The present invention related to an ultrasound imaging system win which the scan head includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field subarray beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. When using a hierarchical two-stage or three-stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images can be generated in real-time. The invention further relates to flexible printed circuit boards in the probe head. The invention furthermore related to the use of coded or spread spectrum signaling in ultrasound imagining systems. Matched filters based on pulse compression using Golay code pairs improve the signal-to-noise ratio thus enabling third harmonic imaging with suppressed sidelobes. The system is suitable for 3D full volume cardiac imaging.

An ultrasound imaging system for imaging a sample has an array of ultrasound transducers, a transmitter for driving the array of ultrasound transducers, a receiver that receives ultrasonic reflections from the sample, and a processor that generates an image of the sample based on a set of sub-image capture events, each sub-image capture event comprising received ultrasonic reflections. For each sub-image capture event, the transmitter transmits a sequence of transmit events from the ultrasound transducers. Each transmit event comprises a plurality of distinct waveforms directed toward separate focal zones on the sample. The sequence of transmit events comprises a sequence of distinct waveforms directed toward each focal zone. The cross-correlation level of the distinct waveforms in each transmit event is low, and the sequence of distinct waveforms is complementary.

Beamformed sonar data is compressed before communicating the data to a storage step or to a further processing step. At lease some of the beams of the compressed beamformed data have values for at least two different ranges.

A Multiple Aperture Ultrasound Imaging system and methods of use are provided with any number of features. In some embodiments, a multi-aperture ultrasound imaging system is configured to transmit and receive ultrasound energy to and from separate physical ultrasound apertures. In some embodiments, a transmit aperture of a multi-aperture ultrasound imaging system is configured to transmit an omni-directional unfocused ultrasound waveform approximating a first point source through a target region. In some embodiments, the ultrasound energy is received with a single receiving aperture. In other embodiments, the ultrasound energy is received with multiple receiving apertures. Algorithms are described that can combine echoes received by one or more receiving apertures to form high resolution ultrasound images. Additional algorithms can solve for variations in tissue speed of sound, thus allowing the ultrasound system to be used virtually anywhere in or on the body.

A method includes receiving from multiple transducers (28) respective signals including reflections of a transmitted coded signal from a target. An image (42) of the target is produced by computing transducer-specific frequency-domain coefficients for each of the received signals, deriving, from the transducer-specific frequency-domain coefficients, beamforming frequency-domain coefficients of a beamformed signal in which (i) the reflections are applied pulse compression, and (it) the reflections received from a selected direction relative to the transducers are emphasized, and reconstructing the image of the target at the selected direction based on the beamforming frequency-domain coefficients.

There is provided an apparatus for generating a jamming signal for deceiving a transmission/reception device. The apparatus includes a reception unit configured to receive a signal transmitted from the transmission/reception device and a determination unit configured to determine whether or not the received signal is a pulse compression signal. The apparatus futher includes a generation unit configured to determine, when the received signal is a pulse compression signal, a deception frequency based on a frequency bandwidth and a pulse width of the received pulse compression signal and generate the jamming signal based on the determined deception frequency.

The present invention related to an ultrasound imaging system win which the scan head includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field subarray beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. When using a hierarchical two-stage or three-stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images can be generated in real-time. The invention further relates to flexible printed circuit boards in the probe head. The invention furthermore related to the use of coded or spread spectrum signaling in ultrasound imagining systems. Matched filters based on pulse compression using Golay code pairs improve the signal-to-noise ratio thus enabling third harmonic imaging with suppressed sidelobes. The system is suitable for 3D full volume cardiac imaging.

An apparatus and method for frequency tuning/tracking between an electrical subsystem and a mechanical transducer subsystem is presented. An electromechanical transducer generates acoustic pulses as it is driven by a transmit signal from an electrical subsystem. As the transmit signal goes inactive, the settling behavior of the transducer is registered from which the difference in frequency between the resonance of the electromechanical transducer and the transmit signal frequency is determined and utilized for locking the electrical subsystem to the mechanical transducer subsystem by either tuning operating frequency of the electrical subsystem, or the mechanical transducer, to keep them matched (locked).

A Multiple Aperture Ultrasound Imaging system and methods of use are provided with any number of features. In some embodiments, a multi-aperture ultrasound imaging system is configured to transmit and receive ultrasound energy to and from separate physical ultrasound apertures. In some embodiments, a transmit aperture of a multi-aperture ultrasound imaging system is configured to transmit an omni-directional unfocused ultrasound waveform approximating a first point source through a target region. In some embodiments, the ultrasound energy is received with a single receiving aperture. In other embodiments, the ultrasound energy is received with multiple receiving apertures. Algorithms are described that can combine echoes received by one or more receiving apertures to form high resolution ultrasound images. Additional algorithms can solve for variations in tissue speed of sound, thus allowing the ultrasound system to be used virtually anywhere in or on the body.

A Multiple Aperture Ultrasound Imaging system and methods of use are provided with any number of features. In some embodiments, a multi-aperture ultrasound imaging system is configured to transmit and receive ultrasound energy to and from separate physical ultrasound apertures. In some embodiments, a transmit aperture of a multi-aperture ultrasound imaging system is configured to transmit an omni-directional unfocused ultrasound waveform approximating a first point source through a target region. In some embodiments, the ultrasound energy is received with a single receiving aperture. In other embodiments, the ultrasound energy is received with multiple receiving apertures. Algorithms are described that can combine echoes received by one or more receiving apertures to form high resolution ultrasound images. Additional algorithms can solve for variations in tissue speed of sound, thus allowing the ultrasound system to be used virtually anywhere in or on the body.