Ultrasound system with improved coupling fluid
US5052393A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 13, 1989 |
| Grant date | Oct 1, 1991 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 13, 2009 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG10K11/02
- WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
An ultrasound system, employable for medical imaging, includes an electronics module and a probe. The probe includes a body, a transducer, a driver, a window and coupling fluid. The electronics module includes a transmitter which generates transmission pulses which are converted by the transducer to ultrasound pulses and a receiver which analyzes electrical signals resulting from the conversion of ultrasonic reflections received by the transducer. The electronics module controls delays in the transmission and reception between individual elements of the annular phased array transducer to control focussing. The driver provides for mechanical steering of the transducer. The coupling fluid provides for ultrasonic coupling between the transducer and the window and the subject while permitting the steering movement of the transducer. The coupling fluid is a mixture of 1-Butanol in Glycerol. The attenuation of that mixture can be adjusted without impairing velocity matching by adding suitable amounts of 2-Hydroxyethyl ether.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.