Ultrasound imaging system

• US 20020007119A1
• Filed: 09/05/2001
• Published: 01/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BK Medical Holding Company, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ultrasonix Medical Corporation (Analogic Corporation)
• Inventors: Pelissier, Laurent
• Granted Patent: US 6,558,326 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/565 involving data transmission via a network
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52028 using digital techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52034 Data rate converters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52044 Scan converters

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system includes a transducer, an ultrasound module, and a computer. The ultrasound module provides signal pre-processing and is highly programmable. The ultrasound module has several independently programmable functional units. The computer performs real-time scan conversion, display, data collection, user interface and input and output data exchange. The operational mode of the ultrasound module can be set under software control from the computer. The ultrasound imaging system is versatile, software-upgradable, and can perform a wide range of imaging applications in real-time. Several ultrasound imaging systems can be integrated as clients in a network of ultrasound devices having a client/server architecture for archiving, reporting and remote-control purposes.

Claims

1. An ultrasound imaging system comprising:

a) a signal pre-processing module, the signal pre-processing module having an input for receiving echo signals from an ultrasound transducer;

a signal path extending from the input to an output;

a software configurable signal processing circuit in the signal path;

b) a computer connected to the output, the computer running software capable of receiving pre-processed data from the output and further processing the preprocessed data to yield an ultrasound image; and

,

c) a configuration bus connecting the computer and the signal pre-processing module;

wherein the software is adapted to configure the software configurable signal processing circuit by sending configuration data over the configuration bus.

2. The imaging system of claim 1 comprising a data storage device accessible to the computer, the data storage device containing a plurality of sets of configuration data, the software configured to select one of the sets of configuration data in response to a user selection signal and to send the selected set of configuration data to the software configurable signal processing circuit on the configuration bus.

3. The imaging system of claim 2 wherein the software configurable signal processing circuit comprises at least one field programmable gate array.

4. The imaging system of claim 3 wherein the configuration data comprises instructions causing a field programming gate array to implement a multi-tap digital filter.

5. The imaging system of claim 3 wherein the configuration data comprises instructions causing a field programming gate array to implement a plurality of register lines which are each operable as a digital delay line.

6. The imaging system of claim 1 comprising a digital signal processor in the signal path between the software configurable signal processing circuit and the output.

7. The imaging system of claim 6 comprising a memory associated with the digital signal processor, the memory containing DSP software for running on the digital signal processor wherein the data storage device contains a plurality of different DSP software and the software is adapted to select one of the instances of DSP software in response to a user selection signal and to load the memory with the selected instance of DSP software by way of the configuration bus.

8. The system of claim 1 comprising a transmit circuit for generating driving signals for a transducer having M elements, the transmit circuit comprising a memory, a sequencer for sequentially retrieving bit strings having a length of at least M from the memory, the bit strings having one or more bits corresponding to each element of the transducer, and a driving circuit for turning on or off the elements of the transducer in response to the bit strings.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the signal pre-processing module comprises registers for storing rayline parameters, the rayline parameters affecting the operation of the signal processing circuit, the software on the computer adapted to forward a new set of rayline parameters for each of multiple raylines in an image.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the registers receive rayline parameters as serial data from the computer and output the rayline parameters to the signal processing circuit as parallel data.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the registers are implemented in one or more field programmable gate arrays, the configuration bus is connected to the one or more field programmable gate arrays and the configuration data includes register configuration data, wherein, when the register configuration data is delivered to the field programmable gate arrays on the configuration bus the field programmable gate arrays are configured to provide registers of a desired size.

12. The ultrasonic imaging system of claim 1 comprising:

a) a transducer driving circuit comprising a memory holding transmit data and a power interface;

b) a rayline parameter register containing a base address; and

,

c) a sequencer operable to retrieve the transmit data from a location in the memory determined by the base address and to apply the transmit data to the power interface.

13. The ultrasonic imaging system of claim 1 wherein the computer comprises an interface to a data sharing network and the computer is configured to receive at least some of the configuration data from a server on the data sharing network and to send the configuration data received from the server over the configuration bus.

14. The ultrasonic imaging system of claim 1 wherein the computer comprises an interface to a data sharing network and the computer is configured to send ultrasound images for storage on a server connected to the data sharing network.

15. An ultrasonic imaging system comprising:

a) a transducer driving circuit comprising a memory holding transmit data and a power interface;

b) a rayline parameter register containing a base address;

c) a sequencer operable to retrieve the transmit data from a location in the memory determined by the base address and to apply the transmit data to the power interface;

d) a receiver for receiving acoustic echo signals; and

,

e) a processor configured to process the acoustic echo signals to provide image data capable of being displayed on a display.

16. The imaging system of claim 15 wherein the transducer driving circuit is provided in a module connected to a programmed computer by a configuration bus, the computer providing a user interface adapted to receive a mode selection signal from a user, the mode selection signal specifying an operational mode, the computer adapted to load the memory with transmit data appropriate to the operational mode in response to the mode selection signal.

17. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 15 wherein the transducer driving circuit is provided in a module connected to a programmed computer by a rayline parameter bus, the computer supplying a new base address to the rayline parameter register for each of a plurality of raylines in an image.

18. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 17 wherein the transducer driving circuit is provided in a module connected to a programmed computer by a configuration bus, the computer providing a user interface adapted to receive a mode selection signal from a user, the mode selection signal specifying an operational mode, the computer adapted to load the memory with transmit data appropriate to the operational mode in response to the mode selection signal.

19. The ultrasound imaging system of claim 18 wherein the computer has access to a database containing a plurality of sets of transmit data.

20. A method for operating an ultrasonic imaging system, the method comprising:

a) receiving mode selection information specifying a desired operational mode;

b) in response to the mode selection information providing configuration data and rayline parameter data;

c) configuring a data acquisition and pre-processing module having a signal input, an output and a signal path connecting the input and output according to the configuration data by steps including configuring at least one field programmable gate array in the signal path according to the configuration data;

d) for each of a plurality of raylines in an image, sending a corresponding part of the rayline data to the module and operating the module to acquire preprocessed data for the rayline in a manner determined by the rayline data.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the rayline data includes filter coefficients for at least one digital filter in the signal path.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the configuring step comprises loading a memory with transmit data, operating the module comprises retrieving the transmit data from a location in the memory determined by a base address, and applying the transmit data to a power interface and the rayline data includes the base address.