Ultrasound transducer probe and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10092271-B2
Application number	US-201214110866-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 13, 2012
Priority date	Apr 13, 2011
Publication date	Oct 9, 2018
Grant date	Oct 9, 2018

Abstract

There is set forth herein a uterine probe having one or more transducer for detecting a uterine parameter. The one or more parameter can be a fetal heart rate. The one or more parameter can be uterine contraction. In one embodiment a uterine probe can include a transducer operative to emit sound waves for detection of a fetal heart rate (FHR). In one embodiment a uterine probe can include a transducer operative to emit sound waves for detection of a uterine contraction. The one or more transducer can be of a common technology or can be of different technology. In one embodiment a uterine probe can include one or more transducer that is operative to be driven in different signaling configurations. A first signaling configuration can be a signaling configuration for detection of a fetal heart rate. A second signaling configuration can be a signaling configuration for detection of uterine contraction.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasound probe comprising:
a first transducer;
a second transducer;
a carrier supporting the first transducer and the second transducer;
a first lens associated to the first transducer, the first lens having a diverging lens setting; and
a second lens associated to the second transducer, the second lens having a diverging lens setting, wherein the probe includes a center disposed transducer and three or more peripherally disposed transducers including the first transducer and the second transducer, wherein the peripherally disposed transducers have associated lenses and wherein the center disposed transducer is devoid of an associated lens, wherein the carrier supports the first transducer and the second transducer so that a line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the first transducer and a line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the second transducer are non-parallel.

2. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the first transducer has a first imaging axis, wherein the second transducer has a second imaging axis, and wherein the first imaging axis and the second imaging axis are non-parallel to one another.

3. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound probe includes a third transducer, wherein the ultrasound probe includes a third lens associated to the third transducer, the third lens having a diverging lens setting.

4. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the carrier is provided by a material member that includes the first lens and the second lens.

5. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , the probe being configured so that a distal end of the probe defines a generally concave shape with a center region of the distal end extending to a lesser extent than a plurality of points outward relative to the center region.

6. An ultrasound probe comprising:
a first transducer;
a second transducer;
a carrier supporting the first transducer and the second transducer;
wherein the first transducer is associated to a first lens, the first lens having a diverging lens setting, wherein other than the first transducer the ultrasound probe is absent of a transducer that is associated to the first lens; and
wherein the second transducer is associated to a second lens, the second lens having a diverging lens setting, wherein other than the second transducer the ultrasound probe is absent of a transducer that is associated to the second lens, wherein the carrier supports the first transducer and the second transducer so that a line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the first transducer and a line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the second transducer are non-parallel.

7. The ultrasound probe of claim 6 , wherein the first transducer has a first imaging axis, wherein the second transducer has a second imaging axis, and wherein the first imaging axis and the second imaging axis are non-parallel to one another.

8. The ultrasound probe of claim 6 , wherein the ultrasound probe includes a third transducer, wherein the ultrasound probe includes a third lens associated to the third transducer, the third lens having a diverging setting.

9. The ultrasound probe of claim 8 , wherein the carrier supports the first transducer and the second transducer and the third transducer so that a first line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the first transducer and a second line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the second transducer and a third line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the third transducer are non-parallel.

10. The ultrasound probe of claim 6 , wherein the carrier is provided by a material member that includes the first lens and the second lens.

11. The ultrasound probe of claim 6 , wherein the first lens is a spherical lens and the second lens is a cylindrical lens.

12. The probe of claim 6 , wherein the probe includes a center disposed transducer and three or more peripherally disposed transducers, wherein the peripherally disposed transducers have associated lenses and wherein the center disposed transducer is devoid of an associated lens.

13. The probe of claim 6 , wherein ultrasound signals are emitted from the first transducer and the second transducer simultaneously.

14. The probe of claim 6 , wherein a signal output by one or more of the first transducer or the second transducer is processed for fetal heart rate monitoring.

15. The probe of claim 6 , wherein a signal output by one or more of the first transducer or the second transducer is processed for uterine contraction detection.

16. The probe of claim 6 , wherein the first transducer is driven in a signaling configuration for fetal heart rate detection.

17. The probe of claim 6 , wherein the first transducer is driven in a signaling configuration for uterine contraction detection.

18. The probe of claim 6 , wherein the probe is operative so that the first transducer is driven in a first signaling configuration for uterine contraction detection and in a second signaling configuration for fetal heart rate detection.

19. The ultrasound probe of claim 6 , wherein the first lens is a spherical lens and the second lens is a cylindrical lens, wherein the ultrasound probe includes a plurality of transducers including the first transducer and the second transducer, wherein the ultrasound probe is configured including with use of the spherical lens in combination with the cylindrical lens to project an asymmetrical ultrasound beam profile, wherein the ultrasound probe is configured so that the asymmetrical ultrasound beam profile has a shape corresponding to a shape of an asymmetrical region of a patient's body.

20. The ultrasound probe of claim 6 , wherein the carrier supports the first transducer and the second transducer so that a first line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the first transducer and a second line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the second transducer are non-parallel, and wherein the carrier supports the first transducer and the second transducer so that the first line and the second line diverge from one another throughout their lengths.

21. An ultrasound probe comprising:
a first transducer;
a second transducer;
a carrier supporting the first transducer and the second transducer;
a first lens associated to the first transducer, the first lens having a diverging lens setting; and
a second lens associated to the second transducer, the second lens having a diverging lens setting, wherein ultrasound signals are emitted from the first transducer and the second transducer simultaneously, wherein a line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the first transducer and a line extending perpendicularly through an active front face surface of the second transducer are non-parallel.

22. An ultrasound probe comprising:
a first transducer;
a second transducer;
a carrier supporting the first transducer and the second transducer;
wherein the first transducer is associated to a first lens, the first lens having a diverging lens setting, wherein other than the first transducer the ultrasound probe is absent of a transducer that is associated to the first lens;
wherein the second transducer is associated to a second lens, the second lens having a diverging lens setting, wherei

Assignees

• Lewis Jr George K
• Olbricht William L
• Gelber Steven
• Lewis Sr George K
• Univ Cornell

Inventors

• Lewis Jr George K
• Olbricht William L
• Gelber Steven
• Lewis Sr George K

Classifications

• A61B8/4477

  using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes · CPC title

• A61B8/0866 Primary

  involving foetal diagnosis; pre-natal or peri-natal diagnosis of the baby · CPC title

• A61B8/5223

  for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data (for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012) · CPC title

• A61B8/488

  involving Doppler signals · CPC title

• A61B8/56

  Details of data transmission or power supply · CPC title