Method and apparatus to produce ultrasonic images using multiple apertures
First Claim
1. A method of determining a position of a receive transducer relative to an insonifying transducer, the method comprising the steps of:
- transmitting an ultrasound pulse from a first transmit transducer located on a first array;
receiving and storing a first set of echo returns with transducers located on the first array;
receiving and storing a second set of echo returns on a first receive transducer located on a second array;
identifying a first patch of the first set of echo returns that is similar to a second patch of the second set of echo returns; and
solving simultaneous equations from the similar first and second patches to determine a position of the first receive transducer relative to the first transmit transducer.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A combination of an ultrasonic scanner and an omnidirectional receive transducer for producing a two-dimensional image from the echoes received by the single omnidirectional transducer is described. Two-dimensional images with different noise components can be constructed from the echoes received by additional transducers. These can be combined to produce images with better signal to noise ratios and lateral resolution. Also disclosed is a method based on information content to compensate for the different delays for different paths through intervening tissue is described. Specular reflections are attenuated by using even a single omnidirectional receiver displaced from the insonifying probe. The disclosed techniques have broad application in medical imaging but are ideally suited to multi-aperture cardiac imaging using two or more intercostal spaces. Since lateral resolution is determined primarily by the aperture defined by the end elements, it is not necessary to fill the entire aperture with equally spaced elements. In fact, gaps can be left to accommodate spanning a patient'"'"'s ribs, or simply to reduce the cost of the large aperture array. Multiple slices using these methods can be combined to form three-dimensional images.
-
Citations
19 Claims
-
1. A method of determining a position of a receive transducer relative to an insonifying transducer, the method comprising the steps of:
-
transmitting an ultrasound pulse from a first transmit transducer located on a first array; receiving and storing a first set of echo returns with transducers located on the first array; receiving and storing a second set of echo returns on a first receive transducer located on a second array; identifying a first patch of the first set of echo returns that is similar to a second patch of the second set of echo returns; and solving simultaneous equations from the similar first and second patches to determine a position of the first receive transducer relative to the first transmit transducer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A method of ultrasound imaging, comprising:
-
insonifying a target tissue with an ultrasound pulse from a transmit transducer; detecting and recording echo returns from the ultrasound pulse with the transmit transducer and with a receive transducer; identifying a first patch of echo returns detected by the transmit transducer that is similar to a second patch of echo returns detected by the receive transducer; solving a set of simultaneous equations from the first and second patches to determine a location of the transmit transducer in relation to the receive transducer; and reconstructing an ultrasound image based on the location of the transmit transducer in relation to the receive transducer and the average speed of ultrasound in the target tissue. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19)
-
Specification