuous time input signal and generating discrete time sampled signals;
delaying the discrete time sampled signals with the beamformer circuit; and
generating an electronic representation of the region of interest with the delayed discrete time sampled signals.
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Abstract
A portable ultrasound imaging system includes a scan head coupled by a cable to a portable battery-powered data processor and display unit. The scan head enclosure houses an array of ultrasonic transducers and the circuitry associated therewith, including pulse synchronizer circuitry used in the transmit mode for transmission of ultrasonic pulses and beam forming circuitry used in the receive mode to dynamically focus reflected ultrasonic signals returning from the region of interest being imaged.
203 Citations
65 Claims
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1. A method of ultrasound imaging comprising:
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providing a hand-held probe housing having a transducer array and a beamformer circuit; receiving ultrasound signals with the transducer array from a region of interest and generating a continuous time input signal; sampling the continuous time input signal and generating discrete time sampled signals; delaying the discrete time sampled signals with the beamformer circuit; and generating an electronic representation of the region of interest with the delayed discrete time sampled signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
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a hand-held probe housing having a transducer array circuit, the transducer array circuit generating a continuous time input signal; a beamformer circuit within the probe housing that samples and delays the continuous time input signal and generates discrete time sampled signals; a summing circuit within the probe housing that generates an electronic representation of the region of interest with the delayed discrete time sampled signals; a data processor housing having a data processor; and a cable connecting the probe housing to the data processor housing such that the electronic representation is conducted along the cable to the data processor. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
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a hand-held probe housing having a two dimensional transducer array and a beamformer circuit, the transducer array receiving signals from a region of interest and that generates an input signal, and the beamformer circuit sampling the input signal and that generates discrete time sampled signals, the beamformer circuit delaying the discrete time sampled signals; a summing circuit that generates an electronic representation of the region of interest with the delayed discrete time sampled signals; and a cable that connects the probe housing to an external processor such that the electronic representation is conducted along the cable to the external processor. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:
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a hand-held probe housing having a transducer array circuit, the transducer array circuit generating an input signal; a beamformer circuit within the probe housing that samples and delays the input signal and generates discrete time sampled signals; a summing circuit within the probe housing that generates an electronic representation of the region of interest with the delayed discrete time sampled signals; a data processor housing having a data processor; and a data connection between the probe housing and the data processor housing. - View Dependent Claims (50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65)
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Specification