Patent ID: 6066099
Filing Date: 2000-05-23
Classification: G01S,G10K

Abstract:
A system for imaging ultrasound scatterers, comprising:an ultrasound transducer array for transmitting ultrasound waves and detecting ultrasound echoes reflected by said ultrasound scatterers, said transducer array comprising a multiplicity of transducer elements;a multiplicity of pulsers respectively coupled to said multiplicity of transducer elements for pulsing selected transducer elements which form a transmit aperture in response to a multiplicity of pulser activation signals;a transmit beamformer for generating said multiplicity of pulser activation signals with respective predetermined time delays corresponding to a focused ultrasound beam having a predetermined steering angle relative to an axis normal to said transducer array;an apodization generator for applying respective apodization weighting factors to said multiplicity of pulsers during a transmit firing of said selected transducer elements, said respective apodization weighting factors being determined in accordance with an apodization function having the property that said selected transducer elements transmit first and second ultrasound beams having first and second steering angles respectively during said transmit firing, said first and second ultrasound beams being displaced relative to, and on opposite sides of, said predetermined steering angle;a receiver coupled to said transducer array for receiving a set of receive signals from selected transducer elements which form a receive aperture subsequent to said transmit firing;a receive beamformer for forming first and second beamsummed receive signals from said set of receive signals, said first beamsummed receive signal corresponding to said first steering angle and said second beamsummed receive signal corresponding to said second steering angle; anda display monitor for displaying an image having a first scan line which is a function of said first beamsummed receive signal and a second scan line which is a function of said second beamsummed receive signal.