Methods for contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging that implement coded multi-pulses in each of two or more different transmission events are described. Data acquired in response to the two different transmission events are decoded and combined. In some embodiments, the coded multi-pulses include two or more consecutive Hadamard encoded ultrasound pulses. In other embodiments, multiplane wave pulses can be used. Such multiplane wave pulses can be coded using Hadamard encoding, as one example. In addition, the multiplane wave pulses can be further coded using amplitude modulation, pulse inversion, or pulse inversion amplitude modulation techniques.

An ultrasound imaging system transmits two beams in succession in the same beam direction, the waveform of the second beam being a phase inverted form of the first waveform, and each waveform containing first and second major frequency components. Echoes are received from along the beam direction in response to each beam transmission, and are processed by additively and subtractively combining the two echo sequences on a common depth basis. The echo components resulting from this processing extend from high frequencies for good near field resolution to low frequencies for good depth penetration, and include fundamental, harmonic, and sum or difference frequency components. The linear and nonlinear echo signal components may be frequency compounded for speckle reduction.

Systems and methods are provided for motion corrected wide-band pulse inversion ultrasonic imaging. A first pulse is transmitted, a second pulse is then transmitted after a delay, with the second pulse having different polarity. Echoes of the first pulse and the second pulse are received, using a reception bandwidth that enables capturing at least a portion of a fundamental portion of each pulse. The echoes are processed, and corresponding ultrasound images are generated based on processing. The processing includes determining displacement data between the first pulse echo and the echo of the second pulse for at least one structure in an imaged area; determining one or more displacement corrections based on the displacement data; applying at least one displacement correction to at least one of the first pulse echo and the echo of the second pulse; and combining the first pulse echo and the echo of the second pulse.

A method for forming a contrast pulse sequence ultrasound image using a pulse width modulation scheme and an ultrasound system using the same are disclosed. The ultrasound system generates at least three kinds of mutually different pulses having a same amplitude, and sequentially transmits at least three kinds of transmission signals corresponding to the at least three kinds of mutually different pulses to an ultrasound transducer. The ultrasound transducer transmits at least three kinds of ultrasound signals to a target object by sequentially generating the at least three kinds of ultrasound signals based on the at least three kinds of transmission signals. The ultrasound transducer generates at least three kinds of reception signals by sequentially receiving at least three kinds of echo signals reflected from the target object. The ultrasound system forms a contrast pulse sequence ultrasound image by eliminating a linear component from the at least three kinds of reception signals.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1 includes a transducer array 2, a transmission unit 3 that transmits an ultrasonic pulse FP and an ultrasonic pulse SP having phases inverted from each other on the scanning line from the transducer array 2 multiple times, a reception unit 4 that acquires reception signals from an output signal of the transducer array 2, a quadrature detection unit 5 that performs quadrature detection on the reception signals to acquire IQ signal strings, a tissue velocity detection unit 6 that detects a velocity of a tissue in a subject based on the IQ signal strings, a phase correction unit 7 that corrects phases of the IQ signal strings, a pulse inversion addition unit 8 that adds IQ signals corresponding to the ultrasonic pulse FP and IQ signals corresponding to the ultrasonic pulse SP using the corrected IQ signal strings to acquire added signals, and an image generation unit 10 that generates an ultrasound image from the added signals.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1 includes a transducer array 2, a transmission unit 3 that transmits a set of a first ultrasonic pulse FP and a second ultrasonic pulse SP having phases inverted from each other on the same scanning line from the transducer array 2 into a subject N times to be equal to or greater than at least two times, a reception unit 4 that acquires reception signals from a signal output from the transducer array 2, which receives an ultrasound echo, a quadrature detection unit 5 that acquires an IQ signal string corresponding to the first ultrasonic pulse FP and an IQ signal string corresponding to the second ultrasonic pulse SP by performing quadrature detection in a determined range on the reception signals, and a bubble signal likelihood calculation unit 6 that calculates a bubble signal likelihood based on the IQ signal strings acquired by the quadrature detection unit 5.

An ultrasonic measurement apparatus includes a transmission processing unit that performs processing for transmitting an ultrasonic wave with respect to a target object, a reception processing unit that performs reception processing of an ultrasonic echo with respect to the transmitted ultrasonic wave, and a processing unit that performs processing with respect to a reception signal from the reception processing unit. The processing unit performs coupling coefficient specification processing of a plurality of first basis waves which configure the reception signal, with respect to the reception signal corresponding to a transmission pulse signal which is transmitted by the transmission processing unit. The processing unit performs conversion processing for converting the reception signal into a reconfiguration signal based on a plurality of coupling coefficients which are specified through the coupling coefficient specification processing, and a second basis wave having a number of wave cycles less than that of the first basis wave.

An ultrasound diagnostic device including a transmitter and a delay-and-sum unit. The transmitter selects a tertiary transducer array that coincides in an azimuth direction with a transmission focal point, two partial primary transducer arrays that sandwich the tertiary transducer array in the azimuth direction, and two secondary transducer arrays that sandwich the tertiary and partial primary transducer arrays in the azimuth direction, and causes transmission from the tertiary and secondary transducer arrays of an ultrasound beam with a larger signal intensity in a high frequency band than that transmitted from the partial primary transducer arrays. The delay-and-sum unit sets calculation target areas that have different positions in the azimuth direction, and executes delay-and-sum processing with respect to each of the calculation target areas to generate acoustic line signal frame data.

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus that can combine image data and has a first image mode and a second image mode, includes: a hardware processor that sets a scan parameter of an image of a first image mode according to restriction information of the scan parameter, when the second image mode is turned on and generates control information; a transmitter that generates a drive signal and inputs the drive signal to an ultrasound probe that transmits transmission ultrasound to a test object and receives reflected ultrasound; a receiver that generates a reception signal of the images in the first and second image modes from an electric signal generated in the ultrasound probe; a first-image-mode image generator that generates first-image-mode image data; a second-image-mode image generator that generates second-image-mode image data; and a combiner that generates combined image data by combining the generated first-image-mode image data and second-image-mode image data.

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.