System for acquiring ultrasound images of an organ of a human body

Abstract

A system for acquiring ultrasound images of an organ of a human body comprises a scanner and at least one inertial measurement unit (IMU) associated therewith.

1 . A system for acquiring ultrasound images of an organ of a human body, comprising a scanner and at least one inertial measurement unit (IMU) associated therewith. 
     
     
         2 . A system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one IMU is integral with the scanner or connected therewith via a plug-in connection. 
     
     
         3 . (canceled) 
     
     
         4 . A system according to  claim 1 , wherein the at least one IMU is provided in an element associated with the scanner and moving therewith during operation. 
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to issue instructions to the operator of the system that allow scans to be performed also by persons not trained for ultrasound scanning including the patient themselves. 
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the scanner comprises a housing that is ergonomically designed to be held by an operator and moved across the skin of a person or animal. 
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the housing comprises, or has associated therewith, at least the minimum number of components of the system that must be located on the patient's body to obtain the ultrasound images. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein the minimum number of components in, or
 associated with the housing are: i) an ultrasound probe head; ii) the at least one IMU, which comprises a three-axis accelerometer and a three-axis gyroscope; iii) electronic components for wired or wireless communication with remote terminals, and iv) a power source.   
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 7 , which comprises other components that may be arranged in many different configurations in which at least some of them are located within the housing. 
     
     
         10 . (canceled) 
     
     
         11 . (canceled) 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein the other components of the system are: v) an Analog Front End (AFE) that transmits and receives ultrasound signals by means of electronic components; vi) a processor containing software; vii) a user interface comprising a display screen and means to accept user's instructions; and viii) device component adapted to store data and images processed by the software in the processor. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the electronic components of the AFE comprise transmitters, receivers, amplifiers, and analog to digital (A/D and digital to analog (D/A) converters. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 12  wherein the software is configured to operate the system and to receive and process ultrasound signals received from the AFE to produce ultrasound images and to receive and process inertial measurement signals received from the IMU. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the AFE, IMU, processor such as MCU, FPGA. CPLD, memory devices, and communication components are provided as separate integrated circuits (ICs) or integrated into one or more ASICs that comprise at least some of the ICs. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the system comprises additional components. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the additional components comprise at least one of: ix) a remote terminal; x) at least one additional IMU; xi) at least one three-axis magnetometer; xii) at least one pressure sensor; and xiii) a speaker and a microphone for communicating with a remote health care provider. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein the software is configured to execute at least one of the following: to produce ultrasound images; to analyze the data; to decide which images are of sufficient quality to be displayed on the display screen; to discard low quality images; to instruct the operator to hold the housing of the scanner in a predetermined manner; to compute the location and attitude of the scanner and, if desired, the roll and pitch yaw; to determine if the scanner is being held such that enough pressure is being exerted on the skin to produce an image of sufficient quality; and to effectively provide instructions how to move the scanner correctly in order to obtain satisfactory. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein instructions to the operator that are generated by the software are provided visually on the display screen or audibly from the speakers. 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein instructions to the operator are provided visually on the display screen or audibly from the speakers by a trained health care professional located at a remote terminal. 
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein the electronic communication component is selected from one or more of USB, Lightning, fiber optic, Wi-Fi, UWB, Bluetooth and IR. 
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 18 , comprising an IMU-independent component adapted to alert the user in case of insufficient coupling between the apparatus and the body. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 18 , comprising an IMU-independent component adapted to alert the user if the scanning speed is too fast.