Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and control method thereof

• US 10,485,512 B2
• Filed: 12/12/2014
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kim, Baehyung, Kim, Youngil, Song, Jong Keun, Lee, Seungheun, Cho, Kyungil
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos Rodriguez, Joseph M
• Application Number:
  US14/568,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20150164473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,810 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/145 characterised by scanning multiple planes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• 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: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• 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 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8997 using synthetic aperture techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52047 for elimination of side lobes or of grating lobes; for increasing resolving power
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54
• CPC Class Codes: G10K 11/346 using phase variation

Abstract

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic transducer array in which ultrasonic transducer elements are two-dimensionally arranged; and a controller configured to control the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit ultrasonic signals and control the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially receive ultrasonic echo signals.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer array in which ultrasonic transducer elements are two dimensionally arranged in rows which extend in a lengthwise direction of the ultrasonic transducer array and columns which extend in an elevation direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction; and

a controller configured to control a transmission of ultrasonic signals, by controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit the ultrasonic signals in transmission events, and to control a reception of ultrasonic echo signals in reception events by controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in the rows to sequentially receive ultrasonic echo signals by shifting the rows in the elevation direction,

wherein the controller is further configured to;

(a) control, for a corresponding transmission event among the transmission events, an aperture formed by the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit the ultrasonic signals,

(b) based on the corresponding transmission event, control one reception event, among the reception events, the controlling the one reception event comprising controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements in one row, among the rows, to receive the ultrasonic echo signals, while sequentially shifting, in the elevation direction, a position of the one row in which the ultrasonic transducer elements are controlled to receive the ultrasonic echo signals until all of the rows in the elevation direction receive the ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the ultrasonic signals transmitted by the aperture in the corresponding transmission event, and

(c) repeat steps (a) and (b) until all of the transmission events of transmitting the ultrasonic signals by the ultrasonic transducer elements are completed.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control all of the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit defocused plane waves, in each of the transmission events.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially transmit defocused plane waves, in each of the transmission events.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control all of the ultrasonic transducer elements of the ultrasonic transducer array to transmit ultrasonic waves in each of the transmission events, and to perform fixed focusing of the ultrasonic waves.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially transmit ultrasonic waves in each of the transmission events, and to perform fixed focusing of the ultrasonic waves.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to control the rows to be sequentially switched one by one to receive the ultrasonic echo signals while shifting the position of the one row in the elevation direction, in each of the reception events.

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to form a table including virtual columns in correspondence to the columns of the ultrasonic transducer elements in the ultrasonic transducer array, and to generate ultrasonic data for reception beamforming in the elevation direction by sequentially storing the received ultrasonic echo signals, at positions in the virtual columns in correspondence to positions of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in the columns of the ultrasonic transducer array.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to control a dynamic reception focusing or a synthetic aperture focusing in the elevation direction using the generated ultrasonic data for the reception beamforming in the elevation direction.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to control an execution of a volume beamforming by using the ultrasonic echo signals sequentially received from the rows of the ultrasonic transducer elements and the generated ultrasonic data for the reception beamforming in the elevation direction.

10. A control method of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the control method comprising:

controlling a transmission of ultrasonic signals by ultrasonic transducer elements in transmission events, the ultrasonic transducer elements being two-dimensionally arranged in an ultrasonic transducer array in rows which extend in a lengthwise direction of the ultrasonic transducer array and columns which extend in an elevation direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction; and

controlling a reception of ultrasonic echo signals in reception events, to sequentially receive the ultrasonic echo signals in the elevation direction by the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in the rows,

wherein the control method further comprises;

(a) controlling, for a corresponding transmission event among the transmission events, an aperture formed by the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit the ultrasonic signals,

(b) based on the corresponding transmission event, controlling one reception event, among the reception events, the controlling the one reception event comprising controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements in one row, among the rows, to receive the ultrasonic echo signals, while sequentially shifting, in the elevation direction, a position of the one row in which the ultrasonic transducer elements are controlled to receive the ultrasonic echo signals until all of the rows in the elevation direction receive the ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the ultrasonic signals transmitted by the aperture in the corresponding transmission event, and

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until all of the transmission events of transmitting the ultrasonic signals by the ultrasonic transducer elements are completed.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the controlling the transmission comprises:

controlling all of the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit defocused plane waves.

12. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the controlling the transmission comprises:

controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially transmit defocused plane waves.

13. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the controlling the transmission comprises:

controlling all of the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit ultrasonic waves and perform fixed focusing of the ultrasonic waves.

14. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the controlling the transmission comprises:

controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in one of the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array to sequentially transmit ultrasonic waves and perform fixed focusing of the ultrasonic waves.

15. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the controlling the reception further comprises:

sequentially switching the rows of the ultrasonic transducer array one by one; and

receiving the ultrasonic echo signals while shifting the position of the one row in the elevation direction.

16. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the controlling the reception further comprises forming a table including virtual columns in correspondence to the columns of the ultrasonic transducer elements in the ultrasonic transducer array, and

the control method further comprises generating a volume image,

wherein the generating the volume image comprises generating ultrasonic data for reception beamforming in the elevation direction by sequentially storing the received ultrasonic echo signals at positions in the virtual columns in correspondence to positions of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in the columns in the ultrasonic transducer array.

17. The control method according to claim 16, wherein the generating the volume image further comprises:

performing a dynamic reception focusing or a synthetic aperture focusing in the elevation direction using the generated ultrasonic data for the reception beamforming in the elevation direction.

18. The control method according to claim 17, wherein the generating the volume image further comprises:

performing a volume beamforming by using the ultrasonic echo signals sequentially received from the rows of the ultrasonic transducer elements and the generated ultrasonic data for the reception beamforming in the elevation direction.

19. An ultrasonic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic probe comprising ultrasonic transducer elements which are two-dimensionally arranged in an array comprising rows which extend in a lengthwise direction of the array and columns which extend in an elevation direction perpendicular to the lengthwise direction; and

a processor configured to perform steps of;

activating all or some of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in the rows, to transmit ultrasonic signals to an object in transmission events,

controlling scanning by all or some of the ultrasonic transducer elements arranged in the rows to receive ultrasonic echo signals reflected by the object in reception events, while activating the rows of the ultrasonic transducer elements one by one in a sequential order of the rows in the elevation direction,

storing the ultrasonic echo signals while performing the scanning of the rows, and

generating a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic echo signals sequentially received from each of the rows in the elevation direction,

wherein the processor is further configured to perform steps of;

(a) controlling, for a corresponding transmission event among the transmission events, an aperture formed by the ultrasonic transducer elements to transmit the ultrasonic signals,

(b) based on the corresponding transmission event, controlling one reception event, among the reception events, the controlling the one reception event comprising controlling the ultrasonic transducer elements in one row, among the rows, to receive the ultrasonic echo signals, while sequentially shifting, in the elevation direction, a position of the one row in which the ultrasonic transducer elements are controlled to receive the ultrasonic echo signals until all of the rows in the elevation direction receive the ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the ultrasonic signals transmitted by the aperture in the corresponding transmission event, and

(c) repeating steps (a) and (b) until all of the transmission events of transmitting the ultrasonic signals by the ultrasonic transducer elements are completed.

20. The ultrasonic apparatus of claim 19, wherein the storing comprises:

storing the ultrasonic echo signals received by scanning the rows in virtual columns of a table, the virtual columns being arranged in correspondence to the columns of the ultrasonic transducer elements in the array,

wherein the received ultrasonic echo signals are stored at positions in the virtual columns in correspondence to column positions of the ultrasonic transducer elements in the array.

21. The ultrasonic apparatus of claim 20, wherein the generating the 3D ultrasonic image comprises:

generating ultrasonic data in the elevation direction from the ultrasonic echo signals stored in the virtual columns;

generating the 3D ultrasonic image by using the generated ultrasonic data in the elevation direction and the ultrasonic echo signals stored while performing the scanning of the rows; and

displaying the 3D image on a display.