Conservation of Time and Energy through Zone Image Acquisition Technology

Abstract

Problemstellung: Develop a new ultrasound imaging technology that first, conserves time during image acquisition and allocates the conserved time to time intensive image processing algorithms without an impact on frame rate, and second, conserve transmit and receive energy to enable large scale miniaturization and battery operation. Methode: An ultrasound imaging system was designed with a novel architecture that enables storage of transducer element RF data prior to beamformation. The system consists of a channel domain memory, Digital Signal Processors (DSP), and post processing electronics necessary for display and connectivity functionality. The desired field of view is interrogated by less than 30 pulse-echo cycles for each frame instead of the normal 100–200 pulse-echo cycles. The raw data received by each transducer element is stored in channel domain memory. Certain image processing functions (pulse inversion, decoding of chirp codes) are done in the channel domain memory and other signal processing functions (beam and image formation, synthetic aperture, Doppler processing, compounding, log compression, etc.) are done by the DSP. The processing strategies are coherent in that they are performed in a linear, shift invariant system. Ergebnisse: Images have been produced in all modes. The time saved in image acquisition is redirected to time intensive image processing strategies. Resolution is equivalent to high performance commercially available systems, as verified by beam plots, phantom studies, and by actual human imaging. Due to extremely rapid frame acquisition, tissue motion artifacts are reduced. Frame rate is maintained at rates suitable for all major clinical applications. Due to few pulse-echo cycles per frame, system power is greatly reduced, enabling high level of miniaturization. Schlussfolgerung: This new approach overcomes velocity propagation constraints that limit beam and image formation rate, takes full advantage of progress in DSP computational speed for image formation, and enables major time and energy conservation.