High-resolution 3D ultrasonic transmission imaging

• US 20030069501A1
• Filed: 04/05/2002
• Published: 04/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Alfred E. Mann Institute For Biomedical Engineering At The University Of Southern California (University of Southern California)
• Original Assignee: The Alfred E. Mann Institute For Biomedical Engineering At The University Of Southern California (University of Southern California)
• Inventors: Marmarelis, Vasilis Z.
• Granted Patent: US 7,094,205 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0825 for diagnosis of the breast, e.g. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/406 using means for diagnosing suspended breasts
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 90/17 for soft tissue, e.g. breast-holding devices

Abstract

A combined linear filtering with nonlinear processing that can process the received data to reduce errors due to the effects of diffraction of a signal about an object. The method achieves this with high efficiency (near real-time). This processing operator has a specific computational form with a set of parameters that can be selected appropriately in each given application.

Claims

1. A system for creating an image of an object comprising:

at least one transmitter that transmits a signal;

at least one receiver positioned to receive the signal;

said at least one transmitter or said at least one receiver including a transducer that has no linear dimensions greater than one millimeter;

an area between said transmitter and said receiver for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of the signal to scatter before the signal is received by said receiver; and

a processor in communication with said receiver for extracting scattering information from the signal and for creating an image of the object based on the scattering information.

2. The system of claim 1 further including a housing apparatus that fixes said transmitter and said receiver relative to one another and that allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the scattering information includes an attenuation profile and a time of flight profile of the signal.

4. The system of claim 2 wherein said housing apparatus allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object in at least two different directions.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are operable in transmission mode.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are affixed on a surface of an enclosure.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the signal transmitted by said at least one transmitter is an ultrasonic signal.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the enclosure is configured to hold a fluid.

9. A system for creating an image of an object that has at least one linear dimension of less than one millimeter comprising:

at least one transmitter that transmits a signal;

at least one receiver positioned to receive the signal;

an area between said transmitter and said receiver for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of the signal to be scattered before the signal is received by said receiver; and

a processor in communication with said receiver for creating a discernable image of the dimension of the object that is less than one millimeter.

10. The system of claim 9 further including a housing apparatus that fixes said transmitter and said receiver relative to one another and that allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein said transmitter includes a transducer that has no linear dimension greater than one millimeter.

12. The system of claim 9 wherein said receiver includes a transducer that has no linear dimension greater than one millimeter.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein said housing apparatus allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object in at least two different directions.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are operable in transmission mode.

15. The system of claim 9 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are affixed on a surface of an enclosure.

16. The system of claim 9 wherein the signal transmitted by the at least one transmitter is an ultrasonic signal.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the enclosure is configured to hold a fluid.

18. The system of claim 9 wherein the processor includes a system for extracting an attenuation profile and a time of flight profile from the signal and for creating the image of the object based on these profiles.

19. A method for creating an image of object positioned in an area between a transmitter and a receiver comprising:

transmitting a signal from at least one transmitter;

receiving a signal through at least one receiver;

the at least one transmitter or the at least one receiver including a transducer that has no linear dimensions greater than one millimeter;

extracting scattering information from the received signal; and

creating an image of the object based on the scattering information.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising moving said transmitter and said receiver relative to the object.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the moving is in at least two different directions.

22. The system of claim 19 wherein the scattering information includes an attenuation profile and a time of flight profile of the signal.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are operable in transmission mode.

24. The method of claim 19 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are affixed on a surface of an enclosure.

25. The method of claim 19 wherein the signal transmitted by said at least one transmitter is an ultrasonic signal.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the enclosure is configured to hold a fluid.

27. A system for creating an image of an object comprising:

a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter transmitting a signal that is substantially orthogonal to the signal transmitted by the other transmitters;

a plurality of receivers, each positioned to receive the substantially orthogonal signals from transmitters and each including a correlator that separates the substantially orthogonal signals received by said receiver;

an area between said transmitters and said receivers for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of at least one of the substantially orthogonal signals to be scattered before it is received; and

a signal processor in communication with said receivers for extracting scattering information from the substantially orthogonal signals and for creating an image of the object based on the scattering information.

28. The system of claim 27 further including a housing apparatus that fixes said transmitter and said receiver relative to one another and that allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object.

29. The system of claim 28 wherein said apparatus allows said transmitters and said receivers to move relative to the object in at least two different directions.

30. The system of claim 27 wherein said transmitters and said receivers are operable in transmission mode.

31. The system of claim 27 wherein said transmitters and said receivers are affixed on a surface of an enclosure.

32. The system of claim 27 wherein the signal transmitted by each of said transmitters is an ultrasonic signal.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the enclosure is configured to hold a fluid.

34. The system of claim 27 wherein each of the at least one of the substantially orthogonal signals is of 64 bit length.

35. The system of claim 27 wherein the scattering information includes an attenuation profile and a time of flight profile of the substantially orthogonal signals.

36. A system for creating an image of an object comprising:

a plurality of transmitters, each transmitting a signal;

a plurality of receivers, each positioned to receive one or more of the signals;

an area between said transmitter and said receiver for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of at least one of the signals to scatter before that signal is received by at least one of said receivers; and

a processor in communication with said receivers for creating an image of the object;

wherein said plurality of transmitters or said plurality of receivers are spaced apart from one another by less than one millimeter.

37. The system of claim 36 further including a housing apparatus that fixes said transmitter and said receiver relative to one another and that allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object.

38. The system of claim 37 wherein said apparatus allows said transmitters and said receivers to move relative to the object in at least two different directions.

39. The system of claim 36 wherein said transmitters and said receivers are operable in transmission mode.

40. The system of claim 36 wherein said transmitters and said receivers are affixed on a surface of an enclosure.

41. The system of claim 36 wherein the signal transmitted by each of said transmitters is an ultrasonic signal.

42. The system of claim 40 wherein the enclosure is configured to hold a fluid.

43. A system for creating an image of an object that is fixed relative to a frame of reference comprising:

at least one transmitter that transmits a signal;

at least one receiver positioned to receive the signal;

an area between said transmitter and said receiver for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of the signal to be scattered before it is received by said receiver; and

a processor in communication with said receiver for creating an image of the object and for generating at least one coordinate of the object relative to the frame of reference.

44. The system of claim 43 further including a housing apparatus that fixes said transmitter and said receiver relative to one another and that allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object.

45. The system of claim 44 wherein the moving is in at least two different directions.

46. The system of claim 43 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are operable in transmission mode.

47. The system of claim 43 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are affixed on a surface of an enclosure.

48. The system of claim 43, wherein the signal transmitted by said at least one transmitter is an ultrasonic signal.

49. The system of claim 47 wherein the enclosure is configured to hold a fluid.

50. The system of claim 43 wherein the object is substantially fixed relative to a surface and wherein the frame of reference includes indicia associated with the surface.

51. The system of claim 50 wherein the indicia includes one or more pieces of tape affixed to the surface.

52. The system of claim 50 wherein the indicia includes three pieces of tape affixed to the surface.

53. The system of claim 43 wherein the surface substantially surrounds the object .

54. The system of claim 53 wherein the indicia includes three wires associated with the surface.

55. A system for creating an image of an object comprising:

at least one transmitter that is excited by a bipolar signal, the at least one transmitter transmitting a signal;

at least one receiver positioned to receive the signal;

an area between said transmitter and said receiver for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of the signal to be scattered before the signal is received by said receiver; and

a processor in communication with said receiver for extracting scattering information from the signal and for creating an image of the object based on the scattering information.

56. The system of claim 55 further including a housing apparatus that fixes said transmitter and said receiver relative to one another and that allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object.

57. The system of claim 56 wherein the moving is in at least two different directions.

58. The system of claim 55 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are operable in transmission mode.

59. The system of claim 55 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are affixed on a surface of an enclosure.

60. The system of claim 55 wherein the signal transmitted by said at least one transmitter is an ultrasonic signal.

61. The system of claim 59 wherein the enclosure is configured to hold a fluid.

62. The system of claim 55 wherein the scattering information includes an attenuation profile and a time of flight profile of the signal.

63. A system for creating an image of an object comprising:

an array of transmitters, each transmitter transmitting a signal;

an array of receivers, each receiver positioned to decouple one of the transmitted signals;

an area between said transmitter and said receiver for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of at least one of the signals to be scattered before it is received by said receiver; and

a processor in communication with said receiver for extracting scattering information from the signals and for creating an image of the object based on the scattering information.

64. The system of claim 63 wherein each of said receivers decouples using code division.

65. The system of claim 63 wherein said array of transmitters is only one dimensional.

66. The system of claim 63 wherein said array of transmitters is only two dimensional.

67. The system of claim 63 wherein said array of transmitters is three dimensional.

68. The system of claim 63 wherein said array of receivers is only one dimensional.

69. The system of claim 63 wherein said array of receivers is only two dimensional.

70. The system of claim 63 wherein said array of receivers is three dimensional.

71. The system of claim 63 further including a housing apparatus that fixes said transmitter and said receiver relative to one another and that allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object.

72. The system of claim 71 wherein the moving is in at least two different directions.

73. The system of claim 63 wherein said array of transmitters and said array of receivers are operable in transmission mode.

74. The system of claim 63 wherein said array of transmitters and said array of receivers are affixed on a surface of an enclosure.

75. The system of claim 63 wherein the signal transmitted by each of said transmitters in the array of transmitters is an ultrasonic signal.

76. The system of claim 74 wherein the enclosure is configured to hold a fluid.

77. The system of claim 63 wherein the scattering information includes an attenuation profile and a time of flight profile of the signals.

78. A system for creating an image of an object comprising:

at least one transmitter that transmits a signal having a frequency greater than 15MHz;

at least one receiver positioned to receive the signal;

an area between said transmitter and said receiver for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of the signal to be scattered before the signal is received by said receiver; and

a processor in communication with said receiver for extracting scattering information from the signal and for creating an image of the object based on the scattering information.

79. The system of claim 78 further including a housing apparatus that fixes said transmitter and said receiver relative to one another and that allows said transmitter and said receiver to move relative to the object.

80. The system of claim 79 wherein the moving is in at least two different directions.

81. The system of claim 78 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are operable in transmission mode.

82. The system of claim 78 wherein said at least one transmitter and said at least one receiver are affixed on a surface of an enclosure.

83. The system of claim 78 wherein the signal transmitted by said at least one transmitter is an ultrasonic signal.

84. The system of claim 78 wherein the scattering information includes an attenuation profile and a time of flight profile of the signals.

85. A system for creating an image of an object comprising:

at least one transmitter that transmits a signal;

at least one receiver positioned to receive the signal;

an area between said transmitter and said receiver for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of the signal to be scattered before the signal is received by said receiver; and

a processor in communication with said receiver for creating an image of the object;

wherein said at least one transmitter or said at least one receiver includes a transducer having no linear dimensions greater than one millimeter.

86. A system for creating an image of an object comprising:

at least one transmitter that transmits a signal;

at least one receiver positioned to receive the signal;

an area between said transmitter and said receiver for receiving the object in a position that causes at least portions of the signal to be altered before the signal is received by said receiver; and

a processor in communication with said receiver for creating an image of the object;

wherein said at least one transmitter or said at least one receiver includes a transducer having no linear dimensions greater than one millimeter.

87. The system of claim 86 wherein the at least portions of the signal are altered through scattering by the object.