US 12,653,504 B2 · Tablet ultrasound system

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments provide systems and methods for portable medical ultrasound imaging. Certain embodiments provide a multi-chip module for an ultrasound engine of a portable medical ultrasound imaging system, in which a transmit/receive chip, an amplifier chip and a beamformer chip are assembled in a vertically stacked configuration. Exemplary embodiments also provide an ultrasound engine circuit board including one or more multi-chip modules, and a portable medical ultrasound imaging system including an ultrasound engine circuit board with one or more multi-chip modules. Exemplary embodiments also provide methods for fabricating and assembling multi-chip modules as taught herein. A single circuit board of an ultrasound engine with one or more multi-chip modules may include 16 to 128 channels in some embodiments. Due to the vertical stacking arrangement of the multi-chip modules, a 128-channel ultrasound engine circuit board can be assembled within exemplary planar dimensions of about 10 cm×about 10 cm.

An ultrasonic diagnostic and measurement system, comprising:

a cart mounted battery powered tablet computing device, the cart equipped with a multiport probe connector;
a transducer probe within a handheld probe housing that includes a transducer array having at least 64 transducer elements that transmits and receives ultrasound signals to and from a region of a patient in response to transmit and receive circuitry, and a beamformer integrated circuit connected to an ultrasound control circuit within the handheld probe housing, wherein the ultrasound control circuit receives digital signals to actuate an ultrasound imaging operation, the transducer probe configured to communicate with the cart mounted battery powered tablet computing device by wireless communication;
and wherein the transducer probe is further configured to communicate with a handheld-operable tablet display computing device,
a computing device-executable set of instructions executable on the handheld-operable tablet display computing device that communicates with the ultrasound control circuit to control an operation of the beamformer integrated circuit within the handheld probe housing, the handheld-operable tablet display computing device including a tablet display, at least a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the ultrasound control circuit to control an ultrasound imaging procedure conducted with the transducer probe;
and
wherein the computing device-executable set of instructions are further executable on the cart mounted battery powered tablet computing device that communicates with the ultrasound control circuit to control an operation of the beamformer integrated circuit within the handheld probe housing, the cart mounted battery powered tablet computing device including at least one processor communicatively coupled to the ultrasound control circuit, and a touch screen display configured to operate the transducer probe for an ultrasound imaging procedure in response to a touch input, the set of instructions, when executed on at least one of the handheld-operable tablet display computing device and the cart mounted battery powered tablet computing device include the steps of:
generating a display of an ultrasound image of the region of the patient in an image display area on at least one of the touch screen display and the tablet display, the ultrasound image based on ultrasound image signals processed by the beamformer integrated circuit, and
operating a user interface on at least one of the touch screen display that are each configured to actuate a menu window wherein ultrasound image data, patient data and a plurality of imaging modes are touch actuated using inputs that specify a subset of touch controls to be implemented for a selected imaging mode and wherein at least one touch actuated menu window is configured to provide selection of one of a plurality of examination types from a preset selection window on at least one of the touch screen display and the tablet display wherein different examination types have a plurality of different previously programmed preset imaging parameters for each of the different examination types, the touch screen display and tablet display being further configured to accept:
a first gesture input that initiates an imaging procedure performed with the transducer array based on a selected preset examination type from the preset selection window;
and
a second gesture input to alter an operation of the ultrasound control circuit to select an imaging depth for the transducer array, wherein an image of a region of interest at the selected depth is generated and displayed in the image display area for the selected preset examination type.

8 more elements

Tablet ultrasound system

Life of this patent

Tablet ultrasound system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims44