US 6,190,322 B1 · Ultrasonic imaging system and method using linear cancellation

Abstract

Disclosed is a system and method for generating an ultrasound echo signal with reduced linear components. In one embodiment, the system comprises an excitation signal source configured to generate a first excitation signal and a second excitation signal, and a transducer coupled to the excitation signal source, the transducer being configured to emit a first asymmetric ultrasonic pulse in response to the first excitation signal and a second asymmetric ultrasonic pulse in response to the second excitation signal, the first and second asymmetric ultrasonic pulses being emitted into a medium. The system also entails a beamformer coupled to the transducer, the beamformer configured to generate a first echo signal and a second echo signal received by the transducer from the medium in response to the first and second asymmetric ultrasonic pulses, and an envelope detector coupled to the beamformer, the envelope detector configured to generate a first echo envelope from the first echo signal and a second echo envelope from the second echo signal. The present system also includes an acoustic line memory coupled to the envelope detector configured to store the first echo envelope, and an arithmetic junction coupled to the envelope detector, the arithmetic junction configured to subtract the first echo envelope from the second echo envelope, thereby canceling nonlinearities.

Claims13

Dependent claims

An ultrasound imaging system adapted to generate a nonlinear ultrasound echo signal with reduced linear components, comprising:

an excitation signal source configured to generate a first excitation signal and a second excitation signal;
a transducer coupled to the excitation signal source, the transducer being configured to emit a first asymmetric ultrasonic pulse in response to the first excitation signal and a second asymmetric ultrasonic pulse in response to the second excitation signal, the first and second asymmetric ultrasonic pulses being emitted into a medium;
a beamformer coupled to the transducer, the beamformer configured to generate a first echo signal and a second echo signal received by the transducer from the medium in response to the first and second asymmetric ultrasonic pulses;
an envelope detector coupled to the beamformer, the envelope detector configured to generate a first echo envelope from the first echo signal and a second echo envelope from the second echo signal;
an acoustic line memory coupled to the envelope detector for storing the first echo envelope;
and
an arithmetic junction coupled to an output of the envelope detector and the acoustic line memory, the arithmetic junction configured to perform a subtraction between the first echo envelope and the second echo envelope.

4 more elements

A method for generating a nonlinear ultrasound echo signal with reduced linear components in an ultrasound imaging system, comprising the steps of:

consecutively generating a first asymmetric ultrasonic pulse and a second asymmetric ultrasonic pulse, the first and second asymmetric ultrasonic pulses being emitted into a medium, thereby generating a first and second echo signals, respectively;
generating a first envelope signal from the first echo signal and a second envelope signal from the second echo signal;
and
performing subsequent to the step of generating, a subtraction between the first envelope signal and the second envelope signal.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Ultrasonic imaging system and method using linear cancellation

Life of this patent

Ultrasonic imaging system and method using linear cancellation

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims13