Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.

Quantum Medical Systems, Incorporated

John C Lazenby

David A Petersen

Robert Nolen Phelps

Christopher S Chapman

Robert Patrick Hunt

Bruce A McDermott

Qinglin Ma

Jerry D Hopple

Wilko Wilkening

Thilaka S Sumanaweera

Stephen Roy Barnes

Thomas R Clary

D-l Donald Liu

Paul R Norris

Lin X Yao

Levin F Nock

Lee David Dunbar

Stephen Bruce Hooper

Dalong Liu

Zoran B Banjanin

Helmut Ermert

Lin-Xin Yao

Bhavani Duggirala

Wayne J Gueck

Richard H Chesarek

Bruce M Pirie

William E Crone

Leonard D Seader

Richard K Johnson

Richard A Revell

James R Chekerylla

Heike Seck

Michael J Veraya

Colin Brock

John Folline

Donald R Gardner

Charles C Myrick

Louis A Heaton

David M Polakowski

Brian J Sargent

W Gerrit Barrere

Ricardo Ahumada

Jeffrey Slusher

Martin Krueger

James Riley

David R Axness

Sub-performing elements of an ultrasound transducer array are detected. The power, such as current, used by or provided to the transmit driver is measured. By driving each element or group of elements separately, defective elements or groups of elements are detected from the amount of power used.

Sub-performing transducer element detection for medical ultrasound

Methods and systems are provided for adapting signals from an ultrasound transducer for an ultrasound system. Where the signal processing in a transducer assembly outputs data incompatible with the ultrasound system, circuitry provided within the transducer assembly converts the data to be compatible with the ultrasound systems. For example, sub-array mixing is provided to partially beamform signals from a plurality of transducer elements. The resulting output signals from a plurality sub-arrays are provided through a cable to a connector housing of the transducer probe assembly. Since the mixers alter the data, such as shifting the data to an intermediate frequency, the output data may be at a frequency different than the frequencies for operation of the receive beamformer. Additional mixers are then provided to convert the intermediate frequency signals to radio frequency signals that may be processed by the ultrasound systems received beamformer. As another example, signals from a plurality of transducer elements are multiplexed together. Where the receive beamformer is not operable to de-multiplex such signals, circuitry within the transducer probe assembly converts the signals by de-multiplexing the data for beamforming. Ultrasound systems have a limited number of received beamformer channels. By providing signal processing, conversion, and/or partial beamforming within the transducer probe assembly, the number of elements used may be different than the number of received beamformer channels provided by the system.

Ultrasound adaptor methods and systems for transducer and system separation

Methods, systems and probes communicate signals from a transducer for imaging or connection with an imaging system. Beamforming-related electronics are positioned in the connector housing of the transducer probe assembly. For example, analog-to-digital converters are positioned in the connector housing. Power is provided through connection with the ultrasound imaging system. Fans or other heat-dissipating structures are also positioned within the connector housing. Other beamformer electronics, such as delays and sums, are positioned in the imaging system, partly in the connector housing or entirely in the connector housing. Since the analog-to-digital converters are provided in the connector housing, partial digital beam forming may be provided in the transducer probe assembly. The length of the transducer cables is held constant to avoid interference and transmission line effects due to line-length variation. The number of cables and other interconnections from the transducer array to the analog-to-digital converters is unconstrained by the number of connectors or channels provided by the imaging system. Data compression provided by the electronics of the transducer probe assembly provides independence of the number of system channels from transducer channels.

Probe based digitizing or compression system and method for medical ultrasound

A plurality of application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips with different functions is provided. Each of the ASICs performs one or more functions along an ultrasound data path. The chips include communications protocols or processes for allowing scaling. For example, ASICs for backend processing include data exchange ports for communicating between other ASICs of the same type. As another example, receive beamformer ASICs cascade for beamformation. By providing ASICs implementing many or most of the ultrasound data path functions, with scalability, the same ASICs may be used for different system designs. A family of systems from high end to low-end using the same types of ASICs, but in different configurations, is provided.

Method for scalable manufacturing of medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging systems

Beamforming for N elements in performed in log(N) steps of complexity O(N). The signals measured at each element are treated as a receive beam formed by that element with a beam width equal to the element pattern or the width of the transmit illumination. In each of multiple stages, the number of elements is halved by effectively doubling the pitch. The number of beams formed by each element is doubled by narrowing the beam width by a factor of 2 in sin(&#x3b8;). Since steering and focusing are separated, a single set of delays are applied to each element signal individually prior to the multi-stage beam forming for each finite depth. The data is in a sector format, but by using two beamforming steps, data in a Vector&#xae; format is provided.

Multi stage beamforming

Unipolar, bipolar or sinusoidal transmitters may leave the transmitter in any of various states at the end of one pulse. Undesired acoustic energy may be generated to change states prior to beginning another transmit sequence or pulse. For example, phase inversion for tissue harmonic imaging is performed where two sequential pulses are transmitted with different phases. The first waveform starts at a low state and ends at the low state of a unipolar transmitter. The next waveform starts at the high state. Transmit apodization or spectrum control techniques may require a pattern of waveform starting states different than a current state. Acoustic disruption due to a change of state of the transmitter between transmissions for imaging is minimized. The acoustic disruption is minimized by focusing the acoustic energy generated by the switch of states away from a scan line or scan lines being used for imaging or by defocusing the energy within the scan region generated due to the switching of states of the transmitter between acquisition cycles.

Acoustic disruption minimizing systems and methods

Different subarray combinations are provided for ultrasound imaging. A basic building block component supports different subarray sizes. Rather than providing a switching network for all possible combinations, a transducer array is divided into super arrays. Each super array is associated with a plurality of possible subarrays. For example, a 3&#xd7;12 block of elements is divisible into four 3&#xd7;3 or three 3&#xd7;4 subarrays. As another example, a 4&#xd7;12 block of elements is divisible into four 4&#xd7;3 and three 4&#xd7;4 subarrays. For each super array, the block of elements is divided into slices, such as three slices along one dimension for 3&#xd7;12 block or four slices along that dimension for the 4&#xd7;12 block. The number of elements along one division in each slice represents a least common multiple of the varying extent of the subarray sizes. Twelve is the least common multiple of three and four. By using small building blocks, the slice inputs are combined into partial subarrays. By summing combined outputs from different slices or other subdivisions of the super array, subarray signals are provided regardless of a selected possible subarray size.

Subarray forming system and method for ultrasound

A location within a volume is determined from medical images. A region of interest or other location is examined from two different viewing directions. The user or processor indicates the region or point of interest in each of the different images. The desired point or region within the three-dimensional volume is determined from the intersection of two lines, each line parallel to the viewing direction of a respective image and passing through the selected point or region of each image. The identified location within the volume is used for any of various purposes, such as for measurements associated with a distance between two points or selection of a region of interest including the selected point as part of a border or within the region.

Three dimensional locator for diagnostic ultrasound or medical imaging

Interconnection from a multidimensional transducer array to electronics is provided. Circuit board modules are used in combination with z-axis interconnections of a transducer array to provide active electronics within a volume adjacent to the multidimensional transducer array. By using multiple modules to connect to different regions of z-axis interconnects, conductor paths from the transducer to the electronics are more likely of similar lengths. By including a thin or thinner region on each of the modules for active electronics, a greater volume of the space adjacent to the transducer array may include active electronics. Thicker regions route conductors from the 2D array regions, and thinner regions provide space for active electronics. Using multiple modules with z-axis interconnects may reduce cross-talk and space requirements for implementing some or all of the transmit and/or receive beamformation adjacent to the multidimensional transducer array. Additionally or alternatively, other electronics than beamformation components are provided on the modules.

Interconnection from multidimensional transducer arrays to electronics

Methods and systems are provided for controlling the transmit spectrum in medical imaging. A combination of different delays and/or sign changes are used control the spectrum. The different delays and/or sign changes are applied across the transmit aperture. For example, a repeating pattern of three different delays in addition to focusing delays is provided, such as no additional delay, a quarter cycle advance and a quarter cycle delay. As another example, a repeating pattern is applied where one waveform has an additional delay and a sign change. The use of three or more different amounts of delay in addition to focusing delays and/or the use of delay and sign change may be used in simple unipolar or bipolar transmitters or in more complex transmitters. For example, delay is implemented with a phase shift. The combinations of delays, phase shifts and sign changes is selected to cause acoustic summation along the transmit beam with desired spectral content. By summing the waveforms in the acoustic domain, a more desired spectral content than available for any given transmit waveform is provided. For example, harmonic, second harmonic, odd harmonics, even harmonics or any other frequency bands may be suppressed.

Medical imaging transmit spectral control using aperture functions

Spatial derivatives are computed. In one method, gradients are determined from data in an acoustic domain rather than a Cartesian or display coordinate domain. The gradients determined from data in the acoustic domain are then transformed to the Cartesian coordinate or display screen domain. For example, a matrix function representing the spatial relationship between the acoustic domain and the Cartesian coordinate domain transforms the coordinates. As a result, spatial gradients in the Cartesian system are provided where acoustic domain data is being processed. In another method for volume rendering or three-dimensional imaging, a gradient is calculated from data in the display or screen domain. Data from a reconstructed 3D Cartesian coordinate grid or data in an acoustic domain is resampled to ray lines. The ray lines correspond to the display domain as compared to an arbitrary Cartesian coordinate format. The gradients are calculated from the resampled data in the screen domain. When resampling on data in an acoustic domain, gradient computation prior to the resampling may require transformation as discussed above. To avoid the transformation, the gradients are determined after resampling. By calculating the gradients after resampling, interpolation of gradient information as part of the resampling is avoided or minimized. The gradient calculation is then performed using data in the display coordinate space (i.e., screen domain) without requiring further random memory accesses. In yet another method, the number of computation and interpolations for gradient calculation is reduced by performing shading prior to resampling along ray lines to the screen domain. The gradients are calculated and the voxel data in the acoustic or 3D grid Cartesian coordinate formats are altered or weighted as a function of the shading. The shaded data is then resampled to the ray lines. For example, the shading values are computed from data in an acoustic domain and applied to the data in the acoustic domain. The data is then ray cast or interpolated to ray lines without prior scan conversion.

Computing spatial derivatives for medical diagnostic imaging methods and systems

Methods and systems for receiving different types of signal formats from different ultrasound transducers are provided. A base unit of an ultrasound system includes a connector and receiver circuit for connecting with one of multiple different types of transducers. For example, a conventional transducer providing analog information associated with a single element on one receive channel is connected with the connector and receiver circuit. Alternatively, a transducer outputting time division multiplex or other multiplex information representing multiple transducer elements is connected with the connector and receiver circuit. The receiver circuit processes the received information differently depending on the data format. For example, the preamplifier impedance or gain is different for single element signals versus time division multiplex signals. As another example, a low pass filter bandwidth is larger for time division multiplex signals than for signals representing a single element. Receive circuits with an analog-to-digital converter positioned prior to a digital demultiplexer are also included for use with multiplexed data formats. Time division multiplex or other multiplex signals from a transducer array are converted to a digital format prior to demultiplexing. Methods and systems for adapting multiplexing or processing of multiplexed signals are also provided. A test signal or ultrasound signals are transmitted from a transducer to the receiver circuit and analyzed. The multiplexer of the transducer is synchronized with an analog digital converter with selectable delays responsive to the analysis. Coefficients or other filter characteristics of a digital equalizer are selected as a function of the analysis.

Receive circuit for ultrasound imaging

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Fall City, WA, United States of America

John C Lazenby