Ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope

Abstract

The present invention relates to ultrasound imaging on a capsule endoscope platform. It relates to the generation of a focused ultrasound acoustic signal and the receiving of echo signals from the wall of a body lumen with an array of acoustic transducers wrapped around the circumference of the capsule. It relates to sending the generated echo image signals to receiver devices attached or worn on the body. It relates to the generation of 360° overlapping sidewall ultrasound scans of a body lumen, and image processing techniques to assemble these scans into a high resolution continuous ultrasound image. Finally, it relates to the manufacture and assembly of such an ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope (USCE). The concept is extendable to conventional endoscopes and catheters.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope (USCE), comprising:
 an ultrasonic transducer array including a plurality of transducer elements, the plurality of transducer elements including a first transducer element and a second transducer element configured to be fired to provide an ultrasonic signal to intestinal wall tissue of an animal in a transmit mode, the second transducer element being configured to be fired after the first transducer element has been fired; and   clock timer circuitry configured to initiate a count in response to the second transducer element being fired, the count being related to a distance between the ultrasonic transducer array and the intestinal wall tissue of the animal,   wherein the first transducer element and the second transducer element are further configured to switch, upon the clock timer circuitry reaching the count, from the transmit mode to a receive mode to listen for an echo signal provided from the intestinal wall tissue of the animal in response to the ultrasonic signal.   
     
     
         2 . The USCE of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a housing having a size that is ingestible,   wherein the ultrasonic transducer array is arranged around a circumference of the housing.   
     
     
         3 . The USCE of  claim 2 , wherein the ultrasonic transducer array is configured and arranged within a quadrant from a plurality of quadrants around the circumference, each of the plurality of quadrants being configured to simultaneously image one or more voxels from among a plurality of voxels of the intestinal wall tissue of the animal. 
     
     
         4 . The USCE of  claim 3 , wherein the second transducer element is located at an approximate center of the quadrant, and
 wherein the first transducer element represents a transducer element from among the plurality of transducer elements that is furthest away from the approximate center of the quadrant.   
     
     
         5 . The USCE of  claim 1 , wherein the second transducer element is located at an approximate center of the ultrasonic transducer array, and
 wherein the first transducer element is located a distance away from the approximate center of the ultrasonic transducer array.   
     
     
         6 . The USCE of  claim 5 , wherein the first transducer element represents a transducer element from among the plurality of transducer elements that is furthest away from the approximate center of the ultrasonic transducer array. 
     
     
         7 . The USCE of  claim 1 , wherein the count represents a time required for the ultrasonic signal to travel approximately the distance between the ultrasonic transducer array and the intestinal wall tissue of the animal and the echo signal to travel approximately the distance between the ultrasonic transducer array and the intestinal wall tissue of the animal. 
     
     
         8 . The USCE of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a register,   wherein the clock timer circuitry is further configured to download the count into the register upon the first transducer element and the second transducer element detecting the echo signal.   
     
     
         9 . The USCE of  claim 1 , wherein the first transducer element and the second transducer element are configured to be fired to provide the ultrasonic signal to image one or more voxels of the intestinal wall tissue of the animal. 
     
     
         10 . The USCE of  claim 1 , wherein the second transducer element is fired after the first transducer element to allow the ultrasonic signal from the first transducer element and the ultrasonic signal from the second transducer element to converge at a targeted spot of the intestinal wall tissue of the animal. 
     
     
         11 . An ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope (USCE), comprising:
 a first transducer element configured to be fired to provide an ultrasonic signal in a transmit mode and to listen for an echo signal provided from intestinal wall tissue of an animal in response to the ultrasonic signal in a receive mode; and   a second transducer element configured to be fired to provide the ultrasonic signal in the transmit mode in response to the first transducer element being fired and to listen for the echo signal provided from the intestinal wall tissue of the animal in response to the ultrasonic signal in a receive mode,   wherein the first transducer element and the second transducer element are further configured to switch from the transmit mode to the receive mode upon reaching a count related to a distance between the first transducer element or the second transducer element and the intestinal wall tissue of the animal.   
     
     
         12 . The USCE of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 a housing having a size that is ingestible,   wherein the first transducer element and the second transducer element are arranged around a circumference of the housing.   
     
     
         13 . The USCE of  claim 12 , wherein the first transducer element and the second transducer element are configured and arranged within a quadrant from a plurality of quadrants around the circumference, each of the plurality of quadrants being configured to simultaneously image one or more voxels from among a plurality of voxels of the intestinal wall tissue of the animal. 
     
     
         14 . The USCE of  claim 13 , wherein the second transducer element is located at an approximate center of the quadrant, and
 wherein the first transducer element represents a transducer element from among the plurality of transducer elements that is furthest away from the approximate center of the quadrant.   
     
     
         15 . The USCE of  claim 11 , wherein the first transducer element and the second transducer element are arranged within an ultrasonic transducer array,
 wherein the second transducer element is located at an approximate center of the ultrasonic transducer array, and   wherein the first transducer element is located a distance away from the approximate center of the ultrasonic transducer array.   
     
     
         16 . The USCE of  claim 15 , wherein the first transducer element represents a transducer element from among the plurality of transducer elements that is furthest away from the approximate center of the ultrasonic transducer array. 
     
     
         17 . The USCE of  claim 11 , wherein the count represents a time required for the ultrasonic signal to travel approximately the distance between the first transducer element or the second transducer element and the intestinal wall tissue of the animal and the echo signal to travel approximately the distance between the first transducer element or the second transducer element and the intestinal wall tissue of the animal. 
     
     
         18 . The USCE of  claim 11 , wherein the first transducer element and the second transducer element configured to be fired to provide the ultrasonic signal to image one or more voxels of the intestinal wall tissue of an animal. 
     
     
         19 . The USCE of  claim 11 , wherein the second transducer element is fired after the first transducer element to allow the ultrasonic signal from the first transducer element and the ultrasonic signal from the second transducer element to converge at a targeted spot of the intestinal wall tissue of the animal. 
     
     
         20 . A method for operating an ultrasound scanning capsule endoscope (USCE), the method comprising:
 firing a first transducer element of an ultrasonic transducer array to provide an ultrasonic signal to intestinal wall tissue of an animal in a transmit mode;   firing a second transducer element of the ultrasonic transducer array to provide the ultrasonic signal in the transmit mode in response to the first transducer element being fired;   initiating a count related to a distance between the ultrasonic transducer array and the intestinal wall tissue of the animal;   switching the first transducer element and the second transducer element from the transmit mode to a receive mode upon reaching the count; and   listening, by the first transducer element and the second transducer element, for an echo signal provided from the intestinal wall tissue of the animal in response to the ultrasonic signal.