| 摘要 |
A method and apparatus is provided for controlling rotation of an ultrasound transducer. In accordance with the method of the present invention, a user-operable actuator that is movable over a continuous range of positions and generates a first signal representing the position of the actuator is provided. The method includes the steps of transforming the first signal into a second signal representing a desired velocity. Preferably, the second signal is a nonlinear transform of the first signal. The method further provides for rotating the ultrasound transducer in accordance with the second signal. In accordance with the apparatus of the present invention, a probe having a control housing, an actuator that may be manually positioned within a range of positions, and a transducer housing coupled to the control housing, which transducer housing contains an ultrasound transducer that is rotatably mounted for scanning a plurality of planes in a body, is disclosed. The probe includes apparatus for controlling rotation of the ultrasound transducer. The control apparatus includes a motor, a motor controller coupled to the motor, and a gain block coupled between the actuator and the motor controller. The gain block preferably has a continuous transfer characteristic and produces, for each position of the actuator, a signal representing a desired velocity.
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