VELOCITY ESTIMATION FOR VECTOR FLOW IMAGING (VFI) IN ULTRASOUND

• US 20140073923A1
• Filed: 09/13/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: B-K Medicals Aps
• Original Assignee: Analogic Corporation
• Inventors: Haugaard, Per, Seerup, Gert
• Granted Patent: US 9,170,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/441
• 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: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8984 Measuring the velocity vector

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system includes a transducer array, with an array of transducer elements that transmits an ultrasound signal and receives a set of echoes generated in response to the ultrasound signal traversing a flowing structure. The ultrasound imaging system further includes a beamformer that beamforms the set of echoes, generating a beamformed signal. The ultrasound imaging system further includes a pre-processor that performs basebanding, averaging and decimation of the beamformed signal and determines an autocorrelation of the basebanded, averaged and decimated beamformed signal. The ultrasound imaging system further includes a velocity processor that generates an axial velocity component signal and a lateral velocity component signal based on the autocorrelation. The axial and lateral velocity components indicate a direction and a speed of the flowing structure in the field of view.

Claims

1. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

a transducer array, with an array of transducer elements, that transmits an ultrasound signal and receives a set of echoes generated in response to the ultrasound signal traversing a flowing structure;

a beamformer that beamforms the set of echoes, generating a beamformed signal;

a pre-processor that performs basebanding, averaging and decimation of the beamformed signal and determines an autocorrelation of the basebanded, averaged and decimated beamformed signal; and

a velocity processor that generates an axial velocity component signal and a lateral velocity component signal based on the autocorrelation,

wherein the axial and lateral velocity components indicate a direction and a speed of the flowing structure in the field of view.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the pre-processor decimates the beamformed signal by a factor having a value in a range of two to eight.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pre-processor and the velocity processor are different components.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the velocity processor includes the pre-processor.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the beamformer generates only one beamformed signal each scan-line for the axial velocity component.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the beamformer generates at least two beamformed signals for at least two scan-lines for the lateral velocity component.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the beamformer generates at least four beamformed signals for at least two scan-lines for display.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the beamformer generates multiple beamformed signals and multiple scan-lines each acquisition.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the beamformer operates with a sample frequency to center frequency ratio with a value in a range of two to four.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a rendering engine and a display, wherein the rendering visually presents graphical indicia, via the display, representing the axial and lateral components in connection with an ultrasound image of the field of view.

11. A method, comprising:

receiving a set of echoes generated in response to an ultrasound signal traversing a flowing structure in a field of view;

beamforming the set of echoes, generating a beamformed signal;

basebanding, averaging and decimating the beamformed signal;

determining, via a processor, an autocorrelation of the basebanded, averaged and decimated beamformed signal; and

generating an axial velocity component signal and a lateral velocity component signal based on the autocorrelation,

wherein the axial and lateral velocity components indicate a direction and a speed of the flowing structure in the field of view.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein decimating the beamformed signal includes decimating the signal by a factor having a value in a range of two to eight.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the basebanding, averaging and decimating operations are performed by circuitry different form the circuitry determining the autocorrelation.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the basebanding, averaging, decimating, autocorrelations operations are performed by a same circuitry.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein beamforming the set of echoes generates a single beamformed signal each scan-line for the axial velocity component.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein beamforming the set of echoes generates at least two beamformed signals for at least two scan-lines for the lateral velocity component.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein beamforming the set of echoes generates at least at least four beamformed signals for at least two scan-lines for display.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein beamforming the set of echoes generates multiple beamformed signals and multiple scan-lines each acquisition.

19. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

beamforming the set of echoes generates with a sample frequency to center frequency ratio of four.

20. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

beamforming the set of echoes generates with a sample frequency to center frequency ratio with a value in a range from two to four.

21. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

visually displaying indicia representing the axial and lateral velocity components in connection with an ultrasound image.

22. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

optimizing the lateral velocity component through axial-velocity compensation.

23. A pre-processor for a velocity processor of an ultrasound console configured for velocity flow imaging, the pre-processor, comprising:

a basebander that demodulates the input beamformed signals into an basebanded complex signal;

an averager that averages a set of basebanded input signals;

a decimator that decimates the averaged set of beamformed signals by a decimation factor in a range of two to eight; and

an autocorrelator that determines an autocorrelation of the averaged and decimated set of beamformed signals,

wherein the autocorrelation is used to generate an axial velocity component signal and a lateral velocity component signal.