Ultrasonic densitometer device and method

Claim 1

An ultrasonic densitometer comprising: (a) a pair of ultrasonic transducers in spaced opposed relation; (b) an excitation amplifier connected to a first of the transducers; (c) a receiver amplifier connected to receive the output of the second of the transducers; (d) a sampling digital-to-analog converter connected to receive the output of the receiver amplifier; (e) a timer circuit to generate timing pulses; and (f) a microprocessor connected to control the operation of the excitation and receiver amplifiers, the timer and the digital-to-analog converter, the microprocessor programmed (1) to cause the excitation amplifier to emit a series of pulses to launch an ultrasonic pulse from the first transducer, (2) for each pulse received by the receiver amplifier, to cause the analog-to-digital converter to sample a portion of the waveform received by the second transducer, the microprocesor incrementally causing said samples to be successively later for each successive pulse transmitted, (3) to store the digital output of each sample by the analog-to-digital converter, and (4) when the sampling of the pulse is completed, to output a series of digital values representing the analog waveform received by the second transducer.

Claim 6

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo , at a given region of interest comprising the steps of: (a) providing an ultrasonic testing instrument having an array of ultrasonic transducer elements; (b) positioning the testing instrument generally in the area of the region of interest on the member; (c) launching ultrasonic signals successively from the elements in the array; (d) sensing the received ultrasonic signals launched from the elements; (e) deriving from the received ultrasonic signals at least one parameter related to the physical properties of the member at each point in the array; and (f) selecting among the parameters by criteria selected to repeatedly select a similar region of interest and using one of the parameters at that region of interest as an indication of the physical properties of the member at that region of interest.

Claim 7

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo , at a given region of interest comprising the steps of: (a) providing an ultrasonic testing instrument having an array of ultrasonic transducer elements; (b) positioning the testing instrument generally in the area of the region of interest on the member; (c) launching ultrasonic signals successively from the elements in the array; (d) sensing the received ultrasonic signals launched from the elements; (e) deriving from the received ultrasonic signals at least one parameter related to the physical properties of the member at each point in the array; and (f) selecting among the parameters by criteria selected to repeatedly select a similar region of interest and using one of the parameters at that region of interest as an indication of the physical properties of the member at that region of interest.

Claim 12

A method for measuring physical properties of a member in vivo comprising the steps of: (a) launching a series of ultrasonic pulses from a first transducer element into the member; (b) sensing the received ultrasonic signal having passed through the member; (c) sampling the received ultrasonic signal during a series of time increments, different increments of different elapsed time from the launch of the pulse being samples during different pulses, a set of the sampled increments representing an entire received ultrasonic signal; (d) repeating steps (a) - (c) at least once so that at least two sets of sampled increments are stored; and (e) averaging the two sets of sampled increments to create a representation of the received signal having a diminished noise component.

Claim 13

A method for measuring physical properties of a member in vivo comprising the steps of: (a) launching a series of ultrasonic pulses from a first transducer element into the member; (b) sensing the received ultrasonic signal having passed through the member; (c) sampling the received ultrasonic signal during a series of time increments, different increments of different elapsed time from the launch of the pulse being samples during different pulses, a set of the sampled increments representing an entire received ultrasonic signal; (d) repeating steps (a) - (c) at least once so that at least two sets of sampled increments are stored; and (e) averaging the two sets of sampled increments to create a representation of the received signal having a diminished noise component.

Claim 14

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo, comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting an acoustic signal through the member; (b) determining a member transit time of the acoustic signal through the member; (c) transmitting an acoustic signal through a standard material with known acoustic properties; (d) determining a standard material transit time of the acoustic signal through the standard material; (e) making a mathematical time comparison of the member transit time to the material transit time; and (f) relating the mathematical time comparison to the physical properties of the member.

Claim 15

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo, comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting an acoustic signal through the member; (b) determining a member transit time of the acoustic signal through the member; (c) transmitting an acoustic signal through a standard material with known acoustic properties; (d) determining a standard material transit time of the acoustic signal through the standard material; (e) making a mathematical time comparison of the member transit time to the material transit time; and (f) relating the mathematical time comparison to the physical properties of the member.

Claim 16

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo, comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting an acoustic signal through the member; (b) determining an absolute attenuation of at least one individual specific frequency component of the acoustic signal through the member; (c) transmitting a similar acoustic signal through a material with known acoustic properties; (d) determining an absolute attenuation of at least one corresponding individual specific frequency component of the acoustic signal through said material; (e) making a mathematical attenuation comparison of the absolute attenuation of the individual specific component through the member to the absolute attenuation of each corresponding specific frequency component through said material; and (f) relating the mathematical attenuation comparison to the physical properties and integrity of the member.

Claim 17

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo, comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting an acoustic signal through the member; (b) determining an absolute attenuation of at least one individual specific frequency component of the acoustic signal through the member; (c) transmitting a similar acoustic signal through a material with known acoustic properties; (d) determining an absolute attenuation of at least one corresponding individual specific frequency component of the acoustic signal through said material; (e) making a mathematical attenuation comparison of the absolute attenuation of the individual specific component through the member to the absolute attenuation of each corresponding specific frequency component through said material; and (f) relating the mathematical attenuation comparison to the physical properties and integrity of the member.

Claim 18

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo, comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting an acoustic signal through the member; (b) determining a member transit time of the acoustic signal through the member; (c) selecting one of a plurality of normal transit times from a database of normal transit times; (d) making a mathematical comparison of said member transit time to the selected normal transit time; and (e) relating said mathematical comparison to the physical properties and integrity of said member.

Claim 19

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo, comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting an acoustic signal through the member; (b) determining a member transit time of the acoustic signal through the member; (c) selecting one of a plurality of normal transit times from a database of normal transit times; (d) making a mathematical comparison of said member transit time to the selected normal transit time; and (e) relating said mathematical comparison to the physical properties and integrity of said member.

Claim 20

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo, comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting a acoustic signal through the member; (b) determining a member transit time of the acoustic signal through the member; (c) determining an absolute attenuation of at least one individual specific frequency component of the acoustic signal through the member; (d) transmitting a acoustic signal through a material with known acoustic properties; (e) determining a material transit time of the acoustic signal through said material; (f) determining an absolute attenuation of at least one corresponding individual specific frequency component of the acoustic signal through said material; (g) making a mathematical time comparison of said member transit time to said material transit time; (h) making a mathematical attenuation comparison of the absolute attenuation of the individual specific component through the member to the absolute attenuation of each corresponding specific frequency component through said material to obtain a set of mathematical attenuation comparisons between corresponding frequency components; and (i) relating both said mathematical time comparison and said set of mathematical attenuation comparisons to the physical properties and integrity of said member.

Claim 21

A method for measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo, comprising the steps of: (a) transmitting a acoustic signal through the member; (b) determining a member transit time of the acoustic signal through the member; (c) determining an absolute attenuation of at least one individual specific frequency component of the acoustic signal through the member; (d) transmitting a acoustic signal through a material with known acoustic properties; (e) determining a material transit time of the acoustic signal through said material; (f) determining an absolute attenuation of at least one corresponding individual specific frequency component of the acoustic signal through said material; (g) making a mathematical time comparison of said member transit time to said material transit time; (h) making a mathematical attenuation comparison of the absolute attenuation of the individual specific component through the member to the absolute attenuation of each corresponding specific frequency component through said material to obtain a set of mathematical attenuation comparisons between corresponding frequency components; and (i) relating both said mathematical time comparison and said set of mathematical attenuation comparisons to the physical properties and integrity of said member.

Claim 22

A method of measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo comprising the steps of (a) adjusting a pair of transducers until they are arranged in contact with the member and fixing the distance between them; (b) launching an ultrasonic pulse through the member; (c) measuring the transit time of the pulse through the member; (d) removing the transducers from the member and placing them in a standard material of known acoustic properties without varying the distance between them; (e) launching an ultrasonic pulse through the materials; (f) measuring the transit time of the pulse through the material; and (g) using the comparison of the transit time of the pulse through the member to the transit time of the pulse through the material as a measure of the physical properties and integrity of the member.

Claim 23

A method of measuring the physical properties and integrity of a member in vivo comprising the steps of (a) adjusting a pair of transducers until they are arranged in contact with the member and fixing the distance between them; (b) launching an ultrasonic pulse through the member; (c) measuring the transit time of the pulse through the member; (d) removing the transducers from the member and placing them in a standard material of known acoustic properties without varying the distance between them; (e) launching an ultrasonic pulse through the materials; (f) measuring the transit time of the pulse through the material; and (g) using the comparison of the transit time of the pulse through the member to the transit time of the pulse through the material as a measure of the physical properties and integrity of the member.