Ultrasound imaging with sparse array probes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10856846-B2
Application number	US-201715418534-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 27, 2017
Priority date	Jan 27, 2016
Publication date	Dec 8, 2020
Grant date	Dec 8, 2020

Abstract

Sparse arrays of transducer elements may be beneficial in providing ultrasound transducer probes with a wide total aperture while containing a manageable number of transducer elements. Sparse arrays made with bulk piezoelectric materials or with arrays of micro-elements can be effectively with ping-based multiple aperture ultrasound imaging techniques to perform real-time volumetric imaging.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A ping-based ultrasound transducer probe comprising:
an array of ultrasound transducing micro-elements, where each micro-element has a diameter less than 500 microns;
a first group of micro-elements electrically connected to a first signal conductor;
a second group of micro-elements electrically connected to a second signal conductor, the second signal conductor being electrically separate from the first signal conductor; and
a third group of micro-elements positioned between the first group and the second group, the third group of micro-elements being permanently disconnected from any signal conductors
wherein at least a majority of micro-elements of the array are spaced from adjacent micro-elements by a distance of half of a maximum operating wavelength of the array.

2. The transducer probe of claim 1 wherein each micro-element has a diameter between 25 microns and 200 microns.

3. The transducer probe of claim 1 wherein some of the micro-elements of the first group are differently sized than other micro-elements of the first group, wherein the size of a micro-element corresponds its fundamental operating frequency.

4. The transducer probe of claim 1 wherein the micro-elements of the first group are connected to a first ground conductor and the micro-elements of the second group are connected to a second ground conductor not electrically connected to the first ground conductor.

5. The transducer probe of claim 1 wherein the first group of micro-elements includes more micro-elements than the second group.

6. The transducer probe of claim 1 wherein the first group of micro-elements collectively forms a dedicated transmit element and the second group of micro-elements collectively forms a dedicated receive element.

7. The transducer probe of claim 1 further comprising a fourth group of micro-elements electrically connected to the first signal conductor by a switch that, when closed causes the fourth group to form a combined element with first group.

8. The transducer probe of claim 7 , wherein the micro-elements of the fourth group collectively surround the micro-elements of the first group.

9. The transducer probe of claim 7 , wherein the fourth group of micro-elements is adjacent to the first group of micro-elements.

10. The transducer probe of claim 7 , wherein the combined element has a different shape than the first group alone.

11. The transducer probe of claim 7 , wherein the combined element has a shape that is the same as a shape of the first group but a different size.

Assignees

• Maui Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Davis Henry A
• Specht Donald F
• Call Josef R
• Adam Sharon L
• Smith David M
• GOKBORA Erik

Classifications

• G01S15/8927

  using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures · CPC title

• G01S15/8925

  the array being a two-dimensional transducer configuration, i.e. matrix or orthogonal linear arrays · CPC title

• G01S7/52079

  Constructional features (constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44) · CPC title

• B06B1/0622

  on one surface · CPC title

• A61B8/4494 Primary

  characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements · CPC title