Control of anatomical image acquisition using physiological information

An imaging device positioning system for monitoring an anatomical region (10). The imaging device positioning system employs an imaging device (20) for generating an image (21) of an anatomical region (10). The imaging device positioning system further employs a imaging device controller (30) for controlling a positioning of the imaging device (20) relative to the anatomical region (10). During a generation by the imaging device (20) of the image (21) of the anatomical region (10), the imaging device controller (30) adapts the control of the positioning of the imaging device (20) relative to the anatomical region (10) to a physiological condition of the anatomical region (10) extracted from the image (21) of the anatomical region (10).

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The inventions of the present disclosure generally relate to image device monitoring systems (e.g., Zura-EVO™ 1, CardioQ-EM+ and USCOM®, etc.). The inventions of the present disclosure more particularly relate to improving such image device monitoring systems by providing control of anatomical image acquisition using physiological information (e.g., ejection fraction, cardiac output, IVC/SVC diameter for fluid status, Doppler flow to an organ, etc.).

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Currently, hemodynamic monitoring as known in the art may involve a continuous ultrasound image acquisition over a specified period of time (e.g., 72 hours) or a fixed periodic ultrasound image acquisition. While advantageous for patient evaluation purposes, there are several drawbacks to such hemodynamic monitoring.

First, continuous ultrasound acquisition does not comply with an As Low As Reasonably Acceptable (ALARA) clinical practice, which such noncompliance exposes a patient to potential harm during the continuous ultrasound acquisition.

Second, continuous contact by an ultrasound transducer during a continuous ultrasound acquisition may cause tissue irritation for a patient, especially continuous contact by a Trans-esophageal (TEE) ultrasound probe on an esophagus of the patient for an ultrasound image monitoring of a cardiac function of the patient.

Third, a fixed periodic ultrasound acquisition with a pre-defined frequency does not adapt to current physiological conditions of the patient and any dynamic changes to such physiological conditions of the patient.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

To improve upon ultrasound monitoring systems, the present disclosure provides inventions for controlling an anatomical image acquisition based on physiological parameters of a patient extracted from an imaging of the patient to thereby minimize a degree of exposure by the patient to the imaging.

One embodiment of the inventions of the present disclosure is an imaging device positioning system for monitoring an anatomical region.

The imaging device positioning system employs an imaging device for generating an image of an anatomical region.

The imaging device positioning system further employs an imaging device controller for controlling a positioning of the imaging device relative to the anatomical region. During a generation by the imaging device of the image of the anatomical region, the imaging device controller adapts the control of the positioning of the imaging device relative to the anatomical region to one or more physiological conditions of the anatomical region extracted from the image of the anatomical region.

More particularly, the imaging device controller may cyclically adapt the control of the positioning of the imaging device relative to the anatomical region between an imaging position and an non-imaging position based on the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region extracted from the image of the anatomical region.

A second embodiment of the inventions of the present disclosure is the imaging device controller employing a physiological condition extractor and a imaging device positioner.

In operation, a physiological condition extractor generates physiological parameter data informative of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region extracted from the image of the anatomical region generated by the imaging device, and the imaging device positioner controls a positioning of the imaging device relative to the anatomical region.

In response to the physiological parameter data, the imaging device positioner further adapts the control of the positioning of the imaging device relative to the anatomical region to the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region extracted from the image of the anatomical region.

A third embodiment of the inventions of the present disclosure an imaging device positioning method of operating the imaging device positioning system for monitoring an anatomical region.

The imaging device positioning method involves the imaging device generating an image of an anatomical region, and the imaging device controller controlling a positioning of the imaging device relative to the anatomical region.

The imaging device positioning method further involves the imaging device controller adapts the control of the positioning of the imaging device relative to the anatomical region to the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region extracted from the image of the anatomical region generated by the imaging device.

For purposes of describing and claiming the inventions of the present disclosure:

(1) the term “imaging device” broadly encompasses all imaging devices, as known in the art of the present disclosure and hereinafter conceived, for imaging an anatomical region including, but not limited to:(a) an ultrasound transducer of any type including, but not limited to, a Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) probe, an Intra-cardiac probe (ICE), an intra-nasal probe, an endobronchial probe, a laparoscopic probe, and an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) probe;(b) an X-ray gantry of any type including, but not limited to, a C-shape X-ray gantry; and(c) a flexible or rigid scope of any type, including, but not limited to, an endoscope, an arthroscope, a bronchoscope, a choledochoscope, a colonoscope, a cystoscope, a duodenoscope, a gastroscope, a hysteroscope, a laparoscope, a laryngoscope, a neuroscope, an otoscope, a push enteroscope, a rhinolaryngoscope, a sigmoidoscope, a sinuscope, thorascope, and a nested cannula with imaging capability;

(2) an adaptation of a control of the positioning of an imaging device relative to the anatomical region to physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region extracted from an image of the anatomical region involves:(a) an increase in an imaging of the anatomical region by the imaging device in view of any deterioration of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data; and(b) a decrease in an imaging of the anatomical region by the imaging device in view of any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data;

(3) the term “physiological condition” broadly encompasses any physiological condition of an anatomical region extractable from an ultrasound image of an anatomical region. A non-limiting example is a physiological condition of a thoracic region including an ejection fraction, a cardiac output, a IVC/SVC diameter for fluid status, and a Doppler flow to an organ;

(4) the term “imaging positioning” broadly encompasses a designated positioning of an imaging device internal or external to an anatomical region whereby an imaging functionality of the imaging device is activated to image the anatomical region as known in the art of the present disclosure;

(5) the term “non-imaging positioning” broadly encompasses a designated positioning of an imaging device internal or external to an anatomical region whereby an imaging functionality of the imaging device is deactivated to image the anatomical region as known in the art of the present disclosure;

(6) the term “an image device positioning system” broadly encompasses all image device monitoring systems, as known in the art of the present disclosure and hereinafter conceived, incorporating the inventive principles of the present disclosure for visually monitoring an anatomical region. Examples of known image device monitoring systems include, but are not limited to, Zura-EVO™ 1, CardioQ-EM+ and USCOM®;

(7) the term “image device positioning method” broadly encompasses all image device monitoring methods, as known in the art of the present disclosure and hereinafter conceived, incorporating the inventive principles of the present disclosure for visually monitoring an anatomical region. Examples of known ultrasound monitoring methods include, but are not limited to, the Hemodynamic management (hTEE), Oesophageal Doppler monitoring, and noninvasive ultrasound Doppler monitoring;

(8) the term “imaging device controller” broadly encompasses all structural configurations of an application specific main board or an application specific integrated circuit housed employed within or linked to an image device positioning system of the present disclosure for controlling an application of various inventive principles of the present disclosure related to an ultrasound imaging of an anatomical region as subsequently exemplarily described herein. The structural configuration of the controller may include, but is not limited to, processor(s), computer-usable/computer readable storage medium(s), an operating system, application module(s), peripheral device controller(s), interface(s), bus(es), slot(s) and port(s);

(9) the term “application module” broadly encompasses a component of an ultrasound probe controller or a robot controller consisting of an electronic circuit and/or an executable program (e.g., executable software and/or firmware stored on non-transitory computer readable medium(s)) for executing a specific application; and

(10) the terms “signal”, “data”, and “command” broadly encompasses all forms of a detectable physical quantity or impulse (e.g., voltage, current, or magnetic field strength) as understood in the art of the present disclosure and as exemplary described herein for communicating information and/or instructions in support of applying various inventive principles of the present disclosure as subsequently described herein. Signal/data/command communication between components of the present disclosure may involve any communication method, as known in the art of the present disclosure and hereinafter conceived, including, but not limited to, signal/data/command transmission/reception over any type of wired or wireless medium/datalink and a reading of signal/data/command uploaded to a computer-usable/computer readable storage medium.

The foregoing embodiments and other embodiments of the inventions of the present disclosure as well as various features and advantages of the inventions of the present disclosure will become further apparent from the following detailed description of various embodiments of the inventions of the present disclosure read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the inventions of the present disclosure rather than limiting, the scope of the inventions of the present disclosure being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

To facilitate an understanding of the inventions of the present disclosure, the following description ofFIG.1teaches basic inventive principles of a positioning of an imaging device within an anatomical region in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure. From this description ofFIG.1, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how to apply the inventive principles of the present disclosure to practice numerous and various embodiments of positioning of an imaging device internal to or external to an anatomical region in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure.

In practice, the inventions of the present disclosure are applicable to any anatomical region including, but not limited to, a cephalic region, a cervical region, a thoracic region, an abdominal region, a pelvic region, a lower extremity and an upper extremity. Also in practice, the inventions of the present disclosure are applicable to any type of anatomical structure including, but not limited to, tissue and bone, healthy or unhealthy.

Referring toFIG.1, an imaging position12of the present disclosure encompasses a designated position of an imaging device20within an anatomical region10(e.g., an ultrasound transducer or a scope) whereby an imaging capability of imaging device20is activated for imaging a spatial area and/or of features and structures of anatomical region10within a field of view21of imaging device20. Alternatively, imaging positon12may encompass a designated position of imaging device20external to anatomical region10(e.g., an X-ray gantry) whereby an imaging capability of imaging device20is activated for imaging a spatial area and/or of features and structures of anatomical region10within a field of view21of imaging device20.

Conversely, a non-imaging position13of the present disclosure encompasses a designated position of an imaging device20within an anatomical region10(e.g., an ultrasound transducer or a scope) whereby an imaging capability of imaging device20is deactivated for minimizing any contact of imaging device20to a structure of anatomical region10and/or for reducing exposure of anatomical region10to any radiation/energy emitted by imaging device20for purposes of imaging anatomical region10. Alternatively, imaging positon13may encompass a designated position of imaging device20external to anatomical region10(e.g., an X-ray gantry) whereby an imaging capability of imaging device20is deactivated for minimizing any contact of imaging device20to a structure of anatomical region10and/or for reducing exposure of anatomical region10to any radiation/energy emitted by imaging device20for purposes of imaging anatomical region10.

Still referring toFIG.1, a periodic or irregular cycling14of imaging device20between imaging position12and non-imaging position13involves a cyclical arrangement of imaging position12and non-imaging position13at a fixed or variable frequency and/or a fixed or variable duty cycle for purposes of visually monitoring a specific aspect of anatomical region10while minimizes any contact imaging device20to a structure of anatomical region10and/or for reducing exposure of anatomical region10to any radiation/energy emitted by imaging device20for purposes of imaging anatomical region10.

To this end, an imaging device controller30employs a physiological condition extractor31for extracting physiological parameter data22from an anatomical image21of the anatomical region10generated by imaging device20whereby physiological parameter data22is informative of one or more physiological conditions of anatomical region10as will be further explained herein. For example, if anatomical region10is a thoracic region, then the physiological condition(s) of the thoracic region may be an ejection fraction, a stroke volume, a cardiac output, an IVC/SVC diameter for fluid status and/or a Doppler flow to an organ.

In practice, as would be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art of the present disclosure, any extraction technique known in the art may be implemented in dependence upon the type of physiological condition(s) being extracted from anatomical image21of the anatomical region10.

Imaging device controller30further employs an imaging device positioner32for controlling an adaption of cycling14of a positioning of imaging device20to the physiological condition(s) of anatomical region10extracted from anatomical image21of the anatomical region10. In practice, the adaption of cycling14of a positioning of imaging device20may include an increase to the fixed/variable frequency and/or the fixed/variable duty cycle of imaging position12in view of any deterioration of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22, or conversely a decrease to the fixed/variable frequency and/or the fixed/variable duty cycle of imaging position12in view of any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22.

Concurrently or alternatively in practice, the adaption of cycling14may include an increase to a degree of contact force between imaging device20and an anatomical structure of anatomical region10in view of any deterioration of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22to thereby facilitate a higher quality of imaging of anatomical region10, or conversely a decrease to a degree of contact force between imaging device20and an anatomical structure of anatomical region10in view of any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22to thereby facilitates an acceptable quality of imaging of anatomical region10at a lesser degree of contact.

Generally, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated in the physiological parameter data22by any technique providing a definitive indication of such deterioration or improvement. More particularly in practice, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated by one or more thresholds established relative to the physiological parameter data22as will be further described herein. Concurrently or alternatively in practice, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated by a negative slope or a positive slope of the physiological parameter data22over a specified time period as will be further described herein.

To facilitate a further understanding of the inventions of the present disclosure, the following description ofFIG.2teaches basic inventive principles of a positioning of an ultrasound transducer within an anatomical region in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure. From this description ofFIG.2, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how to apply the inventive principles of the present disclosure to practice numerous and various embodiments of positioning of an ultrasound transducer internal to or external to an anatomical region in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure.

Referring toFIG.2, an imaging position12aof the present disclosure encompasses a positioning within an anatomical region10of an ultrasound transducer20ain direct or indirect contact with an anatomical structure11whereby ultrasound transducer20aapplies a force/counterforce to the anatomical structure11to a degree sufficient to facilitate an ultrasound imaging of the anatomical region10as exemplarily symbolized by the bi-directional dashed arrows.

Conversely, a non-imaging position13aof the present disclosure encompasses a positioning within anatomical region10of ultrasound transducer20ain direct or indirect contact with anatomical structure11whereby ultrasound transducer20ais not applying a force/counterforce to the anatomical structure11to a degree sufficient to facilitate an ultrasound imaging of the anatomical region10(not shown inFIG.2) or encompasses a spatial positioning SP between ultrasound transducer20aand anatomical structure11as shown inFIG.2, and preferably to minimize the force/counterforce imparted on the anatomical structure11/or reducing the imparted force below a defined threshold.

Still referring toFIG.2, a periodic or irregular cycling14aof ultrasound transducer20abetween imaging position12aand non-imaging position13ainvolves a cyclical arrangement of imaging position12aand non-imaging position13aat a fixed or variable frequency and/or a fixed or variable duty cycle for purposes of visually monitoring a specific aspect of anatomical region10while minimizes any contact ultrasound transducer20ato a structure of anatomical region10and/or for reducing exposure of anatomical region10to any radiation/energy emitted by ultrasound transducer20afor purposes of imaging anatomical region10.

To this end, an ultrasound transducer controller30aemploys a physiological condition extractor31afor extracting physiological parameter data22afrom an anatomical image21aof the anatomical region10generated by ultrasound transducer20awhereby physiological parameter data22ais informative of one or more physiological conditions of anatomical region10as will be further explained herein. For example, if anatomical region10is a thoracic region, then the physiological condition(s) of the thoracic region may be an ejection fraction, a stroke volume, a cardiac output, an IVC/SVC diameter for fluid status and/or a Doppler flow to an organ.

In practice, as would be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art of the present disclosure, any extraction technique known in the art may be implemented in dependence upon the type of physiological condition(s) being extracted from anatomical image21aof the anatomical region10.

Ultrasound transducer controller30afurther employs an ultrasound transducer positioner32afor controlling an adaption of cycling14aof a positioning of ultrasound transducer20ato the physiological condition(s) of anatomical region10extracted from anatomical image21aof the anatomical region10. In practice, the adaption of cycling14aof a positioning of imaging device20may include an increase to the fixed/variable frequency and/or the fixed/variable duty cycle of imaging position12ain view of any deterioration of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22a, or conversely a decrease to the fixed/variable frequency and/or the fixed/variable duty cycle of imaging position12ain view of any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22a.

Concurrently or alternatively in practice, the adaption of cycling14amay include an increase to a degree of contact force between ultrasound transducer20aand an anatomical structure of anatomical region10in view of any deterioration of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22ato thereby facilitate a higher quality of imaging of anatomical region10, or conversely a decrease to a degree of contact force between ultrasound transducer20aand an anatomical structure of anatomical region10in view of any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22ato thereby facilitates an acceptable quality of imaging of anatomical region10at a lesser degree of contact.

Generally, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated in the physiological parameter data22aby any technique providing a definitive indication of such deterioration or improvement as known in the art of the present disclosure. More particularly in practice, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated by one or more thresholds established relative to the physiological parameter data22aas will be further described herein. Concurrently or alternatively in practice, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated by a negative slope or a positive slope of the physiological parameter data22aover a specified time period as will be further described herein.

To facilitate a further understanding of the inventions of the present disclosure, the following description ofFIGS.3-4Bteaches basic inventive principles of an ultrasound transducer positioning in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure as related to cycling14aof imaging position12aand non-imaging position13aas shown inFIG.2. From this description ofFIGS.3-4B, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how to apply the inventive principles of the present disclosure to practice numerous and various embodiments of ultrasound transducer positioning in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure.

Generally in practice, an ultrasound transducer positioning of the present disclosure is based on a devising a base time varying force control plan specifying:

1. a base frequency of a forceful positioning of an ultrasound transducer relative to an anatomical structure within an anatomical region;

2. a base duty cycle of a forceful positioning and a forceless positioning of the ultrasound transducer relative to an anatomical structure within an anatomical region;

3. a desired positioning and a desired contact force associated with the forceful positioning of an ultrasound transducer relative to an anatomical structure within an anatomical region;

4. a desired positioning and a desired contact force associated with the forceful positioning of an ultrasound transducer relative to an anatomical structure within an anatomical region;

5. one or more physiological condition of the anatomical region to be extracted from the ultrasound image of the anatomical region; and

6. a delineation of physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as a definitive indication of any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region.

Referring toFIG.3, a flowchart40is representative of an ultrasound transducer positioning of the present disclosure.

Referring toFIGS.2and3, flowchart40is based on a devising of a time varying force control plan specifying a base frequency of imaging position12aof an ultrasound transducer20arelative to an anatomical structure within an anatomical region, and a base duty cycle of imaging position12aand non-imaging position13a. The devising of the time varying force control plan further specifies a desired positioning and a desired contact force for both imaging position12aand non-imaging position13aas will be further described herein.

Flowchart40will now be described in the context of imaging position12aand non-imaging position13aof ultrasound transducer20ain the form a TEE probe relative to an inner surface of an esophagus within a thoracic region, and an extraction of an ejection fraction from an ultrasound image of a heart within thoracic region. From the description of flowchart40, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how to apply flowchart40to other forms of ultrasound transducers relative to any anatomical structure within any anatomical region.

Still referring toFIGS.2and3, a stage S42of flowchart40encompasses an initiation of cycling14aof imaging position12aand non-imaging position13a, and a stage S44of flowchart40encompasses a measurement of the ejection fraction of the heart within the thoracic region as extracted from the ultrasound image of a heart within thoracic region.

A stage S46of flowchart40encompasses an adapting of cycling14aof imaging position12aand non-imaging position13abased on the measurement during stage S44of the ejection fraction of the heart within the thoracic region as extracted from the ultrasound image of a heart within thoracic region. The adaption is in accordance with the time varying force control plan specification a delineation of physiological condition of the ejection fraction of the heart as a definitive indication of any deterioration or any improvement of the ejection fraction of the heart.

Generally in practice, for a definitive indication of any deterioration of the ejection fraction of the heart, the base frequency of imaging position12amay be increased as symbolically shown inFIG.3and/or the base duty cycle may be increased for imaging position12aas symbolically shown inFIG.3. As a result, the ultrasound monitoring of the ejection fraction of the heart will be increased for diagnostic purposes.

Conversely in practice, for a definitive indication of any improvement of the ejection fraction of the heart, the base frequency of imaging position12amay be decreased as symbolically shown inFIG.3and/or the base duty cycle may be decreased for imaging position12aas symbolically shown inFIG.3. As a result, the ultrasound monitoring of the ejection fraction of the heart will be decreased for diagnostic purposes.

In one exemplary embodiment of stage S46,FIG.4Aillustrates a time varying force control plan50adelineating a good threshold and a poor threshold as respective definitive indications of an improving or a deteriorating measurement of ejection fraction of the heart. The time varying force control plan50afurther specifies:

1. a good frequency fgoodand associated duty cycle for imaging position12awhenever the measurement of the ejection fraction of the heart exceeds the good threshold;

2. a base frequency fbaseand associated duty cycle for imaging position12awhenever the measurement of the ejection fraction of the heart is between the good threshold and the poor threshold; and

3. a poor frequency fbaseand associated duty cycle for imaging position12awhenever the measurement of the ejection fraction of the heart is below the poor threshold.

As shown inFIG.4A, the ejection fraction deteriorates from being good to temporarily being poor before showing an improvement toward being good again. As a result, the operation mode of cycling14ais adapted to the measurement trends of the ejection fraction.

In a second exemplary embodiment of stage S46,FIG.4Billustrates a time varying force control plan50bdelineating a negative slope and a positive slope over a time period TP threshold as respective definitive indications of an improving or a deteriorating measurement of ejection fraction of the heart. The time varying force control plan50bfurther specifies:

1. a transition of a base frequency fbaseand associated duty cycle for imaging position12ato a poor frequency fbaseand associated duty cycle for imaging position12awhenever the measurement of the ejection fraction of the heart is demonstrating a negative slope over time period TP; and

2. a transition of poor frequency fbaseand associated duty cycle for imaging position12ato base frequency fbaseand associated duty cycle for imaging position12awhenever the measurement of the ejection fraction of the heart is demonstrating a positive slope over time period TP;

As shown inFIG.4B, again, the ejection fraction deteriorates from being good to temporarily being poor before showing an improvement toward being good again. As a result, the operation mode of cycling14ais adapted to the measurement trends of the ejection fraction.

Referring back toFIGS.2and3, stages S44and S46are repeated until such time the ultrasound monitoring of the anatomical region is terminated. Those having ordinary skill in the art of the present disclosure will appreciate the benefit of flowchart40in minimizing contact between ultrasound transducer20aand anatomical structure11and in minimizing ultrasound expose to anatomical region10.

To facilitate a further understanding of the inventions of the present disclosure, the following description ofFIGS.5-9Bteaches basic inventive principles of an ultrasound transducer positioning system in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure as related to cycling14aof imaging position12aand non-imaging position13aas shown inFIG.2. From this description ofFIGS.4-9, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how to apply the inventive principles of the present disclosure to practice numerous and various embodiments of ultrasound transducer positioning system in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure.

Referring toFIG.5, an ultrasound transducer positioning system of the present disclosure employs ultrasound transducer20aand an ultrasound probe robot60.

In practice, ultrasound transducer20amay include any type of transducer array as known in the art of the present disclosure and hereinafter conceived including, but not limited to, a linear array, a phased array, a curvi-linear array and a matrix sensor array.

In one embodiment of ultrasound transducer20a,FIG.6illustrates a TEE probe120as known in the art employing a handle121and an elongated probe having a proximal end122pattached to handle121and a distal head end122dwith an ultrasound transducer array123. TEE probe120further employs a yaw actuation dial124for adjusting a yaw degree freedom of ultrasound transducer array123, and a pitch actuation dial125for adjusting a pitch degree freedom of ultrasound transducer array123.

Referring back toFIG.5, in practice, ultrasound probe robot60may be any type of robot, as known in the art of the present disclosure and hereinafter conceived, employing one or more motor controller(s)61for controlling a yawing and/or a pitching of an ultrasound transducer array of ultrasound transducer20a. Motor controllers61may also be utilized to control a rolling and/or a translation of the ultrasound transducer array of ultrasound transducer20a.

In one embodiment of ultrasound probe robot60,FIG.7illustrates an ultrasound probe robot including a robotic actuator160and an actuator platform170.

Robotic actuator160employs a probe handle cover133having a concave inner surface (not shown) and a probe handle base135having a concave inner surface (not shown) for defining a actuation chamber upon being magnetically coupled via one or more magnetic couplers (not shown). In operation, the chamber houses the actuation dials124and125of TEE probe120(FIG.6) and the magnetic coupling provides an advantage of facilitating an easy removal of TEE probe120is desired, particularly if operating circumstance dictate manual control of TEE probe120.

Robotic actuator160further employs a motor (not shown) and a motor controller (not shown) yielding motorized gears controllable by ultrasound transducer positioner32avia an electrical coupling of robotic controller60to the motor controllers. In operation, the motorized gears are sufficient to engage and rotate actuation dials124and125of TEE probe120for a desired pitching and/or yawing of transducer array123.

Actuator platform170provides an additional two (2) degrees for freedom of lateral motion and rotational motion for transducer array123, which is capable of being pitched and/or yawed by robotic actuator160as previously described herein.

To this end, actuator platform170employs a pair of rails171, a pair of sliders162, a pair of rotation motors163, and a crank shaft1745. By techniques known in the art, sliders162are slidably coupled to rails171and affixed to rotation motors163, and crank shaft175is rotatably coupled to rotation motors163. In operation, a ultrasound transducer positioner32a(FIG.5) controls a laterally movement of crank shaft175via conventional control of a sliding of sliders162along rails171and for revolving crank shaft175about a rotational axis RA via a control of rotation motors163. In practice, rotation motors163may have groves174for supporting a portion of handle121of TEE probe120, TEE probe120itself, and/or cabling of the TEE probe120.

Referring back toFIG.5, the ultrasound transducer positioning system of the present disclosure further employs ultrasound transducer controller30a(FIG.2), of which physiological condition extractor31aand ultrasound transducer positioner32aare shown.

In practice, ultrasound transducer controller30amay embody any arrangement of hardware, software, firmware and/or electronic circuitry for a positioning of ultrasound transducer20ainternal to or external to anatomical region10.

In one embodiment ultrasound transducer controller30amay include a processor, a memory, a user interface, a network interface, and a storage interconnected via one or more system buses.

The processor may be any hardware device, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, capable of executing instructions stored in memory or storage or otherwise processing data. In a non-limiting example, the processor may include a microprocessor, field programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other similar devices.

The memory may include various memories, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, including, but not limited to, L1, L2, or L3 cache or system memory. In a non-limiting example, the memory may include static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), flash memory, read only memory (ROM), or other similar memory devices.

The user interface may include one or more devices, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, for enabling communication with a user such as an administrator. In a non-limiting example, the user interface may include a display, a mouse, and a keyboard for receiving user commands. In some embodiments, the user interface may include a command line interface or graphical user interface that may be presented to a remote terminal via the network interface.

The network interface may include one or more devices, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, for enabling communication with other hardware devices. In an non-limiting example, the network interface may include a network interface card (NIC) configured to communicate according to the Ethernet protocol. Additionally, the network interface may implement a TCP/IP stack for communication according to the TCP/IP protocols. Various alternative or additional hardware or configurations for the network interface will be apparent\

The storage may include one or more machine-readable storage media, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, including, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, or similar storage media. In various non-limiting embodiments, the storage may store instructions for execution by the processor or data upon with the processor may operate. For example, the storage may store a base operating system for controlling various basic operations of the hardware. The storage may further store one or more application modules31aand32ain the form of executable software/firmware.

More particularly, still referring toFIG.5, physiological parameter extractor31aconsists of executable software/firmware for generating physiological parameter data22abeing informative of one or more physiological conditions of anatomical region10(FIG.2) extracted from the ultrasound image of the anatomical region as previously described herein in connection with the description ofFIGS.2-4B.

Ultrasound transducer positioner32aemploys routines in the form of a force control manager33and a motor command generator35.

Force control manager33consists of executable software/firmware for generating an enable signal34for switching motor command generator35between an ON mode for forceful positioning and an OFF mode for forceful positioning as previously described herein in connection with the description ofFIGS.2-4B. Force control manager33further adapts the generation of enable signal34to the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region indicated by physiological parameter data22aas previously described herein in connection with the description ofFIGS.2-4B.

Motor command generator35consists of executable software/firmware for generating motor commands36for controlling a yawing and/or a pitching of the transducer array by motor controller(s)61in accordance within enable signal34.

In one embodiment of motor command generator35,FIG.8Aillustrates a motor controller61acommunicating a position signal62to a motor command generator35awith the position signal62being indicative of a yaw position and/or a pitch position of the transducer array (FIG.5). Also shown is one more force sensors70communicating force signal(s)71to motor command generator35awith each force signal71being indicative of a contact force between ultrasound transducer20aand an anatomical structure of anatomical region10(FIG.2).

In practice, force sensors70may be embedded in ultrasound transducer20aand/or ultrasound probe robot60.

Still referring toFIG.8A, motor command generator35astores a desired positioning36aand a desired contact force36aof the transducer array applicable to an ON mode of enable signal34, and a desired positioning36band a desired contact force36bof the transducer array applicable to an OFF mode of enable signal34. Upon an actuation position calibration and a contract force calibration of the ultrasound transducer array of ultrasound transducer20aas known in the art of the present disclosure, motor command generator35agenerates motor command36from an execution of a sensed force control scheme80of a simultaneous actuation position and contact force control as shown inFIG.8B.

Referring toFIG.8B, a generation of motor commands36involves an application of contact force correction FCto an actuation position PAin view of minimizing a position error between desired actuation position PDand a measured motor position PM, and a contract force error between contact force correction FCand an sensed contact force FS.

Specifically, motor controller61acontinually communicates a sensed motor position PSduring a stage S86of scheme80to motor command generator35a. In response thereto, motor command generator35aperiodically measures sensed motor positions PSand compares the measured motor positions PMto motor positions associated with a desired actuation position PDof the head of TEE probe120and the resulting position error is an input for position control stage S82designed to minimize the position error. In practice, motor command generator35amay execute any control technique(s) as known in the art for minimizing the position error (e.g., a PID control).

Motor command generator35aalso compares the sensed force signal FSto a desired contact force FDand the resulting contact force error is an input for a force control stage S82designed to minimize the contact force error. In practice, motor command generator35amay execute any control technique(s) as known in the art for minimizing the contact force error (e.g., a PID control).

A direct method for generating motor command MC is derived from a model that assumes that contact surface of the transducer array acts as an ideal spring, in which case:
Δf=K(x−xo)

where Δf is the force error signal, x is the position of the contact point, xo would be the position of TEE probe40if there was no obstacle, and K is elastic constant of the anatomical structure (values known in literature can be used). Since x0can be known from the kinematic model of TEE probe40, there is a direct link between motor commands and the force. Similarly to position control value:

Motor command generator35awill continually loop through the stages of scheme80during the procedure.

In a second embodiment of motor command generator35,FIG.9Aillustrates a motor controller61bcommunicating a position signal62and a motor current signal63to a motor command generator35bwith the position signal62being indicative of a yaw position and/or a pitch position of the transducer array of ultrasound transducer20a(FIG.5) and motor current signal63being indicative of currents applied by motor controller61bto motors for the current positioning of the transducer array.

Still referring toFIG.9A, motor command generator35balso stores desired positioning36aand desired contact force36aof the transducer array applicable to an ON mode of enable signal34, and desired positioning36band desired contact force36bof the transducer array applicable to an OFF mode of enable signal34. Upon an actuation position calibration and a contract force calibration of the transducer array as known in the art of the present disclosure, motor command generator35bgenerates motor command36from an execution of a sensed force control scheme90of a simultaneous actuation position and contact force control as shown inFIG.9B.

Referring toFIG.9B, a generation of motor commands36involves an application of contact force correction FCto an actuation position PAin view of minimizing a position error between desired actuation position PDand a measured motor position PM, and a contract force error between contact force correction FCand an sensed contact force FS.

Specifically, motor controller61bcontinually communicates a sensed motor position PSduring a stage S96of scheme90to motor command generator35b. In response thereto, motor command generator35bperiodically measures sensed motor positions PSand compares the measured motor positions PMto motor positions associated with a desired actuation position PDof the head of TEE probe120and the resulting position error is an input for position control stage S92designed to minimize the position error. In practice, motor command generator35bmay execute any control technique(s) as known in the art for minimizing the position error (e.g., a PID control).

Motor command generator35balso periodically in sync measures sensed motor currents ISand combines the measured sensed motor currents ISto an expected motor currents IE, which is calculated by inputting measured motor positions PMinto the lookup table of stage S100as obtained during a calibrations. The lookup table takes two inputs of position of the two dials and returns two expected current values IEfor each degree-of-freedom. During stage S102expected current values IEand the measured motor current values IMare current fed to force curve (C→F) computed during calibration to estimate an expected contact force FEon the head of TEE probe120.

Motor command generator35bcompares the expected force signal FEto a desired contact force FDand the resulting contact force error is an input for a force control stage S94designed to minimize the contact force error. In practice, motor command generator35bmay execute any control technique(s) as known in the art for minimizing the contact force error (e.g., a PID control).

Again, a direct method for generating motor command MC is derived from a model that assumes that contact surface of the transducer array acts as an ideal spring, in which case:
Δf=K(x−xo)

where Δf is the force error signal, x is the position of the contact point, xo would be the position of TEE probe40if there was no obstacle, and K is elastic constant of the anatomical structure (values known in literature can be used). Since x0can be known from the kinematic model of TEE probe40, there is a direct link between motor commands and the force. Similarly to position control value:

Motor command generator35bwill continually loop through the stages of scheme90during the procedure.

Referring back toFIGS.2and5, in practice, ultrasound transducer controller30amay be structurally implemented as a stand-alone controller or installed within a workstation, tablet, server, etc.

In one embodiment,FIG.10illustrates a workstation100having a monitor101, a keyboard102and a computer103having ultrasound transducer controller30ainstalled therein. For this exemplary embodiment, TEE probe120is supported by robotic actuator160and actuator platform170as previously described herein for insertion of the distal end within an esophagus of a patient P.

In practice, ultrasound transducer controller30amay further employ an application for activating and deactivating the imaging capability of TEE probe120as known in the art of the present disclosure or such an application may be separately installed on computer103or another workstation, tablet, server, etc.

Also in practice, ultrasound transducer controller30amay further employ an application for displaying an ultrasound image on monitor101as known in the art of the present disclosure or such an application may be separately installed on computer103or another workstation, tablet, server, etc.

Further in practice, in lieu of receiving ultrasound imaging data23from ultrasound transducer30a, ultrasound transducer controller30amay receive ultrasound display data informative of the display of the ultrasound image on monitor101whereby ultrasound transducer controller30aextracts the physiological conditions(s) from the ultrasound display data.

To facilitate a further understanding of the inventions of the present disclosure, the following description ofFIGS.11and12teaches basic inventive principles of a positioning of an X-ray gantry encircling an anatomical region in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure. From this description ofFIGS.11and12, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how to apply the inventive principles of the present disclosure to practice numerous and various embodiments of positioning of an X-ray gantry encircling an anatomical region in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure.

Referring toFIG.11, an imaging position12bof the present disclosure encompasses a positioning of an X-ray gantry20bto encircle anatomical region10at an orientation whereby an imaging capability X-ray gantry20bas known in the art of the present disclosure is activated as exemplarily symbolized by the dashed lines to generate an X-ray anatomical image21b.

Conversely, a non-imaging position13bof the present disclosure encompasses a positioning of X-ray gantry20bwhereby the imaging capability of X-ray gantry20bis deactivated. Non-imaging position13bmay involve a rotation of X-ray gantry20bat an orientation incapable of properly imaging anatomical region10and/or a lateral translation to create a spacing SP between anatomical region10and X-ray gantry20b.

Still referring toFIG.11, a periodic or irregular cycling14bof X-ray gantry20bbetween imaging position12band non-imaging position13binvolves a cyclical arrangement of imaging position12band non-imaging position13bat a fixed or variable frequency and/or a fixed or variable duty cycle for purposes of visually monitoring a specific aspect of anatomical region10while minimizing any exposure of anatomical region10to any radiation/energy emitted by X-ray gantry20bfor purposes of imaging anatomical region10.

To this end, an X-ray gantry controller30bemploys a physiological condition extractor31bfor extracting physiological parameter data22bfrom X-ray anatomical image21bof the anatomical region10generated by X-ray gantry20bwhereby physiological parameter data22bis informative of one or more physiological conditions of anatomical region10as will be further explained herein. For example, if anatomical region10is a thoracic region, then the physiological condition(s) of the thoracic region may be an ejection fraction, a stroke volume, a cardiac output, an IVC/SVC diameter for fluid status and/or a Doppler flow to an organ.

In practice, as would be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art of the present disclosure, any extraction technique known in the art may be implemented in dependence upon the type of physiological condition(s) being extracted from X-ray anatomical image21bof the anatomical region10.

X-ray gantry controller30bfurther employs an X-ray gantry positioner32bfor controlling an adaption of cycling14bof a positioning of X-ray gantry20bto the physiological condition(s) of anatomical region10extracted from X-ray anatomical image21bof the anatomical region10. In practice, the adaption of cycling14bof a positioning of X-ray gantry20bmay include an increase to the fixed/variable frequency and/or the fixed/variable duty cycle of imaging position12bin view of any deterioration of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22b, or conversely a decrease to the fixed/variable frequency and/or the fixed/variable duty cycle of imaging position12bin view of any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22b.

Generally, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated in the physiological parameter data22bby any technique providing a definitive indication of such deterioration or improvement as known in the art of the present disclosure. More particularly in practice, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated by one or more thresholds established relative to the physiological parameter data22bas previously described herein. Concurrently or alternatively in practice, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated by a negative slope or a positive slope of the physiological parameter data22bover a specified time period as will be further described herein.

Still referring toFIG.11, in practice, X-ray gantry controller30bmay be structurally implemented as a stand-alone controller or installed within a workstation, tablet, server, etc.

In one embodiment,FIG.12illustrates a workstation210having a monitor211, a keyboard212and a computer213having X-ray gantry controller30binstalled therein.

In practice, X-ray gantry controller30bmay embody any arrangement of hardware, software, firmware and/or electronic circuitry for a positioning of X-ray gantry20bencircling anatomical region10.

In one embodiment X-ray gantry controller30bmay include a processor, a memory, a user interface, a network interface, and a storage interconnected via one or more system buses.

The processor may be any hardware device, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, capable of executing instructions stored in memory or storage or otherwise processing data. In a non-limiting example, the processor may include a microprocessor, field programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other similar devices.

The memory may include various memories, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, including, but not limited to, L1, L2, or L3 cache or system memory. In a non-limiting example, the memory may include static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), flash memory, read only memory (ROM), or other similar memory devices.

The user interface may include one or more devices, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, for enabling communication with a user such as an administrator. In a non-limiting example, the user interface may include a display, a mouse, and a keyboard for receiving user commands. In some embodiments, the user interface may include a command line interface or graphical user interface that may be presented to a remote terminal via the network interface.

The network interface may include one or more devices, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, for enabling communication with other hardware devices. In an non-limiting example, the network interface may include a network interface card (NIC) configured to communicate according to the Ethernet protocol. Additionally, the network interface may implement a TCP/IP stack for communication according to the TCP/IP protocols. Various alternative or additional hardware or configurations for the network interface will be apparent\

The storage may include one or more machine-readable storage media, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, including, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, or similar storage media. In various non-limiting embodiments, the storage may store instructions for execution by the processor or data upon with the processor may operate. For example, the storage may store a base operating system for controlling various basic operations of the hardware. The storage may further store one or more application modules31band32bin the form of executable software/firmware.

More particularly, still referring toFIG.12, physiological parameter extractor31bconsists of executable software/firmware for generating physiological parameter data22bbeing informative of one or more physiological conditions of anatomical region10(FIG.2) extracted from the X-ray image21bof the anatomical region10as previously described herein in connection with the description ofFIG.11.

X-ray gantry positioner32bconsists of executable software/firmware for adapting a cycling14aof X-ray gantry20bbetween imaging position12band non-imaging position13bto the physiological conditions of anatomical region10extracted from the X-ray image21bof the anatomical region10as previously described herein in connection with the description ofFIG.11.

In practice, X-ray gantry controller30bmay further employ an application for activating and deactivating the imaging capability of X-ray gantry20bfor generating X-ray imaging data200as known in the art of the present disclosure or such an application may be separately installed on computer213or another workstation, tablet, server, etc.

Also in practice, X-ray gantry controller30bmay further employ an application for displaying an X-ray image on monitor211as known in the art of the present disclosure or such an application may be separately installed on computer213or another workstation, tablet, server, etc.

Further in practice, in lieu of receiving X-ray imaging data220from X-ray gantry20b, X-ray gantry controller30bmay receive X-ray display data informative of the display of the X-ray image on monitor213whereby physiological parameter extractor31bextracts the physiological conditions(s) from the X-ray display data.

To facilitate a further understanding of the inventions of the present disclosure, the following description ofFIGS.13and14teaches basic inventive principles of a positioning of an endoscope inserted through a port into an anatomical region in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure. From this description ofFIGS.13and14, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate how to apply the inventive principles of the present disclosure to practice numerous and various embodiments of positioning of an endoscope inserted through a port into an anatomical region in accordance with the inventive principles of the present disclosure.

Referring toFIG.13, an imaging position12cof the present disclosure encompasses a positioning of an endoscope20cinserted through a port into anatomical region10in direct contact with an anatomical structure11whereby an imaging capability of endoscope20cas known in the art of the present disclosure is activated as exemplarily symbolized by field of view21cto generate an endoscopic anatomical image21c.

Conversely, a non-imaging position13cof the present disclosure encompasses a positioning of endoscope20cinserted through a port into whereby the imaging capability of endoscope20cis deactivated. Non-imaging position13cmay involve a pivoting of endoscope20caway from anatomical structure11within anatomical region10and/or a partial or full withdrawal of endoscope20cfrom anatomical region10to create a spacing SP between anatomical structure11and endoscope20c.

Still referring toFIG.13, a periodic or irregular cycling14cof endoscope20cbetween imaging position12cand non-imaging position13cinvolves a cyclical arrangement of imaging position12cand non-imaging position13cat a fixed or variable frequency and/or a fixed or variable duty cycle for purposes of visually monitoring a specific aspect of anatomical region10while minimizing contact between anatomical structure11and endoscope20c.

To this end, an endoscope controller30cemploys a physiological condition extractor31cfor extracting physiological parameter data22cfrom endoscopic anatomical image21cof the anatomical region10generated by endoscope20cwhereby physiological parameter data22cis informative of one or more physiological conditions of anatomical region10as will be further explained herein. For example, if anatomical region10is a thoracic region, then the physiological condition(s) of the thoracic region may be an ejection fraction, a stroke volume, a cardiac output, an IVC/SVC diameter for fluid status and/or a Doppler flow to an organ.

In practice, as would be appreciated by those having ordinary skill in the art of the present disclosure, any extraction technique known in the art may be implemented in dependence upon the type of physiological condition(s) being extracted from endoscopic anatomical image21cof the anatomical region10.

Endoscope controller30cfurther employs an endoscope positioner32cfor controlling an adaption of cycling14cof a positioning of endoscope20cto the physiological condition(s) of anatomical region10extracted from endoscopic anatomical image21cof the anatomical region10. In practice, the adaption of cycling14cof a positioning of endoscope20cmay include an increase to the fixed/variable frequency and/or the fixed/variable duty cycle of imaging position12cin view of any deterioration of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22c, or conversely a decrease to the fixed/variable frequency and/or the fixed/variable duty cycle of imaging position12cin view of any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22c.

Concurrently or alternatively in practice, the adaption of cycling14amay include an increase to a degree of contact force between ultrasound transducer20aand an anatomical structure of anatomical region10in view of any deterioration of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22ato thereby facilitate a higher quality of imaging of anatomical region10, or conversely a decrease to a degree of contact force between ultrasound transducer20aand an anatomical structure of anatomical region10in view of any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region as delineated in the physiological parameter data22ato thereby facilitates an acceptable quality of imaging of anatomical region10at a lesser degree of contact.

Generally, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated in the physiological parameter data22cby any technique providing a definitive indication of such deterioration or improvement as known in the art of the present disclosure. More particularly in practice, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated by one or more thresholds established relative to the physiological parameter data22cas previously described herein. Concurrently or alternatively in practice, any deterioration or any improvement of the physiological condition(s) of the anatomical region may be delineated by a negative slope or a positive slope of the physiological parameter data22cover a specified time period as will be further described herein.

Still referring toFIG.13, in practice, endoscope controller30cmay be structurally implemented as a stand-alone controller or installed within a workstation, tablet, server, etc.

In one embodiment,FIG.14illustrates a workstation320having a monitor321, a keyboard322and a computer323having endoscope controller30cinstalled therein.

In practice, endoscope controller30cmay embody any arrangement of hardware, software, firmware and/or electronic circuitry for a positioning of endoscope20cthrough the port into anatomical region10.

In one embodiment endoscope controller30cmay include a processor, a memory, a user interface, a network interface, and a storage interconnected via one or more system buses.

The processor may be any hardware device, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, capable of executing instructions stored in memory or storage or otherwise processing data. In a non-limiting example, the processor may include a microprocessor, field programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other similar devices.

The memory may include various memories, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, including, but not limited to, L1, L2, or L3 cache or system memory. In a non-limiting example, the memory may include static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), flash memory, read only memory (ROM), or other similar memory devices.

The user interface may include one or more devices, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, for enabling communication with a user such as an administrator. In a non-limiting example, the user interface may include a display, a mouse, and a keyboard for receiving user commands. In some embodiments, the user interface may include a command line interface or graphical user interface that may be presented to a remote terminal via the network interface.

The network interface may include one or more devices, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, for enabling communication with other hardware devices. In an non-limiting example, the network interface may include a network interface card (NIC) configured to communicate according to the Ethernet protocol. Additionally, the network interface may implement a TCP/IP stack for communication according to the TCP/IP protocols. Various alternative or additional hardware or configurations for the network interface will be apparent\

The storage may include one or more machine-readable storage media, as known in the art of the present disclosure or hereinafter conceived, including, but not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, or similar storage media. In various non-limiting embodiments, the storage may store instructions for execution by the processor or data upon with the processor may operate. For example, the storage may store a base operating system for controlling various basic operations of the hardware. The storage may further store one or more application modules31cand32cin the form of executable software/firmware.

More particularly, still referring toFIG.14, physiological parameter extractor31cconsists of executable software/firmware for generating physiological parameter data22cbeing informative of one or more physiological conditions of anatomical region10(FIG.2) extracted from the endoscopic anatomical image21cof the anatomical region10as previously described herein in connection with the description ofFIG.13.

Endoscope positioner32cconsists of executable software/firmware for adapting a cycling14aof endoscope20cbetween imaging position12cand non-imaging position13cto the physiological condition(s) of anatomical region10extracted from the endoscopic anatomical image21cof the anatomical region10as previously described herein in connection with the description ofFIG.13.

More particularly, endoscope positioner32ccontrols an actuation of an endoscope robot310and/or robot platform311as known in the art of the present disclosure to translate, rotate and/or pivot endoscope20cbetween imaging position12cand non-imaging position13cbased on the physiological condition(s) of anatomical region10extracted from the endoscopic anatomical image21cof the anatomical region10

In practice, endoscope controller30cmay further employ an application for activating and deactivating the imaging capability of endoscope20cfor generating endoscope imaging data300as known in the art of the present disclosure or such an application may be separately installed on computer213or another workstation, tablet, server, etc.

Also in practice, endoscope controller30cmay further employ an application for displaying an endoscopic image on monitor32as known in the art of the present disclosure or such an application may be separately installed on computer323or another workstation, tablet, server, etc.

Further in practice, in lieu of receiving endoscope imaging data300from endoscope20c, endoscope controller30cmay receive endoscope display data informative of the display of the endoscopic image on monitor323whereby physiological parameter extractor31cextracts the physiological conditions(s) from the endoscope display data.

Referring toFIGS.1-14, those having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate numerous benefits of the present disclosure including, but not limited to, an improvement over ultrasound monitoring systems and methods by the inventions of the present disclosure in providing a controlled ultrasound image acquisition of anatomical region based on physiological parameters extracted from the anatomical images whereby sufficient information about a patient's condition is obtainable without any unnecessary contact between the patient and the imaging device and/or without any excessive exposure of the patient to an imaging radiation/energy projected by the imaging device.

Furthermore, as one having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate in view of the teachings provided herein, features, elements, components, etc. described in the present disclosure/specification and/or depicted in the Figures may be implemented in various combinations of electronic components/circuitry, hardware, executable software and executable firmware and provide functions which may be combined in a single element or multiple elements. For example, the functions of the various features, elements, components, etc. shown/illustrated/depicted in the Figures can be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions can be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which can be shared and/or multiplexed. Moreover, explicit use of the term “processor” should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and can implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (“DSP”) hardware, memory (e.g., read only memory (“ROM”) for storing software, random access memory (“RAM”), non-volatile storage, etc.) and virtually any means and/or machine (including hardware, software, firmware, circuitry, combinations thereof, etc.) which is capable of (and/or configurable) to perform and/or control a process.

Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (e.g., any elements developed that can perform the same or substantially similar function, regardless of structure). Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art in view of the teachings provided herein that any block diagrams presented herein can represent conceptual views of illustrative system components and/or circuitry embodying the principles of the invention. Similarly, one having ordinary skill in the art should appreciate in view of the teachings provided herein that any flow charts, flow diagrams and the like can represent various processes which can be substantially represented in computer readable storage media and so executed by a computer, processor or other device with processing capabilities, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

Furthermore, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure can take the form of a computer program product or application module accessible from a computer-usable and/or computer-readable storage medium providing program code and/or instructions for use by or in connection with, e.g., a computer or any instruction execution system. In accordance with the present disclosure, a computer-usable or computer readable storage medium can be any apparatus that can, e.g., include, store, communicate, propagate or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus or device. Such exemplary medium can be, e.g., an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor system (or apparatus or device) or a propagation medium. Examples of a computer-readable medium include, e.g., a semiconductor or solid state memory, magnetic tape, a removable computer diskette, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), flash (drive), a rigid magnetic disk and an optical disk. Current examples of optical disks include compact disk—read only memory (CD-ROM), compact disk—read/write (CD-R/W) and DVD. Further, it should be understood that any new computer-readable medium which may hereafter be developed should also be considered as computer-readable medium as may be used or referred to in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and disclosure.

Having described preferred and exemplary embodiments of novel and inventive imaging device positioning systems and methods, (which embodiments are intended to be illustrative and not limiting), it is noted that modifications and variations can be made by persons having ordinary skill in the art in light of the teachings provided herein, including the Figures. It is therefore to be understood that changes can be made in/to the preferred and exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure which are within the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

Moreover, it is contemplated that corresponding and/or related systems incorporating and/or implementing the device or such as may be used/implemented in a device in accordance with the present disclosure are also contemplated and considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure. Further, corresponding and/or related method for manufacturing and/or using a device and/or system in accordance with the present disclosure are also contemplated and considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.