US Patent 8038622 Wired and wireless remotely controlled ultrasonic transducer and imaging apparatus

A remotely manipulatable transducer element or linear transducer array for use with a remote work station including a display permits an operator of an ultrasound system to be remotely located from a patient. The transducer or linear transducer array comprises an assembly within a housing for fixation to a human body and intended to be placed one time and then remotely manipulated in directions of rotation, twist, and linearly in first and second perpendicular directions within a plane parallel to the surface of the human body under study. In one embodiment, the housing comprises a motor and a linear transducer array which are mounted to a rotor of the motor via an optional gear assembly for rotation, for example, in a range of 180 degrees so that multiple planes of imaging can be obtained, for example, of a heart or other body organ. The remotely manipulatable transducer or transducer array assembly may comprise a wireless transceiver having a unique identifier for communication with one or more work stations, each having a unique identifier.