Ultrasound probe with accelerometer

• US 8,914,245 B2
• Filed: 03/22/2010
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Laborie Medical Technologies, Corp. (2941881 Canada, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Mediwatch UK Limited
• Inventors: Hopkins, Andrew David
• Primary Examiner(s): Teixeira Moffat, Jonathan C
• Assistant Examiner(s): FORTICH, ALVARO E
• Application Number:
  US13/256,763
• Publication Number:
  US 20110320143A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,730 Days
• Field of Search: 702/56
• US Class Current: 702/56
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2562/0219 Inertial sensors, e.g. accelerometers, gyroscopes, tilt switches
• 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 8/4254 using sensors mounted on the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 7/00 Measuring speed by integrating acceleration measuring travelled distance by double integration of acceleration G01C21/16
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8936 using transducers mounted for mechanical movement in three dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/35 using mechanical steering of transducers or their beams

Abstract

An ultrasonic probe (10) that scans a subject with beams of high frequency sound. The probe (10) includes a transducer (26) to produce high frequency sound waves, a means to steer the sound waves in the proper direction, a printed circuit board (22) with a non-volatile memory (38), a micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit (32) and an outlet connector (19). The accelerometer (32) is configured to detect the movement of the probe (10) in from two to three axes when the probe (10) is rotated or moved in a linear direction to allow the probe (10) to detect images from more than one plane.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic probe which scans a subject with beams of sound waves comprising:

a transducer to produce sound waves;

a means to steer the sound waves in the direction of a subject;

a printed circuit board with a non-volatile memory;

a micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit;

an outlet connector; and

a logic device that is electrically coupled to the accelerometer and transducer,

wherin said micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit detects the movement of the probe in two to three axes when the probe is rotated or moved in a linear direction to allow the probe to detect images from more than one plane,

wherein the logic device instructs the transducer to produce the sound waves for scanning the subject and saves a first image from a first position based on the movement detection of the micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit,

wherein the logic determines that the ultrasonic probe is rotated to a second predetermined position relative to the first position based on the movement detection of the micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit, and responsive to determining that the ultrasonic probe is rotated the second predetermined position, the logic device instruct the transducer to produce the sound waves for scanning the subject and saves a second image from the second predetermined position.

2. The probe of claim 1 in which the probe can produce a 3d image of an organ of a subject when the probe is rotated 180 degrees.

3. The probe of claim 1 in which the probe can produce a 3d transverse plane scanning of an organ of a subject and sagittal plane scanning by linearly moving the probe across the body.

17. The probe of claim 1 in which the means to steer the sound waves is an electric motor to mechanically move the sound direction.

18. The probe of claim 1 in which the sound waves are produced by at least one transduce element, including a piezoelectric crystal array, with the means to steer the sound waves arranged in the array.

19. The probe of claim 1 in which the sound waves are steered by an electric motor.

20. The probe of claim 1 which is connected to a video monitor with controls.

4. An ultrasonic endocavity probe which scans a cavity of a subject having an end for inserting into the cavity comprising:

a transducer to produce sound waves;

a means to steer the sound waves in the direction of a subject;

a printed circuit board with a non-volatile memory;

a micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit;

an outlet connector; and

a logic device that is electrically coupled to the accelerometer and transducer,

said micro electrico mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit detects the movement of the probe in two or three axes when the probe is rotated or moved in a linear direction to allow the probe to detect images from more than one plane, said probe being of a size and shape to enter the cavity of the subject,

wherein the logic device instructs the transducer to produce the sound waves for scanning the subject and saves a first imagine from a first position based on the movement detection of the micro electrico mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit,

wherein the logic device determines that the ultrasonic probe is rotated to a second predetermined position relative to the first position based on the movement detection of the micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit, and responsive to determining that the ultrasonic probe is rotated the second predetermined position, the logic device instructs the transducer to produce the sound waves for scanning the subject and saves a second image from the second predetermined position.

5. The probe of claim 4 in which probe emits an arc of sound forward (endfire) of the probe.

6. The probe of claim 4 in which the probe emits an arc of sound at right angles (sidefire) to the longitudinal axes of the probe.

7. The probe of claim 4 which also has clock buffers.

8. The probe of claim 4 which has piezoelectric crystals in the transducer.

9. An ultrasound imaging system comprising a hand held ultrasonic probe which scans a subject with beams of sound waves comprising:

a transducer with a piezoelectric crystals to produce sound waves;

a means to steer the sound waves in the direction of a subject;

a printed circuit board with a non-volatile memory;

a micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit;

an outlet connector;

said micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit detects the movement of the probe in two or three axes when the probe is rotated or moved in a linear direction to allow the probe to detect images from more than one plane and a console processing and display unit coupled by a cable to the hand-held display, in which the piezoelectric crystals convert the ultrasonic reflected energy from the subject into electrical signals transferred from the probe over the cable to the processing unit,

wherein the processing unit instructs the transducer to produce the sound waves for scanning the subject and saves a first image from a first position based on the movement detection of the micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit,

wherein the processing unit determines that the ultrasonic probe is rotated to a second predetermined position relative to the first position based on the movement detection of the micro electrico-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit, and responsive to determining that the ultrasonic probe is rotated the second predetermined position, the processing unit instructs the transducer to produce the sound waves for scanning the subject and saves a second image from the second predetermined position.

10. An ultrasonic probe which scans a subject with beams of sound waves comprising:

a transducer to produce sound waves;

means to steer the sound waves in the direction of a subject;

a printed circuit board with a non-volatile memory,

a micro electric-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit,

an outlet connector; and

a logic device that is electrically coupled to the accelerometer and transducer,

wherein said micro electric-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit detects the movement of the probe in all three axes when the probe is rotated or moved in a linear direction to allow the probe to detect images from more than one plane,

wherein the logic device instructs the transducer to produce the sound waves for scanning the subject and saves a first image from a first position based on the movement detection of the micro electric-mechanical accelerometer integrated circuit,

wherein the logic device determines that the ultrasonic probe is rotated to a second predetermined position relative to the first position based on the movement detection of the micro electric-mechanical accelerometer intergrated circuit, and responsive to determining that the ultrasonic probe is rotated the second predetermined position, the logic device instructs the tranducer to produce the sound waves for scanning the subject and saves a second image from the second predetermined position.

11. The probe of claim 10 in which the accelerometer is a digital 3 axis device.

12. The probe of claim 10 in which the accelerometer has an interrupt output sensor when it detects movement to prevent the processor to which the probe is attached from wasting time looking at images when the images produced are not clear views of an organ of a subject.

13. The probe of claim 12 in which the means to steer the sound waves is an electric motor to mechanically move the sound direction.

14. The probe of claim 12 in which the sound waves are produced by a plurality of transducer elements, including a piezoelectric crystal array, with the means to steer the sound waves arranged in the array.

15. The probe of claim 12 in which the sound waves are steered by an electric motor.

16. The probe of claim 15 which is connected to a video monitor with controls.