Apparatus and method for estimating a velocity of at least one scatterer in a medium
AssigneeE-Scopics
InventorsAdrien Besson, Frederic Wintzenrieth
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus for estimating a velocity of at least one scatterer in a medium, the apparatus including a curved array of virtual transducers (T1-Tn) for emitting Archimedean spiral waves in a plurality of predetermined directions of propagation defined by a set of insonification angles, and for receiving, from the at least one scatterer, scattered signals generated by scattering of the Archimedean spiral waves emitted from the curved array of virtual transducers, a driving and processing unit (Uc) for estimating the velocity of the at least one scatterer.
Claims14
An apparatus configured to estimate a velocity of at least one scatterer in a medium, wherein the apparatus comprises:
- a generator configured to generate excitation signals,
- a curved array of virtual transducers configured to transform said excitation signals into Archimedean spiral waves and configured to:
- emit said Archimedean spiral waves in a plurality of predetermined directions of propagation defined by a set of insonification angles αi, wherein a curvature of said curved array of virtual transducers defines a reference center and a radius of curvature rn, and to receive, from said at least one scatterer, scattered signals generated by scattering of said Archimedean spiral waves emitted from said curved array of virtual transducers,
- a driving and processing unit configured to drive the generator and the curved array of virtual transducers, and configured to estimate the velocity of the at least one scatterer,
- wherein axial and lateral velocity components are estimated using a set of local wavefront orientations αeq,i of the Archimedean spiral waves as a function of:
- the set of insonification angles αi,
- a geometry of the curved array of virtual transducers which includes the reference center and the radius of curvature rn, and
- the distance r from said at least one scatterer to the reference center, and wherein each local wavefront orientation satisfies the following formula:
- α
- eq
- ,
- i
- =
- arcsin
-
- (
- r
- n
- r
-
- sin
-
- α
- i
- )
- .
A method for estimating the velocity of at least one scatterer in a medium, wherein the method comprises:
- generating of excitation signals,
- transforming of said excitation signals into Archimedean spiral waves,
- emitting said Archimedean spiral waves in a plurality of predetermined directions of propagation defined by a set of insonification angles, a curvature of said curved array of virtual transducers defining a reference center and a radius of curvature,
- receiving scattered signals generated by scattering of said Archimedean spiral waves emitted from said curved array of virtual transducers,
- estimating the velocity of the at least one scatterer,
- wherein axial and lateral velocity components are estimated using a set of local wavefront orientations αeq,i of the Archimedean spiral waves as a function of:
- the set of insonification angles αi,
- a geometry of the curved array of virtual transducers which includes the reference center and the radius of curvature rn, and
- the distance r from said at least one scatterer to the reference center, and wherein each local wavefront orientation satisfies the following formula:
- α
- eq
- ,
- i
- =
- arcsin
-
- (
- r
- n
- r
-
- sin
-
- α
- i
- )
- .
The method according 13, wherein the step of estimating the velocity of the at least one scatterer further includes computing the axial and lateral velocity components from the radial and azimuthal components of the velocity field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.