Patent EP0335577A2 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0335577A2
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EP
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Ultrasonic transducer system
Assignee: HP Inc
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Filing: 1989-03-22
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2009-03-22
Abstract
Abstract This invention provides an ultrasonic transducer system which utilizes a reconfigurable delay line to perform a variety of processing functions. In particular, for a preferred embodiment, the delay line utilized to sum the outputs of transducer elements (16A-16N) is reconfigurable to provide serial processing of image scan lines while providing parallel processing of Doppler color flow scan lines. More particularly, the echo signals generated in response to the packet of color flow lines utilized to generate color flow information are applied in a predetermined way to two separate portions of the delay line, the portions of the delay line having different delay profiles, the resulting outputs being focused to slightly different points in the image and thus providing color flow packets for two separate points in response to the transmission of a single packet of color flow lines. This results in a substantial enhancement of the system frame rate. Other possible applications of the reconfigurable delay line in an ultrasonic scanning system are also discussed, and a packet serializer (62) is disclosed which buffers, sequences, and preprocesses the received packet data.
Inventors
- 👤 George A. Brock-Fisher
- 👤 Paul Richard Kranz
- 👤 James R. Mniece
- 👤 Bernard J. Savord
- 👤 Richard B. Smith
- 👤 Karl E. Thiele
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 08:03
CPC Classifications
G; G10; G10K; G10K11/00; G10K11/18; G10K11/26; G10K11/34; G10K11/341; G10K11/345; G01; G01N; G01N29/00; G01N29/04; G01N29/06; G01N29/0609; G01S; G01S15/00; G01S15/88; G01S15/89; G01S15/8906; G01S15/8909; G01S15/8915; G01S15/8918; G01S15/8979; G01S7/00; G01S7/52; G01S7/52017; G01S7/52046; G01S7/52085; G01N2291/00; G01N2291/02; G01N2291/028; G01N2291/0289
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 18
Claim 1
Independent Claim
96 words
An ultrasonic transducer system comprising: a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements (16A-16N); means (18A-18N) for transmitting ultrasonic signals from said elements(16A-16N) to a selected target; means (22A-22N) for receiving ultrasonic echo signals from said elements; tapped delay line means (38) adapted to sum the received echo signals in a predetermined manner; means (42-64) for utilizing an output of the delay line means to display a representation of the received echo signals; and characterised in that it further comprises means (34,40,66) for controlling the configuration of said delay line means (38) in response to selected system characteristics.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
96 words
An ultrasonic transducer system comprising: a plurality of ultrasonic transducer elements (16A-16N); means (18A-18N) for transmitting ultrasonic signals from said elements(16A-16N) to a selected target; means (22A-22N) for receiving ultrasonic echo signals from said elements; tapped delay line means (38) adapted to sum the received echo signals in a predetermined manner; means (42-64) for utilizing an output of the delay line means to display a representation of the received echo signals; and characterised in that it further comprises means (34,40,66) for controlling the configuration of said delay line means (38) in response to selected system characteristics.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
49 words
An ultrasonic transducer system according to claim 1 wherein the ultrasonic echo signals are received by at least some of the transducer elements (16A-16N) from a given target arriving at a time different from the time at which such echo signals arrive at either of the transducer elements (16A-16N).
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
35 words
A system as claimed in claim 1 or 2 wherein said means (30,44,66) for controlling is adapted to control said delay line means (38) to cause serial processing or parallel processing of received echo signals.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
68 words
A system as claimed in claim 3 wherein said means (18A-18N) for transmitting is adapted to transmit at least two different types of ultrasonic signals; and wherein said means (30,44,66) for controlling is adapted to cause serial processing of first echo signals received in response to one type of transmitted signals and parallel processing of second echo signals received in response to a second type of transmitted signal.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
56 words
A system as claimed in claim 4 wherein said means for controlling (30,44,66) includes means (34,40,66) for configuring said delay line means (38) as a serial line when first echo signals are being summed, and means for configuring said delay line means (38) as at least two parallel lines when second echo signals are being summed.
Claim 7
Independent Claim
30 words
A system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein the echo signal from at least one selected element (16A-16N) may be applied as input to the delay lines means (38).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
64 words
A system according to claim 6, when appended to claim 5, wherein an echo signal applied as input to said delay line means (38) is applied at selected points on one or more of said parallel connected delay lines and the system further includes means for controlling the delay lines and the points on the delay lines to which each echo signal is applied.
Claim 9
Independent Claim
39 words
A system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said means for controlling (30,44,66) includes switch means (40) and means (34) responive to said selected system characteristics for setting said switch means to selectively configure said delay line means.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system as claimed in claim 8 wherein said means (30,44,66) for controlling comprises means (34) responsive to the echo signal being summed for selectively setting said switch means (40).
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
56 words
A system as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein said means (30,44,66) for controlling comprises (34) for storing settings of said switch means (40) for selected system characteristics, and means (66) responsive to said selected system characteristics for utilising the stored settings to control said switch means (40) to properly configure said switch means (40).
Claim 12
Independent Claim
44 words
A system as claimed in any preceding claim wherein said means of transmitting may transmit scan lines which penetrate to successively greater depths in the target; and including means for dynamically focusing the system to the target depth from which echoes are being received.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
115 words
A system as claimed in claim 11, when appended to any of claims 4 to 10, wherein said means for dynamically focusing includes said means for controlling, said means for controlling including means (40) for configuring said delay line means (38) as at least two parallel delay lines, means (32,37) for applying an echo signal received from an element to both delay lines, said means for selectively utilizing the outputs from at least one of said delay lines, and means (34,66) operative during a period when the output from one of said parallel delay lines is not being utilized for reconfiguring said delay line to alter the delay thereof between at least selected active taps.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
28 words
A system as claimed in claim 12 wherein the one type of said lines are image lines and wherein the second type of lines are color flow lines.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
56 words
A system as claimed in claim 12 or 13 comprising means (40) for configuring said delay line as a single serial line when echo signals responsive to image lines are being summed, and means for configuring said delay line as at least two parallel lines when echo signals responsive to color flow lines are being summed.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
52 words
A system as claimed in claim 13 or 14 wherein the delay profile provided by one of said delay lines is different than the delay profile provided by another of said delay lines, whereby at least two parallel summed echo signals are obtained in response to a single transmitted color flow line.
Claim 17
Independent Claim
86 words
A system as claimed in any of claims 13 to 15 wherein the means (42-64) for utilizing includes a packet serializer (62), means operative (40,42, 44,48) when the delay line (38) is configured for parallel processing for applying the outputs from both delay lines of a parallel pair to said packet serializer (62), and a color flow processor, said packet serializer storing the summed echo signals corresponding to selected color flow lines and applying portions of such stored signals to said processor in a predetermined sequence.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
107 words
A system as claimed in claim 16 wherein a predetermined number of color flow lines are utilized to scan a given point (72) at which color flow information is required; and wherein said packet serializer (62) applies data for the corresponding pixels for the echo signals from one of said delay lines for the color flow lines scanning a given point to said processor until all pixels for said echo signals have been processed, and then applies data for corresponding pixels for the echo signals form the other of said delay lines for the same color flow lines formed to scan a different point to the processor.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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