John A Hossack

US Patent:

6338716, Jan 15, 2002

Filed:

Nov 24, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/448129

Inventors:

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

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600459, 600460

Abstract:

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.

US Patent:

6352508, Mar 5, 2002

Filed:

Aug 26, 1999

Appl. No.:

09/384707

Inventors:

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

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600443

Abstract:

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.

US Patent:

6352511, Mar 5, 2002

Filed:

Nov 2, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/777691

Inventors:

John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Samuel H. Maslak - Woodside CA
Kutay F. Ustuner - Mountain View CA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600443, 600458

Abstract:

Ultrasound data is generated by a receive beamformer. Ultrasound image processing is applied to the ultrasound data for presentation of an image. Various ones of the ultrasound image processing steps may be reversed. For example, persistence processing may be reversed in order to obtain ultrasound data associated with data prior to persistence processing. This recovered data may be used to generate an image or for application of a different amount of persistence. Other processes that may be reversed to recover ultrasound data include focal and depth gain compensation, dynamic range compression, intensity or color mapping, and various filtering, such as persistence or spatial filtering.

US Patent:

6360027, Mar 19, 2002

Filed:

Sep 26, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/669818

Inventors:

John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Samuel H. Maslak - Woodside CA
Edward A. Gardner - San Jose CA
Gregory L. Holley - Mountain View CA
David J. Napolitano - Menlo Park CA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

G06K 900

US Classification:

382294, 382131, 382232, 382236, 382276, 382298, 3483841, 3483901, 375240, 37524001, 600437, 600443, 600447

Abstract:

An ultrasonic imaging system includes an ultrasonic transducer having an image data array and a tracking array at each end of the image data array. The tracking arrays are oriented transversely to the image data array. Images from the image data array are used to reconstruct a three-dimensional representation of the target. The relative movement between respective frames of the image data is automatically estimated by a motion estimator, based on frames of data from the tracking arrays. As the transducer is rotated about the azimuthal axis of the image data array, features of the target remain within the image planes of the tracking arrays. Movements of these features in the image planes of the tracking arrays are used to estimate motion as required for the three-dimensional reconstruction. Similar techniques estimate motion within the plane of an image to create an extended field of view.

US Patent:

6364835, Apr 2, 2002

Filed:

Mar 27, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/536215

Inventors:

John A. Hossack - Charlottesville VA
Linyong Pang - Stanford CA
Thilaka S. Sumanaweera - San Jose CA
John W. Allison - Los Altos CA
Kutay F. Ustuner - Mountain View CA
Charles E. Bradley - Burlingame CA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600443

Abstract:

A medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system aligns substantially co-planar two-dimensional images to form an extended field of view using improved compounding methods. Compounding with a finite impulse response is used for more versatile compositing. The compounding is adaptive, such as through adapting the image regions, weighting, or type of compounding as a function of correlation, location within the image, estimated motion or combinations thereof. A user warning is provided as a function of the correlation between images.

US Patent:

6371913, Apr 16, 2002

Filed:

Dec 8, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/733131

Inventors:

Linyong Pang - Stanford CA
John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Ismayil Guracar - Redwood City CA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600441

Abstract:

An medical diagnostic ultrasonic image processing method estimates motion between first and second composite ultrasonic images that include both B-mode and Color Doppler information. First and second B-mode images are extracted from the first and second composite ultrasonic images, respectively, and then motion is estimated between the first and second B-mode images. The estimated motion is then used to compose a multi-frame image using at least portions of the composite ultrasonic images or derivatives of the composite ultrasonic images, such as the B-mode images.

US Patent:

6401539, Jun 11, 2002

Filed:

Jun 21, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/598357

Inventors:

Donald R. Langdon - Mountain View CA
Gregory L. Holley - Mountain View CA
John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Pai-Chi Li - Taipei, TW

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

G01N 2900

US Classification:

73609

Abstract:

An ultrasonic imaging system including an aberration correction system uses a harmonic component of the fundamental transmitted frequency for imaging, or for aberration correction, or both. By properly selecting the frequency pass bands of filters used in the image signal path and in the aberration correction signal path operating advantages are provided. The aberration correction values may be calculated concurrently with image formation.

US Patent:

6409667, Jun 25, 2002

Filed:

Feb 23, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/511472

Inventors:

John A. Hossack - Charlottesville VA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600443, 600459

Abstract:

A transducer system and method for harmonic imaging is provided. At least one transducer element is provided. The transducer element comprises two stacked piezoelectric layers. Information from each of the layers is independently processed during one of a transmit event, a receive event, and both transmit and receive events. Information from the transducer element is provided to a filter. The filter isolates harmonic information for imaging. By providing a multi-layer transducer element with independent processing for each layer, a wide bandwidth transducer for harmonic imaging is provided. The null associated with most transducers at the second harmonic of a fundamental frequency is removed or lessened.