Method and apparatus for receive beamformer system
First Claim
1. An ultrasound receive beamformer processor for use in an ultrasound receive beamformer and operative to process a first signal received after passage through media comprising:
- a phase rotator in the receive beamformer processor for adjusting phase of the first signal; and
a frequency and phase angle generator for providing a second signal which is applied to said phase rotator to account for attenuation of the first signal due to passage of the first signal through the media;
said second signal formed independently of any time-varying gain applied by the receive beamformer to compensate for attenuation with depth.
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Abstract
The present invention includes a fully programmable plurality of multi-channel receivers, each receiver having a digital multi-channel receive processor and a local processor control. Each receive processor includes a first decimator, time delay memory, second decimator, and complex multiplier. The receive beamformer is a computationally efficient system which is programmable to allow processing mode trade-offs among receive frequency, receive spatial range resolution, and number of simultaneous beams received. Each local control receives focusing data from a central control computer and provides final calculation of per-channel dynamic focus delay, phase, apodization, and calibration values for each receiver signal sample. Further, this invention includes a baseband multi-beam processor which has a phase aligner and a baseband filter for making post-beamformation coherent phase adjustments and signal shaping, respectively. The phase aligner maintains scan-line-to-scan-line coherency, such as would be required for coherent image formation. Accordingly, the present system can operate under multiple imaging formats, using a variety of transducers and a variety of modes such as B-mode, M-mode, and color Doppler flow mode.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. An ultrasound receive beamformer processor for use in an ultrasound receive beamformer and operative to process a first signal received after passage through media comprising:
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a phase rotator in the receive beamformer processor for adjusting phase of the first signal; and a frequency and phase angle generator for providing a second signal which is applied to said phase rotator to account for attenuation of the first signal due to passage of the first signal through the media; said second signal formed independently of any time-varying gain applied by the receive beamformer to compensate for attenuation with depth. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An ultrasound receive beamformer processor for use in an ultrasound receive beamformer and operative to process a first signal received after passage through media comprising:
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a phase rotator in the receive beamformer processor for adjusting phase of the first signal; and means for providing a second signal as a function of time to the phase rotator to account for attenuation of the first signal due to passage of the first signal through the media. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14)
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Specification