Row-column addressed 2-D transducer array with double-curved surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ultrasound imaging systems with 2-D arrays are limited by their flat transducer arrays, which restrict the field of view and are not well-suited for applications like abdominal, breast, and vascular examinations, as they can only focus in one lateral dimension and are limited to a rectilinear forward-looking volume region.
Innovation Solution
A row-column addressed 2-D transducer array with a double-curved surface that allows for two-way focusing in both transmit and receive modes, enabling imaging of a larger curvilinear volume by dispersing transmit and receive fields and calculating time-of-flight distances for dynamic receive focusing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a flat 2-D transducer array is used, then the device structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the field of view is limited to a rectilinear forward-looking volume region
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature to the transducer array surface, transforming it from a flat configuration to a curved surface. This curvature enables the ultrasound beams to cover a wider angular range (±26.5° in both directions) and image a curvilinear volume, directly resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and field of view coverage.
2Device complexity
If a flat 2-D transducer array is used, then the device complexity is low, but the imaging capability is restricted to one lateral dimension focusing
Solution Approach 1:
The curved surface configuration enables two-way focusing capability, allowing the system to focus ultrasound beams in both lateral dimensions simultaneously. This resolves the contradiction by enhancing focusing versatility while maintaining a relatively simple row-column addressed 2-D array structure without requiring complex individual element addressing.
3Measurement precision
If individual addressing of NxN array elements is used, then the imaging precision is high, but the number of required channels is N² which increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the 2-D array into rows and columns, addressing elements through row and column indices rather than individual element addresses. This segmentation allows each row and column to act as one large element, reducing the number of required channels from N² to 2N while maintaining imaging precision through the row-column addressing scheme.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges adjacent elements into row and column groups, where each row and column functions as a single large element. This merging reduces the total number of independent channels required from N² to 2N, resolving the contradiction between imaging precision and system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration increases the imaging area by up to ±26.5° in both directions, allowing for focusing at any point in 3-D space and enabling imaging of a whole curvilinear volume with two elements, overcoming the limitations of flat arrays by creating a larger field of view and achieving two-way focusing.
Implementation Method 1
a 2-D array of transducer elements... Each column includes an electrode, in electrical communication with the electrically conductive trace or path, which is used to excite the column
Implementation Method 2
a beamformer configured for calculating time-of-flight distances with respect to a double-curved surface
Implementation Method 3
Both of the 1-D arrays can be focused in the lateral and elevation directions separately, and each of the 1-D arrays can electronically focus in one lateral dimension when delays are applied to the elements in the array
Data Source
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AI summary
A transducer array (302) for an ultrasound imaging system (300) includes a row-column addressed 2-D array of transducer elements (304). The row-column addressed 2-D includes a first array of 1-D arrays of elements, a second array of 1-D arrays of elements, which is orthogonal to the first array, and a double-curved surface (306). In another aspect, an apparatus includes a transducer array with an array-wise addressable 2-D array with a curved surface. The 2-D array includes a set of 1-D column array elements and a set of 1-D row array elements. The apparatus further includes transmit circuitry (308) that conveys an excitation pulse to the transducer array, receive circuitry (308) that receives a signal indicative of an ultrasound echo from the transducer array, and a beamformer (314) that processes the received signal, generating ultrasound image data.