System and method for providing variable ultrasound array processing in a post-storage mode
First Claim
1. A method of analyzing movement of blood or anatomical structures or both within a region of interest, operating in conjunction with B-mode or color flow imaging modes or both, the method comprising:
- activating a transmit aperture within a multi-element transducer array;
transmitting one or more ultrasonic beams along one or more scan directions that span the region of interest;
for each transmit event, receiving ultrasound echoes from each element of a receive aperture;
grouping the receive channel echo data into two or more sets corresponding to a first set of receive sub-apertures;
combining each sub-aperture data set to generate partially focused echo-location data for one or more reconstruction lines;
storing all the sub-aperture echo data sets during a storage period in a format that can be retrieved for later analysis, such that the stored, partially focused echo data sets are capable of being recombined according to a second, different set of receive sub-apertures; and
determining a sound speed value by iteratively focusing data of two or more receive sub-apertures under different respective trial sound speed values.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An ultrasonic imaging method includes activating a transmit aperture within a multi-element transducer array, transmitting one or more ultrasonic beams along scan direction(s) that span the region of interest, for each transmit event, receiving ultrasound echoes from each element of a receive aperture, grouping the receive channel echo data into two or more sets corresponding to different receive sub-apertures, combining each sub-aperture data set to generate partially focused echo-location data for one or more reconstruction lines, and storing all the sub-aperture echo data sets during a storage period in a format that can be retrieved for later analysis. A method includes, during a post-storage period, retrieving stored sub-aperture data, combining the sub-aperture data to form one or more selected reconstruction lines, processing echo data to extract motion information from one or more sample positions along the selected reconstruction lines, and displaying an image representative of the processed motion information.
95 Citations
31 Claims
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1. A method of analyzing movement of blood or anatomical structures or both within a region of interest, operating in conjunction with B-mode or color flow imaging modes or both, the method comprising:
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activating a transmit aperture within a multi-element transducer array; transmitting one or more ultrasonic beams along one or more scan directions that span the region of interest; for each transmit event, receiving ultrasound echoes from each element of a receive aperture; grouping the receive channel echo data into two or more sets corresponding to a first set of receive sub-apertures; combining each sub-aperture data set to generate partially focused echo-location data for one or more reconstruction lines; storing all the sub-aperture echo data sets during a storage period in a format that can be retrieved for later analysis, such that the stored, partially focused echo data sets are capable of being recombined according to a second, different set of receive sub-apertures; and determining a sound speed value by iteratively focusing data of two or more receive sub-apertures under different respective trial sound speed values. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A system for analyzing movement of blood or anatomical structures or both within a region of interest, operating in conjunction with B-mode or color flow imaging modes or both, the system comprising:
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a processing device; and a storage device; said processing device operating, during a storage period, to; generate signals that result in activating a transmit aperture within a multi-element transducer array; generate signals that result in instructing the transducer array to transmit one or more ultrasonic beams along one or more scan directions that span the region of interest; for each transmit event, receiving data representing ultrasound echoes from each element of a receive aperture; grouping the receive channel echo data into two or more sets corresponding to a first group of different receive sub-apertures; combining each sub-aperture data set to generate partially focused echolocation data for one or more reconstruction lines; storing all the sub-aperture echo data sets in said storage device in a format that can be retrieved for later analysis, such that the stored, partially focused echolocation data is configured to be recombined into a second group of different receive sub-apertures; and determining a sound speed value by iteratively focusing data of two or more receive sub-apertures under different respective trial sound speeds.
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26. A method of analyzing movement of blood or anatomical structures or both within a region of interest, the method comprising:
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retrieving sub-aperture data generated during a previous storage period where the sub-aperture data represents partially focused echo-location data resulting from grouping receive channel echo data from elements of a receive aperture into different receive sub-apertures that follow a first set of scan lines; determining a sound speed by selecting one of a plurality of trial sound speed values resulting in an optimal focus of one or more of the sub-apertures; combining the sub-aperture data to form one or more selected reconstruction lines, wherein the selected reconstruction lines correspond to a second set of scan lines that differ from the first set of scan lines; processing echo data to extract motion information from one or more sample positions along the selected reconstruction lines; and displaying an image representative of the processed motion information. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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30. A system for analyzing movement of blood or anatomical structures or both within a region of interest, operating in conjunction with B-mode or color flow imaging modes or both, the system comprising:
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a processing device; and a storage device; said processing element operating, during a post-storage period, to; access a storage device storing sub-aperture data generated during a previous storage period where the sub-aperture data represents partially focused echo location data resulting from grouping receive channel echo data from elements of a receive aperture into different receive sub-apertures that correspond to a first set of scan lines; retrieve from said storage device stored sub-aperture data at a rate that is not bound by a rate at which the stored sub-aperture data was acquired; determine a sound speed by selecting one of a plurality of trial sound speed values resulting in an optimal focus of one or more of the sub-apertures; combine the sub-aperture data to form one or more selected reconstruction lines that correspond to a second set of scan lines different from the first set of scan lines; process echo data to extract motion information from one or more sample positions along the selected reconstruction lines; and generate signals that result in displaying an image representative of the processed motion information.
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31. A method of analyzing movement of blood or anatomical structures or both within a region of interest, operating in conjunction with B-mode or color flow imaging modes or both, the method comprising:
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activating a transmit aperture within a multi-element transducer array; transmitting one or more ultrasonic beams along one or more scan directions that span the region of interest; for each transmit event, receiving ultrasound echoes from each element of a receive aperture; grouping the receive channel echo data into two or more sets corresponding to a first set of different receive sub-apertures; combining each sub-aperture data set to generate partially focused echo-location data for one or more reconstruction lines; storing all the sub-aperture echo data sets during a storage period, such that the stored, partially focused echo location data sets are capable of being recombined according to one or more different sets of different receive sub-apertures; combining the sub-aperture data to form a second set of receive sub-apertures corresponding to one or more selected reconstruction lines during a post-storage period; determining a sound speed value corresponding to the stored sub-aperture echo data sets by iteratively focusing the first set of sub-apertures under different trial speed values and selecting the trial speed value that yields an optimal focusing result; processing echo data to extract motion information from one or more sample positions along the selected reconstruction lines; and displaying an image representative of the processed motion information.
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Specification