US 12,350,101 B2
Concave ultrasound transducers and 3D arrays
David M. Smith, Lodi, CA (US); Donald F. Specht, Los Altos, CA (US); Linda V. Cabrera, Cypress, CA (US); Kenneth D. Brewer, Santa Clara, CA (US); and David J. Specht, Tucson, AZ (US)
Assigned to Maui Imaging, Inc., Tucson, AZ (US)
Filed by Maui Imaging, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Jun. 29, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/344,278.
Application 17/099,116 is a division of application No. 14/965,704, filed on Dec. 10, 2015, granted, now 10,835,208, issued on Nov. 17, 2020.
Application 18/344,278 is a continuation of application No. 17/099,116, filed on Nov. 16, 2020, granted, now 11,723,626.
Application 14/965,704 is a continuation of application No. 14/595,083, filed on Jan. 12, 2015, granted, now 9,220,478, issued on Dec. 29, 2015.
Application 14/595,083 is a continuation of application No. 13/272,105, filed on Oct. 12, 2011, granted, now 9,247,926, issued on Feb. 2, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/392,896, filed on Oct. 13, 2010.
Prior Publication US 2024/0108311 A1, Apr. 4, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/14 (2006.01); G01S 7/52 (2006.01); G01S 15/89 (2006.01); B06B 1/06 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/4494 (2013.01) [A61B 8/145 (2013.01); A61B 8/4444 (2013.01); A61B 8/4483 (2013.01); A61B 8/461 (2013.01); A61B 8/467 (2013.01); A61B 8/5207 (2013.01); A61B 8/523 (2013.01); A61B 8/58 (2013.01); G01S 7/5205 (2013.01); G01S 15/8913 (2013.01); G01S 15/892 (2013.01); G01S 15/8927 (2013.01); G01S 15/8929 (2013.01); G01S 15/8934 (2013.01); A61B 8/14 (2013.01); B06B 1/0622 (2013.01); G01S 7/52084 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
transmitting a single unfocused ultrasound ping towards a tissue region of interest to insonify an entirety of the tissue region of interest with a transmit aperture comprising at least one transmit transducer element on an ultrasound transducer array;
receiving ultrasound echoes of the single unfocused ultrasound ping from the tissue region of interest with a plurality of receive transducer elements on the ultrasound transducer array;
forming a plurality of complete ultrasound images of the tissue region of interest corresponding to each of the plurality of receive transducer elements with the received ultrasound echoes of the single unfocused ultrasound ping; and
incoherently combining the plurality of complete ultrasound images.