Methods and apparatus for ultrasound imaging
View Patent ↗Systems and methods are described to determine a region of interest, determine a first beam steering angle of a first ultrasound beam transmitted from an ultrasound transducer array that results in a maximum representative signal value received from the region of interest, determine a second beam steering angle based on the first beam steering angle, the second beam steering angle being closer to perpendicular with the ultrasound transducer array than the first beam steering angle, and acquire an ultrasound image using a beam transmitted from the ultrasound transducer array at the second beam steering angle.
1. A method of creating an ultrasound image, comprising:
determining a region of interest;
determining a first beam steering angle of a first ultrasound beam transmitted from an ultrasound transducer array that results in a maximum representative signal value received from the region of interest;
determining a second beam steering angle based on the first beam steering angle, the second beam steering angle being closer to perpendicular with the ultrasound transducer array than the first beam steering angle;
acquiring an ultrasound image using a beam transmitted from the ultrasound transducer array at the second beam steering angle;
acquiring a second ultrasound image using a beam transmitted from the ultrasound transducer array at a third beam steering angle, the third beam steering angle being closer to perpendicular with the ultrasound transducer array than the second beam steering angle; and
combining the ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image to generate a third ultrasound image.
2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the region of interest is pre-set or defined by the user.
3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the representative signal value is one of mean, mode, median, percentile value or other statistical values.
4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the first beam steering angle comprises varying a beam steering angle at a fixed angular increment or a variable angular increment.
5. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the representative signal value is one of RF-signal, IF signal, demodulated baseband signal, line (i.e., beam) data, or scan-converted B-mode image signal.
6. A method according to claim 1 , further comprising combining the ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image with weights.
7. A method according to claim 6 , wherein the weights are dependent on the image pixel signals at each image pixel location.
8. A method according to claim 1 , wherein determining the first beam steering angle is based on the derivative of the representative signal value.
9. A non-transitory medium storing processor-executable program code, the program code executable by a device to:
determine a region of interest;
determine a first beam steering angle of a first ultrasound beam transmitted from an ultrasound transducer array that results in a maximum representative signal value received from the region of interest;
determine a second beam steering angle based on the first beam steering angle, the second beam steering angle being closer to perpendicular with the ultrasound transducer array than the first beam steering angle;
acquire an ultrasound image using a beam transmitted from the ultrasound transducer array at the second beam steering angle;
acquire a second ultrasound image using a beam transmitted from the ultrasound transducer array at a third beam steering angle, the third beam steering angle being closer to perpendicular with the ultrasound transducer array than the second beam steering angle; and
combine the ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image to generate a third ultrasound image.
10. A medium according to claim 9 , wherein the region of interest is pre-set or defined by the user.
11. A medium according to claim 9 , wherein the representative signal value is one of mean, mode, median, percentile value or other statistical values.
12. A medium according to claim 9 , wherein determination of the first beam steering angle comprises varying a beam steering angle at a fixed angular increment or a variable angular increment.
13. A medium according to claim 9 , wherein the representative signal value is one of RF-signal, IF signal, demodulated baseband signal, line (i.e., beam) data, or scan-converted B-mode image signal.
14. A medium according to claim 9 , the program code further executable by a device to:
combine the ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image with weights.
15. A medium according to claim 14 , wherein the weights are dependent on the image pixel signals at each image pixel location.
16. A medium according to claim 9 , wherein determination of the first beam steering angle is based on the derivative of the representative signal value.
17. A system comprising:
an ultrasound transducer comprising an array of transducer elements;
a memory storing processor-executable program code; and
a processor to execute the processor-executable program code in order to cause the system to:
determine a region of interest;
determine a first beam steering angle of a first ultrasound beam transmitted from the array that results in a maximum representative signal value received from the region of interest;
determine a second beam steering angle based on the first beam steering angle, the second beam steering angle being closer to perpendicular with the array than the first beam steering angle;
acquire an ultrasound image using a beam transmitted from the array at the second beam steering angle;
acquire a second ultrasound image using a beam transmitted from the array at a third beam steering angle, the third beam steering angle being closer to perpendicular with the array than the second beam steering angle; and
combine the ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image to generate a third ultrasound image.
18. A system according to claim 17 , wherein the region of interest is pre-set or defined by the user.
19. A system according to claim 17 , wherein the representative signal value is one of mean, mode, median, percentile value or other statistical values.
20. A system according to claim 17 , wherein determination of the first beam steering angle comprises varying a beam steering angle at a fixed angular increment or a variable angular increment.
21. A system according to claim 17 , wherein the representative signal value is one of RF-signal, IF signal, demodulated baseband signal, line (i.e., beam) data, or scan-converted B-mode image signal.
22. A system according to claim 17 , the processor-executable program code further to cause the system to:
combine the ultrasound image and the second ultrasound image with weights.
23. A system according to claim 22 , wherein the weights are dependent on the image pixel signals at each image pixel location.
24. A system according to claim 17 , wherein determination of the first beam steering angle is based on the derivative of the representative signal value.