Patent ID: 9681854
Date: 2017-06-20
CPC Classifications: A61B,G01S

Claim:
1. An ultrasound signal processing device that outputs a plurality of code sequences to a transducer element array to cause the transducer element array to transmit ultrasound and receive reflected ultrasound, the code sequences each having a different arrangement of a plurality of code words, the ultrasound signal processing device comprising: M preceding decoders that (i) receive N transducer element reception signals which are generated by the transducer element array from the received reflected ultrasound and output to the M preceding decoders from the transducer element array upon reception of the reflected ultrasound, and (ii) obtain N convolution signals by convolving each of the N transducer element reception signals with an impulse response signal, and (iii) output the N convolution signals, where M is an integer satisfying 2≦M≦N; a reception beam former that (i) receives the N convolution signals output from the M preceding decoders, (ii) obtains a plurality of reception beam signals one-to-one corresponding to the code sequences by performing delay-and-sum on each of the N convolution signals output from the M preceding decoders, and (iii) outputs the plurality of reception beam signals; and L succeeding decoders that (i) receive the plurality of reception beam signals output from the reception beam former, and (ii) obtain ultrasound echo data by performing a correlation operation on each of the reception beam signals output from the reception beam former, based on the code words included in the code sequence corresponding to the reception beam signal, where L is an integer satisfying 1≦L≦M.