Doppler Effect (e.g., Fetal Hr Monitoring) Patents (Class 600/453)
  • Patent number: 6511431
    Abstract: In a radial scan, forward viewing ultrasonic endoscope, a plurality of flexible substrates for transmitting signals to and from an ultrasonic probe extend rearward from the ultrasonic probe, a flexible substrate passage hole of an arcuate cross-sectional shape through which the flexible substrates pass is formed in a front end portion body in an axial direction, and the wirings on the flexible substrates are connected to a signal cable passing through the insertion portion of the endoscope.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2003
    Assignee: Pentax Corporation
    Inventors: Kenichi Ohara, Toshiyuki Hashiyama
  • Publication number: 20030018264
    Abstract: In order to make both the maintenance of a scan range and a frame rate for ultrasonic imaging and high definition of an image compatible with each other, a sound-ray density for scan is made nonuniform, and a sound-ray density is rendered dense at a required portion and coarse at portions other than the portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2002
    Publication date: January 23, 2003
    Inventors: Yoichi Suzuki, Shinichi Amemiya
  • Patent number: 6506157
    Abstract: A dual Doppler artery ligation and hemorrhoid treatment system has a probe. The probe has a disposable cylinder with a cone-shaped cap at the distal end and a support adjacent to the proximal end. A series of white light emitting diodes is mounted within the support. The support has a backing plate proximally and an opening to the cylinder and cone distally. The cylinder has an opening adjacent to its distal end and a pair of ultrasonic transducers secured on the cylinder laterally spaced on the center line proximal side of the opening. An echo analyzer is operatively coupled to the probe and is adapted to emit signals and to detect and analyze received signals as a function of the blood flow there adjacent to produce an output which varies as a function of the arterial blood flow of a hemorrhoid extending through the aperture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Inventors: Jack Teigman, John M. D'Angelo
  • Publication number: 20020173725
    Abstract: A system and method includes a cardiac resuscitation apparatus connected to an automated external programmable defibrillator (AED) or a semi-automated external programmable defibrillator (SAED) includes an adhesive Doppler pad to detect a pulse signal of a patient. Defibrillation-monitoring pads are connected to the Doppler pad and detect an ECG signal of the patient. A processor integrates the pulse signal and the ECG signal to determine therefrom whether or not shock therapy is advised for the patient.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 18, 2001
    Publication date: November 21, 2002
    Inventors: Joseph E. Rock, Michael Nakagawa, Catherine Rochford
  • Patent number: 6464640
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quantifying and displaying ultrasound signals in an ultrasonic system are provided. A first signal value for each of at least one spatial location in a region of interest is acquired at a first time, and the signal values are summed to obtain a first surface integral value. A second signal value for each of said at least one spatial location in said region of interest is acquired at a second time, and the second signal values are summed to obtain a second surface integral value. The first surface integral value is summed with the second surface integral value to obtain a time based integral. The time based integral is displayed. Other quantities based on any of various ultrasound parameters, such as Doppler energy, Doppler velocity and B-mode intensity, are calculated and displayed as quantities or as waveforms as a function of time. Furthermore, various comparisons of quantities and waveforms are provided. Image plane data or other ultrasound data are used in the calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Ismayil M. Guracar, John I. Jackson
  • Patent number: 6464641
    Abstract: Method and apparatus for automatically maintaining the range gate inside a moving blood vessel during ultrasound imaging. The range gate can be maintained at the vessel center, or at a certain distance from one of the vessel boundaries, or at a certain ratio of the respective distances from the two boundaries. The user first places the range gate on the blood flow being examined. An algorithm processes each successive image frame and automatically updates the information about vessel boundary positions and the vessel orientation angle in the vicinity of the range gate. If the range gate position relative to the vessel boundaries is different than that in the previous frame by more than a predetermined amount, the position of the range gate graphic and the orientation of the vessel slope cursor (and the Doppler angle) are automatically adjusted to the new values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2002
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC
    Inventors: Lihong Pan, Larry Y. L. Mo, Michael J. Washburn
  • Publication number: 20020138006
    Abstract: The present invention is directed toward an ultrasonography apparatus for measuring and/or monitoring hemodynamic activity, such as blood flow. The present invention comprises a doppler ultrasound unit, one or more transducers, and a portable body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2002
    Publication date: September 26, 2002
    Inventor: Richard T. Redano
  • Patent number: 6454716
    Abstract: The present invention provides a device and method for monitoring and detecting a fetal heartbeat that can be employed by ordinary people with minimal, if any, training, such as expectant mothers. The device can monitor and detect a fetal heartbeat with minimal positioning along the female body at the pregnant portion (the womb) as the device is configured to transmit and receive energy waves at wide angles. The device is economical and is preferably designed for domestic use, outside of the hospital or clinical setting. Specifically, the invention is based on a unique configuration of piezoelectric elements in cooperative configuration with a series of oscillators that is able to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves simultaneously The configuration allows for an optimal scanning range at an unlimited number of angles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2002
    Assignee: P.M.G. Medica Ltd.
    Inventor: Jona Zumeris
  • Publication number: 20020133076
    Abstract: In order to arrange continuous wave signal paths using fewer switches, a plurality of amplifying circuits 602 for respectively amplifying a plurality of continuous wave input signals, and outputting each respective pair of amplified signals that have mutually opposite phases for each continuous wave input signal; a plurality of selecting circuits 604, each of which selects one signal of the pair of amplified signals from each of the plurality of amplifying circuits; and a matrix switch 608 employing the output signals from the plurality of selecting circuits as input signals are provided.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 14, 2002
    Publication date: September 19, 2002
    Applicant: GE Yokogawa Medical Systems
    Inventor: Shinichi Amemiya
  • Publication number: 20020103436
    Abstract: A system for automatic manipulation of a transcranial Doppler probe device designed for placement on a patient's head comprising a bi-temporal probe hanger, a cylindrical probe housing having an inner electrical wiring, an ultrasound transducer with cable affixed on the probe cylindrical base having a coil, said probe cylindrical base placed within the cylindrical probe housing, a spring system affixed to provide perpendicular pressure on the probe cylindrical base, a system of roller balls, a locking system to affix the cylindrical probe housing to the frame of the bi-temporal probe hanger, a system software program and microprocessor for controlling the probe position, and a removable handle attached to the said probe cylindrical base. The system software ‘learns’ probe angulations after initial manual manipulations and then performs cerebral vessel insonation using electromotive force independent of operator.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 15, 2002
    Publication date: August 1, 2002
    Inventor: Philip Chidi Njemanze
  • Patent number: 6423006
    Abstract: A method for automatically placing a range gate over a moving blood vessel during ultrasound imaging. Doppler data received from a number of depths in the tissue is analyzed in order to calculate the average velocity of the tissue at each depth. A search is performed in the average velocities to select a maximum velocity. The maximum velocity is associated with a blood vessel and a range gate is placed at a depth corresponding to the maximum velocity. In a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, the average velocity is calculated by performing a first lag autocorrelation of the echo data received from each depth in response to a series of Doppler pulses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2002
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventor: Zoran Banjanin
  • Patent number: 6409670
    Abstract: A method for receiving Doppler ultra sound signals at a high sample rate, at greater depths and from a large range gate size by increasing the length of time during which echoes can be received with respect to the time required to transmit the Doppler pulses that cause the echo signals to be created. According to a first embodiment of the invention, a Doppler pulse is transmitted for a time equal to the time required for an ultrasonic sound wave to travel from a transducer to a top of a range gate and back. Echo signals created in response to the long Doppler pulse are received for a time equal to the transmit time plus the time required for an ultrasonic sound wave to travel from the top of the range gate to a bottom of the range gate and back to the top of the range gate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2002
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Lin Xin Yao, Gan Yao
  • Patent number: 6402694
    Abstract: A color imaging display method and apparatus in a color doppler imaging system can display a high quality of a color image in which a flash artifact which is a kind of a clutter signal is removed. The method and apparatus determines whether the flash artifact exists, according to the result obtained by frequency-estimating a doppler signal where an ultrasonic signal is filtered and a clutter signal where the ultrasonic signal is not filtered, and mixing the information obtained through the frequency estimation, and determines whether or not a corresponding pixel is displayed in an ultrasonic color doppler image. Thus, the pixel which has been determined as the flash artifact is not displayed, to thereby obtain a high quality of a color image.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Medison Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Moo Ho Bae, Ki Jong Lee
  • Publication number: 20020062078
    Abstract: The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for assessing blood flow in blood vessels, for assessing vascular health, for conducting clinical trials, for screening therapeutic interventions for adverse effects, and for assessing the effects of risk factors, therapies and substances, including therapeutic substances, on blood vessels, especially cerebral blood vessels, all achieved by measuring various parameters of blood flow in one or more vessels and analyzing the results in a defined matter. The relevant parameters of blood flow include mean flow velocity, systolic acceleration, and pulsatility index. By measuring and analyzing these parameters, one can ascertain the vascular health of a particular vessel, multiple vessels and an individual. Such measurements can also determine whether a substance has an effect, either deleterious or advantageous, on vascular health. In one of many embodiments, the present invention further provides an expert system for achieving the above.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Publication date: May 23, 2002
    Inventors: Kevin Crutchfield, John Davidson, Robert Mozayeni, Simon Fitall
  • Patent number: 6390983
    Abstract: A method and an apparatus for monitoring the wall signal input to the wall filter of a spectral Doppler processor to check for probe-motion-induced clutter. This clutter is typically of higher frequency and amplitude than that due to normal vessel wall motion. Some additional threshold logic is used to check for energy within a frequency band greater than the normal wall signal frequencies. If significant energy above some “rattle” threshold is detected for a predefined time interval, the Doppler audio is automatically muted. This can be effected at one or more points within the normal Doppler audio signal path in a conventional scanner. If the rattling clutter is no longer detected, the Doppler audio is re-activated or ramped up smoothly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
    Inventors: Larry Y. L. Mo, Dean W. Brouwer
  • Patent number: 6390984
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2002
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
    Inventors: Lihong Pan, Larry Y. L. Mo, Fang Dong, Cynthia Andrews Owen, Robert S. Stanson, Kjell Kristoffersen
  • Patent number: 6379305
    Abstract: A Doppler fetal heartbeat measurement device and method of use for reliable, convenient and inexpensive detection of fetal heartbeat and measurement of its rate from seven to twelve weeks gestation. The device is a conventional, inexpensive Doppler base unit having an intravaginal probe. Use of the present invention eliminates the need for the expensive procedure of transvaginal ultrasonic imaging for early detection of fetal heartbeat in the event of complications (e.g. cramping, spotting, pain) or the observation of a uterine size that does not correlate to the date of the last menstrual period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Inventor: Janet Stoner Eugley
  • Patent number: 6358210
    Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system and method form first and second transmit beams characterized by a complex phase separation angle (e.g. 90°) that differs from an integer multiple of 180° along the same steering angle. First and second backscattered signals are received in response to these transmit beams, and the first and second backscattered signals are combined in a weighted sum. By properly selecting the weighting factors and the separation angle, the resulting combined signal can be provided with various advantageous features, such as a selective reduction in negative frequency components, a selective enhancement of fundamental frequency components, or a selective enhancement of harmonic frequency components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2002
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Albert Gee, J. Nelson Wright
  • Patent number: 6352683
    Abstract: A local and site-specific drug delivery apparatus for delivering a drug to a specific site is characterized by the combination of a carrier material which reflects or absorbs or emits electromagnetic or mechanical (e.g. ultrasonic) vibrations enabling the monitoring of the material, a drug associated with the carrier material, and a local-delivery mechanism for delivering the carrier material and the drug to a specific site. The local-delivery mechanism may comprise a local-delivery catheter, such as a balloon-type catheter, and the drug delivery apparatus may additionally include a monitor for monitoring the delivery of the drug to the specific site, such as an ultrasonic imaging system. The drug delivery apparatus may also include a vibration generator for inducing release of the drug from the carrier material when the carrier material is at the specific site, such as a generator of ultrasonic energy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Point Biomedical Corporation
    Inventor: Folkert Jan ten Cate
  • Patent number: 6350238
    Abstract: A system and method for acquiring ultrasound information at an acquisition rate and displaying at least a portion of the acquired ultrasound information at a display rate that is slower than the acquisition rate is disclosed. Ultrasound information may be continuously acquired and stored at a frame-rate that is greater than the perception rate of the human eye. At least a portion of the acquired ultrasound information is displayed at a frame-rate that allows human perception. Acquisition and display are synchronized from time-to-time upon satisfaction of a synchronization condition. The synchronization condition may be related to a predetermined time interval or a triggering event generated by or through triggering generated by, for example, a physiological event detected in, for example, an ECG trace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2002
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
    Inventors: Bjorn Olstad, Hans Torp
  • Patent number: 6346080
    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.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2002
    Assignee: Transonic Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven R. Wedan, Rebecca M. Johnson
  • Patent number: 6322511
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quantifying and displaying ultrasound signals in an ultrasonic system are provided. A first signal value for each of at least one spatial location in a region of interest is acquired at a first time, and the signal values are summed to obtain a first surface integral value. A second signal value for each of said at least one spatial location in said region of interest is acquired at a second time, and the second signal values are summed to obtain a second surface integral value. The first surface integral value is summed with the second surface integral value to obtain a time based integral. The time based integral is displayed. Other quantities based on any of various ultrasound parameters, such as Doppler energy, Doppler velocity and B-mode intensity, are calculated and displayed as quantities or as waveforms as a function of time. Furthermore, various comparisons of quantities and waveforms are provided. Image plane data or other ultrasound data are used in the calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Ismayil M. Guracar, Samuel H. Maslak
  • Patent number: 6322510
    Abstract: In order to capture an image representing pulsation strength in moving velocity of an echo source, a moving velocity V of the echo source is detected based on the Doppler shift in an ultrasonic echo, and a pulsation strength P in the moving velocity V is detected at a pulsation detecting means 132 by a calculation that employs a value Vn of the moving velocity V at a current time phase and a value Vo of the moving velocity V at a past time phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2001
    Assignee: GE Yokogawa Medical Systems, Limited
    Inventors: Hiroaki Kataoka, Yoichi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20010039381
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus and method are provided for segmenting signals from nonlinear targets such as microbubble contrast agents. Received echo signals are separated into their constituent linear and nonlinear components by a Doppler filter using pulse inversion separation. A threshold level is derived from an estimate made of the contributions to the echo signal from linear scattering and noise. Echo signals which exceed the threshold level are segmented as nonlinear (microbubble-originating) signals and displayed as such, whereas signals not exceeding the threshold are suppressed in the image display.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 12, 2001
    Publication date: November 8, 2001
    Inventors: Peter N. Burns, David Hope Simpson
  • Publication number: 20010025143
    Abstract: In forming an image without clutters indicative of a dynamic state of an echo source containing a harmonic contrast agent based on the Doppler shift of a ultrasonic echo, the variance T of the velocity of the echo source is evaluated based on the Doppler shift, and the signal strength of the image is adjusted depending on the value of variance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 23, 2001
    Publication date: September 27, 2001
    Inventor: Yoichi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 6293913
    Abstract: A Doppler ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus is characterized by: transmitting ultrasonic beams between diagnosis sites including a motion fluid in the object's body; receiving its ultrasonic echoes; generating a display image of a Doppler spectrum consisting of the spectrum every moment of a Doppler signal in an ultrasonic Doppler effect due to a motion of a motion fluid based on the ultrasonic echoes; selecting a Doppler spectrum targeted for measurement from this generated display image; automatically recognizing the heart beat range in the selected Doppler spectrum; and measuring an index value for Doppler diagnosis every heart beat range thus recognized. With this characteristics, this apparatus simplifies manual operation during measurement using the Doppler spectrum, and reduces the operation quantity and diagnosis time required for measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Tsujino, Takuya Sasaki
  • Patent number: 6287258
    Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system that reduces image flashes by selectively replacing imaging parameters with corresponding imaging parameters from prior time sequences. Imaging parameters include filtered energy, unfiltered energy, variance, acceleration, velocity, and detected echo magnitude. Imaging parameters in several consecutive time sequences can be replaced with the same prior imaging parameter value until the flash is no longer detected. Spatial averaging can be used to improve detection and suppression of image flashes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2001
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventor: Patrick J. Phillips
  • Patent number: 6258029
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quantifying and displaying ultrasound signals in an ultrasonic system are provided. A first signal value for each of at least one spatial location in a region of interest is acquired at a first time, and the signal values are summed to obtain a first surface integral value. A second signal value for each of said at least one spatial location in said region of interest is acquired at a second time, and the second signal values are summed to obtain a second surface integral value. The first surface integral value is summed with the second surface integral value to obtain a time based integral. The time based integral is displayed. Other quantities based on any of various ultrasound parameters, such as Doppler energy, Doppler velocity and B-mode intensity, are calculated and displayed as quantities or as waveforms as a function of time. Furthermore, various comparisons of quantities and waveforms are provided. Image plane data or other ultrasound data are used in the calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2001
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Ismayil M. Guracar, Samuel H. Maslak, John W. Allison, Paul E. Chandler, John I. Jackson, Arvind Jain, Laurence S. McCabe
  • Patent number: 6251075
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnosis apparatus has a plurality of units connected to each other via a particular data transmission path, the plurality of units including an ultrasonic probe, a transmission/reception control circuit, a blood flow analysis unit, a system storage, a display processing circuit, a display monitor and a CPU. Each of the units includes: data transfer means for transferring, to another unit, data having header information added thereto, the header information containing at least one of information concerning a data flow between the units on the data transmission path, and data processing information; and data processing means for processing data transferred from another unit with reference to the header information added to the data transferred from the another unit, and on the basis of the data processing information contained in the header information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2001
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Keisuke Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 6241677
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quantifying and displaying ultrasound signals in an ultrasonic system are provided. A first signal value for each of at least one spatial location in a region of interest is acquired at a first time, and the signal values are summed to obtain a first surface integral value. A second signal value for each of said at least one spatial location in said region of interest is acquired at a second time, and the second signal values are summed to obtain a second surface integral value. The first surface integral value is summed with the second surface integral value to obtain a time based integral. The time based integral is displayed. Other quantities based on any of various ultrasound parameters, such as Doppler energy, Doppler velocity and B-mode intensity, are calculated and displayed as quantities or as waveforms as a function of time. Furthermore, various comparisons of quantities and waveforms are provided. Image plane data or other ultrasound data are used in the calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2001
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Ismayil M. Guracar, Samuel H. Maslak, John W. Allison, Paul E. Chandler, John I. Jackson, Arvind Jain, Laurence S. McCabe
  • Patent number: 6234970
    Abstract: A method of enhancing the image quality of cardiologic and general untrasound echo-doppler apparatus by finite memory, ECG-gated and/or breathing gated filtering of the acquired image. The acquired scans are time-gated by the cardiac contraction cycle, or by the breathing cycle to account for cardiac deformation due to contraction or relaxation, and to cardiac movements due to lung inflation or deflation, or to cardiac-induced pulse of perfusion in non-cardiac organs and tissues. The gated scans are recursively filtered with saved images, which are processed scans of previous cardiac and/or breathing cycles. The resulting images are displayed and also saved for the next cycle filtering process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2001
    Assignee: Robin Medical Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventors: Erez Nevo, Abraham Roth
  • Patent number: 6222948
    Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system includes an ultrasonic transducer having an image data array and a tracking array at each end of the image data array. The tracking arrays are oriented transversely to the image data array. Images from the image data array are used to reconstruct a three-dimensional representation of the target. The relative movement between respective frames of the image data is automatically estimated by a motion estimator, based on frames of data from the tracking arrays. As the transducer is rotated about the azimuthal axis of the image data array, features of the target remain within the image planes of the tracking arrays. Movements of these features in the image planes of the tracking arrays are used to estimate motion as required for the three-dimensional reconstruction. Similar techniques estimate motion within the plane of an image to create an extended field of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: John A. Hossack, John W. Sliwa, Jr., Samuel H. Maslak, Edward A. Gardner, Gregory L. Holley, David J. Napolitano
  • Patent number: 6221020
    Abstract: A system and method for accumulating ultrasound information from a region of interest during a storage period are disclosed. The accumulated ultrasound information is then processed during a post-storage operation to provide a number of various and selectable analysis and display modes. Ultrasound echo signal data comprising, for example, a complete set of raw RF signal samples (or the quadrature signals I & Q) are accumulated in a cinescan memory during a storage period for multiple range positions along one or more scan lines covering a region of interest. Line interleaving and multi-line acquisition techniques may be employed in data accumulation. The accumulated echo signal data is processed during a post-storage operation to provide a number of various and selectable analysis and display modes. During the post-storage playback operation, any known signal processing and data manipulation techniques, which have conventionally been carried out in real-time during a scanning session, may be employed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2001
    Assignee: G.E. Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
    Inventors: Peter Lysyansky, Ilan Lifshitz, Nahi Halmann, Alex Sokulin
  • Patent number: 6217522
    Abstract: A pressure volume loop of the heart of a patient is obtained utilizing an electrocardiograph and a brachial-artery pressure cup pressure-measurement system having an echo-Doppler sensor positioned to measure the flow waves at the aortic root.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2001
    Assignee: Pyrotec Limited
    Inventor: Ofer Shoshan
  • Patent number: 6210334
    Abstract: A method and system for detecting energy using pulse inversion and Doppler processing are provided. Pulse inversion may be used to image the harmonic response of tissue alone or with contrast agents. Lowpass or bandpass clutter filters suppress the harmonic and/or fundamental response of tissue clutter to provide improvements in imaging, such as for imaging small vessels. Elimination of tissue clutter from both the fundamental components and second harmonic components in the Doppler domain increases the specificity of contrast agent and/or tissue.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventor: Patrick J. Phillips
  • Patent number: 6193664
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quantifying and displaying ultrasound signals in an ultrasonic system are provided. A first signal value for each of at least one spatial location in a region of interest is acquired at a first time, and the signal values are summed to obtain a first surface integral value. A second signal value for each of said at least one spatial location in said region of interest is acquired at a second time, and the second signal values are summed to obtain a second surface integral value. The first surface integral value is summed with the second surface integral value to obtain a time based integral. The time based integral is displayed. Other quantities based on any of various ultrasound parameters, such as Doppler energy, Doppler velocity and B-mode intensity, are calculated and displayed as quantities or as waveforms as a function of time. Furthermore, various comparisons of quantities and waveforms are provided. Image plane data or other ultrasound data are used in the calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2001
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Ismayil M. Guracar, Samuel H. Maslak, John W. Allison, Paul E. Chandler, John I. Jackson, Arvind Jain, Laurence S. McCabe
  • Patent number: 6190321
    Abstract: An medical diagnostic ultrasonic image processing method estimates motion between first and second composite ultrasonic images that include both B-mode and Color Doppler information. First and second B-mode images are extracted from the first and second composite ultrasonic images, respectively, and then motion is estimated between the first and second B-mode images. The estimated motion is then used to compose a multi-frame image using at least portions of the composite ultrasonic images or derivatives of the composite ultrasonic images, such as the B-mode images.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2001
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Linyong Pang, John A. Hossack, Ismayil Guracar
  • Patent number: 6176830
    Abstract: A method of initializing a spectral Doppler mode of operation for an ultrasonic system includes acquiring ultrasound-based data during a two-dimensional mode of operation for a particular examination session and includes automatically establishing settings for the Doppler mode operation parameters based upon the ultrasound-based data. That is, the ultrasound-based data is processed during the session to select spectral Doppler mode settings that are specific to the ongoing session. The session-specific settings are invoked when the system is switched to the spectral Doppler mode. If the two-dimensional mode is a colorflow mode, the Doppler sample volume can be based upon detecting the location of maximum velocity in the colorflow image, the angle correct setting can be based upon maximum velocities in colorflow vectors, the pulse repetition frequency setting can be based upon the maximum frequency shift detected in the colorflow data, and the gain setting can be based upon the amplitude of colorflow data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1999
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2001
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.
    Inventor: Paul D. Freiburger
  • Patent number: 6155981
    Abstract: In a diagnostic ultrasound imaging system, a sequence of more than two signals is transmitted into the interrogation of the patient's body. In one embodiment of the invention, the pulses are grouped as pairs that have an inverted phase, that is, one is time-domain negative of the other. In an alternative of this embodiment, the pulses need not be paired, but rather are generated with alternating phase characteristics. The return signals are then filtered to isolate (or suppress) return signal components corresponding to portions of the interrogation region with non-linear (or linear) response characteristics. In a second embodiment of the invention, three or more pulses are generated so that have non-equidistant relative phase distribution. By combining the return signals, linear return signal components are suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: December 5, 2000
    Assignee: Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Helmut Ermert, John Lazenby, Martin Krueger, Christopher Chapman, Wilko Wilkening
  • Patent number: 6150941
    Abstract: A stand-off, non-invasive acoustic detector for monitoring physical activity and/or breathing activity of children and infants. According to a preferred embodiment, the present invention comprises a two-phase output oscillator coupled to an ultrasonic transmitter and microphone. A respective one of the outputs of the oscillator drives the ultrasonic transmitter, through a power amplifier, which sends out an ultrasound wave. The echo return is picked up by the microphone and thereafter band passed to isolate those frequencies falling within 33 to 40 kHz. Such signal is further adjusted for automatic gain control. The resultant echo return signal is compared to the respective other output of the oscillator, the latter also being adjusted for automatic gain control, which are then combined via a summing junction to produce a resultant signal, the latter being utilized to drive a phase comparator and an alarm timer.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 21, 2000
    Assignee: Integrated Medical System, Inc.
    Inventors: Paul Daniel Geiger, Lonnie H. Hudgins
  • Patent number: 6142944
    Abstract: Doppler principle has been widely applied to calculate the velocity of the object in motion. In medical ultrasonic imaging, it can be used to detect blood flow or myocardial motion. However, due to the inherent limitation of the Doppler effect, the measured velocity is only the projection of the actual velocity onto the ultrasound beam direction instead of the actual velocity. In previously proposed methods for measuring or correcting the Doppler angles, some need manual correction, others use complicated algorithms. They are either inconvenient to use or difficult to implement in current systems. In the method of Doppler motion detection with automatic angle correction according to the instant invention, it focuses on the relation between the Doppler angle and signal bandwidth to compute the Doppler angle by efficient correlation processing. Specifically, it uses variance of the Doppler signal to approximate square of the Doppler bandwidth.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 7, 2000
    Assignee: National Science Council of Republic of China
    Inventors: Pai-Chi Li, Tsung-Chun Cheng
  • Patent number: 6131459
    Abstract: A levitated rotor, neutrally buoyed in ultrasound transmission fluid, moves to position and aim an ultrasound transducer in up to five servo-controlled coordinates of position and tilt rotation. Stator drive/sense windings drive the rotor via a rotor magnet and sense coordinates via inductive interactions with a rotor coil. For five-axis control, one set of stator windings controls two-axis lateral translation while a second set controls axial translation plus two-axis tilt rotation. The windings produce a comparatively linear relationship between the five rotor geometric coordinates and the electromagnetic couplings that drive and sense these coordinates. To produce this linearity seamlessly over a wide coordinate range coming close to the windings, each set of windings is divided into overlapping subsets. A two-way drive/sense matrix mapping translates between up to five control coordinates and more than five winding circuits.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 17, 2000
    Assignee: P. D. Coop, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph B. Seale, Gary E. Bergstrom
  • Patent number: 6110117
    Abstract: An improved Doppler tissue imaging mode combines two Doppler image parameters developed as respective functions of receive signals acquired from a single firing event to generate a combined image parameter for display. In one example, the combined image parameter has a color hue that varies in a piecewise linear way with Doppler tissue velocity or Doppler tissue acceleration and a color value or intensity that varies linearly with Doppler tissue energy. Because the same firing events are used to develop both Doppler image parameters for a given region of tissue, high temporal and/or spatial resolution is made possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Ting-Lan Ji, Ismayil Guracar
  • Patent number: 6110118
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quantifying and displaying ultrasound signals in an ultrasonic system are provided. A first signal value for each of at least one spatial location in a region of interest is acquired at a first time, and the signal values are summed to obtain a first surface integral value. A second signal value for each of said at least one spatial location in said region of interest is acquired at a second time, and the second signal values are summed to obtain a second surface integral value. The first surface integral value is summed with the second surface integral value to obtain a time based integral. The time based integral is displayed. Other quantities based on any of various ultrasound parameters, such as Doppler energy, Doppler velocity and B-mode intensity, are calculated and displayed as quantities or as waveforms as a function of time. Furthermore, various comparisons of quantities and waveforms are provided. Image plane data or other ultrasound data are used in the calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: August 29, 2000
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Ismayil M. Guracar, Samuel H. Maslak, John W. Allison, Paul E. Chandler, John I. Jackson, Arvind Jain, Laurence S. McCabe
  • Patent number: 6095980
    Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging method and apparatus are presented which separates broadband linear and nonlinear echo signal components while simultaneously distinguishing the effects of motion. The inventive method maps ultrasonic echo signals in the r.f. (time) domain to Doppler shift frequencies in the Doppler domain in a way that depends upon the linearity of the echoes. The inventive method does this by analyzing the phase shifts between successive echoes. Apparatus is described in which a Doppler echo ensemble is acquired by a transmit sequence of cyclically phase-varying waveforms. When the echoes of the ensemble are combined during Doppler processing, the resulting Doppler spectrum is divided into separate regions, with odd harmonics (e.g., linear signal components) residing in one region and even harmonics (e.g., second harmonic signal components) residing in another region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: August 1, 2000
    Assignee: Sunnybrook Health Science Centre
    Inventors: Peter N. Burns, David Hope-Simpson
  • Patent number: 6094050
    Abstract: A method of imaging of an object. A plurality of image datasets, for example a real part and an imaginary part of a magnetic resonance image, are acquired, and are transformed separately to a transform space and filtered. The filtered datasets are inverse transformed and recombined nonlinearly to produce the final image. The preferred transformation is a wavelet transformation. Noisy transform coefficients are suppressed by thresholding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: July 25, 2000
    Assignee: Hadasit Medical Research Services & Development Company Ltd.
    Inventors: Saleem Zaroubi, Gadi Goelman, Roland Chisin
  • Patent number: 6086539
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for quantifying and displaying ultrasound signals in an ultrasonic system are provided. A first signal value for each of at least one spatial location in a region of interest is acquired at a first time, and the signal values are summed to obtain a first surface integral value. A second signal value for each of said at least one spatial location in said region of interest is acquired at a second time, and the second signal values are summed to obtain a second surface integral value. The first surface integral value is summed with the second surface integral value to obtain a time based integral. The time based integral is displayed. Other quantities based on any of various ultrasound parameters, such as Doppler energy, Doppler velocity and B-mode intensity, are calculated and displayed as quantities or as waveforms as a function of time. Furthermore, various comparisons of quantities and waveforms are provided. Image plane data or other ultrasound data are used in the calculations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 1996
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Assignee: Acuson Corporation
    Inventors: Ismayil M. Guracar, Samuel H. Maslak, John W. Allison, Paul E. Chandler, John I. Jackson, Arvind Jain, Laurence S. McCabe
  • Patent number: 6068598
    Abstract: A method for automatic Doppler angle estimation based on the B-mode and color flow (if available) image. The method uses an algorithm for automatic vessel slope measurement which first finds an optimal initial point within the sample volume or range gate, and then searches for the most reliable pixel points (near or far walls) based on a combination of intensity-only and intensity-difference thresholds, before performing a slope estimation. B-mode intensity data and, optionally, color flow velocity or power data (before gray/color mapping) are used. The algorithm may also be applied to methods for automatic tracking of vessel diameter and flow rate calculations, although the primary objective is to achieve automatic Doppler angle estimation in an ultrasound scanner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 1998
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2000
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Lihong Pan, Michael J. Washburn, Larry Y. L. Mo
  • Patent number: 6050948
    Abstract: A technique is disclosed for accurately tracing a maximum or minimum frequency in each of Doppler-shifted frequency spectra arranged in a sequential order of time on the time axis as an M-mode Doppler image. The maximum or minimum frequency is picked up by thresholding and hence the trace accuracy depends on a threshold. The threshold is determined based on the average brightness of a sample region in which noise is dominant. Therefore, the capability of discriminating between signal and noise components improves, allowing the trace accuracy to be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2000
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Takuya Sasaki, Ryoichi Kanda
  • Patent number: 6022525
    Abstract: Microcapsules are prepared by a process comprising the steps of (i) spray-drying a solution or dispersion of a wall-forming material in order to obtain intermediate microcapsules and (ii) reducing the water-solubility of at least the outside of the intermediate microcapsules.Suitable wall-forming materials include proteins such as albumin and gelatin.The microcapsules have walls of 40-500 nm thick and are useful in ultrasonic imaging. The control of median size, size distribution and degree of insolubilisation and cross-linking of the wall-forming material allows novel microsphere preparations to be produced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2000
    Assignee: Quadrant Healthcare (UK) Limited
    Inventors: Andrew D. Sutton, Richard A. Johnson, Peter J. Senior, David Heath