US 11,896,253 B2
System and method for detecting and aligning acoustic beam in situ to a target using wide-beam, low frequency (<1 mhz) ultrasound
William Behnke-Parks, San Francisco, CA (US); and Daniel Laser, San Francisco, CA (US)
Assigned to Applaud Medical, Inc., San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed by Applaud Medical, Inc., San Francisco, CA (US)
Filed on Feb. 28, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/652,769.
Application 17/652,769 is a continuation of application No. 16/473,969, granted, now 11,291,464, previously published as PCT/US2017/068835, filed on Dec. 28, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/441,132, filed on Dec. 30, 2016.
Prior Publication US 2022/0175406 A1, Jun. 9, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 8/14 (2006.01); A61B 17/225 (2006.01); G01S 15/42 (2006.01); A61B 17/00 (2006.01); A61N 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 17/2256 (2013.01) [G01S 15/42 (2013.01); A61B 2017/00106 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0039 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
11. A method for locating a target in situ, comprising the steps of:
emitting pulses of ultrasonic energy waves having one or more frequencies ranging from 100 kHz to 1 MHz by an excitation transducer, wherein an average wavelength of said ultrasonic energy waves is greater than a size of the target,
wherein said ultrasonic energy waves are approximately collimated in a volume away from an aperture; and
receiving, by a sensing transducer, a component of the pulses of the ultrasonic energy waves emitted by said excitation transducer after reflection from the target,
wherein said component of the pulses of the ultrasonic energy waves has an average wavelength greater than the size of the target and is related to a position of the target.