Projection-reflection ultrasound images using PE-CMOS sensor: a preliminary bone fracture study

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of the ultrasound reflective image obtained by a CMOS sensor array coated with piezoelectric material (PE-CMOS). The laboratory projection-reflection ultrasound prototype consists of five major components: an unfocused ultrasound transducer, an acoustic beam splitter, an acoustic compound lens, a PE-CMOS ultrasound sensing array (Model I400, Imperium Inc. Silver Spring, MD), and a readout circuit system. The prototype can image strong reflective materials such as bone and metal. We found this projection-reflection ultrasound prototype is able to reveal hairline bone fractures with and without intact skin and tissue. When compared, the image generated from a conventional B-scan ultrasound on the same bone fracture is less observable. When it is observable with the B-scan system, the fracture or crack on the surface only show one single spot of echo due to its scan geometry. The corresponding image produced from the projection-reflection ultrasound system shows a bright blooming strip on the image clearly indicating the fracture on the surface of the solid material. Speckles of the bone structure are also observed in the new ultrasound prototype. A theoretical analysis is provided to link the signals as well as speckles detected in both systems.