An ultrasound therapy device has a hand-held transducer connected to a base unit having a front display and control panel. A control circuit within the base unit is microprocessor-based and enables an operator to select various output modes, intensities and durations. Transducer current, voltage, and phase angle are monitored for servo control, coupling detection, and fault protection of the output from an efficient power amplifier. Among the front panel displays is a percentage of coupling bar ...

A multi-transducer ultrasound probe including a housing having an ultrasound window with a torquer driven pulley system for positioning and oscillating a selected one of the multi-transducers in the window while activating the selected transducer.

During ultrasound checking of the results of lithotrity performed on biliary calculi, it is difficult to distinguish a calculus from crush. This problem is mitigated in accordance with the invention in that the ultrasound transducer (6) used for performing the ultrasound observation first receives a comparatively high electric power for a comparatively long period of time. As a result, the biliary calculus (4) or the crush is stirred up in the gallbladder (3); the size of the particles can be de...

An ultrasound therapy apparatus having an applicator. The applicator comprises at least one ultrasonic beam emitter, at least two ultrasonic transducers, and a support member. The beam emitter emits an ultrasonic beam onto an object within a patient, for the purpose of treating the object. The transducers apply ultrasonic beams to the patient and detect ultrasonic echoes coming from the patient, thereby to form two tomograms, each of a selected plane of the patient, one plane intersecting with t...

Sheath 50, 100 for an ultrasound probe 52 includes a sheath body 70 and an end cap 76. The sheath body is disposed about the probe 52 with the end cap 76 disposed about the end 57 of the probe 52. A band 78 is disposed about the body 70 in order to define between the end cap 76 and the band 78 a portion of the sheath 50 which can be expanded with fluid pressure in order to properly position the probe in a human cavity. The end cap 76 prevents fluid from expanding the end of the sheath 50. Altern...

An ultrasound transducer having an annular acoustic aperture is utilized in combination with an echo-ultrasound imaging system having an FM detector. The off-axis transfer function characteristics of the annular transducer substantially improve the lateral resolution of the imaging system as compared with prior art systems which utilized round or rectangular transducer apertures.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus for use in the imaging or characterization of biological tissue, including an ultrasonic probe, a gate circuit, a spectrum analysis device, a computation device and a display. The ultrasonic probe emits ultrasonic beams and receives the reflected echo signals from tissue interfaces. The reflected signals are sampled by the gate circuit and are Fourier-analyzed by the spectrum analysis device, and then the computation device derives frequency-dependant ultrasoni...

The scanhead uses a shaft mounted, oscillating rotor driven by a shaft mounted rotor. Energy storage and repulsive means, provided by magnetic "bumpers" helps to reverse the direction of motion of the rotor at the end of the scan angle.

An ultrasound visualization system, and certain aspects of the electronics that are incorporated therein. A scan conversion system which includes means for converting the ultrasound scan signal into a stream of single bit digital data in which each bit is indicative of the relative amplitude of the ultrasound scan signal as compared to the amplitude indicated by previously converted digital data. The single bit digital data is inputted and stored alternately into two full screen buffers. As the ...

An ultrasound transducer for medical pulse echo applications is apodized by causing the level of response to vary as a function of position on the transducer aperture. In a preferred embodiment, the response varies as a Gaussian function of distance from the center or centerline of the transducer so that the response at the edge of the transducer is approximately 30% of the response at the center or centerline. The response may be varied by causing the polarization of a piezoelectric ceramic tra...