Continuous transmit focusing method and apparatus for ultrasound imaging system
US8672846B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 2, 2011 |
| Grant date | Mar 18, 2014 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 2, 2031 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG10K11/341
- WIPO fieldMedical technology
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging method comprises: providing a probe that includes one or more transducer elements for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves; generating a sequence of spatially distinct transmit beams which differ in one or more of origin and angle; determining a transmit beam spacing substantially based upon a combination of actual and desired transmit beam characteristics, thereby achieving a faster echo acquisition rate compared to a transmit beam spacing based upon round-trip transmit-receive beam sampling requirements; storing coherent receive echo data, from two or more transmit beams of the spatially distinct transmit beams; combining coherent receive echo data from at least two or more transmit beams to achieve a substantially spatially invariant synthesized transmit focus at each echo location; and combining coherent receive echo data from each transmit firing to achieve dynamic receive focusing at each echo location.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.