Patents by Inventor Alice Chiang

Alice Chiang has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20240148358
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for portable medical ultrasound imaging. Preferred embodiments utilize a tablet touchscreen display operative to control imaging and display operations without the need for using traditional keyboards or controls. Certain embodiments provide ultrasound imaging system in which the scan head includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field sub array beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. Exemplary embodiments also provide an ultrasound engine circuit board including one or more multi-chip modules, and a portable medical ultrasound imaging system including an ultrasound engine circuit board with one or more multi-chip modules. Exemplary embodiments also provide methods for using a hierarchical two-stage or three-stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images which can be generated in real-time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2023
    Publication date: May 9, 2024
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, William M. Wong, Noah Berger
  • Patent number: 11857363
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for portable medical ultrasound imaging. Preferred embodiments utilize a tablet touchscreen display operative to control imaging and display operations without the need for using traditional keyboards or controls. Certain embodiments provide ultrasound imaging system in which the scan head includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field sub array beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. Exemplary embodiments also provide an ultrasound engine circuit board including one or more multi-chip modules, and a portable medical ultrasound imaging system including an ultrasound engine circuit board with one or more multi-chip modules. Exemplary embodiments also provide methods for using a hierarchical two-stage or three-stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images which can be generated in real-time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 2, 2024
    Assignee: Teratech Corporation
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, William M. Wong, Noah Berger
  • Publication number: 20220125407
    Abstract: Exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for portable medical ultrasound imaging. Preferred embodiments utilize a tablet touchscreen display operative to control imaging and display operations without the need for using traditional keyboards or controls. Certain embodiments provide ultrasound imaging system in which the scan head includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field sub array beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. Exemplary embodiments also provide an ultrasound engine circuit board including one or more multi-chip modules, and a portable medical ultrasound imaging system including an ultrasound engine circuit board with one or more multi-chip modules. Exemplary embodiments also provide methods for using a hierarchical two-stage or three-stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images which can be generated in real-time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, William M. Wong, Noah Berger
  • Publication number: 20210052256
    Abstract: A hand-held ultrasound system includes integrated electronics within an ergonomic housing. The electronics includes control circuitry, beamforming and circuitry transducer drive circuitry. The electronics communicate with a host computer using an industry standard high speed serial bus. The ultrasonic imaging system is operable on a standard, commercially available, user computing device without specific hardware modifications, and is adapted to interface with an external application without modification to the ultrasonic imaging system to allow a user to gather ultrasonic data on a standard user computing device such as a PC, and employ the data so gathered via an independent external application without requiring a custom system, expensive hardware modifications, or system rebuilds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2020
    Publication date: February 25, 2021
    Inventors: Noah Berger, Michael Brodsky, Alice Chiang, Mark Laforest
  • Publication number: 20180310913
    Abstract: A portable ultrasound imaging system includes a scan head coupled by a cable to a portable battery-powered data processor and display unit. The scan head enclosure houses an array of ultrasonic transducers and the circuitry associated therewith, including pulse synchronizer circuitry used in the transmit mode for transmission of ultrasonic pulses and beam forming circuitry used in the receive mode to dynamically focus reflected ultrasonic signals returning from the region of interest being imaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Publication date: November 1, 2018
    Applicant: Teratech Corporation
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, Steven R. Broadstone
  • Patent number: 10080544
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system in which the scan head either includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field subarray beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. When used with second stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images can be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Teratech Corporation
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, William Wong, Steven Broadstone
  • Publication number: 20170172526
    Abstract: The present invention relates to x-ray detector systems and methods for imaging of objects. The detector system can include a scintillator mounted to a solid state pixelated detector having a buried channel structure. An electronic shutter can be used to control detector exposure during an imaging procedure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Publication date: June 22, 2017
    Inventor: Alice Chiang
  • Publication number: 20170105706
    Abstract: A hand-held ultrasound system includes integrated electronics within an ergonomic housing. The electronics includes control circuitry, beamforming and circuitry transducer drive circuitry. The electronics communicate with a host computer using an industry standard high speed serial bus. The ultrasonic imaging system is operable on a standard, commercially available, user computing device without specific hardware modifications, and is adapted to interface with an external application without modification to the ultrasonic imaging system to allow a user to gather ultrasonic data on a standard user computing device such as a PC, and employ the data so gathered via an independent external application without requiring a custom system, expensive hardware modifications, or system rebuilds.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2016
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Inventors: Noah Berger, Alice Chiang
  • Publication number: 20170020483
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an ultrasound imaging system and method for Doppler processing of data. The ultrasonic imaging system efficiently addresses the data computational and processing needs of Doppler processing. In a preferred embodiment, the ultrasound imaging system of the present invention includes a processing module; and memory operable coupled to the processing module, wherein the memory stores operational instructions that cause the processing module to map serial data to vector representation, calculate an auto-correlation function of the data, calculate a phase shift of the auto-correlation function to generate a monotonic function covering all values of the phase shift corresponding to a range of Doppler velocities and display the resultant images, for example, as color images.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2016
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Xingbai He, Peter P. Chang, Eric R. Kischell, Alice Chiang
  • Patent number: 9427193
    Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for reducing motion artifacts in x-ray sampling circuits. The detector system output is sampled at a rate than the x-ray exposure rate to reduce blurring associated with motion of the detector and/or object being scanned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2016
    Assignee: Teratech Corporation
    Inventor: Alice Chiang
  • Patent number: 9089304
    Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system and method in which a transducer assembly in a probe housing in which sub-array beamforming and multiplexing operations are performed in the probe housing. The probe housing can be connected to a processor housing in which a second beamforming operation can be performed to generate images for display. The processor housing can be a handheld ultrasound display device for portable use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2015
    Assignee: Teratech Corporation
    Inventors: Michael Brodsky, Alice Chiang, Xingbai He, William M. Wong
  • Publication number: 20140128740
    Abstract: A portable ultrasound imaging system includes a scan head coupled by a cable to a portable battery-powered data processor and display unit. The scan head enclosure houses an array of ultrasonic transducers and the circuitry associated therewith, including pulse synchronizer circuitry used in the transmit mode for transmission of ultrasonic pulses and beam forming circuitry used in the receive mode to dynamically focus reflected ultrasonic signals returning from the region of interest being imaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2014
    Publication date: May 8, 2014
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, Steven R. Broadstone
  • Publication number: 20130281863
    Abstract: A portable ultrasound imaging system includes a scan head coupled by a cable to a portable battery-powered data processor and display unit. The scan head enclosure houses an array of ultrasonic transducers and the circuitry associated therewith, including pulse synchronizer circuitry used in the transmit mode for transmission of ultrasonic pulses and beam forming circuitry used in the receive mode to dynamically focus reflected ultrasonic signals returning from the region of interest being imaged.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2013
    Publication date: October 24, 2013
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, Steven R. Broadstone
  • Patent number: 8551000
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system in which the scan head either includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field subarray beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. When used with second stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images can be generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2013
    Assignee: Teratech Corp.
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, Xingbai He, William Wong, Noah Berger
  • Patent number: 8469893
    Abstract: A portable ultrasound imaging system includes a scan head coupled by a cable to a portable battery-powered data processor and display unit. The scan head enclosure houses an array of ultrasonic transducers and the circuitry associated therewith, including pulse synchronizer circuitry used in the transmit mode for transmission of ultrasonic pulses and beam forming circuitry used in the receive mode to dynamically focus reflected ultrasonic signals returning from the region of interest being imaged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Teratech Corp.
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, Steven R. Broadstone
  • Publication number: 20130102902
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system in which the scan head either includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field subarray beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. When used with second stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images can be generated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 13, 2012
    Publication date: April 25, 2013
    Inventors: Michael Brodsky, Alice Chiang, Xingbai He, William M. Wong
  • Publication number: 20120328073
    Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for reducing motion artifacts in x-ray sampling circuits. The detector system output is sampled at a rate than the x-ray exposure rate to reduce blurring associated with motion of the detector and/or object being scanned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Publication date: December 27, 2012
    Inventor: Alice Chiang
  • Patent number: 8270564
    Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for reducing motion artifacts in x-ray imaging systems. The detector system output is sampled at a rate higher than the x-ray exposure rate to reduce blurring associated with motion of the detector and/or object being scanned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2012
    Assignee: Teratech Corporation
    Inventor: Alice Chiang
  • Publication number: 20120179044
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system in which the scan head includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field subarray beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. When using a hierarchical two-stage or three-stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images can be generated in real-time. The invention further relates to flexible printed circuit boards in the probe head. The invention furthermore relates to the use of coded or spread spectrum signalling in ultrasound imaging systems. Matched filters based on pulse compression using Golay code pairs improve the signal-to-noise ratio thus enabling third harmonic imaging with suppressed sidelobes. The system is suitable for 3D full volume cardiac imaging.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2010
    Publication date: July 12, 2012
    Inventors: Alice Chiang, William Wong, Steven Broadstone
  • Publication number: 20100135455
    Abstract: The present invention relates to systems and methods for reducing motion artifacts in x-ray imaging systems. The detector system output is sampled at a rate than the x-ray exposure rate to reduce blurring associated with motion of the detector and/or object being scanned.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 1, 2009
    Publication date: June 3, 2010
    Inventor: Alice Chiang