Axial Probe Research Articles

Cure State Sensing of Polymethylmethacrylate Using a Vibrating Axial Probe.

A new axially vibrating sensor based on an audio voice coil transducer and a lead zirconate titanate (PZT) piezoelectric disc microphone was developed as a probe for the measurement of in vitro rheological fluid properties, including curing progress for polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) mixtures with important uses as bone cement in the field of orthopedics. The measurement of the vibrating axial sensor's acoustic spectra in PMMA undergoing curing can be described by a damped harmonic oscillator formalism and resonant frequency (ca. 180 Hz) shift can be used as an indicator of curing progress, with shifts to the blue by as much as 14 Hz. The resonant frequency peak was measured in 19 different 4.0 g PMMA samples to have a rate of shift of 0.0462 ± 0.00624 Hz·s-1 over a period of 400 s while the PMMA was in a dough state and before the PMMA transitioned to a hard-setting phase. This transition is unambiguously indicated by this sensor technology through the generation of a distinct circa 5 kHz high-Q under-damped ring-down response.

Assessment of cortical bone phantom properties using ultrasonic guided waves transduced with a multi-element transducer

The past decade has seen extensive exploration of alternative methods for the early diagnosis of osteoporosis through the assessment of the the bone quality. Previous research on axial transmission of ultrasonic guided waves demonstrated their sensitivity to the intrinsic properties of elongated cortical bones. This study highlights the capacity of low-frequency guided waves to ascertain bone properties through the inversion of dispersion curves. The proposed inversion scheme relies on dispersion curves simulated using the semi-analytical iso-geometric analysis (SAIGA) method. The model incorporates the excitability of ultrasonic guided wave modes to ensure that the inversion uses both the dispersive trajectories and amplitudes of the modes. Two models were examined: (1) a cortical bone phantom plate covered with a soft tissue mimicking material and (2) a quasi-cylinder cortical bone phantom surrounded by a soft tissue mimicking material. A proprietary axial transmission multielement ultrasonic transducer, designed for exciting guided waves under 500 kHz, was employed to capture experimental dispersion curves on phantoms through the 2D-FFT. The mechanical properties of the bone phantoms were inferred by minimizing disparities between experimental and simulated dispersion curves. Inverse properties exhibited an error of less than 4% compared to reference values. The axial transmission probe demonstrated its proficiency in accurately measuring modes propagating inside the cortical layer.

Robust Imaging of Speed of Sound Using Virtual Source Transmission.

Speed of sound (SoS) is a novel imaging biomarker for assessing the biomechanical characteristics of soft tissues. SoS imaging in the pulse-echo mode using conventional ultrasound (US) systems with hand-held transducers has the potential to enable new clinical uses. Recent work demonstrated that diverging waves (DWs) from a single element (SE) transmit to outperform plane-wave sequences. However, SE transmits have severely limited power and hence produce a low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in echo data. We herein propose Walsh-Hadamard (WH) coded and virtual-source (VS) transmit sequences for the improved SNR in SoS imaging. We additionally present an iterative method of estimating beamforming (BF) SoS in the medium, which otherwise confounds SoS reconstructions due to beamforming inaccuracies in the images used for reconstruction. Through numerical simulations, phantom experiments, and in vivo imaging data, we show that WH is not robust against motion, which is often unavoidable in clinical imaging scenarios. Our proposed VS sequence is shown to provide the highest SoS reconstruction performance, especially robust to motion artifacts. In phantom experiments, despite having a comparable SoS root-mean-square error (RMSE) of 17.5-18.0 m/s at rest, with a minor axial probe motion of ≈ 0.67 mm/s the RMSE for SE, WH, and VS already deteriorate to 20.2, 105.4, and 19.0 m/s, respectively, showing that WH produces unacceptable results, not robust to motion. In the clinical data, the high SNR and motion resilience of VS sequences are seen to yield superior contrast compared to SE and WH sequences.

Five-degrees-of-freedom error motion measurement method of precision rotary table based on BMPES

It is essential to obtain the five-degrees-of-freedom (5-DOF) error motion of a rotary table to reconstructthe real trajectory of the rotating shaft, but there are many error coupling problems when measuring the error motion of a rotary table. In order to improve the measurement accuracy of the 5-DOF error motion of the rotary table, a method of measuring the error motions based on bidirectional multi-point error separation (BMPES) is proposed. First, by analyzing the motion characteristics of the rotary table with multiple degrees of freedom error during the rotation, a detection system with a double-layer structure probe arrangement is designed. Then, the three-point method is used in the radial direction to separate the roundness error of the measuring disk, which improves the measurement accuracy of radial error. Finally, the coupling relationship between the mixing errors collected by the axial probes is researched, and a face-four-point error separation method is proposed, which can separate the flatness error of the lower surface of the measuring disk and complete the decoupling of the tilt error and the axial runout error. Simulation results show that for the measurement of radial, tilt and axial errors, the measurement errors of the BMPES method proposed in this paper are reduced by 97.89%, 68.40% and 99.99%, respectively, compared with the five-point method, and when eccentricity errors exist, the measurement errors of the radial and tilt errors are reduced by 99.06% and 85.67%, which verifies that the method can accurately obtain the 5-DOF motion of the rotary table errors.

Optimal Axial-Probe Design for Foucault-Current Tomography: A Global Optimization Approach Based on Linear Sampling Method

This paper is concerned with the optimal design of axial probes, commonly used in the Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) of tube boiling in steam generators. The goal is to improve the low-frequency Foucault-current imaging of these deposits by designing a novel probe. The approach uses a combination of an inverse problem solver with global optimization to find the optimal probe characteristics by minimizing a function of merit defined using image processing techniques. The evaluation of the function of merit is computationally intensive and a surrogate optimization approach is used, incorporating a multi-particle search algorithm. The proposed design is validated through numerical experiments and aims to improve the accuracy and efficiency of identifying deposits in steam generator tubes.

Experimental studies of cusp stabilization in Keda Mirror with AXisymmetricity (KMAX)

Stabilization of the axisymmetric magnetic mirror relies on the pressure-weighted magnetic field curvature. We report a new experiment by configuring a magnetic cusp structure to stabilize m = 1 interchange mode in the KMAX tandem mirror. The cusp configuration is formed by reversing currents in the two side cell coils, and a stronger cusp can lead to a more stable plasma once the null point of the cusp is less than 35–40 cm away from the device axis. The density fluctuations measured by four axial Langmuir probes are mitigated by 70%–80%. The stabilization effect is consistent with the prediction of a theoretical calculation.

Research on Detection Mechanism of Weld Defects of Carbon Steel Plate Based on Orthogonal Axial Eddy Current Probe.

The uneven surface of the weld seam makes eddy current testing more susceptible to the lift-off effect of the probe. Therefore, the defect of carbon steel plate welds has always been a difficult problem in eddy current testing. This study aimed to design a new type of eddy current orthogonal axial probe and establish the finite element simulation model of the probe. The effect of the probe structure, coil turns, and coil size on the detection sensitivity was simulated. Further, a designed orthogonal axial probe was used to conduct a systematic experiment on the weld of carbon steel specimens, and the 0.2 mm width and 1 mm depth of weld defects of carbon steel plates were effectively detected. The experimental results showed that the new orthogonal axial eddy current probe effectively suppressed the unevenness effect of the weld surface on the lift-off effect during the detection process.

Pattern-Diversity Cylindrical Dielectric Resonator Antenna Using Fundamental Modes of Different Mode Families

For the first time, a pattern-diversity cylindrical dielectric resonator (DR) antenna (DRA) is designed using the fundamental HEM $_{11\delta }$ and TM $_{01\delta }$ modes of the HEM and TM mode families, respectively. It makes use of the fact that at the center of the DR, the $E$ -field of the HEM $_{11\delta }$ mode is weakest but that of the TM $_{01\delta }$ mode is strongest. Therefore, increasing the dielectric constant around the central DR region can lower the resonant frequency of the TM $_{01\delta }$ mode with no virtual effects on the HEM $_{11\delta }$ mode. Using this approach, the frequencies of the HEM $_{\mathrm {11\delta }}$ and TM $_{01\delta }$ modes can be made equal to obtain a pattern-diversity antenna. A cylindrical DRA centrally loaded by a dielectric with a higher dielectric constant is used to realize this idea. Its HEM $_{11\delta }$ and TM $_{01\delta }$ modes are excited by a rectangular cross slot and an axial coaxial probe, respectively. To demonstrate the idea, a two-port diversity antenna fabricated with two different transparent materials was designed for 2.4 GHz WLAN applications. It is found that the two ports of the pattern-diversity DRA have a measured overlapping impedance bandwidth of 23.4%, with an envelope correlation coefficient of lower than 0.007 and a mean-effective-gain ratio lower than 0.1 dB.

3-D-Printed Wideband Multi-Ring Dielectric Resonator Antenna

A three-dimensional (3-D)-printed wideband multi-ring dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) is investigated for the first time. It consists of four concentric dielectric rings with decreasing effective dielectric constants in the radial direction. To facilitate the 3-D-printed design, a basic unit cubic cell that can be easily adjusted to provide different effective dielectric constants is used. An axial coaxial probe is used to excite the DRA in three transverse magnetic (TM) modes (TM <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">01δ</sub> , TM <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">02δ</sub> , and TM <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">03δ</sub> ), which are merged to provide a wide impedance bandwidth. For demonstration, a prototype operating in C-band is designed and fabricated using a 3-D printer. Its reflection coefficient, radiation pattern, antenna gain, and antenna efficiency are measured, and reasonable agreement between the measured and simulated results is observed. The prototype has a wide measured 10-dB impedance bandwidth of 60.2% (4.3-8.0 GHz) with a low profile of 0.18λ <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">0</sub> , where λ0 is the wavelength in air at the center frequency (6.15 GHz). The prototype has an average measured antenna efficiency of 89%, with the peak efficiency given by 95%.

Study on measuring straightness of piston rod in large oil cylinders

The straightness detection methods of different geometric elements are described in detail in GB/T 1133 6-2004, but there are still many difficulties in how to implement the method in engineering, for example, how to detect straightness in the production process of piston rods in large oil cylinders. Based on time-domain three-point method and the various requirements of straightness measurement in the process of large piston rods’ production, a method for detecting the straightness of the large rod with large length-to-diameter ratio was proposed and the measuring device was successfully developed. In addition, the influences of the three error sources including axial rotation angle, probe spacing and sampling interval on the measurement results are discussed in detail. Considering the production cost and the accuracy of the device, the parameters of the straightness detection device are optimized. The effectiveness of the method was verified by field experiments. It’s very important that the study provides a technical basis for the straightness detection of large slender rods.

Extension of longitudinal measuring range of a confocal surface profilometer using a gradient-intensity probe beam

A confocal surface profilometer with a long vertical range was developed by using a gradient-intensity probe beam. In conventional confocal microscopy, vertical scanning of a tested surface by either stage height movement or the shifting of objective focus is time-consuming, thus making unacceptable measurement efficiency for in situ inspection. To overcome this, in this research, a quasi-Bessel beams (QBB) with the properties of narrow lateral spot and gradient-intensity axial distribution is adopted as a probe beam to generate an accurate intensity-to-height conversion for 3-D profile measurement. The influences of the incident Gaussian beam and the real axicon lens with an oblate-tip shape on the axial probe beam are calculated and analyzed. By switching the axicon lenses with different base angles, the measurable height of the surface profilometer can be ranged from a few millimeters to several hundred millimeters. According to the measured results, it was found that by using the axicon lens with a base angle of 20°, the measurable height reached at least 2 mm. By integrating a high-speed acquisition unit, the proposed profilometer can further increase the measurement efficiency, especially fitting in situ automatic optical inspection (AOI).

Ex vivo cortical porosity and thickness predictions at the tibia using full-spectrum ultrasonic guided-wave analysis

SummaryThe estimation of cortical thickness (Ct.Th) and porosity (Ct.Po) at the tibia using axial transmission ultrasound was successfully validated ex vivo against site-matched micro-computed tomography. The assessment of cortical parameters based on full-spectrum guided-wave analysis might improve the prediction of bone fractures in a cost-effective and radiation-free manner.PurposeCortical thickness (Ct.Th) and porosity (Ct.Po) are key parameters for the identification of patients with fragile bones. The main objective of this ex vivo study was to validate the measurement of Ct.Po and Ct.Th at the tibia using a non-ionizing, low-cost, and portable 500-kHz ultrasound axial transmission system. Additional ultrasonic velocities and site-matched reference parameters were included in the study to broaden the analysis.MethodsGuided waves were successfully measured ex vivo in 17 human tibiae using a novel 500-kHz bi-directional axial transmission probe. Theoretical dispersion curves of a transverse isotropic free plate model with invariant matrix stiffness were fitted to the experimental dispersion curves in order to estimate Ct.Th and Ct.Po. In addition, the velocities of the first arriving signal (υFAS) and A0 mode (υA0) were measured. Reference Ct.Po, Ct.Th, and vBMD were obtained from site-matched micro-computed tomography. Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) provided the acoustic impedance of the axial cortical bone matrix.ResultsThe best predictions of Ct.Po (R2 = 0.83, RMSE = 2.2%) and Ct.Th (R2 = 0.92, RMSE = 0.2 mm, one outlier excluded) were obtained from the plate model. The second best predictors of Ct.Po and Ct.Th were vBMD (R2 = 0.77, RMSE = 2.6%) and υA0 (R2 = 0.28, RMSE = 0.67 mm), respectively.ConclusionsCt.Th and Ct.Po were accurately predicted at the human tibia ex vivo using a transverse isotropic free plate model with invariant matrix stiffness. The model-based predictions were not further enhanced when we accounted for variations in axial tissue stiffness as reflected by the acoustic impedance from SAM.

Single Layer Graphene for Estimation of Axial Spatial Resolution in Confocal Raman Microscopy Depth Profiling.

Single layer graphene (SLG), with its angstrom-scale thickness and strong Raman scattering cross section, was adapted for measurement of the axial ( Z-direction) probe beam profile in confocal Raman microscopy depth-profiling experiments. SLG adsorbed to a glass microscope coverslip (SLG/SiO2) served as a platform for the estimation of axial spatial resolution. Profiles were measured by stepping the confocal probe volume through the SLG/SiO2 interface while measuring Raman scattering from the sample. Using a high numerical aperture (1.4 NA) oil immersion objective, axial profiles were derived from the graphene 2D vibrational mode and fit to a Lorentzian instrument response function (IRF). Subsequently, the Z-direction spatial resolution in depth-profiling studies of polymer interfaces was estimated through convolution of the Lorentzian IRF with a step function representing the ideal junction separating the phases of interest. In the study of a bipolar polymer membrane, confocal Raman depth profiles of the AEM/CEM (anion exchange membrane/cation exchange membrane) interface show that the transition region is broader than the limiting response and are consistent with roughness at the boundary on the order of a few micrometers. Using ClO4- as a Raman active mobile ion probe, application of self-modeling curve resolution (SMCR) to spectral data sets within a profile showed ClO4- ions track the spatial distribution of the AEM phase. Finally, in measurements on a liquid-solid interface formed between 1-octanol and a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membrane, the IRF derived from fitting the experimental profile was slightly narrower than those obtained from profiling SLG, indicating the potential to use polymer-liquid interfaces formed from widely available materials and reagents for estimation of axial spatial resolution in confocal Raman depth-profiling.

Magnetic diagnostic suite of the C-2W field-reversed configuration experiment.

A fundamental component of any magnetically confined fusion experiment is a firm understanding of the magnetic field. The increased complexity of the C-2W machine warrants an equally enhanced diagnostic capability. C-2W is outfitted with over 700 magnetic field probes of various types. They are both internal and external to the vacuum vessel. Inside, a linear array of innovative in-vacuum annular flux loop/B-dot combination probes provide information about plasma shape, size, pressure, energy, temperature, and trapped flux when coupled with established theoretical interpretations. A linear array of B-dot probes complement the azimuthally averaged measurements. A Mirnov array of 64 3D probes, with both low and high frequency resolution, detail plasma motion and MHD modal content via singular value decomposition analysis. Internal Rogowski probes measure axial currents flowing in the plasma jet. Outside, every feed-through for an internal probe has an external axial field probe. There are many external loops that measure the plasma formation dynamics and the total external magnetic flux. The external measurements are primarily used to characterize eddy currents in the vessel during a plasma shot. Details of these probes and the data derived from their signals are described.

The effects of the cathode array on emitted hard x-ray from a small plasma focus device

In this study, the effects of the cathode array variations on emitted hard x-rays from a small Mather type plasma focus device (450 J) were investigated. The gradual elimination of the cathode rods inside the cathode array of the device lowered the quality and quantity of the emitted hard x-rays at different pressure values of argon gas. We theorized that the variations of the cathode array were able to change some discharge parameters that could vary the number of the energetic runaway electrons generated during the pinch phase which were responsible for the created features of the emitted hard x-rays. On the other hand, we hypothesized that the removal of the cathode rods could influence the current sheath dynamics during all the phases of a shot including its average axial velocity which was demonstrated by using two axial magnetic probes. We also theorized that cathode rod omission from the cathode array could also increase the initial inductance and the impedance of the system, and the impurities inside the plasma during the pinch phase which could lead to the growth of the instabilities. Moreover, by using the wavelet technique and studying the Mirnov signals, it was shown that the decrease of the cathode rod number increased the plasma magnetic field fluctuations or instabilities (MHD activities) that adversely affected the pinch quality, and reduced the emitted hard x-rays.

The influence of the cathode array and the pressure variations on the current sheath dynamics of a small plasma focus device in the presence of an axial magnetic probe

In this research, the influence of the cathode array and the pressure variations on the current sheath dynamics of a small plasma focus device (450 J) was investigated. For this purpose, the signals of an axial magnetic probe for two different gases (argon and nitrogen) were studied. The magnetic probe signals showed the slower movement of the current sheath layer when the number of cathode rods decreased. This was related to the increase in the circuit inductance, which caused the longer discharge time of the capacitor bank followed by the creation of runaway electrons. These electrons in turn produced the impurities that led to the appearance of the instabilities inside the plasma. On the other hand, in order to investigate the effect of the cathode array variation on the instabilities produced inside the plasma, the wavelet technique was used. With the aid of frequency analysis, this technique showed the increase in these instabilities, which was due to the non-uniform formation of the current sheath layer during the breakdown phase, and finally, the higher values of the pressure caused the slower movement of the current sheath due to the inverse relation of the current sheath velocity to the square root of the pressure.

The effects of pre-ionization on the impurity and x-ray level in a dense plasma focus device

In this study, the effects of pre-ionization on the reduction of the impurities and non-uniformities, the increased stability of the pinch plasma, the enhancement of the total hard x-ray yield, the plasmoid x-ray yield, and the current sheath dynamics of the argon gas at different pressures in a Mather type plasma focus device were investigated. For this purpose, different shunt resistors together with two x-ray detectors were used, and the data gathered from the x-ray signals showed that the optimum shunt resistor could cause the maximum total hard and plasmoid hard x-ray emissions. Moreover, in order to calculate the average speed of the current sheath, two axial magnetic probes were used. It was revealed that the pre-ionization could increase the whole range of the emitted x-rays and produce a more uniform current sheath layer, which moved faster, and this technique could lead to the reduction of the impurities, creating a more stabilized pinched plasma, which was capable of emitting more x-rays than the usual case without using pre-ionization.

Sensitivity studies on the multi-sensor conductivity probe measurement technique for two-phase flows

The objective of this study is to advance the local multi-sensor conductivity probe measurement technique through systematic investigation into several practical aspects of a conductivity probe measurement system. Firstly, signal “ghosting” among probe sensors is found to cause artificially high bubble velocity measurements and low interfacial area concentration (ai) measurements that depend on sampling frequency and sensor impedance. A revised electrical circuit is suggested to eliminate this artificial variability. Secondly, the sensitivity of the probe measurements to sampling frequency is investigated in 13 two-phase flow conditions with superficial liquid and gas velocities ranging from 1.00–5.00m/s and 0.17–2.0m/s, respectively. With increasing gas flow rate, higher sampling frequencies, greater than 100kHz in some cases, are required to adequately capture the bubble number frequency and ai measurements. This trend is due to the increase in gas velocity and the transition to the slug flow regime. Thirdly, the sensitivity of the probe measurements to the measurement duration as well as the sample number is investigated for the same flow conditions. Measurements of both group-I (spherical/distorted) and group-II (cap/slug/churn-turbulent) bubbles are found to be relatively insensitive to both the measurement duration and the number of bubbles, as long as the measurements are made for a duration long enough to capture a collection of samples characteristic to a given two-phase flow system (or a statistical ensemble). Fourthly, investigation into the orientation of a double-sensor probe in the pipe indicates that the sensors should be oriented parallel to the pipe wall to ensure symmetric bubble velocity measurements. Lastly, Monte Carlo simulations are performed to study the effects of the axial (s) and lateral (d) probe sensor separation distances. In addition to previous criteria on the ratio of s to the bubble diameter, it is found that s/d should be greater than four to minimize errors in the measured bubble velocity.

Sonographische Trächtigkeitsuntersuchung und Bestimmung von Anzahl und Alter der Feten beim Schaf

The aim of the present study was to evaluate accuracy of transabdominal ultrasonography for pregnancy diagnosis, determination of fetal number and estimation of gestational age in ewes. A total of 1068 ewes from 8 different flocks (Swiss White Alpine n=379, Swiss Black- Brown Mountain n=189, Oxford-type n=164, Ostfriesian n=154, Texel n=104, Lacaune × Osfriesian crossbred n=78) was investigated using an Ovi-ScanTM ultrasound scanner with a 3.5 MHz 170° mechanical axial probe (BCF Technology Ltd., Bellshill, Great Britain). Scanning was performed transabdominally at the right inguinal region in ewes restrained in standing position. Sonographic findings were compared with lambing data recorded by the farmers. Included in the analysis were all ewes that, at the time of examination, were not pregnant and those that were pregnant between 26 and 110 days with a known lambing date and number of lambs born (n=882). The sensitivity of pregnancy diagnosis was 97.8% and the specificity 97.6% (overall accuracy 97.8%, n=853). Sensitivity and specificity for discrimination between single and multiple pregnancies was 95.8% and 90.5% (overall accuracy 93.9%, n=752), respectively, when multiples were defined as positive. Discrimination between twins and triplets reached a sensitivity of 86.0% and a specificity of 99.5% (overall accuracy 98.0%, n=458) when triplets were defined as positive. Considering a gestation period of 150 days, the mean deviation of the estimated to the effective day of gestation at examination was 5.6±5.0 days (n=781). The correlation between estimated and true gestational age was very high (r=0.936, P<0.0001). In conclusion, a highly accurate and efficient diagnosis of pregnancy with reliable estimation of fetal number and age is possible using an Ovi- ScanTM ultrasound scanner by an experienced examiner.

Sonographic diagnosis of pregnancy and determination of fetal number and gestational age in ewes

The aim of the present study was to evaluate accuracy of transabdominal ultrasonography for pregnancy diagnosis, determination of fetal number and estimation of gestational age in ewes. A total of 1068 ewes from 8 different flocks (Swiss White Alpine n = 379, Swiss Black-Brown Mountain n = 189, Oxford-type n = 164, Ostfriesian n = 154, Texel n = 104, Lacaune x Osfriesian crossbred n = 78) was investigated using an Ovi-Scan™ ultrasound scanner with a 3.5 MHz 170° mechanical axial probe (BCF Technology Ltd., BelIshill, Great Britain). Scanning was performed transabdominally at the right inguinal region in ewes restrained in standing position. Sonographic findings were compared with lambing data recorded by the farmers. Included in the analysis were all ewes that, at the time of examination, were not pregnant and those that were pregnant between 26 and 110 days with a known lambing date and number of lambs born (n = 882). The sensitivity of pregnancy diagnosis was 97.8% and the specificity 97.6% (overall accuracy 97.8%, n = 853). Sensitivity and specificity for discrimination between single and multiple pregnancies was 95.8% and 90.5% (overall accuracy 93.9%, n = 752), respectively, when multiples were defined as positive. Discrimination between twins and triplets reached a sensitivity of 86.0% and a specificity of 99.5% (overall accuracy 98.0%, n = 458) when triplets were defined as positive. Considering a gestation period of 150 days, the mean deviation of the estimated to the effective day of gestation at examination was 5.6 ± 5.0 days (n = 781). The correlation between estimated and true gestational age was very high (r=0.936, P<0.0001). In conclusion, a highly accurate and efficient diagnosis of pregnancy with reliable estimation of fetal number and age is possible using an Ovi-Scan™ ultrasound scanner by an experienced examiner.