Gas flow metering apparatus for obtaining flow measurements in respect of gas in a conduit is provided. The apparatus includes an ultrasonic mass flow meter including a first, upstream ultrasonic transducer, a second, downstream transducer, and a first calculation module for receiving data representative of an ultrasonic transit time between said transducers and calculating, using said data, a first flow velocity of said gas. The apparatus including at least one measurement device for measuring a flow parameter of said flow of gas through said conduit, a second calculation module for calculating, using said flow parameter, a second flow velocity of said gas, a verification module configured to select a preferred flow velocity from said first and second calculated flow velocities dependent upon expected accuracy in current gas flow conditions, and an output module for calculating, using said selected preferred flow velocity, a volumetric flow in respect of said gas flow.

An ultrasound system for identifying a vessel of a subject comprises: an ultrasound probe configured to simultaneously acquire a sequence of ultrasound blood flow data frames (such as a sequence of ultrasound Doppler data frames) and a sequence of ultrasound B-mode data frames of a region of interest including the vessel over a predetermined time period; a blood flow region selecting unit configured to select a blood flow region in the sequence of blood flow data frames; and a vessel segmenting unit configured to segment the vessel in at least one frame of the sequence of ultrasound B-mode data frames based on the selected blood flow region. Since there is no need to manually place any seed point for vessel segmentation any more, the user dependency is reduced and a fast measurement is made possible.

Systems and methods are provided for ultrasonic image generation. One embodiment is a method that includes capturing a first ultrasound image that represents a first volume within a part, and capturing a second ultrasound image that represents a second volume that partially overlaps the first volume. The method also includes identifying a first constellation comprising at least three inconsistencies in the part that are depicted in the first ultrasound image, identifying a second constellation, comprising a reoriented version of the first constellation, in the second ultrasound image, and generating an aggregate image that combines the first ultrasound image with the second ultrasound image.

An ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic imaging apparatus including the same, and a method for controlling the same are disclosed, which relate to a method for changing a pulse signal received by an ultrasonic probe by controlling a switching element mounted to an ultrasonic probe during pulse inversion harmonic imaging. The ultrasonic probe includes: a transducer array configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic signal; a printed circuit board (PCB) electrically connected to the transducer array so as to transmit a pulse signal received from a main body of an ultrasonic imaging apparatus to the transducer array; and a switching circuit configured to change a waveform of the pulse signal received by the PCB and transmitted to the transducer array.

An ultrasonic meter for recording a flow quantity dependent on a flow of a fluid, has a control device, a measuring tube having a plurality of side walls, mutually adjacent side walls being at an angle to one another, and through which the fluid can flow in a longitudinal direction of the measuring tube, and first and second ultrasound transducers which are arranged at a distance from one another in the longitudinal direction on the measuring tube. The first and second ultrasound transducers respectively contain one transducer element or a predetermined arrangement of a plurality of transducer elements. The ultrasound transducer can be driven by the control device in order to excite an acoustic wave conducted in a side wall of the measuring tube, and conducted through the fluid to the other ultrasound transducer and recorded there by the control device to determine a signal time of flight.

Network wavefield imaging methods are able to image significantly complex discontinuities or shapes in plate-like structures for superior ultrasonic structural health monitoring (SHM)/nondestructive evaluation (NDE). The imaging provides high-resolution location, shape and/or size images of a structure, and for discontinuities with more complicated profiles. Guided wave (GW) network wavefield imaging methods combine tomography and wavefield/wavenumber imaging algorithms. Metallic plate damage detection uses guided ultrasonic waves and non-contact laser vibrometry. Guided waves are generated by piezoelectric transducers (PZT). A non-contact scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (SLDV) measures the full velocity plate guided wave wavefields. Developed network wavefield imaging algorithms account for multiple-actuator excitations from different angles enclosing the discontinuity, with algorithms using intrinsic wave characteristics such as wavefield, wavenumber, or reconstructed wave energy. Determined locations, sizes and shapes of highlighted areas in wavefield, wavenumber and/or filter reconstructed energy-based images correlate with location, size and shape of damage in metallic plates.

Methods and apparatus for enhanced visualization of anomalies in a structure. The method comprises: acquiring pulse-echo laser ultrasonic wave propagation imaging video data at a multiplicity of points in a scan area on a surface of a structure; post-processing the pulse-echo laser ultrasonic wave propagation imaging video data using multiple-time window amplitude mapping to create a multiple-time window amplitude map; and displaying the multiple-time window amplitude map on a graphical user interface.

An apparatus and method of using an optical coherence elastography (OCE) under acoustic radiation force (ARF) excitation includes the steps of inducing an excitation wave in a blood sample by use of an ultrasound beam from an ultrasonic transducer; measuring an elastic property of the blood sample by use of an optical coherence tomography (OCT) beam transverse to the ultrasound beam to dynamically measure the elastic property of the blood sample during coagulation and assessing the clot formation/dissolution kinetics and strength.

A photoacoustic image generation apparatus includes: a puncture needle that generates photoacoustic waves; an ultrasound probe that detects the photoacoustic waves and reflected ultrasonic waves reflected by the transmission of ultrasonic waves; a Processor that generates a Doppler signal on the basis of the reflected ultrasonic waves from a sample gate as a Doppler measurement target, that generates a photoacoustic image on the basis of the photoacoustic waves, and that detects the position of a tip portion of the puncture needle on the basis of the photoacoustic image; and a controller that sets the sample gate at a position which is a predetermined distance away from the detected position of the tip portion of the puncture needle and sets the sample gate, following movement of the tip portion of the puncture needle, in a state in which the distance is maintained.

An imaging device includes a transducer that includes an array of piezoelectric elements formed on a substrate. Each piezoelectric element includes at least one membrane suspended from the substrate, at least one bottom electrode disposed on the membrane, at least one piezoelectric layer disposed on the bottom electrode, and at least one top electrode disposed on the at least one piezoelectric layer. Adjacent piezoelectric elements are configured to be isolated acoustically from each other. The device is utilized to measure flow or flow along with imaging anatomy.