Patent ID: 8235907

Claim:
A medical system comprising: a carrier; a multiplicity of electromechanical transducers mounted to said carrier, said transducers being disposable in effective pressure-wave-transmitting contact with a patient; energization means operatively connected to a first plurality of said transducers for supplying same with electrical signals of at least one pre-established ultrasonic frequency to produce first pressure waves in the patient; and a control unit operatively connected to said energization means, said control unit including an electronic analyzer operatively connected to a second plurality of said transducers for performing electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition and imaging of internal tissue structures of the patient by analyzing signals generated by said second plurality of said transducers in response to second pressure waves produced at said internal tissue structures in response to said first pressure waves, said control unit including phased-array signal processing circuitry operatively connected to said energization means and to said electronic analyzer for effectuating, via a sequencing of electrical signals as supplied to said first plurality of transducers and an appropriately timed sampling of signals from said second plurality of transducers, an electronic scanning of the internal tissue structures to facilitate electronic 3D volumetric data acquisition, further comprising a multiplicity of point scatterers mounted to said carrier, said control unit including a calibration subunit configured to derive position data in accordance with signals received from said point scatterers via said second plurality of transducers, said calibration subunit being operatively connected to said electronic analyzer for providing position information thereto to enable effective operation of said phased-array signal processing circuitry.