Ultrasonic position indicating apparatus and methods

TLDR: In this paper, an ultrasonic imaging system employs a processing circuit which enables the imaging system to accurately display the location of an element in a body by utilizing a transducer, which provides an electric signal when an ultrasound wave impinges thereon.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system employs a processing circuit which enables the imaging system to accurately display the location of an element in a body by utilizing a transducer which provides an electric signal when an ultrasonic wave impinges thereon. The electric signal is processed to determine the maximum amplitude signals during an entire frame of the ultrasonic imaging system. The signals are characterized in terms of the line at which the signal appears or the ray at which the signal appears and the pixel or location along that line. This information regarding ray and pixel serves as X-Y coordinates enabling one to accurately locate the element and transducer on the displayed image by intensifying the display at that location or by adding color or by producing some other visual effect such as blinking, and so on. Thus the disclosed apparatus in its various forms provides ultrasonic position indication without adjustment whereby one shows the exact location of the localizing transducer.