1-D Transducer Array 3D Ultrasound Imaging with Dynamic Beamforming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current ultrasound imaging systems, particularly for trans-rectal and trans-vaginal applications, face challenges in achieving high spatial resolution and contrast due to varying beam thickness in the transverse plane, leading to suboptimal 3-D and 4-D image quality.
Innovation Solution
An ultrasound imaging system with a probe featuring a one-dimensional transducer array that rotates within a predetermined arc, combined with a console that performs dynamic receive focusing, multi-line synthesis, and multi-plane synthesis processing to generate high-quality 3-D and 4-D images with uniform beam width in the imaging plane, improving resolution and contrast.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If dynamic receive focusing with retrospective transmit focusing, plane wave compounding, and synthetic transmit focusing is used to produce beams with uniform width in the imaging plane, then beam width uniformity is improved, but beam thickness varies in the transverse plane resulting in lower resolution and contrast in far field regions
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the focal depth and beamforming parameters in real-time as the transducer rotates through different angles. The focal depth is continuously updated to maintain optimal focus across varying depths in the far field, while beamforming parameters are adapted to compensate for changing beam thickness, thereby maintaining high spatial resolution and contrast throughout the imaging volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes multiple parameters including focal depth, beamforming weights, and scan angle compensation factors as the transducer rotates. These parameter changes are coordinated to maintain uniform beam thickness in the transverse plane while preserving beam width uniformity in the imaging plane, resolving the contradiction between the two requirements.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a multi-element transducer array is used to perform multiple 2-D scans at different angles to form a 3-D volume, then 3-D imaging capability is improved, but the beam has varying thickness in the transverse plane leading to lower resolution in certain regions
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from the position sensor that tracks the transducer's rotational angle to dynamically adjust beamforming parameters for each scan angle. This feedback mechanism allows the system to compensate for varying beam thickness in the transverse plane by adjusting focal depth and beamforming weights in real-time, maintaining high spatial resolution across all 3-D imaging regions.
3Area of stationary object
If the transducer array is rotated through a plurality of predetermined angles within a predetermined arc to acquire multiple scanplanes, then 3-D volume coverage is improved, but image quality deteriorates in far field regions due to greater beam thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adapts beamforming parameters including focal depth and aperture size for each scan angle and depth region. As the transducer rotates to cover different portions of the 3-D volume, the focal depth is continuously adjusted to maintain optimal focus in the far field, and aperture size is modified to compensate for beam thickness variations, thereby maintaining high image quality throughout the entire volume coverage.
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
The system enhances image resolution and contrast near the transducer array and in the far field, facilitating better diagnosis and treatment planning by providing high-resolution 3-D and 4-D imaging capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
A general US system includes a probe with a transducer array of a plurality of transducer elements and a console for controlling the array of transducers for transmitting ultrasonic waves and receiving echoes
Implementation Method 2
The console creates transverse planes, which are orthogonal to the imaging scanplanes. The use of dynamic receive focusing in combination with retrospective transmit focusing, plane wave compounding, and synthetic transmit focusing produces beams that have uniform width in the imaging plane
Data Source
AI summary
An ultrasound imaging system includes a probe and a console. The probe includes an elongate shaft with a long axis, a transducer array disposed the shaft along the long axis and configured to generate signals indicative of received echoes, and a motor with a position sensor configured to rotate the shaft within a predetermined arc. The console includes a beamformer configured to process the signals from the transducer array and generate at least a volume of data for each sweep of the transducer array along the arc. The console further includes a display configured to display the volume of data.