Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Nico Maris Adriaan De Wild

Mark Thomas Johnson

Peter Dirksen

Franciscus Hendrikus Van Heesch

Johan Hendrik Klootwijk

Rick Bezemer

Christianus Martinus Van Heesch

Igor Wilhelmus Franciscus Paulussen

Sergei Shulepov

Mckee Dunn Poland

Ronaldus Maria Aarts

Mareike K Klee

Gerhardus Wilhelmus Lucassen

Antonia Cornelia Van Rens

Denny Mathew

Franciscus Johannes Gerardus Hakkens

Willem Franke Pasveer

Olaf Wunnicke

Koray Karakaya

Hans-Peter Loebl

Shriram Sethuraman

Marco Baragona

Franciscus Paulus Maria Budzelaar

Lucas Johannes Anna Maria Beckers

Frank Verbakel

Ruediger Mauczok

Johan Marra

Biju Kumar Sreedharan Nair

Krishnamoorthy Palanisamy

Jacobus Bernardus Giesbers

Marcel Mulder

Gerardus Henricus Maria Gijsbers

Peter Bingley

Henri Marie Joseph Boots

Ke Wang

Marc Godfriedus Marie Notten

Marleen Mescher

Manuel Eduardo Alarcon-Rivero

Sabina Manzari

Petrus Henricus Maria Timmermans

Hendrikus Hubertus Maria Korsten

Ralph Theodorus Hubertus Maessen

Arthur Bouwman

Rogier Adrianus Henrica Niessen

Cornelius Antonius Van Den Heuvel

Hoa Pham

Katia Donato

Rüdiger Günter Mauczok

Peter Van Der Linde

Marcel Bulder

Dirk Van De Lagemaat

Cornelius Antonius Van Den Huevel

Sujitkumar Sureshrao Hiwale

Antonia Cornelia Rens

Claudio Dicorato

Ruediger Günther Mauczok

Man Nguyen

Biswaroop Chakrabarti

Deep Bera

Ganesan Ramachandran

Shyam Bharat

An ultrasound system has a set of CMUT transducer devices and drive electronics for operating a selected device of the set. The drive electronics is shared between all devices of the set. Selection is made by using a set of switches (), with a respective switch between a DC bias output () of the drive electronics and an associated input () of each device. This provides a simple way to provide a selection function between the drive electronics and multiple ultrasound devices. In this way, the number of devices may be scale up, to cover a larger area, but without scaling the cost of the system by the same degree.

Capacitive micro-machined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) devices and control methods

The invention provides an ultrasound imaging system, comprising an array of transducer elements grouped into element groups, wherein the element groups comprise a plurality of first element groups (having a first orientation) and a plurality of second element groups (having a second orientation different from the first orientation). A first conductor is connected to each of the elements in each first element grouping and a second conductor is connected to each of the elements in each second element grouping. Each element group is adapted to be activated for transmission or reception by the application of a bias voltage, by way of a plurality of bias voltage circuits, and controlled by a plurality of transmit and receive circuits. The system is adapted to acquire first ultrasound data, wherein the bias voltage is applied to the first conductors of the array (or a sub-array) and the transducers receive a signal from a transmit and receive circuit. The system is further adapted to acquire second ultrasound data, wherein the bias voltage is applied to the second conductors of the array (or a different sub-array) and the transducers receive a signal from a transmit and receive circuit. Thus, the ultrasound system is adapted to acquire two separate ultrasound data (such as ultrasound images) corresponding to different views without requiring any physical movement of the array.

Ultrasound imaging system using an array of transducer elements and an imaging method

The invention provides a method for guiding the acquisition of ultrasound data. The method begins by obtaining ultrasound data from a plurality of data acquisition planes and performing spatial registration of the data acquisition planes. A number of vessels are then identified in each data acquisition plane. A location of a vessel bifurcation is then identified based on the spatial registration of the data acquisition planes and the number of vessels in each data acquisition plane. A guidance instruction is generated based on the location of the vessel bifurcation, wherein the guidance instruction is adapted to indicate a location to obtain further ultrasound data.

Systems and methods for guided ultrasound data acquisition

The invention provides a handheld imaging device capable of performing biplane imaging, wherein a first image plane or a second imaging plane (having different orientations) may be selected for image capture based on a motion characteristic of the device as determined by a sensor.

Systems and methods for performing bi-plane imaging

A system for monitoring blood distribution in a subject, the system comprising a processor() responsive to Doppler ultrasound data representing arterial blood flow in at least two different locations of the subject, such as the neck and the arm, to obtain velocity (C, B, B, B) or volumetric flow rate at each location, to monitor changes in a predetermined function of the blood flows, and to provide an output indicative of the monitored changes which may result from blood volume centralization. This can indicate the onset of hypovolemia or hypervolemia.

Monitoring blood distribution in a subject

An ultrasound probe () is disclosed comprising a plurality of transducer elements () within a housing () and arranged proximal to a subject contact surface () of the probe; a plurality of individually addressable light sources () mounted in said housing, each of said individually addressable light sources indicating a position of a subset of the plurality of transducer elements relative to said subject contact surface; and a controller () arranged to control said plurality of individually addressable light sources in response to a light source selection signal from an ultrasound user console (). Also disclosed is such an ultrasound user console (), an ultrasound imaging system () comprising the ultrasound probe () and the ultrasound user console () as well as a method () of marking the location of an anatomical feature () within a subject with such an ultrasound imaging system ().

Ultrasound probe, user console, system and method

Ultrasound image devices, systems, and methods are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound device includes a first ultrasound component () configured to generate a first signal representative of a subject's anatomy along a first axis; a second ultrasound component () configured to generate a second signal representative of the subject's anatomy along a second axis, the first axis disposed at an angle with respect to the second axis; and a processing component () in communication with the first ultrasound component and the second ultrasound component, the processing component configured to determine an orientation of the ultrasound device with respect to the subject's anatomy based on the first signal and the second signal. In one embodiment, the processing component is further configured to indicate, via visual indicators () on the ultrasound device, a direction to orient the ultrasound device based on the determined orientation for aligning the ultrasound device with the subject's anatomy.

Ultrasound vascular navigation devices and methods

Disclosed are systems and methods of operation for capacitive radio frequency micro-electromechanical switches, such as CMUT cells for use in an ultrasound system. An RFMEMS may include substrate, a first electrode connected to the substrate, a membrane and a second electrode connected to the membrane. In some examples, there is a dielectric stack between the first and second electrodes. The dielectric stack design minimizes drift in the membrane collapse voltage. In other examples, a voltage supply coupled to an ultrasonic array compressing the CMUT cells is adapted to provide a sequence of voltage profiles to the electrodes of the CMUT cell, wherein each profile includes a bias voltage and a stimulus voltage, and wherein a polarity of each subsequent voltage profile in the sequence is opposite to the polarity of the preceding profile. In another example, there is a capacitance sensing circuit provided, which is arranged to determine a drift voltage of the CMUT cell.

Systems and methods of operation of capacitive radio frequency micro-electromechanical switches

A wearable bladder monitoring device is disclosed and includes a fastener for securing the device to a subject's body; a phased array of ultrasound transducers having configurable output frequencies; a configurable phased array controller adapted to control the phased array to direct ultrasound beams into the subject's body under a plurality of discrete beam angles and to collect echo signals of the ultrasound beams, wherein the phased array controller is adapted to direct a set of ultrasound beams into the subject's body for at least a subset of the discrete beam angles in response to a configuration instruction defining the respective output frequencies of the ultrasound beams in the set; and a device transceiver for communicating data pertaining to the echo signals to a remote device to facilitate the remote processing of the data and to receive the configuration instruction from the remote device.

Urine turbidity monitoring

Disclosed is a patient monitor control unit () comprising a processor arrangement () adapted to receive a series of ultrasound measurements received from a sensor () comprising at least one configurable ultrasound transducer; process said series of ultrasound measurements to obtain haemodynamic data of a patient coupled to the sensor; control a patient monitor () to display the obtained haemodynamic data; evaluate the obtained haemodynamic data to detect a variance in said data; and generate a reconfiguration signal for the at least one configurable ultrasound transducer, wherein the timing of said generation is a function of said evaluation. Also disclosed are a patient monitoring system, a method of operating a patient monitor control unit and a computer program product for implementing such a method.

Patient monitoring

An ultrasound system comprises a probe including an array of CMUT (capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer) cells. Each cell comprises a substrate carrying a first electrode. The substrate is spatially separated from a flexible membrane including a second electrode. The flexible membrane comprises a mass element in a central region. The system also comprises a voltage supply adapted to, in a transmission mode provide, the respective electrodes with a bias voltage driving the CMUT cells into a collapsed state and a stimulus voltage having a set frequency for resonating the flexible membrane of the CMUT cells in said collapsed state The mass element of the CMUT cells forces the central region of the flexible membrane to remain in the collapsed state during said resonating. A pulse transmission method for such a system is also disclosed.

Ultrasound system and ultrasonic pulse transmission method

An acoustical lens () for an ultrasound probe () is disclosed. The acoustical lens comprises an inner surface () for facing an emission surface () of an ultrasound transducer () and for receiving ultrasound waves from the ultrasound transducer. The acoustical lens further comprises an outer surface () for emitting the ultrasound waves received at the inner surface, wherein the inner surface is formed as a convexly curved surface and wherein at least one recess () is associated to an edge of the inner surface for capturing mold material.

Acoustical lens and ultrasound transducer probe

Integrated circuit () comprising a semiconductor substrate (); an insulating layer () over said substrate; an first transistor () on said insulating layer, said first transistor comprising an exposed channel region () in between a source region () and a drain region (); and a voltage waveform generator () conductively coupled to the semiconductor substrate for providing the first transistor with a bias voltage during a signal acquisition period, wherein the voltage waveform generator is arranged to generate an alternating bias voltage waveform () comprising a periodically increasing amplitude. A sensing apparatus including such an integrated circuit and a sensing method using such an integrated circuit are also disclosed.

Integrated circuit with nanowire ChemFET-sensors, sensing apparatus, measuring method and manufacturing method

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a capacitive micro-machined transducer (), in particular a CMUT, the method comprising depositing a first electrode layer () on a substrate (), depositing a first dielectric film () on the first electrode layer (), depositing a sacrificial layer () on the first dielectric film (), the sacrificial layer () being removable for forming a cavity () of the transducer, depositing a second dielectric film () on the sacrificial layer (), depositing a second electrode layer () on the second dielectric film (), and patterning at least one of the deposited layers and films (), wherein the depositing steps are performed by Atomic Layer Deposition. The present invention further relates to a capacitive micro-machined transducer (), in particular a CMUT, manufactured by such method.

Capacitive micro-machined transducer and method of manufacturing the same

The present invention relates to a transducer () comprising&#x2014;a membrane () configured to change shape in response to a force, the membrane () having a first major surface () and a second major surface (), &#x2014;a piezoelectric layer () formed over the first major surface () of the membrane (), the piezoelectric layer () having an active portion, &#x2014;first and second electrodes () in contact with the piezoelectric layer (), wherein an electric field between the first and second electrodes () determines the mechanical movement of the piezoelectric layer (), &#x2014;support structures () at the second major surface () of the membrane () on adjacent sides of the active portion of the piezoelectric layer (), at least part of the support structures () forming walls perpendicular, or at least not parallel, to the second major surface () of the membrane (), so as to form a trench () of any shape underlying the active portion, so that an ultrasound transducer is obtained with a high output pressure at the support side than at the opposite side. The invention also relates to a method of forming such a transducer, and an array comprising at least one transducer of the like.

Thin film ultrasound transducer

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Eindhoven, Netherlands

Nico Maris Adriaan De Wild