Patent Document ID: 9113835
Application ID: 13368169
Patent Status: 1

Claim One:
1. A system for imaging a volume of tissue, comprising: an array of ultrasound emitters configured to surround the volume of tissue and emit acoustic waveforms toward the volume of tissue; an array of ultrasound receivers configured to surround the volume of tissue and to receive a set of acoustic waveforms scattered by the volume of tissue, each acoustic waveform in the set of acoustic waveforms corresponding to a respective ultrasound emitter-ultrasound receiver pair, wherein the array of ultrasound emitters and the array of ultrasound receivers are arranged in a circular ring transducer configured to receive and encircle the volume of tissue; a processor comprising a computer: configured to determine a measured differential time-of-flight data set, at the computer, based on relative measured time-of-flights of adjacent acoustic waveforms, in the set of acoustic waveforms, corresponding to adjacent ultrasound emitter-ultrasound receiver pairs; configured to determine a calculated differential time-of-flight data set according to a forward modeling algorithm, implementing theory, implementing ray theory, that processes the set of acoustic waveforms; configured to determine a difference between the measured differential time-of-flight data set and the calculated differential time-of-flight data set between a first acoustic waveform and a second acoustic waveform, adjacent to the first acoustic waveform, of the set of acoustic waveforms; and configured to generate an acoustic speed rendering of the volume of tissue based on the difference between the observed differential time-of-flight data set and the calculated differential time-of-flight data set; and a display, in communication with the computer, configured to render the acoustic speed rendering to a user analyzing the volume of tissue.