Ultrasound imaging system and method employing an adaptive filter
First Claim
1. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
- an adaptive filter configured to receive input signals and modify the input signals to produce output signals based upon a transfer function, the transfer function being definable by one or more filter parameters that are provided to the adaptive filter; and
a controller configured to generate the filter parameters based upon a signal constraint communicated to the controller and a sample signal exhibiting a sample signal statistic, the sample signal being one of the input or output signals, the controller configured to communicate the filter parameters to the adaptive filter, the filter parameters causing the adaptive filter to produce an output signal that exhibits an approximation of a desired signal statistic, the desired signal statistic based upon the sample signal statistic and the signal constraint.
4 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An ultrasound imaging system is provided with an adaptive filter for transforming an input signal to produce an output signal having one or more desired signal statistics (e.g., signal-to-noise ratio, Gaussian function specification, etc.). The adaptive filter includes a digital filter configured to receive input signals and produce output signals. The adaptive filter exhibits a transfer function H defined by one or more coefficients C. A controller is configured to generate the filter coefficients based upon one or more signal constraints that are provided to the controller by a user and a sample signal that exhibits one or more sample signal statistics and that is communicated to the digital filter. The controller communicates the filter coefficients to the adaptive filter. The filter coefficients cause the adaptive filter to transform input data, based upon the transfer function H(C), to produce output data exhibiting (at least approximately) the one or more desired signal statistics, the desired signal statistics based upon the sample signal statistics and the constraints. Several different coefficient sets may be utilized in the adaptive filter for different object parts (e.g., blood, tissue, etc.) to be imaged. Furthermore, the adaptive filter may be operated by a designer so as to preset the coefficients, periodically initiated by a user/operator to reset the coefficients, and/or automatically initiated by the system, perhaps periodically or upon detection of a certain event, during operation to reset the coefficients.
76 Citations
24 Claims
-
1. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
-
an adaptive filter configured to receive input signals and modify the input signals to produce output signals based upon a transfer function, the transfer function being definable by one or more filter parameters that are provided to the adaptive filter; and a controller configured to generate the filter parameters based upon a signal constraint communicated to the controller and a sample signal exhibiting a sample signal statistic, the sample signal being one of the input or output signals, the controller configured to communicate the filter parameters to the adaptive filter, the filter parameters causing the adaptive filter to produce an output signal that exhibits an approximation of a desired signal statistic, the desired signal statistic based upon the sample signal statistic and the signal constraint. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
-
20. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
-
an adaptive filter means for receiving input signals and modifying the input signals to produce output signals based upon a transfer function, the transfer function being definable by one or more filter parameters that are provided to the adaptive filter; and a controller means for generating the filter parameters based upon a signal constraint communicated to the controller and a sample signal exhibiting a sample signal statistic, the sample signal being one of the input or output signals, the controller for communicating the filter parameters to the adaptive filter, the filter parameters causing the adaptive filter to produce an output signal that exhibits an approximation of a desired signal statistic, the desired signal statistic based upon the sample signal statistic and the signal constraint.
-
-
21. A method for ultrasound imaging, comprising the steps of:
-
receiving a signal constraint; receiving a sample signal having a sample signal statistic; generating one or more filter parameters based upon the signal constraint and the sample signal statistic; communicating the filter parameters to an adaptive filter; and modifying an input signal to the adaptive filter based upon the filter parameters to produce an output signal that exhibits an approximation of a desired signal statistic, the desired signal statistic based upon the sample signal statistic and the signal constraint. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24)
-
Specification