Three-dimensional imaging system
US5842473A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 24, 1995 |
| Grant date | Dec 1, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 24, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S128/916
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A three-dimensional ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound probe to direct ultrasound waves to and to receive reflected ultrasound waves from a target volume of a subject under examination. The ultrasound probe is swept over the target volume along a linear scanning path and the reflected ultrasound waves are conveyed to a computer wherein successive two-dimensional images of the target volume are digitized. The digitized two-dimensional images can be used to generate a three-dimensional image with virtually no delay. A user interface allows a user to manipulate the displayed image. Specifically, the entire displayed image may be rotated about an arbitrary axis, a surface of the displayed image may be translated to provide different cross-sectional views of the image and a selected surface of the displayed image may be rotated about an arbitrary axis. All of these manipulations can be achieved via a single graphical input device such as a mouse connected to the computer.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.