Volume mechanical transducer for medical diagnostic ultrasound

• US 8,647,279 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2010
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Daft, Christopher M., Wagner, Paul A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Long V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LARYEA, LAWRENCE N
• Application Number:
  US12/813,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20110306886A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,342 Days
• Field of Search: 600443-449, 600/459, 310334-337
• US Class Current: 600/459
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0825 for diagnosis of the breast, e.g. mammography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/15 Transmission-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8913 using separate transducers for transmission and reception
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8918 the array being linear
• 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 15/8945 using transducers mounted for linear mechanical movement
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8995 Combining images from different aspect angles, e.g. spatial compounding
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52095 using multiline receive beamforming

Abstract

A one-dimensional array is used for transmit operation, allowing connection with an imaging system for planar scanning and avoiding transmit electronics in the transducer array. A multi-dimensional array is used for reception only, avoiding transmit interconnects while providing greater coherence in elevation. Both arrays are moved to scan different planes, allowing acquisition of data representing a volume. This transducer arrangement may be used for scanning breasts for cancer screening.

Claims

1. A transducer array for medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging, the transducer array comprising:

a one-dimensional transducer array configured for transmit only operation or transmit and receive operation, the one-dimensional transducer array having, for transmit operation, a plurality of transmit elements distributed along an azimuth dimension with only a single row of the elements in an elevation dimension;

a multi-dimensional transducer array adjacent an elevation edge of the one-dimensional transducer array, the multi-dimensional transducer array configured for receive only operation, the multi-dimensional transducer array having N×

M receive elements distributed along the azimuth and elevation dimensions where N and M are both greater than one; and

a motor configured to move the one-dimensional and multi-dimensional transducer array together along the elevation direction.

2. The transducer array of claim 1 wherein the one-dimensional and multi-dimensional transducer arrays are co-located;

further comprising a guide in which the co-located one-dimensional and multi-dimensional transducer arrays are connected together and translate due to force applied by the motor.

3. The transducer array of claim 1 wherein the one-dimensional transducer array is a transmit only array.

4. The transducer array of claim 1 wherein the one-dimensional transducer array comprises first elements distributed along the azimuth and elevation dimensions, the first elements each having top and bottom electrodes and being individually accessed electrically with the bottom electrodes for the receive operation, the top electrodes extending across columns of the first elements in elevation to form the transmit elements for transmit operation, each transmit element comprising a plurality of receive elements.

5. The transducer array of claim 1 further comprising:

a probe housing; and

partial beamforming circuits in the probe housing with the multi-dimensional transducer array, the partial beamformer circuits connected with the receive elements.

6. The transducer array of claim 1 further comprising connections with the transmit elements configured to connect with a beamformer of the imaging system without transmit electronics in a housing of the transducer array.

7. The transducer array of claim 1 wherein the multi-dimensional transducer array comprises a cMUT array monolithically integrated above electronics configured to reduce a number of signals from N×

M signals by at least half through combination of the signals.

8. The transducer array of claim 1 further comprising an additional multi-dimensional transducer array adjacent an another elevation edge of the one-dimensional transducer array opposite the elevation edge, the additional multi-dimensional transducer array configured for receive only operation, the additional multi-dimensional transducer array having additional receive elements distributed along the azimuth and elevation dimensions.

9. The transducer array of claim 1 further comprising a multiplexer, the multiplexer configured to select an aperture comprising a sub-set of the transmit and receive elements along the azimuth dimension.

10. The transducer array of claim 1 wherein the transmit elements comprise piezoelectric elements.

11. The transducer array of claim 1 wherein the receive and transmit elements are spaced along at least ten centimeters in the azimuth dimension, the receive elements grouped into separate tiles abutting each other.

12. An ultrasound system for medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging, the system comprising:

a transducer array comprising a two-dimensional transducer array having a first row of elements configured for transmit operation, the first row of elements distributed along an azimuth dimension with only a single row of the elements in an elevation dimension, and at least second and third rows of elements configured for receive only operation, the second and third rows of elements each abutting an elevation edge of the first row of elements;

a guide arranged to translate the transducer array generally perpendicular to the first row; and

a beamformer configured to transmit acoustic energy with the first row of elements and receive echo signals with the second and third rows of elements, repeated with the transducer array at different positions along the guide such that a volume is scanned,

wherein the second and third rows of receive elements are each a multi-dimensional transducer array having N×

M receive elements distributed along the azimuth and elevation dimensions where N and M are both greater than one.

13. The ultrasound system of claim 12 wherein the first row of elements comprises a one-dimensional array of transmit elements formed from a multi-dimensional array of receive elements, the elements of the second and third rows being a same size as the receive elements, and each of the transmit elements having a length in elevation based on a plurality of the receive elements combined together.

14. The ultrasound system of claim 12 wherein the first row of elements comprises a one-dimensional array of piezoelectric elements and second and third rows of elements comprise cMUT elements.

15. The ultrasound system of claim 12 wherein the beamformer comprises a transmit beamformer in an imaging system releasably connectable with the transducer array and a receive beamformer having a partial beamformer at the transducer array and a system beamformer in the imaging system, the system beamformer configured to beamform from partially beamformed signals output by the partial beamformer.

16. The ultrasound system of claim 12 wherein the beamformer is configured to scan a plurality of planes, each plane being at one of the different positions of the transducer array in the guide;

further comprising a coherent or incoherent combiner configured to combine different scans from a same one of the planes.

17. A method for medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging, the method comprising:

transmitting a plurality of transmit beams in a plane with a one-dimensional array;

receiving, in response to the transmitting, receive beams in the plane with a multi-dimensional array having N×

M receive elements distributed along azimuth and elevation dimensions where N and M are both greater than one, the multi-dimensional array abutting the one-dimensional array along an elevation edge and being free of connection with a transmit beamformer;

mechanically moving the one-dimensional array and the multi-dimensional array; and

repeating the transmitting and receiving at different positions of the one and multi-dimensional arrays.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein transmitting comprises generating the transmit waveforms in an imaging system separate from a transducer assembly of the one-dimensional array, the transducer assembly free of transmit waveform generators.

19. The method of claim 17 wherein transmitting comprises transmitting with the one-dimensional array of transmit elements each formed from a plurality of receive elements, and wherein receiving comprises receiving with the multi-dimensional array and the receive elements.

20. The method of claim 17 wherein the transmitting and receiving are repeated at each of the different positions;

and

further comprising coherently or incoherently combining data from each of the repetitions for each different position.