Medical ultrasonic imaging pulse transmission method

• US 6,682,482 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2000
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Acuson Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Krishnan, Sriram
• Primary Examiner(s): Imam, Ali M.
• Application Number:
  US09/650,942
• Time in Patent Office: 1,245 Days
• Field of Search: 600/443, 600/447, 600/458, 600/459, 382/294, 382/131, 348/441, 348/473, 348/169, 736/25, 736/26
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8927 using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8959 using coded signals for correlation purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8961 using pulse compression
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8963 using pulse inversion
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52039 exploiting the non-linear response of a contrast enhancer, e.g. a contrast agent diagnostic techniques involving the use of contrast agents A61B8/481
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52041 detecting modification of a contrast enhancer, e.g. detecting the destruction of a contrast agent by an acoustic wave, e.g. loss of correlation diagnostic techniques involving the use of contrast agents A61B8/481
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54

Abstract

A medical ultrasound imaging pulse transmission method transmits at least three pulses, including at least two pulses of different amplitude and at least two pulses of differing phase. The larger-amplitude pulse is transmitted with a larger aperture and the smaller-amplitude pulses are transmitted with respective smaller subapertures. The subapertures are arranged such that the sum of the subapertures used for the smaller-amplitude pulses is equal to the aperture used for the larger-amplitude pulse. In this way, pulses of differing amplitudes are obtained without varying the power level of individual transducer elements, and precise control over pulse amplitude is provided.

Claims

1. A medical ultrasonic imaging pulse transmission method comprising:

(a) transmitting with an ultrasonic imaging system a set of at least three ultrasonic pulses with a transducer array comprising N transducer elements, said set of pulses comprising K subsets of pulses, each subset characterized by a respective transmit phase, at least two of the transmit phases differing from one another, each of the pulses of the set comprising a respective aperture, the apertures of at least two of the pulses differing in number of active transducer elements;

(b) selecting the apertures used in (a) such that each transducer element n is active for a total of A(n) pulses in each of the subsets.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein all values of A(n), for 0<

n<

N, are equal to one another.

4. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein, for each transducer element n, a single power level P(n) is used for all pulses of the set in which the transducer element n is active.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein K=2, and wherein pulses of the first and second subsets differ in transmit phase by about 180°

.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first subset comprises a first pulse transmitted with N active transducer elements, and wherein the second subset comprises second and third pulses, each transmitted with N/2 active transducer elements, wherein transducer elements that are active in the second pulse are not active in the third pulse, wherein transducer elements that are active in the third pulse are not active in the second pulse, and wherein all of the transducer elements that are active in one of the second and third pulses are active in the first pulse.

7. The method of claim 1 or 2 further comprising:

(c) receiving echo signals from the pulses in the set; and

(d) combining the echo signals.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein (d) substantially cancels a fundamental component of the echo signals.

9. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein all of the pulses of the set are steered along a single acoustic line in (a).

10. The method of claim 1 or 2 wherein at least one of the pulses of the set is steered along a first acoustic line in (a), and wherein at least another one of the pulses of the set is steered along a second acoustic line in (a), spatially distinct from the first acoustic line.

2. A medical ultrasonic imaging pulse transmission method comprising:

(a) transmitting with an ultrasonic imaging system a set of at least three ultrasonic pulses with a transducer array comprising N transducer elements, said set of pulses comprising K subsets of pulses, each subset characterized by a respective transmit phase, at least two of the transmit phases differing from one another, each of the pulses of the set comprising a respective aperture, the apertures of at least two of the pulses differing in number of active transducer elements;

(b) during (a), activating each transducer element n for a total of A(n) times during each of the K subsets.