Dynamic Sub-Array Mapping for Ultrasound Beamforming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Ultrasound imaging systems face challenges in matching the large number of transducer elements with limited beamformer channels, leading to errors and increased complexity due to varying time of flight across sub-arrays, which affects delay application and circuitry costs.
Innovation Solution
Dynamic sub-array mapping is implemented, where elements are grouped and mapped to partial beamformers based on steering direction, allowing for similar delays and phase shifts within each group, enabling optimal sub-array configurations and reducing errors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a larger number of elements are included in each sub-array to reduce the number of cables and beamformer channels, then the number of cables and channels required is reduced, but the range of time of flight increases leading to greater delay differences and increased errors in delay application
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides each sub-array into multiple element groups, where each group is processed by a separate partial beamformer. This segmentation allows the system to handle larger sub-arrays by breaking them into manageable groups with smaller time-of-flight ranges, thereby maintaining delay application accuracy while still reducing the overall number of cables and beamformer channels needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic mapping of elements to partial beamformers based on steering direction. As the steering direction changes, the grouping and mapping of elements to partial beamformers is dynamically adjusted. This dynamic reconfiguration optimizes the time-of-flight characteristics for each group, minimizing delay errors across different imaging angles while maintaining a reduced number of physical channels.
2Quantity of substance
If a larger sub-array size is used to reduce channel count, then fewer beamformer channels are needed, but the circuitry complexity and cost increase due to greater delay differences
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting sub-arrays into smaller element groups processed by multiple partial beamformers, the patent reduces the time-of-flight range within each group. This segmentation decreases the delay differences that circuitry must handle, thereby reducing circuitry complexity and cost while maintaining a reduced overall channel count.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the grouping parameters of elements dynamically based on steering direction. By adjusting how elements are grouped and which partial beamformer processes which group, the system optimizes the time-of-flight characteristics for each processing path, reducing the maximum delay range that any single circuit must handle and thereby reducing overall circuitry complexity.
3Ease of operation
If fixed sub-array groupings are used to simplify processing, then the system is easier to implement, but the system cannot optimize for different steering directions leading to increased errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic element-to-partial-beamformer mapping that adapts to different steering directions. For each steering direction, the system dynamically determines optimal groupings of elements and assigns them to appropriate partial beamformers. This dynamic approach maintains beamforming accuracy across different angles while keeping the implementation relatively simple through systematic mapping rules.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the mapping parameters between elements and partial beamformers based on steering direction. By adjusting these mapping parameters dynamically, the system optimizes beamforming accuracy for each steering angle without requiring completely different hardware configurations, thus maintaining ease of implementation while improving precision.
Data Source
AI summary
Elements within each of a plurality of sub-arrays are dynamically grouped as a function of the steering direction. The dynamic grouping allows for partial beamforming with more similar delays within each grouping of elements within the sub-array. A plurality of partial beamformers is provided for each sub-array. Different ones of the elements are mapped to different ones of the partial beamformers as a function of the steering direction. As used herein, steering direction includes one or more of a focal location, a scan line angle, a scan line origin or other beamforming parameters associated with establishing a relative delay between elements. The shape or grouping of elements is changed at the beginning of any acquisition cycle, such as the beginning of transmit and receive operation for a given steering direction. Dynamic sub-array mapping may minimize negative effects of sub-array partial beamforming by providing an optimal shape of the sub-array groupings based on the steering direction.