Ultrasonic medical device and associated method
First Claim
1. A medical system comprising:
- a carrier;
a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers mounted to said carrier, said transducers being disposable in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with a patient;
energization means operatively connected to a first plurality of said transducers for supplying same with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient; and
a control unit operatively connected to said energization means, said control unit including an electronic analyzer operatively connected to a second plurality of said transducers for performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging of internal tissue structures of the patient by analyzing signals generated by said second plurality of said transducers in response to second pressure waves produced at said internal tissue structures in response to said first pressure waves, said control unit including phased-array signal processing circuitry operatively connected to said energization means and to said electronic analyzer for effectuating, via a sequencing of electrical signals as supplied to said first plurality of transducers and an appropriately timed sampling of signals from said second plurality of transducers, an electronic scanning of the internal tissue structures to facilitate electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition, further comprising a multiplicity of point scatterers mounted to said carrier, said control unit including a calibration subunit configured to derive position data in accordance with signals received from said point scatterers via said second plurality of transducers, said calibration subunit being operatively connected to said electronic analyzer for providing position information thereto to enable effective operation of said phased-array signal processing circuitry.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A medical system includes a carrier and a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers mounted to the carrier, the transducers being disposable in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with a patient. Energization componentry is operatively connected to a first plurality of the transducers for supplying the same with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient. A control unit is operatively connected to the energization componentry and includes an electronic analyzer operatively connected to a second plurality of the transducers for performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging (which includes determining three-dimensional shapes) of internal tissue structures of the patient by analyzing signals generated by the second plurality of the transducers in response to second pressure waves produced at the internal tissue structures in response to the first pressure waves. The control unit includes phased-array signal processing circuitry for effectuating an electronic scanning of the internal tissue structures which facilitates one-dimensional (vector), 2D (planar), and 3D (volume) data acquisition. The control unit further includes circuitry for defining multiple data gathering apertures and for coherently combining structural data from the respective apertures to increase spatial resolution. When the data gathering apertures are contained in a flexible web or carrier so that the instantaneous positions of the data gathering apertures are unknown, a self-cohering algorithm is used to determine their positions so that coherent aperture combining can be performed.
144 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A medical system comprising:
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a carrier; a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers mounted to said carrier, said transducers being disposable in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with a patient; energization means operatively connected to a first plurality of said transducers for supplying same with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient; and a control unit operatively connected to said energization means, said control unit including an electronic analyzer operatively connected to a second plurality of said transducers for performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging of internal tissue structures of the patient by analyzing signals generated by said second plurality of said transducers in response to second pressure waves produced at said internal tissue structures in response to said first pressure waves, said control unit including phased-array signal processing circuitry operatively connected to said energization means and to said electronic analyzer for effectuating, via a sequencing of electrical signals as supplied to said first plurality of transducers and an appropriately timed sampling of signals from said second plurality of transducers, an electronic scanning of the internal tissue structures to facilitate electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition, further comprising a multiplicity of point scatterers mounted to said carrier, said control unit including a calibration subunit configured to derive position data in accordance with signals received from said point scatterers via said second plurality of transducers, said calibration subunit being operatively connected to said electronic analyzer for providing position information thereto to enable effective operation of said phased-array signal processing circuitry. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A medical system comprising:
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a carrier; a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers mounted to said carrier; energization means operatively connected to a first plurality of said transducers for supplying same with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient; and a control unit operatively connected to said energization means for operating same to produce said first pressure waves in the patient, said control unit including an electronic analyzer operatively connected to a second plurality of said transducers for performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging of internal tissues of the patient by analyzing signals generated by said second plurality of said transducers in response to second pressure waves produced at internal tissues of the patient in response to said first pressure waves, said control unit being operatively connected to said second plurality of said transducers to gather and organize data from said second plurality of said transducers so that said second plurality of transducers define a plurality of data gathering apertures, said control unit including circuitry for coherent aperture combining to coherently combine structural data from the respective apertures, said circuitry for coherent aperture combining being configured to compute relative positions and orientations of said data gathering apertures according to a self-cohering algorithm using instantaneous position measurements and to adjust selected signals from said coherently combined apertures so said selected signals can be added together constructively. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification