Patent · US Expired

Miniaturized ultrasound apparatus and method

US6251073A · kind A · utility

286Cited by
4References
52Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 20, 1999
Grant dateJun 26, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 20, 2019

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S15/8979
  • WIPO fieldMedical technology
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Ultrasound apparatus for examining tissue in a region of interest in a body comprising a housing having a viewing aperture. An ultrasonic transducer is provided comprised of an array of ultrasonic elements disposed in the viewing aperture. Electrical pulses are supplied to the transducer for transducer excitation to introduce ultrasonic signals into the body for reflection from the tissue in the region of interest. The transducer is capable of converting ultrasonic signals reflected from the tissue within the body to the transducer to provide electrical signals. The electrical signals are gain corrected in accordance with time. In-phase and out-of-phase components of the electrical signals are provided and then digitized. The digitized electrical signals are collected to form one image for a single frame of the tissue in the region of interest in the body from transducer excitations less than thirty-three in number which is then displayed.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.