Optimization of excitation waveform for nonlinear transmit-receive systems
AssigneesAlfred E. Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering at the University of, Southern California
InventorsVasilis Z. Marmarelis, Tae-Seong Kim
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Abstract
A process for optimizing the excitation waveform that is delivered to a transmitter that, together with a receiver, form part of a nonlinear transmission and reception system. The process may include delivering a transmission test signal to the transmitter, generating a receive test signal from the receiver that is a nonlinear function of the transmission test signal, developing a nonlinear model of the nonlinear function, and determining an optimum excitation signal based on the model. An application to ultrasonic imaging for breast mammography is also disclosed.
Claims31
A process for optimizing the excitation waveform that is delivered to an ultrasonic transmitter that, together with an ultrasonic receiver, form part of a nonlinear ultrasonic transmission and reception system comprising:
- delivering a transmission test signal to the ultrasonic transmitter;
- generating a received test signal from the ultrasonic receiver that is a nonlinear function of the transmission test signal;
- developing a nonlinear model of the nonlinear function from the transmission test signal and the received test signal;
- and
- determining an optimum excitation signal for the ultrasonic transmitter that substantially maximizes the signal generated by the ultrasonic receiver based on the model and based on a specified constraint on the excitation signal.
An ultrasonic imaging system for generating an image of tissue comprising:
- an ultrasonic transmitter that converts an excitation signal into an ultrasonic signal;
- an ultrasonic receiver positioned to receive the ultrasonic signal transmitted by the ultrasonic transmitter and that generates a received signal that is a nonlinear function of the excitation signal;
- an excitation signal generator in communication with the ultrasonic transmitter that generates an excitation signal that substantially maximizes the signal generated by the ultrasonic receiver based on a specified constraint on the excitation signal;
- and
- a processing system in communication with the ultrasonic receiver for processing the signal generated by the ultrasonic receiver into an image of tissue disposed between the ultrasonic transmitter and ultrasonic receiver.
A process for optimizing the excitation waveform that is delivered to a transmitter that, together with a receiver, form part of a nonlinear transmission and reception system comprising:
- delivering a transmission test signal to the transmitter;
- generating a received test signal from the receiver that is a nonlinear function of the transmission test signal;
- developing a nonlinear model of the nonlinear function from the transmission test signal and the received test signal;
- and
- determining an optimum excitation signal for the transmitter that substantially maximizes the signal generated by the receiver based on the model and based on a specified constraint on the excitation signal.
A nonlinear transmission and reception system comprising:
- a transmitter that converts an excitation signal into a transmitted signal;
- a receiver positioned to receive the transmitted signal and that generates a received signal that is a nonlinear function of the excitation signal;
- and
- an excitation signal generator in communication with the transmitter that generates an excitation signal that substantially maximizes the signal generated by the ultrasonic receiver based on a specified constraint on the excitation signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.