Portable ultrasound imaging system

• US 8,628,474 B2
• Filed: 01/04/2008
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Teratech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Teratech Corporation
• Inventors: Chiang, Alice M., Broadstone, Steven R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lamprecht, Joel
• Application Number:
  US12/006,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20080294046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,202 Days
• Field of Search: 600/443, 600/447, 600/437, 600/407, 128921-924
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/045 with a separable interface unit, e.g. for communication
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 7/04 Electric stethoscopes microphones, acoustic transducers therefor H04R
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4209 by using holders, e.g. positioning frames
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4236 characterised by adhesive patches
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4455 Features of the external shape of the probe, e.g. ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/546 involving monitoring or regulation of device temperature
• 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 15/8934 using a dynamic transducer configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52017 particularly adapted to short-range imaging G01S7/53 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52023 Details of receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52053 Display arrangements
• 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 7/5208 : with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead

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.

Claims

1. A method of ultrasound imaging comprising:

using a hand-held probe housing having a transducer array with at least 128 transducer elements, the probe housing being connected with a cable to a hand-held portable computer device, the hand-held portable computer device having a display that displays ultrasound images, a processor that performs scan conversion, a memory for storing image data and a battery, the probe housing, cable and computer device having a weight not exceeding ten pounds;

selecting at least one imaging mode from a plurality of imaging modes that are selectable by a user with the hand-held portable computer device, the plurality of imaging modes including at least a B-mode and an M-mode;

receiving ultrasound signals with the transducer array from a region of interest within a patient and generating a continuous time input signal;

sampling the continuous time input signal and generating discrete signals;

electronically using stored delay values to set the delay settings of an integrated circuit beamformer device;

delaying the discrete signals with the integrated circuit beamformer device;

generating an electronic representation of the region of interest with the delayed discrete signals;

processing the electronic representation to form an image based on at least one of the selectable imaging modes; and

displaying the image with the display of the hand-held-portable computer device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sampling step further comprises generating analog discrete time sampled signals.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the hand-held probe housing is selected from the group comprising a linear array probe, a curved array probe, and a phased array probe.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising delaying the discrete signals with the integrated circuit beamformer device, the integrated circuit beamformer device being mounted in the probe housing.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising using the cable between the hand-held portable computer device and the probe housing to transfer real-time image data along the cable.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the delaying step further comprises using a charge coupled device (CCD) integrated circuit beamformer.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the step of using the cable to transfer real-time image data further comprises sending digital data along the cable.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer device further comprises providing a portable computer with a flip-top liquid crystal display.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of using a computer device further comprises using a laptop computer.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of using a portable computer device further comprises using the hand-held computer device to display Doppler images.

11. The method of claim 5 further comprising filtering the real-time image data with a filter.

12. The method of claim 5 further comprising demodulating the real-time image data.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising transmitting beamformer circuit control signals from the hand-held portable computer device to the probe housing.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the using step further comprises using a two dimensional transducer array in the probe housing.

15. The method of claim 5 further comprising a modem connected to the computer device.

16. The method of claim 5 wherein the computer device further comprises a Doppler processor such that an M-Mode image is displayed on the cable.

17. The method of claim 1 further comprising using scan conversion circuitry within the computer device.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein the processing step further comprises forming a plurality of images of the region of interest and selecting one of the images to be displayed on the display.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising storing the selected image in the memory, the memory being mounted within the portable computer device.

20. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating step further comprises generating a real time series of images of the region of interest on a display, and freezing an image.

21. The method of claim 1 further comprising using a graphic user interface of an operating system on the computer device.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising operating the graphical user interface with the computer device and the display.

49. The method of claim 1 further comprising filtering real-time data with a filter in the computer device.

23. A method of ultrasound imaging comprising:

holding a hand-held probe housing having a transducer array with at least 128 transducer elements, the probe housing being connected with a cable to a hand-held portable computer device, the portable computer device having a display that displays ultrasound images, a processor that performs scan conversion, a memory for storing image data and a battery, the probe housing, cable and portable computer having a weight not to exceed ten pounds;

receiving ultrasound signals with the transducer array from a region of interest within a patient and generating a continuous time input signal;

sampling the continuous time input signal and generating discrete signals;

delivering electronically stored delayed values to an integrated circuit beamformer device and delaying the discrete signals with the integrated circuit beamformer device to provide delayed discrete signals;

generating an electronic representation of the region of interest with the delayed discrete signals;

processing the electronic representation to form a Doppler image; and

displaying the Doppler image with the display of the hand-held portable computer device.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the sampling step further comprises generating discrete time sampled signals.

25. The method of claim 23 wherein the hand-held housing is selected from the group comprising a linear array probe, a curved array probe, and a phased array probe.

26. The method of claim 23 further comprising using an interface circuit having a digital signal processor.

27. The method of claim 23 further comprising sending real-time image data with the cable from the probe housing to the computer device.

28. The method of claim 23 wherein the delaying step further comprises using a charge coupled device (CCD) beamformer circuit.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein the step of sending real-time image data further comprises sending digital data with the cable.

30. The method of claim 23 wherein the step of using a computer device further comprises using a liquid crystal display.

31. The method of claim 23 wherein the step of using a computer device further comprises using a laptop computer.

32. The method of claim 23 wherein the step of using a computer device further comprises down converting image data.

33. The method of claim 23 further comprising filtering the real-time image data with a filter in the computer device.

34. The method of claim 27 further comprising demodulating the real-time image data.

35. The method of claim 23 further comprising transmitting beamformer circuit control signals from the computer device to the probe housing, the probe housing including the integrated circuit beamformer device.

36. The method of claim 25 wherein the using step further comprises using a two dimensional transducer array.

37. The method of claim 23 further comprising a modem connected to the computer device.

38. The method of claim 23 wherein the processing step further comprises generating a plurality of images of the region of interest and selecting one of the images for display.

39. The method of claim 23 wherein the generating step further comprises generating a real time series of images of the region of interest on a display, and freezing an image.

40. The method of claim 23 further comprising using a graphic user interface of an operating system on the computer device.

41. The method of claim 23 further comprising using a graphical user interface to select an image for display.

42. A method of ultrasound imaging comprising:

holding a hand-held probe housing having a transducer array with at least 128 transducer elements, the probe housing being connected with a cable to a hand-held portable computer device, the portable computer device having a display that displays ultrasound images, a processor that performs scan conversion, a memory for storing image data and a battery, the probe housing, cable and portable computer device having a weight not to exceed ten pounds;

receiving ultrasound signals with the transducer array from a region of interest within a patient;

using electronically stored delay values to select delay settings for a first delay device and a second delay device;

delaying the received signals with the first delay device to form first delayed image data;

delaying the first delayed image data with the second delay device to form second delayed image data;

generating an electronic representation of the region of interest with the second delayed image data;

processing the second delayed image data to form a Doppler image; and

displaying the Doppler image with the display of the hand-held portable computer device.

43. The method of claim 42 wherein the sampling step further comprises generating analog discrete time sampled signals.

44. The method of claim 42 wherein the hand-held housing is selected from the group comprising a linear array probe, a curved array probe, and a phased array probe.

45. The method of claim 42 further comprising using the integrated circuit beamformer device that is mounted in the probe housing to provide delayed image data.

46. The method of claim 42 further comprising sending real-time digital data with the cable.

47. The method of claim 42 wherein the step of using a computer device further comprises using a liquid crystal display.

48. The method of claim 42 wherein the step of using a computer device further comprises using a laptop computer.