Abdominal sonar system and apparatus

• US 9,168,022 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kabakov, Serguei, Falk, Steven M., Russell-wood, Karsten A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jung, Unsu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Santos Rodriguez, Joseph M
• Application Number:
  US12/986,778
• Publication Number:
  US 20120179046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,754 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02411 of foetuses
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/02 Measuring pulse or heart rate
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0866 involving foetal diagnosis; pre-natal or peri-natal diagnosis of the baby
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4227 characterised by straps, belts, cuffs or braces
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4477 using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes

Abstract

An abdominal sonar includes an ultrasound transducer array with a plurality of ultrasound transducers. The abdominal sonar further includes at least one additional ultrasound transducer. A digital signal processor is communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor individually operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor receives reflected ultrasound signals back from each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer and converts the received reflected ultrasound signals into an audio signal. A system for monitoring a pregnancy includes an ultrasound transducer array and at least one additional ultrasound transducer. A digital signal processor is communicatively connected to the ultrasound transducer array and the at least one ultrasound transducer. The digital signal processor converts received raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms into an audio signal. A wireless transmitter broadcasts the received audio signal. A wireless receiver receives the broadcast audio signal. A patient monitor extracts the raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms from the audio signal and processes the waveforms to obtain an indication of fetal heart rate and an indication of uterine activity.

Claims

1. An abdominal sonar for use with a pregnant patient, the abdominal sonar comprising:

an ultrasound transducer array comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers;

at least one additional ultrasound transducer;

a digital signal processor communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array and communicatively connected to the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the digital signal processor individually operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array to each produce at least one ultrasound tone signal and operates the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to produce at least one ultrasound chirp signal, receives reflected ultrasound signals back from each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, and down converts the received ultrasound signals from the plurality of ultrasound transducers into a first audio signal in a range of audible frequencies, and modulates the ultrasound signals from the at least one additional ultrasound transducer into a second audio signal in the range of audible frequencies, and the digital signal processor mixes the first audio signal and the second audio signal into a combined audio signal in the range of audible frequencies and

a wireless transmitter communicatively connected to the digital signal processor, the wireless transmitter receives the combined audio signal from the digital signal processor and broadcasts the received combined audio signal;

wherein the ultrasound tone signals of the plurality of ultrasound transducers are used to monitor fetal heart rate and the at least one ultrasound chirp signal of the at least one additional ultrasound transducer is used to monitor uterine contractions.

2. The abdominal sonar of claim 1, further comprising:

front end circuitry communicatively connected between the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array, the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, and the digital signal processor;

wherein the front end circuitry processes reflected Ultrasound signals before transmitting the ultrasound signals to the digital signal processor.

3. The abdominal sonar of claim 2, wherein the front end circuitry comprises an amplifier, a low pass filter, and an analog to digital converter, that respectively amplify, filter, and digitize the reflected ultrasound signals.

4. The abdominal sonar of claim 2, wherein the ultrasound tone signals from the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array are used by the digital signal processor to monitor fetal heart rate;

and

wherein the at least one ultrasound chirp signal from the at least one additional ultrasound transducer is used by the digital signal processor to monitor uterine contractions.

5. The abdominal sonar of claim 2, further comprising a switch connected to each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array and connected to the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the switch operates between a first condition that communicatively connects the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array to the front end circuitry and a second condition that communicatively connects the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to the front end.

6. The abdominal sonar of claim 1, further comprising:

a battery electrically connected to the digital signal processor and to the wireless transmitter, the battery provides energization to the digital signal processor and to the wireless transmitter;

an exterior case at least partially surrounding the ultrasound transducer array, at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the digital signal processor, the wireless transmitter, and the battery; and

an elastomeric band secured to the exterior case, the elastomeric band configured to removably secure the abdominal sonar to an abdomen of the pregnant patient.

15. The abdominal sonar of claim 1, wherein the range of audible frequencies is between 10 Hz and 20 KHz.

7. A system for monitoring a pregnancy, the system comprising:

an ultrasound transducer array comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers;

at least one additional ultrasound transducer;

a digital signal processor communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array and communicatively connected to the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the digital signal processor individually operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array to each produce at least one ultrasound tone signal and the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to produce at least one ultrasound chirp signal, receives raw fetal heart waveforms back from the plurality of ultrasound transducers and down converts the received raw fetal heart waveforms into a first audio signal in a range of audible frequencies, the digital signal processor receives raw uterine activity waveforms back from the at least one additional ultrasound transducer and modulates the raw uterine activity waveform into a second audio signal in the range of audible frequencies, and the digital signal processor mixes the first audio signal and the second audio signal into a combined audio signal in the range of audible frequencies, wherein the range of audible frequencies is between 10 Hz and 20 KHz;

a wireless transmitter communicatively connected to the digital signal processor, the wireless transmitter receives the combined audio signal from the digital signal processor and broadcasts the received combined audio signal modulated on a radio frequency (RF) signal;

a wireless receiver communicatively connected to the wireless transmitter, such that the wireless receiver receives the broadcast combined audio signal modulated on the RF signal; and

a patient monitor communicatively connected to the wireless receiver, the patient monitor extracts the raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms from the combined audio signal and processes the raw fetal heart and uterine activity waveforms to obtain an indication of fetal heart rate from the ultrasound tone signal and an indication of uterine activity from the ultrasound chirp signal.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the wireless transmitter and the wireless receiver operate according to a BLUETOOTH communication standard.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the patient monitor demodulates the combined audio signal to extract the raw uterine activity waveforms.

10. A system for monitoring a pregnancy, the system comprising:

an ultrasound transducer array comprising a plurality of ultrasound transducers;

at least one additional ultrasound transducer;

a digital signal processor communicatively connected to the plurality of ultrasound transducers of the ultrasound transducer array and communicatively connected to the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, the digital signal processor operates the plurality of ultrasound transducers to produce ultrasound tone signals and operates the at least one additional ultrasound transducer to produce an ultrasound chip signal, the digital signal processor receives reflected ultrasound tone signals back from each of the plurality of ultrasound transducers and a reflected ultrasound chirp signal from the at least one additional ultrasound transducer, and the digital signal processor down converts the received reflected ultrasound tone signals into a first audio signal in a range of audible frequencies, and modulates the received reflected ultrasound chirp signals into a second audio signal in the range of audible frequencies, and the digital signal processor mixes the first audio signal and the second audio signal into a combined audio signal in the range of audible frequencies, wherein the range of audible frequencies is between 10 Hz and 20 KHz;

a wireless transmitter communicatively connected to the digital signal processor, the wireless transmitter receives the combined audio signal from the digital signal processor and broadcasts the combined audio signal;

a wireless receiver communicatively connected to the wireless transmitter, such that the wireless receiver receives the broadcast combined audio signal; and

a patient monitor communicatively connected to the wireless receiver, the patient monitor extracts the received reflected ultrasound tone signals and the received reflected ultrasound chirp signal from the combined audio signal and processes the received reflected ultrasound tone signals to obtain an indication of fetal heart rate and processes the received reflected ultrasound chirp signal to obtain an indication of uterine activity.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the reflected ultrasound tone signals are raw fetal heart waveforms and the reflected ultrasound chirp signal is a raw uterine activity waveform.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the digital signal processor modulates the raw fetal heart waveforms and the raw uterine activity waveform before combining the raw fetal heart waveforms and the raw uterine activity waveforms into the combined audio signal;

and

wherein the patient monitor demodulates the combined audio signal to extract the raw fetal heart waveforms and the raw uterine activity waveform.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the patient monitor obtains the indication of uterine activity by measuring a time delay between echo pulses in the raw uterine activity waveform.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the audio signal is an analog audio signal, the wireless transmitter is a headset transmitter operating according to a BLUETOOTH communication standard, and the wireless receiver is a headset receiver operating according to the BLUETOOTH communication standard, and the audible frequency range is between 20 Hz and 20 KHz.