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3-Dimensional compound ultrasound field of view

  • US 5,655,535 A
  • Filed: 03/29/1996
  • Issued: 08/12/1997
  • Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1996
  • Status: Expired due to Term
First Claim
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1. A method for generating an ultrasound image of a patient target area encompassing a field of view extended beyond a given transducer array'"'"'s field of view, comprising the steps of:

  • moving the transducer array within any of six degrees of freedom while the transducer array is positioned at a patient in the vicinity of the target area and while the transducer array emits ultrasound signals and receives returning echoes of the emitted ultrasound signals;

    sampling the received echoes within a scan plane at each active transducer element within the transducer array to generate a plurality of frames of echo data for respective positions of the transducer array relative to the patient, a given frame of echo data encompassing a field of view of a first size;

    correlating the plurality of frames of echo data to derive at least one in-plane motion vector component for each one of multiple frames of the plurality of frames;

    .performing data rotation on said multiple frames to derive corresponding multiple intermediate frames in which in-plane motion variation is factored out;

    correlating the multiple intermediate frames to derive at least one out-of-plane motion vector component for each one of the multiple intermediate frames;

    aggregating correlated portions of the multiple intermediate frames using the at least one in-plane motion vector component and the at least one out-of-plane motion vector component of each frame to define a 3-dimensional image encompassing a field of view of a second size, the second size larger than the first size.

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