Apparatus and method for generating ultrasonic image

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10111647-B2
Application number	US-201313734092-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 4, 2013
Priority date	Jan 4, 2012
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

Provided is an ultrasonic image generating apparatus that may generate an ultrasonic image by using an ultrasonic transducer which has a wideband frequency transfer characteristic or an ultra-wideband frequency transfer characteristic, such as a micromachined ultrasonic transducer (MUT). A pulse generator of the ultrasonic image generating apparatus may generate a first ultrasonic pulse having a first center frequency and a first bandwidth and a second ultrasonic pulse having a second center frequency and a second bandwidth. The ultrasonic transducer may simultaneously transmit the first ultrasonic pulse and the second ultrasonic pulse.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for generating an ultrasonic image, comprising:
an ultrasonic transducer which has an ultra-wideband frequency transfer characteristic;
a pulse generator which generates a plurality of ultrasonic pulses, wherein each pulse of the plurality of ultrasonic pulses has a different respective center frequency within a frequency band of the ultrasonic transducer, wherein the pulse generator comprises a plurality of bandpass filters;
a controller which controls the pulse generator to:
generate a first ultrasonic pulse using a first bandpass filter of the plurality of bandpass filters, wherein the first ultrasonic pulse corresponds to a first focal point at a first depth,
generate a second ultrasonic pulse using a second bandpass filter of the plurality of bandpass filters, wherein the second ultrasonic pulse corresponds to a second focal point at a second depth different than the first depth, and the second ultrasonic pulse is orthogonal to the first ultrasonic pulse;

an ultrasonic transducer configured to simultaneously transmit the first ultrasonic pulse and the second ultrasonic pulse; and
a processor configured to generate, based on reflected signals corresponding to the first ultrasonic pulse and the second ultrasonic pulse, the ultrasonic image.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, in the ultra-wideband frequency transfer characteristic, a −6 dB bandwidth is greater than 120% of the center frequency of the frequency band of the ultrasonic transducer.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transducer comprises one of a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) and a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT).

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein sample signals received via the ultrasonic transducer are wirelessly transmitted to a target which is positioned outside of the apparatus.

5. An apparatus for generating an ultrasonic image, the apparatus comprising:
a pulse generator which generates a first ultrasonic pulse which has a first center frequency and a first bandwidth and a second ultrasonic pulse which has a second center frequency and a second bandwidth, wherein the pulse generator comprises a plurality of bandpass filters;
a transducer which has an ultra-wideband frequency transfer characteristic and which simultaneously transmits the first ultrasonic pulse and the second ultrasonic pulse;
a controller which controls the pulse generator to:
generate a first ultrasonic pulse using a first bandpass filter of the plurality of bandpass filters, wherein the first ultrasonic pulse corresponds to a first focal point at a first depth,
generate a second ultrasonic pulse using a second bandpass filter of the plurality of bandpass filters, wherein the second ultrasonic pulse corresponds to a second focal point at a second depth different than the first depth, and the second ultrasonic pulse is orthogonal to the first ultrasonic pulse;

an ultrasonic transducer configured to simultaneously transmit the first ultrasonic pulse and the second ultrasonic pulse; and
a processor configured to generate, based on reflected signals corresponding to the first ultrasonic pulse and the second ultrasonic pulse, the ultrasonic image.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein when the transducer receives a first reflected signal which relates to the first ultrasonic pulse and a second reflected signal which relates to the second ultrasonic pulse, storage is performed in a memory of the apparatus by performing radio frequency (RF)-echo signal sampling with respect to each of the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal, and dynamic focusing is performed with respect to each of the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first bandpass filter is configured by using at least one of a matched filter, a correlator, an inverse filter, and a signal processor.

8. The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein each of a first separated reflection signal and a second separated reflection signal is stored in a memory in association with a corresponding focal position, and an ultrasonic image which relates to a target field of view is generated by using the stored signals.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the target field of view is received from a user via a user interface, and at least one of the first center frequency, the first bandwidth, the second center frequency, and the second bandwidth is adjusted based on the target field of view.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein when the transducer receives at least one of the first reflected signal and the second reflected signal, a corresponding focal position of the at least one received signal is adjusted based on the target field of view.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasonic transducer simultaneously transmits at least two ultrasonic pulses from among the plurality of ultrasonic pulses.

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Bae Hyung
• Kim Young-Il
• Song Jong-Keun
• Lee Seung-Heun
• Cho Kyung-Il

Classifications

• B61D15/00 Primary

  Other railway vehicles, e.g. scaffold cars; Adaptations of vehicles for use on railways (conveyor frames mounted for movement on rail tracks B65G41/02; wheeled machines used in permanent way construction or maintenance E01B) · CPC title

• E21F13/004

  Staff transport system · CPC title

• G01S7/52092

  using frequency diversity · CPC title

• A61B8/483 Primary

  involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data · CPC title

• G01S7/52047

  for elimination of side lobes or of grating lobes; for increasing resolving power · CPC title