National Taiwan University

Acuson Corporation

Computed Ultrasound Global Corporation

Other

Siemens Medical Solutions Usa, Inc.

Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology

National Science Council of Republic of China

Ithera Medical Gmbh

Li. Pai-chi

Pai-Chi Li

John Alexander Hossack

Gregory L Holley

Donald R Langdon

Kutay F Ustuner

Pei-Yu Chao

Yu-Ming Wei

Bao-Yu Hsieh

Jing-Jung Huang

Can Cinbis

Albert Gee

Ting-Lan Ji

Daniel Razansky

Matthew I Haller

Tsung-Chun Cheng

Tzu-Yin Chu

You-Ling Gau

Shue-E Chen

Tsung-Chuan Chen

Tom L Thomas

Meng-Lin Li

Jian-Hung Liu

Yen-Feng Li

Kai-Wen Wu

Geng-Shi Jeng

Elena Mercep

Christian Wiest

The invention relates to a device and an according method for hybrid optoacoustic and ultrasonographic imaging of an object (), comprising an irradiation unit () for irradiating the object () with electromagnetic radiation, in particular light, and a transducer unit () comprising a plurality of transducer elements (), the transducer elements () being configured to emit ultrasound waves impinging on the object () and to detect ultrasound waves which are reflected and/or transmitted by the object () upon impinging on the object (), and to detect ultrasound waves which are generated in the object () upon irradiation with electromagnetic radiation, wherein the transducer elements () are arranged along a curved line, in particular a concave line, or a curved surface, in particular a concave surface.

Device and method for hybrid optoacoustic tomography and ultrasonography

An imaging system is configured for generating vibration region caused by ultrasound wave thereby to obtain a plurality of optically-sectioned images. In the imaging system, a stage is operable to be moved along a plurality of scanning imaging positions, and applied to deposit an object with at least one scattering material. When the object receives an ultrasound wave, a shear wave is generated to displace the scattering material thereby to form a vibration region. A laser generating device is configured to transmit a laser beam, which penetrates the vibration region to form a speckle pattern and focused at a focusing position. An optical imaging device is set at the focusing position to receive the laser beam to generate a plurality of scanning optically-sectioned images with respect to the scanning imaging positions.

Imaging system for generating vibration region caused by ultrasound wave thereby to obtain optically-sectioned images

A system and an imaging method for using photoacoustic effect are provided in the present invention. The system includes a light source for generating a light beam, a wave-guide probe and an ultrasound receiving device. The wave-guide probe further has a reception portion and at least one transmission portion. The reception portion receives the light beam and then triggers a photoacoustic effect inside the reception portion so as thereby to generate at least one sound wave thereinside to be further transmitted to the at least one transmission portion. The transmission portion is merged into the organic medium. When the sound wave is transmitted to the transmission portion, an ultrasound area is generated inside the organic medium. The ultrasound receiving device is located adjacent to the organic medium, receives the ultrasound generated in the ultrasound area to form an ultrasound image of the organic medium, so as to achieve the imaging method.

System and imaging method for using photoacoustic effect

A method of calibrating ultrasound velocity is provided, including receiving an ultrasound non-delayed data set; performing a beam-forming process on the ultrasound non-delayed data set with a plurality of velocities to generate a plurality of aperture images; performing a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) process to obtain a velocity and two sub-aperture images corresponding to an MAPE value located within an MAPE range; finding a first sub-aperture and a second sub-aperture corresponding to the two sub-aperture images, generating a first aperture image and a second aperture image with corresponding velocity; performing the MAPE process on the first aperture image and the second aperture image to generate an image error corresponding figure having an error curve; finding a trend curve according to the error curve; and finding a lowest point of MAPE value on the trend curve and finding a velocity correspondingly to obtain the calibrated ultrasound velocity.

Method of calibrating ultrasound velocity

An image generation system is provided, the system generating an ultrasound image and a photo-acoustic image of an object and including a dual-wavelength laser source, an optical filter, and an optical-based ultrasound sensor. The laser source generates a first laser pulse with a first wavelength or a second laser pulse with a second wavelength. The optical filter almost completely absorbs the energy of the first laser pulse and by the photo-acoustic effect, generates and transmits an ultrasound to the object so the object scatters and reflects the ultrasound. The second laser pulse almost completely penetrates the optical filter and is transmitted to the object so the object absorbs the energy of the second laser pulse, generates and sends a photo-acoustic signal. The optical-based ultrasound sensor receives the ultrasound and the photo-acoustic signal to generate the ultrasound image and the photo-acoustic image of the object.

Image generation system

A method of compensating ultrasound image comprising demarcating a plurality of a main material regions of an ultrasound image; executing a full compensation process to generate a full compensation image according to a first attenuation curve of the main material region; generating a brightness comparison table including a plurality of brightness zones which are correspond to a plurality of brightness compensation values according to a plurality of first pixel brightness values of the ultrasound image and a plurality of second pixel brightness values of the full compensation image; executing a linear sum process to generate a compensation image including a second attenuation curve according to the brightness compensation values; generating a compensation curve according to the first and second attenuation curve; and executing space comparison process to the compensation image to generate a better compensation image according to the compensation curve.

Method of compensating ultrasound image

An ultrasonic imaging system for generating an ultrasonic image of a motion status of an object according to at least an ultrasonic motion signal generated by detecting the motion of the object is provided. The ultrasonic imaging system includes a demodulation module, an analog sub-array beamformer, a filter, an analog-to-digital converter and an image processing module. The demodulation module receives and demodulates the ultrasonic motion signal so as to generate and send at least a demodulated signal. The analog sub-array beamformer receives the demodulated signal, generates and sends an analog sub-array beam signal according to the demodulated signal. The filter receives and filtering the analog sub-array beam signal. The analog-to-digital converter converts the analog sub-array beam signal filtered by the filter into a digital sub-array beam signal. The image processing module receives the digital sub-array beam signal so as to generate an ultrasonic image of the motion of the object.

Ultrasound imaging system

A method for detecting the motion of object by ultra-wideband radar imaging and system thereof to be used to present the motion of object in a reference gray-level image by using the delay time to analyze the distance between the detected position of object and the detecting position to compare the time-varying distance variation between the reference distance and the detecting distance. The system includes a transmitter module, a receiver module and a signal processing module. The transmitter module is used to transmit a first ultra-wideband signal from a detecting position to the object. The receiver module is used to receive a second ultra-wideband signal reflected from the object in the detecting position. The signal processing module is used to analyze the signal delay time of the second ultra-wideband signal received in the detecting position to analyze the detecting distance between the second ultra-wideband signal and the detecting position.

Method for detecting the motion of object by ultra-wideband radar imaging and system thereof

An ultrasonic scanhead including an encoder, a pivot, a voice coil motor, and a transducer is provided. The encoder includes a fixed element and a rotary element. The rotary element is disposed at the fixed element and capable of rotating about a first axis. The pivot is through the encoder and capable of rotating with the rotary element. The pivot extends along a second axis and has a first end and a second end opposite to the first end. The voice coil motor includes a stator and a mover. The first end of the pivot is connected to the mover. The mover is capable of moving linearly along a third axis. The first axis, the second axis, and the third axis are substantially perpendicular to each other. The transducer is disposed at the second end of the pivot and capable of emitting an ultrasonic wave.

Ultrasonic scanhead

An imaging probe is suitable to be inserted into a tubular object so as to detect an interior image of the tubular object. The imaging probe includes a light source excitation assembly, an ultrasonic transducer and a receiver. The light source excitation assembly includes a pulsed laser, a first optical fiber and a cone-shaped reflecting member. The pulsed laser is suitable to generate a pulsed light energy. The cone-shaped reflecting member is suitable to reflect the pulsed light energy to let the pulsed light energy annularly irradiate the inner wall of the tubular object so as to produce a photoacoustic signal. The ultrasonic transducer is suitable to generate an ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic signal annularly irradiates the inner wall of the tubular object so as to produce an ultrasonic echo signal. The receiver receives the photoacoustic signal and the ultrasonic echo signal.

Imaging probe

Ultrasound imaging adapts as a function of a coherence factor. Various beamforming, image forming or image processing parameters are varied as a function of a coherence factor to improve detail resolution, contrast resolution, dynamic range or SNR. For example, a beamforming parameter such as the transmit or receive aperture size, apodization type or delay is selected to provide maximum coherence. Alternatively or additionally, an image forming parameter, such as the number of beams for coherent synthesis or incoherent compounding, is set as a function of the coherence factor. Alternatively or additionally an image processing parameter such as the dynamic range, linear or nonlinear video filter and/or linear or nonlinear map may also adapt as a function of the coherence factor.

Coherence factor adaptive ultrasound imaging methods and systems

Disclosed is focus control method for Delta-Sigma based image formation devices in which a steering term and a focusing term of a delay formula are respectively quantized, and corresponding two channels at both sides of the probe are synchronized by a delay produced during dynamic focusing. During synchronizing the two channels, two numeral values with equal absolute value but with opposite signs are respectively inserted so as to eliminate extra noise the signals are after summing up, and controlling common delay of the two channels is performed by same one controller. After summing up the inserted two values, the dynamic aperture control of the Delta-Sigma based image formation device can be effectively realized and noise during dynamic focusing also is eliminated thereby achieving an ideal single bit output.

Focus control method for Delta-Sigma based image formation device

Methods perform dynamic focusing of a coherent array imaging system are invented. Dynamic focusing in ultrasonic array imaging involves extensive real-time computations and data communication. Particularly for real-time three-dimensional imaging using fully-sampled two-dimensional arrays, implementation of dynamic focusing can be extremely complicated. The invention described in this disclosure greatly simplifies the delay control mechanism by exploiting both spatial and temporal characteristics of the focusing delay patterns. The simplification primarily results from (1) grouping adjacent channels into sub-apertures for the range dependent focusing component, and (2) non-uniform quantization of the delay values.

Method for dynamic focus control

A compounding method for reducing speckle noise applied in an ultrasound imaging apparatus is disclosed. The compounding method includes the steps of providing an object, measuring the object for obtaining a reference image by the ultrasound imaging apparatus, applying an external force to the object to deform the object, measuring the deformed object for obtaining an deformed object image at the same position, estimating an in-plane displacement field of the deformed object image for correcting an in-plane motion of the object to obtain a corrected image, and compounding the reference image with the corrected image to obtain a compounded image of the object for achieving the speckle noise reduction.

Compounding method for reducing speckle noise

An ultrasonic imaging system including an aberration correction system uses a harmonic component of the fundamental transmitted frequency for imaging, or for aberration correction, or both. By properly selecting the frequency pass bands of filters used in the image signal path and in the aberration correction signal path operating advantages are provided. The aberration correction values may be calculated concurrently with image formation.

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Taipei, Taiwan

Pai-Chi Li