Abstract: An acoustic probe connectable to an imaging system. The acoustic probe has a substrate with first and second principal surfaces, at least one device insertion port comprising an opening passing through the substrate from the first principal surface to the second principal surface, and an array of acoustic transducer elements supported by the substrate and disposed around the at least one device insertion port. The acoustic probe comprising an instrument guide disposed within the device insertion port, the instrument guide being configured to selectively allow the interventional device to move freely within the device insertion port and to selectively lock the interventional device within the device insertion port in response to a user input via a user interface connected to the acoustic probe.

Abstract: A system includes an acoustic probe and an acoustic imaging machine connected to the acoustic probe. The acoustic probe a substrate with first and second principal surfaces, at least one device insertion port comprising an opening passing through the substrate from the first principal surface to the second principal surface, and an array of acoustic transducer elements supported by the substrate and disposed around the at least one device insertion port. The acoustic imaging machine is configured systematically vary the size and/or position of the active acoustic aperture of the ultrasound probe by providing transmit signals to selected acoustic transducer elements to cause the array of acoustic transducer elements to transmit an acoustic probe signal to an area of interest, and recording a feedback signal of the transmit signals from an acoustic receiver (610) provided at a distal end of an interventional device passed through the device insertion port into the area of interest.

Abstract: A medium of interest is interrogated according to ultrasound elastography imaging. A preliminary elasticity-spatial-map is formed. This map is calibrated against a reference elasticity-spatial-map that comprises an array (232) of different (240) elasticity values. The reference map is formed to be reflective of ultrasonic shear wave imaging of a reference medium. The reference medium is not, nor located at, the medium of interest, and may be homogeneous. Shear waves that are propagating in a medium are tracked by interrogating the medium. From tracking locations on opposite sides of an ablated-tissue border, propagation delay of a shear wave in the medium and of another shear wave are measured. The two shear waves result from respectively different pushes (128) that are separately issued. A processor decides, based on a function of the two delays, that the border crosses between the two locations.

Abstract: An imaging steering apparatus includes sensors and an imaging processor configured for: acquiring, via multiple ones of the sensors and from a current position (322), and current orientation (324), an image of an object of interest; based on a model, segmenting the acquired image; and determining, based on a result of the segmenting, a target position (318), and target orientation (320), with the target position and/or target orientation differing correspondingly from the current position and/or current orientation. An electronic steering parameter effective toward improving the current field of view may be computed, and a user may be provided instructional feedback (144) in navigating an imaging probe toward the improving. A robot can be configured for, automatically and without need for user intervention, imparting force (142) to the probe to move it responsive to the determination.

Abstract: Existing gas pocket detection approaches are based on visual observations of B-mode ultrasound images showing comparisons between normal soft tissue and gas pockets, which are time-consuming and dependent on operator experience. The present invention proposes an ultrasound system and a method of detecting a gas pocket. The ultrasound system comprises: an ultrasound probe (110) for transmitting an ultrasound signal toward the ROI and acquiring an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the ROI along a plurality of scanning lines; an obtaining unit (130) for obtaining a second harmonic component of the ultrasound echo signal for each depth of a plurality of depths along each scanning line of the plurality of scanning lines; and a deriving unit (140) for deriving a change in a center frequency of the second harmonic component along with the depth.

Abstract: Functional imaging for localization in biological tissue entails measuring a response in the tissue (240) to electromagnetic radiation. A catheter (200) for real-time monitoring of cardiac ablation is employed to distinguish a hemorrhage zone (232) from the sandwiching necrotic and healthy tissue, or to distinguish exogenous photoacoustic contrast agent from bordering native tissue. A pair of wavelengths is selected for differential absorption (244) of the radiation in, correspondingly, the hemorrhage zone or where the contrast agent exists, and relatively similar absorption elsewhere. Near infrared laser or LED light may be used photoacoustically to serially acquire (S310, S320) the two datasets to be compared, each representative of a time waveform. Alternatively, acquisition is for a pair of wavelength bands of microwave-induced thermoacoustic data.

Abstract: In a diagnostic scanner for shear wave elastography imaging an ultrasound exposure safety processoris is configured for spatially relating respective definitions of an imaging zone (324), and an extended dead-tissue zone (312) that includes both a dead-tissue zone and a surrounding margin. Based on whether a push pulse focus (344, 348, 352) is to be within the extended dead-tissue zone, the processor automatically decides as to a level of acoustic power with which the pulse is to be produced. If it is to be within, the pulse may be produced with a mechanical index, a thermal index, and/or a spatial-peak-temporal-average intensity that exceeds respectively 1.9, 6.0 and 720 milliwatts per square centimeter. The imaging zone may be definable interactively so as to dynamically trigger the deciding and the producing, with optimal push pulse settings being dynamically derived automatically, without the need for user intervention.

Abstract: A voltage transformer includes a magnetic core body, a positioning plate, a first coil, and a second coil. The magnetic core body has an accommodation space and a rod portion extending along a Z axis. The positioning plate extends along an X-Y plane and has a first end portion, a second end portion, and a positioning hole. The first end portion has a first A hole; the second end portion has a first B hole; the rod portion penetrates through the positioning hole. The first coil has a first winding portion, a first A wire portion, and a first B wire portion. The first winding portion is accommodated in the accommodation space and extends substantially along the X-Y plane. The rod portion penetrates through the first winding portion. The second coil has a second winding portion and a second wire portion. The second winding portion is accommodated in the accommodation space and extends substantially along the X-Y plane. The rod portion penetrates through the second winding portion.

Abstract: Movement (204) of an object is detected and, based on the detected movement, imaging of the object is selectively commenced (228). The imaging is interrupted such that the commencing and interrupting result in temporally spaced apart (216) periods of the imaging. Content of images acquired in respectively different periods is compared (238), to match the images based on content. The movement may have a cyclical component. The object may include body tissue for ablating by applying energy from an energy source. The images to be compared can depict respective regions of the ablating, with the comparing being confined to outside the regions. The detecting, the selecting, the comparing, and the matching may be performable in real time. In one embodiment, an image has portions having respective spatial locations, and respective temperature values at the locations of the object are determined in forming a temperature map of the image.

Abstract: The present invention relates to monitoring biological tissue during a delivery of energy. A probe-driving unit repeatedly drives an integrated push-and-track transducer unit, which is external to the control device, in repeatedly providing at least one ultrasonic push pulse (302) that is suitable for displacing biological tissue at a monitoring location (M), and in providing ultrasonic track pulses (301, 303) suitable for detecting tissue displacement occurring in response to the push pulse at the monitoring location, and in detecting and delivering ultrasonic tissue-response signals (R) relating to the track pulses. An evaluation unit receives the tissue-response signals, determines in real time whether a normalized displacement quantity has reached a threshold value, and provides an output signal when the threshold value has been reached.

Abstract: The invention relates to a heat sink parameter determination apparatus for determining a parameter of a heat sink like a blood vessel within an object such as a person (3) by minimizing a deviation between a measured temperature distribution, which has preferentially been measured by ultrasound thermometry, and a modeled temperature distribution, wherein the modeled temperature distribution is modeled based on a provided heat source parameter like the location of an ablation needle (2) and the heat sink parameter to be determined by using a given thermal model. This determination of heat sink parameters, which may be geometric and/or flow parameters, considers the real temperature distribution and is thus based on real heat sink influences on the temperature distribution. This can lead to an improved determination of heat sink parameters and hence to a more accurate temperature distribution which may be determined based on the determined heat sink parameters.

Abstract: The invention relates to a temperature distribution determination apparatus for determining a temperature distribution within an object (20), while an energy application element (2) applies energy to the object, especially while an ablation procedure for ablating a tumor within an organ is performed. A time-dependent first ultrasound signal is generated for an ultrasound measurement region within the object and a temperature distribution within the object is determined based on the generated time-dependent first ultrasound signal and based on a position of the energy application element (2) relative to the ultrasound measurement region tracked over time. This can ensure that always the correct position of the energy application element, which may be regarded as being a heat source, is considered, even if the energy application element moves, for instance, due to a movement of the object. This can lead to a more accurate determination of the temperature distribution.

Abstract: Existing gas pocket detection approaches are based on visual observations of B-mode ultrasound images showing comparisons between normal soft tissue and gas pockets, which are time-consuming and dependent on operator experience. The present invention proposes an ultrasound system and a method of detecting a gas pocket. The ultrasound system comprises: an ultrasound probe (110) for transmitting an ultrasound signal toward the ROI and acquiring an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the ROI along a plurality of scanning lines; an obtaining unit (130) for obtaining a second harmonic component of the ultrasound echo signal for each depth of a plurality of depths along each scanning line of the plurality of scanning lines; and a deriving unit (140) for deriving a change in a center frequency of the second harmonic component along with the depth.

Abstract: A medical ultrasound acquisition-data analysis device acquires channel data (144) via ultrasound received on the channels, uses the acquired channel data to estimate data coherence and derive dominance of an eigen-value of a channel covariance matrix and, based on the estimate and dominance, distinguishes microcalcifications (142) from background. Microcalcifications may then be made distinguishable visually on screen via highlighting, coloring, annotation, etc. The channel data operable upon by the estimating may have been subject to beamforming delays and may be summed in a beamforming procedure executed in the estimating. In the estimating and deriving, both field point-by-field point, multiple serial transmits (116, 118) may be used for each field point. In one embodiment results of the estimating and deriving are multiplied point-by-point and submitted to thresholding.

Abstract: Issuance of ultrasound pulses to a volume and receiving echo data is followed by estimating, based on the received data, center frequency subvolume-by-subvolume. Distinguishing between heart and lung tissue occurs based on a result of the estimating, and may include automatically identifying a spatial boundary (332) between the heart and lung tissue (324, 328), or a user display of center frequencies that allows for visual distinguishing. The issuance can include issuing, ray line by ray line, pair-wise identical, and/or pair-wise mutually inverted, ultrasound pulses. Center frequency calculations may be made for incremental sampling locations of respective imaging depth along each of the A-lines generated from echo data of the rays. The distinguishing might entail averaging center frequencies for locations along an A-line, and applying a central frequency threshold to the average. The leftmost of the qualifying A-lines, i.e.

Abstract: An interactive visual guidance tool for an imaging acquisition and display system and configured for user navigation with respect to a blockage of a field of view (216) detects, and spatially defines, the blockage. It also integrates, with the image for joint visualization, an indicium (244) that visually represents the definition. The indicium is moved dynamically according to movement, relative to the blockage, of the field of view. The indicium can be shaped like a line segment, or two indicia (244, 248) can be joined in a “V” shape to frame a region of non-blockage. The defining maybe based on determining whether ultrasound beams in respective directions are blocked. Included, for deriving the image, in some embodiments are imaging channels for receiving image data for which a metric of coherence, i.e., similarity among channel data, is computed. The determination for a direction is based on the metric for locations in that direction.

Abstract: An electrophoretic display apparatus and an image-updating method thereof are provided. The electrophoretic display apparatus comprises a display panel and a source driver. The display panel comprises a plurality of pixels and a plurality of source lines, and each pixel electrode is electrically coupled to an AC common voltage through a corresponding capacitor. The capacitor comprises a plurality of charged particles. The source driver comprises a first data-latching circuit and a second data-latching circuit. Each of the data-latching circuits comprises a transistor, a capacitor and an inverter. The first data-latching circuit receives image data and a data shift-register output pulse. The second data-latching circuit is electrically coupled between an output terminal of the first data-latching circuit and a source line and is used for receiving a data output pulse.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an imaging probe and is configured for dynamically arranging presentation of visual feedback (144) for guiding manual adjustment, via the probe, of a location, and orientation, associated with the probe. The arranging is selectively based on comparisons (321) between fields of view of the probe and respective results of segmenting image data acquired via the probe. In an embodiment, the feedback does not include (175) a grayscale depiction of the image data. Coordinate system trans formations corresponding to respective comparisons may be computed. The selecting may be based upon and dynamically responsive to content of imaging being dynamically acquired via the probe.

Abstract: A pixel structure is formed in a pixel area and coupled to a scan line and a data line. The pixel structure includes a first transistor, a second transistor and a pixel electrode. The first transistor is formed in the pixel area and coupled to the scan line and the data line. The second transistor is formed in the pixel area and coupled to the first transistor. The pixel electrode is formed in the pixel area and coupled to the second transistor. The pixel electrode includes a main portion and a first branch portion. The first branch portion is disposed between the first transistor and the second transistor. An electrophoretic display including the pixel structure is also disclosed herein.

Abstract: An infrared light detecting device and the infrared detecting method thereof. The device comprises a shield, a first photo detector and a second photo detector. The shield for blocking light is located above the first photo detector and the second photo detector. An opening is disposed on the shield above the first photo detector. In addition, there is a gap arranged between the first photo detector and the second photo detector. The first photo detector can detect the light passing through the opening to generate a photo sensing signal and couple an infrared light signal in the photo sensing signal to the second photo detector in order to output the infrared light signal.