ULTRASONIC IMAGING APPARATUS AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20170311928A1
• Filed: 11/07/2014
• Published: 11/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JEON, Tae Ho, SONG, Jong Keun
• Application Number:
  US15/525,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20170311928A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4405 Device being mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4433 involving a docking unit
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array
• 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 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5269 involving detection or reduction of artifacts for image enhancement algorithms G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0207 Driving circuits specially adapted for particular applications, see the relevant subclass, e.g. G01; circuits for steering transducer arrays G10K11/34; basic circuits H03
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0292 Electrostatic transducers, e.g. electret-type
• CPC Class Codes: B06B 1/0622 on one surface
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52025 for pulse systems G01S7/52034 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation

Abstract

A display apparatus and driving method are discussed where the ultrasonic imaging apparatus includes an ultrasonic transducer configured to sequentially output a first ultrasonic signal, a second ultrasonic signal, and a third ultrasonic signal; a beamforming unit configured to generate a first synthesized signal by delaying the first ultrasonic signal and synthesizing the delayed first ultrasonic signal with the second ultrasonic signal, and to generate a second synthesized signal by delaying the first synthesized signal and synthesizing the delayed first synthesized signal with the third ultrasonic signal.

Claims

1. An Ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer configured to sequentially output a first ultrasonic signal, a second ultrasonic signal, and a third ultrasonic signal;

a beamforming unit configured to generate a first synthesized signal by delaying the first ultrasonic signal and synthesizing the delayed first ultrasonic signal with the second ultrasonic signal, and to generate a second synthesized signal by delaying the first synthesized signal and synthesizing the delayed first synthesized signal with the third ultrasonic signal.

2. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first ultrasonic signal is delayed until the second ultrasonic signal is output, and the first synthesized signal is delayed until the third ultrasonic signal is output.

3. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beamforming unit amplifies at least one ultrasonic signal of the first ultrasonic signal, the second ultrasonic signal, and the third ultrasonic signal.

4. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beamforming unit controls the output of the delayed first synthesized signal so that the delayed first synthesized signal is synthesized with the third ultrasonic signal

5. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the beamforming unit comprises:

a first synthesizer configured to generate the first synthesized signal by synthesizing the delayed first ultrasonic signal with the second ultrasonic signal;

a first delay configured to delay and output the first synthesized signal; and

a second synthesizer configured to generate the second synthesized signal by synthesizing the delayed first synthesized signal with the third ultrasonic signal.

6. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a switch configured to output the delayed first synthesized signal to the second synthesizer.

7. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first synthesizer and the second synthesizer generate the first synthesized signal and the second synthesized signal, respectively, by applying a weight value.

8. An Ultrasonic imaging apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer configured to output a first ultrasonic signal and a second ultrasonic signal; and

a beamforming unit configured to delay and output a first synthesized signal generated using the first ultrasonic signal, and to generate a second synthesized signal by synthesizing the delayed first synthesized signal with the second ultrasonic signal.

9. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the first ultrasonic signal is at least one ultrasonic signal output earlier than the second ultrasonic signal.

10. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first synthesized signal is generated by synthesizing a plurality of first ultrasonic signals output earlier than the second ultrasonic signal.

11. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the beamforming unit comprises:

a delay unit configured to delay the first ultrasonic signal or the first synthesized signal, and to output the delayed signal; and

a synthesizer configured to synthesize the delayed signal with the second ultrasonic signal to generate the second synthesized signal.

12. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the synthesizer synthesizes the delayed signal with the second ultrasonic signal by applying a weight.

13. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the delay delays the first ultrasonic signal or the second ultrasonic signal until the second ultrasonic signal is output

14. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the beamforming unit further comprises a switch configured to decide a synthesizer to which the delay signal is input.

15. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the beamforming unit further comprises an amplifier to amplify the second ultrasonic signal.

16. The ultrasonic imaging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the beamforming unit further comprises a filter configured to remove noise from the second ultrasonic signal.

17. A method of controlling an ultrasonic imaging apparatus, the method comprising:

delay operation of synthesizing a delayed first ultrasonic signal with a second ultrasonic signal to generate a first synthesized signal, and delaying the first synthesized signal; and

synthesis operation of synthesizing the delayed first synthesized signal with a third ultrasonic signal to generate a second synthesized signal.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the delay operation comprises delaying the first synthesized signal until the third ultrasonic signal is output.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein the synthesis operation comprises applying a weight to the first synthesized signal and the third ultrasonic signal.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the synthesis operation further comprises deciding the weight that is to be applied to the first synthesized signal and the third ultrasonic signal.

21. (canceled)