Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-12575804-B2
Publication Date
2026-03-17
Expiration Date
Abstract
According to the bladder volume measuring device according to the present invention, it is possible to more accurately measure the amount of urine contained in the bladder by calculating the bladder volume according to the first straight line and the second straight line crossing the inside of the bladder region included in the cross-sectional image including the bladder.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a bladder volume measuring device that includes an ultrasound transducer configured to transmit an ultrasound transmission signal to a human bladder and receive an ultrasound reception signal reflected from the bladder. A processor generates a cross-sectional image including the bladder based on the ultrasound reception signal and calculates a bladder volume according to a first straight line and a second straight line crossing an inside of a bladder region included in the cross-sectional image.
The bladder volume calculation uses a lookup table that determines the bladder volume according to a product of a first straight line length corresponding to a length of the first straight line and a second straight line length corresponding to a length of the second straight line. The lookup table includes a plurality of sub lookup tables determined according to the product of the first straight line length and the second straight line length, where each sub lookup table has a different slope corresponding to a ratio at which the bladder volume linearly increases as the product increases.
Further refinement is based on a length ratio to determine a bladder shape, and additional straight lines are set at reference angle intervals inside the bladder region with additional ratio calculation to improve bladder shape estimation. The invention optionally determines a weight based on the bladder shape and uses that weight to adjust the calculated bladder volume.
Claims Coverage
The claim set recites 7 core inventive features: ultrasound transduction and cross-sectional bladder imaging, bladder-region straight-line geometry, lookup-table bladder-volume determination based on a length-product, sub lookup tables with different slopes tied to a bladder-volume increase ratio, length-ratio-based bladder shape determination, additional crossing straight lines at reference angle intervals, and optional weight determination from the bladder shape for use in bladder volume determination.
Ultrasound-based cross-sectional bladder imaging
An ultrasound transducer transmits an ultrasound transmission signal to a human bladder and receives an ultrasound reception signal reflected from the bladder, and a processor generates a cross-sectional image including the bladder based on the ultrasound reception signal.
Bladder volume from crossing straight-line lengths
A processor calculates a bladder volume according to a first straight line and a second straight line crossing an inside of a bladder region included in the cross-sectional image.
Lookup table using the product of two straight-line lengths
The processor includes a lookup table that determines the bladder volume according to a product of a first straight line length corresponding to a length of the first straight line and a second straight line length corresponding to a length of the second straight line.
Sub lookup tables with different slopes tied to a volume-increase ratio
The lookup table includes a plurality of sub lookup tables determined according to the product of the first straight line length and the second straight line length, and each sub lookup table has a different slope corresponding to a ratio at which the bladder volume linearly increases as the product increases.
Length-ratio-based bladder shape determination
A processor determines a first shape defining a bladder shape based on a length ratio.
Additional crossing straight lines at reference angle intervals
Additional crossing straight lines are laid out inside the bladder region at predetermined reference-angle intervals, and lengths of the additional straight lines are measured to calculate additional ratio(s) for improved shape estimation.
Weight determined from bladder shape
A processor determines a weight based on the second bladder shape.
Overall, the claim set covers a bladder volume measuring device that derives bladder volume from ultrasound-generated cross-sectional images using a geometry-based length-product and a lookup table refined by multiple sub lookup tables with different slopes, and further uses length ratios and additional reference-angle crossing lines to determine bladder shape, optionally mapping the shape to a weight for use in bladder volume determination.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
Interested in licensing this patent?