A device and a method for detecting at least one defect in a test object (2). At least one test head (1) radiates an ultrasonic signal at different measuring points (MP) into the test object (2) with each point at an insonation or radiation angle (α) in order to ascertain multiple measurement data sets (MDS). The angle is constant for each data set (MDS). An analyzing unit (4) carries out an SAFT (Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique) analysis for each ascertained measurement data set (MDS) using a common reconstruction grid (RG) inside the test object (2) in order to calculate an SAFT analysis result for each measurement data set (MDS). The analyzing unit (4) superimposes the calculated SAFT analysis results in order to calculate an orientation-independent defect display value (S.sub.RP) for each reconstruction point (RP) of the common reconstruction grid (RG).

Provided are a method and device for ultrasonic imaging by synthetic focusing. The method comprises: exciting a plurality of matrix elements of an ultrasonic probe to transmit plane waves many times, wherein transmitting apodizations at the time of every transmission of the plane waves by the plurality of matrix elements correspond to the respective lines in a measurement matrix in which elements are randomly distributed; after every transmission of the plane waves, exciting all the matrix elements of the ultrasonic probe to receive echo signals, in order to obtain channel data; recovering a synthetic focusing channel data set by use of a compressed sensing reconstruction algorithm according to a channel data set and the measurement matrix; and subjecting the synthetic focusing channel data set to beamforming so as to generate an ultrasonic image.

A displacement measurement apparatus includes an ultrasound sensor transmitting ultrasounds to an object in accordance with a drive signal, and detecting ultrasound echo signals generated in the object to output echo signals; a driving and processing unit supplying the drive signal to the sensor, and processing the echo signals from the sensor to obtain ultrasound echo data; and a controller controlling the driving and processing unit to yield an ultrasound echo data frame at each of plural different temporal phases based on the ultrasound echo data obtained by scanning the object. The ultrasound echo data has one of local single octant spectra, local single quadrant spectra, and local single half-band-sided spectra in a frequency domain. The ultrasound echo data is obtained from plural same bandwidth spectra. A data processing unit calculates a displacement at each local position or distribution thereof in at least one of axial, lateral, and elevational directions by solving simultaneous equations derived at each local position via implementing a predetermined displacement measurement method on the ultrasound echo data yielded at the plural different temporal phases with respect to at least one of the axial, lateral, and elevational carrier frequencies and the phase, or the one of the local single octant spectra, the local single quadrant spectra, and the local single half-band-sided spectra.

In performing aperture synthesis according to an ultrasound imaging apparatus, the amount of spatial change of amplification factors of phasing signals at respective receive phasing points are reduced, and a high-quality image is obtained. In a receive beamformer that generates an inter-transmission weight in accordance with a phasing range, and performs aperture synthesis processing, the inter-transmission weight being generated is applied to the receive phasing points within the phasing range obtained through transmission and reception, and the inter-transmission synthesis is performed. The inter-transmission weight is generated in such a manner that a variation form of the amplification factor between adjacent receive phasing points is smoothed and a difference of the amplification factor is reduced, as to each receive phasing point after the inter-transmission synthesis is performed.

An imaging system (300) includes a transducer array (308) with a transducer element (310) with at least two faces (402, 904). Each face faces a different direction. The transducer element includes at least two sub-elements (404, 902). Each sub-element is part of a different face. The at least two sub-elements transmit respective beams at each location along a scan path (806).

A method for the ultrasound check of a test object involves moving a test probe along a test probe surface and sending ultrasound impulses into the test object by the test probe. Respective echo signals corresponding with the emitted ultrasound impulses are received by the test probe. An image of a predetermined test region of the test object is prepared on the basis of an overlapping and averaging of amplitude values of the received echo signals by a data processing unit. The respective position of the test probe when sending the ultrasound signals and/or when receiving the corresponding echo signals is captured by a capturing unit. The respectively captured positions of the test probe are considered when creating the image of the test region of the test object.

A plurality of transmit foci (a plurality of virtual sources) (F1-F7) are formed upon a scan plane with a two-dimensional pattern. Specifically, first transmission beams having first transmission foci and second transmission beams having second transmission foci are formed alternately in a scan direction. A plurality of first sub-images (LRI1, LRI3, LRI7) are formed by the forming of the plurality of first transmission beams, and a plurality of second sub-images (LRI2, LRI4, LRI6) are formed by the forming of the plurality of second transmission beams. At time of reception, a parallel reception technology is applied.

A dual-mode ultrasound system provides real-time imaging and therapy delivery using the same transducer elements of a transducer array. The system may use a multi-channel driver to drive the elements of the array. The system uses a real-time monitoring and feedback image control of the therapy based on imaging data acquired using the dual-mode ultrasound array (DMUA) of transducer elements. Further, for example, multi-modal coded excitation may be used in both imaging and therapy modes. Still further, for example, adaptive, real-time refocusing for improved imaging and therapy can be achieved using, for example, array directivity vectors obtained from DMUA pulse-echo data.

High-frequency ultrasound imaging can be performed with greater quality and suppressed grating lobes by using methods and systems for effectively reducing the temporal length of transmit grating lobe signals in received ultrasound echoes. Systems and methods are provided for improved high-frequency ultrasound imaging. In various aspects, the method of shortening the time domain of grating lobe signals comprises splitting an array of N transmit elements into K sub-apertures. In further aspects, the grating lobes are suppressed by performing signal processing of the shortened grating lobe signals. In certain aspects, the signal processing method comprises weighting the samples by a calculated phase coherence factor.

An ultrasound based measurement method includes obtaining an element of synthetic data corresponding to a focusing point in a region adjacent to a reflector by applying a synthetic focusing method to received data corresponding to an actual focusing point; and generating an image of the reflector based on the element of the synthetic data.