Dynamically variable electronic delay lines for real time ultrasonic imaging systems
US4173007A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 1, 1977 |
| Grant date | Oct 30, 1979 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 1, 1997 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG10K11/341
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A dynamically variable electronic delay line for real time ultrasonic imaging systems is disclosed so as to controllably phase the signals associated with an array of electro-mechanical transducer elements and thereby enable the selective scanning and dynamic focusing of a target. A controllable variable electronic time delay apparatus is coupled to each of the electromechanical transducer elements of the array and in one embodiment thereof constitutes an electronic memory having separate write-in and read-out addressing capabilities. The signals associated with a respective ultrasonic transducer element are fed in at selected write-in addresses and subsequently read-out and extracted after an initial time delay interval. The write-in and read-out address pointers of the memory are continuously sequenced during operation of the device and the time delay interval is a function of the difference between the addresses, as well as the clock rate. The initial delay can be varied by instantaneously modifying either the write-in or the read-out address pointer during the sequencing thereof, such modification being defined as an "edit-splice" technique. In other embodiments of the inventio…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.