Transcranial doppler apparatus

• US 8,622,912 B2
• Filed: 07/13/2011
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Genexpress Informatics, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Fabric Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Chin, Robert C., Madala, Sridhar, Sattler, Graham Patrick
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Long V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PENG, BO JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US13/182,185
• Publication Number:
  US 20120022377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/453
• 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 8/0808 for diagnosis of the brain
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/42 Details of probe positioning or probe attachment to the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes

Abstract

The disclosure is directed to a transcranial Doppler probe. The transcranial Doppler probe includes a spherical bearing, a piezoelectric transducer pivotally attached to the spherical bearing, and first and second rods coupled to the piezoelectric transducer. The first rod is configured to pivot the piezoelectric transducer around a first pivot axis and the second rod is configured to pivot the piezoelectric transducer around a second pivot axis.

Claims

1. A transcranial Doppler probe comprising:

a spherical bearing;

a mount including a piezoelectric transducer and pivotally attached to the spherical bearing;

first and second motors;

a first drive lever coupled to the first motor, the first drive level including a first drive arm having a first drive surface;

a second drive lever coupled to the second motor and including a second drive arm having a second drive surface; and

first and second rods coupled to the mount, the first rod in slidable contact with the first drive surface, the second rod in slidable contact with the second drive surface, the first rod configured to pivot the piezoelectric transducer around a first pivot axis and the second rod configured to pivot the piezoelectric transducer around a second pivot axis.

2. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 1, wherein a pivot range around the first pivot axis is at least about 15.0°

relative to a plane parallel to a horizontal plane of a housing of the transcranial Doppler probe.

3. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 2, wherein the pivot range around the first pivot axis is at least about 20.0°

.

4. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 3, wherein the pivot range around the first pivot axis is at least about 30.0°

.

5. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 1, wherein a pivot range around the second pivot axis is at least about 15.0°

relative to a plane parallel to a horizontal plane of a housing of the transcranial Doppler probe.

6. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 5, wherein the pivot range around the second pivot axis is at least about 20.0°

.

7. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 6, wherein the pivot range around the second pivot axis is at least about 30.0°

.

8. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 1, wherein the transcranial Doppler probe is a wireless transcranial Doppler probe.

9. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 1, wherein the first motor causes rotation around a first drive axis and the second motor causes rotation around a second drive axis, the first and second pivot axes askew from the first and second drive axes.

10. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 9, wherein the first and second drive axes are parallel.

11. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 1, wherein the first drive lever includes a first spring to motivate the first rod toward the first drive surface.

12. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 11, wherein the second drive lever includes a second spring to motivate the second rod toward the second drive surface.

13. A transcranial Doppler probe comprising:

a mount including a piezoelectric transducer;

a first motor mechanically coupled to the mount via a first drive lever and a first rod slidably coupled to the first drive lever and coupled to the mount, the first motor configured to pivot the piezoelectric transducer around a first pivot axis; and

a second motor mechanically coupled to the mount via a second drive lever and a second rod slidably coupled to the second drive lever and coupled to the mount, the second motor configured to pivot the piezoelectric transducer around a second pivot axis, the second pivot axis being perpendicular to the first pivot axis;

wherein the first and second motors are arranged in parallel.

14. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 13, wherein a pivot range around the first pivot axis is at least about 15.0°

relative to a plane parallel to a horizontal plane of a housing of the transcranial Doppler probe.

15. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 13, wherein a pivot range around the second pivot axis is at least about 15.0°

relative to a plane parallel to a horizontal plane of a housing of the transcranial Doppler probe.

16. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 13, wherein the first and second motors define respective first and second parallel drive axes, the first and second pivot axes being askew from the first and second drive axes.

17. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 13, wherein the first drive lever includes a first arm having a first drive surface, the first rod in slidable contact with the first drive surface.

18. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 17, wherein first drive lever includes a spring to motivate the first rod to the first drive surface.

19. The transcranial Doppler probe of claim 17, wherein the second drive lever includes a second arm having a second drive surface, the second rod in slidable contact with the second drive surface.

20. A transcranial Doppler probe comprising:

a spherical bearing;

a mount including a piezoelectric transducer and pivotally attached to the spherical bearing;

first and second rods coupled to the mount;

first and second drive levers;

a first motor coupled the first drive lever having a first drive surface slidably coupled to the first rod, the first motor configured to cause movement of the first rod to pivot the piezoelectric transducer around a first pivot axis; and

a second motor coupled to the second drive having a second drive surface slidably coupled to the second rod, the second motor configured to cause movement of the second rod to pivot the piezoelectric transducer around a second pivot axis,

wherein the first and second motors are arranged in parallel and second axis is perpendicular to the first axis.