US 12,245,892 B2
Method and apparatus for imaging in real time the propagation of a mechanical wave in an acoustically propagative material
William Apoutou N'Djin, Lyons (FR); Kazuhiro Matsui, Tokyo (JP); Françoise Chavrier, Lyons (FR); and Rémi Souchon, Lyons (FR)
Assigned to INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE (INSERM), Paris (FR); UNIVERSITÉ CLAUDE BERNARD LYON, Villeurbanne (FR); and CENTRE LÉON-BÉRARD, Lyons (FR)
Appl. No. 16/476,674
Filed by INSTITUT NATIONAL DE LA SANTE DE LA RECHERCHE MEDICALE (INSERM), Paris (FR); UNIVERSITÉ CLAUDE BERNARD LYON, Villeurbanne (FR); and CENTRE LÉON-BÉRARD, Lyons (FR)
PCT Filed Jan. 10, 2018, PCT No. PCT/EP2018/050588
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 9, 2019,
PCT Pub. No. WO2018/130587, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 19, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 17305037 (EP), filed on Jan. 11, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2019/0374205 A1, Dec. 12, 2019
Int. Cl. G01N 29/07 (2006.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61N 7/02 (2006.01); G01N 29/28 (2006.01); A61N 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/5207 (2013.01) [A61B 8/4494 (2013.01); A61N 7/02 (2013.01); G01N 29/07 (2013.01); G01N 29/28 (2013.01); A61N 2007/0052 (2013.01); G01N 2291/023 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for imaging in real time the propagation of waves, including any of infrasound to ultrasound acoustic waves, in an acoustically propagative medium, comprising:
a) emitting acoustic waves, from an acoustic wave source at an emission region of the acoustically propagative medium, toward a reception region of the acoustically propagative medium, the reception region being distinct from the emission region;
b) measuring the acoustic waves as received at a plurality of locations in the reception region of the acoustically propagative medium, the measuring comprising:
generating by a plurality of individual acoustic sensors positioned at the reception region, over a detection interval, respective voltage signal waveform values indicative of the acoustic waves as received, and
performing by the individual acoustic sensors a succession of simultaneous acquisitions of the voltage signal waveform values, the simultaneous acquisitions being at instants of time in a succession of instants of time within the detection interval, and outputting a corresponding succession of simultaneously acquired voltage signal waveform values;
c) calculating, by a programmable electronic calculator that is connected to an acoustic scanner connected to the plurality of acoustic sensors, a group of acoustic field values that represent an image of an acoustic beam of the emitted acoustic waves propagating in a region in the acoustically propagative medium between the emission region and the reception region, the calculating in accordance with a reconstruction algorithm and based on the succession of simultaneously acquired voltage signal waveform values and comprising the programmable electronic calculator executing calculation instructions, stored in a data recording medium connected to the programmable electronic calculator, which cause the programmable electronic calculator to perform the calculating in accordance with the reconstruction algorithm;
d) generating, by the programmable electronic calculator or by another programmable electronic calculator connected to the acoustic scanner, a digital pixel image of the acoustic beam based at least in part on the group of acoustic field values, the generating comprising the programmable electronic calculator or the other programmable electronic calculator executing executable image generating instructions stored in the data recording medium, or in another data recording medium connected to the other programmable electronic calculator; and
e) displaying the digital pixel image of the acoustic beam on a display connected to the acoustic scanner.