Hand-held ultrasound imaging device and techniques

• US 8,641,620 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2008
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Imperium Partners Group LLC
• Original Assignee: Imperium Partners Group LLC
• Inventors: Lasser, Robert S., Lasser, Marvin E., Kula, John P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Long V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LARYEA, LAWRENCE N
• Application Number:
  US12/071,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20090216129A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,175 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0431 Portable apparatus, e.g. comprising a handle or case
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0825 for diagnosis of the breast, e.g. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/485 involving measuring strain or elastic properties

Abstract

An acoustic imaging arrangement is disclosed including a longitudinal axis defining an imaging path; a source transducer configured and arranged for producing a beam of acoustic energy, the source transducer comprising a piezoelectric polymer-based material, the source transducer disposed along the imaging path; and at least one sensor disposed along the imaging path, the sensor constructed and arranged to produce electrical signals in response to acoustic energy incident thereon. Related methods are also described.

Claims

1. An acoustic imaging arrangement comprising:

a longitudinal axis defining an imaging path;

a source transducer configured and arranged for producing a beam of acoustic energy, the source transducer comprising a piezoelectric polymer-based material, the source transducer disposed along the imaging path;

at least one sensor disposed along the imaging path, the sensor constructed and arranged to produce electrical signals in response to reflected acoustic energy incident thereon; and

wherein the source transducer is configured to direct the beam of acoustic energy along the imaging path so that at least a portion of the beam of acoustic energy reflected by an object, during operation, passes through the source transducer before reaching the sensor.

2. The arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a housing, and the source transducer, at least one acoustic lens, and the at least one sensor are arranged within the housing.

3. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the housing contains a fluid which is transmissive to acoustic energy.

4. The arrangement of claim 3, wherein the fluid comprises water.

5. The arrangement of claim 2, further comprising a second housing configured and arranged to receive and/or send signals with the first housing.

6. The arrangement of claim 5, wherein the second housing contains at least one of:

a display and a mechanism for inputting commands to be sent to the first housing.

7. The arrangement of claim 5, wherein the signals are transmitted between the first and second housing via a wired or wireless connection.

8. The arrangement of claim 2, wherein the source transducer is configured and arranged to transmit the beam of acoustic energy produced thereby from the arrangement without first passing through the at least one acoustic lens.

9. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the polymer-based material comprises polyvinylidene difluoride.

10. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the polymer-based material comprises a copolymer of polyvinylidene difluoride.

11. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the arrangement comprises a first end formed at least in part from a flexible material.

12. The arrangement of claim 11, wherein the at least one source transducer is located proximate to the first end.

13. The arrangement of claim 12, the arrangement further comprising at least one acoustic lens disposed along the imaging path constructed and arranged to focus acoustic energy upon the at least one sensor, the at least one source transducer is mounted to a surface of the at least one acoustic lens.

14. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least one source transducer emits acoustic energy with a wavelength of about 0.5 MHz-25 MHz.

15. The acoustic imaging arrangement of claim 14, wherein the wavelength of the acoustic energy is about 2 MHz-6 MHz.

16. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the arrangement comprises a plurality of acoustic lenses in series along the imaging path.

17. The arrangement of claim 16, wherein the acoustic lenses are movably mounted within a housing such that a longitudinal position of the acoustic lenses along the imaging path can be changed.

18. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the arrangement does not include a beam splitter.

19. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor includes a piezoelectric polymer-based material.

20. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least one source transducer is provided with a non-planar shape that conforms to a shape of the object being imaged.

21. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises an imaging array.

22. The arrangement of claim 21, wherein the imaging array comprises a two-dimensional array of acoustic to electrical transducers which produce electrical signals in response to acoustic energy incident thereon.

23. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the at least one sensor comprises a sheet of piezoelectric polymer-based material disposed along the imaging path.

24. The arrangement of claim 1, further comprising a shear wave adaptor provided at a first end of the housing.

25. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the arrangement is constructed to provide both A-scan and C-scan output.

26. The arrangement of claim 25, wherein the A-scan and C-scan output is provided simultaneously.

27. The arrangement of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing having a first end defining a first area; and

the source transducer defining a second area;

wherein the second area is larger than the first area; and

wherein the housing and the source transducer are relatively moveable.

28. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the source transducer is flexible such that the source transducer can be conformed to a shape or contour of an object being imaged.

29. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein the source transducer and the at least one sensor are disposed at different locations along the longitudinal axis.

30. The acoustic imaging arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises an array of detectors.

31. The acoustic imaging arrangement of claim 30, wherein at least one of the detectors comprises PZT.

32. The acoustic imaging arrangement of claim 1, wherein the sensor comprises polyvinylidene difluoride.

33. A method of imaging a target using acoustic energy, the method comprising:

generating acoustic energy with a source transducer comprising a piezoelectric polymer-based material;

directing at least a portion of the beam of acoustic energy such that the portion of the beam of acoustic energy is incident upon the target, reflects off the target, and then passes through the source transducer;

receiving the portion of the beam of acoustic energy, which has reflected off the target and passed through the source transducer, onto the at least one sensor; and

producing electrical signals in response to the acoustic energy received upon the at least one sensor.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the source transducer generates acoustic energy emitting from the source transducer in opposing longitudinal directions therefrom, the admitted acoustic energy traveling toward the target in a first longitudinal direction, and toward the least one sensor in a second opposing longitudinal direction.

35. The method of claim 34, further comprising disregarding electrical signals produced by the acoustic energy emitted in the second longitudinal direction and incident upon the least one sensor.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein the source transducer and the at least one sensor are disposed at different locations along the longitudinal axis.

37. The method of claim 33, wherein the acoustic energy is generated and received after being reflected off or passed through the target by the same piece of piezoelectric polymer-based material.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the polymer-based material comprises polyvinylidene difluoride.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the polymer-based material comprises a copolymer of polyvinylidene difluoride.

40. The method of claim 33, comprising producing output based on the electrical signals, and wirelessly transmitting the output to a remote location for at least one of observation and analysis.

41. The method of claim 33, further comprising conforming the source transducer to a shape or contour of the target.

42. The method of claim 33, comprising transmitting the acoustic energy generated by the source transducer toward the target without passing the energy through a lens.

43. The method of claim 33, further comprising positioning the source transducer between the target and the at least one sensor.