Design optimization method and device for intracardiac ultrasonic transducer array and medium

Abstract

The invention provides a design optimization method and device for an intracardiac ultrasonic transducer array, a medium and a program product, and relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging equipment. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a marshalling scheme and independent array elements of an ultrasonic transducer array, and marshalling the independent array elements based on the marshalling scheme to form at least two independent equivalent sub-apertures; establishing a spherical coordinate system by taking the geometric center of the ultrasonic transducer array as an original point, determining a pre-deflection direction and an imaging focus of the pre-deflection focus representation array based on the spherical coordinate system, and calculating static time delay; calculating the geometric center coordinate of each equivalent sub-aperture and the flight time of the imaging focus to obtain the dynamic time delay of each equivalent sub-aperture; and obtaining a space sound field based on the static time delay, the dynamic time delay and other parameters. Under the limitation of a limited space, the imaging performance of the ultrasonic transducer array is maintained while array element connection and circuit design are optimized, so that high-quality imaging quality is obtained.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging equipment, and more specifically, to a design optimization method, equipment, medium and program product of an intracardiac ultrasonic transducer array. Background Art

[0002] In the medical field, ultrasound imaging technology, as an indispensable tool, is widely used in the examination of multiple systems such as the heart, abdomen, and blood vessels, providing important imaging basis for clinical decision-making. As the cutting-edge development direction of ultrasound imaging technology, intravascular ultrasound transducers and intracardiac ultrasound transducers have shown great application potential. These miniaturized ultrasound probes can directly intervene in human blood vessels or heart cavities to provide high-resolution imaging information, which is of great significance for the accurate diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases and the formulation of personalized treatment plans. Although these technologies have been initially applied in clinical practice, they still face a series of technical challenges, including but not limited to further optimization of miniaturized design and manufacturing processes, continuous improvement of image quality, breakthroughs in real-time three-dimensional imaging technology, and the difficulty of maintaining stable performance in complex physiological environments. Overcoming these challenges will be the key to promoting the further development and popularization of intravascular and intracardiac ultrasound technology.

[0003] Due to the regular arrangement of the elements of the transducer array, during ultrasonic scanning, a secondary maximum of acoustic energy, the so-called transducer grating lobe, is often formed outside the ultrasonic focusing area. The concentration of grating lobe energy will cause significant artifacts in the ultrasonic images acquired based on the ultrasonic transducer array, thereby destroying the image quality and reducing the quality of clinical diagnosis; at the same time, since the significance of the grating lobe often changes with the deflection direction and focusing depth of the ultrasonic transducer array, the grating lobe also limits the effective imaging range of the transducer. The ideal grating lobe suppression method requires the size of the transducer array element to be less than half of the ultrasonic wavelength, but this undoubtedly greatly increases the number of transducer array elements and makes the related circuit connections extremely complicated, increasing the difficulty and risk of the manufacturing process.

[0004] Intracardiac ultrasound transducers are usually inserted into the atrium through the femoral artery by a catheter. Due to the inner diameter of the artery, the size of the transducer array and circuit stack is very limited. Therefore, optimizing the array connection and circuit design is an important breakthrough direction. In order to simplify the circuit connection and enable efficient data transmission between the front-end research and the back-end control system, Karaman and O'Donnell adopted a synthetic aperture solution ( IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelectr. Freq. Control, 42(3):429-442,1995), synthetic aperture imaging uses the same fewer transducer array elements to transmit and synthesize the target image in sequence, which can reduce the demand for the number of channels. However, this solution has problems such as data storage, low signal-to-noise ratio, and image motion artifacts. Johnson et al. used phased array processing that combines synthetic transmit aperture and synthetic receive aperture ( IEEE Trans. Ultrason. Ferroelectr. Freq. Control , 52(1):51-64,2005), each time only a subarray of the receiving aperture is used to beamform the low-resolution image, thereby reducing the number of channels. These low-resolution images are used to form a high-resolution image through interpolation, weighting, summation, filtering and other processes. However, this method has problems such as out-of-focus imaging quality, frame rate degradation, and motion artifacts. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present invention provides a design optimization method, device, medium and program product for an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array; the method of the present invention can effectively suppress the grating lobe of the ultrasound transducer array, and also optimize the array element connection and circuit design under the limitation of limited space, while maintaining the imaging performance of the ultrasound transducer array to obtain high-quality imaging quality, which is a problem that needs to be solved urgently in the prior art for further clinical accurate diagnosis.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application discloses a design optimization method for an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array, the method comprising: S1, obtaining a grouping scheme and independent array elements of an ultrasonic transducer array, and grouping the independent array elements based on the grouping scheme to form at least two independent equivalent sub-apertures; S2, establish a spherical coordinate system (r, θ, φ) with the geometric center of the ultrasonic transducer array as the origin, determine the pre-deflection focus (r0, θ0, φ0) based on the spherical coordinate system to characterize the pre-deflection direction of the array, and the imaging focus (r1, θ0, φ0); calculate the flight time of the geometric center coordinates of each array element in the equivalent sub-aperture located at the center of the array and the pre-deflection focus (r0, θ0, φ0), and obtain the static delay τ 1( m 1, n 1); S3, calculate the flight time between the geometric center coordinates of each equivalent sub-aperture and the imaging focus (r1, θ0, φ0), and obtain the dynamic delay τ2(m2, n2) of each equivalent sub-aperture; S4, based on static time delay and dynamic time delay, combined with the geometric parameters and acoustic parameters of the ultrasonic transducer array, the spatial sound field P is obtained through computer simulation.

[0007] In some embodiments, the grouping scheme is obtained by the following method: determining an equivalent subaperture size (M1, N1) of a microbeamformer, selecting spatially adjacent array elements with a length direction of M1 and a height direction of N1 to form a single equivalent subaperture; Optionally, the number of the single equivalent sub-aperture is (M2, N2); Optionally, M1, M2, N1, and N2 are all positive integers.

[0008] In some embodiments, the independent array elements are array elements that are distributed in two dimensions after cutting, and the method for obtaining the independent array elements includes: cutting the inner matching layer, the piezoelectric material layer and the dematching layer of the ultrasonic transducer to form gaps and electrical isolation according to the geometric and acoustic parameters of the ultrasonic transducer array, respectively forming a plurality of independent array elements; Optionally, the geometric parameters include any one or more of the following: array outer diameter, array element length, array element height, array element spacing and number (M, N); Optionally, the acoustic parameters include any one or more of the following: emission center frequency, excitation signal s(t), delay discretization step Δτ, and field of view.

[0009] In some embodiments, the plurality of independent array elements are regularly distributed in two dimensions along the length direction and the height direction of the transducer array, and each array element is electrically connected; Optionally, the array element length and the array element height are equal or unequal; Optionally, the numbers of grouping elements along the length direction and the height direction are equal or unequal.

[0010] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: traversing the ultrasound transducer array to form independent equivalent sub-apertures.

[0011] In some embodiments, array elements with the same sequence number in all equivalent sub-apertures have the same static delay; Optionally, each array element within any equivalent sub-aperture has the same dynamic delay; Optional, m1 = 1, 2, …, M1, n1 = 1, 2, …, N1; Optional, m2 = 1, 2, …, M2, n2 = 1, 2, …, N2.

[0012] In some embodiments, the S4 includes: S401, obtaining discrete spatial points in the research plane of interest, calculating the spatial impulse response hm1,n1(x,y,t) of each array element (m1,n1) in a single equivalent sub-aperture over time t one by one discrete spatial point, and traversing the equivalent sub-aperture to obtain the spatial impulse response of each array element in the ultrasonic transducer corresponding to each discrete spatial point; S402, using the static delay in S2 as the signal delay amount, responding to the spatial impulse h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) along time t The time delay correction is performed in the direction to obtain the spatial impulse response of each array element after correction; for a single equivalent sub-aperture, the spatial impulse response of each array element in the aperture is h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) are superimposed to obtain the spatial impulse response that characterizes the single equivalent subaperture. H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); Repeat step S402 to obtain the spatial impulse response of all equivalent sub-apertures H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); S403, based on the excitation signal s ( t ) and the spatial impulse response of the single equivalent subaperture H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ) calculates the waveform response of each discrete spatial point over time, and traverses all sub-apertures to obtain the corresponding waveform response: p m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); S404, performing delay correction on the waveform response pm2,n2(x, y, t) based on the dynamic delay, and superimposing the waveform response after delay correction to obtain a spatial sound field P; Optionally, the discrete space point is recorded as (x, y), where x represents the discrete space point in the length direction of the ultrasonic transducer, and y represents the discrete space point in the height direction of the ultrasonic transducer, wherein x = 1, …, X, and y = 1, …, Y.

[0013] The third aspect of the present application discloses a computer device, which includes: a memory and a processor; the memory is used to store a computer program; and the processor executes the computer program to implement the steps of the above method.

[0014] A fourth aspect of the present application discloses a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program implements the steps of the above method when executed by a processor.

[0015] A fifth aspect of the present application discloses a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements the steps of the above method when executed by a processor.

[0016] This application has the following beneficial effects: 1. This application innovatively discloses a design optimization method for an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array. This method first optimizes the calculation method of static delay and dynamic delay, and then optimizes from the perspectives of array grouping, beam pre-deflection and secondary delay correction, thereby achieving the advantages of significant suppression of grating lobe energy, large field of view and simple circuit structure. This method can accurately simulate the acoustic field distribution and beamforming process of the transducer array, providing strong theoretical support for the optimal design of the transducer. Through this simulation method, R&D personnel can predict and evaluate the impact of different design parameters on transducer performance before actual manufacturing, thereby significantly shortening the development cycle, reducing R&D costs, and ensuring that the performance of the final product meets the expected goals. These innovations enable the intracardiac ultrasound transducer array to provide high-quality and high-reliability ultrasound images while being miniaturized, providing a powerful tool for accurate diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment of heart disease.

[0017] 2. The present application innovatively discloses an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array and a design optimization method thereof, which adopts a multi-layer stacking structure to achieve efficient sound wave transmission and electrical signal conversion, while the highly integrated design greatly reduces the system volume, making it suitable for intracardiac applications; the two-dimensional array element arrangement formed by precise cutting, combined with the innovative equivalent sub-aperture design, not only improves the imaging resolution and frame rate of the system, but also effectively suppresses the grating lobe energy, significantly improving the image quality; the use of a dedicated integrated circuit for preliminary signal processing simplifies the overall circuit design, which not only optimizes the system performance, but also reduces the manufacturing cost and power consumption. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0019] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a method flow chart provided by the first aspect of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a design optimization system for an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array provided by a second aspect of an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a computer device provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of an exemplary computing device provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a storage medium provided by an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of stacking of ultrasonic transducers provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein: Figure 6 a is a schematic diagram of a two-dimensional intracardiac ultrasound transducer array stack in a planar form; Figure 6 b is a schematic diagram of the stacking of the transducer array along the height direction and the axial cross section; Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasonic transducer array provided by an embodiment of the present invention, wherein: Figure 7 a is a schematic diagram of the grouping and sub-aperture division of a two-dimensional intracardiac ultrasound transducer array in a planar form; Figure 7 b is a schematic diagram of the dynamic delay distribution of each equivalent sub-aperture of the transducer; Figure 7 c is a schematic diagram of the beam profile of the transducer after secondary delay correction; Figure 8 It is the two-dimensional sound field distribution under the independent control of all array elements of the two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array provided by the embodiment of the present invention and the sound field contour line passing through the focus along the length direction of the transducer, wherein: Figure 8 a is the sound field distribution diagram, Figure 8 b is the contour line diagram of the sound field; Fig. 9 The embodiment of the present invention provides a two-dimensional sound field distribution under the control of each sub-aperture of a two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array and a sound field contour line passing through the focus along the length direction of the transducer, wherein: Fig. 9 a is the sound field distribution diagram, Fig. 9 b is the contour line diagram of the sound field; Fig.10 The embodiment of the present invention provides a two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array using a two-dimensional sound field distribution under the control of a micro beam former and a sound field contour line passing through the focus along the length direction of the transducer, wherein: Fig.10 a is the sound field distribution diagram, Fig.10 b is the contour line diagram of the sound field; Fig.11 It is a schematic diagram of a computer simulation flow of a method for designing an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array based on a microbeamformer provided in an embodiment of the present invention; In the figure, 1, outer matching layer; 2, inner matching layer; 3, piezoelectric material; 4, dematching layer; 5, flexible circuit; 6, application-specific integrated circuit; 7, backing layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the solutions of the present invention, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0021] In some of the processes described in the specification and claims of the present invention and the above-mentioned figures, multiple operations that appear in a specific order are included, but it should be clearly understood that these operations may not be executed in the order in which they appear in this article or executed in parallel. The serial numbers of the operations, such as 101, 102, etc., are only used to distinguish different operations, and the serial numbers themselves do not represent any execution order. In addition, these processes may include more or fewer operations, and these operations may be executed in sequence or in parallel. It should be noted that the descriptions of "first", "second", etc. in this article are used to distinguish different messages, devices, modules, etc., do not represent the order of precedence, and do not limit the "first" and "second" to be different types.

[0022] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 1 1 is a schematic flow chart of a design optimization method for an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array provided by an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the method comprises the following steps: S1: obtaining a grouping scheme and independent array elements of an ultrasonic transducer array, and grouping the independent array elements based on the grouping scheme to form at least two independent equivalent sub-apertures; In some embodiments, in some embodiments, the grouping scheme is obtained by the following method: determining the equivalent subaperture size (M1, N1) of the microbeamformer, selecting spatially adjacent array elements with M1 in length direction and N1 in height direction to form a single equivalent subaperture; the grouping scheme is based on the catheter diameter, the spatial size of the flexible circuit board and the dedicated integrated circuit; Optionally, the number of the single equivalent sub-aperture is (M2, N2); Optionally, M1, M2, N1, and N2 are all positive integers. For example, M1, M2, N1, and N2 have no size relationship, and they can all be positive integers. For example, the transducer array has a total of 10*10=100 array elements. The equivalent sub-aperture size is M1=5, N1=5, then a total of M2=2, N2=2, that is, M2*N2=4 sub-apertures are obtained.

[0024] In some embodiments, the independent array elements are array elements that are distributed in two dimensions after cutting, and the method for obtaining the independent array elements includes: cutting the inner matching layer, the piezoelectric material layer and the dematching layer of the ultrasonic transducer to form gaps and electrical isolation according to the geometric and acoustic parameters of the ultrasonic transducer array, respectively forming a plurality of independent array elements; Optionally, the geometric parameters include any one or more of the following: array outer diameter, array element length, array element height, array element spacing and number (M, N); Optionally, the acoustic parameters include any one or more of the following: emission center frequency, excitation signal s(t), delay discretization step Δτ, and field of view.

[0025] In some embodiments, the plurality of independent array elements are regularly distributed in two dimensions along the length direction and the height direction of the transducer array, and each array element is electrically connected to the flexible circuit through the ground layer; Optionally, the array element length and the array element height are equal or unequal; Optionally, the numbers of grouping elements along the length direction and the height direction are equal or unequal.

[0026] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: traversing the ultrasound transducer array to form independent equivalent sub-apertures.

[0027] S2: Establish a spherical coordinate system (r, θ, φ) with the geometric center of the ultrasonic transducer array as the origin, determine the pre-deflection focus (r0, θ0, φ0) based on the spherical coordinate system to characterize the pre-deflection direction of the array, and the imaging focus (r1, θ0, φ0); calculate the flight time of the geometric center coordinates of each array element in the equivalent sub-aperture located at the center of the array and the pre-deflection focus (r0, θ0, φ0), and obtain the static delay τ 1( m 1, n 1); In some embodiments, the pre-deflection direction and the imaging focus are determined based on the scanning range of the ultrasonic transducer array. The scanning area of ​​the transducer is defined as: r∈[r1, r2], θ∈[θ1, θ2], φ∈[φ1, φ2], and the relationship between the pre-deflection focus coordinates and the coordinate origin is: within the scanning space angle range (i.e., θ∈[θ1, θ2], φ∈[φ1, φ2]), the distance from the pre-deflection focus to the origin is much greater than the depth range of interest for scanning / imaging (r>>r2); the relationship between the imaging focus coordinates and the coordinate origin is: the imaging focus is within the scanning space range (r∈[r1, r2], θ∈[θ1, θ2], φ∈[φ1, φ2]), and can be any spatial point therein.

[0028] In some embodiments, the flight time is combined with the parameters of the delay discretization step Δτ to calculate the static delay τ1(m1,n1); when calculating the static delay, there are multiple equivalent sub-apertures, and the equivalent sub-aperture located at the geometric center of the entire transducer array is selected to calculate the flight time and the static delay; that is, only the sub-aperture located at the geometric center of the array is selected, and the flight time of the geometric center and the pre-deflection focus of each array element (m=1,…,M1, n=1,…,N1) in the sub-aperture is calculated to obtain the static delay.

[0029] In some embodiments, array elements with the same sequence number in all equivalent subapertures have the same static delay; for example, the first equivalent subaperture includes four array elements with sequence numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, the second equivalent subaperture includes four array elements with sequence numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4, and the third equivalent subaperture includes four array elements with sequence numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. The static delay of the array element with sequence number 1 in the first equivalent subaperture, the second equivalent subaperture, and the third equivalent subaperture is the same, the static delay of the array element with sequence number 2 in the first equivalent subaperture, the second equivalent subaperture, and the third equivalent subaperture is the same, the static delay of the array element with sequence number 3 in the first equivalent subaperture, the second equivalent subaperture, and the third equivalent subaperture is the same, and the static delay of the array element with sequence number 4 in the first equivalent subaperture, the second equivalent subaperture, and the third equivalent subaperture is the same.

[0030] S3: Calculate the flight time between the geometric center coordinates of each equivalent sub-aperture and the imaging focus (r1, θ0, φ0) to obtain the dynamic delay τ2(m2, n2) of each equivalent sub-aperture; In some embodiments, the dynamic delay is calculated for each equivalent sub-aperture; the dynamic delays of the array elements in the same sub-aperture are the same; that is, the array elements in any equivalent sub-aperture have the same dynamic delay; Optional, m1 = 1, 2, …, M1, n1 = 1, 2, …, N1; Optional, m2 = 1, 2, …, M2, n2 = 1, 2, …, N2.

[0031] S4: Based on the static time delay and dynamic time delay, combined with the geometric parameters and acoustic parameters of the ultrasonic transducer array, the spatial sound field P is obtained through computer simulation.

[0032] In some embodiments, the S4 includes: S401, obtaining discrete spatial points in the research plane of interest, calculating the spatial impulse response hm1,n1(x,y,t) of each array element (m1,n1) in a single equivalent sub-aperture over time t one by one discrete spatial point, and traversing the equivalent sub-aperture to obtain the spatial impulse response of each array element in the ultrasonic transducer corresponding to each discrete spatial point; S402, using the static delay in S2 as the signal delay amount, responding to the spatial impulse h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) along time t The time delay correction is performed in the direction to obtain the spatial impulse response of each array element after correction; for a single equivalent sub-aperture, the spatial impulse response of each array element in the aperture is h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) are superimposed to obtain the spatial impulse response that characterizes the single equivalent subaperture. H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); Repeat step S402 to obtain the spatial impulse response of all equivalent sub-apertures H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); S403, based on the excitation signal s ( t ) and the spatial impulse response of the single equivalent subaperture H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ) calculates the waveform response of each discrete spatial point over time, and traverses all sub-apertures to obtain the corresponding waveform response: p m2,n2 ( x , y , t); Specifically, the representation of the spatial impulse response function Hm2,n2(x,y,t) includes four variables m2, n2, x, and y at the same time, that is, "calculating the waveform response of each discrete spatial point over time based on the excitation signal s(t) and the spatial impulse response Hm2,n2(x,y,t) of the single equivalent sub-aperture" is based on the spatial impulse response function of the single equivalent sub-aperture (m2,n2), and combining the excitation signal s(t) to calculate the radiation waveform pm2,n2(x,y,t) of this sub-aperture for all spatial discrete points (x,y) (at this time, m2 and n2 can only have one value). "Traversing all sub-apertures to obtain the corresponding waveform response pm2,n2(x,y,t)" means that according to the same routine as above, m2=1,…, M2, n2=1,…,N2 is achieved.

[0033] S404, performing delay correction on the waveform response pm2,n2(x, y, t) based on the dynamic delay, and superimposing the waveform response after delay correction to obtain a spatial sound field P; Optionally, the discrete space point is recorded as (x, y), where x represents the discrete space point in the length direction of the ultrasonic transducer, and y represents the discrete space point in the height direction of the ultrasonic transducer, wherein x = 1, …, X, and y = 1, …, Y.

[0034] In specific applications, R&D personnel can predict and evaluate the impact of different design parameters on transducer performance before actual manufacturing, and achieve this requirement through parameters such as static delay and dynamic delay.

[0035] Delay refers to the signal time delay required for each array element signal to reach a certain target in phase. Static Delay is located in the dedicated integrated circuit of the ultrasonic transducer array. Its value is usually fixed. The time delay of the ultrasonic signal acting on each array element is realized by analog delay circuit. Static Delay is part of the hardware characteristics. Once the hardware is determined, this value remains unchanged. Dynamic Delay, also known as variable delay, changes dynamically with the imaging focus. For example, when the imaging focus moves to a distant place, the dynamic delay changes accordingly and acts on each equivalent sub-aperture, so that the ultrasonic signal reaches the imaging focus in phase.

[0036] An array is a collection of multiple array elements, which are the basic transducer units of an array transducer.

[0037] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a computer device provided by an embodiment of the present invention, such as Figure 3As shown, the device may include: one or more processors, and one or more memories; wherein the memories store computer-readable codes, and when the computer-readable codes are run by the one or more processors, the method described above may be executed.

[0038] The processor in this embodiment can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. The above processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. The disclosed methods, operations and logic block diagrams in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented or executed. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor, etc., which can be an X86 architecture or an ARM architecture.

[0039] In general, various example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, firmware, logic, or any combination thereof. Certain aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. When various aspects of the disclosed embodiments are illustrated or described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it will be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof as non-limiting examples.

[0040] For example, the method or device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may also be implemented by Figure 4 The architecture of the computing device 3000 shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the computing device 3000 may include a bus 3010, one or more CPUs 3020, a read-only memory (ROM) 3030, a random access memory (RAM) 3040, a communication port 3050 connected to a network, an input / output component 3060, a hard disk 3070, etc. The storage device in the computing device 3000, such as ROM 3030 or hard disk 3070, may store various data or files used for processing and / or communication of the method provided by the present disclosure and program instructions executed by the CPU. The computing device 3000 may also include a user interface 3080. Of course, Figure 4 The architecture shown is only exemplary and can be omitted according to actual needs when implementing different devices. Figure 4 One or more components of a computing device are shown.

[0041] The embodiment of the present invention also provides a computer readable storage medium, such as Figure 5As shown, it is a schematic diagram of a storage medium provided by an embodiment of the present invention, and a computer readable instruction 4010 is stored on the computer storage medium 4020. When the computer readable instruction 4010 is executed by the processor, the method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure described with reference to the above figures can be executed. The computer readable storage medium in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or can include both volatile and non-volatile memories. The non-volatile memory can be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) or a flash memory. The volatile memory can be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDRSDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct memory bus random access memory (DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory. It should be noted that the memory of the methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0042] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a computer program product or system, including a computer program, which implements the steps of the above method when executed by a processor.

[0043] In some embodiments, this embodiment also discloses a design optimization system for an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array, such as Figure 2 As shown, the system comprises: The sub-aperture acquisition module 201 is used or configured to acquire a grouping scheme and independent array elements of an ultrasonic transducer array, and group the independent array elements based on the grouping scheme to form at least two independent equivalent sub-apertures; The static time delay calculation module 202 is used or configured to establish a spherical coordinate system (r, θ, φ) with the geometric center of the ultrasonic transducer array as the origin, determine the pre-deflection focus (r0, θ0, φ0) representing the pre-deflection direction of the array and the imaging focus (r1, θ0, φ0) based on the spherical coordinate system; calculate the flight time of the geometric center coordinates of each array element in the equivalent sub-aperture located at the center of the array and the pre-deflection focus (r0, θ0, φ0) to obtain the static time delay τ1 (m1, n1); A dynamic time delay calculation module 203 is used or configured to calculate the flight time between the geometric center coordinates of each equivalent sub-aperture and the imaging focus (r1, θ0, φ0) to obtain the dynamic time delay τ2(m2, n2) of each equivalent sub-aperture; The output module 204 is used for or configured to obtain the spatial sound field P through computer simulation based on the static time delay and the dynamic time delay in combination with the geometric parameters and acoustic parameters of the ultrasonic transducer array.

[0044] In some embodiments, the grouping scheme in the subaperture acquisition module is obtained by the following method: determining an equivalent subaperture size (M1, N1) of a microbeamformer, selecting spatially adjacent array elements with a length direction of M1 and a height direction of N1 to form a single equivalent subaperture; In some embodiments, the independent array elements in the acquisition sub-aperture module are array elements that are distributed in two dimensions after cutting, and the method for obtaining the independent array elements includes: cutting the inner matching layer, the piezoelectric material layer and the dematching layer of the ultrasonic transducer to form gaps and electrical isolation according to the geometric and acoustic parameters of the ultrasonic transducer array, respectively forming a plurality of independent array elements; In some embodiments, the output module 204 includes: The spatial impulse response calculation unit 2041 corresponding to the array element and the spatial point is used or configured to obtain discrete spatial points in the research plane of interest, calculate the spatial impulse response hm1,n1(x,y,t) of each array element (m1,n1) in a single equivalent sub-aperture over time t one by one discrete spatial point, and traverse the equivalent sub-aperture to obtain the spatial impulse response corresponding to each array element in the ultrasonic transducer and each discrete spatial point; The spatial impulse response calculation unit 2042 corresponding to the equivalent sub-aperture and the spatial point is used or configured to calculate the spatial impulse response using the static delay in S2 as the signal delay amount. h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) along time t The time delay correction is performed in the direction to obtain the spatial impulse response of each array element after correction; for a single equivalent sub-aperture, the spatial impulse response of each array element in the aperture is h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) are superimposed to obtain the spatial impulse response that characterizes the single equivalent subaperture. H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); The spatial impulse response calculation repeating unit 2043 is used or configured to repeat step S402 to traverse and obtain the spatial impulse responses of all equivalent sub-apertures. H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); The waveform response calculation unit 2044 is used or configured to calculate the waveform response based on the excitation signal s ( t ) and the spatial impulse response of the single equivalent subaperture H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ) calculates the waveform response of each discrete spatial point over time, and traverses all sub-apertures to obtain the corresponding waveform response: p m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); The dynamic delay correction unit 2045 is used for or configured to perform delay correction on the waveform response pm2,n2(x,y,t) based on the dynamic delay, and superimpose the waveform response after delay correction to obtain the spatial sound field P.

[0045] Example 1

[0046] like Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the stacking of a two-dimensional intracardiac ultrasound transducer array in a planar form is shown in FIG. The stacking from top to bottom is respectively an outer matching layer, an inner matching layer, a piezoelectric material, a dematching layer, a flexible circuit, a dedicated integrated circuit, and a backing layer. Specifically, the inner matching layer, the piezoelectric material, and the dematching layer are cut to form gaps and electrical partitions to form independent, regularly arranged transducer array elements, each of which is electrically connected through the ground layer and the flexible circuit; the outer surface of the piezoelectric material is connected to the ground electrode through the conductive inner matching layer; the high acoustic impedance dematching layer is between the piezoelectric material and the flexible circuit, reflecting the backward sound waves of the piezoelectric material and connecting the piezoelectric material and the flexible circuit; the dedicated integrated circuit includes the transmitting, receiving, and signal processing circuits, which are connected to the piezoelectric material through the pads of the flexible circuit and the dematching layer, and transmit the transmitting and receiving electrical signals.

[0047] Furthermore, the matching layer is usually composed of a multi-layer structure, including but not limited to an outer matching layer and an inner matching layer. The outer matching layer is generally made of a material with low acoustic impedance, such as epoxy resin or polyurethane, etc.; the inner matching layer is made of a material with high acoustic impedance, such as alumina ceramic or titanium alloy, etc. The thickness of the matching layer is usually one-quarter wavelength or an odd multiple thereof to achieve the best acoustic energy transmission effect. The design goal of the matching layer is to gradually transition the acoustic impedance, thereby reducing the acoustic impedance mismatch between the transducer and the detection medium and improving the transmission efficiency of the acoustic energy.

[0048] Furthermore, the piezoelectric material is the core component of the ultrasonic transducer, and commonly used materials include piezoelectric ceramics, piezoelectric single crystals, and piezoelectric composite materials. The choice of piezoelectric material depends on the application scenario and performance requirements of the transducer, such as frequency range, bandwidth, sensitivity, etc. The thickness of the piezoelectric material layer is usually half the wavelength to obtain the best resonance effect. Conductive materials (such as gold, silver, or platinum) are coated on the two main surfaces of the piezoelectric material as electrodes for applying excitation voltage or collecting electrical signals.

[0049] Furthermore, the dematching layer (or sound insulation layer) is usually located on the back of the piezoelectric material to absorb or scatter the sound waves propagating backwards, preventing them from reflecting back to the piezoelectric material and affecting the performance of the transducer. The dematching layer can be made of a variety of materials and structures, such as polymer-based composite materials, porous materials or gradient structure materials. The design goal of the dematching layer is to minimize the propagation of sound energy in the back direction while ensuring the structural strength, thereby improving the bandwidth and sensitivity of the transducer.

[0050] Furthermore, flexible circuits are mainly used in ultrasonic transducers to achieve the transmission and processing of electrical signals. Flexible printed circuit boards (FPCs) can be bent according to the geometric shape of the transducer to adapt to different spatial layout requirements. ASICs can integrate functions such as signal amplification, filtering, and analog-to-digital conversion to improve the efficiency and accuracy of signal processing. Reasonable design of flexible circuits and ASICs can significantly reduce electromagnetic interference, improve the signal-to-noise ratio, and simplify the overall structure of the transducer.

[0051] Furthermore, the backing material plays a supporting and sound absorbing role in the ultrasonic transducer. Commonly used backing materials include epoxy resin, polyurethane and various composite materials. The acoustic impedance and attenuation coefficient of the backing have a significant impact on the performance of the transducer. The ideal backing material should have a high acoustic attenuation coefficient and appropriate acoustic impedance to effectively absorb and scatter the back sound waves. The thickness and shape of the backing need to be optimized according to the operating frequency of the transducer and the application requirements to achieve the best bandwidth and sensitivity.

[0052] Furthermore, the design of ultrasonic transducers should comprehensively consider factors such as operating frequency, bandwidth, sensitivity, sound beam characteristics, geometric dimensions, etc. The geometric shape of the transducer (such as concave, flat or convex) will also affect its focusing characteristics and sound field distribution. Suitable transducers, such as curved structures and transducers with holes, can be designed according to factors such as the working environment, application scenarios and cost of the transducer.

[0053] The stacked transducer materials are cut to form a two-dimensional array. Specifically, according to geometric parameters such as the outer diameter, length, height, element size, and element gap of the transducer array, the gaps and electrical partitions formed by cutting the inner matching layer, piezoelectric material, and dematching layer are distributed two-dimensionally along the length direction and height direction of the transducer array, and the transducer array elements formed are arranged in a two-dimensional regular manner.

[0054] Furthermore, the array element size includes the length and width of the array element, which may be inconsistent, and the number of array elements divided along the length and height directions does not have to be equal.

[0055] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the grouping and sub-aperture division of the two-dimensional intracardiac ultrasound transducer array in planar form. According to the grouping scheme of the ultrasound transducer array, the array elements obtained by cutting and distributed in two dimensions are divided into multiple independent equivalent sub-apertures. Specifically, the size of the equivalent sub-aperture is set, and the equivalent sub-aperture is formed by grouping multiple spatially adjacent array elements of the two-dimensional transducer array, such as Figure 7 a, spatially adjacent same-color array elements form an equivalent subaperture, and traversing the entire transducer array forms multiple independent equivalent subapertures. Further, the transducer grouping scheme can be one-dimensional or two-dimensional, and the number of grouped array elements along the length direction and the height direction does not have to be equal.

[0056] The secondary delay is calculated according to the pre-deflection direction and the imaging focus. Specifically, the pre-deflection angle and focus of the array are set according to the scanning range of the ultrasonic transducer array, and the static delay is calculated by the equivalent sub-aperture located at the geometric center of the transducer array, wherein the geometric center coordinates of each array element in the equivalent sub-aperture are taken to calculate the flight time with the pre-deflection focus to obtain the static delay. Furthermore, the imaging focus is set, and the flight time between the geometric center coordinates of each sub-aperture and the imaging focus is calculated to obtain the dynamic delay. Figure 7 b shows a schematic diagram of the dynamic delay distribution of each equivalent sub-aperture of the transducer. Each array element in the same sub-aperture has the same dynamic delay.

[0057] After the static time delay is discretized, it acts on the ultrasonic transducer array to form a beam pre-deflection. Specifically, the static time delay is discretized according to the system delay step, and the delay circuit acts on the transmission and reception signals of each equivalent sub-aperture array element in the dedicated integrated circuit to realize the deflection of the acoustic wave profile, wherein for each transmission / reception cycle, the static time delay of the equivalent sub-aperture changes with the specific imaging beam direction.

[0058] After the echo signals of the array elements in the equivalent sub-aperture are delayed and superimposed in the dedicated integrated circuit, digital beamforming is performed in the back-end system to obtain the final image. Specifically, each transducer array element in the equivalent sub-aperture receives an echo signal, which is transmitted to the dedicated integrated circuit through the de-matching layer and the flexible circuit. The echo signal of each array element in each sub-aperture is subjected to the discretized static time delay and accumulated to obtain an analog echo signal representing the equivalent sub-aperture; further, the analog echo signal of each equivalent sub-aperture is transmitted to the digital back-end system, and is transmitted to the digital beamformer after steps such as signal amplification, filtering and sampling. The schematic diagram of the beam profile after the aforementioned dynamic time delay is shown as follows. Figure 7 c, and then the final ultrasound image is obtained after imaging processing.

[0059] Example 2

[0060] In Example 1, an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array based on a microbeamformer is demonstrated, which achieves the advantages of significant suppression of grating lobe energy, a large field of view and a simple circuit structure through array grouping, beam pre-deflection and secondary delay correction.

[0061] Taking into account the diversity of ultrasonic transducer array design schemes caused by complex application scenarios, and the high manpower and economic costs of transducer, application-specific integrated circuit and back-end circuit processing, this embodiment, in combination with the present invention, shows a computer simulation design method for an intracardiac ultrasonic transducer array based on a microbeamformer, which can accurately simulate the sound field distribution and beamforming process of the transducer array, and provides strong theoretical support for the optimal design of the transducer, thereby significantly shortening the development cycle, reducing R&D costs, and ensuring that the performance of the final product meets the expected goals.

[0062] The sound field distribution obtained by independently controlling each array element in the two-dimensional ultrasonic transducer array is as follows: Figure 8 a, the sound field contour line along the length direction passing through the focal position is as follows Figure 8b. The sound field distribution under the independent control of each array element shows good focusing performance and no obvious grating lobe energy. However, the cost of independent control of all array elements is a significant increase in the complexity of circuit design, especially for two-dimensional arrays that usually have hundreds or thousands of independent array elements. Under the constraints of the narrow catheter space in the heart, a large number of channel circuits will make transducer stacking difficult to achieve. For the same two-dimensional ultrasound transducer array, only the two-dimensional sound field distribution under the control of each sub-aperture and the sound field contour line along the length direction passing through the focus are obtained. Fig. 9 a and 9b, it can be seen that due to the reduction in the number of effective channels, significant grating lobes appear in the area outside the focus of the sound field. Correspondingly, the sound field and the contour lines of the ultrasound transducer array controlled by the microbeamformer are shown in Fig.10 a and 10b, in the use of Fig. 9 With the same number of channels, a sound field with significantly suppressed grating lobes is obtained, which has higher sound field focusing performance and a spatial scanning volume available for deflection.

[0063] Fig.11 The figure is a schematic diagram of a computer simulation process of a design method for an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array based on a microbeamformer, which includes the following computer simulation steps: S1: Set the ultrasonic transducer array geometry and acoustic parameters, such as the array outer diameter, length and height dimensions, spacing and number of array elements ( M , N ), transmission center frequency, excitation signal s ( t ), delay discretization step Δ τ , field of view; S2: Set the subaperture size of the microbeamformer ( M 1, N 1) to select adjacent spaces and length directions M 1 and height direction N The number of two-dimensional sub-apertures formed by one ultrasonic transducer array element is ( M 2, N 2) to achieve sparse control of the entire array; establish a spherical coordinate system with the geometric center of the array as the origin ( r , θ , φ ), and set the pre-deflection focus farther away ( r 0, θ 0, φ 0) Characterize the pre-deflection direction of the array and the imaging focus ( r 1, θ 0, φ 0); S3: Take the sub-aperture located at the center of the array and calculate the geometric center coordinates of each array element in the aperture and the pre-deflection focus ( r 0, θ 0, φ 0) and discretize the step length Δ according to the delay τ Get static delay τ 1( m 1, n 1), where m 1 = 1,2, …, M 1, n 1 = 1, 2, …, N 1. Further, calculate the geometric center coordinates of each sub-aperture and the imaging focus ( r 1, θ 0, φ 0) to obtain the dynamic delay of each sub-aperture τ 2( m 2, n 2), where m 2 = 1, 2, …, M 2, n 2 = 1,2, …, N 2; S4: Set the research plane of interest and set discrete spatial points in the plane ( x , y ),in x = 1, …, X represents the discrete spatial points along the length of the transducer, y = 1, …, Y A discrete spatial point representing the height direction of the transducer; S5: For each array element in each sub-aperture ( m 1, n 1), point by point in space ( x , y ) Calculate its t The spatial impulse response of h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ), and thus traverse all sub-apertures to obtain the spatial impulse responses of all transducer array elements corresponding to each spatial point; S6: Spatial impulse response of each array element in each sub-aperture h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) acts on the static delay in S3 τ 1( m 1, n 1) Perform delay correction. After correction, each array element ( m 1, n1) Spatial impulse response function h ' m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) are superimposed to obtain the spatial impulse response that characterizes the subaperture, and the spatial impulse responses of all subapertures are obtained by traversing H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); S7: The excitation signal of the transducer array element is s ( t ), combined with the spatial impulse response obtained in S6 H m2,n2 The waveform response of each spatial point over time is calculated, and the corresponding waveform response obtained by traversing all sub-apertures is: p m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); S8: Calculate the dynamic time delay from each sub-aperture to the imaging focus according to S3 τ 2( m 2, n 2) Delay correction is performed on the waveform responses of each sub-aperture obtained by S7 and the resulting sound field is obtained by superposition. P .

[0064] S9: From the sound field distribution obtained in S8, the main lobe maximum value and -6dB width located in the focal area, as well as the secondary maximum value outside the focal area are used as quantitative evaluation criteria to evaluate the imaging performance of the ultrasonic transducer array parameters and grouping scheme at different imaging depths and beam deflection angles, and the transducer design is optimized accordingly.

[0065] Furthermore, the above simulation example only lists the use of the spatial impulse response method to calculate the spatial sound field of the ultrasonic transducer array under specified excitation signals and time delays; the above spatial impulse response method can be replaced by a sound field calculation method, including but not limited to the point source method, Rayleigh integral method, angular spectrum method, finite element method and other well-known methods.

[0066] Furthermore, if the nonlinear problem in sound propagation is to be further considered, the sound field should be obtained by solving methods such as the KZK equation and the Westervelt equation.

[0067] It is worth noting that only intracardiac ultrasound transducer arrays and design methods based on microbeamformers are listed here; the above arrays and design methods are applied to intravascular, transesophageal and other micro-ultrasound transducer arrays / catheters.

[0068] It should be noted that the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the possible architecture, functions and operations of the systems, methods and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each box in the flowchart or block diagram can represent a module, a program segment, or a part of a code, and the module, program segment, or a part of the code contains one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the box can also occur in a different order from the order marked in the accompanying drawings. For example, two boxes represented in succession can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they can sometimes be executed in the opposite order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each box in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and the combination of boxes in the block diagram and / or flowchart can be implemented with a dedicated hardware-based system that performs a specified function or operation, or can be implemented with a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0069] In general, various example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, firmware, logic, or any combination thereof. Certain aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. When various aspects of the disclosed embodiments are illustrated or described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it will be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof as non-limiting examples.

[0070] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0071] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0072] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of this embodiment.

[0073] In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present invention may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit. The above-mentioned integrated unit may be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional units.

[0074] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described in detail above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and combinations may be made to these embodiments or their features without departing from the principles and spirit of the present disclosure, and such modifications should fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A design optimization method for an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array, characterized in that: The method comprises: S1, obtaining a grouping scheme and independent array elements of an ultrasonic transducer array, and grouping the independent array elements based on the grouping scheme to form at least two independent equivalent sub-apertures; S2, establish a spherical coordinate system with the geometric center of the ultrasonic transducer array as the origin ( r , θ , φ ), determine the pre-deflection focus based on the spherical coordinate system ( r 0, θ 0, φ 0) Characterize the pre-deflection direction of the array and the imaging focus ( r 1, θ 0, φ 0); Calculate the geometric center coordinates of each array element in the equivalent sub-aperture located at the center of the array and the pre-deflection focus ( r 0, θ 0, φ 0) flight time, and get the static delay τ 1( m 1, n 1); S3, calculate the geometric center coordinates of each equivalent sub-aperture and the imaging focus ( r 1, θ 0, φ 0) to obtain the dynamic delay of each equivalent sub-aperture τ 2( m 2, n 2); S4, based on static time delay and dynamic time delay, combined with the geometric parameters and acoustic parameters of the ultrasonic transducer array, the spatial sound field is obtained through computer simulation P .

2. The design optimization method of the intracardiac ultrasound transducer array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The grouping scheme is obtained by: determining the equivalent sub-aperture size of the micro-beamformer ( M 1, N 1), select adjacent spaces with length direction M 1 and the height direction is N One array element constitutes a single equivalent sub-aperture; Optionally, the number of the single equivalent sub-aperture is ( M 2, N 2); Optionally, M1, M2, N1, and N2 are all positive integers.

3. The design optimization method of the intracardiac ultrasound transducer array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The independent array elements are array elements that are distributed in two dimensions after cutting, and the method for obtaining the independent array elements includes: cutting the inner matching layer, the piezoelectric material layer and the dematching layer of the ultrasonic transducer to form gaps and electrical isolations according to the geometric and acoustic parameters of the ultrasonic transducer array, respectively forming a plurality of independent array elements; Optionally, the geometric parameters include any one or more of the following: array outer diameter, array element length, array element height, array element spacing and number (M, N); Optionally, the acoustic parameters include any one or more of the following: emission center frequency, excitation signal s(t), time delay discretization step Δτ, and field of view.

4. The design optimization method of the intracardiac ultrasound transducer array according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of independent array elements are regularly distributed in two dimensions along the length direction and the height direction of the transducer array, and each array element is electrically connected; Optionally, the array element length and the array element height are equal or unequal; Optionally, the numbers of grouping elements along the length direction and the height direction are equal or unequal.

5. The design optimization method of the intracardiac ultrasound transducer array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further includes: traversing the ultrasonic transducer array to form independent equivalent sub-apertures.

6. The design optimization method of an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array according to claim 1, characterized in that: All array elements with the same serial number in the equivalent sub-aperture have the same static delay; Optionally, each array element within any equivalent sub-aperture has the same dynamic delay; Optional, m1 = 1, 2, …, M1, n1 = 1, 2, …, N1; Optional, m2 = 1, 2, …, M2, n2 = 1, 2, …, N2.

7. The design optimization method of an intracardiac ultrasound transducer array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The S4 includes: S401, obtain discrete spatial points in the research plane of interest, and calculate each array element in a single equivalent sub-aperture ( m 1, n 1) Over time t The spatial impulse response of h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ), traverse the equivalent sub-aperture to obtain the spatial impulse response of each array element in the ultrasonic transducer corresponding to each discrete spatial point; S402, using the static delay in S2 as the signal delay amount, responding to the spatial impulse h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) along time t The time delay correction is performed in the direction to obtain the spatial impulse response of each array element after correction; for a single equivalent sub-aperture, the spatial impulse response of each array element in the aperture is h m1,n1 ( x , y , t ) are superimposed to obtain the spatial impulse response that characterizes the single equivalent subaperture. H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); Repeat step S402 to obtain the spatial impulse response of all equivalent sub-apertures H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); S403, based on the excitation signal s ( t ) and the spatial impulse response of the single equivalent subaperture H m2,n2 ( x , y , t ) calculates the waveform response of each discrete spatial point over time, and traverses all sub-apertures to obtain the corresponding waveform response: p m2,n2 ( x , y , t ); S404, responding to the waveform based on the dynamic time delay p m2,n2 ( x , y , t ) to perform delay correction, and superimpose the waveform response after delay correction to obtain the spatial sound field P ; Optionally, the discrete space point is recorded as ( x , y ), x Represents the discrete spatial points along the length of the ultrasonic transducer, y Represents the discrete spatial points in the height direction of the ultrasonic transducer, where x = 1, …, X , y = 1, …, Y .

8. A computer device, characterized in that: The device comprises: a memory and a processor; the memory is used to store a computer program; the processor executes the computer program to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program is stored thereon, and when the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

10. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method described in any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

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