A processing device includes a controller including hardware. The controller is configured to execute: generating an ultrasound image based on an ultrasound signal acquired by an ultrasound probe, the ultrasound probe being configured to transmit an ultrasonic wave to a subject that is an observation target and receive an ultrasonic wave reflected by the subject; generating shift information including a shift direction of a display area of the ultrasound image displayed on a display unit in accordance with a command position with respect to the ultrasound image; shifting the ultrasound image in accordance with the shift information; and generating a character image indicating an area targeted for a process performed on the ultrasound image in relation to the command position in the ultrasound image after being shifted.

The invention is to provide an ultrasonic image with a clear tissue structure while reducing speckle noise of the ultrasonic image. An ultrasonic wave is transmitted from the transducer to the subject, and an echo generated in the subject is received. The first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image are generated using a reception signal. The second ultrasonic image is an image smoother than the first ultrasonic image. The image processing unit calculates filter coefficients using pixel values of corresponding pixels of the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image, and generates an output image by processing one of the first ultrasonic image and the second ultrasonic image using the filter coefficients.

Disclosed are an imaging system (10) or an interventional tool, such as a catheter (20), having a first ultrasound transducer array (23) and a second ultrasound transducer array (21) spaced by a fixed distance (D) from each other; wherein both arrays may be used to generate diagnostic images; and a processing arrangement (31, 32) to process a first sensor signal indicative of the first array imaging a reference location (X) at a first point in time, and to process a second sensor signal indicative of the second array imaging the reference location at a second point in time; and determine a translation (pullback) speed of the catheter from the set distance and the difference between the first point in time and the second point in time. Alternatively, a catheter may be provided comprising an ultrasound transducer array at a distal end of the catheter, and two pressure sensors for determining the translation speed.

A device and method for imaging, measuring and identifying multiphase fluid flow in wellbores using phased array Doppler ultrasound. The device includes a radially-configured or ring-shaped ultrasound transducer that when deployed in a well in Doppler mode can measure the velocity of radially flowing fluids in the wellbore and generate a 3D image of radial flow in the wellbore, including flowback into the wellbore after fracturing operations, or flow leaving the wellbore during water injection operations. The ring-shaped ultrasound transducer can also simultaneously operate in a B-mode to generate a B-mode image of the wellbore liner upon which the Doppler image can be overlaid. The device may also include a forward facing ultrasound transducer either instead of or in place of the ring-shaped transducer for obtaining information and images on axial flow in the wellbore in Doppler mode, and the location of phase boundaries and phase locations in B-mode.

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.

A characterization device for non-destructively characterizing a material includes emitter/receiver cells, each cell being able, in an emit mode, to emit ultrasound waves towards the material for characterizing, and, in a receive mode, to receive ultrasound waves that have been transmitted through the material. The non-destructive characterization device includes a ring made up of a plurality of adjacent angular sectors, each angular sector including ultrasound cells stacked in a radial direction of the ring.

Sonar systems and related methods are provided. A sonar system for a water craft includes at least one transducer element having at least one emitting face. The at least one transducer element is mountable to the water craft. A sonar signal processor is in electronic communication with the at least one transducer element and is operative to associate signals with the at least one transducer element to cause at least one acoustic beam to be emitted from the at least one emitting face in a first beam direction. A beam reflector is mounted with respect to the at least one transducer element such that at least one beam reflecting surface of the beam reflector is positioned along the first beam direction. The at least one acoustic beam impinges upon the at least one beam reflecting surface and is reflected in a second beam direction different than the first beam direction.

An ultrasound imaging system may include a probe, a transmitting circuit which may excite the probe to transmit ultrasound beams towards a scanning target in at least three ultrasound propagation directions; a receiving circuit and a beamforming unit which may respectively receive the echoes of the ultrasound beams in the ultrasound propagation directions to obtain the echo signals in each of the ultrasound propagation directions; a data processing unit which may obtain velocity vectors of target points in the scanning target using the echo signals in each of the ultrasound propagation directions and obtain ultrasound images of at least a portion of the scanning target using the echo signals; and a display which may display the velocity vectors and the ultrasound images.

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 Ring-Arrayed Forward-viewing (RAF) ultrasound imaging and administration device combines an ultrasonic (US) US imager including a plurality of single element transducers arranged in a circular frame to define a ring array, and an instrument posture tracking circuit coupled to the ring array for performing RF (radio frequency) data acquisition with the plurality of ring-arrayed transducers. A needle holster is concentrically disposed in the ring array and is adapted to receive and direct an insertion instrument such as a needle, probe or extraction tool along an axis defined by a center of the ring array directed by the concentric needle holster. The tracking circuit includes a processor having instructions for instrument posture tracking and US imaging.