Ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope
First Claim
1. An ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope, comprising:
- a housing having a size that is ingestible; and
an ultrasonic transducer array, wrapped around a circumference of the housing, configured to transmit a plurality of ultrasonic signals and to receive a plurality of echo signals,wherein wavelengths of the plurality of ultrasonic signals are configured to be a multiple of a center-to-center transducer element spacing between adjacent transducers in the ultrasonic transducer array; and
wherein the ultrasonic transducer array is further configured to;
determine a distance between the ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope and an intestinal wall of an animal, anddynamically vary, based upon the distance, a number of transducer elements of the ultrasonic transducer array used to transmit the plurality of ultrasonic signals.
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Accused Products
Abstract
The present invention relates to ultrasound imaging on a capsule endoscope platform. It relates to the generation of a focused ultrasound acoustic signal and the receiving of echo signals from the wall of a body lumen with an array of acoustic transducers wrapped around the circumference of the capsule. It relates to sending the generated echo image signals to receiver devices attached or worn on the body. It relates to the generation of 360° overlapping sidewall ultrasound scans of a body lumen, and image processing techniques to assemble these scans into a high resolution continuous ultrasound image. Finally, it relates to the manufacture and assembly of such an ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope (USCE). The concept is extendable to conventional endoscopes and catheters.
220 Citations
26 Claims
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1. An ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope, comprising:
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a housing having a size that is ingestible; and an ultrasonic transducer array, wrapped around a circumference of the housing, configured to transmit a plurality of ultrasonic signals and to receive a plurality of echo signals, wherein wavelengths of the plurality of ultrasonic signals are configured to be a multiple of a center-to-center transducer element spacing between adjacent transducers in the ultrasonic transducer array; and wherein the ultrasonic transducer array is further configured to; determine a distance between the ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope and an intestinal wall of an animal, and dynamically vary, based upon the distance, a number of transducer elements of the ultrasonic transducer array used to transmit the plurality of ultrasonic signals. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. An ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope, comprising:
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an ultrasonic transducer phased array wrapped around a circumference of a housing configured to transmit an ultrasonic signal and to receive an echo signal; wherein a wavelength of the ultrasonic signal is a multiple of a center-to-center transducer element spacing between adjacent transducers in the ultrasonic phased transducer array; and wherein the ultrasonic transducer phased array is further configured to; determine a distance between the ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope and an intestinal wall of an animal, and dynamically vary, based upon the distance, a number of transducers in the ultrasonic transducer phased array used to transmit the ultrasonic signal. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A method, comprising:
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determining a distance between an ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope and an intestinal wall of an animal; dynamically varying, based upon the distance, a first number of transducers in an ultrasonic transducer array wrapped around a circumference of a housing of the ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope that are used to transmit an ultrasonic signal; transmitting, by the first number of transducers, the ultrasonic signal having a wavelength that is a multiple of a center-to-center transducer element spacing between adjacent transducers in the ultrasonic transducer array; and receiving, by the ultrasonic transducer array, an echo signal. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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Specification