Patent · US Expired

Diagnostic ultrasound imaging method and system with improved frame rate

US6679846B2 · kind B2 · utility

11Cited by
22References
38Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 21, 2002
Grant dateJan 20, 2004
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 21, 2022

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG01S15/8959
  • WIPO fieldMeasurement
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A medical diagnostic ultrasonic imaging system acquires receive beams from spatially distinct transmit beams. The receive beams alternate in type between at least first and second types across the region being imaged. The first and second types of receive beams differ in at least one scan parameter other than transmit and receive line geometry, and can for example differ in transmit phase, transmit or receive aperture, system frequency, transmit focus, complex phase angle, transmit code or transmit gain. Receive beams associated with spatially distinct ones of the transmit beams (including at least one beam of the first type and at least one beam of the second type) are then combined. In this way, many two-pulse techniques, including, for example, phase inversion techniques, synthetic aperture techniques, synthetic frequency techniques, and synthetic focus techniques, can be used while substantially reducing the frame rate penalty normally associated with such techniques.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.