Patent Document ID: 5524627
Application ID: 08294713
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. An ultrasound imaging system for imaging an object, the system comprising: (a) an ultrasonic probe for scanning the object; (b) probe location monitoring apparatus for monitoring the actual trajectory of said ultrasonic probe with respect to the object; (c) a memory for storing at least one scanning trajectory by which the object can be scanned by said ultrasonic probe; (d) a trajectory display for displaying the actual trajectory of said ultrasonic probe superimposed on a background of one of said at least one scanning trajectory; (e) acoustic coupling monitoring apparatus for monitoring the degree of acoustic coupling between said ultrasonic probe and the object for each location of said ultrasonic probe on the object; (f) image correction apparatus for correcting at least one image of the object by normalizing said at least one image for each location of said probe according to an acoustic coupling reference value; and (g) an image display for displaying said at least one image of the object.