Ultrasound probe sub-aperture processing

• US 7,527,592 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2003
• Issued: 05/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Company LLC (GE Healthcare Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Haugen, Geir Ultveit, Kristoffersen, Kjell, Wildes, Douglas Glenn
• Primary Examiner(s): CASLER, BRIAN L
• Application Number:
  US10/719,531
• Publication Number:
  US 20050113699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,992 Days
• Field of Search: 600443-447, 600/456, 600458-459, 73625-626, 367/99, 367103-105, 367/119, 367121-123, 128/916
• US Class Current: 600/447
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4494 characterised by the arrangement of the transducer elements devices for short-range imaging using particular transducer elements arrangements under G01S15/8909; arrangements of transducers in generation of mechanical vibrations of infrasonic, sonic or ultrasonic frequency B06B1/0607
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8925 the array being a two-dimensional transducer configuration, i.e. matrix or orthogonal linear arrays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8927 using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52079 Constructional features constructional features of transducers B06B; mounting transducers G10K11/00; constructional features of ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/44

Abstract

A sub-aperture transceiver system for an ultrasound probe includes a signal processor, receive signal connections connecting the signal processor to a receive aperture comprising acoustic transceiver elements, and transmit signal connections coupled to a transmit aperture that includes at least one acoustic transceiver element multiplexed with the receive aperture.

Claims

1. A sub-aperture transceiver system to be housed in an ultrasound probe, the system comprising:

a probe housing;

a signal processor located in the probe housing;

receive signal connections coupling the signal processor to a receive sub-aperture comprising acoustic transceiver elements;

transmit signal connections coupled to a transmit sub-aperture comprising at least one acoustic transceiver element joined to multiplexing circuitry to multiplex the acoustic transceiver element between the transmit and receive sub-apertures, the signal processor performing beamforming on the receive sub-aperture to produce a receive sub-aperture signal; and

a receive sub-aperture output driven by the signal processor for carrying the receive sub-aperture signal from the probe housing.

2. The system of claim 1, where the receive sub-aperture is a triangular sub-aperture.

3. The system of claim 1, where the transmit sub-aperture is square.

4. The system of claim 1, where the receive sub-aperture comprises at least two uneven rows of acoustic transceiver elements.

5. The system of claim 1, where the receive signal connections couple the signal processor to a plurality of receive sub-apertures.

6. The system of claim 1, where the transmit signal connections couple the signal processor to a plurality of transmit sub-apertures.

7. The system of claim 6, where the receive sub-apertures are triangular receive sub-apertures.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of signal processors coupled to a corresponding plurality of receive sub-apertures, each of the signal processors performing beamforming for the corresponding receive sub-aperture.

9. The system of claim 8, where the receive signal connections further couple each signal processor to the corresponding receive sub-apertures, the receive sub-apertures collectively forming a receive aperture.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiplexing circuitry includes a receive signal blocking circuit coupled to the transmit signal connections to block the receive sub-aperture signal.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiplexing circuitry includes a transmit signal blocking circuit connected to the receive signal connections to block transmit signals.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiplexing circuitry includes a diode arrangement coupled to the transmit signal connections to block the receive sub-aperture signal.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the multiplexing circuitry includes a diode arrangement connected to the receive signal connections to block transmit signals.

14. A sub-aperture transceiver system comprising:

a first processing board having a data input to receive first setup data;

a second processing board joined serially in a chained arrangement with the first processing board the second processing board having a data input to receive second setup data; and

receive signal connections for a plurality of receive sub-apertures distributed between the first and second processing boards, the first and second processing boards producing first and second receive data, respectively, based upon first and second setup data, the first and second setup data being propagated serially between the first processing board and the second processing board;

where the receive signal connections couple each receive sub-aperture to at least one of the first and second processing boards without partitioning any receive sub-aperture between the first and second processing boards.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

transmit signal connections for a plurality of transmit sub-apertures distributed between the first and second processing boards,

where the transmit signal connections couple each transmit sub-aperture to at least one of the processing boards without partitioning any transmit sub-aperture between the processing boards.

16. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

transmit signal connections for a plurality of transmit sub-apertures distributed between the first and second processing boards,

where at least one transmit sub-aperture comprises a transducer element multiplexed between at least one receive sub-aperture.

17. The system of claim 16, where the transmit sub-apertures are square transmit sub-apertures.

18. The system of claim 14, further comprising a first cable bearing selected ones of the receive signal connections to the first processing board and a second cable bearing selected ones of the receive signal connections to the second processing board.

19. The system of claim 18, where the first and second cables are flex cables.

20. The system of claim 18, where the first cable comprises selected ones of the receive signal connections for a first transducer array line.

21. The system of claim 14, further comprising a first signal processor on the first processing board and a second signal processor on the second processing board.

22. The system of claim 21, where the first signal processor is coupled to a first plurality of receive sub-apertures through the receive signal connections and where the second signal processor is coupled to a second plurality of receive sub-apertures through the receive signal connections.

23. The system of claim 14, where the receive sub-apertures are triangular receive sub-apertures.

24. The system of claim 14, where the first and second processing boards are disposed in an ultrasound probe.

25. The system of claim 14, further comprising a controller connected over digital signal lines to the first and second processing boards, the controller passing at least one of static and dynamic setup information as the first and second setup data to the first and second processing boards.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein the first and second setup data include dynamic setup information that varies from receive beam to receive beam.

27. The system of claim 14, further comprising memory storing the first and second setup data organized into pages, where each page stores beam directional setup information associated with a complete scan sequence.

28. A method in an ultrasound system for sub-aperture processing, the method comprising:

performing sub-aperture beamforming, at a signal processor located in an ultrasound probe, based on a plurality of receive signals received from acoustic transducer elements that form a receive sub-aperture;

multiplexing, within the ultrasound probe, at least one of the acoustic transducer elements between the receive sub-aperture and a transmit sub-aperture; and

driving a receive sub-aperture output by the signal processor with a receive sub-aperture signal obtained over the acoustic transducer elements in the receive sub-aperture.

29. The method of claim 28, where the receive sub-aperture is a triangular sub-aperture.

30. The method of claim 28, where the transmit sub-aperture is square.

31. A method in an ultrasound system for sub-aperture processing, the method comprising:

receiving, for a plurality of receive sub-apertures, receive signals distributed to a first signal processor on a first processing board and a second signal processor on a second processing board without partitioning any of the receive sub-apertures between the processing boards;

multiplexing, within the ultrasound probe, at least one of the acoustic transducer elements between a receive sub-aperture and a transmit sub-aperture; and

driving a receive sub-aperture output by the first signal processor with a receive sub-aperture signal obtained over the acoustic transducer elements in the receive sub-aperture.

32. A method in an ultrasound system for sub-aperture processing, the method comprising:

receiving, at a signal processor located in an ultrasound probe, a plurality of receive signals from acoustic transducer elements that comprise a receive sub-aperture;

multiplexing, within the ultrasound probe, at least one of the acoustic transducer elements between the receive subaperture and a transmit sub-aperture;

driving a receive sub-aperture output coupled to the signal processor with a signal obtained over the acoustic transducer elements in the receive sub-aperture;

coupling transmit signals to a plurality of transmit apertures over transmit signal connections distributed between the first and second processing boards, and

where the transmit signal connections couple each transmit sub-aperture to at least one of the processing boards without partitioning any of the transmit sub-apertures between the processing boards.