MAPPING ULTRASOUND TRANSDUCERS
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Abstract
Ultrasound transducers may be mapped by varying a focus-affecting parameter and adjusting the parameter so as to improve focus quality. In some embodiments, mapping involves successively varying the phase of one transducer element, or group of elements, with respect to a constant phase of the other transducer elements, and determining the phase at which a tissue displacement in the ultrasound focus is maximized.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1-24. -24. (canceled)
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25. A method for mapping an ultrasound transducer comprising a plurality of transducer elements so as to improve a focus thereof, the method comprising:
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(a) driving the plurality of transducer elements so as to generate an ultrasound focus; (b) using acoustic radiation force imaging, measuring a displacement associated with the focus; (c) grouping the transducer elements; (d) driving a selected group of transducer elements at a variable phase while driving the other groups of transducer elements at a constant phase, thereby varying the displacement; (e) determining a phase difference, if any, between the constant and variable phases where the displacement is maximized; and (f) if the phase difference is non-zero, adjusting a relative phase of the selected group of transducer elements based thereon. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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37. A system for mapping an ultrasound transducer so as to improve a focus thereof, the system comprising:
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ultrasound transducer hardware for generating an ultrasound focus, the hardware comprising an ultrasound transducer having a plurality of transducer elements and associated driver circuitry, the transducer elements being organized in multiple groups of elements; magnetic-resonance-imaging (MRI) hardware comprising an MRI apparatus and associated driver components for acquiring images of a region comprising the ultrasound focus; a control station in communication with the ultrasound transducer hardware and the MRI hardware, the control station being configured to control image acquisition with the MRI hardware and generation of the ultrasound focus with the ultrasound transducer hardware in accordance with an imaging sequence that specifies the relative timing between image acquisition and ultrasound generation; process acquired images to determine therefrom a displacement associated with the focus; send control signals to the ultrasound transducer hardware to vary a phase of a selected group of transducer elements while driving the other groups of transducer elements at a constant phase; and adjust the phase of the selected group of transducer elements relative to phases of the other groups based on a phase difference between the constant and variable phases where the displacement is maximized. - View Dependent Claims (38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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44. A method for controlling an ultrasound transducer comprising a plurality of transducer elements organized into groups of elements, the method comprising:
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(a) mapping the ultrasound transducer by (i) driving the plurality of transducer elements so as to generate an ultrasound focus in a phantom, (ii) varying a focus-affecting parameter associated with at least one of the groups of elements and measuring a resulting variation on a quality of the focus using magnetic-resonance acoustic radiation force imaging, and (iii) selecting a value of the parameter associated with a best focus quality; and (b) controlling the transducer based on the mapping step so as to focus ultrasound into internal body tissue.
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Specification