Patent ID: 6138513
Filing Date: 2000-10-31
Classification: A61B,G01S,Y10S

Abstract:
A method of fast acquisition of acoustic images comprising the steps of:irradiating an investigated object by serial excitation of one of the transmit individual elements by transmit pulses from one generator providing a variety of a waveform for said transmit pulses,receiving the echo signals from said transmit pulses emitted by said one of the transmit individual element by one or a group of receive individual elements, amplification, digitization and memorization of digitized echo signal amplitudes from said one or group of receive individual elements by one or group of amplitude analysis channels,switching of other receive individual elements or other group of receive individual elements to said one or a group of amplitude analysis channels, amplification, digitization and memorization of digitized echo signal amplitudes from said other receive individual elements or other group of receive individual elements,switching of other transmit individual elements to said one generator,irradiating an investigated object by serial excitation of other transmit individual elements by transmit pulses with a changed amplitude, duration and frequency in accordance with a central amplitude apodization function, a time apodization function and a frequency apodization function,receiving the echo signals from said transmit pulses emitted by said other transmit individual elements by said one or group of receive individual elements, amplification, digitization and memorization of digitized echo signal amplitudes from said one or group of receive individual elements by said one or group of amplitude analysis channels, so that said digitized echo signal amplitudes from all receive elements are memorized for every transmit individual element separately,changing said digitized echo signal amplitudes from different receive individual elements in accordance with a central amplitude apodization function,shaping dynamic focused and steered synthetic receive apertures by phasing said digitized echo signal amplitudes from different receive individual elements relative to each other for every said transmit element in accordance with receive foci and receive steering angles,shaping dynamic focused and steered synthetic transmit apertures by phasing said digitized echo signal amplitudes from all receive individual elements for different transmit individual elements relative to each other in accordance with transmit foci and transmit steering angles,acquiring the acoustic lines by summing said digitized echo signal amplitudes from all receive individual elements and for said different transmit individual elements in some time intervals near said receive foci for said receive steering angles, and for different said transmit foci and transmit steering angles, a synthesis of acoustic images by joining said acoustic lines and displaying of said acoustic images.