Dalhousie University

Audioptics Medical Incorporated

Daxsonics Ultrasound Inc.

Fujifilm Sonosite, Inc.

Ulthera, Inc.

Visualsonics Inc.

1929803 Ontario Corp.

Fujifilm Visualsonics, Inc.

1929803 Ontario Corp, (o/a Flosonics Medical)

Jeremy Brown

Manohar Bance

Robert Adamson

Robert B A Adamson

F Stuart Foster

Jianhua Yin

Katherine Latham

Robert Bruce Alexander Adamson

Christopher Samson

Joseph Eibl

Jon-Emile S Kenny

Daniel MacDougall

Christine Demore

Chelsea Munding

Zahra Torbatian

Andre B Bezanson

Aaron Boyes

Jeffrey R Leadbetter

Jeff Leadbetter

Akhelish Kotiya

Charles D Emery

Philip P Garland

Akhilesh Kotiya

Jeffrey Kyle Woodacre

Daniel Ryan Macdougall

Hugo Vihvelin

Robert Bruce Adamson

Encoded transmit signals are provided to an ultrasound array such diverging ultrasound waves are sequentially transmitted. Each diverging ultrasound wave is generated by a respective set of encoded transmit signals, where each set of encoded transmit signals is encoded by a respective row of an N×N invertible orthogonal matrix. Only a selected subset of M rows, with N<M, is employed to encode the transmit signals. Sets of receive signals detected in response to the transmitted diverging ultrasound waves are decoded via a transposed matrix generated based on the invertible orthogonal matrix, with each set of decoded receive signals being associated with insonification via a subset of the ultrasound array elements in the fixed aperture. Synthetic aperture beamforming is performed on the decoded receive signals to generate an ultrasound image.

Systems and methods of sparse orthogonal diverging wave ultrasound imaging

Systems and devices are provided for generating focused ultrasound pulses based on a transducer assembly having a piezoelectric layer coupled to an acoustic lens. In some example embodiments, the piezoelectric layer is a composite piezoelectric material having an acoustic impedance configured to match the acoustic impedance of the acoustic lens. The acoustic lens may be formed from aluminum, or an alloy thereof, and may have a distal surface having a non-spherical profile for producing a focal region that is smaller than an equivalent spherical lens. The acoustic lens may have an f-number less than unity. In some embodiments, the acoustic lens is coated with a polymer acoustic impedance matching layer that is compatible with deposition via chemical vapor deposition, such as a p-xylylene based polymer. In some embodiments, the acoustic lens is formed from aluminum or an alloy thereof, and the polymer acoustic impedance matching layer is a Parylene layer.

Transducer assembly for generating focused ultrasound

An ultrasound patch includes one or more transmit and receive piezoelectric transducer elements. In some embodiments, the transducer elements are positioned on a ramp on a patient pad of the patch that is configured to fit within an anatomic space between the trachea and the sternocleidomastoid muscle to orient the transducer elements toward a carotid artery. In some embodiments, a flexible phased array transducer includes a number of pillar piezoelectric elements joined by a flexible adhesive with metal electrodes deposited thereon. The phased array transducer is mounted to a flexible circuit board that allows the transducer to bend and conform to a subject's anatomy.

Ultrasound patch for detecting fluid flow

Fresnel elevation focusing at a selected elevation angle is performed by transmitting a sequential set of Fresnel-focused ultrasound pulses, where a different Fresnel phase pattern is used for each pulse, and where the receive signals are coherently compounded. The different Fresnel patterns cause the secondary lobe energy to be reduced via averaging of variations of the pressure fields in the secondary lobe regions. In some embodiments, the method of coherently compounded Fresnel focusing is combined with coherently compounded defocused wave (e.g. plane wave or diverging wave) imaging in the azimuth direction. Each of the elevation slices are collected by changing the Fresnel patterns respectively employed when the sequence of plane waves or diverging waves are transmitted, such that the coherent compounding can benefit both planes simultaneously. Hadamard receive encoding and subsequent dynamic receive beamforming may be employed to further improve performance in the elevation direction.

Systems and methods for ultrasound beamforming using coherently compounded Fresnel focusing

Ultrasound devices, and associated methods of assembly thereof, are disclosed whereby an annular electrode array of an ultrasound transducer is electrically connected to a flexible printed circuit board in a compact configuration. The flexible circuit board includes an elongate flexible segment and a distal distribution segment, where the distribution segment is attached to a peripheral support ring that surrounds at least a portion of the ultrasound transducer. The distribution segment includes a plurality of spatially distributed contact pads, and electrical connections are provided between the contact pads and the annular electrodes of the annular array. A backing material may be provided that contacts and extends from the annular array electrodes, and a distal portion of the elongate flexible segment may be encapsulated in the backing material, such that the distal portion extends inwardly from the peripheral support ring, without contacting the electrical connections and without contacting the array surface.

Compact ultrasound device having annular ultrasound array peripherally electrically connected to flexible printed circuit board and method of assembly thereof

Systems and methods are provided for performing OCT vibrography based on the synchronization of components of the OCT vibrography system. An A-scan trigger is employed to synchronize the operation of the scanning subsystem that scans the sample beam and an acoustic stimulus source that generates an acoustic stimulus for vibrographic measurements. The acoustic stimulus source is controlled such that when the scanning subsystem dwells on an imaging line selected for vibrography measurements, the acoustic stimulus is generated over a plurality of A-scans and the phase of the acoustic stimulus is locked to the A-scan trigger, such that the phase of the acoustic stimulus is incrementally modified with each A-scan. The accumulation of the acoustic phase is therefore synchronized to the A-scan trigger. The synchronization, providing synchronized acoustic phase evolution during each acoustic phase waveform cycle, permits the use of the OCT vibrography system for simultaneous anatomical and functional imaging.

Systems and methods for swept-source optical coherence tomographic vibrography

Systems and methods are disclosed for performing imaging with a crossed-electrode ultrasound transducer array, where ultrasound transducer array is configured for focusing in one direction via conventional time-delay phased array beamforming, and for focusing in a second direction via a Fresnel aperture formed via the application of bias voltages. The ultrasound transducer array connections are switched between transmit and receive operations, such that the Fresnel aperture is generated in the first direction upon transmit, and in the second direction upon receive. One or both of the transmit Fresnel aperture and the receive Fresnel aperture are configured as a set of delay-corrected Fresnel sub-apertures, where the delay associated with each Fresnel sub-aperture is selected to compensate for variations in path lengths between the Fresnel sub-apertures and the focal point. The use of multiple Fresnel sub-apertures and time delay corrections overcomes problems associated with steering-induced bandwidth degradation.

Systems and methods of combined phased-array and Fresnel zone plate beamforming employing delay-corrected Fresnel sub-apertures

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for ultrasound imaging using a modified variable sampling beamforming technique. Unlike conventional methods of variable sampling beamforming, in which in-phase and quadrature samples are obtained for each pixel location, in various example embodiments of the present disclosure, the pixel locations are quadrature-spaced such that for each 5 sample point, an adjacent sample point along an A-line is employed as the quadrature sample. The samples at each array element may be triggered according to the time of flight between a first pixel location and the location of the array element, such that successive samples, corresponding to successive pixel locations along the selected A-line, are obtained such that adjacent samples are spaced by a 10 time interval corresponding to a quarter of an odd number of wavelenghths of the beamformed transmit pulse, and such that only one sample is acquired per pixel.

Systems and methods for beamforming using variable sampling

Among other things, in general, a piezoelectric actuator for use in a piezoelectric inertial hearing aid is disclosed. The actuator includes at least one bimorph having a top piezoelectric plate, a bottom piezoelectric plate, and a shim with holed ends that extends beyond the length of the plates for securing to bone across, e.g., the mastoid cavity. Actuators having two or morph bimorphs and kits containing the same are also disclosed.

Piezoelectric inertial actuator

Among other things, in general, methods of increasing transfer efficiency in a power link are described, as well as power links implementing such methods. Methods of dynamic charging are also described. Applications of such methods and power links include the charging of portable electronic devices as well as implantable medical devices.

Power links and methods for improved efficiency

A high frequency ultrasound analog beamformer comprises a linear array of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices formed on a single crystal piezoelectric substrate, such as a PMN-PT single crystal piezoelectric substrate. Each SAW device comprises ultrasound input and output electrode structures separated by a variable delay structure. The beamformer further comprises a delay controller operably connected to each variable delay structure to control the delay of each SAW device to dynamically focus signals received at each input electrode.

High-frequency ultrasound imaging system

To address limitations of conventional transducers, a phased array transducer is provided with a form factor suitable o for packaging into, e.g., an endoscope. A method of manufacture of small packaging transducers is also provided, whereby the overall package size is reduced by electrically connecting signal wires to array electrodes at an angle approximately normal to the array surface, thus largely eliminating the bend radius requirements of conventional printed circuit boards or flex circuits.

Ultrasound endoscope and methods of manufacture thereof

Methods of manufacturing transducers with triangular cross-sectional shaped pillars are disclosed herein. According to one aspect of the present application, a plurality of first, second and third troughs are formed in a transducer substrate in first, second and third directions, respectively, to form an array of pillars. In one embodiment, the first direction is substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the substrate, the second direction is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the substrate, and the third direction is oblique to the longitudinal axis of the substrate. The resulting array of pillars can be configured to suppress lateral modes of a high frequency ultrasound transducer.

Growing community of inventors

Halifax, Canada

Jeremy Brown