Embedded motion sensing technology for integration within commercial ultrasound probes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10026338-B2
Application number	US-201213481725-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2012
Priority date	Nov 30, 2004
Publication date	Jul 17, 2018
Grant date	Jul 17, 2018

Abstract

An ultrasound system including an ultrasound machine and an ultrasound probe. The ultrasound probe includes an ultrasound transducer, ultrasound circuitry, a six degree of freedom (6-DOF) sensor, and a probe housing. The probe housing encases the ultrasound transducer and the 6-DOF sensor. By embedding motion-sensing technology directly within the housing of the ultrasound transducer, the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe can be tracked in an automated manner in relation to an indicator mark on the ultrasound screen. This allows assisting technologies to mitigate human error that arises from misalignment of the transducer indicator.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An embedded ultrasound training system, the ultrasound training system having a standard mode and a training mode, the ultrasound training system comprising:
(a) an ultrasound machine, the ultrasound machine displaying a probe indicator icon, the ultrasound machine configured to operate in the standard mode and the training mode; and
(b) an ultrasound probe, the ultrasound probe communicating with the ultrasound machine through a data cable, the ultrasound probe comprising:
(i) a sensing head;
(ii) an ultrasound transducer that, when operated, transmits acoustic waves from and measures reflected waves received at the sensing head to produce a reflected wave signal,
(iii) ultrasound circuitry, the ultrasound circuitry receiving the reflected wave signal from the ultrasound transducer and transmitting an image signal to the ultrasound machine,
(iv) a reference indicator, the reference indicator comprising a direction indicator to orient the ultrasound probe,
(v) an inertial sensor, the inertial sensor measuring a position and an orientation of the ultrasound probe, the inertial sensor comprising an accelerometer;
(vi) a compression sensor, the compression sensor comprising a resistive strain gauge and measuring a force on the sensor head, and
(vii) a probe housing encasing the ultrasound transducer, the inertial sensor, and the compression sensor; and

(c) a library of pre-recorded ultrasound cases connected to the training mode to simulate the functioning of the ultrasound probe as if in actual standard mode;
wherein the ultrasound transducer is active in the standard mode to allow a user to scan a patient through transmitted acoustic waves and reflected acoustic waves, the ultrasound transducer is inactive in the training mode to allow the user to use the ultrasound probe as a motion sensing peripheral in a simulated environment to navigate the library of pre-recorded ultrasound cases,
whereby, the position and the orientation of the ultrasound probe are displayed on the ultrasound machine.

2. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , where the ultrasound transducer is a piezoelectric element.

3. A method of using an ultrasound system having a training mode and a standard mode, the method comprising the steps of:
(a) providing the ultrasound training system of claim 1
(b) using the ultrasound training system in the standard mode by:
(i) first activating the ultrasound transducer,
(ii) operating the ultrasound probe to scan a patient, the ultrasound transducer transmitting acoustic waves and measuring reflected waves to produce a reflected wave signal,
(iii) the ultrasound circuitry receiving the reflected wave signal from the ultrasound transducer and transmitting an image signal to the ultrasound machine, and
(iv) the ultrasound machine displaying an ultrasound image; and
(c) using the ultrasound training system in the training mode by first enabling the training mode, employing the ultrasound probe as a motion sensing peripheral to navigate the library of pre-recorded ultrasound cases based on the measured position and orientation of the ultrasound probe, the ultrasound machine displaying the library of pre-recorded ultrasound cases.

4. The method of claim 3 , where the step of using the ultrasound training system in the training mode further comprises the step of augmenting the library of pre-recorded ultrasound cases with one or more anatomical annotations before navigating the library of pre-recorded ultrasound cases.

5. The method of claim 3 , where the step of using the ultrasound training system in the training mode further comprises the step of coordinating the probe indicator icon to the inertial sensor such that the probe indicator icon moves in a coordinated fashion to the reference indicator of the ultrasound probe and the library of pre-recorded ultrasound cases responds to the measured position and orientation of the ultrasound probe.

6. The method of claim 5 , where the step of coordinating the probe indicator icon in relation to the inertial sensor comprises wirelessly coupling the inertial sensor to a reference beacon connected to the ultrasound training system.

7. The method of claim 5 , further comprising the steps of:
(a) detecting a misalignment between the probe indicator icon and the reference indicator; and
(b) providing an alert to a user about the detected misalignment.

8. The method of claim 7 , where the alert is visual.

9. The method of claim 7 , where the alert is auditory.

Assignees

• Savitsky Eric
• Katz Dan
• Nataneli Gabriele
• Univ California

Inventors

• Savitsky Eric
• Katz Dan
• Nataneli Gabriele

Classifications

• A61B8/4254

  using sensors mounted on the probe · CPC title

• G09B23/286 Primary

  for scanning or photography techniques, e.g. X-rays, ultrasonics · CPC title