Ultrasound Beamforming With Selective Transducer Delay Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ultrasonography apparatuses face high computational and storage loads due to delay processing in beamforming, particularly in calculating and storing delay amounts for reception signals from multiple transducers.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus sets a larger transducer group to calculate delay amounts, selecting a subset of transducers for each scanning line based on their distance to the focal point, reducing the number of calculations and storage needed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If delay processing is performed on all reception transducers for each scanning line, then beamforming accuracy is improved, but computational load and storage requirements increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the transducer array into multiple groups, where each group contains a subset of transducers. Instead of performing delay processing on all transducers for every scanning line, the system segments the processing task by selecting only relevant transducer groups for each scanning line based on the focal point position. This segmentation reduces the number of transducers that require delay processing while maintaining beamforming accuracy for the targeted region.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by adapting the delay processing strategy to the specific requirements of each scanning line. For each scanning line, the system identifies the focal point position and selects transducers that are spatially relevant to that focal point. This local adaptation ensures that delay processing is applied only where necessary, optimizing the balance between beamforming accuracy and computational efficiency.
2Measurement precision
If delay amounts are calculated in real-time for each scanning line, then beamforming precision is improved, but processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-calculating delay amounts for multiple transducer groups and storing them in memory before actual beamforming operations. The system pre-computes the delay amounts based on the geometric relationships between transducers and potential focal points, then retrieves these pre-calculated values during scanning line processing. This eliminates the need for real-time delay calculation during image acquisition, significantly reducing processing time while maintaining precision.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a larger transducer group is used for delay calculation, then coverage of multiple scanning lines is improved, but the number of calculations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating transducer groups that can serve multiple scanning lines simultaneously. Each transducer group is configured to provide delay processing for several different scanning lines that share common focal point regions. This multi-functional approach allows a single transducer group to contribute to multiple scanning operations, improving coverage efficiency without proportionally increasing the total number of calculations required.
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 approach significantly reduces the load associated with delay processing by optimizing the number and positioning of transducers, enhancing processing efficiency and reducing storage requirements.
Implementation Method 1
acquires a reception delay amount corresponding to a distance between the reception focal point and the delay amount calculation transducer
Data Source
AI summary
A processor included in the ultrasonography apparatus sets a transducer group including transducers of which the number is larger than the number of the plurality of reception transducers as a delay amount calculation transducer group, and, for each of delay amount calculation transducers included in the delay amount calculation transducer group, acquires a reception delay amount corresponding to a distance between the reception focal point and the delay amount calculation transducer, selects a plurality of the delay amount calculation transducers corresponding to the plurality of reception transducers from the delay amount calculation transducer group for each of the plurality of reception scanning lines, and generates the reception beam signal of the reception scanning line from the reception signal acquired from each of the plurality of reception transducers based on the reception delay amount of the selected plurality of delay amount calculation transducers.