Echolocation Data Generation

• US 20100268083A1
• Filed: 01/07/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Shenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd. (Excelsior Union Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Zonare Medical Systems Incorporated (Excelsior Union Ltd.)
• Inventors: Napolitano, David, Ji, Ting-Lan, McLaughlin, Glen
• Granted Patent: US 8,764,661 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/0833 involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4438 Means for identifying the diagnostic device, e.g. barcodes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4455 Features of the external shape of the probe, e.g. ergonomic aspects
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/462 characterised by constructional features of the display
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/017 Doppler techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02416 Solids in liquids
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02466 Biological material, e.g. blood
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/06 Visualisation of the interior, e.g. acoustic microscopy medical or veterinary diagnosis using sonic waves A61B8/00; representation of acoustic wave distribution G01H3/125, G01H9/002; short-range imaging systems using reflection of acoustic waves G01S15/8906
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/0609 Display arrangements, e.g. colour displays indicating or recording in connection with measuring in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/11 by measuring attenuation of acoustic waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/14 using acoustic emission techniques echo of particles G01N29/046; measuring mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in solids in general G01H1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/348 with frequency characteristics, e.g. single frequency signals, chirp signals measuring frequency of mechanical vibrations or acoustic waves in general G01H1/06, G01H3/04; measuring frequency or analysing frequency spectra G01R23/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8915 using a transducer array
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8918 the array being linear
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/892 : the array being curvilinear
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8954 : using a broad-band spectrum
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8981 : Discriminating between fixed and moving objects or between objects moving at different speeds, e.g. wall clutter filter
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52023 : Details of receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52046 : Techniques for image enhancement involving transmitter or receiver image enhancement by image data processing G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 42/06 : using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

Methods of probing a material under investigation using an ultrasound beam. Echolocation data is generated using a multi-dimensional transform capable of using phase and magnitude information to distinguish echoes resulting from ultrasound beam components produced using different ultrasound transducers. Since the multi-dimensional transform does not depend on using receive or transmit beam lines, a multi-dimensional area can be imaged using a single ultrasound transmission. In some embodiments, this ability increases image frame rate and reduces the amount of ultrasound energy required to generate an image.

Claims

1. A method of generating echolocation data comprising the steps of:

generating first data by converting echoes into electronic signals, the first data having a plurality of values associatable with time and separately associatable with a plurality of positions in at least one spatial dimension, the plurality of values including phase and magnitude information; and

generating the echolocation data using the first data and a data transform responsive to the phase or magnitude information, the echolocation data having at least one value derived from two or more members of the plurality of values associatable with different positions in the plurality of positions.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one value is not generated using interpolation between members of the plurality of values.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein a plurality of values in the echolocation data are each derived from members of the plurality of values having different positions in the at least one spatial dimension.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the echoes are received by a plurality of transducer elements and the different positions of the two or more members of the plurality of values are separated by at least twice the shortest distance between any two members of the plurality of transducer elements.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the data transform is responsive to the phase information.