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US 6,641,537 B2Granted
Multi-zone transmitter for quantitative ultrasound and image measurement
AssigneeGE Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC
InventorsRichard Franklin Morris, Steven Taylor Morris, Duane Anthony Kaufman
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An ultrasonic transmission unit for an imaging/quantitative ultrasound device provides for coaxial transducer crystals which may be operated independently with a first crystal operated alone for quantitative measurement and the first and second crystal operated together to provide a broad illumination for imaging of structure.
Claims22
A bone imaging and quantitative ultrasound device comprising:
- an ultrasonic receiver unit providing a reception element of a first predetermined area;
- an ultrasonic transmitter unit having a transmission element of a second predetermined area, the ultrasonic transmitter unit positioned in opposition across a measurement region from the ultrasonic receiver unit for directing ultrasonic acoustic waves to the reception element, the ultrasonic transmitter unit further including means for independently transmitting ultrasonic acoustic waves from a first and second portion of the transmission element;
- and
- a controller communicating with the ultrasonic transmitter unit to alternately transmit ultrasonic acoustic waves from (a) only the first portion of the transmission element for preparing a quantitative data, and (b) both the first and second portions of the transmission element for preparing an image data.
1 more element
A method of providing quantitative and image data of in vivo bone comprising the steps of:
- (a) arranging an ultrasonic receiver unit providing a reception element of a first predetermined area in opposition to an ultrasonic transmitter unit having a transmission element of a second predetermined area across a measurement region wherein the ultrasonic transmitter unit including means for independently transmitting ultrasonic acoustic waves from a first and a second portion of the transmission element;
- (b) alternately transmitting ultrasonic acoustic waves from (a) only the first portion of the transmission element for preparing a quantitative measurement and (b) both the first and second portions of the transmission element for preparing an image.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.