Adaptive grating lobe suppression in ultrasound imaging

• US 7,207,942 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2003
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Gee, Albert, Ustuner, Kutay F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaworski; Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US10/627,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20050033165A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,369 Days
• Field of Search: 600/437, 600/443, 600/447, 600455-456, 600/458, 128/916, 736/02, 73625-626
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5269 involving detection or reduction of artifacts for image enhancement algorithms G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52047 for elimination of side lobes or of grating lobes; for increasing resolving power
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation

Abstract

Adaptive grating lobe suppression is provided. Received ultrasound data is measured, compared or otherwise processed to determine the presence of grating lobe energy. A further process is then altered as a function of the level of grating lobe energy. In one embodiment, the adaptive grating lobe suppression is implemented in the receive beamformer. Data representing a virtual element is formed as a normalized sum of data from adjacent sparse elements. The data from the adjacent elements is correlated to determine the presence of grating lobe energy as a function of the amount of shift associated with the peak correlation. A phase shift is applied to the data representing the virtual element where sufficient grating lobe energy is determined. In another embodiment, an amount of grating lobe energy is measured by comparing data from prior to a filter with filtered data. The filter is selected to isolate main lobe energy from grating lobe energy. A gain is modulated as a function of any detected grating lobe energy or filtered or unfiltered data is selected for further processing.

Claims

1. A method for adaptive grating lobe suppression in ultrasound processing, the method comprising:

(a) acquiring ultrasound data;

(b) filtering the ultrasound data with a band-pass filter prior to detection;

(c) determining with a processor a grating lobe level as a function of the filter input and filter output; and

(d) automatically altering processing in response to the grating lobe level.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein (b) comprises performing the filtering after beamformation, the ultrasound data being beamformed data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein (b) comprises performing the filtering after application of beamforming delays and prior to channel summation, the ultrasound data being channel data.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) comprises determining as a function of a difference of the filter input and filter output.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) comprises determining as a function of a ratio of the filter input and filter output.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein (d) comprises outputting a weighted summation of the filter input and filter output where the weights are a function of the grating lobe level.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

(e) displaying an image as a function of the weighted summation output.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the weights are one of:

1 for the filter input and 0 for filter output, and 0 for the filter input and 1 for filter output.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein (d) comprises modulating a gain as a function of the grating lobe level.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein (b) comprises filtering with the bandwidth of the band-pass filter being narrower than a bandwidth of the ultrasound data and a center frequency of the band-pass filter being lower than a center frequency associated with the ultrasound data.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein (a), (b) and (c) are performed separately for a plurality of locations within a scanned region.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein (d), (c) or (d) and (c) are varied as a function of steering angle, range or steering angle and range.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein (d) and (c) comprises adaptively rejecting grating lobe energy in beamforming as a function of an object field being scanned.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein (c) comprises determining an amount of grating lobe energy in the ultrasound data and (d) comprises reducing an amount of grating lobe clutter in image signals.

15. A system for adaptive grating lobe suppression in ultrasound processing, the system comprising:

an ultrasound transducer; and

a processor connected with the ultrasound transducer, the processor operable to determine a level of grating lobe clutter in ultrasound data from the ultrasound transducer and operable to alter processing in response to the level of grating lobe clutter;

wherein the processor comprise a band-pass filter operable to filter the ultrasound data prior to detection, the level of grating lobe clutter determined as a function of the ultrasound data input to the filter and filtered ultrasound data output from the filter.

16. A method for adaptive grating lobe suppression in ultrasound processing, the method comprising:

(a) measuring a level of grating lobe energy from received ultrasound data; and

(b) adapting data processes to reduce the level of grating lobe energy in the received ultrasound data;

(a1) filtering with a filter having a lower center frequency than for the received ultrasound data; and

(a2) comparing the received ultrasound data with filtered ultrasound data responsive to the filter; and

wherein (b) comprises one of;

(b1) modulating a gain as a function of the comparison of(a2); and

(b2) selecting one of the received ultrasound data, the filtered ultrasound data and combinations thereof as a function of the comparison of (a2).

17. A method for adaptive grating lobe suppression in ultrasound processing, the method comprising:

(a) axially processing received ultrasound data;

(b) adapting a data process as a function of the axial processing to reduce grating lobe energy in the received ultrasound data; and

(c) generating an image as a function of the received ultrasound data with reduced grating lobe energy.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein (a) comprises axially filtering the received ultrasound data, the axial filtering operable to alter grating lobe content of the received ultrasound data.