Abstract: The subject matter disclosed herein relates to additive manufacturing techniques, and more specifically, to additive manufacturing techniques that involve binder jet printing. A disclosed additive manufacturing system for fabricating an article includes a build unit and a positioning system operably coupled to the build unit. The positioning system is configured to move the build unit in at least three dimensions. The build unit includes a recoater portion configured to deposit a layer of powder within a build area of the additive manufacturing system. The build unit also includes a binder jetting portion configured to selectively deposit and cure a binder within a periphery of the deposited layer of powder to form a dynamic build envelope around the article being fabricated in the build area.

Abstract: A cleaning system and method use an ultrasound probe, a coupling mechanism, and a controller to clean equipment of a vehicle system. The ultrasound probe enters into an engine. The ultrasound probe emits ultrasound pulses and the coupling mechanism provides an ultrasound coupling medium between the ultrasound probe and one or more components of the engine. The controller drives the ultrasound probe to deliver the ultrasound pulse through the coupling medium to a surface of the one or more components of the engine. The ultrasound probe delivers the ultrasound pulse to remove deposits from the one or more components of the engine.

Abstract: A cleaning system and method use an ultrasound probe, a coupling mechanism, and a controller to clean equipment of a vehicle system. The ultrasound probe enters into an engine. The ultrasound probe emits ultrasound pulses and the coupling mechanism provides an ultrasound coupling medium between the ultrasound probe and one or more components of the engine. The controller drives the ultrasound probe to deliver the ultrasound pulse through the coupling medium to a surface of the one or more components of the engine. The ultrasound probe delivers the ultrasound pulse to remove deposits from the one or more components of the engine.

Abstract: A method for ultrasound imaging of anatomical tissue. A first signal is received from a first imaging ultrasound wave which has been reflected from a location in the anatomical tissue during a first time period. A second signal is received from a second imaging ultrasound wave which has been reflected from the location in the anatomical tissue during a later second time period, following a discrete medical treatment. The second signal is subtracted from the first signal to form a difference signal. The difference signal may be scaled, spatially filtered, then used to generate an indication, the indication showing the effect of the medical treatment in the location in the anatomical tissue.

Abstract: A system and method for medical treatment of tissue using ultrasound. The system comprises a probe having an array of transducer elements, an ultrasound waveform generator adapted to generate at least one electrical ultrasound signal, and a plurality of phase controls, each coupled to the ultrasound waveform generator and adapted to generate from the electrical ultrasound signal a phase-shifted drive signal that is coupled to an associated transducer element. The drive signal is effective to control grating lobe foci emitted by the array. The method employs the system.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical system has an end effector including a medical ultrasound transducer and an acoustic coupling medium. The acoustic coupling medium has a transducer-proximal surface and a transducer-distal surface. The medical ultrasound transducer is positioned to emit medical ultrasound through the acoustic coupling medium from the transducer-proximal surface to the transducer-distal surface. The end effector is adapted to change a property (such as the shape and/or the temperature) of the acoustic coupling medium during emission, and/or between emissions, of medical ultrasound from the medical ultrasound transducer during a medical procedure on a patient. In one example, such changes are used to change the focus and/or beam angle of the emitted ultrasound during the medical procedure.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical system includes an interstitial end effector. The interstitial end effector is interstitially insertable into patient tissue, includes at least one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, and includes at least one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device. One method for ultrasonically treating a lesion in a patient includes the steps of obtaining the interstitial end effector and inserting it into the patient creating a tissue track which is surrounded by patient tissue and which ends at the distal end of the inserted interstitial end effector. Other steps include ultrasonically ablating the lesion using the at-least-one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, using the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device to ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track along substantially the entire tissue track, and withdrawing the end effector from the patient.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical system includes an ultrasound end effector and at least one non-ultrasound tissue-property-measuring sensor. The ultrasound end effector includes a medical ultrasound transducer assembly having at least one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer. The at-least-one non-ultrasound tissue-property-measuring sensor is supported by the ultrasound end effector and is positionable in contact with patient tissue.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical system includes an ultrasound end effector and at least one non-ultrasound tissue-property-measuring sensor. The ultrasound end effector includes a medical ultrasound transducer assembly having at least one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer. The at-least-one non-ultrasound tissue-property-measuring sensor is supported by the ultrasound end effector and is positionable in contact with patient tissue.

Abstract: A method for ultrasound imaging of anatomical tissue. A first signal is received from a first imaging ultrasound wave which has been reflected from a location in the anatomical tissue during a first time period. A second signal is received from a second imaging ultrasound wave which has been reflected from the location in the anatomical tissue during a later second time period, following a discrete medical treatment. The second signal is subtracted from the first signal to form a difference signal. The difference signal may be scaled, spatially filtered, then used to generate an indication, the indication showing the effect of the medical treatment in the location in the anatomical tissue.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical system has an end effector including a medical ultrasound transducer and an acoustic coupling medium. The acoustic coupling medium has a transducer-proximal surface and a transducer-distal surface. The medical ultrasound transducer is positioned to emit medical ultrasound through the acoustic coupling medium from the transducer-proximal surface to the transducer-distal surface. The end effector is adapted to change a property (such as the shape and/or the temperature) of the acoustic coupling medium during emission, and/or between emissions, of medical ultrasound from the medical ultrasound transducer during a medical procedure on a patient. In one example, such changes are used to change the focus and/or beam angle of the emitted ultrasound during the medical procedure.

Abstract: A system and method for medical treatment of tissue using ultrasound. The system comprises a probe having an array of transducer elements, an ultrasound waveform generator adapted to generate at least one electrical ultrasound signal, and a plurality of phase controls, each coupled to the ultrasound waveform generator and adapted to generate from the electrical ultrasound signal a phase-shifted drive signal that is coupled to an associated transducer element. The drive signal is effective to control grating lobe foci emitted by the array. The method employs the system.

Abstract: A method for ultrasound imaging of anatomical tissue. A first signal is received from a first imaging ultrasound wave which has been reflected from a location in the anatomical tissue during a first time period. A second signal is received from a second imaging ultrasound wave which has been reflected from the location in the anatomical tissue during a later second time period, following a discrete medical treatment. The second signal is subtracted from the first signal to form a difference signal. The difference signal may be scaled, spatially filtered, then used to generate an indication, the indication showing the effect of the medical treatment in the location in the anatomical tissue.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical system has an end effector including a medical ultrasound transducer and an acoustic coupling medium. The acoustic coupling medium has a transducer-proximal surface and a transducer-distal surface. The medical ultrasound transducer is positioned to emit medical ultrasound through the acoustic coupling medium from the transducer-proximal surface to the transducer-distal surface. The end effector is adapted to change a property (such as the shape and/or the temperature) of the acoustic coupling medium during emission, and/or between emissions, of medical ultrasound from the medical ultrasound transducer during a medical procedure on a patient. In one example, such changes are used to change the focus and/or beam angle of the emitted ultrasound during the medical procedure.

Abstract: A system and method for medical treatment of tissue using ultrasound. The system comprises a probe having an array of transducer elements, an ultrasound waveform generator adapted to generate at least one electrical ultrasound signal, and a plurality of phase controls, each coupled to the ultrasound waveform generator and adapted to generate from the electrical ultrasound signal a phase-shifted drive signal that is coupled to an associated transducer element. The drive signal is effective to control grating lobe foci emitted by the array. The method employs the system.

Abstract: A system for temporal transmit apodization of an ultrasound transducer array. The system includes a waveform generator and an ultrasound transducer array having a plurality of transducer elements. Each of the transducer elements is driven by a signal generator that generates a periodic waveform. The duty cycle of each signal generator is determined by a predetermined setting of a duty cycle control. The duty cycle of each signal generator is calculated to achieve a desired beam profile of the transducer array, such as acoustic focusing for reducing the level of grating lobes and side lobes. Apodization is achieved by varying the effective amplitude at each array element by varying the duty cycle of the signal provided to each element.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical treatment system includes an ultrasound medical treatment transducer and a controller. Methods of the invention so control the medical treatment transducer. In one arrangement, the controller movingly controls the medical treatment transducer to emit ultrasound to thermally ablate patient tissue: 1) for a plurality of predetermined time intervals each associated with the medical treatment transducer movingly disposed at a different one of an equal number of predetermined positions, wherein a next-in-time time interval is associated with a position which is spatially non-adjacent to a position associated with a present-in-time time interval; or 2) for a predetermined time interval during which the transducer is continuously moved. In another arrangement, the transducer has an array of transducer elements and the controller activates different non-overlapping groups or different overlapping groups of transducer elements at different times.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical system includes an ultrasound transducer assembly having various combinations of ultrasound transducers having different-shaped ultrasound emitting surfaces and/or different ultrasound transducer types, wherein the types are ultrasound-medical-treatment-only type, ultrasound-medical-treatment-and-imaging type, and ultrasound-medical-imaging-only type ultrasound transducers. Another ultrasound medical system includes a transducer assembly having an RF (radio-frequency) medical-treatment electrode and an ultrasound medical transducer.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical system includes an interstitial end effector. The interstitial end effector is interstitially insertable into patient tissue, includes at least one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, and includes at least one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device. One method for ultrasonically treating a lesion in a patient includes the steps of obtaining the interstitial end effector and inserting it into the patient creating a tissue track which is surrounded by patient tissue and which ends at the distal end of the inserted interstitial end effector. Other steps include ultrasonically ablating the lesion using the at-least-one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, using the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device to ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track along substantially the entire tissue track, and withdrawing the end effector from the patient.

Abstract: An ultrasound medical system includes an interstitial end effector. The interstitial end effector is interstitially insertable into patient tissue, includes at least one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, and includes at least one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device. One method for ultrasonically treating a lesion in a patient includes the steps of obtaining the interstitial end effector and inserting it into the patient creating a tissue track which is surrounded by patient tissue and which ends at the distal end of the inserted interstitial end effector. Other steps include ultrasonically ablating the lesion using the at-least-one medical-treatment ultrasound transducer, using the at-least-one end-effector-tissue-track ablation device to ablate the patient tissue surrounding the tissue track along substantially the entire tissue track, and withdrawing the end effector from the patient.