Automated Doppler Ultrasound Probe for Vessel Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
In emerging market countries, the shortage of skilled personnel limits access to ultrasound Doppler velocimetry for assessing fetal well-being, and existing devices are expensive and require skilled operators for vascular applications.
Innovation Solution
A low-cost, automated, hand-held ultrasound probe that examines body vessels, selects vessels for fluid-flow analysis, generates quantitative waveform information, and provides indications of normality without user intervention, using a reduced number of transducer elements and integrated circuits for simplified operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If automated vessel selection and Doppler analysis is implemented, then ease of operation improves for non-specialists, but device complexity increases due to automated processing requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automated vessel selection and Doppler analysis without requiring skilled operator intervention. The processor automatically identifies vessels, selects appropriate ones for analysis, and generates flow assessments, enabling non-specialists to operate the device effectively.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-processes ultrasound data to automatically detect and characterize vessels before the operator needs to make decisions. By performing preliminary vessel identification and classification, the system simplifies the operator's task to merely reviewing pre-analyzed results.
2Ease of manufacture
If a reduced number of transducer elements is used, then manufacturing cost decreases, but measurement precision may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system compensates for the reduced number of transducer elements by optimizing other parameters such as signal processing algorithms, element spacing, and ultrasound frequency selection. These parameter adjustments maintain measurement precision despite the simplified transducer design.
Solution Approach 2:
The transducer elements are strategically positioned and configured to optimize performance for specific vascular examination applications. Rather than uniformly distributing elements, the design focuses quality where most needed for Doppler velocimetry measurements.
3Productivity
If automated processing is implemented without user intervention, then productivity increases, but reliability may be affected by lack of expert judgment
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms where automated analysis results are presented to the operator for verification. The processor generates preliminary assessments that can be reviewed, adjusted, or rejected by the operator, combining automated efficiency with expert oversight when needed.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The probe enables cost-effective, user-friendly Doppler velocimetry for high-risk pregnancy monitoring, reducing the need for skilled operators and lowering the cost of equipment, while maintaining reliability and efficiency in examination processes.
Implementation Method 1
a two-dimensional transducer comprising elements for examining, using ultrasound, a volume for body vessels present
Implementation Method 2
The spectral Doppler measurements are then obtained thus ensuring that the measured velocities are correct
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
An automatic, stand-alone, hand-held ultrasound blood-vessel examination device (100)requires a reduced number of transducer elements (126) and presents a simplified user interface(136-140), without the need for displaying an image of any of the vessels. The probe, in one embodiment,acquires and examines a volume of interest (106), searches for a target vessel, tests the vessel for normality of blood flow, and reports the diagnosis, all automatically and without need for user intervention. In another embodiment, the probe finds a body vessel (108-112) in a volume, and extracts a clinical Doppler parameter, all automatically and without need for user intervention.