Calibration of Multiple Aperture Ultrasound Probes
First Claim
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1. A method of calibrating an ultrasound probe, comprising the steps of:
- placing a first array and a second array of the ultrasound probe in position to image a phantom, each of the first and second arrays having a plurality of transducer elements;
imaging the phantom with the first array to obtain a reference image, wherein imaging is dependent on data describing a position of each transducer element of the first array;
imaging the phantom with the second array to obtain a test image, wherein imaging is dependent on data describing a position of each transducer element of the second array;
quantifying a first error between the reference image and the test image;
iteratively optimizing the data describing the position of each transducer element of the second array until the first error is at a minimum.
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Abstract
The quality of ping-based ultrasound imaging is dependent on the accuracy of information describing the precise acoustic position of transmitting and receiving transducer elements. Improving the quality of transducer element position data can substantially improve the quality of ping-based ultrasound images, particularly those obtained using a multiple aperture ultrasound imaging probe, i.e., a probe with a total aperture greater than any anticipated maximum coherent aperture width. Various systems and methods for calibrating element position data for a probe are described.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method of calibrating an ultrasound probe, comprising the steps of:
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placing a first array and a second array of the ultrasound probe in position to image a phantom, each of the first and second arrays having a plurality of transducer elements; imaging the phantom with the first array to obtain a reference image, wherein imaging is dependent on data describing a position of each transducer element of the first array; imaging the phantom with the second array to obtain a test image, wherein imaging is dependent on data describing a position of each transducer element of the second array; quantifying a first error between the reference image and the test image; iteratively optimizing the data describing the position of each transducer element of the second array until the first error is at a minimum. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of calibrating an ultrasound probe, comprising the steps of:
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insonifying a plurality of reflectors of a phantom with the ultrasound probe; receiving echo data with the ultrasound probe; storing the echo data; beamforming the stored echo data using first transducer element position data to form an image of the reflectors; obtaining reference data describing the reflectors; quantifying an error between the image and the reference data; and iteratively optimizing the transducer element position data based on the quantified error. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27)
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28-44. -44. (canceled)
Specification