G01S7/52019

UNDERWATER DETECTION APPARATUS AND UNDERWATER DETECTION METHOD

An underwater detection apparatus is provided which includes a transmission transducer, a reception transducer, and a motor. The transmission transducer transmits a transmission wave within a given fan-shaped transmission space, the fan-shaped transmission space having a first transmission width in a given first plane and a second transmission width in a second plane perpendicular to the first plane. The reception transducer receives, as a reception wave, a reflection wave of the transmission wave within a given fan-shaped reception space, the fan-shaped reception space having a first reception width in the first plane and a second reception width in the second plane, the second reception width being wider than the second transmission width, and in the second plane, the fan-shaped transmission space being within the fan-shaped reception space. The motor rotates the fan-shaped transmission space and the fan-shaped reception space.

ULTRASONIC APPARATUS, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME
20200337676 · 2020-10-29 ·

A processor in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus controls an ultrasonic probe 2 to transmit a first ultrasonic beam to a first region A1, transmit a second ultrasonic beam to a second region A2, and transmit a third ultrasonic beam to a third region A3, wherein the first and third ultrasonic beams are focused ultrasonic beams having focus points F, and the second ultrasonic beam is an ultrasonic beam formed by a plane wave. The processor produces an ultrasonic image comprised of a first ultrasonic image for the first region A1, a second ultrasonic image for the second region A2, and a third ultrasonic image for the third region A3 based on first, second, and third echo signals obtained from said first, second, and third regions A1, A2, A3.

ULTRASONIC DIAGNOSTIC APPARATUS
20200275911 · 2020-09-03 ·

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: a transducer; a driving signal generation unit configured to generate a driving signal; and a transmission circuit configured to output a driving current corresponding to the driving signal, so as to drive the transducer, the transmission circuit includes: a transducer driving unit formed by a current mirror with a low voltage transistor and a high voltage transistor, the high voltage transistor being connected with the transducer, and a current source configured to supply an operation current corresponding to the driving signal to the low voltage transistor of the transducer driving unit, the driving signal generation unit includes: a transmission circuit driving unit replica that has a configuration same as that of the transducer driving unit, and a feedback control unit to detect a current flowing through a high voltage transistor of the transmission circuit driving unit replica, and to control the current to be constant.

ANALOG BEAMFORMER
20200266807 · 2020-08-20 · ·

An analog beamformer includes: an input circuit configured to receive an input signal to generate a first input signal having the same phase as the input signal and a second input signal having a phase difference corresponding to a first phase with respect to the input signal; a first delay circuit configured to delay the first input signal to output a first delayed signal; a second delay circuit configured to delay the second input signal to output a second delayed signal; and an output circuit configured to output an output signal by summing the first delayed signal and the second delayed signal, wherein a first write signal has the phase difference corresponding to the first phase with respect to a second write signal, and a first read signal has the phase difference corresponding to the first phase with respect to a second read signal.

Autonomous ultrasound probe and related apparatus and methods

An ultrasound apparatus comprising a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a non-acoustic sensor, a memory circuitry to store control data for operating the ultrasound apparatus to perform an acquisition task, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive an indication to perform the acquisition task, receive non-acoustic data obtained by the non-acoustic sensor, and control, based on the control data and the non-acoustic data, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers to obtain acoustic data for the acquisition task.

AUTONOMOUS ULTRASOUND PROBE AND RELATED APPARATUS AND METHODS

An ultrasound apparatus comprising a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, a non-acoustic sensor, a memory circuitry to store control data for operating the ultrasound apparatus to perform an acquisition task, and a controller. The controller is configured to receive an indication to perform the acquisition task, receive non-acoustic data obtained by the non-acoustic sensor, and control, based on the control data and the non-acoustic data, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers to obtain acoustic data for the acquisition task.

ULTRASOUND SYSTEM FRONT-END CIRCUIT FOR A 128-ELEMENT ARRAY PROBE

Front-end circuitry for an ultrasound system comprises a beamformer FPGA integrated circuit, transmit ICs with both pulse transmitters and linear waveform transmitters and T/R switches, transmit control and receiver ICs, and analog-to-digital converter (ADC) ICs. Only the transmit ICs require high voltages, and the transmit/receive switches are integrated in the transmit ICs, isolating the receiver ICs from high voltages. The transmitters can be trimmed to adjust the pulse rise and fall rates, enabling the transmission of pulses with low harmonic frequency content and thus better harmonic images.

SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VIRTUAL APERATURE RADAR TRACKING
20200064462 · 2020-02-27 ·

A system for virtual aperture array radar tracking includes a transmitter that transmits first and second probe signals; a receiver array including a first plurality of radar elements positioned along a first radar axis; and a signal processor that calculates a target range from first and second reflected probe signals, corresponds signal instances of the first reflected probe signal to physical receiver elements of the radar array, corresponds signal instances of the second reflected probe signal to virtual elements of the radar array, calculates a first target angle between a first reference vector and a first projected target vector from the first reflected probe signal, and calculates a position of the tracking target relative to the radar array from the target range and first target angle.

Systems and methods for interpolated virtual aperature radar tracking
10564277 · 2020-02-18 · ·

A method for interpolated virtual aperture array radar tracking includes: transmitting first and second probe signals; receiving a first reflected probe signal at a radar array; receiving a second reflected probe signal at the radar array; calculating a target range from at least one of the first and second reflected probe signals; corresponding signal instances of the first reflected probe signal to physical receiver elements of the radar array; corresponding signal instances of the second reflected probe signal to virtual elements of the radar array; interpolating signal instances; calculating a first target angle; and calculating a position of the tracking target relative to the radar array from the target range and first target angle.

ULTRASONIC DETECTING DEVICE AND ULTRASONIC DETECTING METHOD
20200025917 · 2020-01-23 · ·

An ultrasonic detecting device may include a transmitter, a receiver, a motor, and processing circuitry. The transmitter may transmit a sequence including a first pulse wave and a second pulse wave separated by a time interval shorter than a time required for an ultrasonic wave to make a round trip underwater to a detection range. The receiver may convert reflection waves of the first and second pulse waves into echo signals. The motor may rotate the receiver. The processing circuitry may acquire, from the echo signals, a first echo signal and a second echo signal, generate first image data based on the first echo signals and second image data based on the second echo signals, and generate synthesized image data based on an angular position of the receiver when the first image data is generated, and an angular position of the receiver when the second image data is generated.