Patents by Inventor Jeffry E. Powers
Jeffry E. Powers 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).
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Patent number: 6540684Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents. Ultrasonic apparatus is provided for coherent imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents, and for detecting harmonic contrast agents. The inventive apparatus includes a dual display for simultaneously viewing a real time image which displays the location of the contrast agent and a triggered contrast image. Methods of contrast agent detection and imaging include the measurement of perfusion rate characteristics, multizone contrast imaging, multifrequency contrast imaging, tissue perfusion display, and high PRF contrast image artifact elimination.Type: GrantFiled: November 8, 2001Date of Patent: April 1, 2003Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Jeffry E. Powers
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Patent number: 6471650Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging method and apparatus are described for imaging the coronary arteries of the heart. The vascular system is infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent. A volumetric region of the heart wall including a coronary artery is three dimensionally scanned. A projection image of the volumetric region is produced from the scanning, providing a two dimensional contrast image of the coronary artery with the appearance of an angiogram. Preferably the coronary artery signals are segmented from contrast signals emanating from the myocardium and the heart blood pool so that the coronary arteries are clearly highlighted and distinct in the ultrasonic angiogram.Type: GrantFiled: July 31, 2001Date of Patent: October 29, 2002Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Jeffry E. Powers, Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Danny M. Skyba, Robert R. Entrekin, John D. Fraser, Clifford R. Cooley, Brent Stephen Robinson, David N. Roundhill, Gary Allen Schwartz, Patrick René Pesque
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Patent number: 6468216Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging method and apparatus are described for imaging the coronary arteries of the heart. The vascular system is infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent. A volumetric region of the heart wall including a coronary artery is three dimensionally scanned. A projection image of the volumetric region is produced from the scanning, providing a two dimensional contrast image of the coronary artery with the appearance of an angiogram. Preferably the coronary artery signals are segmented from contrast signals emanating from the myocardium and the heart blood pool so that the coronary arteries are clearly highlighted and distinct in the ultrasonic angiogram.Type: GrantFiled: August 24, 2000Date of Patent: October 22, 2002Assignee: Kininklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: Jeffry E. Powers, Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Danny M. Skyba, Robert R. Entrekin, John D. Fraser, Clifford R. Cooley, Brent Stephen Robinson, David N. Roundhill, Gary Allen Schwartz, Patrick René Pesque
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Patent number: 6458083Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system receives fundamental frequency, harmonic contrast, and tissue harmonic echo information for image processing. The fundamental and harmonic signal content of the echo information is analyzed and the relative content of an output signal is adjusted as necessary to take advantage of the different characteristics of the different types of echo information present in the echo signal. The ultrasound system can produce images which are an adaptive blend of fundamental, tissue harmonic and harmonic contrast echo information.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2000Date of Patent: October 1, 2002Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.Inventors: James R. Jago, David N. Roundhill, Jeffry E. Powers, Michalakis Averkiou
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Publication number: 20020055681Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents. Ultrasonic apparatus is provided for coherent imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents, and for detecting harmonic contrast agents. The inventive apparatus includes a dual display for simultaneously viewing a real time image which displays the location of the contrast agent and a triggered contrast image. Methods of contrast agent detection and imaging include the measurement of perfusion rate characteristics, multizone contrast imaging, multifrequency contrast imaging, tissue perfusion display, and high PRF contrast image artifact elimination.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 8, 2001Publication date: May 9, 2002Inventors: Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Jeffry E. Powers
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Publication number: 20020045827Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging method and apparatus are described for imaging the coronary arteries of the heart. The vascular system is infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent. A volumetric region of the heart wall including a coronary artery is three dimensionally scanned. A projection image of the volumetric region is produced from the scanning, providing a two dimensional contrast image of the coronary artery with the appearance of an angiogram. Preferably the coronary artery signals are segmented from contrast signals emanating from the myocardium and the heart blood pool so that the coronary arteries are clearly highlighted and distinct in the ultrasonic angiogram.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 31, 2001Publication date: April 18, 2002Inventors: Jeffry E. Powers, Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Danny M. Skyba, Robert R. Entrekin, John D. Fraser, Clifford R. Cooley, Brent Stephen Robinson, David N. Roundhill, Gary Allen Schwartz, Patrick Rene Pesque
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Publication number: 20020045822Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging method and apparatus are described for imaging the coronary arteries of the heart. The vascular system is infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent. A volumetric region of the heart wall including a coronary artery is three dimensionally scanned. A projection image of the volumetric region is produced from the scanning, providing a two dimensional contrast image of the coronary artery with the appearance of an angiogram. Preferably the coronary artery signals are segmented from contrast signals emanating from the myocardium and the heart blood pool so that the coronary arteries are clearly highlighted and distinct in the ultrasonic angiogram.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 17, 2001Publication date: April 18, 2002Inventors: Jeffry E. Powers, Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Danny M. Skyba, Robert R. Entrekin, John D. Fraser, Clifford R. Cooley, Brent Stephen Robinson, David N. Roundhill, Gary Allen Schwartz, Patrick Rene?apos; Pesque
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Publication number: 20020045830Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging method and apparatus are described for imaging the coronary arteries of the heart. The vascular system is infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent. A volumetric region of the heart wall including a coronary artery is three dimensionally scanned. A projection image of the volumetric region is produced from the scanning, providing a two dimensional contrast image of the coronary artery with the appearance of an angiogram. Preferably the coronary artery signals are segmented from contrast signals emanating from the myocardium and the heart blood pool so that the coronary arteries are clearly highlighted and distinct in the ultrasonic angiogram.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 19, 2001Publication date: April 18, 2002Inventors: Jeffry E. Powers, Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Danny M. Skyba, Robert R. Entrekin, John D. Fraser, Clifford R. Cooley, Brent Stephen Robinson, David N. Roundhill, Gary Allen Schwartz, Patrick Rene?apos; Pesque
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Publication number: 20020045826Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging method and apparatus are described for imaging the coronary arteries of the heart. The vascular system is infused with an ultrasonic contrast agent. A volumetric region of the heart wall including a coronary artery is three dimensionally scanned. A projection image of the volumetric region is produced from the scanning, providing a two dimensional contrast image of the coronary artery with the appearance of an angiogram. Preferably the coronary artery signals are segmented from contrast signals emanating from the myocardium and the heart blood pool so that the coronary arteries are clearly highlighted and distinct in the ultrasonic angiogram.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2001Publication date: April 18, 2002Inventors: Jeffry E. Powers, Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Danny M. Skyba, Robert R. Entrekin, John D. Fraser, Clifford R. Cooley, Brent Stephen Robinson, David N. Roundhill, Gary Allen Schwartz, Patrick Rene' Pesque
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Patent number: 6315729Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents. Ultrasonic apparatus is provided for coherent imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents, and for detecting harmonic contrast agents. The inventive apparatus includes a dual display for simultaneously viewing a real time image which displays the location of the contrast agent and a triggered contrast image. Methods of contrast agent detection and imaging include the measurement of perfusion rate characteristics, multizone contrast imaging, multifrequency contrast imaging, tissue perfusion display, and high PRF contrast image artifact elimination.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 1998Date of Patent: November 13, 2001Assignee: Advanced Technologies Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Jeffry E. Powers
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Patent number: 6283919Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and method are described which produce tissue harmonic images containing both fundamental and harmonic frequency components. Such a blended image takes advantage of the performance possible with the two types of ultrasonic echo information and can advantageously reduce near field clutter while improving signal to noise performance in the far field of the image.Type: GrantFiled: February 8, 1999Date of Patent: September 4, 2001Assignee: ATL UltrasoundInventors: David N. Roundhill, Michalakis Averkiou, Jeffry E. Powers
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Patent number: 6251074Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and methods are described which produce tissue harmonic ultrasonic images from harmonic echo components of a transmitted fundamental frequency. Fundamental frequency waves are transmitted by an array transducer to focus at a focal depth. As the transmitted waves penetrate the body, the harmonic effect develops as the wave components begin to focus. The harmonic response from the tissue is detected and displayed, while clutter from the fundamental response is reduced by excluding fundamental frequencies. The technique is especially useful for imaging the endocardial tissue of the heart.Type: GrantFiled: November 16, 1999Date of Patent: June 26, 2001Assignee: ATL UltrasoundInventors: Michalakis Averkiou, Jeffry E. Powers, Peter N. Burns, David N. Roundhill, Juin-Jet Hwang, Jeremy D. Wiggins
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Patent number: 6234967Abstract: A method and ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system for contrast agent imaging or tissue harmonic imaging is described which modulates the transmit power as a function of the angle of an electronically steered beam or the location of the beam in the scan plane to compensate for the reduction in delivered energy to points in the image field resulting from off-angle steering or a reduction in the number of elements of the transmit aperture.Type: GrantFiled: December 18, 1998Date of Patent: May 22, 2001Assignee: ATL UltrasoundInventor: Jeffry E. Powers
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Patent number: 6186950Abstract: Pulse inversion harmonic separation is performed utilizing echoes from three or more pulses of alternating phase or polarity. Temporally different echoes of opposite phase or polarity are combined in pairs, which are in turn combined to form partial sums and a final sum in which fundamental frequency signal components are substantially eliminated. Preferably the signals are normalized to a common reference level. The inventive technique can be performed by a filter structure using weighting coefficients exhibiting a Gaussian variation.Type: GrantFiled: November 4, 1999Date of Patent: February 13, 2001Assignee: ATL UltrasoundInventors: Michalakis Averkiou, Jeffry E. Powers
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Patent number: 6171246Abstract: Perfusion of tissue such as the myocardium by a microbubble contrast agent is imaged in realtime by a multiple pulse technique which uses low power transmit pulses which are sufficient to elicit a harmonic response from the microbubbles but are not high enough in power to cause substantial destruction to the microbubbles. In a preferred embodiment the realtime microbubble image sequence is displayed in color, overlaid with a grayscale image of the surrounding tissue in the region being imaged.Type: GrantFiled: April 29, 1999Date of Patent: January 9, 2001Inventors: Michalakis Averkiou, Jeffry E. Powers, Matthew Bruce, Danny M. Skyba
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Patent number: 5879303Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system and methods are described which produces ultrasonic images from harmonic echo components of a transmitted fundamental frequency. Preferably, a programmable digital filter is used to pass harmonic echo components for image processing to the exclusion of fundamental frequency signals. In a preferred embodiment, artifacts are removed by producing decorrelated replicas of the harmonic signals, which are then combined and used for imaging. To produce an image in the presence of depth dependent attenuation of high frequency echo signals, both fundamental and harmonic echo signals are processed and used to produce an image blended from components of both fundamental and harmonic echo signals.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 1997Date of Patent: March 9, 1999Assignee: ATL UltrasoundInventors: Michalakis Averkiou, Jeffry E. Powers, Peter N. Burns, David N. Roundhill, Juin-Jet Hwang
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Patent number: 5833613Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents. Ultrasonic apparatus is provided for coherent imaging of ultrasonic contrast agents, and for detecting harmonic contrast agents. The inventive apparatus includes a dual display for simultaneously viewing a real time image which displays the location of the contrast agent and a triggered contrast image. Methods of contrast agent detection and imaging include the measurement of perfusion rate characteristics, multizone contrast imaging, multifrequency contrast imaging, tissue perfusion display, and high PRF contrast image artifact elimination.Type: GrantFiled: September 27, 1996Date of Patent: November 10, 1998Assignee: Advanced Technology Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Michalakis Averkiou, Matthew Bruce, Jeffry E. Powers
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Patent number: 5456257Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic system is provided which detects the presence of coated microbubble contrast agents in the body of a patient by transmitting ultrasonic energy which causes the destruction of the coated microbubbles and detects the microbubble destruction through phase insensitive detection and differentiation of echoes received from two consecutive ultrasonic transmissions. The destruction of a microbubble can also be used as a point source of acoustic energy for aberration correction, whereby the timing of the beamformer is adjusted from an analysis of beamformer signals resulting from a detected microbubble destruction event.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 1994Date of Patent: October 10, 1995Assignee: Advanced Technology Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Keith W. Johnson, Jeffry E. Powers
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Patent number: 5386830Abstract: A velocity estimation technique is provided for a pulse-echo ultrasonic diagnostic system in which a two dimensional array of samples is acquired from a sample volume. The two dimensions of the array are depth, in which echo signal samples are acquired in response to transmission of a pulse to the sample volume, and pulse time, in which samples are acquired in response to transmission of the pulses in the pulse ensemble to the sample volume. Two autocorrelation calculations are performed on the array, one in the depth dimension and another in the pulse time dimension to yield two correlation functions, the first related to echo frequency and the second related to the Doppler frequency. The two correlation functions are then employed in a Doppler velocity estimation to determine the velocity of motion at the sample volume.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 1993Date of Patent: February 7, 1995Assignee: Advanced Technology Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Jeffry E. Powers, Thanasis Loupas
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Patent number: 5215094Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is described which enhances the presentation of flow velocity images through asymmetric persistence of visually displayed changes in fluid velocity. Preferably the asymmetric persistence employs a shorter (i.e., faster) time constant for increases in fluid velocity and a longer (i.e., slower) time constant for decreases in fluid velocity. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, increases in fluid velocity are displayed at their rate of occurrence, and decreases in fluid velocity are displayed with a longer, user-selectable time constant. In the preferred embodiment the persistence enhancement is determined as a function of displayed image frame rate so that the persistence time constant remains fixed as a function of time despite user changes affecting the frame rate.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 1991Date of Patent: June 1, 1993Assignee: Advanced Technology Laboratories, Inc.Inventors: Donn D. Franklin, Jeffry E. Powers