Digital Sonomicrometer System Overview

There are two significant advances that our sonomicrometer has over other systems. The first is that our system can measure every distance between every crystal, and the second is advanced signal processing which means that the researcher no longer has to make multiple adjustments while watching an oscilloscope in order to operate the system. Other features include the fact that no calibration is needed, and crystals can be placed very close together (frequently under 1 mm). This means the same system can be used to make both large (over 80 mm) and small (under 4 mm) measurements on the same preparation simultaneously.

Specifically, the system can measure a maximum of 496 dimensions between 32 crystals. The data sampling rate can range from 16 Hz to 1600 Hz and is user- adjustable. Each measurement has an absolute (static) error of 1 mm, and a relative error (dynamic resolution) of 0.024 mm. The resolution can be optionally enhanced to 0.0124 mm (12.4 um).

Auxiliary Analog Input (analog to digital conversion) Specifications

In addition to the sonomicrometer dimension measurements, our systems can accept a total of 16 analog signals from external devices. These signals are typically pressure, flow, force, or some form of electrical activity (ECG). The complete integration of these signals with sonomicrometer measurements means that our system functions as a complete data acquisition system. Each analog channel is sampled in sync with the sonomicrometer dimensions to an accuracy of 12 bits over a voltage input range of -10 to +10 volts.

Auxiliary Analog Output (digital to analog conversion) Specifications

If the user wishes to take the sonomicrometer dimensions out of our system in the form of an analog signal (say, to a chart recorder or other data acquisition system) then this can be done with the DAC (Digital to Analog Converter) option. Up to 4 dimensions can be selected by the user to be output as an analog signal with a voltage range of 0 to 8 volts.

Software and Data Processing

Our systems come with all necessary software to acquire, display, record, and process data. This includes our SonoLab and CardioSOFT software for cardiovascular data analysis. If you have any questions regarding the specifications of our systems, or if you have a specific application in mind, don't hesitate to contact us to answer your questions.