Ultrasound beam quality test apparatus and methods

An ultrasound beam quality test apparatus for testing fetal heart rate transducers, the ultrasound beam test apparatus comprising:

• a phantom;
• a fetal monitor;
• a computer system comprises a microprocessor, a memory, and a beam control circuit, the microprocessor is operationally related to the memory, and the beam control circuit, the beam control circuit comprises at least one of a multiplexer, and a signal comparison and analyzer;
• a fetal heart rate transducer comprises more than one of a transducer piezo-electric crystal (PZT) disc, the fetal heart rate transducer is electrically interconnected with the fetal monitor which causes each of the transducer PZT disc to generate a transducer PZT disc waveform;
• and
• an index plate comprises more than one of a hydrophone PZT disc, the phantom is placed between the fetal heart rate transducer and the index plate, each of the hydrophone PZT disc is adhered to the index plate in positions that align with and correspond to locations of each of the transducer PZT disc within the fetal heart rate transducer, each of the hydrophone PZT disc is electrically interconnected with the beam control circuit;
• the memory is encoded with instructions that when executed by the microprocessor perform the steps of:
• placing the multiplexer in receive mode for one of the hydrophone PZT disc and electrically disconnecting other of the hydrophone PZT disc;
• receiving at the signal comparison and analyzer, from selected one of the hydrophone PZT disc, a received transducer PZT disc waveform, the received transducer PZT disc waveform is the transducer PZT disc waveform from the transducer PZT disc that is positioned directly opposite selected one of the hydrophone PZT disc after passing through the phantom;
• generating, by way of the signal comparison and analyzer, a signal signature based on the received transducer PZT disc waveform;
• recording, at the computer system, the signal signature for selected one of the hydrophone PZT disc, wherein selected one of the hydrophone PZT disc corresponds to one of the transducer PZT disc;
• returning to the step of placing the multiplexer in receive mode, and selecting different one of the hydrophone PZT disc until the signal signature has been recorded for each of the hydrophone PZT disc;
• and
• generating, by way of the computer system, an ultrasound beam quality report, wherein the ultrasound beam quality report compares one or more of a predetermined reference signal signature with the signal signature recorded for each one of the hydrophone PZT disc to determine ultrasound beam quality of the fetal heart rate transducer, wherein each one of the hydrophone PZT disc corresponds to one of the transducer PZT disc.

An ultrasound beam quality test apparatus for testing fetal heart rate transducers, the ultrasound beam test apparatus comprising:

• a fetal monitor;
• a computer system comprises a microprocessor and a memory and linear actuator controller, the microprocessor is operationally related to the memory and the linear actuator controller;
• a fetal heart rate transducer comprises more than one of a transducer piezo-electric crystal (PZT) disc, the fetal heart rate transducer is electrically interconnected with the fetal monitor which causes each of the transducer PZT disc to generate a transducer PZT disc waveform;
• a linear actuator comprises a metal plate, the metal plate is movably attached to the linear actuator and is vertically adjustable by way of the linear actuator, the metal plate extends across top surface of the fetal heart rate transducer, the linear actuator controller operates the linear actuator;
• and
• the memory is encoded with instructions that when executed by the microprocessor perform the steps of:
• setting height of the metal plate to an ultrasound beam focal distance, by way of the linear actuator, wherein top surface of the fetal heart rate transducer and the metal plate are opposed with only an air gap therebetween;
• oscillating, by way of the linear actuator, the metal plate between closer to and further from top surface of the fetal heart rate transducer to generate a selected simulated fetal heartbeats per minute, wherein the transducer PZT disc waveform is reflected off of the metal plate and received at the transducer PZT disc;
• and
• determining, by way of the fetal monitor, if the fetal heart rate transducer is recording a fetal heart rate that is substantially same as the selected simulated fetal heartbeats per minute.