Spectral interpolation of ultrasound Doppler signal
First Claim
1. In a Doppler medical ultrasound method that includes transmitting ultrasound energy into a body, receiving echoes of the ultrasound energy and processing the echoes to produce a Doppler signal that includes information representing the velocity within the body, converting the Doppler signal into an audio signal, and converting the audio signal into audible sound, the transmitting and receiving steps alternating between first time intervals during which the Doppler signal is produced and second time intervals, an improved method for synthesizing the audio signal during the second time intervals, the method comprising:
- producing at least one actual spectrum of the Doppler signal based upon the Doppler signal produced during one of the first time intervals;
producing a synthetic spectrum of the Doppler signal for a second time interval adjacent to said one first time interval, based at least in part upon said actutal spectrum;
converting the synthetic spectrum into a corresponding time domain data set; and
producing the audio signal for the second time interval based at least in part upon said time domain data set.
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Abstract
A method and apparatus for producing the Doppler audio output in a medical ultrasound system. The system includes a transmitter for transmitting ultrasound into a body, a receiver for receiving and processing echoes to produce a Doppler signal, and a Doppler signal processor for converting the Doppler signals into an audio signal that in turn is converted into audible sound. The system alternates between first time intervals during which the Doppler samples are produced, and second time intervals when imaging is performed. The improvement of the invention involves producing at least one actual spectrum of the Doppler signal, based upon Doppler samples produced during one of the first time intervals. A synthetic spectrum is then produced for an adjacent second time interval, based upon the actual spectrum. The synthetic spectrum is then converted into a corresponding time domain data set, and the audio signal for the second time interval is then produced based upon the time domain data set. At least some of the points of the synthetic spectrum preferably include a randomly selected phase factor, to reduce echo artifacts and other modulation effects.
45 Citations
20 Claims
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1. In a Doppler medical ultrasound method that includes transmitting ultrasound energy into a body, receiving echoes of the ultrasound energy and processing the echoes to produce a Doppler signal that includes information representing the velocity within the body, converting the Doppler signal into an audio signal, and converting the audio signal into audible sound, the transmitting and receiving steps alternating between first time intervals during which the Doppler signal is produced and second time intervals, an improved method for synthesizing the audio signal during the second time intervals, the method comprising:
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producing at least one actual spectrum of the Doppler signal based upon the Doppler signal produced during one of the first time intervals; producing a synthetic spectrum of the Doppler signal for a second time interval adjacent to said one first time interval, based at least in part upon said actutal spectrum; converting the synthetic spectrum into a corresponding time domain data set; and producing the audio signal for the second time interval based at least in part upon said time domain data set. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. In a Doppler medical ultrasound system that includes means for transmitting ultrasound energy into a body, means for receiving echoes of the ultrasound energy and processing the echoes to produce a Doppler signal that includes information representing the velocity of a target volume within the body, means for converting the Doppler signal into an audio signal, and means for converting the audio signal into audible sound that corresponds to the Doppler signal, the transmitting and receiving means alternating between first time intervals during which the Doppler signal is produced and second time intervals, improved means for synthesizing the audio signal during the second time intervals, said improved means comprising:
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means for producing at least one actual spectrum of the Doppler signal based upon the Doppler signal produced during one of the first time intervals; means for producing a synthetic spectrum of the Doppler signal for a second time interval adjacent to said one first time interval, based at least in part upon said actual spectrum; means for converting the synthetic spectrum into a corresponding time domain data set; and means for producing the audio signal for the second time interval based at least in part upon said time domain data set. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification