Angle independent velocity spectrum determination

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10359515-B2
Application number	US-201715632825-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2017
Priority date	Nov 28, 2012
Publication date	Jul 23, 2019
Grant date	Jul 23, 2019

Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system ( 100 ) includes a transducer array ( 102 ) that emits an ultrasound beam and produces at least one transverse pulse-echo field that oscillates in a direction transverse to the emitted ultrasound beam and that receive echoes produced in response thereto and a spectral velocity estimator ( 110 ) that determines a velocity spectrum for flowing structure, which flows at an angle of 90 degrees and flows at angles less than 90 degrees with respect to the emitted ultrasound beam, based on the received echoes.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
a transducer array that emits an ultrasound beam and produces at least one transverse pulse-echo field that oscillates in a direction transverse to the emitted ultrasound beam and that receive echoes produced in response thereto; and
a velocity processor that determines a velocity spectrum for flowing structure, which flows at an angle of 90 degrees and or less with respect to the emitted ultrasound beam, based on the received echoes,
wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on an autocorrelation in response to an angle between a velocity vector of the flowing structure and the ultrasound beam being greater than sixty degrees.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the velocity processor determines the autocorrelation based on a cross-correlation of between spatial in-phase and quadrature signals.

3. The system of claim 2 , wherein the autocorrelation equals the cross-correlation in response to an axial velocity component equal to zero.

4. The system of claim 2 , wherein a modulation of the cross-correlation is compensated for by multiplying the cross-correlation by a compensation factor.

5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the compensation factor is based on an axial velocity estimated from a normally focused line lying between two spatial beams and employing an autocorrelation estimator.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the velocity processor determines the autocorrelation based on an autocorrelation of spatial in-phase signals and an autocorrelation of quadrature signals.

7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the autocorrelation does not include an axial velocity component.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the velocity processor determines the autocorrelation based on an autocorrelation of spatial in-phase signals and a complex conjugate of an autocorrelation of quadrature signals.

9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the autocorrelation does not include a lateral velocity component.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on a measured frequency in response to the angle being less than sixty degrees.

11. The system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a display that visually presents the velocity spectrum.

12. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
a transducer array that emits an ultrasound beam and produces at least one transverse pulse-echo field that oscillates in a direction transverse to the emitted ultrasound beam and that receive echoes produced in response thereto; and
a velocity processor that determines a velocity spectrum for flowing structure, which flows at an angle of 90 degrees and or less with respect to the emitted ultrasound beam, based on the received echoes,
wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on an autocorrelation, and wherein the velocity processor determines the autocorrelation based on a cross-correlation of between spatial in-phase and quadrature signals.

13. The system of claim 12 , wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on the autocorrelation in response to an angle between a velocity vector of the flowing structure and the ultrasound beam being greater than sixty degrees.

14. The system of claim 12 , wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on a measured frequency in response to the angle being less than sixty degrees.

15. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
a transducer array that emits an ultrasound beam and produces at least one transverse pulse-echo field that oscillates in a direction transverse to the emitted ultrasound beam and that receive echoes produced in response thereto; and
a velocity processor that determines a velocity spectrum for flowing structure, which flows at an angle of 90 degrees and or less with respect to the emitted ultrasound beam, based on the received echoes,
wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on an autocorrelation, and wherein the velocity processor determines the autocorrelation based on a cross-correlation of spatial in-phase signals and an autocorrelation of quadrature signals.

16. The system of claim 15 , wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on the autocorrelation in response to an angle between a velocity vector of the flowing structure and the ultrasound beam being greater than sixty degrees.

17. The system of claim 15 , wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on a measured frequency in response to the angle being less than sixty degrees.

18. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:
a transducer array that emits an ultrasound beam and produces at least one transverse pulse-echo field that oscillates in a direction transverse to the emitted ultrasound beam and that receive echoes produced in response thereto; and
a velocity processor that determines a velocity spectrum for flowing structure, which flows at an angle of 90 degrees and or less with respect to the emitted ultrasound beam, based on the received echoes,
wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on an autocorrelation, and wherein the velocity processor determines the autocorrelation based on a cross-correlation of spatial in-phase signals and a complex conjugate of an autocorrelation of quadrature signals.

19. The system of claim 18 , wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on the autocorrelation in response to an angle between a velocity vector of the flowing structure and the ultrasound beam being greater than sixty degrees.

20. The system of claim 18 , wherein the velocity processor determines the velocity spectrum based on a measured frequency in response to the angle being less than sixty degrees.

Assignees

• Bk Medical Aps

Inventors

• Jensen Jorgen Arendt

Classifications

• G01S7/5202

  for pulse systems · CPC title

• G01S15/588 Primary

  measuring the velocity vector · CPC title

• A61B8/14

  Echo-tomography · CPC title

• G01P5/22

  using auto-correlation or cross-correlation detection means · CPC title

• G01S15/8927

  using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures · CPC title