Ultrasound device with cavity for conductive medium

• US 9,050,053 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2013
• Issued: 06/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Naimco Inc.
• Original Assignee: Naimco Inc.
• Inventors: Morgan, G. Chad
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Long V
• Assistant Examiner(s): IMPINK, BRADLEY GERALD
• Application Number:
  US14/096,641
• Publication Number:
  US 20140236016A1
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4281 characterised by sound-transmitting media or devices for coupling the transducer to the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4444 related to the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer

Abstract

Devices and systems are disclosed that are associated with ultrasound sound devices. In one embodiment, a diaphragm for an ultrasound device comprises a housing configured with a receiving cavity defined by one or more sidewalls, wherein the receiving cavity is configured to hold a conductive medium. A connector formed in the housing is configured to connect the diaphragm to an ultrasound device.

Claims

1. A diaphragm for an ultrasound device comprising:

a housing configured with a receiving cavity defined by one or more sidewalls, wherein the receiving cavity is configured to hold a preconfigured conductive medium; and

a connector formed in the housing for connecting the diaphragm to a distal end of an ultrasound device, wherein the one or more sidewalls of the housing are within a perimeter of the distal end of the ultrasound device and define the receiving cavity to be within the perimeter of the distal end;

wherein the sidewall of the receiving cavity includes (i) one or more protrusions that extend out from the sidewall, or (ii) one or more notches that are formed in the sidewall;

wherein the preconfigured conductive medium is a solidified substance that is preconfigured into a solid form prior to being positioned in the receiving cavity; and

wherein the protrusion or the notch is engaged with the preconfigured conductive medium to restrict movement of the preconfigured conductive medium after the preconfigured conductive medium is inserted into the receiving cavity.

2. The diaphragm of claim 1, further comprising an ultrasound transducer attached within the housing and being adjacent to the receiving cavity such that ultrasound energy generated by the ultrasound transducer is directed through the receiving cavity.

3. The diaphragm of claim 1, wherein the connector is configured to attach to and detach from the ultrasound device.

4. The diaphragm of claim 3, wherein the diaphragm is configured to retrofit on the ultrasound device wherein the diaphragm is attachable to a the distal end of an existing configuration of the ultrasound device to convert the distal end that does not include the receiving cavity to a configuration that includes the receiving cavity to hold the preconfigured conductive medium.

5. The diaphragm of claim 1, wherein the receiving cavity is a receptacle configured to allow the preconfigured conductive medium to be inserted into the receiving cavity in the solid form and removed from the receiving cavity.

6. The diaphragm of claim 1, wherein the preconfigured conductive medium is configured (i) with one or more notches that correspond to the one or more protrusions that extend out from the sidewall of the diaphragm, or (ii) with one or more protrusions that extend out from the conductive medium that correspond to the one or more notches in the sidewall of the diaphragm.

7. The diaphragm of claim 1, wherein the one or more protrusions or the one or more notches of the sidewall, or both, are formed as part of the sidewall and interlock with the preconfigured conductive medium and are configured to allow the preconfigured conductive medium to be lifted out of the receiving cavity and allow another preconfigured conductive medium to be inserted into the receptacle.

8. The diaphragm of claim 1, wherein the diaphragm is a retrofit head assembly wherein the connector is configured to attach to and detach from an existing head assembly of the ultrasound device, wherein the retrofit head assembly converts the existing head assembly that does not include a receiving cavity for holding the preconfigured conductive medium to a head assembly that includes the receiving cavity.

9. The diaphragm of claim 1, wherein the solidified substance of the preconfigured conductive medium comprises a medicine.

10. A head assembly for an ultrasound device, the head assembly comprising:

a housing configured with a diaphragm wall disposed within the housing;

a sidewall formed around a perimeter of the diaphragm wall and extending out from the diaphragm wall to define a first cavity, wherein the first cavity is configured to receive a portion of a conductive medium that is to be inserted into the first cavity, wherein the conductive medium is preconfigured in a solid form prior to insertion into the first cavity;

wherein the sidewall includes means for interlocking with the preconfigured conductive medium that interlocks after the preconfigured conductive medium is inserted into the first cavity;

a second cavity in the housing for containing an ultrasound transducer for generating ultrasound energy, wherein the ultrasound transducer is connected to an internal surface of the diaphragm wall, wherein the diaphragm wall is disposed between the first cavity and the second cavity in the housing; and

a connector formed in the housing for connecting the housing to a distal end of an ultrasound device;

wherein the first cavity is defined by the sidewall of the head assembly to be within a perimeter of the distal end of the ultrasound device.

11. The head assembly of claim 10, the conductive medium is a piece of preconfigured gel that is in a solidified state prior to insertion in the first cavity, wherein the sidewall and the first cavity are configured to hold the piece of preconfigured gel within the first cavity by the means for interlocking and maintain a position of the preconfigured gel relative to the ultrasound transducer within the ultrasound device during movement of the ultrasound device.

12. The head assembly of claim 10, wherein the first cavity is configured to hold the solid form of the preconfigured conductive medium wherein the means for interlocking comprises one or more protrusions that extend from the sidewall to engage corresponding protrusions or notches formed on the preconfigured conductive medium.

13. The head assembly of claim 10, wherein the connector is configured to be attachable to and detachable from the ultrasound device.

14. The head assembly of claim 10, wherein the head assembly is connected to the ultrasound device, and wherein the ultrasound device includes a transducer controller configured to cause the ultrasound transducer to generate ultrasound energy at different frequencies at periodic intervals.

15. The head assembly of claim 14, wherein the different frequencies include at least two alternating frequencies selected from predefined settings.

16. An ultrasound device comprising:

a housing configured with a proximal end and a distal end, wherein the proximal end forms a handle portion;

wherein the distal end comprises a receptacle configured to hold a preconfigured portion of conductive medium, wherein the preconfigured portion of conductive medium is preconfigured into a solid form prior to being inserted into the receptacle,

wherein the receptacle is defined within a perimeter of the housing at the distal end by one or more sidewalls extending from the distal end,

wherein the one or more sidewalls includes one or more protrusions configured to lock the preconfigured portion of conductive medium within the receptacle after the preconfigured portion of conductive medium is inserted into the receptacle; and

a transducer connected within the distal end of the housing and configured to generate ultrasound energy to be transmitted through the receptacle.

17. The ultrasound device of claim 16, further comprising an energy generating module configured to generate a driving signal for controlling the transducer to generate the ultrasound energy.

18. The ultrasound device of claim 16, wherein the one or more sidewalls that define the receptacle are integrated with the distal end of the housing.

19. The ultrasound device of claim 16, wherein the one or more sidewalls that define the receptacle are connected to the distal end of the housing, and are attachable and detachable from the housing.

20. The ultrasound device of claim 16, wherein the ultrasound device is configured to automatically change ultrasound frequencies at periodic intervals.

21. The ultrasound device of claim 16, further comprising a transducer controller configured to control the transducer to perform an alternating sweep of different ultrasound frequencies based on a time period.

22. The ultrasound device of claim 16, wherein the one or more protrusions of the one or more sidewalls comprises a lip, an edge, or a ring that projects outward from the one or more sidewalls toward the receptacle.