System and method for detecting and aligning acoustic beam in situ to a target using wide-beam, low frequency (<1 mhz) ultrasound
AssigneeApplaud Medical, Inc.
InventorsWilliam Behnke-Parks, Daniel Laser
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Abstract
The present invention is directed to a novel target detecting device comprising an excitation transducer generating a low frequency pulses of weakly focused ultrasonic energy and a sensing transducer. The present invention also includes a method of aligning a treatment transducer to a target by mapping the target in situ by sending a low frequency ultrasound signal and receiving reflected signals from the target. These inventions provide a simpler way of determining the location of a target and aligning a treatment transducer without the need to generate and interpret an image and then translate the image back onto the target.
Claims65
A system for locating a target smaller than 2.3 cm in situ comprising
- an excitation transducer emitting pulses of ultrasonic energy having one or more frequency ranging from 100 kHz to 1 MHz,
- wherein said ultrasonic energy is weakly focused in a volume beginning at least 3 cm away from an aperture and extending at least 4 cm away from the aperture;
- and
- a sensing transducer receiving a component of the pulses of ultrasonic energy emitted by said excitation transducer upon reflection from the target,
- wherein said component of the pulses of ultrasonic energy is related to a position of the target.
A method for locating a target smaller than 2.3 cm in situ, comprising steps of:
- emitting pulses of ultrasonic energy having one or more frequency ranging from 100 kHz to 1 MHz by an excitation transducer,
- wherein said ultrasonic energy is weakly focused in a volume beginning at least 3 cm away from an aperture and extending at least 4 cm away from the aperture;
- and
- receiving, by a sensing transducer, a component of the pulses of ultrasonic energy emitted by said excitation transducer upon reflection from the target,
- wherein said component of the pulses of ultrasonic energy is related to a position of the target.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.