Coded excitation imaging for use with bipolar, unipolar and other waveforms

Abstract

Sidelobe levels of bipolar and unipolar waveforms are suppressed. Bipolar and unipolar transmit waveforms are generated with a coded excitation, such as a chirp coding, and pulse width modulation. For harmonic, such as second harmonic, imaging, the fundamental transmit frequency of the transmit waveform is centered at a lower end of the bandwidth of the transducer. The transducer filters higher frequency components of the transmit waveform differently than lower frequency components. To generate the desired acoustic waveform, the transmit waveform generated for application to the transducer is adjusted to account for the frequency response of the transducer. For example, higher frequency parts of a chirp waveform has more pulse width modulation or narrower pulse widths to account for lesser magnitude reductions. Multiple transmit waveforms may be combined to reduce sidelobes for fundamental or second harmonic imaging. Two coded excitation waveforms are generated. One waveform is delayed relative to the other waveform, such as applying a 90° phase difference ordelay of one waveform relative to the other waveform. The coded excitation waveforms are then combined. For example, the two waveforms are summed for application to a transducer element. As an alternative example, the waveforms are transmitted from different elements of the transducer array and sum in the acoustic domain.