Acquisition and display of ultrasonic images from sequentially oriented image planes

An ultrasonic imaging system for providing planar image information, said system including means for providing spatially identified planar images for three dimensional imaging comprising:

• an ultrasonic scanhead including means for ultrasonically scanning a plane of a subject;
• accelerometer means attached to said scanhead and oriented with respect to one or more axes of said scanhead, for sensing movement of said scanhead;
• means, coupled to said scanhead, for receiving ultrasonic information signals received from a plurality of scan planes of said subject and acceleration signals from said accelerometer means;
• means, responsive to the receipt of said ultrasonic information signals, for developing image information of said scan planes in response to said ultrasonic information signals;
• means for processing said acceleration signals produced by said accelerometer means to determine positional information of said scan planes with respect to a reference position;
• and
• means for displaying said image information as a function of said positional information,
• wherein said processing means includes means for processing said aacceleration signals to calculate linear and angular accelerations of said scanhead.

An ultrasonic imaging system for providing planar image information, said system including means for providing spatially identified planar images for three dimensional imaging comprising:

• an ultrasonic scanhead including means for ultrasonically scanning a plane of a subject;
• accelerometer means attached to said scanhead and oriented with respect to one or more axes of said scanhead for sensing movement of said scanhead;
• means, coupled to said scanhead, for receiving ultrasonic information signal received from a plurality of scan planes of said subject and acceleration signals from said accelerometer means;
• means, responsive to the receipt of said ultrasonic information signals, for developing image information of said scan planes in response to said ultrasonic information signals;
• means for processing said acceleration signals produced by said accelerometer means to determine positional information of said scan planes with respect to a reference position;
• and
• means for displaying said image information as a function of said positional information,
• wherein said processing means comprises means for determining the second integral of said acceleration signals.

An ultrasonic imaging system for providing planar image information, said system including means for providing spatially identified planar images for three dimensional imaging comprising:

• an ultrasonic scanhead including means for ultrasonically scanning a plane of a subject;
• accelerometer means attached to said scanhead and oriented with respect to one or more axes of said scanhead, for sensing movement of said scanhead;
• means, coupled to said scanhead, for receiving ultrasonic information signals received from a plurality of scan planes of said subject and acceleration signals from said accelerometer means;
• means, responsive to the receipt of said ultrasonic information signals, for developing image information of said scan planes in response to said ultrasonic information signals;
• means for processing said acceleration signals produced by said accelerometer means to determine positional information of said scan planes with respect to a reference position;
• and
• means for displaying said image information as a function of said positional information,
• wherein said accelerometer means includes a plurality of accelerometer located within the housing of said scanhead.