Patent ID: 7744536
Filing Date: 2010-06-29
Classification: A61B,G01S,G03B

Abstract:
1. A method for ultrasound beamforming data from a region received at an array, the method comprising: receiving N signals at a respective N elements, the N signals being a data set, the signals responsive to a region of a patient; applying a first stage operable to increase by a second factor from the data set to a number X of data sets and reduce the N signals by a first factor to M signals in each of the X data sets; applying a second stage operable to increase from the X number of data sets by a fourth factor to Y number of data sets and reduce the M signals by a third factor to O signals in each of the Y data sets; and generating an image as a function of the data of each of the Y data sets; wherein the first, second, third and fourth factors are selected to provide the X data sets and the Y data sets with a narrower beamwidth relative to the data set.