Plane wave scanning reception and receiver

• US 6,685,641 B2
• Filed: 02/01/2002
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/01/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Liu, D-L Donald
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaworski, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US10/061,402
• Publication Number:
  US 20030149357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 600/437, 600/443, 600/447, 736/02, 128/916
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8904 using synthetic aperture techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8909 using a static transducer configuration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8977 using special techniques for image reconstruction, e.g. FFT, geometrical transformations, spatial deconvolution, time deconvolution
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52028 using digital techniques

Abstract

Plane waves are transmitted at different incident angles, and the radio frequency echo waveforms received by the elements in an array are processed with a Fourier transform. This method is capable of generating one frame of “raw” image for each transmitted plane wave. The formation of each raw image includes: temporal Fourier transform of radio frequency echo signal from each element; phase rotation; spatial Fourier transform; complex interpolation; and an inverse spatial-temporal Fourier transform. This method does not require the synthesis of limited diffraction beams and is computationally more efficient compared to conventional delay-and-sum approach. These raw images are combined coherently to enlarge spatial frequency coverage and enhance lateral resolution. The resolution-enhanced images are further combined incoherently to achieve speckle reduction.

Claims

1. An ultrasound method for scanning with a plane wave transmission, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting at least a first substantially planar ultrasonic wave into a region at an angle relative to the array;

(b) receiving signals responsive to (a) at each of at least one element of an array;

(c) applying a Fourier transform to the signals from each of at least one element; and

(d) interpolating frequency data responsive to an output of (c) as a function of the angle.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) comprises applying the Fourier transform to radio frequency signals from each of the at least one element.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein (a) comprises transmitting at an angle from a normal to the array;

and

further comprising;

(e) phase shifting frequency data responsive to an output of (c) as a function of the angle.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(e) repeating (c) for a plurality of elements of the array; and

(f) applying a spatial Fourier transform to frequency data responsive to an output of (c) and (d).

5. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) comprises applying a two-dimensional Fourier transform to the signals from a plurality of elements of the array.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(e) applying an inverse Fourier transform to the interpolated frequency data.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein (a) comprises transmitting with the angle away from a normal to the array.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

(e) transmitting at least a second substantially planar ultrasonic wave into the region, the second planar ultrasonic wave at a different angle relative to the array than the first planar ultrasonic wave;

(f) combining received signals responsive to the first and second planar ultrasonic waves and at least one Fourier transform.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein (a) comprises transmitting from a two-dimensional array, and further comprising:

(e) applying an inverse Fourier transform to data responsive to (c), the results of (d) corresponding to data representing three dimensions.

43. The system of claim 4 wherein the receiver is operable apply an inverse Fourier transform to the combined signals.

10. An ultrasound system for scanning with a wave transmission, the system comprising:

a transducer array having at least one element;

a plane wave transmitter electrically connected with the transducer array; and

a receiver electrically connected with the transducer array, the receiver operable to apply a Fourier transform to data representing received signals of the at least one elements wherein the plane wave transmitter is operative to transmit an ultrasound planar wave at an angle relative to the transducer array, and the receiver is operable to interpolate Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the angle.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein the plane wave transmitter is operative to transmit an ultrasound planar wave at an angle from a normal to the transducer array, and the receiver is operable to phase shift Fourier transformed data as a function of the angle.

12. The system of claim 10 further comprising a second receiver operable to apply a spatial Fourier transform to Fourier transformed frequency data output from a plurality of elements of the transducer array.

13. The system of claim 10 wherein the receiver is operably to apply a two-dimensional Fourier transform to signals from a plurality of elements of the transducer array.

14. The system of claim 10 wherein the plane wave transmitter is operative to transmit first and second ultrasound planar waves at different angles relative to the array, and the receiver is operable to combine signals responsive to the first and second planar ultrasonic waves and at least one Fourier transform.

15. The system of claim 10 wherein the transducer array comprises a two-dimensional array, and the receiver is operable to output data representing three dimensions.

16. An ultrasound method for scanning with a plane wave transmission, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting at least a first substantially planar ultrasonic wave into a region;

(b) receiving signals responsive to (a) at a plurality of elements of an array;

(c) applying a two-dimensional Fourier transform to the signal; and

(d) applying an inverse Fourier transform to data responsive to (c).

17. The method of claim 16 wherein (a) comprises transmitting from a two-dimensional array, and wherein the results of (d) correspond to data representing three dimensions.

18. An ultrasound system for scanning with a plane wave the system comprising:

a transducer array having a plurality of elements;

a plane wave transmitter electrically connected with the transducer array;

a receiver electrically connected with the transducer array, the receiver operable to apply a two-dimensional Fourier transform to data from the plurality of elements.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the transducer array comprises a two-dimensional array, and the receiver is operable to output data representing three dimensions.

20. An ultrasound method for scanning with a plane wave transmission, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting into a region at least a first substantially planar ultrasonic wave at an angle from a normal to an array;

(b) receiving signals responsive to (a) at an element of the array;

(c) applying a Fourier transform to the signals; and

(d) altering Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the angle the altering including interpolating the Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the angle.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein (c) comprises applying the Fourier transform to radio frequency signals from the element.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein (d) comprises phase shifting the Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the angle.

23. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

(e) repeating (c) and (d) for each of a plurality of elements of the array; and

(f) applying a spatial Fourier transform to the phase shifted, Fourier transformed frequency data.

24. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

(e) applying a spatial Fourier transform to the Fourier transformed frequency data;

wherein (d) comprises interpolating Fourier transformed frequency data responsive to (c) and (e).

25. The method of claim 20 further comprising:

(e) transmitting at least a second substantially planar ultrasonic wave into the region, the second planar ultrasonic wave at a different angle relative to the array than the first planar ultrasonic wave;

(f) combining received signals responsive to the first and second planar ultrasonic waves and at least one Fourier transform.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein (a) comprises transmitting from a two-dimensional array, and further comprising:

(e) applying an inverse Fourier transform to data responsive to (d), the wherein the results of (e) correspond to data representing three dimensions.

27. An ultrasound system for scanning with a plane wave transmission, the system comprising:

a transducer array having a plurality of elements;

a plane wave transmitter electrically connected with the transducer array, the plane wave transmitter operable to transmit an ultrasound planar wave at an ankle from a normal to the transducer array;

a receiver electrically connected with the transducer array, the receiver operable to apply a Fourier transform to received signals and operable to alter Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the angle the receiver is operable to interpolate Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the angle.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the receiver is to phase shift Fourier transformed data as a function of the angle.

29. The system of claim 28 further comprising a second receiver operable to apply a spatial Fourier transform to the phase shifted, Fourier transformed frequency data output from the plurality of elements.

30. The system of claim 27 wherein the plane wave transmitter is operative to transmit two ultrasound planar waves at different angles relative to the array, and the receiver is operable to combine signals responsive to the first and second planar ultrasonic waves and at least one Fourier transform.

31. The system of claim 27 wherein the transducer array comprises a two-dimensional array, and the receiver is operable to output data representing three dimensions.

44. The system of claim 31 wherein the transducer array comprises a two-dimensional array, and the receiver is operable to output data representing three dimensions with a three-dimensional Fourier transform.

32. An ultrasound method for scanning with a plane wave transmission, the method comprising:

(a) transmitting into a region at least first and second substantially planar ultrasonic waves at different angles relative to the array;

(b) receiving first and second signals responsive to the first and second planar ultrasonic waves, respectively, at the array;

(c) applying a Fourier transform to the first and second received signals; and

(d) combining first and second data responsive to application of the Fourier transform of (c) to the first and second received signals, respectively; and

(e) interpolating the first and second Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of first and second angles, respectively, prior to (d) the first and second angles corresponding to the different angles of the first and second planar ultrasonic waves.

33. The method of claim 32 wherein (d) comprises combining first and second Fourier transformed frequency data.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

(f) applying an inverse Fourier transform to the Fourier transformed first and second signals;

wherein (d) comprises combining first and second inverse Fourier transformed spatial domain data.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein (d) comprises combining data associated with three or more ultrasonic plane waves.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein (c) comprises applying the Fourier transform separately to radio frequency signals from each element.

37. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

(f) phase shifting the Fourier transformed first and second received data as a function of the different angles.

38. The method of claim 32 further comprising:

(f) applying a spatial Fourier transform to the Fourier transformed first and second received signals prior to (d).

39. The method of claim 32 wherein (a) comprises transmitting from a two-dimensional array, and further comprising:

(f) applying an inverse Fourier transform to data responsive to (c), the wherein the results of (e) correspond to data representing three dimensions.

40. An ultrasound system for scanning with a plane wave transmission, the system comprising:

a transducer array having a plurality of elements;

a plane wave transmitter electrically connected with the transducer array, the plane wave transmitter operatable to transmit two ultrasound planar waves at different angles relative to the array;

a receiver electrically connected with the transducer array, the receiver operable to combine signals responsive to the first and second planar ultrasonic waves and at least one Fourier transform, the receiver is operable to interpolate Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the different angles, the Fourier transformed frequency data corresponding to the first and second planar ultrasonic waves.

41. The system of claim 40 wherein the receiver is to phase shift Fourier transformed data corresponding to the first planar ultrasonic wave, the phase shift a function of a first angle of the first planar ultrasonic wave to a normal of the array.

42. The system of claim 40 wherein the receiver is operable to combine signals responsive to the first and second planar ultrasonic waves after application of an inverse Fourier transform.