Plane wave scanning reception and receiver

An ultrasound system for scanning with a wave transmission, the system comprising:

• a transducer array having at least one element;
• a plane wave transmitter electrically connected with the transducer array;
• and
• a receiver electrically connected with the transducer array, the receiver operable to apply a Fourier transform to data representing received signals of the at least one elements wherein the plane wave transmitter is operative to transmit an ultrasound planar wave at an angle relative to the transducer array, and the receiver is operable to interpolate Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the angle.

An ultrasound method for scanning with a plane wave transmission, the method comprising:

• (a) transmitting at least a first substantially planar ultrasonic wave into a region;
• (b) receiving signals responsive to (a) at a plurality of elements of an array;
• (c) applying a two-dimensional Fourier transform to the signal;
• and
• (d) applying an inverse Fourier transform to data responsive to (c).

An ultrasound method for scanning with a plane wave transmission, the method comprising:

• (a) transmitting into a region at least a first substantially planar ultrasonic wave at an angle from a normal to an array;
• (b) receiving signals responsive to (a) at an element of the array;
• (c) applying a Fourier transform to the signals;
• and
• (d) altering Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the angle the altering including interpolating the Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of the angle.

An ultrasound method for scanning with a plane wave transmission, the method comprising:

• (a) transmitting into a region at least first and second substantially planar ultrasonic waves at different angles relative to the array;
• (b) receiving first and second signals responsive to the first and second planar ultrasonic waves, respectively, at the array;
• (c) applying a Fourier transform to the first and second received signals;
• and
• (d) combining first and second data responsive to application of the Fourier transform of (c) to the first and second received signals, respectively;
• and
• (e) interpolating the first and second Fourier transformed frequency data as a function of first and second angles, respectively, prior to (d) the first and second angles corresponding to the different angles of the first and second planar ultrasonic waves.