David J Napolitano

US Patent:

6360027, Mar 19, 2002

Filed:

Sep 26, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/669818

Inventors:

John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Samuel H. Maslak - Woodside CA
Edward A. Gardner - San Jose CA
Gregory L. Holley - Mountain View CA
David J. Napolitano - Menlo Park CA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

G06K 900

US Classification:

382294, 382131, 382232, 382236, 382276, 382298, 3483841, 3483901, 375240, 37524001, 600437, 600443, 600447

Abstract:

An ultrasonic imaging system includes an ultrasonic transducer having an image data array and a tracking array at each end of the image data array. The tracking arrays are oriented transversely to the image data array. Images from the image data array are used to reconstruct a three-dimensional representation of the target. The relative movement between respective frames of the image data is automatically estimated by a motion estimator, based on frames of data from the tracking arrays. As the transducer is rotated about the azimuthal axis of the image data array, features of the target remain within the image planes of the tracking arrays. Movements of these features in the image planes of the tracking arrays are used to estimate motion as required for the three-dimensional reconstruction. Similar techniques estimate motion within the plane of an image to create an extended field of view.

US Patent:

6436046, Aug 20, 2002

Filed:

Oct 27, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/698995

Inventors:

David J. Napolitano - Pleasanton CA
Christopher R. Cole - Redwood City CA
Gregory L. Holley - Mountain View CA
John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Charles E. Bradley - Burlingame CA
Patrick Phillips - Sunnyvale CA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600447, 600458

Abstract:

A medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system acquires receive beams from spatially distinct transmit beams. The receive beams alternate in type between at least first and second types across the region being imaged. The first and second types of receive beams differ in at least one scan parameter other than transmit and receive line geometry, and can for example differ in transmit phase, transmit or receive aperture, system frequency, transmit focus, complex phase angle, transmit code or transmit gain. Receive beams associated with spatially distinct ones of the transmit beams (including at least one beam of the first type and at least one beam of the second type) are then combined. In this way, many two-pulse techniques, including, for example, phase inversion techniques, synthetic aperture techniques, synthetic frequency techniques, and synthetic focus techniques, can be used while substantially reducing the frame rate penalty normally associated with such techniques.

US Patent:

6517489, Feb 11, 2003

Filed:

Apr 19, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/839709

Inventors:

Patrick J. Phillips - Sunnyvale CA
Kutay F. Ustuner - Mountain View CA
Charles E. Bradley - Burlingame CA
Lewis J. Thomas - Palo Alto CA
David J. Napolitano - Pleasanton CA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

A61B 814

US Classification:

600458

Abstract:

A medical ultrasonic imaging method uses transmitted plane waves, or transmitted wavefronts that are substantially planar, to improve contrast agent imaging by generating peak pressures that are more uniform over depth. Depending on the type of contrast agent, the returned frequencies of interest, and the desired strength of the non-linear response, multiple wavefronts can be generated at substantially the same time to increase peak pressures.

US Patent:

6551246, Apr 22, 2003

Filed:

Apr 19, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/839890

Inventors:

Kutay F. Ustuner - Mountain View CA
Charles E. Bradley - Burlingame CA
Lewis J. Thomas - Palo Alto CA
Ching-Hua Chou - Fremont CA
David J. Napolitano - Pleasanton CA
Patrick J. Phillips - Sunnyvale CA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600447

Abstract:

A pulse echo beamforming system generates high spatial bandwidth ultrasound images using only a few transmit/receive events per frame. Each transmit/receive event consists of firing an unfocused or weakly focused wave and receiving and storing the echo on every receive channel. Each set of stored echoes is delayed and apodized to form component beams for each desired image point in the region insonified by that particular wave. The final images are synthesized by adding two or more of the component beams for each image point.

US Patent:

6679846, Jan 20, 2004

Filed:

Feb 21, 2002

Appl. No.:

10/081978

Inventors:

David J. Napolitano - Pleasanton CA
Christopher R. Cole - Redwood City CA
Gregory L. Holley - Mountain View CA
John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA
Charles E. Bradley - Burlingame CA
Patrick Phillips - Sunnyvale CA

Assignee:

Acuson Corporation - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

B60R 2500

US Classification:

600447, 600443, 600453, 600456, 600458, 600459

Abstract:

A medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system acquires receive beams from spatially distinct transmit beams. The receive beams alternate in type between at least first and second types across the region being imaged. The first and second types of receive beams differ in at least one scan parameter other than transmit and receive line geometry, and can for example differ in transmit phase, transmit or receive aperture, system frequency, transmit focus, complex phase angle, transmit code or transmit gain. Receive beams associated with spatially distinct ones of the transmit beams (including at least one beam of the first type and at least one beam of the second type) are then combined. In this way, many two-pulse techniques, including, for example, phase inversion techniques, synthetic aperture techniques, synthetic frequency techniques, and synthetic focus techniques, can be used while substantially reducing the frame rate penalty normally associated with such techniques.

US Patent:

6981011, Dec 27, 2005

Filed:

Oct 1, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/966104

Inventors:

David Napolitano - Pleasanton CA, US

Assignee:

Durham Logistics LLC - Las Vegas NV

International Classification:

G06F001/02

US Classification:

708270

Abstract:

A first value of a sinusoidal-shaped electronic signal is computed based on a Lagrange interpolation using an update phase-angle associated with the electronic signal, a first set of equally-spaced data-values that generally describe the sinusoidal function and a second set of pre-calculated-values, which are based on spacing differences between the data-values. The first value can then be used to update the electronic signal or used to update another signal, such as a communication signal.

US Patent:

7540842, Jun 2, 2009

Filed:

Oct 28, 2003

Appl. No.:

10/696421

Inventors:

David J. Napolitano - Pleasanton CA, US
Christopher R. Cole - Redwood City CA, US
Gregory L. Holley - Mountain View CA, US
John A. Hossack - Palo Alto CA, US
Charles E. Bradley - Burlingame CA, US
Patrick Phillips - Sunnyvale CA, US

Assignee:

Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc. - Malvern PA

International Classification:

A61B 8/00

US Classification:

600443, 600441, 600448

Abstract:

A medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system acquires receive beams from spatially distinct transmit beams. The receive beams alternate in type between at least first and second types across the region being imaged. The first and second types of receive beams differ in at least one scan parameter other than transmit and receive line geometry, and can for example differ in transmit phase, transmit or receive aperture, system frequency, transmit focus, complex phase angle, transmit code or transmit gain. Receive beams associated with spatially distinct ones of the transmit beams (including at least one beam of the first type and at least one beam of the second type) are then combined. In this way, many two-pulse techniques, including, for example, phase inversion techniques, synthetic aperture techniques, synthetic frequency techniques, and synthetic focus techniques, can be used while substantially reducing the frame rate penalty normally associated with such techniques.

US Patent:

7627386, Dec 1, 2009

Filed:

Oct 7, 2004

Appl. No.:

10/961709

Inventors:

Larry Y. L. Mo - San Ramon CA, US
Glen W. McLaughlin - Saratoga CA, US
Brian Derek DeBusschere - Orinda CA, US
Ting-Lan Ji - San Jose CA, US
Ching-Hua Chou - Mountain View CA, US
David J. Napolitano - Pleasanton CA, US
Kathy S. Jedrzejewicz - Austin TX, US
Thomas Jedrzejewicz - Austin TX, US
Kurt Sandstrom - San Jose CA, US
Feng Yin - Palo Alto CA, US
Scott Franklin Smith - Oak Creek WI, US
Wenkang Qi - Cupertino CA, US
Robert Stanson - LaSalle, CA

Assignee:

Zonaire Medical Systems, Inc. - Mountain View CA

International Classification:

G05B 13/02

US Classification:

700 50, 600437, 600443, 600457, 600441

Abstract:

An ultrasound scanner is equipped with one or more fuzzy control units that can perform adaptive system parameter optimization anywhere in the system. In one embodiment, an ultrasound system comprises a plurality of ultrasound image generating subsystems configured to generate an ultrasound image, the plurality of ultrasound image generating subsystems including a transmitter subsystem, a receiver subsystem, and an image processing subsystem; and a fuzzy logic controller communicatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of ultrasound imaging generating subsystems. The fuzzy logic controller is configured to receive, from at least one of the plurality of ultrasound imaging generating subsystems, input data including at least one of pixel image data and data for generating pixel image data; to process the input data using a set of inference rules to produce fuzzy output; and to convert the fuzzy output into numerical values or system states for controlling at least one of the transmit subsystem and the receiver subsystem that generate the pixel image data.