Ultrasound 3D Imaging System Beamforming Architecture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current medical ultrasound imaging technologies face challenges in achieving high-resolution, real-time three-dimensional imaging with the ability to display a fourth dimension of time-resolved images, while also efficiently handling harmonic imaging and reducing harmonic components in transmitted waveforms.
Innovation Solution
The system employs a two-dimensional array of transducer elements in a probe housing, utilizing a first beamforming circuit for far-field subarray beamforming and a second beamforming circuit for near-field beamsteering and beamfocusing. This setup includes a low power charge domain processor with at least 32 beamforming channels, and uses a sparse array configuration to minimize sidelobe energy and maximize peak to sidelobe ratio, enabling high-resolution imaging with reduced power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If an analog phase shift technique with a digital delay beamformer is used to reduce power consumption, then power consumption is reduced, but image quality is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The beamforming process is divided into two distinct stages: far-field subarray beamforming that processes data in parallel with minimal power consumption, and near-field beamsteering/beamfocusing that operates on the already-beamformed data. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high-resolution imaging without requiring high power throughout the entire beamforming chain.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from conventional single-stage beamforming to a two-dimensional beamforming approach, where the first dimension handles far-field subarray processing and the second dimension handles near-field focusing. This dimensional transformation enables the system to achieve both low power consumption and high image quality by operating in different beamforming domains.
2Adaptability or versatility
If a two-dimensional transducer array is used to achieve real-time three-dimensional imaging, then imaging capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The two-dimensional transducer array is divided into multiple subarrays, with each subarray processed independently by dedicated beamforming circuits. This segmentation reduces the complexity of any single processing unit while maintaining the overall three-dimensional imaging capability through coordinated operation of multiple subarrays.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines far-field subarray beamforming and near-field beamsteering/beamfocusing into an integrated two-stage system. By merging these two beamforming approaches, the system achieves real-time three-dimensional imaging with fourth-dimensional time-resolved display capability without requiring excessively complex single-stage processing.
3Measurement precision
If a sparse array configuration is used to minimize sidelobe energy, then image quality is improved, but the number of active transducer elements is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential transducer elements needed for imaging, using a sparse array configuration that activates only a fraction of available elements. By taking out and utilizing only the necessary elements in optimized positions, the system minimizes sidelobe energy and improves image quality while reducing the number of actively used transducer elements.
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 achieves high-resolution, real-time three-dimensional imaging with the capability to display a fourth dimension of time-resolved images, while also improving harmonic imaging by reducing harmonic components in the transmitted waveforms, thus enhancing image quality and diagnostic capabilities.
Implementation Method 1
a two dimensional (2D) array of transducer elements in a probe housing
Implementation Method 2
The first beamforming circuit provides far-field subarray beamforming operation. The resulting beamformed data is transmitted from the scan head to a second housing having the second beamforming circuit that provides near-field beamsteering and beamfocusing.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention related to an ultrasound imaging system win which the scan head includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field subarray beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. When using a hierarchical two-stage or three-stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images can be generated in real-time. The invention further relates to flexible printed circuit boarde in the probe head. The invention furthermore related to the use of coded or spread spectrum signaling in ultrasound imagining systems. Matched filters based on pulse compression using Golay code pairs improve the signal-to-noise ratio thus enabling third harmonic imaging with suppressed sidelobes. The system is suitable for 3D full volume cardiac imaging.