The present invention related to an ultrasound imaging system win which the scan head includes a beamformer circuit that performs far field subarray beamforming or includes a sparse array selecting circuit that actuates selected elements. When using a hierarchical two-stage or three-stage beamforming system, three dimensional ultrasound images can be generated in real-time. The invention further relates to flexible printed circuit boards in the probe head. The invention furthermore related to the use of coded or spread spectrum signaling in ultrasound imagining systems. Matched filters based on pulse compression using Golay code pairs improve the signal-to-noise ratio thus enabling third harmonic imaging with suppressed sidelobes. The system is suitable for 3D full volume cardiac imaging.

An apparatus includes an imaging probe and is configured for dynamically arranging presentation of visual feedback for guiding manual adjustment, via the probe, of a location, and orientation, associated with the probe. The arranging is selectively based on comparisons between fields of view of the probe and respective results of segmenting image data acquired via the probe. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a sensor which guides a decision that acoustic coupling quality is insufficient, the apparatus issuing a user alert upon the decision.

An ultrasound imaging system according to the present disclosure may include an ultrasound probe, a display unit, and a processor configured to receive source image data having a first dynamic range, wherein the source image data comprises log compressed echo intensity values based on the ultrasound echoes detected by the ultrasound probe, generate a histogram of at least a portion of source image data, generate a cumulative density function for the histogram, receive an indication of at least two points on the cumulative density function (CDF), and cause the display unit to display an ultrasound image representative of the source image data displayed in accordance with the second dynamic range.

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus including: an ultrasound probe having a transducer array; and a processor configured to: perform transmission and reception of an ultrasonic beam from the transducer array toward a subject, into which contrast media including microbubbles is introduced; image a reception signal output from the transducer array to generate an ultrasound image of the subject; acquire trajectories of the microbubbles in a one cross section of the subject by tracking movement of the microbubbles based on the ultrasound image corresponding to the one cross section of the subject; detect, as a feature point, a trajectory, in which a distance between a start point and an end point in a prescribed time range is less than a prescribed value, among the trajectories of the microbubbles; and display the ultrasound image, the acquired trajectories and the detected feature point on the display unit.

A three-dimensional (3D) terrain reconstruction method for a scoured area around bridge pier foundation based on a mechanical scanned imaging sonar includes scanning an overall terrain of a scoured area around bridge pier foundation with a sonar from different azimuths to acquire n sonar images of a foundation scouring terrain; intercepting multiple analysis sections from each of acquired sonar images at a same distance; extracting key parameters of upper and lower edges on a terrain imaging strip in each of the analysis sections in the image, and transforming extracted parameters to a 3D space, a fan-shaped beam surface of the sonar being represented with a fan-shaped arc; recognizing a scour terrain profile in the analysis section; recognizing terrain profiles one by one, and respectively extracting spatially scattered 3D coordinate data; and performing interpolation and fitting on the spatially scattered data, thus implementing 3D reconstruction for the foundation scouring terrain.

A system and method for capturing ultrasound signals from a hemispheric imaging region (e.g., by a stationary array of transducer elements arranged in the shape of a faceted hemisphere) and estimating scattering measurements that would be made by a virtual array in the opposite hemisphere (e.g., by a network of processors that receive and process the transmitted ultrasound signals in parallel) by forming an initial estimate of a medium variation for each of a plurality of subvolumes in the scattering object to form an estimated object, calculating residual scattering by using a difference between a scattering response calculated for the estimated object and measured ultrasound signals received from the scattering object, forming an initial three-dimensional image of the scattering object, and extrapolating a difference between the scattering response calculated for the estimated object and the measured ultrasound signals received from the scattering object.

Methods and systems for ultrasound imaging and beamforming with a matrix array of transducer elements are provided. Receive signals of each transducer array element are amplified. The amplified receive signal of each transducer array element is digitized. A delay and weight are applied on the amplified and digitized receive signals. The amplified, digitized, delayed, and weighted receive signals are summed across all transducer elements of the matrix array to form a dynamically focused receive beam. An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that is integrated with the matrix array of transducer elements performs such steps.

This disclosure provides a system and method for producing ultrasound images based on Full Waveform Inversion (FWI). The system captures acoustic/(an)elastic waves transmitted through and reflected and/or diffracted from a medium. The system performs an FWI process in a time domain in conjunction with an accurate wave propagation solver. The system produces 3D maps of physical parameters that control wave propagation, such as shear and compressional wavespeeds, mass density, attenuation, Poisson's ratio, bulk and shear moduli, impedance, and even the fourth-order elastic tensor containing up to 21 independent parameters, which are of significant diagnostic value, e.g., for medical imaging and non-destructive testing.

According to one embodiment, an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a transmitter/receiver and processing circuitry. The transmitter/receiver sequentially transmits a first transmission beam group and a second transmission beam group and receives at least one reception beam for each transmission beam, via an ultrasound probe having a plurality of transducers arranged along an azimuth direction and an elevation direction. The processing circuitry combines a first reception beam based on a first transmission beam included in the first transmission beam group and a second reception beam based on a second transmission beam included in the second transmission beam group. Transmission beams that are adjacent to each other in the azimuth direction or the elevation direction belong to transmission beam groups that are different from each other.

According to examples, systems, devices, and methods for detecting rapid eye movement (REM) are described. The device may include an array of ultrasound sensors oriented to emit transmit ultrasounds signals in an eyeward direction, wherein the ultrasound sensors are to receive a return signal of the transmit signal reflecting off of a target, and wherein the ultrasound sensors are to output a distance signal representative of a distance to a target, the distance signal generated based on the return signal, and a transceiver to receive the distance signals, wherein the transceiver is to transmit the distance signals from the array of ultrasound sensors to a remote device.