Koninklijke Philips Corporation N.v.

Hewlett-packard Company

Darwin Philip Adams

Francois Guy Gerard Marie Vignon

David W Clark

Roy Allan Sivley

Kirthi Radhakrishnan

Benjamin M Herrick

David M Prater

Scott William Dianis

Turuvekere R Gururaja

Karl E Thiele

Sheng-Wen Huang

Andrew Lee Robinson

Jun Seob Shin

David Prater

Aditya Periyapatna Nagendra

An ultrasound imaging system has an improved dynamic range control which enables a user to reduce image haze with substantially no effect on bright tissue in the image and without increasing speckle variance. A dynamic range processor processes an input image to produce an approximation image which is a spatially low pass filtered version of the input image. The dynamic range of the approximation image is compressed, and image detail, unaffected by the compression, is added back to produce a dynamically compressed image for display.

Ultrasound imaging system with improved dynamic range control

The invention provides a method for controlling the generation of a compound ultrasonic image. The method includes obtaining a first ultrasound image and applying adaptive beamforming to the first ultrasound image, thereby generating a second ultrasound image. A weighting is determined based on the first and second ultrasound images, wherein the weighting comprises at least one weighting component. The compound ultrasound image is then generated based on the first and second ultrasound images and the weighting component.

Methods and systems for controlling the generation of a compound ultrasound image

An ultrasound imaging system according to the present disclosure may include an ultrasound probe, a display unit, and a processor configured to receive source image data having a first dynamic range, wherein the source image data comprises log compressed echo intensity values based on the ultrasound echoes detected by the ultrasound probe, generate a histogram of at least a portion of source image data, generate a cumulative density function for the histogram, receive an indication of at least two points on the cumulative density function (CDF), and cause the display unit to display an ultrasound image representative of the source image data displayed in accordance with the second dynamic range.

System and method for adaptively configuring dynamic range for ultrasound image display

An ultrasound system is described which produces blended fundamental and harmonic frequency images. Successively transmitted, differently modulated pulses are transmitted by an ultrasound probe and both fundamental and harmonic frequencies are received in response. The echo signals received from the two pulses are processed by pulse inversion, producing cleanly separated bands of fundamental and harmonic signals in which undesired components have been cancelled. Since the two bands have been separated by signal cancellation rather than filtering, the two bands are allowed to overlap, providing broadband signals in each band. The bands are filtered by bandpass filtering to define the fundamental and harmonic signals to be imaged. The signals are detected, and the detected signals are combined after weighting to produce a blended fundamental/harmonic image.

Broadband blended fundamental and harmonic frequency ultrasonic diagnostic imaging

A curved array ultrasound transducer is described which is usable in both sector and curved linear modes. The transducer includes a central portion () of elements and lateral portions () of elements on either side of the central portion. In the sector mode the central portion of elements is operated to perform phased array scanning. In the curved linear mode both the central and lateral portions of elements are operated to perform curved linear array scanning. The transducer elements of the central portion have a finer pitch than the pitch of the transducer elements of the lateral portions. In the sector mode, the elements of the central portion are operated individually, and in the curved linear mode the transducer elements of the central portion are operated in pairs. In the sector mode, the number of transducer elements of the central portion that participate in the active aperture of the transducer may be varied according to the number of transducer elements in acoustic contact with the patient.

Dual mode ultrasound transducer

An ultrasound imaging system is provided along with a method for spatially compounding a plurality of ultrasound images in an elevation dimension. The ultrasound imaging system and method reduce image speckle. The ultrasound imaging system may include a transducer in electrical communication with an ultrasound system controller configured to generate, transmit, and receive a series of ultrasound energy pulses. The ultrasound system controller is further configured to recover image information using beamforming techniques from steered or focused ultrasound imaging planes prior to spatial compounding of a plurality of image frames. The present invention may also be broadly viewed as providing a method for ultrasound imaging. Briefly stated, the method comprises the following steps: generating a transmit scan beam; generating a plurality of ultrasound response scan beams originating from spatially separated vantage points such that corresponding response scan beams converge at the transmit scan beam; deriving image information from the plurality of ultrasound response scan beams; and compounding the image information in the elevation direction.

Ultrasound imaging system and method for spatial compounding

Apparatus and methods for controlling electrostrictive transducer sensitivity in a pulse-echo medical ultrasound system. Certain characteristics of each transducer element are tested after manufacture and recorded on a storage medium. The stored data is then used, along with certain model relations, for monitoring certain operational parameters of the transducer during use, and feedback compensation applied for maintaining the transducer sensitivity substantially constant. The parameters to be monitored may include the temperature, acoustic pressure, input power, and a figure of merit determined from the dielectric constant and coupling coefficient.

Apparatus for controlling the sensitivity of transducer elements of an

An ultrasound imaging system includes an array of ultrasound transducer elements, wherein the transducer array is divided into plural transducer elements arranged in the direction of a scan plane and each transducer element is divided into three or more segments in the direction of an elevation plane. Also included are a transmitter for transmitting ultrasound energy into a region of interest from the array, a receiver for receiving signals generated by the array in response to the ultrasound echoes, a signal processing section including a signal processing circuit, a beam former, and a controller. The signal processing section is operable for effecting system control and for effecting signal processing and image display, and in particular, for allocating the channels with respect to the segments to vary the arrangement of signal processing channels applied to selected segments wherein the allocation is performed according to beam focal length. The system optimizes the channel allocation for improved electronic focusing in the scan plane and the elevation plane.

Elevation plane focusing in an ultrasound imaging system

Methods for controlling sensitivity of electrostrictive transducers

Apparatus and methods for controlling electrostrictive transducer sensitivity in a pulse-echo medical ultrasound system. Certain characteristics of each transducer element are tested after manufacture and recorded on a storage medium. The stored data is then used, along with certain model relations, for monitoring certain operational parameters of the transducer during use, and feedback compensation applied for maintaining the transducer sensitivity substantailly constant. The parameters to be monitored may include the temperature, acoustic pressure, input power, and a figure of merit determined from the dielectric constant and coupling coefficient.

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Lexington, MA, United States of America

Darwin Philip Adams