Method and system for generating ultrasound frames with decorrelated speckle patterns and generating a compound ultrasound image therefrom
US6524252B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 24, 2000 |
| Grant date | Feb 25, 2003 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 22, 2020 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01S7/52046
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
An ultrasound system that generates compound images from component frames having decorrelated speckle patterns. Successive sets of distinct, speckle-affecting parameters are used to generate successive component frames for compounding, and are selected such that the successive component frames have decorrelated speckle patterns. The speckle-affecting parameters that are changed from frame to frame may be selected from a wide variety of parameters, including transmit beamformer parameters, receive beamformer parameters, and demodulator parameters. According to a preferred embodiment, the successive sets of speckle-affecting parameters differ from each other by at least two speckle-affecting parameters. According to another preferred embodiment, the amount by which each of the multiple speckle-affecting parameters is changed is less than a decorrelation threshold for that parameter, that is, by less that the amount that speckle-affecting parameter alone would be required to change in order to yield decorrelated speckle patterns if no other parameters were changed. When more speckle-affecting parameters are changed, each speckle-affecting parameter can be changed by an amount less tha…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.