Ultrasound processing systems, transceiver circuits, and methods related to beamforming
By introducing a delay calculator into the ultrasonic processing system and using hardware to calculate the distance between points on the beamline, the problem of excessively long calculation time in beamforming algorithms is solved, thus improving image generation efficiency and quality.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202410819385.8
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-05-07
- Filing Date
- 2024-06-24
- Publication Date
- 2025-11-07
AI Technical Summary
In existing technologies, beamforming algorithms require extensive calculations of distances between points during ultrasound image generation, which results in excessively long processing times for writing the calculation results into memory, thus affecting image quality.
A delay calculator is introduced into the ultrasonic processing system. By configuring the initial position of the beamline, the position of the receiving ultrasonic component, and the turning angle, the distance between points is calculated, and the distance calculation is implemented in hardware to reduce the computational load on the software.
By calculating the distance using hardware, storage space requirements are reduced, software computational load is lowered, beamforming computation efficiency is improved, and the speed and quality of ultrasound image generation are enhanced.
Smart Images
Figure CN120908784A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasound processing system, a transceiver circuit and a method related to beamforming. BACKGROUND
[0002] An ultrasound image is generated by converting data into a gray scale image using a beamforming algorithm after receiving ultrasound echoes. The beamforming algorithm requires a large number of point-to-point distance calculations, and accurate calculation results affect the quality of the ultrasound image. Generally, software can perform point-to-point distance calculations. However, it can take a long time to write the calculation results to memory. SUMMARY
[0003] The present invention is directed to an ultrasound processing system, a transceiver circuit and a method related to beamforming.
[0004] According to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present invention, an ultrasound processing system includes a transceiver circuit. The transceiver circuit includes one or more delay calculators. Each delay calculator is configured with a beamline initial position, a receive ultrasound element position, and a steering angle, and is configured to determine a position of a point of the beamline and a distance from the point of the beamline to the receive ultrasound element position. The beamline initial position can be any position of a baseline formed by transducer elements, but is not limited thereto. The receive ultrasound element position is a position at which an ultrasound signal echo is received at one of the transducer elements. The steering angle is information of an angular relationship related to the beamline and the baseline. The position of any point on the beamline is determined by the beamline initial position and the steering angle. The steering angle can be different from or the same as an angle at which an ultrasound signal is transmitted. The delay calculator is configured to output distance information between the receive ultrasound element position and the position of a point on the beamline at a time corresponding to the beamline initial position, the steering angle, and an internal counter.
[0005] According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure, a transceiver circuit includes one or more delay calculators. Each delay calculator is configured with a beam line initial position, a receive ultrasound element position, and a steering angle, and is configured to determine delay information from the beam line initial position, the receive ultrasound element position, and the steering angle. The beam line initial position is a position of a starting point of a beam line. The receive ultrasound element position is a position at which an ultrasound signal echo is received at one of the transducer elements. The steering angle is an angle of a direction of the beam line. The delay information is a time for the echo of the ultrasound signal to travel from a point on the beam line to the receive element. It can be derived from a speed of sound and a distance between the receive ultrasound element position and a position of a point on the beam line.
[0006] According to one or more example embodiments of the present disclosure, a method related to beamforming includes the following steps. A transceiver circuit is provided. The transceiver circuit includes one or more delay calculators. Each delay calculator is configured with a beam line initial position, a receive ultrasound element position, and a steering angle. The beam line initial position is a starting position of a beam line, which can be any position of a base line formed by the transducer elements. The receive ultrasound element position is a position at which an ultrasound signal echo is received at one of the transducer elements. The steering angle is information of a direction of the beam line. Position information is determined by the delay calculator from the beam line initial position and the steering angle. The delay information includes a distance between the receive ultrasound element position and a position of a point on the beam line corresponding to the beam line initial position and the steering angle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0007] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present application, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present application.
[0008] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an ultrasound processing system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0009] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a delay calculator according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0010] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of position information according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0011] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an ultrasound processing system according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0012] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method related to beamforming according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0013] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0014] 1, 1': ultrasonic processing system
[0015] 30: transceiver circuit
[0016] 31: delay calculator
[0017] 10: transducer
[0018] 11: transducer element
[0019] 32: analog-to-digital converter (A / D converter)
[0020] 33: beamformer
[0021] 50: controller
[0022] 70: processor DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Reference will now be made in detail embodiments of the application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.
[0024] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic processing system 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 1 , the ultrasonic processing system 1 includes, but is not limited to, a transducer 10 and a transceiver circuit 30. The ultrasonic processing system 1 can be implemented as an inspection device, an ultrasonic scanning device, a computer, a notebook computer, a server, a hand-held device, or other electronic device.
[0025] The transducer 10 includes one or more transducer elements 11. In one embodiment, a plurality of transducer elements 11 are arranged in a line. The line can be a straight line, a curved line, or other shape. In one embodiment, the transducer elements 11 are used to transmit ultrasonic signals / waves and / or receive echoes of the ultrasonic signals. The echoes are generated in response to the ultrasonic signals reaching an object (e.g., tissue, bone, or an organ) and being reflected by the object.
[0026] The transceiver circuit 30 is coupled to the transducer 10. The transceiver circuit 30 includes one or more delay calculators 31.
[0027] The delay calculator 31 can be a programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other digital circuits, other similar components, or a combination thereof.
[0028] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the delay calculator 31 according to an example embodiment of the present application. Referring to Figure 2 , the delay calculator 31 is configured to input and configure a frequency signal clk, an initial parameter init or an enable signal bf enable, an initial position of a beam line (e.g., represented by a two-dimensional coordinate (xb, yb)), an angle-related parameter (e.g., represented by trigonometric functions -sin(theta) and -cos(theta)), and a received ultrasound component position (e.g., represented by a two-dimensional coordinate (xen, yen)).
[0029] The frequency signal clk can be a local oscillation signal provided by an oscillator (not shown) or other frequency signals. In one embodiment, the frequency signal clk is used for synchronization with a program or behavior, such as switching, initialization, or termination.
[0030] The initial parameter init can be used for subsequent calculations. For example, the initial parameter init can be a straight-line distance between the initial position of the beam line (e.g., coordinate (xb, yb)) and the received ultrasound component position (e.g., coordinate (xen, yen)).
[0031] The enable signal bf enable is used to trigger the operation of the delay calculator 31. For example, when (or only when) the enable signal bf enable is set to "1", the delay calculator 31 performs calculations according to the above-mentioned parameters or signals and outputs the calculation results. When (or only when) the enable signal bf enable is set to "0", the delay calculator 31 stops calculating.
[0032] The initial position of the beam line (e.g., coordinate (xb, yb)) is the starting position of the beam line. However, in some embodiments, the initial position of the beam line can be any position of the baseline. The baseline can be formed by the transducer component 11, but is not limited thereto. The beam line refers to one of the lines that can form an image, for example, 128 or 256 or more lines, when imaging. In one embodiment, the baseline is a line that passes through the transducer component 11 in order. In other words, the baseline is an imaginary line that overlaps the transducer component 11. For example,Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing position information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. However, in other embodiments, the baseline can not pass through one or more of the transducer elements 11. Referring to Figure 3 , the beam line BL corresponds to one or more ultrasound signals / waves / beams. The ultrasound signals / waves / beams propagate along a preferred direction called the steering angle theta (i.e., theta). The transceiver circuit 30 can include one or more transmit circuits (not shown) to transmit the ultrasound signals / waves / beams. The steering angle theta is an angular relationship associated with the perpendicular line VL of the beam line BL and the baseline BAL, for example, the angle between the beam line BL and the baseline BAL or the angle of the transmitted ultrasound signals / waves / beams (i.e., the ultrasound transmit angle). In one embodiment, the perpendicular line VL can intersect both the beam line BL and the baseline BAL. In some embodiments, the steering angle can be different or the same as the ultrasound transmit angle as the angle of the transmitted ultrasound signals. The initial position of the beam line BL is located at the baseline BAL overlapping the transducer elements 11, for example, but not limited to this. As shown in Figure 3 , the plurality of transducer elements 11 are arranged in a row along the baseline BAL. Each transducer element 11 can be assigned a coordinate. For example, the coordinate value yb on the vertical axis can be set to "0", while the coordinate value xb on the horizontal axis can be set to from "-m / 2 to m / 2-1" according to the order of the transducer elements 11, where m is the number of transducer elements 11.
[0033] It should be noted that according to actual needs, for example, higher resolution, the initial position of the beam line can not be located on one of the transducer elements 11, but can be located between two adjacent transducer elements 11.
[0034] The angle-related parameter is one or more parameters related to the steering angle (for example, the steering angle theta in Figure 3 ). For example, the angle-related parameter can be the trigonometric functions -sin(theta) and -cos(theta). As another example, the angle-related parameter can be the steering angle theta.
[0035] The beam line initial position (for example, the coordinate (xb, yb)) is the starting position of the beam line. However, in some embodiments, the beam line initial position can be any position of the baseline. The baseline can be formed by the transducer elements 11, but is not limited to this. The beam line refers to, in imaging, one image can be composed of, for example, 128 or 256 or more lines, and one of these lines is the beam line. In one embodiment, the baseline is a line passing through the transducer elements 11 in order. In other words, the baseline is an imaginary line overlapping the transducer elements 11. For example, Figure 3is a schematic diagram showing position information according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. However, in other embodiments, the baseline can not pass through one or more of the transducer elements 11. Referring to Figure 3 , the beam line BL corresponds to one or more ultrasound signals / waves / beams. The ultrasound signals / waves / beams propagate along a preferred direction called a steering angle theta (i.e., Θ). The transceiver circuit 30 can include one or more transmit circuits (not shown) to transmit the ultrasound signals / waves / beams. The steering angle theta is an angular relationship associated with the perpendicular line VL of the beam line BL and the baseline BAL, for example, an angle between the beam line BL and the baseline BAL or an angle of the transmitted ultrasound signals / waves / beams (i.e., an ultrasound transmission angle). In one embodiment, the perpendicular line VL can intersect both the beam line BL and the baseline BAL. In some embodiments, the steering angle can be different or the same as the ultrasound transmission angle as an angle of the transmitted ultrasound signals. The beam line initial position of the beam line BL is located at the baseline BAL overlapping the transducer elements 11, for example, but not limited to. As shown in Figure 3 , the plurality of transducer elements 11 are arranged in a row along the baseline BAL. Each transducer element 11 can be assigned a coordinate. For example, the coordinate value yb on the vertical axis can be set to "0", while the coordinate value xb on the horizontal axis can be set to "-m / 2 to m / 2-1" according to the order of the transducer elements 11, where m is the number of transducer elements 11.
[0036] The receive ultrasound element position (e.g., coordinate (xen, yen)) is a position of an echo signal / wave of the received ultrasound signals / waves / beams. The transceiver circuit 30 can include one or more receive circuits (not shown) to receive the echo signal / wave of the received ultrasound signals / waves / beams. For example, the coordinate value yen on the vertical axis can be set to "0", while the coordinate value on the horizontal axis can be set to "-m / 2 to m / 2-1" according to the order of the transducer elements 11, where m is the number of transducer elements 11. Figure 3
[0037] In one embodiment, the delay calculator 31 determines the position information according to the beam line initial position, the receive ultrasound element position, and the steering angle. The position information includes a position of one or any point on the beam line, and a distance between the points and the receive ultrasound element position. The position of the beam line point is determined according to the beam line initial position and the steering angle. The delay calculator 31 is configured to output the distance information between the receive ultrasound element position and the position of one point on the beam line at a time point corresponding to the beam line initial position, the steering angle, and an internal counter (not shown). The internal counter determines the time of outputting the position information.
[0038] For example, the coordinate value yb on the vertical axis can be set to "0", while the coordinate value xb on the horizontal axis can be set to "-m / 2 to m / 2-1" according to the order of the transducer elements 11, where m is the number of transducer elements 11. Figure 3 For example, the position information includes a distance Ln(t) between the position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) at time t and a point P on the beam line BL corresponding to the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the steering angle theta. At time t, the delay calculator 31 can know the position of the point P on the beam line BL and output the distance Ln(t). t For example, the position information includes a distance Ln(t) between the position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) at time t and a point P on the beam line BL corresponding to the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the steering angle theta. At time t, the delay calculator 31 can know the position of the point P on the beam line BL and output the distance Ln(t). t For example, the position information includes a distance Ln(t) between the position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) at time t and a point P on the beam line BL corresponding to the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the steering angle theta. At time t, the delay calculator 31 can know the position of the point P on the beam line BL and output the distance Ln(t).
[0039] For example, the position information includes a distance Ln(t) between the position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) at time t and a point P on the beam line BL corresponding to the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the steering angle theta. At time t, the delay calculator 31 can know the position of the point P on the beam line BL and output the distance Ln(t). t+1 For example, the position information includes a distance Ln(t) between the position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) at time t and a point P on the beam line BL corresponding to the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the steering angle theta. At time t, the delay calculator 31 can know the position of the point P on the beam line BL and output the distance Ln(t). t+1 For example, the position information includes a distance Ln(t) between the position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) at time t and a point P on the beam line BL corresponding to the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the steering angle theta. At time t, the delay calculator 31 can know the position of the point P on the beam line BL and output the distance Ln(t).
[0040] Referring to Figure 3 In one embodiment, the beam line BL corresponding to the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the steering angle theta, the steering angle theta, and the connection between the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the receiving ultrasound component position (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) form a reference triangle. The reference triangle has three sides, which are the side between the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the receiving ultrasound component position (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)), the side between the beam line initial position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) of the beam line BL and the position of the point Pt on the beam line BL, and the side between the receiving ultrasound component position (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) and the position of the point Pt on the beam line BL.
[0041] The delay calculator 31 can determine the distance Ln(t) between the position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) and the position of point Pt on the beamline BL corresponding to the initial beamline position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the turning angle theta, based on a reference triangle. The value / length of the distance DS between the initial beamline position (e.g., coordinates (xb, yb)) and the position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) can be configured, for example, in the beamline initialization parameter init. Assuming the spacing between two adjacent transducer components 11 is known, the value / length of the distance Ln(t) between the position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) and the position of point Pt on the beamline BL can be determined based on trigonometric functions (e.g., -sin(theta) and -cos(theta)). Furthermore, the value / length of the distance Ln(t+1) between the location of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) and a location on the beamline BL (e.g., as indicated by the symbol "t+1") can be determined, or other values / lengths corresponding to distances at other sampling times. That is, the delay calculator is programmed / configured to have a function or algorithm to determine the value / length of the distance Ln(t), Ln(t+1) between the location of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) and the location of a point Pt, point Pt+1, or any other point on the beamline BL, based on trigonometric functions. The delay calculator 31 can then output, as shown... Figure 2 The distance Ln(t) is shown.
[0042] In one embodiment, the location information may further include, at time t+1, a point P on the beamline BL corresponding to the initial position of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) and the turning angle theta. t+1 The distance between the positions is Ln(t+1). At time t+1, the delay calculator 31 may know the point P on the beamline BL. t+1 The location is determined and the distance Ln(t+1) is output. The location information may further include the distance between the location of the receiving ultrasound component (e.g., coordinates (xen, yen)) and the location of a point on the beamline BL at other times.
[0043] In one embodiment, when (or only when) as Figure 2The enable signal bf enable is set to "1" or another value indicating enable, the delay calculator 31 calculates and outputs the above-mentioned calculation result (e.g., the distance Ln(t)). When (or only when) the enable signal bf enable is set to "0" or another value indicating disable, the delay calculator 31 stops calculation.
[0044] The delay calculator 31 can determine the delay information according to the beam line start position, the received ultrasound component position, and the steering angle. The beam line start position is the position of the start point of the beam line. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the coordinate (xb, yb) on the transducer component 11 is the beam line start position where the start point of the beam line BL is located. Alternatively, the beam line start position can be any position on the beam line. The delay information is the time required for the echo of the ultrasound signal to propagate from a point of the beam line to the received ultrasound component. The time or the delay information can be derived according to the speed of sound and the distance between the position of the received ultrasound component and the position of the point of the beam line. For example, the time is derived by dividing the distance between the position of the received ultrasound component and the position of the point of the beam line by the speed of sound. The received component is one transducer component 11 that receives the echo of the ultrasound signal. Figure 3
[0045] Figure 4 is a block diagram of an ultrasound processing system 1' according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application. Referring to FIG. 1, the ultrasound processing system 1' includes but is not limited to a transducer 10, a transceiver circuit 30, a controller 50, and a processor 70. Figure 4
[0046] The transducer 10 includes a plurality of transducer components 11. The description of the transducer 10 and the transducer components 11 can refer to the description of the transducer 10 and the transducer components 11 in Figure 1 .
[0047] The transceiver circuit 30 includes but is not limited to a plurality of delay calculators 31, one or more analog-to-digital converters (A / D converters) 32, and one or more beamformers 33.
[0048] The description of the delay calculator 31 can refer to the description of the delay calculator 31 in Figures 1 to 3 . In one embodiment, each delay calculator 31 corresponds to one of the transducer components 11 and one of the beam lines (as shown in FIG. 1). Figure 3 The illustrated beam lines BL). For example, in a 64-channel receiver structure (which can include 64 receive circuits), if four beam lines are generated, there will be 64*4 (=256) delay calculators 31. These delay calculators 31 can simultaneously calculate the distances between the received ultrasound element positions and the four beam line positions to generate 256 distance values in parallel. As another example, if 256 delay calculators 31 are configured in the transceiver circuit 30, the distances of eight beam lines can be simultaneously determined in a 32-channel receiver structure (which can include 64 receive circuits).
[0049] An analog-to-digital converter 32 (included in the unillustrated receive circuit) is coupled to the transducer 10. The analog-to-digital converter 32 is used to convert the echoes from analog signals to digital signals.
[0050] A beamformer 33 is coupled to the one or more delay calculators 31 and the analog-to-digital converter 32. The beamformer 33 can be a programmable general- or special-purpose microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other digital circuitry, other similar components, or a combination thereof.
[0051] In one embodiment, the beamformer 33 is programmed or configured to determine beamformed data by delay and sum calculations based on the position information output from the delay calculators. The delay and sum calculation is one of the calculations in a beamforming algorithm. For example, the beamformer 33 time delays the echoes in digital form, e.g., after analog-to-digital conversion, and sums the delayed echo signals. The beamformed data includes the result of the summation. Depending on the requirement of the depth, the beamformed data can include the summation results corresponding to multiple points on the beam line. In addition, the position information, e.g., the distance Ln(t) illustrated, is used to determine the amount of delay time for one echo. Figure 3 The illustrated distance Ln(t) is used to determine the distance between the transducer element 11 and the object. The beamformed data can include the distance of the object.
[0052] In one embodiment, the position information, e.g., the distance Ln(t) illustrated, is used to determine the distance between the transducer element 11 and the object. The beamformed data can include the distance of the object. Figure 3 The illustrated distance Ln(t) is used to determine the distance between the transducer element 11 and the object. The beamformed data can include the distance of the object.
[0053] A controller 50 is coupled to the beamformer 32 and the delay calculators 31. The controller 50 can be a programmable general- or special-purpose microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other digital circuitry, other similar components, or a combination thereof.
[0054] In one embodiment, the controller 50 is programmed or configured to generate an ultrasound image based on beamforming data output from the beamformer 32. For example, the controller 50 combines multiple beamforming data corresponding to multiple scan lines.
[0055] In one embodiment, controller 50 is used to compress ultrasound images.
[0056] In one embodiment, controller 50 is used to control beamforming operations.
[0057] Processor 70 is coupled to controller 50. Processor 70 may be a central processing unit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), programmable general-purpose or special-purpose microprocessor, digital signal processor (DSP), programmable controller, field-programmable gate array (FPGA), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other digital circuitry, other similar components, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, processor 70 is used to display ultrasound images on a display (not shown).
[0058] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating a method related to beamforming according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. (Reference) Figure 5 A transceiver circuit is provided (step S510). For example, Figure 1 and / or Figure 4 Transceiver circuit 30 is shown. The transceiver circuit includes one or more delay calculators. For example, Figure 1 , Figure 2 and / or Figure 4 A delay calculator is shown. The delay calculator is configured with the initial beamline position, the position of the receiving ultrasound component, and the steering angle (step S520). For example, as... Figure 2 As shown, the coordinates (xb, yb) and (xen, yen) along with the trigonometric functions -sin(theta) and -cos(theta) are input into the delay calculator 31. The delay calculator determines the position information based on the initial position of the beamline, the position of the receiving ultrasound component, and the turning angle (step S530). For example, as... Figure 2 As shown, the distance Ln(t) is output from the delay calculator 31.
[0059] In one embodiment, controller 50 controls the beamforming operation. In one embodiment, the beamline, the steering angle, and the straight line connecting the initial position of the beamline to the position of the receiving ultrasound component form a reference triangle. Based on the reference triangle, the distance between the position of the receiving ultrasound component and the position of a point on the beamline corresponding to the initial position and the steering angle is determined.
[0060] In one embodiment, a plurality of delay calculators are provided. Each delay calculator corresponds to one of the transducer elements and one of the beam lines.
[0061] In one embodiment, the beamforming data is determined by the delay calculators via delay and summation operations according to the position information.
[0062] In one embodiment, a controller is provided, which is configured to generate an ultrasound image according to the beamforming data. For example, Figure 4 The controller 50 is shown.
[0063] Figure 5 The implementation details of each step have been described in the above embodiments and implementation methods, and will not be repeated here. In addition to being implemented in the form of a circuit, the steps and implementation details of the embodiments of the present application can also be implemented in the form of software by a processor, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.
[0064] In summary, according to the ultrasound processing system, the transceiver circuit and the method related to beamforming, one or more delay calculators are provided in the transceiver circuit, which can determine the distance between the transducer element and a point located on the beam line. Therefore, the distance required for beamforming will be determined by hardware, the storage space for storing the distance will be reduced, the operation load on the software can be reduced, the power can be saved, and the efficiency of the beamforming operation can be improved.
[0065] Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, and not to limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the above embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that: it can still modify the technical solutions recorded in the above embodiments, or make equivalent replacement to part or all of the technical features; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.
Claims
1. An ultrasonic treatment system, characterized by, comprising: transceiver circuitry, comprising: a delay calculator configured to: be configured with a beam line initial position, a receive ultrasound component position, and a steering angle, wherein the beam line initial position is a position of a beam line on a baseline, the receive ultrasound component position is a position on one of a plurality of transducer components to receive ultrasound signal echoes, and the steering angle is an angular relationship relative to the beam line and the baseline; and determine position information from the beam line initial position, the receive ultrasound component position, and the steering angle, wherein the position information comprises a distance between the receive ultrasound component position and a position of a point on the beam line, and the position of the point on the beam line is determined from the beam line initial position and the steering angle.
2. The ultrasound processing system of claim 1, wherein the beam line, the steering angle, and a line between the beam line initial position and the receive ultrasound component position form a reference triangle, and the delay calculator is further configured to: determine the distance between the receive ultrasound component position and the position of the point on the beam line corresponding to the beam line initial position and the steering angle from the reference triangle.
3. The ultrasound processing system of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of the delay calculators, wherein each of the delay calculators corresponds to one of the transducer components and one of the beam lines.
4. The ultrasound processing system of claim 1, wherein the transceiver circuitry further comprises: a beamformer coupled to the delay calculator and configured to: determine beamformed data from the position information by delay and sum operations.
5. The ultrasound processing system of claim 4, further comprising: a controller coupled to the beamformer and configured to: generate an ultrasound image from the beamformed data.
6. A transceiver circuit, characterized by comprising: a delay calculator configured to: be configured with a beam line initial position, a receive ultrasound component position, and a steering angle, wherein the beam line initial position is a position of a beam line on a baseline, the receive ultrasound component position is a position on one of a plurality of transducer components to receive ultrasound signal echoes, and the steering angle is an angular relationship relative to the beam line and the baseline; and determine position information from the beam line initial position, the receive ultrasound component position, and the steering angle, wherein the position information comprises a distance between the receive ultrasound component position and a position of a point on the beam line, and the position of the point on the beam line is determined from the beam line initial position and the steering angle.
7. The transceiver circuitry of claim 6, wherein the beam line, the steering angle, and a line between the beam line initial position and the receive ultrasound component position form a reference triangle, and the delay calculator is further configured to: determine the distance between the receive ultrasound component position and the position of the point on the beam line corresponding to the beam line initial position and the steering angle from the reference triangle.
8. The transceiver circuit of claim 6, further comprising: a beamformer coupled to the delay calculator and configured to: determine beamformed data from the position information through a delay-and-sum calculation.
9. The transceiver circuit of claim 8, wherein the beamformer is further configured to: output the beamformed data from which an ultrasound image is generated.
10. The transceiver circuit of claim 6, further comprising: an analog-to-digital converter configured to convert the echoes into digital signals.
11. A method related to beamforming, characterized by, comprising: providing a transceiver circuit, wherein the transceiver circuit comprises a delay calculator; configuring the delay calculator with a beamline initial position, a receive ultrasound element position, and a steering angle, wherein the beamline initial position is a position of a beamline on a baseline, the receive ultrasound element position is a position on one of the transducer elements at which an ultrasound signal echo is received, and the steering angle is an angular relationship related to the beamline and the baseline; and determining, by the delay calculator, position information from the beamline initial position, the receive ultrasound element position, and the steering angle, wherein the position information comprises a distance between the receive ultrasound element position and a position of a point on the beamline, and the position of the point on the beamline is determined from the beamline initial position and the steering angle.
12. The method related to beamforming of claim 11, wherein the beamline, the steering angle, and a line between the beamline initial position and the receive ultrasound element position form a reference triangle, and determining position information comprises: determining, from the reference triangle, a distance between the receive ultrasound element position and a position of a point of a beamline corresponding to the beamline initial position and the steering angle.
13. The method related to beamforming of claim 11, further comprising: providing a plurality of the delay calculators, wherein each of the delay calculators corresponds to one of the transducer elements and one of the beamlines.
14. The method related to beamforming of claim 11, wherein the transceiver circuit further comprises a beamformer, and the method further comprises: determining, by the delay calculator, beamformed data from the position information through a delay-and-sum calculation.
15. The method related to beamforming of claim 14, further comprising: providing a controller configured to generate an ultrasound image from the beamformed data.