Method and apparatus for ultrasound imaging

• US 5,840,033 A
• Filed: 05/16/1997
• Issued: 11/24/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: GE Yokogawa Medical Systems Limited (GE Aerospace)
• Original Assignee: GE Yokogawa Medical Systems Limited (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Takeuchi, Yasuhito
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, MAULIN M
• Application Number:
  US08/857,450
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 128/916, 600/443, 600/455, 600/441
• US Class Current: 600/443
• 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: G01S 15/8922 the array being concentric or annular
• 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 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8997 using synthetic aperture techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52026 Extracting wanted echo signals Doppler systems G01S15/50; Doppler short range imaging systems G01S15/8979
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/916 Ultrasound 3-D imaging

Abstract

A method and apparatus for ultrasonically producing 3-dimensional images in real time, wherein a device transmits an ultrasonic wave toward a solid bearing angle obtained by dividing into multiple portions a solid bearing angle subtended by a sonic field to be examined, and receives echoes therefrom, with the transmitted waves being sequential and the received echoes being concurrent multiple waves from each small solid angle, and a device for producing the 3-dimensional images by range gating the received echo signals in the depth direction of the sonic field being examined and then producing direct vision images in the direction of the transmitted ultrasonic waves based on the echo signals, wherein the range gated signals are quadrature detected in one embodiment and/or are subjected to 2-dimensional Fourier transformation in another embodiment.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic imaging method comprising the steps of:

defining a solid bearing angle subtending an object to be imaged;

dividing said solid bearing angle into a plurality of small solid bearing angles;

transmitting an ultrasonic wave into an interior of a subject having said object therein for each of said plurality of small solid bearing angles;

receiving concurrently a plurality of echoes from said object in each of said plurality of small solid bearing angles; and

producing an image of said object at a predetermined depth thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said echoes are received ultrasonic waves and are range gated in a depth direction of said object.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein range gated signals are quadrature detected, and then, the quadrature detected signals are subjected to 2-dimensional Fourier transformation.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said image of said object is obtained at a predetermined depth and thickness based on said range detected signals.

5. An apparatus for ultrasonic imaging, comprising:

means for defining a solid bearing angle subtending an object to be imaged;

means for dividing said solid bearing angle into a plurality of small solid bearing angles;

means for transmitting an ultrasonic wave into an interior of a subject having said object therein for each of said plurality of small solid bearing angles;

means for concurrently receiving a plurality of echoes from said object in each of said plurality of small solid bearing angles; and

means for producing an image of said object at a predetermined depth thereof.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said means for concurrently receiving comprises means for receiving said echoes as ultrasonic waves, and means for range gating said received ultrasonic waves in a depth direction of said object.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said means for range gating comprises means for quadrature detecting said range gated signals, and means for subjecting the quadrature detected signals to 2-dimensional Fourier transformation.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein said means for producing comprises means for obtaining said image of said object at a predetermined depth and thickness based on the range detected signals.