Patents by Inventor David Hope

David Hope 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).

  • Patent number: 11395638
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices that perform flow scan sequences are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system includes an intraluminal catheter or guidewire, an annular array of acoustic elements positioned around a circumference of the catheter or guidewire, and a processor in communication with the annular array. The processor is configured to activate a first subaperture of the annular array at a first time, thereafter, activate a second interleaving subaperture, and activate the first subaperture again at a different, second time such that the scan sequence moves around the circumference of the catheter or guidewire. Temporal differences between the received ultrasound signals obtained by the first subaperture at the first and second times are determined to detect motion around the annular array. By interleaving subaperture firings, the total number of firings to form an image frame can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignee: PHILIPS IMAGE GUIDED THERAPY CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jun Seob Shin, Francois Guy Gerard Marie Vignon, David Hope Simpson, Andrew Hancock, Sheng-Wen Huang
  • Publication number: 20220225967
    Abstract: An ultrasound system according to some embodiments may include an ultrasound transducer configured to transmit ultrasound pulses toward tissue and generate echo signals responsive to the ultrasound pulses, a channel memory configured to store the echo signals, a beamformer configured to generated beamformed signals responsive to the echo signals, a neural network configured to receive one or more samples of the echo signals or the beamformed signals and produce a first type of ultrasound imaging data, and a processor configured to generate a second type of ultrasound imaging data, wherein the one or more processors may be further configured to generate an ultrasound image based on the first type of ultrasound imaging data and the second type of ultrasound imaging data and to cause a display communicatively coupled therewith to display the ultrasound image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 6, 2022
    Publication date: July 21, 2022
    Inventors: David Hope Simpson, Earl M. Canfield, Robert Gustav Trahms, Vijay Thakur Shamdasani
  • Patent number: 11389138
    Abstract: Improved ultrasound imaging devices and methods of operating the devices that minimize grating lobe artifacts in an ultrasound image are provided. For example, an ultrasound imaging system analyzes the ultrasound data at different frequency bands and generates a grating-lobe-minimized image based on minimum signals identified for each pixel among the plurality of frequency ranges. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound transducer array configured to obtain ultrasound data, and a processor in communication with the ultrasound transducer array. The processor is configured to receive the ultrasound data, generate an ultrasound image based on a first frequency range of the ultrasound data, generate a grating-lobe-minimized ultrasound image based on a plurality of second frequency ranges of the ultrasound data, combine the ultrasound image and the grating-lobe-minimized ultrasound image to generate a combined ultrasound image, and output the combined ultrasound image to a display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: Jun Seob Shin, Seungsoo Kim, Francois Guy Gerard Marie Vignon, David Hope Simpson
  • Patent number: 11364013
    Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system according to the present disclosure may include or be operatively associated with an ultrasound transducer configured to acquire echo signals responsive to ultrasound pulses transmitted toward a medium. The system may include a channel memory configured to store the acquired echo signals, a neural network coupled to the channel memory and configured to receive one or more samples of the acquired echo signals, one or more samples of beamformed signals based on the acquired echo signals, or both, and to provide imaging data based on the one or more samples of the acquired echo signals, the one or more samples of beamformed signals, or both, and may further include a display processor configured to generate an ultrasound image using the imaging data provided by the neural network. The system may further include a user interface configured to display the ultrasound image produced by the display processor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: David Hope Simpson, Earl M. Canfield, Robert Gustav Trahms, Vijay Thakur Shamdasani
  • Patent number: 11324485
    Abstract: An ultrasound system according to some embodiments may include an ultrasound transducer configured to transmit ultrasound pulses toward tissue and generate echo signals responsive to the ultrasound pulses, a channel memory configured to store the echo signals, a beamformer configured to generated beamformed signals responsive to the echo signals, a neural network configured to receive one or more samples of the echo signals or the beamformed signals and produce a first type of ultrasound imaging data, and a processor configured to generate a second type of ultrasound imaging data, wherein the one or more processors may be further configured to generate an ultrasound image based on the first type of ultrasound imaging data and the second type of ultrasound imaging data and to cause a display communicatively coupled therewith to display the ultrasound image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: David Hope Simpson, Earl M. Canfield, Robert Gustav Trahms, Vijay Thakur Shamdasani
  • Publication number: 20220071600
    Abstract: The present disclosure describes imaging systems configured to generate index information to indicate which image frames in a plurality of image frames include one or more target anatomical features, such as a head or femur of a fetus. The confidence levels of the presence of the target anatomical features are also determined. The system may be configured to determine if the target anatomical feature is present in an image frame by implementing at least one neural network. Merit levels based on the quality of the image frames may also be determined. Measurements of the one or more items of interest may be acquired. Visual representations (500) of the index information (502), confidence levels, merit levels, and/or measurements may be provided via a user interface. A user interface may receive user inputs based on the visual representations to navigate to specific image frames (508) of the plurality of image frames.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 11, 2019
    Publication date: March 10, 2022
    Inventors: EARL M. CANFIELD, THANASIS LOUPAS, ROBERT GUSTAV TRAHMS, DAVID HOPE SIMPSON
  • Patent number: 11199860
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and apparatus for mixing additives into a fluid fuel at a predictable concentration. The method comprises: taking a sample of the fuel; mixing the additive into the sample in metered proportions; testing the sample to determine that the correct amount of additive is present; storing the remaining fuel until it is time for the fuel to be used; and mixing the additive into the remainder of the fuel in the same metered proportions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: Icon Scientific Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Fogarty, David Hope, Dave Thompson, Bob Birchmore
  • Publication number: 20210353251
    Abstract: Ultrasound image devices, systems, and methods are provided. An ultrasound imaging system comprising a sequence generation component configured to generate a transmit pulse sequence comprising a first pulse sequence and a second pulse sequence time offset with respect to the first pulse sequence; a transmitter in communication with the sequence generation component and an ultrasound imaging component, the transmitter configured to transmit the transmit pulse sequence to the ultrasound imaging component to trigger, at the ultrasound imaging component, ultrasound wave emissions towards an anatomical object; a receiver configured to receive, from the ultrasound imaging component, ultrasound echo signals in response to the transmit pulse sequence; and a processing component in communication with the receiver and configured to generate at least one of structural data or motion data associated with the anatomical object based on the received ultrasound echo signals.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 23, 2019
    Publication date: November 18, 2021
    Inventor: DAVID HOPE SIMPSON
  • Publication number: 20210219952
    Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for ultrasonic imaging by sparse sampling are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system comprises an array of ultrasound transducer elements, electronic circuitry in communication with the array of ultrasound transducer elements and configured to select a first receive aperture of the array comprising a plurality of contiguous ultrasound transducer elements and at least one non-contiguous ultrasound transducer element, and a beamformer in communication with the electronic circuitry. Each ultrasound transducer element of the first receive aperture is configured to receive reflected ultrasound echoes and generate an electrical signal representative of imaging data.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 7, 2019
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Inventors: Sheng-Wen Huang, Changhong Hu, Douglas Robert Maxwell, David Hope Simpson, James Robertson Jago, Francois Guy Gerard Marie Vignon, Jun Seob Shin, Xiaowen Hu, Unmin Bae
  • Publication number: 20210145399
    Abstract: A system for visualization and quantification of ultrasound imaging data according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a display unit, and a processor communicatively coupled to the display unit and to an ultrasound imaging apparatus for generating an image from ultrasound data representative of a bodily structure and fluid flowing within the bodily structure. The processor may be configured to estimate axial and lateral velocity components of the fluid flowing within the bodily structure, determine a plurality of flow directions within the image based on the axial and lateral velocity components, differentially encode the flow directions based on flow direction angle to generate a flow direction map, and cause the display unit to concurrently display the image including the bodily structure overlaid with the flow direction map.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Publication date: May 20, 2021
    Applicant: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: HUA XIE, SHIYING WANG, SHENG-WEN HUANG, FRANCOIS GUY GERARD MARIE VIGNON, KEITH WILLIAM JOHNSON, LIANG ZHANG, DAVID HOPE SIMPSON
  • Publication number: 20210103304
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for mixing additives into a fluid fuel at a predictable concentration. The method involves taking a sample of the fuel; mixing the additive into the sample in metered proportions; testing the sample to determine that the correct amount of additive is present; storing the remaining fuel until it is time for the fuel to be used; and mixing the additive into the remainder of the fuel in the same metered proportions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: April 8, 2021
    Inventors: Kevin Fogarty, David Hope, Dave Thompson, Bob Birchmore
  • Publication number: 20210077078
    Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system transmits two beams in succession in the same beam direction, the waveform of the second beam being a phase inverted form of the first waveform, and each waveform containing first and second major frequency components. Echoes are received from along the beam direction in response to each beam transmission, and are processed by additively and subtractively combining the two echo sequences on a common depth basis. The echo components resulting from this processing extend from high frequencies for good near field resolution to low frequencies for good depth penetration, and include fundamental, harmonic, and sum or difference frequency components. The linear and nonlinear echo signal components may be frequency compounded for speckle reduction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Inventors: Xiaowen Hu, Gary Cheng-How Ng, David Hope Simpson
  • Patent number: 10928261
    Abstract: An apparatus for measuring the vapour pressure of a liquid hydrocarbon sample is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a sealed chamber (25) for receiving the sample. The chamber (25) is at least partially defined by a moveable element (26) such that moving the moveable element (26) alters the volume of the chamber (25). The apparatus comprises a displacement sensor (29) configured to measure a displacement of the movable element (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Icon Scientific Limited
    Inventors: Kevin Fogarty, David Hope, Dave Thompson, Bob Birchmore
  • Publication number: 20200268345
    Abstract: Ultrasound systems and devices that perform scan sequences providing controllable and/or increased frame rates are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound system comprises an array of acoustic elements and a processor configured to perform a scan sequence comprising a plurality of transmit-receive pairs. The processor is configured to arrange the plurality of transmit-receive pairs into an aperture. The transmit-receive pairs corresponding to each transmit element correspond to only a portion of the plurality of receive elements and/or the transmit-receive pairs corresponding to each receive element correspond to only a portion of the plurality of transmit elements. Accordingly, fewer transmit-receive pairs are activated leading to faster aperture acquisitions, and therefore faster frame rates. Furthermore, the faster frame rates can be achieved without significant degradations in image quality.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2020
    Publication date: August 27, 2020
    Inventors: Francois Guy Gerard Marie VIGNON, Seungsoo KIM, Jun Seob SHIN, Jean-luc Francois-Marie ROBERT, Andrew HANCOCK, David HOPE SIMPSON
  • Publication number: 20200245977
    Abstract: Ultrasound imaging systems and methods for generated clutter-reduced images are provided. For example, an ultrasound imaging system can include an array of acoustic elements in communication with a processor. The processor is configured to activate the array to perform a scan sequence to obtain a plurality of signals, identify off-axis signals from the plurality of signals by comparing the right subaperture and the left subaperture, and create a clutter-reduced image based on the comparison. Because off-axis signals are more likely to create image clutter, reducing the influence of off-axis signals on the image can therefore improve the quality of the image. Accordingly, embodiments of the present disclosure provide systems, methods, and devices for generating ultrasound images that have reduced or minimized clutter, even for images obtained using arrays that do not satisfy the Nyquist criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Publication date: August 6, 2020
    Inventors: Andrew HANCOCK, Yiqun YANG, David HOPE SIMPSON, Francois Guy Gerard Marie VIGNON, Jun Seob SHIN
  • Patent number: 10732269
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system produces audio Doppler from detected Doppler signals. The Doppler signals are detected in a band of frequencies which corresponds to the velocity of blood flow signals, and Doppler information is displayed based on the detected band of frequencies. The audio Doppler system produces Doppler audio in a frequency band which is shifted in pitch from the detected band of frequencies. The operator of the ultrasound system is provided with a user control by which the degree of pitch shifting can be controlled. The ultrasound system displays Doppler blood flow velocities referenced to a transmit Doppler frequency f0, with the audio Doppler being shifted in pitch from the frequencies corresponding to the blood flow velocities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V.
    Inventors: David Hope Simpson, David W. Clark, Anup Agarwal
  • Publication number: 20200214681
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices for generating ultrasound images that have reduced or minimized grating lobe artifacts are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system includes an array of acoustic elements, and a processor in communication with the array. The processor is configured to receive electrical signals from the array, determine, based on the directivity of the acoustic elements, a portion of the electrical signals corresponding to on-axis components, generate a weighting mask based on the portion, and apply the weighting mask to an original image to generate a grating lobe minimized image. Because grating lobe artifacts are caused, in part, by reflections from off-axis objects, applying the weighting mask to an original image can reduce the presence of grating lobe artifacts in the original image.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 2, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Seungsoo KIM, Francois Guy Gerard Marie VIGNON, Jun Seob SHIN, Jean-luc Francois-Marie ROBERT, David HOPE SIMPSON, Andrew HANCOCK
  • Publication number: 20200214663
    Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices that perform flow scan sequences are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system includes an intraluminal catheter or guidewire, an annular array of acoustic elements positioned around a circumference of the catheter or guidewire, and a processor in communication with the annular array. The processor is configured to activate a first subaperture of the annular array at a first time, thereafter, activate a second interleaving subaperture, and activate the first subaperture again at a different, second time such that the scan sequence moves around the circumference of the catheter or guidewire. Temporal differences between the received ultrasound signals obtained by the first subaperture at the first and second times are determined to detect motion around the annular array. By interleaving subaperture firings, the total number of firings to form an image frame can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2020
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Jun Seob SHIN, Francois Guy Gerard Marie VIGNON, David HOPE SIMPSON, Andrew HANCOCK, Sheng-Wen HUANG
  • Publication number: 20200217940
    Abstract: Aspects of the invention include ultrasound systems that suppress grating lobe artifacts arising due to high frequency operation of an array transducer probe which is operated at a frequency higher than its pitch limitation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2018
    Publication date: July 9, 2020
    Inventors: Francois Guy Gerard Marie VIGNON, Jun Seob SHIN, Seungsoo KIM, David HOPE SIMPSON, Andrew HANCOCK
  • Publication number: 20200187912
    Abstract: Ultrasound imaging system, devices, and methods for minimizing grating lobe artefacts in an ultrasound image are provided. For example, an ultrasound imaging system can include an array of acoustic elements and a processor in communication with the array. The processor controls the array to activate a plurality of apertures and subapertures in a scan sequence, generate an image comprising a plurality of pixels, identify at least one subaperture of the plurality of subapertures corresponding to a reduced signal value for one or more pixels of the image, and generate a grating-lobe-minimized image based on the identified subapertures. The grating-lobe-minimized image can be output to a display or combined with the original ultrasound image to include image features lost or reduced in the grating-lobe-minimized image. The grating-lobe-minimized image advantageously reduces image artefacts and clutter to simplify ultrasound image analysis and diagnosis procedures.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2019
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Francois Guy Gerard Marie VIGNON, David HOPE SIMPSON, Andrew HANCOCK, Seungsoo KIM, Jun Seob SHIN, Jean-luc Francois-Marie ROBERT