Medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system with a wirelessly-controlled peripheral

The preferred embodiments described herein provide a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system with a wirelessly-controlled peripheral. In one preferred embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system transmits a peripheral command to an ultrasound peripheral via a first wireless communication device, and the peripheral receives the command via a second wireless communication device. The peripheral performs an operation in response to the receipt of the command. Data is communicated between the ultrasound system and the peripheral via a data transmission medium that physically couples the ultrasound system and peripheral. With this preferred embodiment, an ultrasound system can control a peripheral without the disadvantages associated with current ultrasound system-peripheral configurations.

BACKGROUND
 Many medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging applications use a peripheral
 device in conjunction with an ultrasound system. For example, a
 videocassette recorder ("VCR") is often used to store a generated image
 for later analysis. Typically, each peripheral that is used with an
 ultrasound system has a wired or hard-wired command port to allow the
 ultrasound system to send commands to the peripheral. For example,
 specialized VCRs (such as SONY.RTM. SVO9500MD or PANASONIC.RTM. AG-MD830)
 contain a wired or hard-wired command port in addition to a data port
 (e.g., a video/audio I/O port). A command cable connects the command ports
 (e.g., RS-232 ports), and a data cable connects the data ports of the
 ultrasound system and peripheral. To record a generated image on
 videotape, the ultrasound system sends video data to the VCR via the data
 cable and sends a "record" command to the VCR via the command cable. When
 the VCR receives the "record" command from the ultrasound system, it
 performs a record operation to record the incoming video data on
 videotape.
 There are several disadvantages associated with the current
 system-peripheral configuration. Ultrasound systems typically require a
 single command port for each peripheral used with the system. Because
 there is a limited number of command ports on an ultrasound system, this
 requirement can limit the number of peripherals that can be used with the
 ultrasound system. In addition to this physical-resource limitation, the
 use of multiple command ports increases the cost of the ultrasound system.
 The current configuration also results in increased costs for peripherals
 because of the need for a separate command port to receive commands from
 the ultrasound system. For example, consumer-grade VCRs can be much less
 expensive than VCRs with a wired or hard-wired command port.
 There is, therefore, a need for a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging
 system and peripheral that will overcome the disadvantages described
 above.
 SUMMARY
 The present invention is defined by the following claims, and nothing in
 this section should be taken as a limitation on those claims.
 By way of introduction, the preferred embodiments described below provide a
 medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system with a wirelessly-controlled
 peripheral. In one preferred embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system
 transmits a peripheral command to an ultrasound peripheral via a first
 wireless communication device, and the peripheral receives the command via
 a second wireless communication device. The peripheral performs an
 operation in response to the receipt of the command. Data is communicated
 between the ultrasound system and the peripheral via a data transmission
 medium that physically couples the ultrasound system and peripheral. With
 this preferred embodiment, an ultrasound system can control a peripheral
 without the disadvantages associated with current ultrasound
 system-peripheral configurations.
 The preferred embodiments will now be described with reference to the
 attached drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PRESENTLY PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
 Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a medical
 diagnostic ultrasound imaging system 10 and ultrasound system peripheral
 100 of a presently preferred embodiment. As used herein, the term
 "ultrasound system peripheral" broadly refers to any device that can be
 used with an ultrasound system. A peripheral can be, for example, a video
 recording device, a video playback device, a video cassette recorder
 (VCR), a DVD player and/or recorder, a printer, a multi-image camera, a
 strip-chart recorder, a tape recorder, a desktop computer, a laptop
 computer, a handheld computer, or a robot.
 As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasound system 10 comprises a first data channel
 20 and a first wireless communication device 30. The ultrasound system
 peripheral 100 comprises a second data channel 120 and a second wireless
 communication device 130. The first and second data channels 20, 120 are
 physically coupled with a data transmission medium 50, through which data
 is transmitted between the ultrasound system 10 and peripheral 100. As
 used herein, the term "coupled with" means directly coupled with or
 indirectly coupled with through one or more components. Also as used
 herein, the term "data transmission medium" is used to refer to any type
 of medium that can be used to physically couple the ultrasound system 10
 with the peripheral 100 and that can transmit data therebetween. Examples
 of a data transmission medium include, but are not limited to, one or more
 wires, a single- or multi-wire cable, and a fiber optics connector.
 A preferred method for transmitting data and peripheral commands between
 the ultrasound system 10 and peripheral 100 is shown in the flow chart 200
 of FIG. 2. As shown in the flow chart 200, data is transmitted between the
 ultrasound system 10 and the ultrasound system peripheral 100 via the data
 transmission medium 50 that physically couples the ultrasound system 10
 and the peripheral 100 (act 210). (In this preferred embodiment, commands
 are not sent via the data transmission medium 50.) Before, during, and/or
 after act 210, a peripheral command is wirelessly transmitted from the
 ultrasound system 10 to the peripheral 100 (act 220). (In this preferred
 embodiment, data is not wirelessly transmitted between the ultrasound
 system 10 and peripheral 100.) Then, the peripheral performs an operation
 in response to receipt of the peripheral command (act 230). It should be
 noted that an ultrasound peripheral operation can be any operation or
 function that is performable by the peripheral. For example, a peripheral
 can be preprogrammed with one or more operations that are performed in
 response to the receipt of a command to perform the operation(s). The term
 "peripheral command" is used herein to refer to any command that, upon
 receipt by the peripheral, causes the peripheral to perform an operation.
 There are several advantages associated with this preferred embodiment.
 First, because a single wireless communication device on the ultrasound
 system 10 can communicate with a several peripherals, the
 physical-resource limitation of current configurations, which require a
 command port on the ultrasound system for each peripheral used, is
 virtually eliminated. In addition to allowing more peripheral devices to
 be used, the reduction in the number of command ports can also reduce the
 cost of the ultrasound system. Also, because a separate command port is
 not needed, this preferred embodiment allows less expensive,
 consumer-grade peripherals, which are typically commodity products
 purchased through retail channels, to be used. Because these types of
 peripherals typically do not have a wired or hard-wired command port
 (e.g., a RS-232 port), these preferred embodiments allow the control of
 peripherals that were, when used, previously not controlled by the
 ultrasound system. In one illustrative application, a low-cost,
 consumer-grade VCR with an integral infrared receiver for receiving
 control signals can be used instead of a more expensive, specialized VCR
 with a separate RS-232 command port. This illustrative application will
 now be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 3.
 FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system
 300 and ultrasound system peripheral 400 that illustrates one preferred
 implementation of the ultrasound system and peripheral shown in FIG. 1.
 The ultrasound system 300 comprises a transducer 305, which is coupled
 with a transmit beamformer 310 and a receive beamformer 315. The
 beamformers 310, 315 are each coupled with a processor 320, which is
 coupled with a user interface 325, a scan converter 330, and an infrared
 transmitter 335. The term "processor" broadly refers to any appropriate
 hardware and/or software component of the ultrasound system 300 that can
 be used to implement the preferred embodiments described herein. It should
 be understood that any appropriate hardware (analog or digital) or
 software can be used and that the embodiments described herein can be
 implemented exclusively with hardware. Further, the processor 320 can be
 separate from or combined with (in part or in whole) other processors of
 the ultrasound system 300 (including attendant processors), which are not
 shown in FIG. 3 for simplicity. The processor 320 can also include a
 memory device that stores software executable by the processor 320.
 In operation, the processor 320 causes the transmit beamformer 310 to apply
 a voltage to the transducer 305 to cause it to vibrate and emit an
 ultrasonic beam into an object, such as human tissue (i.e., a patient's
 body). Ultrasonic energy reflected from the body impinges on the
 transducer 305, and the resulting voltages created by the transducer 305
 are received by the receive beamformer 315. The scan converter 330, under
 control of the processor 320, processes the sensed voltages to create an
 ultrasound image associated with the reflected signals and displays the
 image on a display 340. The user interface 325 can be used, for example,
 to adjust parameters used in the transmit, receive, and display
 operations. It should be noted that the ultrasound imaging system 300 can
 comprise additional components.
 The ultrasound system peripheral 400 of this presently preferred embodiment
 takes the form of a VCR. The VCR 400 comprises conventional
 record/playback circuitry 405 and an infrared receiver 410. In operation,
 data is sent between the ultrasound system 300 and VCR 400 via a data
 transmission medium 450, and peripheral commands are sent from the
 ultrasound system 300 to the peripheral 400 with the infrared transmitter
 335 and are received by the peripheral 400 with the infrared receiver 410.
 To illustrate the operation of this exemplary embodiment, consider the
 situation in which a user of the ultrasound system 300 desires to record
 an ultrasound image generated by the system 300. In this example, the user
 interface 325 is used to communicate the "record" request. The user
 interface 325 can be physically attached to the ultrasound system 300,
 such as when the user interface 325 is a CRT touch-screen or a key, knob,
 button, slide, switch, trackball, and/or voice input device of the
 ultrasound system's console. The user interface 325 can also be a remote
 control device dedicated to the ultrasound system (e.g., a wand or
 handheld controller), dedicated to the peripheral, or shared by the system
 and peripheral. For example, if the ultrasound system 300 has an infrared
 receiver and is sensitive to commands issued by the remote control of the
 VCR 400, the VCR's remote control can be used to send an operation request
 to both the ultrasound system 300 and the VCR 400.
 Returning to the example, a user first presses a "record" button on the
 user interface 325. The processor 320 (or a microprocessor associated with
 the user interface 325) scans inputs from the user interface 325, and when
 it receives a key press, for example, to record an image, the processor
 320 sends video data from the scan converter 330 to the record/playback
 circuitry 405 of the VCR 400. The processor 320 also determines the
 appropriate coded infrared signal to be transmitted for a "record" command
 and sends that signal to the infrared transmitter 335 for transmission.
 The command signal can be sent before, during, and/or after the
 transmission of data. When the VCR 400 receives the "record" command, the
 record/playback circuitry 405 records the video signal on videotape. In
 another application, after the user presses a "play" button, the processor
 320 sends a "play" command to the VCR 400 via the infrared transmitter
 335. Upon receipt of the "play" command, the VCR 400 sends video data to
 the ultrasound system 300 (either directly to the display 340 or
 indirectly through the scan converter 330) for display. Of course, the
 processor 320 may be issuing other internal or external commands during
 this operation. For example, before, during, and/or after the ultrasound
 system 300 wirelessly transmits a "play" command to the VCR 400, the
 processor 320 can switch video modes to allow the ultrasound system 300 to
 be able to display the incoming video data from the VCR 400.
 As shown in the example described above, the processor 320 can be
 responsible for translating a peripheral operation requested via the user
 interface 325 to a peripheral command. As shown in FIG. 4, the processor
 320 can execute a peripheral interface, which is, in this example, a
 look-up table that correlates operations requested by the ultrasound
 system 300 with infrared signals understood by the VCR 400. For example,
 if a "record" operation is requested, the look-up table is indexed with
 the "record" request to determine the appropriate infrared signal to be
 sent to the infrared transmitter 335 for transmission. In addition to
 translating information received by the ultrasound system, the same or a
 different peripheral interface can be used to translate information sent
 to the system by the peripheral. For example, the peripheral interface can
 be used to translate coded infrared signals (such as operational status,
 tape status, counter information, etc.) received from the VCR.
 Because different peripherals can use different infrared signals (i.e.,
 peripheral commands), the processor 320 can have a device library with a
 plurality of peripheral interfaces, each associated with a particular
 peripheral, as shown in FIG. 5. In this way, the ultrasound system 300
 first identifies which peripheral it wants to control (the "library
 choice"), and then translates the requested operation into a peripheral
 command using the selected peripheral interface. For example, the device
 library can store peripheral interfaces for different VCR manufacturers so
 that the ultrasound system will be able to communicate with any one of a
 number of VCRs without user input of device-specific control codes. In
 another preferred embodiment, a peripheral can transmit (wirelessly or via
 the data transmission medium 450) an identification code that the
 ultrasound system can use to automatically select a peripheral interface
 from a device library. Also, while peripheral interfaces can be
 pre-installed in the ultrasound system, they can also be updated via, for
 example, a modem connection. Further, smart controllers can be used to
 learn the requirements of a particular peripheral device, reducing the
 need for upgrades to the device library.
 It should be noted that while the above examples were discussed in terms of
 an operation requested by a user via a user interface, the requested
 command can also be issued by the ultrasound system itself, such as when
 an operation is automatically requested by the system. For example, the
 ultrasound system can be programmed to automatically request a "record"
 operation in response to the occurrence of a selected imaging mode.
 In the above example, the peripheral interface was described as a software
 application executed by the processor 320. The peripheral interface
 functionality can also be implemented as hardware, separate from or part
 of the processor 320. For example, an EPROM, NVRAM, or NOVRAM programmed
 with the peripheral interface functionality can be used. As another
 example, a separate infrared control integrated circuit can be used. One
 suitable integrated circuit is the IC4001.TM. universal infrared control
 integrated circuit from Innotech Systems Inc. (Port Jefferson, N.Y.),
 which includes a device library with peripheral interfaces for several
 VCRs.
 In another preferred embodiment, a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging
 system comprises a housing that has an integral wireless communication
 device and a storage location defined by the housing and adapted to store
 an ultrasound system peripheral. The storage location and the wireless
 communication device are positioned in the housing to allow wireless
 communication between the wireless communication device and a wireless
 communication device of a peripheral stored in/by the storage location.
 For example, when the wireless communication device communicates with
 infrared transmissions, it is preferred that the storage location and the
 wireless communication device be positioned in the housing to provide an
 unimpeded optical path between the wireless communications device of the
 housing and the wireless communication device of the peripheral stored in
 the storage location. FIGS. 6-8 illustrate this embodiment.
 In FIG. 6, the storage location is the top surface of the housing 610, and
 the ultrasound peripheral is a forward-facing VCR 620 with an infrared
 receiver. The housing 610 comprises an infrared transmitter 630 integral
 with the housing 610 and coupled with a processor (not shown). This
 arrangement provides an unimpeded optical path between the infrared
 transmitter 630 of the housing 610 and the infrared receiver of the VCR
 620. FIG. 6 also shows other suitable locations 622, 624, 626 on the
 ultrasound system's console for the infrared transmitter. In FIG. 7, the
 VCR 720 is side facing, and the infrared transmitter 730 is located
 adjacent the VCR 720 when the VCR 720 is stored on the top surface of the
 housing 710. In FIG. 8, forward-facing and side-facing VCRs 820, 825 are
 stored in two openings within the housing 810. Infrared transmitters 830,
 835 mounted in the housing 810 are located near the infrared receivers of
 the VCRs 820, 825.
 FIG. 9 is an illustration showing one preferred way in which an infrared
 transmitter can be integrally mounted to the housing. In FIG. 9, the
 infrared transmitter 910 is coupled with the ultrasound system's processor
 (not shown) with a cable 915. An infrared lens 920 is mounted over the
 transmitter 910 to aim infrared transmission to an infrared receiver of a
 forward-facing VCR 925.
 There are many alternatives to the embodiments described above. For
 example, in the embodiments illustrated above, the command sent to the
 peripheral caused the peripheral to perform a function related to the data
 sent between the ultrasound system and peripheral. In one alternate
 embodiment, the function performed by a peripheral in response to a
 command is not associated with data sent between the ultrasound system and
 peripheral, if data is sent at all (such as when a "fast forward" command
 is sent). In another alternate embodiment, when a plurality of peripherals
 is used, one or more wireless communication devices can be used by the
 ultrasound system to communicate with the peripherals. Further, it is
 important to note that any of the various aspects of any of the preferred
 embodiments can be used alone or in combination.
 Additionally, as mentioned above, in addition to or as an alternative to
 the ultrasound system sending a peripheral command to the peripheral, the
 peripheral can send an ultrasound system command to the ultrasound system.
 This allows for bi-directional control between the ultrasound system and
 peripheral. When the ultrasound system receives the ultrasound system
 command, it performs an ultrasound system operation associated with the
 command. The ultrasound system can have a peripheral interface (or a
 device library of peripheral interfaces) to translate the ultrasound
 system command into an ultrasound system operation. It should be noted
 that an ultrasound system operation can be any operation or function that
 is performable by the ultrasound system. In reference to the example
 described above, the "ultrasound system operation" can simply be the
 selection of a peripheral interface in response to the ultrasound system
 receiving a "command" from the peripheral identifying its model type. The
 term "ultrasound system command" is used herein to refer to any command
 that, upon receipt by the ultrasound system, causes the ultrasound system
 to perform an operation.
 In an alternate embodiment, a medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging system
 with a first wireless communication device is used to transmit a
 peripheral command via the first wireless communication device to an
 ultrasound system peripheral. In this embodiment, the ultrasound system
 peripheral has a second wireless communication device that is integral
 with the peripheral (ie., the peripheral and the second wireless
 communication device are in the same housing). As with the above
 embodiments, the ultrasound system peripheral is operative to perform an
 operation in response to receipt, via the second wireless communication
 device, of the peripheral command. In this alternate embodiment, the use
 of a data transmission medium to physically couple and communicate data
 between the ultrasound system and the peripheral is optional.
 For simplicity, the term "wireless communication device" has been used to
 broadly refer to any device that has the ability to transmit information,
 preferably an ultrasound peripheral command, from one point to another
 without the use of a physical connection. The wireless communication
 device can be integral with the ultrasound system or peripheral, such as
 when the peripheral contains a built-in infrared receiver. The wireless
 communication device can also be an add-on component to the ultrasound
 system or peripheral, such as when the wireless communication device 1010
 of the ultrasound system 1000 is a detachable accessory that is tethered
 to the system, as shown in FIG. 10. A wireless communication device can
 include an emitter, receiver, or transceiver. In some applications, it is
 preferred that the wireless communication device be able to communicate
 virtually simultaneously in receive and transmit modes (e.g., by
 time-slicing between operations) and be able to communicate virtually
 simultaneously with more than one peripheral device (e.g., by time-slicing
 between peripheral devices).
 Example of wireless communication devices include, but are not limited to,
 devices that communicate information using infrared, radio frequency,
 light wave, microwave, or ultrasonic transmissions. Examples of suitable
 infrared detectors (e.g., photo diodes or photo transistors) include part
 number BPW82 from Vishay Telefunken (Basking Ridge, N.J.), part number
 HSPL-5400 from Hewlett-Packard (Palo Alto, Calif.), and part number SFH320
 from Infineon Technologies (Munich, Germany). The detector can also take
 the form of an infrared photomodule, such as part number TSOP1838 from
 Vishay Telefunken and part number SFH5110 from Infineon Technologies.
 Examples of suitable infrared emitters include part number TSAL6200 from
 Vishay Telefunken, part number HSPL-4200 from Hewlett-Packard, and part
 number SFH426 from Infineon Technologies.
 In one embodiment, the peripheral is compatible with the IrDA infrared
 communication protocol developed by the Infrared Data Association. IrDA
 peripheral devices provide a walk-up, point-to-point method of data
 transfer that is adaptable to a broad range of computing and communication
 devices. Version 1.1 of the IrDA infrared communication protocol provides
 for communication at data rates up to 4 Megabytes per second. The IrDA
 infrared communication protocol also defines a set of specifications, or
 protocol stack, that provides for the establishment and maintenance of a
 link so that error free communication is possible. Devices that are
 compatible with the IrDA infrared communication protocol presently
 include: I/O controllers, transceivers, receivers, encoder boards,
 notebook/portable/desktop computers, handheld personal data assistants
 (PDAs), adapters, printers, telephones, network access equipment, modems,
 keyboards, computer mice and other remote control devices. Examples of
 suitable types of IrDA Data Compliant infrared transceivers are part
 number TFDT6501E from Vishay Telefunken, part number HSPL-3610 from
 Hewlett-Packard and part number IRMT6400 from Infineon Technologies.
 The following two patent applications assigned to the assignee of the
 present invention relate to wireless transmissions and are hereby
 incorporated by reference: "Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound System with
 Wireless Communication Device"(U.S. Application Ser. No. 09/237,548; filed
 Jan. 26, 1999) and "Medical Diagnostic Ultrasound Imaging System and
 Method for Transferring Ultrasound Examination Data to a Portable
 Computing Device"(U.S. Application Ser. No. 09/538,320; filed on the same
 day as the present patent application).
 It is intended that the foregoing detailed description be understood as an
 illustration of selected forms that the invention can take and not as a
 definition of the invention. It is only the following claims, including
 all equivalents, that are intended to define the scope of this invention.