A system and method for enhancing visualization of color flow ultrasound is provided. The method includes generating estimated parameter values from filtered ultrasound image data. The method includes applying filter thresholds to the estimated parameter values, wherein the filter thresholds comprise first and second high power rejection thresholds and first and second low power and low velocity rejection thresholds. The method includes applying a transparency map to the estimated parameter values between the first and second high power rejection thresholds and between the first and second low power and low velocity rejection thresholds. The method includes generating a color flow image based at least in part on the estimated parameter values. The method includes presenting the color flow image at a display system.

In an ultrasound imaging system which produces synthetically transmit focused images, the multiline signals used to form image scanlines are analyzed for speed of sound variation, and a map 60 of this variation is generated. In a preferred implementation, the phase discrepancy of the received multilines caused by speed of sound variation in the medium is estimated in the angular spectrum domain for the receive angular spectrum. Once the phase is estimated for all locations in an image, the differential phase between two points at the same lateral location, but different depth, is computed. This differential phase is proportional to the local speed of sound between the two points. A color-coded two- or three-dimensional map 60 is produced from these speed of sound estimates and presented to the user.

A delta-sigma beamformer includes a beamsummer and a plurality of delta-sigma modules. Each of the delta sigma modules includes a delta-sigma modulator configured to receive analog ultrasound signals from one or more transducer elements and output a delay line including a plurality of samples based on the analog ultrasound signals. Each delta-sigma modulator includes a comb filter connected to the delta-sigma modulator and configured to output a difference between two of the plurality of samples in the delay line. Each delta-sigma modulator includes an accumulator module. Each accumulator module includes an accumulator connected to the comb filter. Each accumulator module is configured to integrate signals received from the comb filter during a non-delay-expansion period and transmit the integrated signals to the beamsummer during the non-delay-expansion period. Each accumulator module is configured to output a zero to the beamsummer during a delay-expansion period.

Aspects of the technology described herein relate to apparatuses and methods for performing elevational beamforming of ultrasound data. Elevational beamforming may be implemented by different types of control circuitry. Certain control circuitry may be configured to control memory such that ultrasound data from different elevational channels is summed with stored ultrasound data in the memory that was collected at different times. Certain control circuitry may be configured to control a decimator to decimate ultrasound data from different elevational channels with different phases. Certain control circuitry may be configured to control direct digital synthesis circuitry to add a different phase offset to complex signals generated by the DDS circuitry for multiplying with ultrasound data from different elevational channels.

Improved ultrasound imaging devices and methods of operating the devices that minimize grating lobe artifacts in an ultrasound image are provided. For example, an ultrasound imaging system analyzes the ultrasound data at different frequency bands and generates a grating-lobe-minimized image based on minimum signals identified for each pixel among the plurality of frequency ranges. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system includes an ultrasound transducer array configured to obtain ultrasound data, and a processor in communication with the ultrasound transducer array. The processor is configured to receive the ultrasound data, generate an ultrasound image based on a first frequency range of the ultrasound data, generate a grating-lobe-minimized ultrasound image based on a plurality of second frequency ranges of the ultrasound data, combine the ultrasound image and the grating-lobe-minimized ultrasound image to generate a combined ultrasound image, and output the combined ultrasound image to a display.

Ultrasound signal processing circuitry and related apparatus and methods are described. Signal samples received from an ultrasound transducer array in an ultrasound transducer based imaging system may be processed, or conditioned, by application of one or more weighting functions. In some embodiments, one or more weighting functions may be applied to the signal samples in the time domain. In other embodiments, the signal samples may be converted to the frequency domain and one or more weighting functions may be applied in the frequency domain. In further embodiments, one or more weighting functions may be applied in the time domain and one or more weighting functions may be applied in the frequency domain. The weighting functions may be channel dependent and/or channel independent. The processed data can be provided to an image formation processor.

Some disclosed methods involve acquiring, via an ultrasonic sensor system, first (reference) ultrasonic signals at a first time and acquiring second ultrasonic signals via the ultrasonic sensor system at a second time. Such methods may involve determining, based at least in part on a comparison of the first ultrasonic signals and the second ultrasonic signals, whether one or more layers reside on the cover glass at the second time. If it is determined that the one or more layers reside on the cover glass at the second time, some methods may involve determining one or more signal characteristics corresponding to properties of the one or more layers and determining, based at least in part on the one or more properties, whether the one or more layers are compatible with the ultrasonic sensor system. If so, the method may involve calibrating the ultrasonic sensor system.

Systems and methods are provided for selectively utilizing ultrasound data to quantify a part being scanned. One embodiment is a system that includes an ultrasonic wave generator configured to induce ultrasonic waves at locations along a part being scanned, and a controller. The controller is configured to operate the ultrasonic wave generator to collect data points that each indicate amplitude data and time-of-flight data of an ultrasonic wave at the part, to calculate a standard deviation of the time-of-flight data of the data points (σ.sub.tof), to utilize the amplitude data to quantify the part if σ.sub.tof is less than a threshold value, and to flag the data points in memory as including noise if σ.sub.tof is greater than the threshold value.

Techniques for operating an ultrasonic sensor array, the ultrasonic sensor array disposed under a platen, include making a determination whether or not to recalibrate the ultrasonic sensor array based on whether a first screen protector disposed above the platen has been removed or replaced by a second screen protector; and recalibrating the ultrasonic sensor array, when the determination is to recalibrate the ultrasonic sensor array. In some cases, the techniques include prompting a user to indicate whether or not the screen protector has been changed or removed, and recalibrating the ultrasonic sensor array only after confirmation from the user.

Systems and methods for filtering an analog waveform before it is sampled by an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in an ultrasound system are provided. The waveform can be filtered by delaying the same waveform by two different time delays and combining the delayed waveforms to effectively cancel out the fundamental components, thereby providing more sensitive detection of harmonic components in received echo signals. This filtering approach leverages an architecture that can also be used for multiline beamforming to perform the temporal filtering, in which a single acoustic signal can be read out of the ARAM twice, separated by time, taking advantage of the fact that the ARAM allows for non-destructive read operations.