ULTRASOUND APPARATUS AND METHOD

• US 20180206820A1
• Filed: 01/22/2018
• Published: 07/26/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2017
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: CareStream Health Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CareStream Health Incorporated
• Inventors: ANAND, Ajay, RAMAMURTHY, Bhaskar S.
• Application Number:
  US15/876,711
• Publication Number:
  US 20180206820A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0866 involving foetal diagnosis; pre-natal or peri-natal diagnosis of the baby
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/145 characterised by scanning multiple planes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4272 involving the acoustic interface between the transducer and the tissue
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4405 Device being mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• 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 8/5223 for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8988 Colour Doppler imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52038 involving non-linear properties of the propagation medium or of the reflective target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52046 Techniques for image enhancement involving transmitter or receiver image enhancement by image data processing G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52065 Compound scan display, e.g. panoramic imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52066 Time-position or time-motion displays
• 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

Abstract

A method for ultrasound imaging generates an interleaved ultrasound beam pattern that alternates transmission between a focused ultrasound signal and a plane wave ultrasound signal during a scan. Reflected signal data from the focused ultrasound signal is directed to a first signal processing path that executes delay/sum processing and generates successive lines of image data. Reflected signal data from the plane wave ultrasound signal is directed to a second signal processing path that generates a full plane of image data. Pixel location and timing for data from the first signal processing path are synchronized with location and timing for the second signal processing path. The combined, synchronized image data from the first and second signal processing paths can be displayed, stored, or transmitted.

Claims

1. A method for ultrasound imaging comprising:

generating an interleaved ultrasound beam pattern that alternates transmission between a focused ultrasound signal and a plane wave ultrasound signal during a scan;

directing reflected signal data from the focused ultrasound signal to a first signal processing path that executes delay/sum processing and generates successive lines of image data;

directing reflected signal data from the plane wave ultrasound signal to a second signal processing path that generates a full plane of image data at a time;

synchronizing pixel location and timing for data from the first signal processing path to data in the second signal processing path; and

displaying, storing, or transmitting the combined, synchronized image data from the first and second signal processing paths.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing color flow image content using the full plane of image data.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining the lines of image data from B-mode imaging.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising obtaining the lines of image data from harmonic imaging.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising detecting image quality along the second signal processing path and switching data to the first signal processing path according to the quality detection.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the combined image data comprises displaying a single image.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein displaying the combined image data comprises displaying a plurality of images simultaneously.

8. An apparatus for ultrasound imaging comprising:

a) a signal transducer that emits a repeated sequence that interleaves a focused ultrasound beam with a plane wave or divergent wave beam;

b) a control logic processor that controls the transducer and that directs a received signal from the transducer to either a first signal processing path for delay/sum processing or a second signal processing path for processing of a full image plane;

c) an image buffer in signal communication with the control logic processor and configured to combine image content from the first and second signal processing paths; and

d) a display that is configured to display the image content from the image buffer.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the control logic processor further comprises software that determines whether to direct the received signal to the first or second signal processing path.

10. A method for ultrasound imaging comprising:

generating an interleaved scanning beam transmission pattern that alternates between transmitting a focused beam ultrasound signal and a plane wave or diverging wave ultrasound signal;

directing reflected signal data from the focused ultrasound signal to a first signal processing path that executes delay/sum processing and generates successive lines of image data;

directing reflected signal data from the plane wave ultrasound signal to a second signal processing path that generates a full plane of image data at a time;

evaluating the image quality of the reflected signal data from the second signal processing path and changing the scanning beam transmission pattern to continuously generate a focused beam ultrasound signal according to the evaluation; and

displaying, storing, or transmitting the image data from the reflected signal data.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein changing the scanning beam transmission pattern further comprises directing the reflected signal data from the second signal processing path to the first signal processing path.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising providing color flow image content using the full plane of image data.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising obtaining the lines of image data from B-mode imaging.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising obtaining the lines of image data from harmonic imaging.