U.S. patent application number 09/944650 was filed with the patent office on 2003-03-20 for ultrasound imaging with acquisition of imaging data in perpendicular scan planes.
This patent application is currently assigned to Siemens Medical Systems, Inc.. Invention is credited to Emery, Charles Dale, Friemel, Barry Hugh.
Application Number | 20030055308 09/944650 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25481807 |
Filed Date | 2003-03-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030055308 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Friemel, Barry Hugh ; et
al. |
March 20, 2003 |
ULTRASOUND IMAGING WITH ACQUISITION OF IMAGING DATA IN
PERPENDICULAR SCAN PLANES
Abstract
An ultrasonic imaging array has two independent, interleaved
linear subarrays occupying a common array face. The subarrays are
independently steerable and focusable in different imaging planes.
The subelements making up the elements in of the subarrays is
preferably quadrilateral. Adjacent subelements in each element are
electrically connected via an interconnect portion such that the
interconnect portion connecting each pair of adjacent subelements
in each element is substantially linear and is aligned with the
diagonals of the adjacent subelements. A preferred acoustic lens is
curved in both azimuth and elevation directions, whereby the
subarrays are independently focusable. By transmitting in one plane
and simultaneously receiving in a different, orthogonal plane, a
system including the array can image a 3-D region of interest
(ROI). In a volumetric embodiment of the invention two orthogonal
B-mode images of a structure within the ROI are displayed
simultaneously. The user may then trace the outlines of the images
and the system therefrom calculates the volume of the
structure.
Inventors: |
Friemel, Barry Hugh;
(Redmond, WA) ; Emery, Charles Dale; (Issaquah,
WA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Siemens Corporation
Attn: Else Keller, Legal Administrator
Intellectual Property Department
186 Wood Avenue South
Iselin
NJ
08830
US
|
Assignee: |
Siemens Medical Systems,
Inc.
|
Family ID: |
25481807 |
Appl. No.: |
09/944650 |
Filed: |
August 31, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
600/15 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G01S 15/8927 20130101;
G01S 15/8993 20130101; A61B 8/4483 20130101; A61B 8/145 20130101;
G10K 11/30 20130101; A61B 8/14 20130101; B06B 1/0629 20130101; G01S
15/8925 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
600/15 |
International
Class: |
A61N 001/00 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An ultrasonic imaging array comprising two independent,
interleaved linear subarrays occupying a common array face, the
subarrays being independently steerable and focusable in different
imaging planes.
2. An array as defined in claim 1, in which: each subarray
comprises a plurality of elements and each element comprises at
least one subelement; each subelement is quadrilateral and has a
diagonal; adjacent subelements in each element are electrically
connected via an interconnect portion; and the interconnect portion
connecting each pair of adjacent subelements in each element is
substantially linear and is aligned with the diagonals of the
adjacent subelements.
3. An array as defined in claim 2, in which: the diagonals of all
subelements in each element are aligned; and the interconnect
electrically connecting the subelements in each element is linear
over the extent of the array face.
4. An array as defined in claim 3, further comprising a mutlilayer
flex circuit, in which: the interconnects for a first one of the
subarrays are patterned as first linear traces onto a first
separate layer of the flex circuit and extend to a first edge of
the array face; and the interconnects for a second one of the
subarrays are patterned as second linear traces onto a second
separate layer of the flex circuit and extend to a second edge of
the array face that is different from the first edge.
5. An array as defined in claim 4, further comprising a connector
for each subarray, the connector for each subarray being connected
to the interconnects of the respective subarray along the
respective edge.
6. An array as defined in claim 3, in which: the subelements in
each element are grouped into a plurality of groups, the groups in
each element of each respective subarray having the same relative
position within the subarray; the subelements in each group are
electrically connected; whereby each subarray operates as a
multidimensional array, with a dimension greater than one and less
than two.
7. An array as defined in claim 6, in which a first group consists
of a central plurality of subelements and a second group consists
of the plurality of subelements located on either side of the first
group.
8. An array as defined in claim 2, comprising first and second
subelements, in which: the first subelements comprise a first one
of the subarrays; the second subelements comprise a second one of
the subarrays; edges of the subelements extend in a first and a
second direction; and the first and second subelements are arranged
in a pattern in which they alternate in both the first and second
directions.
9. An array as defined in claim 2, in which each subarray
constitutes an independent, unswitched aperture.
10. An array as defined in claim 1, further comprising an acoustic
lens mounted over the array face, which defines a single, common
aperture, in which: each subarray comprises a plurality of
elements; the elements in a first one of the subarrays extend in an
azimuth direction and the elements in a second one of the subarrays
extend in an elevation direction, which is orthogonal to the
azimuth direction; and the lens is curved in both the azimuth and
elevation directions, whereby the subarrays are independently
focusable.
11. An array as defined in claim 10, in which curvatures of the
lens have radii substantially proportional to the following: 9 1 f
g x = ( v lens - v water v lens ) ( 1 R x ) a n d 1 f gy = ( v lens
- v water v lens ) ( 1 R y ) where f.sub.gx is the geometric focus
in the azimuth-dimension; R.sub.x is the lens radius of curvature
in the azimuth-dimension; f.sub.gy is the geometric focus in the
elevation-dimension; R.sub.y is the lens radius of curvature in the
elevation-dimension; v.sub.lens is the velocity of sound in the
lens; and v.sub.water is the velocity in water.
12. An array as defined in claim 11, in which the lens has a
thickness substantially proportional to the following: 10 = C - v
lens v water ( z x 2 + x 2 + z y 2 + y 2 ) where
.DELTA.=.DELTA.(x,y) is the thickness of the lens at each point
(x,y), where x is an azimuth coordinate and y is an elevation
coordinate; C is a constant; and z.sub.x and z.sub.y are focal
distances in a depth direction that is orthogonal to the azimuth
and elevation directions.
13. An array as in claim 1, in which the subelements are diced from
ceramic and are convex-concave, that is, curved in both the first
and second dimensions, the first and second directions being
orthogonal, whereby the subarrays may be focused in both the first
and second directions.
14. A method for imaging a region of interest of a body using
ultrasound comprising the steps of activating and independently
steering in different imaging planes interleaved linear subarrays
of ultrasound-generating elements occupying a common face of an
ultrasound array.
15. A method as in claim 14, further including the step of
simultaneously receiving echo signals from within the region of
interest along the different imaging planes.
16. A method as in claim 14, further including the step of
simultaneously transmitting a transmit beam into the region of
interest in the different imaging planes from each of the
subarrays.
17. A method as in claim 16, in which the step of transmitting the
transmit beams includes transmitting the transmit beams with
different waveforms.
18. A method as in claim 16, further including the step of
receiving echo signals from within the region of interest along the
different imaging planes simultaneously.
19. A method as in claim 14, in which the step of activating and
independently steering the linear subarrays in the different
imaging planes comprises receiving echo signals from within the
region of interest along the different imaging planes; the method
further including the steps of generating from the received echo
signals and simultaneously displaying for a user two orthogonal
cross-sectional B-mode images of the region of interest.
20. A method as in claim 19, in which the region of interest
includes a body structure, further including the following steps:
moving the array to a plurality of positions; at each position,
tracing a periphery of the body structure as displayed in a first
one of the orthogonal cross-sectional B-mode images; measuring
distance of movement of the array as a function of sequentially
generated second ones of the B-mode images, which are orthogonal to
the first B-mode images; and calculating a volume of the structure
as a function of the products of areas within the traced periphery
and the corresponding measured distances, summed over all the
positions of the array.
21. An ultrasonic imaging system comprising: an ultrasound
transducer having two independent, interleaved linear subarrays
occupying a common array face; transmission control means for
activating and independently steering the subarrays in different
imaging planes; reception means for receiving echo signals from
insonified points within a region of interest and for converting
the received echo signals into a predetermined display format; and
display means for displaying the converted echo signals.
22. A system as in claim 21, further comprising: processing means
for independently generating two orthogonal cross-sectional B-mode
images of a region of interest; the display means being further
provided for simultaneously displaying the two orthogonal
cross-sectional B-mode images for a user.
23. A system as in claim 22, further comprising: input means
maneuverable by the user for tracing a periphery of a body
structure as displayed in a first one of the orthogonal
cross-sectional B-mode images; volume calculation means for
measuring distance of movement of the array as a function of
sequentially generated second ones of the B-mode images, which are
orthogonal to the first B-mode images and for calculating a volume
of the structure as a function of the products of areas within the
traced periphery and the corresponding measured distances, summed
over a plurality of positions of the array.
24. An ultrasonic imaging array comprising two independent,
interleaved linear subarrays occupying a common array face, in
which: each subarray comprises a plurality of elements and each
element comprises at least one subelement; each subelement is
quadrilateral and has a diagonal; adjacent subelements in each
element are electrically connected via an interconnect portion; the
interconnect portion connecting each pair of adjacent subelements
in each element is substantially linear and is aligned with the
diagonals of the adjacent subelements; the diagonals of all
subelements in each element are aligned; the first subelements
comprise a first one of the subarrays; the second subelements
comprise a second one of the subarrays; edges of the subelements
extend in a first and a second direction; and the first and second
subelements are arranged in a pattern in which they alternate in
both the first and second directions; and the interconnect
electrically connecting the subelements in each element is linear
over the extent of the array face; whereby each subarray
constitutes an independent, unswitched aperture, the subarrays
being independently steerable and focusable in different imaging
planes.
25. An ultrasonic system for volumetric measurement comprising: an
ultrasound transducer having two independent, interleaved linear
subarrays occupying a common array face; transmission control means
for independently activating and independently steering the
subarrays in different imaging planes; reception means for
receiving echo signals from insonified points within a region of
interest and for converting the received echo signals into a
predetermined display format; processing means for independently
generating two orthogonal cross-sectional B-mode images of a region
of interest; display means for displaying the converted echo
signals and for simultaneously displaying the two orthogonal
cross-sectional B-mode images for a user; input means maneuverable
by the user for tracing a periphery of a body structure as
displayed in a first one of the orthogonal cross-sectional B-mode
images; volume calculation means for measuring distance of movement
of the array as a function of sequentially generated second ones of
the B-mode images and for calculating a volume of the structure as
a function of the products of areas within the traced periphery and
the corresponding measured distances, summed over a purality of
positions of the array.
26. An acoustic lens for an ultrasound array, which has elements
extending both an azimuth direction an elevation direction, which
is orthogonal to the azimuth direction, the lens being curved in
both the azimuth and elevation directions.
27. A lens as defined in claim 26, in which curvatures of the lens
have radii substantially proportional to the following: 11 1 f g x
= ( v lens - v water v lens ) ( 1 R x ) a n d 1 f g y = ( v lens -
v water v lens ) ( 1 R y ) where f.sub.gx is the geometric focus in
the azimuth-dimension; R.sub.x is the lens radius of curvature in
the azimuth-dimension; f.sub.gy is the geometric focus in the
elevation-dimension; R.sub.y is the lens radius of curvature in the
elevation-dimension; v.sub.lens is the velocity of sound in the
lens; and v.sub.water is the velocity in water.
28. A lens as defined in claim 27, in which the lens has a
thickness substantially proportional to the following: 12 = C - v
lens v water ( z x 2 + x 2 + z y 2 + y 2 ) where
.DELTA.=.DELTA.(x,y) is the thickness of the lens at each point
(x,y), where x is an azimuth coordinate and y is an elevation
coordinate; C is a constant; and z.sub.x and z.sub.y are focal
distances in a depth direction that is orthogonal to the azimuth
and elevation directions.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates in general to an ultrasound
transducer that has a two-dimensional (2-D) array of transducer
elements, and in particular to a 2-D transducer array for acquiring
imaging data in different scan planes.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] The value of ultrasonic imaging as a diagnostic tool is
undisputed, and as the power of ultrasound imaging systems
increases, so too do the number of applications of the technology.
Examples of such applications include the determination of the size
and location of tumors and arterial occlusions. Another application
that shows growing promise is in the area of cardiac imaging. As in
many areas of diagnostics, however, physicians (and of course,
patients themselves) prefer minimally, or, ideally, completely
non-invasive techniques. This reduces the desirability of
intracardiac imaging transducers, which are carried at the end of a
catheter that is threaded into the heart via a major vein in the
arm, neck or groin. There are, accordingly, several known systems
in which both specialized and multi-purpose ultrasound systems are
used for cardiac imaging via an externally applied probe.
[0005] One requirement that restricts the use of general ultrasound
transducers is that some cardiac exams need the acquisition of two
views from a common window. These views (two-chamber, four-chamber
or short/long axis) are often approximately perpendicular to one
another, which means that the operator must twist the probe in
order to acquire both views. For example, multi-planar ultrasound
scans are found in some systems used to determine cardiac
output.
[0006] One way to achieve a display of real-time imaging planes, as
well as calculate cardiac output reliably, is to design and use a
3-D ultrasound scanner. Unfortunately, the complexity and cost of
such a real-time 3-D (sometimes referred to as 4-D) system are
formidable. For example, a 2-D array is commonly used to
interrogate the volume in real-time. Unfortunately, the element
count for such a 2-D array is usually much larger (typically, well
over 4000 elements) than for a 64-element 1-D array in order to
achieve the same imaging performance.
[0007] To circumvent this problem, most existing real-time 3-D
systems use a sparsely sampled aperture, which reduces not only the
signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the transducer, but also the
contrast and detail resolution relative to what a linear array can
achieve. The transducer's performance can be improved by using a
complex multilayer ceramic array in transmit and receive, a receive
preamplifier in the transducer assembly and/or more transducer
elements. Even with these techniques, a sparsely sampled aperture
still requires a significant number of elements, typically at least
ten times greater than a conventional 64-element array. Because of
the large number of elements that must be addressed in a sparse 2-D
array, multiplexing (synthetic aperture) is sometimes used, but
this reduces the frame rate.
[0008] What is needed is an ultrasound probe that is able to offer
3-D, real-time imaging information, that can shorten examination
time, and that avoids the complexities found in a conventional
real-time 3-D scanner. The probe should use a common array face in
order to maintain a small footprint, which is particularly
important for cardiac applications. Moreover, the probe should have
contrast and detail resolution comparable to what can be achieved
using a linear array. This invention provides such a probe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] An ultrasonic imaging array according to the invention
comprises two independent, interleaved linear subarrays that occupy
a common array face. The subarrays are independently steerable and
focusable in different imaging planes. One advantage of the
preferably embodiment of the array according to the invention is
that each subarray is able to form an independent, unswitched
aperture.
[0010] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, each subarray
comprises a plurality of elements and each element comprises at
least one subelement. Each subelement is quadrilateral and has a
diagonal and adjacent subelements in each element are electrically
connected via an interconnect portion. The interconnect portion
that connects each pair of adjacent subelements in each element is
preferably substantially linear and is aligned with the diagonals
of the adjacent subelements. In the preferred embodiment of the
invention, the diagonals of all subelements in each element are
aligned and the interconnect electrically connecting the
subelements in each element is linear over the extent of the array
face.
[0011] A mutlilayer flex circuit is preferably used to connect the
various element interconnects to the external control and
processing system. In this case, the interconnects for a first one
of the subarrays are patterned as first linear traces onto a first
separate layer of the flex circuit and extend to a first edge of
the array face. The interconnects for a second one of the subarrays
are then patterned as second linear traces onto a second separate
layer of the flex circuit and extend to a second edge of the array
face that is different from the first edge. A connector may then be
provided for each subarray, the connector for each subarray being
connected to the interconnects of the respective subarray along the
respective edge.
[0012] The invention also allows the array to be connected in a
multidimensional configuration such as, for example, 1.5 D or 1.75.
The subelements in each element are in such embodiments grouped
into a plurality of groups, the groups in each element of each
respective subarray having the same relative position within the
subarray. The subelements in each group are then electrically
connected, whereby each subarray operates as a multidimensional
array, with a dimension greater than one and less than two. For
example, a first group may consist of a central plurality of
subelements and a second group may consist of the plurality of
subelements located on either side of the first group.
[0013] The array preferably comprises first and second subelements,
in which the first subelements comprise a first one of the
subarrays; the second subelements comprise a second one of the
subarrays; edges of the subelements extend in a first and a second
direction; and the first and second subelements are arranged in a
pattern in which they alternate in both the first and second
directions.
[0014] The invention also provides an acoustic lens mounted over
the array face, which defines a single, common aperture, in which
each subarray comprises a plurality of elements, the elements in a
first one of the subarrays extend in an azimuth direction, and the
elements in a second one of the subarrays extend in an elevation
direction, which is orthogonal to the azimuth direction. The lens
is preferably curved in both the azimuth and elevation directions,
which allows the subarrays to be independently focusable.
[0015] Instead of using the lens, the subelements may be diced from
ceramic so as to be convex-concave, that is, curved in both the
first and second dimensions, the first and second directions being
orthogonal, whereby the subarrays may be focused in both the first
and second directions.
[0016] Because the subarrays according to the invention may be
controlled independently, they may be operated so as to generate
simultaneous transmit beams and/or receive simultaneous echo
signals within the region of interest along the different imaging
planes. In embodiments of the invention in which dual transmit
beams are generated, the transmit beams may have different
waveforms. It is also possible according to the invention to
generate a transmit beam in one imaging plane and receive from the
orthogonal plane; indeed, this method is used in one embodiment of
the invention that makes possible 3-D imaging from within an entire
volume of interest.
[0017] The invention is also able to generate from the received
echo signals and simultaneously display for a user two orthogonal
cross-sectional B-mode images of the region of interest. In this
case, where the region of interest includes a body structure, the
invention also comprises a method in which the user moves the array
to a plurality of positions and, at each position, traces a
periphery of the body structure as displayed in a first one of the
orthogonal cross-sectional B-mode images. A system according to the
invention then measures the distance of movement of the array as a
function of sequentially generated second ones of the B-mode
images, which are orthogonal to the first B-mode images. It then
also calculates a volume of the structure as a function of the
products of areas within the traced periphery and the corresponding
measured distances, summed over all the positions of the array.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates the element configuration found in a 2-D
transducer array according to the invention, with interconnections
to create a biplane transducer.
[0019] FIG. 2 illustrates the element and wiring configuration
found in a first embodiment of a 2-D transducer array according to
the invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows, on a greatly enlarged scale, several array
elements from the first embodiment of the invention, as well as the
kerfs between them.
[0021] FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views of the preferred
embodiment of the array taken along lines I-I and II-II,
respectively, in FIG. 2.
[0022] FIG. 6 illustrates not only the scan beams, but also the
preferred way in which flex cables are connected to the array in
order to carry signals to and from the array elements.
[0023] FIG. 7 illustrates the independent steering of beams from
the two orthogonal sub-arrays in the transducer according to the
invention.
[0024] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative interconnection
arrangement for the elements in the 2-D array according to the
invention.
[0025] FIGS. 9A-9C illustrate an interconnection arrangement that
configures the array according to the invention as a 1.5-D
array.
[0026] FIGS. 10A-10C illustrate the two simultaneous, orthogonal
views of a 3-D object made possible by the invention.
[0027] FIG. 11 shows how the simultaneous images of the 3-D object
changes as the probe in which the array is mounted is translated,
that is, moved in a given direction.
[0028] FIG. 12 shows how the simultaneous images of the 3-D object
changes as the probe in which the array is mounted is rocked, i.e.,
rotated about a single axis.
[0029] FIGS. 13A-13C illustrate different lens or ceramic
geometries used in the array.
[0030] FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate the geometry of a dual-focus
lens used in the preferred embodiment of the invention.
[0031] FIG. 15 is a block diagram that illustrates the main
components of an ultrasonic imaging system according to the
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0032] Considered in broadest terms, the ultrasound transducer
probe according to the invention is a fully sampled 2-D array that
consists effectively of two independent perpendicular but
"interleaved" linear arrays that occupy a common array face. The
two "interleaved" linear arrays can be electronically steered and
focused in two independent imaging planes. This unique
configuration of the elements in the different embodiments of the
2-D array according to the invention allows not only for
simultaneous perpendicular acquisition from a common aperture, but
also efficient and symmetric electrical connections. Here, the word
"simultaneous" refers to the acquisition of the two imaging planes
occurs at the same time; moreover, the invention is able to
accomplish this without requiring electronic switching between the
apertures. In some implementations of the invention, it is also
possible to activate both arrays and thereby transmit along both
imaging planes at the same time, still with no need for electronic
switching.
[0033] FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of a 2-D array 100 that would
enable simultaneous image acquisition along two different scan
planes. In FIG. 1, the kerfs between adjacent subelements are not
shown for the sake of simplicity and clarity. In this array, the
subelements are divided into two groups: in FIG. 1, this is
illustrated by the first group being shaded gray and the second
group being unshaded.
[0034] In this description, the term "subelement" refers to the
smallest, diced portion of the array that can be independently
electrically activated. According to the invention, several of the
subelements are electrically connected so as to be activated at the
same time; each electrically connected set of subelements is an
"element." The example of an array shown in FIG. 1 thus has
8.times.8=64 elements, where each element in turn consists of eight
electrically connected subelements.
[0035] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the dicing lines, for
example, line 102, which define the kerfs that separate adjacent
subelements, are parallel to the edges, for example, edge 104, of
the array. In other words, such an array arranges the piezoelectric
transducer elements in a chessboard pattern. This design has
several weaknesses, among which are the increased difficulty of
providing signal leads to the individual elements, even those that
are to be connected to each other and/or decreased dicing pitch,
which is the distance between the lines separating the
elements.
[0036] For example, assume that like subelements (that is, of the
shaded first group or of the unshaded second group) are to be
connected row- or column-wise. Each lead, such as the conductor
110, must then "skip" every other subelement (the shaded ones) in
order to connect (indicated by dots) the like subelements in the
row. The unshaded subelements in each column, would also be
connected, for example by connector 111 to form a second,
"unshaded" element that interleaves the shaded element.
[0037] Now assume that each subelement is square and measures s
units of length on each side. The effective element (made up of a
group of subelements electrically connected in parallel) pitch is
(s+k) length units, where k is the width of the kerf separating the
elements. In this case, the design has the same element pitch as
the imaging plane of the conventional array. Usually, the dicing
pitch and the element pitch are the same in the conventional array
unless subdicing is necessary. Because the electrical connections
will have to "hop over" every other element, the interconnection
scheme is greatly complicated, especially since it is necessary to
maintain proper via separation.
[0038] Another method to enable the simultaneous acquisition of two
imaging planes is also shown in FIG. 1. Subelements are
electrically connected in a "zig-zag" pattern using a connector
such as lead 120. A second element is connected using lead 121. In
this case the element pitch is 2(s+k). One of its disadvantages is
obvious, namely, the required dicing pitch decreases by a factor of
2 to achieve the same steering performance in the imaging plane as
the conventional linear array. Furthermore, this design requires
proper positioning and attachment of interconnects that follow the
zig-zag pattern.
[0039] FIG. 2 illustrates the element geometry in the preferred
embodiment of the 2-D array 200 according to the invention: The
piezoelectric transducer subelements (again, alternately unshaded
and shaded) are arranged in a "diamond" pattern. More precisely,
each of the subelements is four-sided, that is, square or at least
rectangular, although it is also possible according to the
invention for the elements to have the shape of equilateral or even
non-equilateral parallelograms (a rhombus) or of other
quadrilaterals. In the preferred embodiment, the subelements with
corners that are diagonally across from each other are electrically
connected. This occurs only along one direction.
[0040] In FIG. 2, the perimeter of the active array face is shown
as being rectangular; this is normal in transducer design, even
though the array is often mounted in a probe head with some other
shape. This rectangular configuration is not required by the
invention. For example, the aperture could be circular or square,
depending on the application. As is mentioned above, the elements
are preferably at least approximately square, with separating
kerfs, such as kerf 202. In the illustrated embodiment of the
invention the kerfs 202 are at an angle of 45 degrees relative to
array edge 204; other kerfs will then be either parallel to kerf
202 or perpendicular to it. This is not necessary to the invention,
however, since the total shape of the array face need not even be
square or rectangular.
[0041] As is also mentioned above, it is not necessary to the
invention for the elements to be square. For example, different
angles of separation are possible using different proportioned
rectangles. As is explained below, the shaded, first subelements
and the unshaded, second subelements are preferably connected by
row and column, respectively, to form perpendicularly oriented
linear arrays. Subelement shapes that are rectangular will cause
the element pitch of adjacent, electrically connected subelements
in the rows or columns to be the same. The array 200 in this
preferred embodiment of the invention is then wired so as to form
two interleaved sub-arrays (of shaded and unshaded "columns" and
rows"of elements, respectively). Viewed and shaded as in FIG. 2,
the subelements in each sub-array are then electrically connected
so as to form parallel vertical columns of subelements (in FIG. 2,
the shaded subelements) and parallel horizontal rows of subelements
(in FIG. 2, the unshaded subelements). The shaded subelements
therefore form a vertical linear array and the unshaded subelements
form a horizontal linear array. Note that the interconnect for each
subarray is aligned with the diagonals of each subelement; in other
words, the subelements in each element are connected "corner to
corner."
[0042] In FIG. 2, the electrical connectors 230, 231, . . . , 232
connect the shaded subelements in respective columns, and the
electrical connectors 233, 234, . . . , 235 connect the unshaded
subelements in respective rows. Again, the dots on the illustrated
connectors indicate conventional electrical connections with the
respective PZT subelements.
[0043] In operation, all of the subelements in any given row or
column are energized at the same time (since they are electrically
connected), so that each row and each column forms a separate
signal channel. Thus, a 64-by-64 array of subelements would have
64+64=128 separate channels or elements, whose signals are
processed in the conventional manner by the external processing
system to which the transducer array is connected.
[0044] Even at this point, one advantage of the invention can be
seen: As with the "zig-zag" interconnection scheme, the effective
element pitch is only sqrt(2)*(s+k) length units, assuming as
before that the subelements are s length units per side; however,
with this embodiment of the invention, straight interconnects can
be used to connect the subelements. The dicing pitch required to
maintain the same imaging performance as the conventional array
decreases by sqrt(2).
[0045] In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIG. 2,
each element contains the same number of subelements, although it
is of course possible using the invention to have more elements in
the horizontal array than in the vertical, if for some reason this
is desired. Furthermore, each element in the horizontal array may
have more or fewer subelements than the vertical array. Finally, it
is also possible for the elements within either the horizontal or
vertical array to have different amounts of subelements (FIG.
8).
[0046] FIG. 8 illustrates an alternative interconnection
arrangement for the elements in the array 200. For the sake of
simplicity, only a portion of the elements of the array is shown.
In this arrangement, the subelements are four-sided, here, square,
with edges that are parallel to the edges of the array as a whole.
As before, the interconnects that connect adjacent subelements in
each row are aligned with the diagonals of the subelements. Thus,
interconnects 830-834 connect adjacent "diagonals" (each an
element) of unshaded subelements and interconnects 840-844 connect
shaded subelements.
[0047] Note that in the arrangement shown in FIG. 8 there are
different numbers of subelements in different portions of the
array. Thus, there are only two subelements in the corner element
that is controlled via conductor 843, whereas there are five
subelements in the element connected by connector 840. An advantage
of the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 is that it provides apodization;
a disadvantage, however, is that all of the connectors in each
sub-array do not terminate along the same edge of the array. Thus,
interconnects 830 and 831 extend out from a different edge than
interconnects 832, 833, 834.
[0048] FIG. 3 illustrates in greater detail the subelement geometry
for the preferred embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 shows a
four-element portion of the array: Horizontal (unshaded) array
subelements 301, 303 are connected by interconnect 333, and
vertical (shaded) array subelements 302, 304 are connected by
interconnect 330. Each adjacent pair of electrically connected
subelements in the illustrated, first embodiment of the array is
separated by a kerf 340 of width k. The distance, between adjacent
electrically connected subelements, such as between subelements 302
and 304 or between 301 and 303, will then be P=(s+k)*sqrt(2), where
s is the length of a side of each subelement.
[0049] One advantage of the illustrated geometry and the
aligned-diagonal interconnect scheme is that is reduces the cross
talk between transmit apertures by maximizing the distance between
the subelements. To avoid grating lobes in the two perpendicular
scan planes generated by the different arrays (with shaded and
unshaded subelements, respectively) of interest, the effective
element pitch should not exceed .lambda./2, where .lambda. is the
wavelength of the highest frequency of interest.
[0050] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view through a portion of the
array 200 covering eight laterally adjacent subelements, for
example, taken along view line I-I in FIG. 2. (Note that the two
8-by-8 subelement arrays shown in FIG. 2 will normally be only a
portion of the actual array, with the rest of the array having the
same structure.) The probe includes conventional structures, such
as an acoustic lens 502, and matching layers 504 and 506, which may
(but need not be) diced along with the subelements. The array is
mounted on a conventional backing layer 508.
[0051] The subelements 510, . . . , 516, 517 themselves are, as in
conventional probes, manufactured from a piezoelectric (PZT)
material and are separated using conventional dicing by kerfs 540.
Of course, other active devices or materials such as CMUT's
(capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers) could also be
used to build such a geometry. In the preferred embodiment of the
invention, electrical signals to and from the different subelements
are led via conductive traces patterned onto or otherwise included
in a multi-layer flex circuit 560. Such flex circuits, and their
manufacture, are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,617,865
(Palczewska, et. al., "Multi-dimensional ultrasonic array
interconnect, issued Apr. 8, 1997), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,920,972
(Palczewska, et. al., "Interconnection method for a multilayer
transducer array," issued Jul. 13, 1999).
[0052] Assume by way of example that every other subelement in FIG.
4, starting with the leftmost subelement 510 corresponds to a
shaded subelement in FIG. 2, and that the remaining subelements
(such as 517) correspond to unshaded subelements. Each subelement
must of course be connected electrically to the external processing
system (not shown). The shaded (first) subelements are connected by
means of conventional vias 572 to electrodes on first traces 570,
which will, in this example, be bussed perpendicularly out of the
plane of the figure. Similarly, the unshaded (second) subelements
are connected by means of conventional vias 582 to electrodes on
second traces 580, which will, in this example, be bussed in the
plane of the figure.
[0053] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the array
200 taken along line II-II in FIG. 2, that is, through one row (or
at least part of a row) of second (unshaded in FIG. 2) subelements
610, . . . , 615, 616. Other parts of the array are numbered as in
FIG. 4. Note how the single, straight trace 580 is able to connect
all the subelements in the row.
[0054] Depending on the type of flex circuit used in any given
application, it may be possible to eliminate the first vias 572 and
arrange the electrodes and first traces for the shaded, first
subelements directly on the upper surface of the flex circuit 560.
One must then make sure to lead the traces 570 so as to avoid
electrical contact with the second (unshaded) subelements. Another
possibility is using a flex circuit on the top and bottom of the
array. For example, column-wise subelements would be connected on
the top of the array and row-wise subelements would be connected on
the bottom of the array. This may reduce electrical crosstalk.
[0055] Conventional design methods may be used to fashion such a
flex circuit. It is, moreover, not necessary to use a flex circuit
at all in order to provide the electrical connections between the
various subelements and the external processing circuitry; rather,
other conventional interconnection devices and arrangements may be
used. For example, patterning the PZT on both sides using
photolithography, or wire bonding could instead be used to make the
electrical connections. CMUT's may even make the interconnection
easier because of the ability to produce patterned interconnects on
silicon. The invention does not depend on any particular type of
interconnection arrangement. The use of a flex circuit is, however,
advantageous for reasons that are well known in the field of
transducer design. Unique to this invention, however, is that the
arrangement of subelements into perpendicular horizontal and
vertical arrays allows for the traces of the horizontal sub-array
to be led in parallel traces to one edge of the array 200, with the
traces of the vertical sub-array led in parallel to a different
edge of the array.
[0056] FIG. 6 illustrates not only the perpendicular scan planes
720, 740 (azimuthal and elevational, respectively) provided by the
invention, but also the way in which conventional flex cables 702,
704 can be led to different edges of the array 200. Conductors in
each flex cable will be connected in any known manner to the traces
of the corresponding flex circuit, which means that each flex cable
connects the external processing system (not shown) to one of the
two different linear arrays (one with the first elements, the other
with the second elements). FIG. 6 also shows how each portion 700
of the array 200 has the element configuration shown in FIG. 2.
[0057] Because only half of the cumulative surface area of the
aperture of the array 200 is used for each imaging plane 720, 740,
one would expect a loss in sensitivity. However, certain features
of the invention actually help to reduce this loss of signal
sensitivity. First, the smaller 2-D array elements (in "bar mode,"
with the thickness of the element, for example, twice the length of
the sides) have a higher coupling coefficient when compared to
linear array elements (which use "beam mode," where the thickness
of the element is usually twice the width and the element length is
much larger than the thickness). This tends to increase the
pulse-echo sensitivity. Second, the array is preferably diced into
a 1-3 composite, which offers a better acoustic impedance match to
the body. This in turn increases element bandwidth and
sensitivity.
[0058] Second, the preferred embodiment of the invention is able to
generate simultaneous perpendicular imaging planes with no need for
the space-consuming multiplexers that are required by prior art 2-D
arrays used to operate with different imaging planes. This means
that there will in most applications be enough room in the
transducer body, which houses the array, to also include
pre-amplifiers. These pre-amplifiers, which could be mounted in the
transducer body, could then be connected in any known manner to
pre-amplify the return signals generated by each array channel and
thereby increase the received signal-to-noise ratio. A great
advantage of the invention is that each of the two interleaved
sub-arrays can be steered independently using conventional phasing
techniques. This is illustrated in FIG. 6, along with other
advantages of the invention.
[0059] In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the array
subelements are aligned such that their edges are parallel with the
edges of the array 200 as a whole (which may also have some edge
region surrounding the active array elements). A sub-section 700 of
the array 200 is shown to illustrate the general preferred element
configuration. It is then possible to connect all of the
subelements in each respective sub-array with a single flat
multi-connector, such as a flex cable 702, 704. There is no need
for complicated routing of connectors to the end subelements of the
respective sub-arrays, since these will be in a line. Moreover, the
cables 702, 704 can be attached to the array 200 on respective
edges, with no need for them to cross each other; this makes it
easier to assemble the array.
[0060] In FIG. 6, the two simultaneous imaging planes made possible
by the invention are shown as the azimuth plane 720 and the
elevation plane 740. The planes represent the regions within which
azimuth and elevation beams can be steered using conventional
phasing techniques. Thus, to image the plane 720, the azimuth beam
(plane) may be moved (focused) from point A1, to A2, to A3, then
wrapped around (a common scanning technique) to A4 at the other
side of the plane, to A5, then back to A1. Similarly, the elevation
beam may be moved in the plane 740 from E1, to E2, to E3, to E4,
and to E5.
[0061] Of course, conventional transmit control techniques may be
used to change the focal depth of the different subarrays. By
selecting the same depth of focus for the beams in the azimuth and
elevation direction, by varying the focal depth, and by scanning
using the two simultaneous, orthogonal imaging planes as FIG. 6
shows, the point of focus can be moved throughout an entire 3-D
volume of a region of interest.
[0062] Recall that the array according to the invention actually
provides two, orthogonal, interleaved sub-arrays formed by the
shaded and unshaded elements (as illustrated in the figures). Each
sub-array constitutes a separate aperture, and there is no need to
implement a switch between the two. The array according to the
invention can then be used to provide 3D imaging by using one
aperture for transmit and the orthogonal aperture for receive.
[0063] The ability of the array according to the invention to
perform 3D imaging is based on the width of the beam profile in
elevation away from the acoustic focus. As is well understood, away
from the acoustic focus, the width of the beam is large. For
example, tests on a conventional phased array for adult cardiology
with beam characteristics similar to those that can be created
using the invention, have shown that at a depth of 20 mm the -6 dB
beam width in elevation is about 6.6 mm, whereas at a depth of 60
mm the -6 dB beam width is only 3 mm. In the azimuth dimension
(imaging plane), the beam width may be electronically controlled
using conventional techniques. Usually, the azimuthal beam width at
all depths is much narrower than the -6 dB beam width in elevation.
For example, at 20 mm the beam width is 0.7 mm and at 60 mm the
beam width is 1.75 mm.
[0064] By combining the beam profiles of the orthogonal apertures
of the array 200 in elevation and azimuth, it is possible using the
invention to generate 3D data in real-time. FIGS. 6 and 7
illustrate this technique: In the array 200, one of the orthogonal
apertures is used to transmit to a depth where the beam width in
elevation is wide and yet the orthogonal aperture offers a receive
beam that is narrow. For example, 20 mm would be a typical target
depth. Assume that the transmit aperture is in the elevation
dimension. In receive, the aperture (here, the azimuth plane)
orthogonal to the transmit aperture would be then used as the
receive aperture, which will have a beam profile that is nearly
identical to the transmit aperture, except that it will be
oriented, that is, rotated, 90 degrees relative to the transmit
aperture. The region where the transmit and receive beam profiles
overlap is the region that will be scanned. In other words, the
array transmits in one plane, but receives ("listens" ) along
another, which is orthogonal to the first. In FIG. 7, this is the
region labeled A5/E2.
[0065] Because the receive aperture can be electronically steered
(using conventional phasing techniques) in the elevation dimension
of the transmit aperture, multiple regions can be scanned
simultaneously. In FIG. 7, the five regions A3/E2, A2/E2, A1/E2,
A5/E2 and A4/E2 can all be received simultaneously using parallel
receive processing. Note that, because the orientations of the
transmit and receive beams (or dual transmit followed by dual
receive beams) are at every time known to (indeed, set by) the
ultrasound system, the system will always know which region is
being imaged.
[0066] Next, the transmit aperture is focused to a new region at
the same depth and the process is repeated. Finally, a grid of
points (in FIG. 7, all the regions labeled Ai/Ej) at that depth can
be scanned. The procedure can then be repeated at a different depth
by changing the depth focus. By combining data at various depths, a
volume of information can be obtained. The number of data points
obtained at a specific depth is dependent on the beam width of the
apertures. By decreasing the height of the transmit aperture,
volumes at deeper depths can be interrogated using this
technique.
[0067] The array 200 according to the invention offers superior
array sensitivity when compared with other techniques in the prior
art that are used to generate real-time 3D data. Typically, in the
prior art, a 2D array has been used to generate 3D data.
Unfortunately, a 2D array is typically a 64-by-64 grid of
subelements, for a total of 4096 subelements. It is difficult and
therefore expensive to connect 4096 subelements. Because of the
possible size of the transducer, a subset of the subelements is
therefore used in a sparse 2D array. Unfortunately, removing
subelements decreases the overall sensitivity offered by a 2D
array. Furthermore, to generate 3D images in real-time, a certain
amount of parallelism is required, which further decreases array
sensitivity.
[0068] Simulations of the array sensitivity according to the
invention and a standard 2D array for various degrees of receive
parallelism were conducted. These tests showed that the sensitivity
of the array according to the invention exceeded that of
conventional sparse arrays that had 64, 128, 256, 512, and 1024
transmit and receive subelements. Indeed, one advantage of the
invention is that it has been shown in simulations to produce
similar detail and contrast resolution as conventional probes, but
with a much lower system count (number of elements). In the
arrangement illustrated in FIG. 7, the array according to the
invention also uses receive parallelism, with five receive beams
generated for each transmit pulse for real-time 3D imaging. The
simulations showed that the sensitivity of the array according to
the invention continued to exceed that of the conventional array
until the amount of receive parallelism was two and the number of
transmit and receive elements in the sparse array was 1024.
Moreover, the comparison did not take into effect the significant
impedance mismatch that the 2D array elements have with the
conventional transmit and receive electronics.
[0069] Interleaved Multi-Dimensional Arrays
[0070] FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate yet another interconnection
arrangement. Here, not all adjacent subelements in each row or
column are electrically connected; rather, groups of the
subelements within the same column or row are electrically
connected. FIGS. 9A and 9B show an array that defines two groups of
electrically connected subelements within the same column: One
group is connected with conductor eo and the other group is
connected with conductor ei. This electrical connection is
identical to the electrical connection used in expanding aperture
arrays (1.25D) as well as arrays offering dynamic focusing in
elevation (1.5D).
[0071] In an expanding aperture, the conductors ei and eo would
connect to a switch that allows the two groups to be electrically
connected in parallel or electrically independent. This would allow
the aperture to be made larger or smaller depending on the imaging
depth. Another technique is to keep the conductors separate,
thereby allowing the groups to be phased differently (1.5D).
[0072] The number of groups in any given column may be greater than
two. Furthermore, it is not a requirement to electrically connect
the outer rows of the subelements together as shown for conductor
eo. For example, the two subelements at the top of the column could
be electrically separate from the bottom two subelements (1.75D).
The subelements of the orthogonal aperture could also use this
process (not necessary) to create two interleaved multi-dimensional
transducers. FIG. 9C shows the equivalent array structure using
elements of different length.
[0073] Volumetric Cardiac Measurement
[0074] The calculation of cardiac output is important in
determining cardiac ventricular or myocardial function. In order to
calculate the volume of the left ventricle of the heart,
conventional probes use an algorithm based on an equation termed
the "method of discs." By calculating the volume of the left
ventricle at different times (in particular, end diastole and end
systole), the stroke volume of the heart is calculated. The method
of discs for a 2-D image of the left ventricle involves the
following steps: First, images of the left ventricle are obtained
in the conventional manner, typically through an apical
four-chamber or two-chamber view. Then, using any conventional
input device, such as moving an overlayed display cursor with a
mouse or trackball, the sonographer manually traces a boundary of
the endocardium, usually starting from the mitral valve.
[0075] After the boundary has been completed, the system processor
(or the sonographer herself determines and draws in the display the
longest line segment, starting from the middle of the mitral valve
to the apical endocardium. This line is called the major long axis
of the ventricle. Finally, line segments that are perpendicular to
the ventricular long axis and whose ends intersect the walls of the
endocardium are generated. This produces a dense group of
rectangles covering the displayed area of the left ventricle. This
method then assumes that each "slice" of the ventricle is circular,
that is, that the ventricular cavity has a surface defined as a
surface of revolution. The ventricular volume V is then calculated
as follows: 1 V = 1 4 all discs d 2 h
[0076] where d is the length of the line segment and .DELTA.h is
the thickness of each disc.
[0077] The major source of error with the method of discs is the
assumption that the interior of the ventricular cavity is a surface
of rotation. By obtaining two simultaneous orthogonal images using
the invention, this error can be reduced. In this case, the
sonographer or cardiologist first manually traces the endocardium
using two preferably orthogonal B-mode images, which may be
generated using the invention's two orthogonal imaging sub-arrays
(with imaging planes 720 and 740). This provides two orthogonal
cross-sectional views and measurements instead of one, yet can be
done with a single array, simultaneously, with no need to reorient
it.
[0078] As an example of how the invention may be used to generate a
volume measurement, assume that the region to be imaged and
measured is a cylinder 1000. This is illustrated in FIGS. 10A-10C:
FIG. 10A illustrates how the two imaging planes 720, 740 are
generated through the volume 1000. FIGS. 10B and 10C show,
respectively, the orthogonal B-mode images that would be generated
in the two different planes. The dashed line 1002 shows the imaging
line that is common to both B-mode images.
[0079] In use, the two images will be displayed simultaneously, for
example, side-by-side on a conventional display, or on separated
screens that the user switches between. The sonographer will trace
the boundaries of the two images (rectangle and ellipse) as in
conventional systems, for example, by moving a cursor around the
boundaries.
[0080] Now consider how the volumetric measurement would proceed in
the prior art. First, only one of the images (FIG. 10B or 10C)
would be available. Second, the sonographer would select a long
axis, and the system would then assume that the volume "slice" is a
disc. The problem is, of course, that the assumption of a circular
disc will usually be very inaccurate for a rectangular
cross-section (FIG. 10B) and will be reasonably accurate for the
elliptical section (FIG. 10C) only where the eccentricity of the
ellipse is small.
[0081] Now instead of using a method of discs that assumes a
circular disc, according to the method of this invention, the data
in the two images are combined to generate a volume. For example,
having the out-of-plane information in FIG. 10C allows elliptical
discs to be generated.
[0082] The preferred method for combining the images according to
this aspect of the invention is the known modified Simpson method,
which uses two orthogonal views (apical 2- and 4-chamber) as
described above. In a conventional probe, the apical 2- and
4-chamber views required by the modified Simpson method requires
are obtained at separate times. Using the array according to the
invention, both the 2- and the 4-chamber apical views can be
obtained simultaneously. This not only decreases scanning time, but
it also eliminates the need for EKG gating as with a conventional
probe. Of course, other known algorithms that compute a volume from
a sequence of orthogonal sectional views may also be used.
[0083] Other Volume Measurements
[0084] The probe according to the invention also offers different
modes of obtaining a 3D data set, namely, by either dragging or
rocking the transducer in which the array 200 is mounted. Both
methods, however, use one of the orthogonal planes to determine the
distance traveled.
[0085] FIG. 11 diagrams the method of dragging the array, whose
movement is indicated by the arrow 1100. In a conventional array,
the sonographer must precisely control the speed of movement of the
array over the patient during the generation of the 3D data set.
The array according to the invention, however, allows the distance
traveled to be uniquely determined, thereby greatly reducing this
source of error.
[0086] In FIG. 11, three display frames (R1, R2, R3 and L1, L2, L3)
are gathered from each plane (indicated as left L and right R) at
times t1, t2, and t3, respectively. When gathering the frame at t2,
frames R1 and R2 are spatially correlated to determine the distance
the array traveled in the dragging direction. Any known method may
be used to determine the distance based on spatial correlation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,173 (Li, Dec. 10, 1996, "System and method for
3-D medical imaging using 2-D scan data"), for example, describes a
method that calculates distances based on speckle correlation.
[0087] At time t3, the process is repeated, and frames R2 and R3
are spatially correlated again to determine the distance traveled,
which may vary based on the manual movement of the probe. This
process continues until the full volume of the cylinder is
generated using the planes L1, L2, L3, etc.
[0088] Another method for obtaining a 3D data set using the array
according to the invention is by rocking the transducer, whose
movement is indicated by the arrow 1200. This method is
particularly useful in regions of the body where the acoustic
window is limited, for example, by the lung or bones (skull and rib
cage). FIG. 12 diagrams the rocking of the transducer, for which
six B-mode images have been obtained at three different times t1,
t2 and t3. As in the previous method, the plane on the right is
used to determine the amount the transducer has been rocked. This
eliminates errors that may be introduced by the sonographer when
the transducer is manually rocked at different speeds. The B-mode
planes on the left are aligned based on the amount of rotation,
which will produce a fan-like volume.
[0089] Dual Focus in the Preferred Embodiment of the Invention
[0090] The lens 520 in the preferred embodiment of the invention is
designed to improve the ability of the array to independently and
simultaneously adjust the focus of the two apertures, that is, of
the two orthogonal scan planes made possible by the invention. In
order to better understand the lens used in the invention, it is
helpful to recall the way in which conventional arrays focus. These
methods are therefore reviewed here.
[0091] In conventional linear arrays, there are two primary
methodologies for mechanically focusing the array in elevation
where electronic delay control does not exist. According to the
first method, the geometric focus is created by curving the
ceramic. Typically, this is done by using a convex-concave ceramic
as shown in FIG. 13A. The geometric focus is simply given by the
following equation: 2 1 f g = 1 R
[0092] where the radius of curvature of the ceramic is equal to the
geometric focus in elevation. This curvature only occurs in one
dimension for a conventional linear array.
[0093] The second method uses a lens to bend the acoustic wave
towards a geometric focus. Typically, the lens material has a sound
velocity that is slower than water (1.5 mm/usec). The slower sound
velocity of the lens gives it a characteristic convex shape. The
equation governing the radius of curvature of the lens is given by
the well-known lens-makers equation: 3 1 s o + 1 s i = ( v water v
lens - 1 ) ( 1 R 1 - 1 R 2 ) ( EQ1 )
[0094] where s.sub.o is the distance to the object; s.sub.i is the
distance to the image; v.sub.lens is the velocity of sound in the
lens material; v.sub.water is the velocity in the water; R.sub.1 is
the radius of curvature of the first side of the lens; and R.sub.2
is the radius of curvature of the second side of the lens.
[0095] Typically, the acoustic lens is curved only on the side that
touches the patient (R.sub.2); the other side is usually flat to
allow mechanical connection to the transducer subelements. A flat
surface implies the radius of curvature (R.sub.1) is infinite.
Moreover, the waves from the transducer are assumed to be
collimated, which implies that s.sub.o is infinite. Equation EQ1
can therefore in this case be simplified to: 4 1 f g = ( v lens - v
water v lens ) ( 1 R 2 )
[0096] Note that if R.sub.2 is negative, then the lens is
convex.
[0097] There are of course variations of these methods known in the
prior art. For example, geometric focus may also be achieved by
curving the ceramic (as opposed to just the lens) of the
transducer. Furthermore, as with lenses, the ceramic could
potentially be curved on only one side. These alternatives are
illustrated in FIG. 13B (plano-concave) and FIG. 13C
(convex-piano). Moreover, the array may combine a curved ceramic
with a lens.
[0098] In the illustrated prior art arrangements, note that the
radius of curvature appears only in the elevation dimension of the
array. In this invention, however, mechanical focusing is needed
and made possible in both the elevation and azimuth directions. The
common aperture probe according to the invention therefore requires
the lens 520 to focus or at least allow for focusing in both
dimensions. According to the invention, the focus in one direction
is done mechanically, whereas focus in the other is done
electronically.
[0099] In order to accomplish this dual-focus ability, the lens 520
delay from the orthogonal aperture must be eliminated in the
imaging plane dimension using electronic delays. The curvatures of
the lens 520 in two dimensions should therefore be independent of
one another for optimal performance. The equations for the radii of
curvature of the two surfaces (in the x-dimension and y-dimension,
respectively) of the common aperture probe lens according to the
invention are therefore preferably equal to or at least
substantially proportional to: 5 1 f g x = ( v lens - v water v
lens ) ( 1 R x ) a n d 1 f gy = ( v lens - v water v lens ) ( 1 R y
)
[0100] where f.sub.gx is the geometric focus in the x-dimension;
R.sub.x is the lens radius of curvature in the x-dimension;
f.sub.gy is the geometric focus in the y-dimension; and R.sub.y is
the lens radius of curvature in the y-dimension. FIGS. 14A and 14B
show cross-sections of the lens in the x and y directions,
respectively.
[0101] Let .DELTA.=.DELTA.(x,y)=the thickness of the lens 520 at
each point (x,y) given the coordinate system shown in FIGS. 14A and
14B. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, .DELTA. is equal
to or at least substantially proportional to: 6 = C - v lens v
water ( z x 2 + x 2 + z y 2 + y 2 )
[0102] where C is a constant and Z.sub.x and z.sub.y are the focal
distances (assuming that the interrogation region within the
patient lies in the positive z, that is, depth direction). This
lens effectively places the following mechanical delay over the
entire array: 7 ( x , y ) = v l e n s = x ( x ) + y ( y )
[0103] As the equation above shows, the lens delay is actually the
sum of two functions, one a function of x and the other a function
of y. Therefore, by knowing the lens geometry and the location of
the element, the lens delay can be removed electronically using
known techniques.
[0104] When the transducer is operated in the y-z plane (see FIG.
6), electronic delays .delta..sub.ey are applied to eliminate any
mechanical focusing in the y direction.
.delta..sub.ey(y)=.delta..sub.y(y)
[0105] Next, the standard delays .chi..sub.y needed to produce the
proper electronic focus in the y-z plane are applied. The actual
delay over any element in the elevation aperture is therefore:
.theta.(x,y)=.delta..sub.x(x)+.delta..sub.y(y)-.delta..sub.ey(y)+.chi..sub-
.y
[0106] This is identical to the delay of a conventional element.
Similar techniques are used when operating in the x-z plane.
[0107] A second method according to the invention that may be used
to achieve dual-direction focus is to design the ceramic from which
the array subelements are diced to be convex-concave and thus
curved ceramic in both the azimuth and elevation dimensions. The
curving of the ceramic is thereby governed by the following
equations: 8 1 f g x = 1 R x a n d 1 f g y = 1 R y
[0108] where f.sub.gx is the geometric focus in the x-dimension;
R.sub.x is the ceramic's radius of curvature in the x-dimension;
f.sub.gy is the geometric focus in the y-dimension; and R.sub.y is
the ceramic's radius of curvature in the y-dimension.
[0109] As discussed above, conventional electronic delays should
also be applied in order to remove any effects of the curved
ceramic when operating in the x-z or y-z imaging plane. Given the
discussion above of the two different methods (lens 520 design and
ceramic curvature) for achieving dual-focus according to the
invention, those skilled in the art of optics will also know how to
apply other curvatures, as well as how to use a combination of a
curved ceramic and a lens. It would also be possible to use a
ceramic with a convex-piano or piano-concave shape as in the
conventional case.
[0110] System Components
[0111] FIG. 15 illustrates the main components of an ultrasonic
imaging system that is suitable for implementing the invention. The
user enters various conventional scan parameters into an input unit
1500, which typically comprises conventional hardware input ports
and any necessary drivers within an operating system and which
typically includes such devices as a keyboard 1502, knobs, a mouse
1504, and/or buttons. Any of these devices may be used to position
an on-screen cursor or similar marker in order, for example, to
trace the periphery of the two images generated simultaneously in
the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 10A-12.
[0112] The input unit is connected to a processing system 1504,
which will typically be an electrically connected and cooperating
group of processors such as microprocessors and digital signal
processors; the processing system may, however, also be implemented
by a single processor as long as it is fast enough to handle the
various tasks described below.
[0113] As in known systems, the processing system 1504 sets,
adjusts, and monitors the operating parameters of a conventional
transmission control circuit 1506. This control circuit 1506
generates and applies electrical control and driving signals to the
ultrasonic probe, that is, transducer 1508, which includes the
array 200. As is well known in the art, the piezoelectric
subelements in the array generate ultrasonic waves when electrical
signals of the proper frequency are applied to them.
[0114] In this invention, the two, preferably orthogonal,
interleaved subarrays may be activated independently. Accordingly,
the transmit control circuit, using conventional techniques, in
this invention applies separate sets of control signals TX1, TX2 to
the array 200 in order to activate, steer and focus the two
orthogonal subarrays. Note that it would be possible using the
invention to generate TX1 and TX2 so that they represent completely
different waveforms; this would make it easier to distinguish these
signals upon reception.
[0115] By placing the probe 1508 against the body of a patient,
these ultrasonic waves enter a portion (the interrogation region,
including the region of interest ROI) of the patient's body. By
varying the phasing, amplitude, and timing of the driving signals
TX1, TX2 in a conventional manner, the ultrasonic waves from the
respective subarray's elements are formed into a respective
transmit beam. Each beam will typically converge at a focal depth,
beyond which it once again diverges. Each transmit beam is steered
in the planes 720, 740 and focused in the depth D direction so as
to concentrate the ultrasonic energy of the beam onto desired
points within the ROI.
[0116] When any point in the interrogation region is insonified,
the transducer is typically switched from the transmit mode to a
receive mode. In the receive mode, ultrasonic energy from the waves
created by the elements 1542 is reflected back (back-scattered) as
a return echo signal to the array. As is well understood, the
subelements in the array 200 convert the small mechanical
vibrations caused by the echo signals into corresponding
radio-frequency (RF) electrical signals. Amplification and other
conventional signal conditioning is then applied to the return
signals by a reception controller 1518. This processing includes,
as needed, such known signal conditioning as time-gating, gain
compensation, and diffraction compensation, in order to identify
the echo signals that correspond to each scanned point in the
interrogation region. The type of conventional signal processing
needed will in general depend on the particular implementation of
the invention and can be chosen using known design methods.
[0117] In the invention, two separate receive signals RX1, RX2 may
be returned, one from each subarray, each corresponding to the
return from a respective one of the transmit signals TX1, TX2. In
the 3-D embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 7, it
is also possible to activate one of the subarrays using one set of
transmit signals, say TX1, and then to receive, say, RX2,
corresponding to the received signals of the orthogonal subarray,
in order to isolate the echo return from particular points
throughout a 3-D ROI.
[0118] Each subarray may, however, be activated and scanned
simultaneously by respective transmit/receive pairs TX1/RX1,
TX2/RX2, for example, to enable the dual-display volumetric imaging
illustrated in FIGS. 10A-12.
[0119] The reception controller 1518, all or part of which is
normally integrated into the processing system 1504 itself,
converts the ultrasonic, radio-frequency (RF) return signals
(typically on the order of a few to tens of megahertz) into lower
frequency ranges for processing, and may also include
analog-to-digital conversion circuitry. This is well known in the
art of ultrasonic imaging. If not included in the reception
controller 1518 itself, the processing system 1504 will include a
beamformer 1540 that converts the conditioned return signals into
corresponding return beams, each of which normally corresponds to
the echo from a transmit beam.
[0120] The processing system 1504 will also include various
hardware and software components necessary for performing the
various calculations needed to create proper transmission control
signals for steering either or both of the subarrays. These
components may be designed using normal techniques. In particular,
in the embodiment of the invention that enables volumetric
measurement, the system according to the invention includes a
software module 1542 for calculating a volume given the sequence of
orthogonal 2-D sectional images as shown in FIGS. 10A-12.
[0121] In conventional B-mode scanning, each point within the
interrogation region can then be represented as an intensity
(brightness) value. The entire interrogation region can therefore
be represented as a discretized pattern (matrix) of brightness or
signal intensity values, which are stored as frame data in a memory
1550.
[0122] The interrogation region is normally not in the same shape
as what the user wants to see displayed; even when it is, the
digital acoustic intensity values that make up the frame data are
normally not in a form suitable for driving a conventional
gray-tone or color display directly. The acoustic intensity values
for a selected 2-D sub-set (scan plane) are therefore applied to a
conventional scan converter 1560, which converts the digital
acoustic values into display intensity values that are suitable for
use in driving a display device 1570.
[0123] The display device 1570 typically includes or is connected
to a conventional display driver and includes a screen 1572 (for
example, LED or CRT) that is divided into an X-Y (or polar) matrix
or pattern of picture elements or "pixels" that make up an image
that the user can view and interpret. Note that a displayed image
element will often be made up of more than one pixel, but that this
will depend on the relative resolutions of the scan and of the
display. The invention does not require any particular relative
resolution.
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