US 11,832,994 B2
Ultrasound control unit
Jonathan Thomas Sutton, Boston, MA (US); Alexander Groth, Hamburg (DE); Frank Michael Weber, Hamburg (DE); Shyam Bharat, Arlington, MA (US); Peter Bingley, Mierlo (NL); and Balasundar Iyyavu Raju, North Andover, MA (US)
Assigned to KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
Appl. No. 17/288,028
Filed by KONINKLIJKE PHILIPS N.V., Eindhoven (NL)
PCT Filed Oct. 21, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/078470
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Apr. 23, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/083795, PCT Pub. Date Apr. 30, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/750,332, filed on Oct. 25, 2018.
Claims priority of application No. 18204584 (EP), filed on Nov. 6, 2018.
Prior Publication US 2021/0378638 A1, Dec. 9, 2021
Int. Cl. A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/546 (2013.01) [A61B 8/54 (2013.01); A61B 8/56 (2013.01); A61B 8/58 (2013.01); A61B 8/585 (2013.01); A61B 8/5223 (2013.01)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ultrasound control unit, operably coupleable with an ultrasound transducer, the ultrasound control unit comprising: one or more processors configured to:
control acquisition of ultrasound data using the ultrasound transducer;
control a drive setting of the ultrasound transducer, each possible drive setting having a known or derivable transducer power level processor;
perform a testing procedure based on acquired ultrasound data, to determine a measure of reliability of the data for deriving one or more physiological parameters, and to determine whether said reliability measure meets a defined reliability condition; and
adjust a drive setting of the ultrasound transducer from a first setting to a second, lower power, setting, wherein the second setting meets said defined reliability condition.
 
15. An ultrasound system, comprising:
an ultrasound transducer unit operable to acquire ultrasound data; and
an ultrasound control unit as claimed in claim 1, operatively coupled with the ultrasound transducer unit.
 
16. A patient monitoring system comprising:
a patient monitoring unit; and
an ultrasound control unit as claimed in claim 1.