Non focussed method of exciting and controlling acoustic fields in animal body parts
AssigneeWalnut Technologies
InventorsHewlett E. Melton, Jr., James T. Fearnside, Claudio I. Zanelli
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Abstract
The effect of ultrasound irradiation of a human or other animal body portion is enhanced by operating the body portion as a trapped mode resonator. The intensity and location of resonances within the body portion is controlled by controlling such variables as the amplitude, frequency and/or phase of the ultrasound irradiation. This minimizes the overall energy required to be applied to the body portion in order to achieve a desired localized intensity level.
Claims10
Apparatus for generating an acoustic field in a selected body portion of a living being comprising:
- an acoustic generator positionable exterior to a region of said selected portion for injecting acoustic waves into said selected portion, wherein the frequency of said acoustic waves is selectable to cause said selected body portion to resonate with a Q greater than 1, further including means for controlling one or more of the amplitude, frequency or phase of said acoustic generator in order to thereby control the motion of the nodes and anti-nodes of the acoustic field within said selected portion of said living being.
A method of generating spatially localized acoustic pressure anti-nodes in a selected portion of an animal body from an acoustic generator comprising:
- positioning an acoustic generator exterior to a region of said body capable of acting as an acoustic resonator;
- driving said resonator at a plurality of frequencies chosen to thereby establish standing anti-nodes in said body region.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.