Ultrasound probe with dynamic focus and associated systems and methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9239375-B2
Application number	US-201313889647-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2013
Priority date	May 8, 2013
Publication date	Jan 19, 2016
Grant date	Jan 19, 2016

Abstract

Exemplary ultrasound probes with sub-aperture processing capable of dynamic focus are provided that generally include an array of transducer elements that form a sub-aperture in the ultrasound probe. The transducer elements can be assigned to dynamic delay update groups and an initial delay can be applied to ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture. A sub-aperture processor can be configured to dynamically apply delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture according to the dynamic delay update groups to which the transducer elements are assigned. Exemplary ultrasound systems with a dynamic focus and methods of transmitting ultrasound signals with a dynamic focus are also provided.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An ultrasound probe with sub-aperture processing capable of dynamic focus, comprising:
an array of transducer elements that forms a sub-aperture in the ultrasound probe, wherein the transducer elements of the sub-aperture are configured to receive ultrasound signals, and wherein the transducer elements of the sub-aperture are divided into a plurality of dynamic delay update groups comprising at least a first group of transducer elements and a second group of transducer elements;
a sub-aperture processor configured to:
apply an initial delay to the transducer elements of the sub-aperture; and
dynamically apply delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture, wherein the delay updates are applied to the ultrasound signals repeatedly for a predetermined time period to approximate an ideal delay profile, and wherein a magnitude of the delay updates is dependent on the dynamic delay update groups.

2. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the sub-aperture processor is configured to:
apply a first delay modification to the first group of transducer elements within the sub-aperture; and
apply a second delay modification to the second group of transducer elements within the sub-aperture, wherein the first delay modification is different from the second delay modification.

3. The ultrasound probe of claim 2 , wherein the first delay modification and the second delay modification are applied in different directions as a delay increment or a delay decrement.

4. The ultrasound probe of claim 2 , wherein the dynamic delay update groups within the sub-aperture are updated at two or more different rates.

5. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the delay updates are a piecewise linear approximation of the ideal delay profile associated with the transducer elements in the dynamic delay update groups.

6. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the transducer elements of the sub-aperture are configured to transmit ultrasound signals, and wherein the sub-aperture processor is configured to apply the initial delay to the ultrasound signals to specify a focal point of the ultrasound signals.

7. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the sub-aperture processor is configured to apply the delay updates to the ultrasound signals to substantially align the ultrasound signals received by the transducer elements in phase for each of the dynamic delay update groups.

8. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the sub-aperture processor is configured to process a first beam with a first set of dynamic delay update parameters and a second beam with a second set of dynamic delay update parameters, and wherein the first set of dynamic delay update parameters are different from the second set of dynamic delay update parameters.

9. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the sub-aperture processor is configured to set a rate for applying discrete delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture.

10. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the sub-aperture processor is configured to set a magnitude of the initial delay applied to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture.

11. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the delay updates are one of an incremented delay, a static delay, or a decremented delay.

12. The ultrasound probe of claim 1 , wherein the sub-aperture processor is configured to apply a set of initial delays to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture, begin applying the delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture in response to a start counter, continue applying the delay updates at intervals specified by a rate counter, and stop applying the delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture in response to a stop counter.

13. An ultrasound system with a dynamic focus, comprising:
an ultrasound probe comprising an array of transducer elements that form a sub-aperture, wherein the transducer elements of the sub-aperture are configured to receive ultrasound signals, and wherein the transducer elements of the sub-aperture are divided into a plurality of dynamic delay update groups comprising at least a first group of transducer elements and a second group of transducer elements;
a sub-aperture processor configured to:
apply an initial delay to the transducer elements of the sub-aperture; and
dynamically apply delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture, wherein the delay updates are applied to the ultrasound signals repeatedly for a predetermined time period to approximate an ideal delay profile, and wherein a magnitude of the delay updates is dependent on the dynamic delay update groups.

14. The ultrasound system of claim 13 , wherein the sub-aperture processor comprises at least one counter.

15. The ultrasound system of claim 14 , wherein the sub-aperture processor is configured to apply the initial delay to ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements, apply the delay updates in response to the at least one counter, apply discrete delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements at a specified rate each time the at least one counter reaches a specified value, and stop the delay updates after completing a specified number of delay updates has been completed.

16. A method of receiving ultrasound signals with a dynamic focus, comprising:
applying an initial delay to ultrasound signals associated with transducer elements of a sub-aperture disposed in an ultrasound probe;
dividing the transducer elements of the sub-aperture into a plurality of dynamic delay update groups comprising at least a first group of transducer elements and a second group of transducer elements; and
applying delay updates to the ultrasound signals associated with the transducer elements of the sub-aperture, wherein the delay updates are applied to the ultrasound signals repeatedly for a predetermined time period to approximate an ideal delay profile, and wherein a magnitude of the delay updates is dependent on the dynamic delay update groups.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising transmitting the ultrasound signals via the transducer elements of the sub-aperture and applying the initial delay to the ultrasound signals via a sub-aperture processor to specify a focal point of the ultrasound signals.

18. The method of claim 16 , further comprising receiving the ultrasound signals via the transducer elements of the sub-aperture and applying the delay updates to the ultrasound signals via a sub-aperture processor to substantially align the ultrasound signals received by the transducer elements in phase for each of the dynamic delay update groups.

19. The method of claim 16 , further comprising processing a first beam using a first set of dynamic delay update parameters and a second beam using a second set of dynamic delay update parameters, wherein the first set of dynamic delay update parameters are different from the second set of dynamic delay update parameters.

20. The method of claim 19 , further comprising applying different delay increments or decrements for the delay updates for each of the first and second sets of dynamic delay update parameters.

21. The method of claim 19 , further comprising applyi

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Cogan Scott D
• Amemiya Shinichi
• Haider Bruno Hans
• Haugen Geir Ultveit

Classifications

• G10K11/346

  using phase variation · CPC title

• G01S15/8927

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

• G01S7/5208 Primary

  with integration of processing functions inside probe or scanhead · CPC title

• G01S7/52095

  using multiline receive beamforming · CPC title