← Back to Patent Explorer
US4237729A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Doppler flow meter

Assignee: KURTZ ESTHER
•
Filing: 1978-06-02
•
Granted: 1980-12-09
•
Expires: 1998-06-02
📄 Original PDF 🌐 Google Patents 🔄 Sync Now

Abstract

Abstract A catheter probe flow meter and method of determining the volume flow of a fluid through a conduit, at least one of the fluid and the conduit having energy-scattering interfaces. The method in one embodiment includes trasmitting at least two and receiving at least one or transmitting at least one and receiving at least two sound beams through the fluid, resolving the Doppler vectors into an average velocity vector for each transmitting/receiving combination, and resolving the resolved velocity vectors into their component parts.

Inventors

  • 👤 Francis McLeod
  • 👤 Spencer Silverstein
  • 👤 Robert Kurtz

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-23 22:19
CPC Classifications
A; A61; A61B; A61B8/00; A61B8/06; A61B8/12; G; G01; G01F; G01F1/00; G01F1/66; G01F1/663; A61B8/44; A61B8/4444; A61B8/445

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 7
Claim 1
Independent Claim 112 words
A catheter transducer probe comprising an elongate catheter housing having a bore therein; first and second acoustical transducers which generate and receive respective beams of sound, said transducers being mounted in a mutual coaxial relationship to said housing; electrical conductors extending through said bore and electrically connected to said transducers; first and second sound directing means comprising shaped acoustical reflectors mounted to said housing and acoustically coupled to said first and second transducers, respectively, so as to direct said first and second beams outwardly from said housing at a predetermined angle with respect to each other such that the Doppler vectors of the reflected back portions of said sound beams are nonparallel.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 112 words
A catheter transducer probe comprising an elongate catheter housing having a bore therein; first and second acoustical transducers which generate and receive respective beams of sound, said transducers being mounted in a mutual coaxial relationship to said housing; electrical conductors extending through said bore and electrically connected to said transducers; first and second sound directing means comprising shaped acoustical reflectors mounted to said housing and acoustically coupled to said first and second transducers, respectively, so as to direct said first and second beams outwardly from said housing at a predetermined angle with respect to each other such that the Doppler vectors of the reflected back portions of said sound beams are nonparallel.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 31 words
A probe as claimed in claim 1 wherein said transducers are spaced apart and coaxially mounted about the longitudinal axis of the housing and said directing means are coaxially mounted therebetween.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 28 words
A probe as claimed in claim 1 wherein said transducers are spaced apart and said reflectors shaped as two back-to-back conical frustrum portions joined at their enlarged bases.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 27 words
A probe as claimed in claim 1 wherein said transducers are mounted in mutual, juxtaposed, electrically insulated relationship and said sound directing means are located outwardly thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 111 words
An acoustical transducer probe comprising: an elongate housing; first and second acoustical transducers which generate and receive respective beams of sound, said transducers being mounted in a mutual coaxial relationship to said housing; a bore in said housing; electrical conductors extending through said bore and electrically connected to said transducers; first and second sound directing means comprising shaped acoustical reflectors mounted to said housing and acoustically coupled to said first and second transducers, respectively, so as to direct said first and second beams from said housing at a predetermined angle with respect to each other such that the Doppler vectors of the reflected back portions of said sound beams are nonparallel.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 111 words
An acoustical transducer probe comprising: an elongate housing; first and second acoustical transducers which generate and receive respective beams of sound, said transducers being mounted in a mutual coaxial relationship to said housing; a bore in said housing; electrical conductors extending through said bore and electrically connected to said transducers; first and second sound directing means comprising shaped acoustical reflectors mounted to said housing and acoustically coupled to said first and second transducers, respectively, so as to direct said first and second beams from said housing at a predetermined angle with respect to each other such that the Doppler vectors of the reflected back portions of said sound beams are nonparallel.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US2770795A Cited
US2855526A Cited
US3028752A Cited
DE1207242B Cited
US3450625A Cited
US3302163A Cited
US3325779A Cited
US3421137A Cited
US3532182A Cited
US3987673A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1983-12-09 1984-06-09 1984-12-09 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1987-12-09 1988-06-09 1988-12-09 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 1991-12-09 1992-06-09 1992-12-09 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

Assigned Categories & Tags

No categories assigned to this patent yet.

Assign Category Tag