US 2017/0284969 A1 · ACCURATELY CALCULATING ACOUSTIC TIME-OF-FLIGHT

Abstract

The subject disclosure presents systems and computer-implemented methods for determining an acoustic time-of-flight (TOF) of sound waves through a sample material with greater accuracy and in a more repeatable fashion, by invoking one or more of an envelope generation for an error function, fitting a non-linear curve to an ultrasound frequency sweep, or performing a clustered piece-wise linear regression on individual linear parts of the ultrasonic frequency sweep. The systems and methods are useful for, among other things, monitoring diffusion of fluids through porous materials, such as tissue samples.

Claims30

Dependent claims

A method of obtaining a tissue sample (910) that is sufficiently diffused with a liquid, said method comprising:

(a) immersing the tissue sample into a volume of the liquid;
(b) tracking diffusion of the liquid through the tissue sample by:
(b1) transmitting an acoustical signal from a transmitter (902) through the tissue sample when the tissue sample is immersed in the liquid;
(b2) detecting the transmitted acoustical signal after the transmitted acoustical signal has passed through the tissue sample by a receiver (904);
(b3) calculating time of flight (ToF) of the acoustical signal on a computing system comprising a processor (205);
and
(b4) repeating (b1)-(b3) until the calculated ToF reaches a predefined threshold value, wherein the predefined threshold value indicates that the tissue sample is sufficiently diffused with the liquid.

4 more elements

A system for monitoring diffusion of a liquid into a tissue sample comprising:

(a) a container for immersing the tissue sample in a volume of the liquid;
(b) a transmitter arranged in or around the container in a position that permits transmission of the acoustical signal through the tissue sample when the tissue sample is immersed in the volume of liquid in the container;
(c) a receiver arranged in or around the container at a fixed distance from the transmitter and positioned to receive the acoustical signal after the acoustical signal has been transmitted through the tissue sample;
(d) a computing device communicatively coupled to the transmitter and receiver, the computing device configured to:
(d1) calculate a time of flight (ToF) of the acoustical signal between the transmitter and receiver, by
(d1a) transmitting a frequency sweep of the acoustical signal between a transmitter (902) and a receiver (904), wherein the transmitter and receiver are positioned so that the frequency passes through the material before encountering the receiver;
(d1b) detecting the frequency sweep of the acoustic signal with the receiver;
(d1c) calculating time of flight of the acoustical signal by obtaining an error function of a frequency sweep of the acoustic signal;
and,
(d1d) generating an envelope of the error function, wherein the time-of-flight is based on a minimum of the error function;
and,
(d2) generate a signal when the ToF reaches a predetermined threshold.

9 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Accurately calculating acoustic time-of-flight

Life of this patent

Accurately calculating acoustic time-of-flight

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims30