Equipment and method for calibration and quality assurance of an ultrasonic bone anaylsis apparatus
US5755228A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 26, 1995 |
| Grant date | May 26, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 26, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC A)Human Necessities
- CPC primaryA61B8/587
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An improvement to calibration and quality assurance of an ultrasonic bone analysis apparatus is achieved by using phantoms. A received ultrasound signal that passed through a first phantom is used as a baseline for calculating BUA. The first phantom has an attenuation-versus-frequency profile that is substantially flat in a frequency range of 200 to 1000 kHz and a sound impedance that approximates that of soft human tissue. A propagation time of the signal is used to calibrate a zero point of the apparatus. A second phantom has an attenuation in a frequency range of 200-1000 kHz which approximates that of a human foot, including an attenuation-versus-frequency profile that is substantially linear in the frequency range of 200-600 kHz and is approximately 1 dB/MHz per mm. A received ultrasound signal that passed through the second phantom is used to calibrate the apparatus for a BUA calculation, and can also be used for at least one of determining and correcting a drift of the apparatus. A third phantom has a predetermined SOS that is substantially independent of temperature. A received ultrasound signal that passed through the third phantom is used to calibrate the apparatus for a …
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.