Method and Apparatus for Continuous Imaging by Ultrasound Transducer System
AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
InventorMichael Peszynski
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Abstract
A low profile large aperture matrix based ultrasound transducer fixably attached to the human body by a disposable pad and is used to image the human anatomy. The image tuning and field of view is controlled remotely by inputs to the ultrasound imaging system.
Claims51
A continuous imaging ultrasound transducer and system, comprising:
- a low profile transducer, said transducer including a large aperture matrix array;
- an ultrasound imaging system that controls image tuning and positioning of scan lines generated by said matrix array;
- and
- said matrix array including a pad made of a low acoustic loss material and being sufficiently larger than an actual imaging aperture so that patient placement is not critical and imaging position may be manipulated remotely by said imaging system without any mechanical adjustment of said transducer.
The transducer and system according to claim 21 wherein said array is made of CMUT.
The transducer and system according to claim 27 wherein said wireless technology is Bluetooth® technology.
The transducer and system according to claim 29 wherein said pad is attached to a patient's body in an area of interest with adhesive on a perimeter of said pad and acoustically coupled said patient's body with said ultrasound gel.
A method for providing continuous imaging ultrasound, the steps comprising:
- generating scan lines by means of a large matrix array of a low profile transducer;
- controlling image turning and positioning of scan lines generated by a matrix array by means of an ultrasound imaging system;
- and
- providing said matrix array includes a pad made of a low acoustic loss material and being sufficiently larger than an actual imaging aperture so that patient placement is not critical and imaging position may be manipulated remotely by said imaging system without any mechanical adjustment of said transducer.
The method according to claim 32 further comprising the steps of:
- positioning said ultrasound imaging system in an imaging mode with said matrix patch over at least one imaging target having an obstruction to visualize an image by repositioning sector scanning using controls on said ultrasound imaging system to remove said obstruction from said image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.