Patent ID: 7837623

Claim:
A non-invasive method of obtaining at least one predetermined target soundwave field in a substantially homogeneous medium masked by a bone barrier by causing sound signals to be emitted by at least one array of transducers through said bone barrier, the method comprising: a training stage comprising at least the following steps: 1a) making a three-dimensional image of the bone barrier, at least in part by using X-rays, thereby obtaining a parameter representative of the porosity of said bone barrier at various points; 1b) from said three-dimensional image, determining three-dimensional maps of at least density, soundwave speed, and soundwave absorption in said bone barrier; 1c) determining a specific position for the array of transducers relative to the bone barrier; 1d) simulating at least one propagation of soundwaves between at least one point of the substantially homogeneous medium and at least some of the transducers of the array of transducers on the basis of a mathematical model of propagation and said three-dimensional maps of density, soundwave speed, and soundwave absorption; and 1e) on the basis of said simulation, calculating individual sound signals to be emitted by at least some of the transducers of said array of transducers in order to obtain said target soundwave field; and a stage of actually positioning the array of transducers on the bone barrier, this stage comprising the following steps: 2a) initially positioning the array of transducers on the bone barrier approximately in the specific position; 2b) using at least some of the transducers of the array of transducers to perform echography to locate the position of said array of transducers relative to the bone barrier; and 2c) refining the position of the array of transducers relative to said bone barrier as a function of the location determined in step 2b); and an imaging stage during which at least one echographic image of the substantially homogenous medium is made using at least a portion of the array of transducers, using the individual sound signals as determined during the training stage.