# US 2021/0278531 A1 · Network-based ultrasound imaging system

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- Number: US 2021/0278531 A1
- Document ID: US20210278531A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 17/330,301
- Filed: 2021-05-25
- Published: 2021-09-09
- Earliest claimed: 2014-08-18
- Assignees: Maui Imaging, Inc.
- Applicants: Maui Imaging, Inc.
- Inventors: Josef R. CALL; Henry A. DAVIS; David M. SMITH; David J. SPECHT; Viet Nam LE; Lang J. McHARDY; Joseph James DIGIOVANNI, II; Nathan W. OSBORN; Bruce R. RITZI
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210278531A1

## CPC

- G01S 15/8929: {using a three-dimensional transducer configuration}
- A61B 8/14: Echotomography
- A61B 8/483: {involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data}
- A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image}
- A61B 8/523: {for generating planar views from image data in a user selectable plane not corresponding to the acquisition plane}
- A61B 8/565: {involving data transmission via a network}
- G01S 7/52053: {Display arrangements}
- G01S 15/89: for mapping or imaging
- G01S 15/8925: {the array being a two-dimensional transducer configuration, i.e. matrix or orthogonal linear arrays}
- G01S 15/8993: {Three dimensional imaging systems}
- G06F 3/14: Digital output to display device {; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units}
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)

## Abstract

Systems and methods for network-based ultrasound imaging are provided, which can include a number of features. In some embodiments, an ultrasound imaging system images an object with three-dimensional unfocused pings and obtains digital sample sets from a plurality of receiver elements. A sub-set of the digital sample sets can be electronically transferred to a remote server, where the sub-set can be beamformed to produce a series of two-dimensional image frames. A video stream made up of the series of two-dimensional images frames can then be transferred from the remote server to a display device.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A method of ultrasound imaging comprising the steps of:
transmitting an unfocused three-dimensional ping into an object from a transmitter element of a transducer array in a probe of a data capture device;
receiving echoes of the unfocused three-dimensional ping from one or more reflectors with a plurality of receiver elements of the transducer array;
converting analog signals from each of the plurality of receiver elements into a full dataset of digital sample sets, wherein the full dataset comprises digital sample sets from all the receiver elements;
communicating the full dataset to a network-based image generation system;
in the network-based image generation system, combining digital sample sets from a plurality of the receiver elements to represent a three-dimensional location of each reflector as a voxel in a 3D volume;
selecting first voxel within the 3D volume;
identifying closest digital sample sets within the full dataset to the selected first voxel for each receiver element;
summing the closest digital sample sets to produce a final representation of the selected first voxel.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising repeating the selecting, identifying, and summing steps for a plurality of selected voxels.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1 where the final representation of the selected first voxel is made up of combined data from a plurality of receiver elements.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a second unfocused three-dimensional ping into an object from a second transmitter element, and repeating the receiving, converting, communicating, combining, selecting, identifying, and summing steps or the second unfocused three-dimensional ping.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising coherently combining the closest digital sample sets when the receiver elements fall within the same coherence window.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising incoherently combining the closest digital sample sets when the receiver elements fall outside of the same coherence window.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The method of claim 1, further comprising coherently or incoherently combining the voxels of the 3D volume to form a 3D image.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The method of claim 7, further comprising extracting a 2D slide of pixels from the 3D volume to form a two-dimensional image.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting a desired two-dimensional image with a user interface.