Abstract: Herein disclosed is an ultrasonic probe comprising a transducer for transducing an electric signal into and out of an ultrasonic wave, an electromagnet motor for rotating the transducer, a frame structure for rotatably supporting the electromagnet motor, a brake mechanism for allowing the electromagnet motor to be braked. The ultrasonic probe thus constructed can actuate the brake mechanism to brake the electromagnet motor to prevent the transducer from rotating when the electromagnet motor is stopped and release the brake mechanism to enable the transducer to rotate when the electromagnet motor is rotating, thereby protecting the transducer from a large shock caused by the electromagnet motor especially when the ultrasonic probe is dropped.

Abstract: An ultrasound transducer that allows transmission of pressure waves at a first frequency and reception of pressure waves at a second frequency. Each transducer element is formed by multiple layers of transducer material. A transceiver provides an excitation signal to the transducer and receives energy from the transducer. All of the layers are coupled to the transceiver during transmission so that all of the layers are activated. Some of the layers are decoupled from the transceiver during reception so that not all of the layers contribute to the received signal. A filter circuit is also responsive to the coupling, providing additional low, high or band pass filtering appropriate for one of transmit or receive. The pressure waves at the second frequency are responsive to tissue and/or contrast agents.

Abstract: A system for detecting wear debris particulate from a medical implant within the body of a living animal is provided. The system includes an acoustic transmitter for transmitting acoustic energy from outside the body to a soft tissue region proximate the medical implant containing wear debris particles; an acoustic receiver located outside the body to detect resultant acoustic energy generated by the wear debris particles and produce a received signal indicative thereof; a processor for processing the received signal to evaluate at least one parameter associated with the wear debris particles; and an output for indicating the at least one parameter.

Abstract: The invention provides exemplary systems and methods to prevent rotation of an imaging device if the imaging device is advanced beyond a distal end of a catheter. In one exemplary embodiment, a catheter is provided which comprises a catheter body having a proximal end, a distal end and a lumen which terminates in an exit port at the distal end. The lumen is configured to receive a rotatable imaging device having an ultrasonic imaging element. An ultrasonically recognizable pattern is disposed proximally to or at the exit port. The pattern is adapted to reflect a signal from the imaging element to produce a unique detectable image which in turn is employed to stop rotation of the imaging device.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for automatically maintaining the Doppler sample gate position at a preselected vessel position in B-mode or color flow images during tissue or probe motion. The sample gate is locked onto the selected vessel automatically when the vessel position has changed. Optionally, the vessel slope cursor is automatically updated when the vessel position has changed. The method employs pattern matching of images from successive frames to determine how much a vessel in the image frame has been translated and rotated from one frame to the next. Preferably, either a cross-correlation method is applied to the imaging data in the spatial domain to determine the relative object translation and/or rotation between image frames, or a matched filtering method is applied to the imaging data in the frequency (i.e., Fourier) domain to determine the relative object translation and/or rotation between image frames.

Abstract: A system comprising a combination of an ultrasound probe and both passive and active infrared tracking systems. The combined system enables a real time image display of the entire region of interest without probe movement; real time tracking of the target region permitting physiological gating; and probe placement during image acquisition so that all external displacements introduced by the probe can be accounted for at the time of treatment planning. This system may be used in the surgical arena for image guidance during radiation therapy and surgery.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method are described which perform spatial compounding of tissue motion or flow information. The resultant images not only reduce speckle artifacts, but also reduce dropout caused by the angular dependence of Doppler information. Compound images may be formed using both B mode and Doppler information acquired in a time interleaved manner, either one or both of which may be spatially compounded. The techniques of the present invention may be employed to reduce multiline artifacts and to produce real time compound images at high frame rates of display.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system includes a scan conversion process for converting ultrasound data into a standard display format conversion and can be performed on a personal computer by programming the computer to convert data from polar coordinates to cartesian coordinates suitable for display on a computer monitor. The data is provided from scan head enclosure that 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.

Abstract: A method and device for determining a plurality of cardiovascular parameters are described, wherein the parameters are determined from noninvasively obtained data, thereby obviating the need for invasive procedures such as cardiac catheterization. These determinations are enabled by incorporating fluid dynamics and thermodynamics equations with nonivasively obtained mechanical cardiac event data to estimate a desired cardiovascular parameter. Exemplary parameters obtainable with the method and device include aortic and mitral valve areas, cardiac left ventricular stroke volume, and aortic and mitral valve pressure gradients.

Abstract: A PC base ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprises an apparatus main body and an ultrasonic scope detachably attached to the main body. The apparatus main body includes a power switch for turning on and off a power supply for the entire apparatus, a connector section connected to the scope-side connector of the ultrasonic scope, and a scope connector switch for allowing and interrupting the supply of power from a power supply section to the connector section.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system directs a transmit beam of ultrasound from a plurality of elements in a transducer array into a region of interest (ROI) of a patient's body. The receive beam back from the ROI contains a separate waveform for each of the array elements. These waveforms are partitioned into groups, and a control waveform is determined for each group. The control waveform is then jittered, that is, time-shifted, by a trial delay time, and trial delay times for the other waveforms in the group are determined by interpolation. A waveform similarity factor (WSF), which is preferably a function of the r.m.s. value of the sum of the waveforms in the group, is then evaluated. The control waveform is then repeatedly shifted by different trial amounts, with a new WSF being determined for each trial shift. The trial delay for the control waveform is then assumed to be optimum that yielded the greatest group WSF.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a probe which outputs RF signals. There are N phase detectors for converting the RF signals outputted from the probe into baseband signals In and Qn, where “N” denotes a first predetermined natural number and “n” denotes a second predetermined natural number set as 2≦n≦N. A reception beam former operates for processing the baseband signals In and Qn into a time-division-multiplexed signal. The reception beam former includes a device for multiplying the baseband signals In and Qn by phase shift data to generate multiplication-resultant signals, a device for delaying the multiplication-resultant signals to generate delay-resultant signals, and a device for combining the delay-resultant signals into the time-division-multiplexed signal.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for processing ultrasound data is provided. The apparatus includes an interface operatively connected to a memory, a programmable single instruction multiple data processor (or two symmetric processors), a source of acoustic data (such as a data bus) and a system bus. The memory stores data from the processor, ultrasound data from the source, and data from the system bus. The processor has direct access to the memory. Alternatively, the system bus has direct access to the memory. The interface device translates logically addressed ultrasound data to physically addressed ultrasound data for storage in a memory. The translation is the same for data from both the processor and the source for at least a portion of a range of addresses. The memory stores both ultrasound data and various of: beamformer control data, instruction data for the processor, display text plane information, control plane data, and a table of memory addresses. One peripheral connects to the ultrasound apparatus.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging method for forming an image of an object using received signals reflected from the object, received after transmitting an ultrasound pulse to the object.

Abstract: A method and an apparatus for dynamically optimizing the frame rate as a function of an estimate of the target motion. First, the target motion is estimated, and then this estimate is used to control the number of firings per frame and/or the degree of frame-averaging. Preferably, the motion of the target is estimated by measuring pixel brightness variations on a frame-to-frame, region-to-region or line-to-line basis. Then the degree of frame-averaging is adjusted as a function of the motion estimate. Alternatively, target motion can be estimated by calculating the Doppler signal. Other imaging parameters, such as number of transmit firings per frame, size of the transmit aperture, and transmit excitation frequency, can be adjusted as a function of estimated target motion.

Abstract: An implantable and extractable sensor is used for monitoring blood flow and vessel characteristics within a patient. The sensor includes a structurally supportive shuttle that has an angularly offset shelf. A transducer is mounted to this shelf and offset at the same angle so as to utilizes the Doppler effect. Silicone is injection molded around the assembly to provide a housing having a plurality of cutouts that expose portions of release wires running through the housing. The sensor is attached to the vessel by suturing around the exposed portions of the release wires. When the wires are retracted, the sensor can be extracted from the patient without having to reopen the surgical wound. The shuttle provides a consistent location to mount a transducer and also provides the structural support for the silicone housing.

Abstract: An apparatus for determining the velocity of a fluid flowing through a lumen comprises a first diffraction grating transducer (DGT) responsive to a continuous wave (CW) input and operable in a first mode for producing a first signal beam at a first frequency and first phase, and in a second mode for producing a second signal beam at the first frequency and a second phase; a second diffraction grating transducer (DGT) operating as a receiver and coupled to the first diffraction grating transducer at a predetermined angle, the second diffraction grating transducer producing a first beam which intersects the first DGT first beam for receiving a first reflected signal associated with the first signal beam, and for producing a second beam which intersects the first DGT second beam for receiving a second reflected signal associated with the second signal beam; the first beams adapted to intersect in a first predetermined region through which dynamic particles are undergoing velocity analysis, and the second beams a

Abstract: A nonlinear distortion-based ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system displays a raised-resolution video of tissue inside a body at an increased frame rate. Using a two-pulse technique, a transducer driver supplies narrower-width and wider-width driving pulses to a transducer, which transmits weaker and stronger ultrasonic wave pulses alternately while putting the same intervals between adjacent ultrasonic wave pulses to obtain a weaker echo and a stronger echo. An equalizer equalizes each weaker echo to the stronger echo into an equalized weaker echo. An interpolator calculates an interpolation value between the equalized weaker echo and an equalized previous weaker echo obtained from a previous weaker echo. For each weaker ultrasonic wave pulse, a detector finds a difference between the interpolation value and a stronger echo obtained between the weaker echo and the previous weaker echo. The equalization and interpolation enables high-speed scanning, which has not been achieved with two-pulse technique.

Abstract: The preferred embodiments described herein provide a medical diagnostic ultrasonic transducer probe and imaging system for use with a position and orientation sensor. In one preferred embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer probe comprises a position and orientation sensor and a memory device comprising calibration data for the position and orientation sensor. The memory device is adapted to provide the calibration data to a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system coupled with the ultrasonic transducer probe. In another preferred embodiment, a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system comprises a memory device comprising a plurality of position and orientation sensor calibration data. Each of the plurality of position and orientation sensor calibration data is associated with a respective ultrasonic transducer probe family. In operation, identification of a probe family of an ultrasonic transducer probe is provided to the ultrasound system.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer is formed by a plurality of cMUT cells, each has a charged diaphragm plate capacitively opposing an oppositely charged base plate. The diaphragm plate is distended toward the base plate by a bias charge. The base plate includes a central portion elevated toward the center of the diaphragm plate to cause the charge of the cell to be of maximum density at the moving center of the diaphragm plate.