Patent ID: 7130244

Claim:
An adaptive ultrasound detecting method comprising: emitting an ultrasound beam along a scanning direction and receiving an echo value e(i) from a number I of sensing positions p(i) along said scanning direction; comparing each said echo value e(i) to a detection threshold dt(i) corresponding to said sensing position p(i); whereby a detection occurs when said echo value e(i) is greater than said detection threshold dt(i); the improvement wherein at least one of said detection thresholds dt(i) is revaluated over time to cope for environment changes at sensing position p(i) corresponding to said at least one of said detection thresholds dt(i), wherein at least one detection assurance factor is provided, at least one of said detection thresholds dt(i) being revaluated over time including: a) emitting an ultrasound sensing beam along the scanning direction and receiving an echo value e(i) from said sensing position p(i) corresponding to said at least one of said detection thresholds dt(i); b) comparing said echo value e(i) obtained at sensing position p(i) to a reference echo value r(i) corresponding to said sensing position p(i); c) if said echo value e(i) is lower than or equal to said reference echo value r(i) then the method stops; d) if said echo value e(i) is greater than said reference echo value r(i) then verifying whether a difference between said echo value e(i) and said reference echo value r(i) is greater than said detection safety factor; e) if said difference between said echo value e(i) and said reference echo value r(i) is lower than said detection assurance factor then ee1) storing said echo value e(i) as said reference echo value r(i) for sensing position p(i), and, ee2) repeating steps a) to e); and f) if said difference between said echo value e(i) and said reference echo value r(i) is greater than or equal to said detection safety factor then a detection occurs and the method stops.