ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20150164473A1
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Published: 06/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: SONG, Jong Keun, CHO, Kyungil, KIM, Baehyung, KIM, Youngil, LEE, Seungheun
• Granted Patent: US 10,485,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/145 characterised by scanning multiple planes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4494 characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements devices for short-range imaging using particular transducer elements arrangements under G01S15/8909; arrangements of transducers in generation of mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic frequency B06B1/0607
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8925 the array being a two-dimensional transducer configuration, i.e. matrix or orthogonal linear arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8927 using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8997 using synthetic aperture techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52047 for elimination of side lobes or of grating lobes; for increasing resolving power
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation

Abstract

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic transducer array in which ultrasonic transducer elements are two-dimensionally arranged; and a controller configured to control the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit ultrasonic signals and control the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially receive ultrasonic echo signals.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer array in which ultrasonic transducer elements are two-dimensionally arranged; and

a controller configured to control the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit ultrasonic signals and control the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially receive ultrasonic echo signals, in an elevation direction.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control all of the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit defocused plane waves, in a transmission of the ultrasonic signals.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the 2D ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially transmit defocused plane waves, in a transmission of the ultrasonic signals.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control all of the ultrasonic transducer elements of the 2D ultrasonic transducer array to transmit ultrasonic waves and perform fixed focusing of the ultrasonic waves, in a transmission of the ultrasonic signals.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially transmit ultrasonic waves and perform fixed focusing of the ultrasonic waves, in a transmission of the ultrasonic signals.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control one or more of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially receive the ultrasonic echo signals, in a reception of the ultrasonic echo signals.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to be sequentially switched one by one to receive the ultrasonic echo signals while shifting a position of the switched row in the elevation direction, in a reception of the ultrasonic echo signals.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to form virtual columns in the elevation direction in correspondence to columns of the ultrasonic transducer elements forming the ultrasonic transducer array, control the ultrasonic transducer elements of the rows of the 2D ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially receive the ultrasonic echo signals, by one row at a time, and generate ultrasonic data for reception beamforming in the elevation direction by sequentially storing the received ultrasonic echo signals, at positions in the virtual columns in correspondence to positions of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in the ultrasonic transducer array.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller is configured to control a dynamic reception focusing or a synthetic aperture focusing in the elevation direction using the generated ultrasonic data for the reception beamforming in the elevation direction.

10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to control an execution of a volume beamforming by using the ultrasonic echo signals sequentially received from the rows of the ultrasonic transducer elements of the ultrasonic transducer array and the generated ultrasonic data for the reception beamforming in the elevation direction.

11. A control method of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the control method comprising:

controlling ultrasonic transducer elements which are two-dimensionally arranged in an ultrasonic transducer array to transmit ultrasonic signals; and

controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially receive ultrasonic echo signals, in an elevation direction.

12. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit the ultrasonic signals comprises:

controlling all of the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit defocused plane waves.

13. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit the ultrasonic signals comprises:

controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the 2D ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially transmit defocused plane waves.

14. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit the ultrasonic signals comprises:

controlling all of the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit ultrasonic waves and perform fixed focusing of the ultrasonic waves.

15. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit the ultrasonic signals comprises:

controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially transmit ultrasonic waves and perform fixed focusing of the ultrasonic waves.

16. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements to receive the ultrasonic echo signals comprises:

controlling one or more of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially receive the ultrasonic echo signals.

17. The control method according to claim 11, wherein the controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements to receive the ultrasonic echo signals comprises:

sequentially switching the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array one by one; and

receiving the ultrasonic echo signals while shifting a position of the switched row in the elevation direction.

18. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising:

forming virtual columns in an elevation direction in correspondence to columns of the ultrasonic transducer elements forming the ultrasonic transducer array;

controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements of the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially receive the ultrasonic echo signals, by one row at a time; and

generating ultrasonic data for reception beamforming in the elevation direction by sequentially storing the received ultrasonic echo signals at positions in the virtual columns in correspondence to positions of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in the ultrasonic transducer array.

19. The control method according to claim 18, wherein a dynamic reception focusing or a synthetic aperture focusing in the elevation direction is executed using the generated ultrasonic data for the reception beamforming in the elevation direction.

20. The control method according to claim 19, wherein a volume beamforming is executed by using the ultrasonic echo signals sequentially received from the rows of the ultrasonic transducer elements and the generated ultrasonic data for the reception beamforming in the elevation direction.

21. An ultrasonic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic probe comprising ultrasonic transducer elements which are two-dimensionally arranged in rows and columns; and

a processor configured to perform steps of;

activating all or some of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in respective rows in a transversal direction to transmit ultrasonic signals to an object,

controlling scanning of all or some of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in the respective rows to receive ultrasonic echo signals reflected by the object, in a sequential order of the rows in an elevation direction perpendicular to the transversal direction, and

storing the ultrasonic echo signals while performing the scanning of the respective rows.

22. The ultrasonic apparatus of claim 21, wherein the controlling the scanning to receive the ultrasonic echo signals comprises:

activating all or some of the ultrasonic transducer elements of the respective rows in the transversal direction while shifting a position of the scanned row in the elevation direction.

23. The ultrasonic apparatus of claim 21, wherein the storing comprises:

storing the ultrasonic echo signals received by scanning of the respective rows in virtual columns arranged in the elevation direction in correspondence to the ultrasonic transducer elements,

wherein the received ultrasonic echo signals are stored at positions in the virtual columns in correspondence to column positions of the ultrasonic transducer elements.

24. The ultrasonic apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to perform the steps of:

generating ultrasonic data in the elevation direction from the ultrasonic echo signals stored in the virtual columns;

generating a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonic image by using the generated ultrasonic data in the elevation direction and the ultrasonic echo signals stored while performing the scanning of the respective rows; and

displaying the 3D image on a display.