Ultrasound imaging systems, devices and methods that simulate a virtual moving transducer/receiver to implement a synthetic aperture array

Abstract

Ultrasound imaging systems, devices, patches and methods are provided, which implement a linear transducer-receiver array to simulate a virtual moving transmitter-receiver, implementing a virtual synthetic array for ultrasound, to generate far field ultrasound images from Range-Doppler maps of body regions, beyond surface obstructions (such as ribs). The Range-Doppler maps are derived using an ultra-wideband frequency modulated (UWFM) ultrasound signal, adjusting the transmission and reception parameters to optimize the derived signals. The signals are compressed laterally, independently for each range-gate, forming a long and narrow beam and a convolution window that is growing with the range—achieving uniformly high resolution. The transducer array is configured to have a designed autofocusing beam, and multiple images with different phase relations between the receivers are combined to create trapezoidal-like ultrasound image. The operation characteristics yield very low power dissipation that allows for long term monitoring of patients.