# US 11,026,659 B2 · Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 11,026,659 B2
- Document ID: US11026659B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/563,238
- Filed: 2014-12-08
- Published: 2015-04-02
- Granted: 2021-06-08
- Earliest claimed: 2012-06-22
- Assignees: Canon Medical Systems Corporation
- Applicants: Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation
- Inventors: Kuramitsu Nishihara; Akihiro Kakee
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11026659B2

## CPC

- A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image}
- A61B 8/00: Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
- A61B 8/14: Echotomography
- G01S 7/52023: {Details of receivers}
- G01S 7/52034: {Data rate converters}
- G01S 15/895: {characterised by the transmitted frequency spectrum}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES

## Abstract

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to an embodiment includes a receiving unit and a changing unit. The receiving unit outputs an ultrasound received signal. The changing unit obtains, in accordance with a change in a spatial frequency of ultrasound image data subject to an imaging processing, a group of parameters related to a frequency characteristic of an imaging received signal that is output by the receiving unit as the ultrasound received signal to be used in the imaging processing and changes a center frequency and a frequency band to be used in the imaging processing performed on the imaging received signal, on a basis of the obtained group of parameters.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprising:
processing circuitry configured to:
perform a beam-forming processing to output an ultrasound received signal to be used to generate ultrasound image data;
obtain in accordance with a change in a spatial frequency of the ultrasound image data subject to an imaging processing, an upper limit frequency of the ultrasound received signal, a lower limit frequency of the ultrasound received signal, and a peak frequency of the ultrasound received signal, wherein the peak frequency has n-th highest intensity for n-th harmonic frequency, as a group of parameters, the group of parameters being related to a frequency characteristic of an imaging received signal that is output as the ultrasound received signal;
change a frequency of a reference signal to be used in a quadrature demodulation processing performed on the imaging received signal and a bandwidth of a passband, on a basis of the upper limit frequency, the lower limit frequency, and the peak frequency, and
perform, on a basis of the changed frequency and the changed bandwidth, the quadrature demodulation processing and a decimation processing, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:
judge, when a center of the passband matches the peak frequency, whether the upper end of the passband is higher than the upper limit frequency, or whether the lower end of the passband is lower than the lower limit frequency;
in a case the upper end of the passband is higher than the upper limit frequency or the lower end of the passband is lower than the lower limit frequency, change the bandwidth of the passband so as not to exceed the upper limit frequency or the lower limit frequency;
determine a center frequency of the passband having the bandwidth changed, as the changed frequency of the reference signal, and;
perform, on a basis of the changed frequency and the changed bandwidth, the quadrature demodulation processing.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: parameter group storage configured to store therein groups of parameters related to frequency characteristics of each of ultrasound received signals corresponding to ultrasound transmission/reception conditions, wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to obtain the group of parameters corresponding to an ultrasound transmission/reception condition of the imaging received signal from the parameter group storage.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is configured to obtain the group of parameters of the imaging received signal by performing a frequency analysis on the imaging received signal.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the case of receiving a setting request that involves a change in the spatial frequency, the processing circuitry is configured to change the frequency of the reference signal and the bandwidth of the passband.