Abstract: The invention provides a method for controlling the generation of a compound ultrasonic image. The method includes obtaining a first ultrasound image and applying adaptive beamforming to the first ultrasound image, thereby generating a second ultrasound image. A weighting is determined based on the first and second ultrasound images, wherein the weighting comprises at least one weighting component. The compound ultrasound image is then generated based on the first and second ultrasound images and the weighting component.

Abstract: An ultrasound system is described which produces blended fundamental and harmonic frequency images. Successively transmitted, differently modulated pulses are transmitted by an ultrasound probe and both fundamental and harmonic frequencies are received in response. The echo signals received from the two pulses are processed by pulse inversion, producing cleanly separated bands of fundamental and harmonic signals in which undesired components have been cancelled. Since the two bands have been separated by signal cancellation rather than filtering, the two bands are allowed to overlap, providing broadband signals in each band. The bands are filtered by bandpass filtering to define the fundamental and harmonic signals to be imaged. The signals are detected, and the detected signals are combined after weighting to produce a blended fundamental/harmonic image.