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US 11,596,812 B2Granted
Wearable transcranial dual-mode ultrasound transducers for neuromodulation
AssigneeRegents of the University of Minnesota
InventorEmad S. Ebbini
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An ultrasound transducer array is incorporated in a light-weight, conformable, and wearable patch that may be used to deliver, monitor, and control localized transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS). The patch may include full-duplex transmit-receive circuitry that may be used for continuous monitoring of transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) application. The circuitry may include a circulator. The ultrasound transducer array may be coupled to an aperture interface having irregularly sized or shaped channel conductors to provide a coarse aperture for the array. The coarse aperture may be designed using a method that provides a reduced channel count.
Claims12
An ultrasound transducer system comprising:
- a lens layer configured to partially or completely compensate for a predetermined ultrasound beam distortion associated with an ultrasound obstacle;
- an ultrasound transducer layer configured to deliver a transmit ultrasound wavefront into the lens layer and to receive a reflected ultrasound wavefront that has passed through the lens layer corresponding to a reflection of the transmit ultrasound wavefront;
- a coarse aperture layer coupled to the ultrasound transducer layer and comprising a plurality of channel conductors, wherein each channel conductor is configured to couple to a different portion of a surface of the ultrasound transducer layer, wherein each channel conductor defines a conductive surface area having a size or shape different than at least one other channel conductor, the coarse aperture layer configured to decouple from the ultrasound transducer layer;
- a fine aperture layer configured to couple to the ultrasound transducer layer and comprising a greater number of channel conductors than the coarse aperture layer;
- and
- a backing layer comprising an electrically insulative material coupled to the coarse aperture layer.
3 more elements
A method using an ultrasound transducer system, comprising:
- partially or completely compensating for a predetermined ultrasound beam distortion associated with an ultrasound obstacle using a lens layer;
- delivering a transmit ultrasound wavefront into the lens layer and receiving a reflected ultrasound wavefront that has passed through the lens layer corresponding to a reflection of the transmit ultrasound wavefront;
- providing a coarse aperture layer coupled to the ultrasound transducer layer and comprising a plurality of channel conductors, wherein each channel conductor is configured to couple to a different portion of a surface of the ultrasound transducer layer, wherein each channel conductor defines a conductive surface area having a size or shape different than at least one other channel conductor, and the coarse aperture layer configured to decouple from the ultrasound transducer layer;
- providing a fine aperture layer configured to couple to the ultrasound transducer layer and comprising a greater number of channel conductors than the coarse aperture layer;
- and
- providing a backing layer comprising an electrically insulative material coupled to the coarse aperture layer.
3 more elements
An ultrasound transducer system comprising:
- a lens layer configured to partially or completely compensate for a predetermined ultrasound beam distortion associated with an ultrasound obstacle;
- an ultrasound transducer layer configured to deliver a transmit ultrasound wavefront into the lens layer and to receive a reflected ultrasound wavefront that has passed through the lens layer corresponding to a reflection of the transmit ultrasound wavefront;
- a coarse aperture layer coupled to the ultrasound transducer layer and comprising a plurality of channel conductors, wherein each channel conductor is configured to couple to a different portion of a surface of the ultrasound transducer layer, wherein each channel conductor defines a conductive surface area and the conductive surface area of each channel conductor has a size or shape different than all the other channel conductors;
- and
- a backing layer comprising an electrically insulative material coupled to the coarse aperture layer.
2 more elements
A method using an ultrasound transducer system, comprising:
- partially or completely compensating for a predetermined ultrasound beam distortion associated with an ultrasound obstacle using a lens layer;
- delivering a transmit ultrasound wavefront into the lens layer and receiving a reflected ultrasound wavefront that has passed through the lens layer corresponding to a reflection of the transmit ultrasound wavefront;
- providing a coarse aperture layer coupled to the ultrasound transducer layer and comprising a plurality of channel conductors, wherein each channel conductor is configured to couple to a different portion of a surface of the ultrasound transducer layer, wherein each channel conductor defines a conductive surface area and the conductive surface area of each channel conductor has a size or shape different than all the other channel conductors;
- and
- providing a backing layer comprising an electrically insulative material coupled to the coarse aperture layer.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.