Patent ID: 11872082
Assignee: ECHOSENS
Field: Medical technology (Instruments)
Classification: CPC A | IPC A

Claim 9:
10. An elastography device comprising:
a probe, to be held against the body of a subject, the probe comprising:
a single ultrasound transducer; or a plurality of ultrasound transducers, all ultrasound transducers of the probe being motionless with respect to each other, and
a low frequency vibrator, arranged to induce a displacement of said single ultrasound transducer or plurality of ultrasound transducers towards a tissue to be characterized, and

an electronic unit comprising an electronic circuit, configured to control the single ultrasound transducer or plurality of ultrasound transducers to emit a sequence of ultrasound pulses in the tissue to be characterized, and configured to acquire echo signals received by the single ultrasound transducer or plurality of ultrasound transducers in response to the ultrasound pulses emitted, in order to track how elastic waves, induced in the tissue by the displacement of the single ultrasound transducer or the plurality of ultrasound transducers, travel in said tissue,
the electronic unit being further configured so that, for at least some of the ultrasound pulses emitted, a pulse repetition period, that separates an ultrasound pulse of the ultrasound pulses from a next ultrasound pulse of the ultrasound pulses emitted, varies depending on the displacement of the single ultrasound transducer or plurality of ultrasound transducers, the pulse repetition period:
being shortened compared to a base pulse repetition period To when the single ultrasound transducer or plurality of ultrasound transducers moves away from said tissue,
and being lengthened compared to the base pulse repetition period To when the single ultrasound transducer or plurality of ultrasound transducers moves towards said tissue.