US 11,727,712 B2
Ultrasound imaging systems and methods for detecting object motion
Josef R. Call, Campbell, CA (US); Henry A. Davis, Ash Fork, AZ (US); and Donald F. Specht, Los Altos, CA (US)
Assigned to Maui Imaging, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by MAUI IMAGING, INC., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Jul. 19, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/379,754.
Application 17/379,754 is a continuation of application No. 16/539,571, filed on Aug. 13, 2019, granted, now 11,068,689.
Application 16/539,571 is a continuation of application No. 15/558,452, granted, now 10,380,399, issued on Aug. 13, 2019, previously published as PCT/US2016/024999, filed on Mar. 30, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/235,411, filed on Sep. 30, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/140,296, filed on Mar. 30, 2015.
Prior Publication US 2021/0350101 A1, Nov. 11, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G06V 40/13 (2022.01); A61B 8/06 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01); G01S 15/89 (2006.01); G01S 7/52 (2006.01)
CPC G06V 40/1306 (2022.01) [A61B 8/06 (2013.01); A61B 8/485 (2013.01); G01S 7/52042 (2013.01); G01S 15/8915 (2013.01); G01S 15/8918 (2013.01); G01S 15/8927 (2013.01); G01S 15/8993 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of tracking motion of a fluid with an imaging system comprising the steps of:
defining a region of interest containing fluid in motion with a controller of the imaging system;
transmitting a series of unfocused ultrasound pings into the region of interest from a transducer array of the imaging system;
receiving echoes from the series of unfocused ultrasound pings with a plurality of transducer elements of the transducer array;
identifying a fingerprint within the fiducial region, wherein the fingerprint comprises a pattern of data in the received echoes that is identifiable as a data string;
storing echo data received by each of the plurality of transducer elements in a separate memory string;
detecting movement of the fingerprint with the controller;
monitoring movement associated with a position of the identified fingerprint for as long as the pattern associated with the identified fingerprint is identifiable; and
communicating a signal with the controller indicating that movement of an object relative to the transducer array has occurred.