Ultrasound Testing
First Claim
1. An apparatus for imaging structural features below the surface of an object, the apparatus comprising:
- a transmitter unit configured to transmit a sound pulse at the object;
a receiver unit configured to receive reflections of sound pulses transmitted by the transmitter unit from the object;
a signal processing unit configured to;
analyse one or more signals received by the receiver unit from the object;
recognise, in the one or more signals, a reflection that was caused by a first structural feature and a reflection that was caused by a second structural feature that is located, in the object, at least partly behind the first structural feature; and
associate each recognised reflection with a relative depth in the object at which the reflection occurred; and
an image generation unit configured to generate an image that includes a representation of the first and second structural features in dependence on the recognised reflections and their relative depths.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An apparatus for imaging structural features below the surface of an object, the apparatus comprising: a transmitter unit configured to transmit a sound pulse at the object; a receiver unit configured to receive reflections of sound pulses transmitted by the transmitter unit from the object; a signal processing unit configured to: analyse one or more signals received by the receiver unit from the object; recognise, in the one or more signals, a reflection that was caused by a first structural feature and a reflection that was caused by a second structural feature that is located, in the object, at least partly behind the first structural feature; and associate each recognised reflection with a relative depth in the object at which the reflection occurred; and an image generation unit configured to generate an image that includes a representation of the first and second structural features in dependence on the recognised reflections and their relative depths.
4 Citations
22 Claims
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1. An apparatus for imaging structural features below the surface of an object, the apparatus comprising:
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a transmitter unit configured to transmit a sound pulse at the object; a receiver unit configured to receive reflections of sound pulses transmitted by the transmitter unit from the object; a signal processing unit configured to;
analyse one or more signals received by the receiver unit from the object;
recognise, in the one or more signals, a reflection that was caused by a first structural feature and a reflection that was caused by a second structural feature that is located, in the object, at least partly behind the first structural feature; and
associate each recognised reflection with a relative depth in the object at which the reflection occurred; andan image generation unit configured to generate an image that includes a representation of the first and second structural features in dependence on the recognised reflections and their relative depths. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 20, 21)
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19. An apparatus as claimed in claim 19, the image generation unit being configured to assign the pixel a predetermined value that is higher than the reflection'"'"'s maximum amplitude.
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22. A method for imaging structural features below the surface of an object comprising:
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transmitting a sound pulse at the object; receiving, from the object, reflections of sound pulses transmitted at the object; recognising, in one or more signals received from the object, a reflection of a transmitted time pulse that was caused by a first structural feature and a reflection of a transmitted time pulse that was caused by a second structural feature that is located, in the object, at least partly behind the first structural feature; associating each recognised reflection with a relative depth in the object at which the reflection occurred; and generating an image that includes a representation of the first and second structural features in dependence on the recognised reflections and their relative depths.
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Specification