The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 09, 2005
Filed:
Dec. 09, 2002
Applicants:
Takashi Azuma, Kodaira, JP;
Shin-ichiro Umemura, Hachioji, JP;
Yuichi Miwa, Tokyo, JP;
Inventors:
Assignee:
Hitachi Medical Corporation, Tokyo, JP;
Primary Examiner:
Assistant Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
A61B008/02 ;
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
Abstract
An ultrasonic imaging apparatus and method combines dynamically focused reception and coded transmission/reception technologies by inexpensive circuitry. A receive aperture is divided into smaller apertures. Correspondingly, a receive beam former is divided into receive sub-beam formerstoby which a phase alignment and summing process is performed. Thereafter, coded signals are compressed in decoderstoin a time axis direction. Output signals from the decoders are once again subjected to a phase alignment and summing process in a second beam former.