Zonare Medical Systems, Inc.

Broadcom Corporation

Shenzhen Mindray Bio-medical Electronics Co., Ltd.

Zonaire Medical Systems, Inc.

Larry Y L Mo

Ting-Lan Ji

Ching-Hua Chou

Glen W McLaughlin

David J Napolitano

Brian Derek DeBusschere

Robert W Steins

Akira Yamanaka

Albert Gee

Wenkang Qi

Feng Yin

Scott Franklin Smith

Robert Stanson

Kathy S Jedrzejewicz

Thomas Jedrzejewicz

Kurt Sandstrom

Glen W McLanghlin

An ultrasonic imaging method includes activating a transmit aperture within a multi-element transducer array, transmitting one or more ultrasonic beams along scan direction(s) that span the region of interest, for each transmit event, receiving ultrasound echoes from each element of a receive aperture, grouping the receive channel echo data into two or more sets corresponding to different receive sub-apertures, combining each sub-aperture data set to generate partially focused echo-location data for one or more reconstruction lines, and storing all the sub-aperture echo data sets during a storage period in a format that can be retrieved for later analysis. A method includes, during a post-storage period, retrieving stored sub-aperture data, combining the sub-aperture data to form one or more selected reconstruction lines, processing echo data to extract motion information from one or more sample positions along the selected reconstruction lines, and displaying an image representative of the processed motion information.

System and method for providing variable ultrasound array processing in a post-storage mode

Embodiments of the present invention provide an ultrasound scanner equipped with an image data processing unit that can perform adaptive parameter optimization during image formation and processing. In one embodiment, an ultrasound system comprises a channel data memory to store channel data obtained by digitizing ultrasound image data produced by an image scan; an image data processor configured to process the stored channel data in the memory to reconstruct an ultrasound image for each of a plurality of trial values of at least one parameter to be optimized; and a parameter optimization unit configured to evaluate an image quality of the reconstructed ultrasound image for each trial value of the at least one parameter, and to determine the optimized value of the at least one parameter based on the evaluated image quality.

Aberration correction using channel data in ultrasound imaging system

An ultrasound imaging method comprises: providing a probe that includes one or more transducer elements for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves; generating a sequence of spatially distinct transmit beams which differ in one or more of origin and angle; determining a transmit beam spacing substantially based upon a combination of actual and desired transmit beam characteristics, thereby achieving a faster echo acquisition rate compared to a transmit beam spacing based upon round-trip transmit-receive beam sampling requirements; storing coherent receive echo data, from two or more transmit beams of the spatially distinct transmit beams; combining coherent receive echo data from at least two or more transmit beams to achieve a substantially spatially invariant synthesized transmit focus at each echo location; and combining coherent receive echo data from each transmit firing to achieve dynamic receive focusing at each echo location.

Continuous transmit focusing method and apparatus for ultrasound imaging system

In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging method comprises: providing a probe that includes one or more transducer elements for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves; generating a sequence of spatially distinct transmit beams which differ in one or more of origin and angle; determining a transmit beam spacing substantially based upon a combination of actual and desired transmit beam characteristics, thereby achieving a faster echo acquisition rate compared to a transmit beam spacing based upon round-trip transmit-receive beam sampling requirements; storing coherent receive echo data, from two or more transmit beams of the spatially distinct transmit beams; combining coherent receive echo data from at least two or more transmit beams to achieve a substantially spatially invariant synthesized transmit focus at each echo location; and combining coherent receive echo data from each transmit firing to achieve dynamic receive focusing at each echo location.

A system for correcting a mismatch between an in-phase path and a quadrature path in a receiver, the system including one or more processors operable to correlate a received signal with a complex training sequence having periodic, uncorrelated real and imaginary components, thereby generating a complex correlation. The one or more processors estimate a gain mismatch and a phase mismatch based on the complex correlation over a unit period. The one or more processors control a first receive filter in the in-phase path via a first digital-to-analog controller, and control a second receive filter in the quadrature path via a second digital-to-analog controller. The cutoff frequency and bandwidth of the first receive filter is controlled independently of the second receive filter to enable the output of the first receive filter and the output of the second receive filter to be tightly matched.

Method and system for measuring receiver mixer IQ mismatch

An ultrasound scanner is equipped with one or more fuzzy control units that can perform adaptive system parameter optimization anywhere in the system. In one embodiment, an ultrasound system comprises a plurality of ultrasound image generating subsystems configured to generate an ultrasound image, the plurality of ultrasound image generating subsystems including a transmitter subsystem, a receiver subsystem, and an image processing subsystem; and a fuzzy logic controller communicatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of ultrasound imaging generating subsystems. The fuzzy logic controller is configured to receive, from at least one of the plurality of ultrasound imaging generating subsystems, input data including at least one of pixel image data and data for generating pixel image data; to process the input data using a set of inference rules to produce fuzzy output; and to convert the fuzzy output into numerical values or system states for controlling at least one of the transmit subsystem and the receiver subsystem that generate the pixel image data.

Ultrasound imaging system parameter optimization via fuzzy logic

A system for correcting an IQ mismatch in a receiver mixer is disclosed and may include one or more circuits that generate an IQ correlation with a training signal having periodic, uncorrelated I and Q signals. The one or more circuits may estimate a gain mismatch based on a power estimate of the periodic, uncorrelated I and Q signals over a unit period. The one or more circuits may estimate a phase mismatch based on the IQ correlation over the unit period, and may apply at least one correction parameter to the receiver mixer. The at least one correction parameter may be based on the gain mismatch estimate and the phase mismatch estimate. The one or more circuits may provide the training signal on a closed RF signal path between a transmitter and the receiver mixer, and may estimate the IQ mismatch iteratively.

Method and system for correcting receiver mixer IQ mismatch

Aspects for measuring receiver mixer IQ mismatch in a transceiver are described. The measuring includes providing a training signal for a receiver mixer, the training signal having periodic, uncorrelated I and Q signals. A phase mismatch in the receiver mixer is determined from IQ correlation over a unit period. A gain mismatch in the receiver mixer is determined from a power estimate of both I and Q signal for the unit period.

An ultrasound reconstruction unit is provided. In one embodiment, a receive aperture control engine for the unit adaptively determines a set of reconstruction signals based on at least a series of selected echo signals and compares the size of a receive aperture with a predetermined number of reconstruction channels at each imaging point. The unit passes the selected echo signals from selected receive channels of one or more transducer elements to a reconstruction processor if the size of the receive aperture is not greater than the number of reconstruction channels. In another embodiment, the control engine compares the size of the receive aperture with a predetermined number of reconstruction channels at each imaging point and preprocess the selected echo signals to produce reconstructions signals that are equal in number to the number of reconstruction channels if the size of the receive aperture is greater than the number of reconstruction channels. The engine then outputs the reconstruction signals for further processing by a reconstruction processor.

Growing community of inventors

San Ramon, CA, United States of America

Larry Y L Mo