US5320104A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Transesophageal ultrasound probe
Assignee: Koninklijke Philips NV
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Filing: 1992-11-18
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Granted: 1994-06-14
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Expires: 2012-11-18
Abstract
Abstract An endoscopic ultrasound probe for use in transesophageal echo cardiography comprises a rotatable ultrasound transducer array for obtaining two-dimensional cross-sectional images along a variety of scan planes. The array is formed of a plurality of transducer elements and rotates about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the transducer elements. The rotating array defines a circular region of rotation and has a surface area which substantially matches the area of the circular region of rotation within the probe. More specifically, the elements of the array have varying mechanical lengths such that the rotatable array may have a circular shape, a substantially circular shaped or an N-sided polygonal shape where N is an integer greater than four.
Inventors
- 👤 James Fearnside
- 👤 Wojtek Sudol
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-23 12:17
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B8/00; A61B8/12; A61B8/44; A61B8/4444; A61B8/445; A61B8/4461; H; H01; H01R; H01R13/00; H01R13/46; H01R13/52; H01R13/5224; H02; H02G; H02G11/00; H02G11/02
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
134 words
An ultrasound probe for use with ultrasound imaging electronics in echo cardiography comprising: a probe housing; a rotatable ultrasound array positioned within a volume in the probe housing, the array comprising a plurality of elongated piezoelectric transducer elements arranged in parallel in a plane, each transducer element having a mechanical length which differs with respect to other transducer elements, the array being rotatable within the probe housing about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the transducer elements and the rotating array defining a circular region of rotation about the axis, the array having a surface area in the plane of the transducer elements which substantially matches the area of the circular region of rotation; a cable for electrically connecting the array with ultrasound imaging electronics; and a drive mechanism for rotating the array.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
134 words
An ultrasound probe for use with ultrasound imaging electronics in echo cardiography comprising: a probe housing; a rotatable ultrasound array positioned within a volume in the probe housing, the array comprising a plurality of elongated piezoelectric transducer elements arranged in parallel in a plane, each transducer element having a mechanical length which differs with respect to other transducer elements, the array being rotatable within the probe housing about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the transducer elements and the rotating array defining a circular region of rotation about the axis, the array having a surface area in the plane of the transducer elements which substantially matches the area of the circular region of rotation; a cable for electrically connecting the array with ultrasound imaging electronics; and a drive mechanism for rotating the array.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
An ultrasound probe as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transducer elements are arranged such that the rotatable array has a circular shape in the plane of said transducer elements.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
38 words
An ultrasound probe as claimed in claim 1 wherein the transducer elements are arranged such that the rotatable array has an N-sided polygonal shape in the plane of said transducer elements, N being an integer greater than four.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
39 words
An ultrasound probe as claimed in claim 1 in which the rotatable array has a surface area in the plane of the transducer elements which occupies at least eighty percent of the area of the circular region of rotation.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
An ultrasound probe as claimed in claim 1 wherein the probe is adapted for insertion into a subject's esophagus.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
An ultrasound probe as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cable is a flat cable attached to a backside of the array spaced from ends of said transducer elements.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
30 words
An ultrasound probe as claimed in claim 1 wherein the cable is a flat cable attached to a backside of the array at substantially the centers of the transducer elements.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
160 words
An ultrasound probe for use with ultrasound imaging electronics in echo cardiography comprising: a probe housing; a rotatable ultrasound array positioned within a volume in the probe housing, the array comprising a plurality of elongated piezoelectric transducer elements arranged in parallel in a plane, each transducer element having a mechanical length which differs with respect to other transducer elements the array being rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the transducer elements and the rotating array defining a circular region of rotation about the axis, the array having a surface area in the plane of the transducer elements which substantially matches the area of the circular region of rotation, the array having two flat edges along its periphery, the flat edges being symmetrically disposed about an axis through the center of the array and parallel to the transducer elements; a cable for electrically connecting the array with ultrasound imaging electronics; and a drive mechanism for rotating the array.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
160 words
An ultrasound probe for use with ultrasound imaging electronics in echo cardiography comprising: a probe housing; a rotatable ultrasound array positioned within a volume in the probe housing, the array comprising a plurality of elongated piezoelectric transducer elements arranged in parallel in a plane, each transducer element having a mechanical length which differs with respect to other transducer elements the array being rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the transducer elements and the rotating array defining a circular region of rotation about the axis, the array having a surface area in the plane of the transducer elements which substantially matches the area of the circular region of rotation, the array having two flat edges along its periphery, the flat edges being symmetrically disposed about an axis through the center of the array and parallel to the transducer elements; a cable for electrically connecting the array with ultrasound imaging electronics; and a drive mechanism for rotating the array.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
39 words
An ultrasound probe as claimed in claim 8 in which the rotatable array has a surface area in the plane of the transducer elements which occupies at least ninety percent of the area of the circular region of rotation.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
29 words
An ultrasound probe as claimed in claim 8 wherein the cable is a flat cable attached to a backside of the array spaced from ends of said transducer elements.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
An ultrasound probe as claimed in claim 8 wherein the cable is a flat cable attached to a backside of the array at substantially the centers of the transducer elements.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
150 words
An ultrasound probe for use with ultrasound imaging electronics in echo cardiography comprising: a probe housing; a rotatable ultrasound array positioned within a volume in the probe housing, the array comprising a plurality of elongated piezoelectric transducer elements arranged in parallel in a plane, each transducer element having a mechanical length which differs with respect to other transducer elements, the array being rotatable within about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the transducer elements and the rotating array defining a circular region of rotation about the axis, the array having a surface area in the plane of the transducer elements which substantially matches the area of the circular region of rotation; a flat cable for electrically connecting the array with ultrasound imaging electronics, the flat cable being attached to a backside of the array spaced from ends of said transducer elements; and a drive mechanism for rotating the array.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
150 words
An ultrasound probe for use with ultrasound imaging electronics in echo cardiography comprising: a probe housing; a rotatable ultrasound array positioned within a volume in the probe housing, the array comprising a plurality of elongated piezoelectric transducer elements arranged in parallel in a plane, each transducer element having a mechanical length which differs with respect to other transducer elements, the array being rotatable within about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the transducer elements and the rotating array defining a circular region of rotation about the axis, the array having a surface area in the plane of the transducer elements which substantially matches the area of the circular region of rotation; a flat cable for electrically connecting the array with ultrasound imaging electronics, the flat cable being attached to a backside of the array spaced from ends of said transducer elements; and a drive mechanism for rotating the array.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1997-06-13 | 1997-12-13 | 1998-06-14 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2001-06-13 | 2001-12-13 | 2002-06-14 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2005-06-13 | 2005-12-13 | 2006-06-14 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |