Abstract: A system for producing an image using an imaging system includes a) transmitting at least one signal of energy toward an object to be imaged by using two transmitters having the same output amplitude but of an opposite sign, or by using one transmitter to perform the task; b) exciting at least one transducer element to produce limited-diffraction array beams or their square-wave approximations with two levels of quantitations for both sine and cosine functions, c) weighting the received signals spatially with limited-diffraction array beams, their square-wave approximations, or spatial Fourier transform, and d) digitizing and then transferring received signals through high-speed optical fibers to a system for image reconstructions.

Abstract: The present invention provides a method and a system for producing an image using an imaging system by weighting: i) the signals transmitted from at least one element of a transducer array to form limited diffraction transmitted beams or the transmitted beams are steered with linear time delay over transducer aperture; and, ii) weighting the echo signals received at the separate elements to form limited diffraction receive beams or doing Fourier transformations of the echo signals over the transducer aperture. Fourier transformations of the weighted or Fourier transformed signals form multi-dimensional k-space data sets which are used to interpolate into a rectilinear k-space of the object to be imaged. Inverse Fourier transformation along each dimension of the rectilinear k-space to produce an image.

Abstract: A system for producing a high frame rate image includes transmitting a single weighted spatial frequency signal of energy toward an object to be imaged; weighting multiple receive spatial frequency signals from the object, or by performing a spatial Fourier transform; reconstructing an image data set from the single transmitted spatial frequency signal and the multiple receive spatial frequency signals; and, reconstructing the high frame rate, high resolution and high contrast image from the image data set.

Abstract: A system for producing an image using an imaging system includes a) transmitting at least one signal of energy toward an object to be imaged by using two transmitters having the same output amplitude but of an opposite sign, or by using one transmitter to perform the task; b) exciting at least one transducer element to produce limited-diffraction array beams or their square-wave approximations with two levels of quantitations for both sine and cosine functions, c) weighting the received signals spatially with limited-diffraction array beams, their square-wave approximations, or spatial Fourier transform, and d) digitizing and then transferring received signals through high-speed optical fibers to a system for image reconstructions.

Abstract: An ultrasonic imaging system includes a 2D transducer array which transmits ultrasonic energy at an object to be imaged. The echo signals received at the separate transducer elements are weighted to produce limited diffraction beams and the weighted signals are Fourier transformed to produce a 3D k-space data array. A 3D image is produced by performing an inverse fast Fourier transform on the k-space data array.

Abstract: An acoustic transducer produces a limited diffraction beam during the transmit portion of a pulse-echo sequence that has sidelobes extending away from the beam axis in defined sectors. During the receive portion of the pulse-echo sequence a receive aperture for a limited diffraction beam is employed having sidelobes extending away from the beam axis in defined sectors that do not overlap the transmit sidelobes. Both limited diffraction Bessel beams and limited diffraction X waves are employed, and an acoustic transducer producing tenth derivative X waves is described.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer for use in medical imaging systems includes a piezoelectric element having an active electrode formed as a series of concentric annular segments. Each segment is separately driven by a transmitter in which the amplitude and phase of the drive signals produce an ultrasonic wave having a pressure profile that approxinmates a zeroth order Bessel function. A nondiffracting beam of ultrasonic waves is produced.