This method, for determining the local intensity (I.sub.0) of an acoustic field propagating in a target region of a soft solid, at a position located within said target region, includes at least the following steps: determining (102) a value of an ultrasound attenuation coefficient (α) of the soft body in the target region; determining (104) a value of the shear modulus (μ) of the soft body in the target region; determining (106) a value of the speed of sound (c) in the target region of the soft body; and building (110), with the values determined in steps a), b) and c), a viscoelastic model (M) of a steady-state displacement induced by an acoustic field having a time invariant shape or a viscoelastic model of a difference between two steady-state displacements induced by an acoustic field having a time invariant shape. Moreover, this method also includes the following steps: applying (112) to the target region the acoustic field emitted by an ultrasound source, for a duration such that the acoustic field induces a steady-state localized deformation (Formula (I)) of the soft body in the target region; measuring (114) at least one steady state displacement induced by the acoustic field at a given position in the target region; and computing (116) the amplitude of the intensity of the acoustic field at said given position by inverting the viscoelastic model (M) at said given position, for the displacement(s) measured at step f).

An ultrasound imaging system for acquiring ultrasound images of an anatomical feature of interest in a subject, comprising a controller operable by a user and configured to: process input ultrasound images to extract anatomical data; determine a set of constraints to be applied to the ultrasound images, the constraints being spatial, temporal and/or of image quality, derived from the extracted anatomical data and/or on user input; monitor the ultrasound images, as they are received, for determining their compliance with the determined constraints; and output an indication based on the determined compliance. The user can adapt the imaging process using the feedback of these indications, and can decide to stop the process based on satisfactory indications.

Aspects of the technology described herein relate to wirelessly offloading, from a wearable ultrasound device, ultrasound data sufficient for forming one or more ultrasound images therefrom. The wearable ultrasound device may include an ultrasound patch. Indications that may be monitored with such a device, and therapeutic uses that may be provided by such a device, are also described. Methods and apparatuses are also described for compounding multilines of ultrasound data on an ultrasound device configured to collect the ultrasound data. Additionally, certain aspects of the technology relate to non-uniform grouping of ultrasound transducers that share a transmit/receive circuit in an ultrasound device.

Certain embodiments include an apparatus, system, or method for time-gain compensation control of an ultrasound system. A computer-implemented method can include providing a tactile gain control comprising a near, middle, and far gain control. The middle gain control can be configured for two-dimensional range adjustment of depth and gain. The computer-implemented method can also include adjust at least one of the near, middle, or far gain control. In addition, the computer-implemented method can include displaying an ultrasound image based on at least one of the adjusted near, middle, or far gain control.

A system for operating an ultrasound probe that is provided with sensor operation portions for operating the ultrasound probe that acquires ultrasound echo images of a blood vessel, and a control portion that controls operations of the sensor operation portions. The control portion may switch the arrangement of the ultrasound probe using the sensor operation portions between a first arrangement for acquiring an image of a cross section in the transverse direction of the blood vessel and a second arrangement for acquiring an image of a cross section in the longitudinal direction of the blood vessel.

A dynamic power reduction method and apparatus for use in an ultrasound system are described. In one embodiment, the ultrasound system comprises: a transducer assembly and imaging subsystem having a transmit data path having a transmitter to transmit acoustic signals and a receive data path having including signal acquisition circuitry with a receiver to receive acoustic signals representing echoes; a plurality of real-time signals indicative of status of imaging operations being performed by the transmit and receive paths; a clock generator to generate one or more clocks for use by the transmit and receive data paths; clock gating circuitry coupled to the clock generator and the transmit and receive paths and having circuits to gate clocks to at least one of the transmit and receive paths; and a clock gating controller coupled to the clock gating circuitry to control the circuits to gate or pass clock signals to at least one of the transmit and receive paths automatically in response to receipt of one or more signals from the plurality of real-time signals.

A medical probe includes a shaft and a distal-end assembly. The shaft is configured for insertion into an organ of a body. The distal-end assembly is fitted at a distal end of the shaft. The distal-end assembly includes (a) a substrate, (b) a two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound transducer array located on the substrate, and (c) a sensor, which is also located on the substrate, the sensor configured to output signals indicative of a position and an orientation of the 2D ultrasound transducer array inside the organ.

An ultrasound signal processing apparatus includes: a receiver configured to receive a positive phase ultrasound reception signal and a negative phase ultrasound reception signal; and a processor including hardware, the processor being configured to perform phasing addition on each of the positive phase ultrasound reception signal and the negative phase ultrasound reception signal, and adding the positive phase ultrasound reception signal subjected to the phasing addition and the negative phase ultrasound reception signal subjected to the phasing addition with shifting of a predetermined period of time.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of embodiment includes a receiver circuit and processing circuitry. The receiver circuit performs a first process of multiplying a gain to a received signal in analog form while changing the gain with depth, and performs a second process of converting the received signal subjected to the first process into a received signal in digital form. The processing circuitry performs a third process on the received signal in digital form so that a level of noise included in the received signal in digital form is made constant, and performs a fourth process of reducing the noise included in the received signal on the received signal in digital form subjected to the third process.

A method for calculating a reference value of an ultrasonic sensor includes: transmitting a first ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic sensor toward a first surface of a contact device while an object is positioned on the first surface; generating a plurality of ultrasonic images based on a first ultrasonic echo signal; selecting an ultrasonic image having a highest similarity to a reference image from among the ultrasonic images; storing a first parameter and a second parameter corresponding to a selected ultrasonic image; while the object is not positioned on the first surface, transmitting a second ultrasonic signal based on the first parameter from the ultrasonic sensor toward the first surface; and calculating the reference value of the ultrasonic sensor using the second parameter and a second ultrasonic echo signal.