Echo particle image velocity (EPIV) and echo particle tracking velocimetry (EPTV) system and method
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method comprising:
- seeding tracers within a flow field;
sweeping ultrasound beams through a desired flow field of view within the tracer-seeded flow;
receiving back-scattered ultrasound signals (RF data) from the tracers as the beams sweep the tracers;
obtaining brightness mode (B-mode) images from the RF data; and
analyzing the B-mode images to determine velocity vectors indicative of flow within the field.
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Abstract
A system and method for detecting fluid flow. An ultrasound system comprises a signal generator providing ultrasound firing sequences applied to a linear array transducer. The transducer generating ultrasound energy applied to the fluid flow. A pre-processor comprises a digital RF data acquisition component receiving an RF signal from the transducer of back-scattered ultrasound energy and a B-mode image generation component for reconstructing images form the RF data. A post-processor executes particle image velocity (PIV) algorithms for generating velocity vectors indicative of the fluid flow. The sequences may have triangular waveforms.
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Citations
33 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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seeding tracers within a flow field;
sweeping ultrasound beams through a desired flow field of view within the tracer-seeded flow;
receiving back-scattered ultrasound signals (RF data) from the tracers as the beams sweep the tracers;
obtaining brightness mode (B-mode) images from the RF data; and
analyzing the B-mode images to determine velocity vectors indicative of flow within the field. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A method comprising:
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Acquiring RF data corresponding to positions of tracers in a flow;
Filtering the RF data;
Constructing B-mode images from the filtered RF data;
Improving the constructed image;
Cross-correlating the improved images;
Generating a velocity field based on the cross-correlated images; and
Improving the velocity field by filtering or interpolation.
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28. A system for detecting fluid flow comprising:
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an ultrasound system comprising a signal generator providing ultrasound firing sequences applied to a linear array transducer, said transducer generating ultrasound energy applied to the fluid flow;
a pre-processor component comprising a digital RF data acquisition component receiving an RF signal from the transducer of back-scattered ultrasound energy and a B-mode image generation component for constructing images from the RF data; and
a post-processor component generating velocity vectors indicative of the fluid flow from the constructed images. - View Dependent Claims (29, 30, 31)
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32. A process comprising:
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constructing B-mode particle images from RF data; and
implementing at least one of;
A hybrid echo particle tracking velocimetry (EPTV) with echo particle image velocity (EPIV) analysis of the constructed images; and
An adaptive EPIV analysis of the constructed images.
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33. A system for detecting fluid flow comprising:
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an ultrasound system comprising a signal generator providing ultrasound firing sequences having triangular or Gaussian or square/rectangular waveforms applied to a linear or curvilinear array transducer, said transducer generating ultrasound energy applied to the fluid flow; and
a processor comprising a digital RF data acquisition component receiving an RF signal from the transducer of back-scattered ultrasound energy and a B-mode image generation component for reconstructing images form the RF data, said processor generating velocity vectors indicative of the fluid flow.
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Specification