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EP-3697312-B1 - WEARABLE ULTRASONIC DEVICE

EP3697312B1EP 3697312 B1EP3697312 B1EP 3697312B1EP-3697312-B1

Inventors

  • SONNENSCHEIN, Lazar

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20181007

Claims (15)

  1. A wearable device, which is a smartwatch, configured to produce ultrasonic images, comprising: a) components configured to provide computing and communication functionalities; and b) anultrasonic system (10,20) comprising a substrate (12) comprising : an ultrasonic transducer array (14) and accompanying circuitry wherein the substrate comprises an application specific integrated circuit ASIC, comprising at least some of the components of an analog frontend, AFE, a beamformer with frontend processing, and a backend processing block wherein the wearable device is configured to carry out part of the beam forming and/or processing required to produce the ultrasonic images by circuitry on the substrate and the remainder of the beamforming and/or image processing on the wearable device using either dedicated circuitry or circuitry that includes existing components of the circuits on the wearable device that perform other functions.
  2. The wearable device (18) of claim 1, wherein the substrate (12) is manufactured as an integral component permanently attached to the wearable device (18).
  3. The wearable device (18) of claim 1, wherein the substrate (12) is manufactured as a separate component configured to be attached to and detached from the wearable device (18).
  4. The wearable device of one of claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the surface of the smartwatch to which the substrate is attached may have any shape and curvature.
  5. The wearable device of claim 4, wherein back surface of the substrate has a shape and curvature to match that of the surface of the smartwatch to which it is attached.
  6. The wearable device of claim 5, wherein the ultrasonic transducer array has a cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the substrate that is one of concave and straight.
  7. The wearable device (18) of the preceding claims, , wherein electrical power transmission between an electronic circuit on the substrate (12) of the ultrasonic system (10,20) and the wearable device (18) is done by a wired connection.
  8. The wearable device (18) of claim 1, wherein the images and/or raw data are communicated between a transmitter ASIC on the substrate (12) of the ultrasonic system (10,20) and the wearable device (18) by one of a direct wired connection and a wireless connection.
  9. The wearable device (18) of claim 7, wherein electrical power is supplied to the electronic circuit and transducer array (14) on the substrate (12) of the ultrasonic system (10,20) from a battery in the wearable device (18).
  10. The wearable device of claim 8, wherein the images and/or raw data are communicated by the transmitter ASIC on the substrate (12) of the ultrasonic system (10,20) either wirelessly or via the communication capabilities of the wearable device (18) to a remote location where they can be stored, displayed, and analyzed by medical practitioners.
  11. The wearable device of claim 1, wherein processed images are displayed on a screen on the smartwatch.
  12. The wearable device (18) of claim 1, configured to provided the ultrasonic images and data related to the following medical conditions: a) continuous self-monitoring of vessels and arteries to measure volumetric blood flow and velocity; b) measuring the blood flow in the carotid artery; c) measurement of the prostate; d) monitoring the chest or abdomen of injured or wounded patients to obtain information relating to potentially catastrophic internal bleeding; e) monitoring the level of liquid in the lungs of congestive heart failure (CHF) patients; and f) monitoring the level of liquid in the bladder of patients at risk of undergoing acute kidney injury (AKI).
  13. The wearable device (18) of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transducer array (14) comprises at least two transducer elements and the accompanying circuitry is configured to create a phased array.
  14. The wearable device of claim 13, wherein the number of transducer elements is between 2 and 256.
  15. The wearable device (18) of claim 1, wherein the device (18) comprises at least one of: a backing layer, an acoustic matching layer, and a lens.

Description

Field of the Invention The invention is from the field of wearable devices. Specifically the invention relates to wearable devices that comprise computing and communication capabilities. Background of the Invention Smartwatches are wristwatches belonging to a group of wearable devices that are widely sold and worn by users around the world. In addition to the traditional function of keeping time, smartwatches are today essentially portable computing and communication devices that are worn on a user's wrist. Smartwatches are available in a very large variety of models that offer an even larger variety of functions. In different embodiments they comprise sensors to monitor, for example, physiological functions of the user, environmental conditions, and GPS tracking. Most models comprise communication functions that enable short range communication through protocols such as Bluetooth and/or long range communication via the internet or cellular networks. The latest developments in the art are centered around providing all functions available on smartphones on wrist worn computing systems. Ultrasonic functionality is provided on some models of smartphones for distance measuring and gesture recognition applications. However use of ultrasonic for medical imaging purposes is currently not one of the functionalities presently available on any type of wearable device including smartwatches. D1 US 2015/0150503 describes an apparatus for monitoring the extravascular lung water status of a patient. An embodiment of the apparatus comprises an acoustic diagnostic device is provided that includes a housing configured to be worn by a patient, an acoustic transducer for transmitting acoustic energy into and receiving reflected acoustic energy from the patient's thorax, and processors coupled to the acoustic transducer for analyzing the reflected acoustic energy to provide an indication of extravascular lung water status of the patient. D2 US 2014/0058292 describes a system for use in managing a neuromodulation therapy. The system includes an ultrasound transducer array controlled by a control unit to deliver ultrasound waveforms for causing modulation of neural tissue in a patient. D3 US 2006/0106311 describes a gel pad comprised of a gel layer and a membrane layer that is included on an ultrasonic monitor implemented on a PCB. D4 US 2008/0001735 describes a system, comprising: one or more wireless nodes forming a wireless network; a user activity sensor including a wireless transceiver adapted to communicate with the one or more wireless nodes; and a digital monitoring agent configured to request assistance from a third party based on the user activity sensor. An ultrasonic detector is one of the many types of mentioned sensors that can serve as the user activity sensor. D5 WO 2017/019873 describes a wearable ultrasound device that includes an ultrasound transducer element array a housing providing circuitry to process signals to or from the array. An embodiment of the device is configured to be securely anchored to a finger of a user. It is a purpose of the present invention to provide a wearable device that comprises an ultrasonic system that provides full capability of generating medical images. Further purposes and advantages of this invention will appear as the description proceeds. Summary of the Invention The invention is defined by claim 1. The ultrasonic system comprises a substrate that comprises an ultrasonic transducer array and accompanying circuitry. The wearable device is configured to produce useful ultrasonic images. The wearable device comprise components configured to provide computing and communication functionalities. The wearable device is a smartwatch. In embodiments of the wearable device the substrate is manufactured as an integral component that is permanently attached to the wearable device. In embodiments of the wearable device the substrate is manufactured as a separate component that is configured to be attached to and detached from the wearable device. In embodiments of the wearable device the surface of the smart device to which the substrate is attached may have any shape and curvature. In embodiments of the wearable device the back surface of the substrate has a shape and curvature to match that of the surface of the smart device to which it is attached. In embodiments of the wearable device the ultrasonic transducer array has a cross-sectional shape in a plane perpendicular to the substrate that is one of concave and straight. In the wearable device the substrate comprises an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) comprising at least some of the components of an analog frontend (AFE), a beamformer with frontend processing, and a backend processing block, which are the three processing blocks that are present in all ultrasonic systems. In the wearable device at least some of the beamforming and/or image processing is carried out on the wearable device using either dedicated circuitr