Wireless ultrasound imaging system and method for wireless communication in an ultrasound imaging system

• US 9,649,091 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2011
• Issued: 05/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Halmann, Menachem
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos Rodriguez, Joseph M
• Application Number:
  US12/986,361
• Publication Number:
  US 20120179037A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,321 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4427 Device being portable or laptop-like
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4477 using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/585 Automatic set-up of the device
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52082 involving a modular construction, e.g. a computer with short range imaging equipment modular ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/4411

Abstract

A wireless ultrasound imaging system includes plural probes, at least one access point device, and a processing subsystem. Each of the probes has at least one transducer element that is configured to emit ultrasound pulses into one or more imaged bodies and receive echoes of the pulses. The probes are configured to generate ultrasound data based on the echoes and to wirelessly transmit the ultrasound data. The access point device is configured to wirelessly receive the ultrasound data from the probes. The processing subsystem is communicatively coupled with the at least one access point device. The processing subsystem receives the ultrasound data from the probes and creates one or more images based on the ultrasound data. In one aspect, a plurality of the probes is configured to concurrently acquire the ultrasound data.

Claims

1. A wireless ultrasound imaging system comprising:

plurality of probes each having at least one transducer element configured to emit ultrasound pulses into one or more regions of interest and receive echoes of the pulses, the probes configured to generate and concurrently acquire ultrasound data based on the echoes and to wirelessly transmit the ultrasound data;

at least one access point device having one or more antennas and configured to wirelessly receive the ultrasound data concurrently from the probes; and

a processing subsystem having one or more processors and communicatively coupled with the at least one access point device, the processing subsystem receiving the ultrasound data from the probes and creating one or more images based on the ultrasound data, wherein the processing subsystem is configured to allocate different transmission time periods to the plurality of probes based on a number of the plurality of probes broadcasting ultrasound data such that a first probe is transmitting to the at least one access point at a first transmission time period and a second probe is transmitting to the at least one access point at a second transmission time period.

2. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the probes are configured to acquire ultrasound data when not wirelessly transmitting to the at least one access point device.

3. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the probes are configured to concurrently acquire different sets of the ultrasound data from two or more different regions of interest and wirelessly transmit the different sets of the ultrasound data to the processing subsystem.

4. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of the probes are configured to acquire different sets of the ultrasound data from a common region of interest during a common imaging procedure.

5. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the processing subsystem is configured to allocate different acquisition time periods among a plurality of the probes, the processing subsystem is configured to communicate the different acquisition time periods to the probes and the probes emitting the ultrasound pulses during the acquisition time periods allocated to the probes.

6. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 5, wherein the processing subsystem is further configured to vary at least one of a sequence of the acquisition time periods or a length of one or more of the acquisition time periods among the acquisition time periods that are allocated to different probes.

7. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 5, wherein at least one of the acquisition time periods is based on one or more of a frame rate at which the ultrasound pulses are emitted by one or more of the probes, a type of the ultrasound images based on the data obtained by one or more of the probes, a category of the region of interest being imaged by one or more of the probes, or a number of the probes that are acquiring ultrasound data from a common region of interest during the same acquisition time period.

8. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the processing subsystem is configured to assign the first and second probe to a first channel such that the first and second probe wirelessly transmit the ultrasound data to the at least one access point device along the first channel.

9. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 8, wherein the processing subsystem is configured to vary at least one of a sequence of the transmission time periods or a length of one or more of the transmission time periods among the transmission time periods that are allocated to different probes.

10. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 8, wherein the probes include an internal memory configured to store the ultrasound data until the probes transmit the ultrasound data during the allocated transmission time periods.

11. The wireless ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the processing subsystem is configured to allocate different acquisition time periods among the plurality of the probes, further comprising a user interface that receives input from an operator to manually adjust one or more of the acquisition time periods or the transmission time periods.

12. A method for wireless communication in an ultrasound imaging system, the method comprising:

directing plural probes to concurrently acquire ultrasound data by emitting ultrasound pulses into two or more imaged bodies and receive echoes of the pulses;

directing the probes to wirelessly transmit the ultrasound data during different transmission time periods, wherein the different transmission time periods are allocated among the probes based on a number of the probes broadcasting ultrasound data, such that a first probe is transmitting to the at least one access point at a first transmission time period and a second probe is transmitting to the at least one access point at a second transmission time period;

wirelessly receiving the ultrasound data from the probes at one or more access point devices; and

processing the ultrasound data at an ultrasound processing subsystem that is communicatively coupled with the one or more access point devices to form one or more images.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising directing the probes to acquire ultrasound data when not wirelessly transmitting to the one or more access point devices.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein at least two probes wirelessly transmit the ultrasound data concurrently to at least one access point.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein directing the probes to concurrently acquire the ultrasound data includes allocating different acquisition time periods among a plurality of the probes and directing the probes to emit the ultrasound pulses into the body during the acquisition time periods allocated to the probes.

16. A computer readable non-transitory storage medium for a wireless ultrasound imaging system having a processor and plural probes configured to generate ultrasound data by emitting ultrasound pulses into two or more imaged bodies and receiving echoes of the pulses, the computer readable storage medium include instructions to command the processor to:

direct a plurality of the probes to concurrently acquire the ultrasound data;

direct the probes to wirelessly transmit the ultrasound data during different transmission time periods, wherein the different transmission time periods are allocated among the probes based on a number of the probes broadcasting ultrasound data, such that a first probe is transmitting to the at least one access point at a first transmission time period and a second probe is transmitting to the at least one access point at a second transmission time period;

wirelessly receive the ultrasound data from the probes at one or more access point devices; and

direct the imaging system to process the ultrasound data at an ultrasound processing subsystem that is communicatively coupled with the one or more access point devices to form one or more images.

17. The computer readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, further comprising directing the probes to acquire ultrasound data when not wirelessly transmitting to at least one access point device.

18. The computer readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the probes wirelessly transmit the ultrasound data concurrently to at least one access point.

19. The computer readable non-transitory storage medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions command the processor to allocate different acquisition time periods among a plurality of the probes and direct the probes to emit the ultrasound pulses into the body during the acquisition time periods allocated to the probes.