John Hossack

6416478, Jul 9, 2002

Dec 20, 1999

09/466679

John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

A61B 800

600459

An ultrasound transducer that allows transmission of pressure waves at a first frequency and reception of pressure waves at a second frequency. Each transducer element is formed by multiple layers of transducer material. A transceiver provides an excitation signal to the transducer and receives energy from the transducer. All of the layers are coupled to the transceiver during transmission so that all of the layers are activated. Some of the layers are decoupled from the transceiver during reception so that not all of the layers contribute to the received signal. A filter circuit is also responsive to the coupling, providing additional low, high or band pass filtering appropriate for one of transmit or receive. The pressure waves at the second frequency are responsive to tissue and/or contrast agents.

6423002, Jul 23, 2002

Jun 24, 1999

09/339923

John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

A61B 800

600439, 128916

A system, method and probe for diagnostic ultrasound imaging with at least two, and preferably three transducer arrays. The first transducer array provides a primary image. The second transducer array comprises an array of transducer elements positioned near one end of the first transducer array for providing an image in a different plane. An optional third transducer array comprises an array of transducer elements positioned near the other end of the first transducer array for providing an additional image in a different plane. One application of the invention is to collect tissue for medical procedures, wherein at least one surgical tool is attached to the probe near the imaging arrays and moves together with at least one imaging array. As the primary imaging array is drawn across tissue for collection, the operator observes a cross-section of the tissue prior to actually cutting the tissue. Another application of the invention allows an operator to selectively display pseudo 3-D images or 3-D images, using the same probe.

6338716, Jan 15, 2002

Nov 24, 1999

09/448129

John A. Hossack - Charlottesville VA
Douglas J. Gallinat - San Jose CA
Timothy E. Petersen - Mountain View CA
Joseph J. Molinari - Redwood City CA
Sean C. Little - Sunnyvale CA

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

A61B 800

600459, 600460

The preferred embodiments described herein provide a medical diagnostic ultrasonic transducer probe and imaging system for use with a position and orientation sensor. In one preferred embodiment, an ultrasonic transducer probe comprises a position and orientation sensor and a memory device comprising calibration data for the position and orientation sensor. The memory device is adapted to provide the calibration data to a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system coupled with the ultrasonic transducer probe. In another preferred embodiment, a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system comprises a memory device comprising a plurality of position and orientation sensor calibration data. Each of the plurality of position and orientation sensor calibration data is associated with a respective ultrasonic transducer probe family. In operation, identification of a probe family of an ultrasonic transducer probe is provided to the ultrasound system. The ultrasound system then selects the position and orientation sensor calibration data corresponding to the identified probe family.

6429861, Aug 6, 2002

Aug 3, 1999

09/366392

John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Thilaka S. Sumanaweera - San Jose CA
Linyong Pang - Stanford CA

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

G06T 1500

345419

A system for editing a 3-D medical diagnostic ultrasound image dataset displays both a 3-D reconstruction of the dataset and an editing object. A user moves the editing object relative to the 3-D reconstruction with a six degrees of freedom input device that allows the user to control both the position and the orientation of the editing object. The 3-D reconstruction and the associated 3-D dataset are edited to reduce opacity of a portion of a 3-D reconstruction on a selected side of the editing object. The disclosed editing system is fast, efficient and intuitive, and it allows the user to designate the portions of the 3-D dataset to be removed simply and reliably.

6436046, Aug 20, 2002

Oct 27, 2000

09/698995

David J. Napolitano - Pleasanton CA
Christopher R. Cole - Redwood City CA
Gregory L. Holley - Mountain View CA
John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Charles E. Bradley - Burlingame CA
Patrick Phillips - Sunnyvale CA

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

A61B 800

600447, 600458

A medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system acquires receive beams from spatially distinct transmit beams. The receive beams alternate in type between at least first and second types across the region being imaged. The first and second types of receive beams differ in at least one scan parameter other than transmit and receive line geometry, and can for example differ in transmit phase, transmit or receive aperture, system frequency, transmit focus, complex phase angle, transmit code or transmit gain. Receive beams associated with spatially distinct ones of the transmit beams (including at least one beam of the first type and at least one beam of the second type) are then combined. In this way, many two-pulse techniques, including, for example, phase inversion techniques, synthetic aperture techniques, synthetic frequency techniques, and synthetic focus techniques, can be used while substantially reducing the frame rate penalty normally associated with such techniques.

6352508, Mar 5, 2002

Aug 26, 1999

09/384707

Linyong Pang - Stanford CA
John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

A61B 800

600443

An extended field of view medical diagnostic ultrasound image is corrected for distortion associated with azimuthal motion of the transducer. The actual azimuthal motion is determined from the original, motion-distorted estimate of transducer motion, and this actual transducer motion is then used to correct dimensional errors in the extended field of view image.

6443894, Sep 3, 2002

Sep 29, 1999

09/408302

Thilaka S. Sumanaweera - San Jose CA
John I. Jackson - Menlo Park CA
Michael G. Curley - Cambridge MA
Randall Schlesinger - San Mateo CA
John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Linyong Pang - Stanford CA

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

A61B 800

600443, 600441, 128916

A method and system for mapping surface data onto a geometrical representation of a structure for 3D imaging is provided. A boundary of a structure is determined from one type of data, such as Doppler energy data. Another type of data, such as B-mode data, representing the boundary or an area adjacent the boundary is extracted or identified. The B-mode data is then rendered as a function of the boundary, such as by texture mapping the B-mode data onto or adjacent the boundary. As the user examines the structure representation, the texture mapped data may provide texture details based on an optimally determined representation. The boundary may alternatively be used to select data for volume rendering.

6461299, Oct 8, 2002

Dec 22, 1999

09/469994

John A. Hossack - Charlottesville VA

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

A61B 800

600437, 600443

A method and system for generating transmit pulses for use with an electrostatic transducer in harmonic imaging are provided. The excitation waveforms are pre-distorted to account for the non-linear output of the electrostatic transducer. Additionally, the force on a multiple element electrostatic transducer array is measured. A bias voltage is applied to the electrostatic transducer where the bias voltage is responsive to the measured force.