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.

Devices, systems, and methods are disclosed for use in tomographic ultrasound imaging, large aperture ultrasound imaging and therapeutic ultrasound that provide for coupling acoustic signal transducers to body structures for transmitting and receiving acoustic signals. The acoustic signal transmission couplants can conform to the receiving medium (e.g., skin) of the subject such that there is an acoustic impedance matching between the receiving medium and the transducer. In one aspect, an acoustic coupling medium includes a hydrogel including polymerizable material that form a network structured to entrap an aqueous fluid inside the hydrogel. The hydrogel is structured to conform to the receiving body, and the acoustic coupling medium is operable to conduct acoustic signals between acoustic signal transducer elements and a receiving medium when the hydrogel is in contact with the receiving body such that there is an acoustic impedance matching between the receiving medium and the acoustic signal transducer elements.

An object of the invention is to provide an ultrasonic CT device in which a reflected signal or the like from an object disposed close to transducers is received, and a reception signal thereof can be received by a receiver while transceivers whose number is smaller than the number of the transducers are used. The ultrasonic CT device includes: a transducer array in which a plurality of transducers are arranged; transceivers whose number is smaller than the number of the transducers; and a transmission transducer selector and a reception transducer selector disposed for each of the transceivers. While a transmitter included in the transceiver is selectively connected to any of the transducers in the transducer array by the transmission transducer selector, a receiver included in the transceiver is selectively connected to any of the transducers in the transducer array by the reception transducer selector.

A backing 20 includes a lead array 24a that electrically connects each vibration element 12 and a plurality of ICs 32. Each bump 42 provided at a lower end portion of each lead 24 is connected to a conductor pad on an upper side surface of a relay substrate 26, and a ball-shaped terminal 44 of each IC 32 is connected to a lower surface of the relay substrate 26. The lower end portions of the leads 24 are grouped into a plurality of dense groups 46 corresponding to each IC 32 in a longitudinal direction (X-axis direction) by wiring patterns of the leads.

A device and method used to image wells and other fluid-carrying tubulars having localized features of interest. The device scans large areas of the tubular first in a low-resolution mode, then identifies areas that contain those localized features with some probability. The device images the identified areas in a high-resolution mode and stores the images for further image processing. The device may comprise two sensors axially spaced-apart on the device, which sensors may be electromagnetic, acoustic, or cameras.

A Multiple Aperture Ultrasound Imaging (MAUI) probe or transducer is uniquely capable of simultaneous imaging of a region of interest from separate apertures of ultrasound arrays. Some embodiments provide systems and methods for designing, building and using ultrasound probes having continuous arrays of ultrasound transducers which may have a substantially continuous concave curved shape in two or three dimensions (i.e., concave relative to an object to be imaged). Other embodiments herein provide systems and methods for designing, building and using ultrasound imaging probes having other unique configurations, such as adjustable probes and probes with variable configurations.

There are provided an ultrasound image generating apparatus, which generates a high-quality ultrasound image even in a deep portion of a subject, and a control method thereof. In an ultrasound image (Img), for a portion (Ar1) equal to or less than a depth threshold value (D1), a real scanning line (L1) obtained from an acoustic wave echo signal is used. In the ultrasound image (Img), for a portion (Ar2) deeper than the depth threshold value (D1), an interpolation scanning line (L2) located between the real scanning lines (L1) is generated from an acoustic wave echo signal having a positional deviation between a focusing position of ultrasound waves and an observation target position. Also for a portion deeper than the interpolation scanning line (L2), a high-quality ultrasound image (Img) is obtained.

An ultrasound imaging system for needle insertion guidance uses a curved array transducer to scan an image field with unsteered beams as a needle is inserted into the image field. Due to differences in the angle of incidence between the radially directed beams and the needle, echoes will return most strongly from only a section of the needle. This section is identified in an image, and the angle of incidence producing the strongest returns is identified. Beams with this optimal angle of incidence are then steered in parallel from the curved array transducer to produce the best needle image. The steep steering angles of some of the steered beams can give rise to side lobe clutter artifacts, which can be identified and removed from the image data using dual apodization processing of the image data.

A transducer array (302) for an ultrasound imaging system (300) includes a row-column addressed 2-D array of transducer elements (304). The row-column addressed 2-D includes a first array of 1-D arrays of elements, a second array of 1-D arrays of elements, which is orthogonal to the first array, and a double-curved surface (306). In another aspect, an apparatus includes a transducer array with an array-wise addressable 2-D array with a curved surface. The 2-D array includes a set of 1-D column array elements and a set of 1-D row array elements. The apparatus further includes transmit circuitry (308) that conveys an excitation pulse to the transducer array, receive circuitry (308) that receives a signal indicative of an ultrasound echo from the transducer array, and a beamformer (314) that processes the received signal, generating ultrasound image data.

The present invention provides an ultrasound imaging spatial compounding method and system. The method includes: setting receive lines at different deflection angles in a position of a transmitted beam where each scanning is performed; obtaining the receive lines at the different angles through beamforming; after all positions are scanned, enabling the receive lines at the same deflection angle to form a frame of image at the angle, using one of a plurality of frames of image at the different deflection angles as a basic image, and transforming the remaining frames of image except the basic image into images having the same coordinate system as the basic image; and performing spatial compounding on the plurality of frames of image in the same coordinate system to obtain a compound image for output. The present invention does not affect the temporal resolution of imaging, thereby avoiding image lagging and trailing phenomena.