Ultrasound probe with integrated electronics

• US 6,530,887 B1
• Filed: 11/26/1999
• Issued: 03/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/24/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Teratech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Teratech Corporation
• Inventors: Gilbert, Jeffrey M., Wang, Liang-Min, Madison, Gary, Horst, Albert, Chiang, Alice M., Broadstone, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaworski, Francis J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, MAULIN M
• Application Number:
  US09/449,780
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: 600/437, 600/443, 600/444, 600/447, 600/459
• US Class Current: 600/459
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/56 Details of data transmission or power supply
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/892 the array being curvilinear
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8927 using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures
• 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 7/52025 for pulse systems G01S7/52034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52034 Data rate converters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52055 in association with ancillary recording equipment
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52063 Sector scan display
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52073 Production of cursor lines, markers or indicia by electronic means
• 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 7/52079 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: G01S 7/52095 using multiline receive beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 25/00 Antennas or antenna systems providing at least two radiating patterns arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/26 varying the relative phase or relative amplitude of energisation between two or more active radiating elements; varying the distribution of energy across a radiating aperture H01Q3/12, H01Q3/22, H01Q3/24 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2682 Time delay steered arrays

Abstract

A hand-held ultrasound probe system includes integrated electronics within an ergonomic housing. The electronics includes control circuitry, beamforming and circuitry transducer drive circuitry. The probe electronics communicates with a host computer using an industry standard high speed serial bus.

Claims

1. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:

a probe housing having a transducer array;

a first circuit board assembly having a beamforming circuit;

a second circuit board assembly having a memory, a system controller integrated circuit and a digital communication control circuit;

a connector that electrically connects the first circuit board to the second circuit board, wherein the first circuit board assembly and the second circuit board assembly are mounted in an interface housing that is connected to the probe housing with a first cable; and

a personal computer connected to the digital communication control circuit with a standard communication interface such that the personal computer receives a beamformed representation of a region of interest, the personal computer storing instructions to process and display the beamformed representation.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the personal computer comprises a body mounted system.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface housing comprises a body mounted system.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the interface housing comprises a body mounted system.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory further comprises a video random access memory (VRAM).

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the standard communication interface comprises an IEEE 1394 interface.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the standard communication interface comprises a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising a third circuit board assembly having a second memory circuit and a second beamforming circuit, the beamforming circuit being connected to the system controller on the second circuit board assembly.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM).

10. The system of claim 8 further comprising a third memory on the first circuit board assembly.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the system controller comprises a readout controller, a communications controller, an arbiter and a refresh controller.

12. The system of claim 1 further comprising a transmit/receive circuit mounted in the probe housing.

13. The system of claim 1 further comprising an amplifier/time gain control circuit in the probe housing.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising a control panel such that a user can control study parameters with the control panel.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a control panel mounted on a keyboard of the personal computer.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the control panel comprises a remote control having a wireless connection to the personal computer.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the control panel comprises an interface housing.

18. The system of claim 1 further comprising a variable clock generator that can adjust the operating frequency of the transducer array.

19. The system of claim 1 further comprising a DC-DC converter.

20. The system of claim 1 further comprising an interface such that isochronous data is transmitted along the interface.

21. The system of claim 1, further comprising the personal computer storing a set of instructions to perform scan conversion on the beamformed representation.

22. The system of claim 1 further comprising the personal computer storing a set of instructions to process and display ultrasound images.

23. A method of ultrasound imaging comprising:

providing a probe housing having a transducer array that is connected to a first circuit board assembly having a beamforming circuit and a second circuit board assembly having a memory, a system controller integrated circuit and a digital communication control circuit;

connecting the digital communication control circuit to a personal computer with a standard communication interface; and

forming an image of a region of interest in a display in communication with the personal computer in response to the personal computer receiving and processing a beamformed electronic representation of the region of interest.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising providing an interface housing in which the first circuitry board assembly and the second circuit board assembly are mounted.

25. The method of claim 23 further comprising providing a body mounted personal computer.

26. The method of claim 24 further comprising providing a body mounted interface housing.

27. The method of claim 23 further comprising transmitting data with a IEEE 1394 interface.

28. The method of claim 23 further comprising transmitting data with a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

29. A computer readable medium having stored therein instructions for causing a processing system to execute instructions to process and display the beamformed electronic representation of the region of interest and to execute the method of claim 23.

30. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:

a probe housing having a transducer array;

a circuit board assembly having a beamforming circuit, a memory, a system controller integrated circuit and a communication circuit, the circuit board assembly being mounted in an interface housing that is connected to the probe housing with a first cable; and

a body mounted personal computer connected to the communication control circuit with a standard communication interface such that the personal computer receives a beamformed representation of a region of interest, the personal computer storing instructions to process and display the beamformed representation.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the interface housing comprises a body mounted system.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the memory further comprises a video random access memory (VRAM).

33. The system of claim 30 wherein the standard communication interface comprises an IEEE 1394 interface.

34. The system of claim 30 wherein the standard communication interface comprises a universal serial bus (USB) interface.

35. The system of claim 30 further comprising a third circuit board assembly having a second memory circuit and a second beamforming circuit, the beamforming circuit being connected to the system controller on the second circuit board assembly.

36. The system of claim 30 wherein the memory comprises a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM).

37. The system of claim 30 wherein the system controller comprises a readout controller, a communications controller, an arbiter and a refresh controller.

38. The system of claim 30 further comprising an interface such that isochronous data is transmitted along the interface.

39. The system of claim 30 further comprising the personal computer storing a set of instructions to perform scan conversion on the beamformed representation.

40. The system of claim 30 further comprising the personal computer storing a set of instructions to process and display ultrasound images.