Ultrasound device and method of assessing a bone of a subject

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016338663-A1
Application number	US-201515110969-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jan 14, 2015
Priority date	Jan 17, 2014
Publication date	Nov 24, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

An embodiment of this invention provides an ultrasound device and a method of assessing a bone of a subject. The ultrasound device assesses a bone of a subject in at least two modes comprising a first mode and a second mode. The ultrasound device comprises: a selecting unit configured to select a mode from the at least two modes; a first ultrasound probe configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to the bone; a second ultrasound probe configured to receive the ultrasound signal from the bone; an assessing unit configured to derive a first parameter indicating one or more characteristics of the bone based on the selected mode and the ultrasound signal received by the second ultrasound probe; and a coupler for coupling the first ultrasound probe and the second ultrasound probe, the coupler being configured to be switched to a first configuration in the first mode and to a second configuration in the second mode. A face of the first ultrasound probe and a face of the second ultrasound probe are oriented in substantially a same direction in the first configuration, and in substantially an opposite direction in the second configuration. An embodiment of this invention improves the flexibility of usage of the ultrasound assessment device.

First claim

1 . An ultrasound device for assessing a bone of a subject in at least two modes comprising a first mode and a second mode, comprising:
a selecting unit configured to select a mode from the at least two modes; a first ultrasound probe having a first face to be brought into contact with skin of the subject and configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to the bone; a second ultrasound probe having a second face to be brought into contact with skin of the subject and configured to receive the ultrasound signal from the bone; an assessing unit configured to derive a first parameter indicating one or more characteristics of the bone based on the selected mode and the ultrasound signal received by the second ultrasound probe in the first mode or in the second mode; and a coupler for coupling the first ultrasound probe and the second ultrasound probe), the coupler being configured to be switched to a first configuration in the first mode and to a second configuration in the second mode; wherein the first face and the second face are oriented in substantially a same direction in the first configuration, and in substantially an opposite direction in the second configuration.

2 . The ultrasound device according to claim 1 , wherein
the at least two modes comprise a third mode; the first ultrasound probe is further configured to receive an echo signal of the ultrasound signal from the bone in the third mode; and the assessing unit is further configured to derive a second parameter indicating one or more other characteristics of the bone based on the selected mode and the echo signal received by the first ultrasound unit in the third mode.

3 . The ultrasound device according to claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises two arms, an intersection angle of the two arms are adjustable, and the first ultrasound probe and the second ultrasound probe are respectively rotatably coupled to ends of the two arms remote from the an axis.

4 . The ultrasound device according to claim 1 , wherein the coupler comprises two non-retractable portions and a retractable portion arranged therebetween, which is retractable to different lengths, as required, into the two non-retractable portions, an angle between any of the two non-retractable portions and the retractable portion is adjustable, and the first ultrasound probe and the second ultrasound probe are respectively rotatably coupled to the two non-retractable portions.

5 . The ultrasound device according to claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound signal comprises a first ultrasound sub-signal in a first frequency band and/or a second ultrasound sub-signal in a second frequency band, and the second frequency band is higher than the first frequency band.

6 . The ultrasound device according to claim 5 , wherein the first ultrasound probe comprises two ultrasound transducers respectively configured to transmit the first and second ultrasound sub-signal.

7 . The ultrasound device according to claim 5 , wherein the first ultrasound unit comprises an ultrasound transducer configured to transmit the first and second ultrasound sub-signal.

8 . The ultrasound device according to claim 5 , wherein the first frequency band is [0.5 MHz, 2 MHz], and the second frequency band is [4 MHz, 6 MHz].

9 . The ultrasound device according to claim 5 , wherein the assessing unit is configured to
derive a third parameter based on the second ultrasound sub-signal, the third parameter indicating a coupling effect caused by soft tissue around the bone; and derive the first parameter based on the first ultrasound sub-signal and the derived third parameter, the first parameter indicating one or more characteristics of the bone.

10 . The ultrasound device according to claim 1 , wherein
at least one ultrasound probe of the first ultrasound probe and the second ultrasound probe further comprises at least one pressure sensor for measuring the pressure applied to the face of the at least one ultrasound probe; and the assessing unit is configured to derive the first parameter based on the received ultrasound signal and the measured pressure.

11 . The ultrasound device according to claim 10 , wherein the at least one pressure sensor comprises three pressure sensors, the distance between any two of the three pressure sensors being constant.

12 . The ultrasound device according to claim 6 , wherein each of the two ultrasound transducers is movable in a certain range so as to measure at a plurality of sites on the subject, the assessing unit is configured to derive the first parameter at each of the plurality of sites, and the ultrasound device further comprises an averaging unit configured to average the first parameters derived at the plurality of sites to obtain an averaged first parameter.

13 . The ultrasound device according to claim 7 , wherein the ultrasound transducer is movable in a certain range so as to measure at a plurality of sites on the subject, the assessing unit is configured to derive the first parameter at each of the plurality of sites, and the ultrasound device further comprises an averaging unit configured to average the first parameters derived at the plurality of sites to obtain an averaged first parameter.

14 . The ultrasound device according to claim 1 , wherein the assessing unit is configured to derive the first parameter based on the selected mode, on the ultrasound signal received by the second ultrasound probe, and on a received fourth parameter indicating a distance between the first ultrasound probe and the second ultrasound probe.

15 . A method of assessing a bone of a subject in at least two modes comprising a first mode and a second mode using an ultrasound device according to claim 1 , comprising:
selecting a mode from the at least two modes; transmitting an ultrasound signal to the bone using a first ultrasound probe; receiving the ultrasound signal from the bone using a second ultrasound probe; and deriving a first parameter indicating one or more characteristics of the bone based on the selected mode and the ultrasound signal received by the second ultrasound probe in the first or second mode.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Chen Jiangang
• Xu Jingping

Classifications

• A61B8/4254

  using sensors mounted on the probe · CPC title

• A61B6/505

  for diagnosis of bone · CPC title

• A61B8/4477

  using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes · CPC title

• A61B8/4444

  related to the probe · CPC title

• A61B8/15

  Transmission-tomography · CPC title