Automatic Alignment of Ultrasonic Transducer Arrays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cardiovascular monitoring systems require trained medical professionals for operation and are limited in providing detailed, real-time measurements of cardiovascular parameters like blood vessel diameter, pulse wave velocity, and blood pressure, often relying on averaged data over time or specific body parts.
Innovation Solution
A wearable ultrasonic sensing system with automatic alignment capabilities, incorporating a processing unit, ultrasonic sensor modules, and a connection cable assembly, allowing for non-invasive, user-friendly monitoring of cardiovascular parameters without the need for medical expertise, using transversal arrays of ultrasonic transducers for pulse wave velocity measurements and automatic alignment of ultrasonic sensors with blood vessels.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional cardiovascular monitoring systems are used, then medical professionals can obtain accurate measurements, but the systems require trained operators and are complex to operate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs automatic alignment of the ultrasonic array with the blood vessel using image processing and computational algorithms, eliminating the need for manual positioning by trained operators. The device automatically identifies the vessel, calculates optimal transducer positions, and guides alignment, enabling layperson operation while maintaining measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual mechanical positioning with automated computational methods. Image processing algorithms and computer vision techniques substitute for the manual mechanical alignment process, allowing the system to automatically determine transducer placement based on visual identification of the blood vessel
2Device complexity
If manual alignment of ultrasonic transducers is used, then the system can be simpler, but measurement precision and alignment accuracy deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary image acquisition and processing to identify the blood vessel and calculate optimal transducer positions before actual measurement begins. This preliminary computational action establishes the alignment parameters in advance, ensuring measurement precision without requiring complex real-time adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces image processing algorithms and computational models as intermediaries between the transducer array and the blood vessel. These computational intermediaries automatically determine the optimal positioning and orientation, replacing the need for complex mechanical alignment systems while maintaining high measurement accuracy
3Ease of operation
If averaged cardiovascular data over time is collected, then the monitoring system is simpler to operate, but detailed real-time measurements are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously acquires and processes ultrasonic signals in real-time, maintaining continuous monitoring of cardiovascular parameters. The automated alignment and real-time signal processing enable continuous data collection without requiring complex user intervention, preserving both operational simplicity and real-time information
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides real-time feedback through processed images and measurements, allowing immediate visualization of cardiovascular parameters. This feedback mechanism enables users to observe real-time fluctuations while the automated processing maintains system simplicity, preventing information loss
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
Enables continuous, non-invasive, and user-friendly cardiovascular monitoring, providing detailed parameters such as pulse wave velocity, arterial diameter, and blood pressure, without the need for medical training, allowing for home usage and improved accessibility of cardiovascular health data.
Implementation Method 1
A plurality of instances of an ultrasonic scanning operation directed towards a target blood vessel using an array of ultrasonic transducers is performed
Implementation Method 2
each instance of the plurality of instances of the ultrasonic scanning operation includes transmitting an ultrasonic signal and receiving at least one reflected ultrasonic signal
Implementation Method 3
A signal amplitude and a time of flight are determined for each of the at least one reflected ultrasonic signal of each instance of the plurality of instances of the ultrasonic scanning operation
Data Source
AI summary
In a method of automatic alignment of a transversal ultrasound array, a plurality of instances of an ultrasonic scanning operation directed towards a target using an array of ultrasonic transducers is performed, wherein each instance of the plurality of instances of the ultrasonic scanning operation comprises a different sub-array of ultrasonic transducers of the array of ultrasonic transducers, and wherein each instance of the ultrasonic scanning operation transmits an ultrasonic signal and receives at least one reflected ultrasonic signal. At least one property is determined for each of the at least one reflected ultrasonic signal of each instance of the ultrasonic scanning operation. An ultrasonic transducer of the array of ultrasonic transducers is selected as exhibiting alignment with the target based at least in part on the at least one property for each of the at least one reflected ultrasonic signal of each instance of the ultrasonic scanning operation.