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Concave ultrasound transducers and 3D arrays

  • US 9,220,478 B2
  • Filed: 01/12/2015
  • Issued: 12/29/2015
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A method of producing a volumetric data set representing a region of interest within an object to be imaged, the method comprising:

  • placing an ultrasound probe having an array of transducer elements in contact with the object to be imaged;

    transmitting an un-focused ultrasound pulse into the object with the ultrasound probe from a first transmit aperture comprising a first single transducer element;

    adjusting a size or shape of a first receive aperture by assigning a first plurality of transducer elements to the first receive aperture;

    adjusting a size or shape of a second receive aperture by assigning a second plurality of transducer elements to the second receive aperture;

    receiving volumetric data from the un-focused ultrasound pulse at each of the first plurality of transducer elements of the first receive aperture;

    receiving volumetric data from the un-focused ultrasound pulse at each of the second plurality of transducer elements of the second receive aperture;

    storing the volumetric data received by each of the first and second plurality of transducer elements of the first and second receive apertures;

    coherently averaging the volumetric data from each of the first plurality of transducer elements of the first receive aperture to create a first volume;

    coherently averaging the volumetric data from each of the second plurality of transducer elements of the second receive aperture to create a second volume; and

    incoherently averaging the first and second volumes to create a 3D volume.

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