Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic method are provided. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: a transducer for performing interconversion between an acoustic wave and an electric signal; and a transmitter for controlling the transducer so as to allow a plurality of plane waves to be transmitted through a plurality of sub-apertures.

Abstract: A beamforming device, an ultrasonic imaging device, and a beamforming method, which allow a simple spatial smoothing operation, are disclosed. A beamforming device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a spatial smoothing unit for transforming a received signal into another space, using a transformation function configured by low frequency components, calculating a transformed signal by a spatial smoothing operation using a transformation function in a transformation space, and estimating an averaged spatial covariance matrix; a weighted value operation unit for operating a weighted value of the transformed signal from the averaged spatial covariance matrix which has been estimated by the spatial smoothing operation; and a synthesis unit for generating a beam signal, using the transformed signal and the weighted value of the transformed signal.

Abstract: An image processing module includes an input unit, a weight operator, and a synthesizer. The input unit is configured to receive a plurality of input signals of a plurality of channels. The weight operator is configured to calculate at least one weight to be applied to each channel based on at least one converted signal. The at least one converted signal is acquired by converting at least one input signal among the plurality of input signals of each channel, or by converting a synthesized input signal of the plurality of input signals of each channel. The synthesizer is configured to synthesize the plurality of input signals of the plurality of channels using the weight.

Abstract: A beamforming device, an ultrasonic imaging device, and a beamforming method, which allow a simple spatial smoothing operation, are disclosed. A beamforming device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a spatial smoothing unit for transforming a received signal into another space, using a transformation function configured by low frequency components, calculating a transformed signal by a spatial smoothing operation using a transformation function in a transformation space, and estimating an averaged spatial covariance matrix; a weighted value operation unit for operating a weighted value of the transformed signal from the averaged spatial covariance matrix which has been estimated by the spatial smoothing operation; and a synthesis unit for generating a beam signal, using the transformed signal and the weighted value of the transformed signal.

Abstract: A beamforming module includes a conversion unit configured to convert an input signal to generate a converted signal using at least one conversion function, a weight calculator configured to calculate a converted signal weight as a weight for the converted signal, and a synthesizer configured to generate a result signal using the converted signal and the converted signal weight.

Abstract: An apparatus and method capable of producing a tissue Doppler image without repeatedly transmitting ultrasound signals by the ensemble number to each scan line. An ultrasound beam is transmitted in a non-sequential manner and a plurality of receive beams received in response to each transmission of the transmit beam are grouped into an increment data group of a scan line index increasing direction and a decrement data group of a scan line index decreasing direction. Auto correlation is performed on the increment data group of the scan line index ascending order and decrement data group of the scan line index descending order, weights are applied to respective auto correlation values for the increment and decrement data group, and then the auto correlation values with the weight applied are summed to compute a mean phase. At least one of velocities, powers and variances in response to the mean phase is outputted to produce TDI.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic diagnostic method are provided. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: a transducer for performing interconversion between an acoustic wave and an electric signal; and a transmitter for controlling the transducer so as to allow a plurality of plane waves to be transmitted through a plurality of sub-apertures.

Abstract: A beamforming apparatus, an ultrasound imaging apparatus, and a beamforming method are disclosed. The beamforming apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment may include a filter to select predetermined first columns, which correspond to low-frequency components, among columns that composes a transform function; and a beamforming processor to transform an input signal to another space by using a transform function composed of the predetermined selected first columns, and generate a beam signal through signal processing in the transformed space.

Abstract: A beamforming apparatus includes a storage for storing a plurality of basis vectors obtained from a beamforming coefficient of a previously-measured echo signal; a weight calculator for calculating a weight to be applied to an echo signal reflected from a target; and a synthesizer for applying the weight to the echo signal reflected from the target and synthesizing signals to which the weight is applied.

Abstract: An ultrasound diagnostic device includes a plurality of channels configured to receive data and a scan line data forming unit including a plurality of sub-scan line data forming groups and a data summing unit. The sub-scan line data forming group forms partial data of scan lines, and the data summing unit forms scan line data of the scan lines by summing the partial data. The sub-scan line data forming group includes a plurality of sub-scan line data forming units for forming the partial data of the scan lines by using the receiving data and providing a transmission path of the receiving data. First data lines transmit the receiving data between at least one of the sub-scan data forming unit and the channels, and second data lines transfer the receiving data between the sub-scan line data forming units.

Abstract: There are provided an ultrasound imaging system and a method of forming a plurality of scan lines and frames by using receiving signals provided by transducers in a probe. Main scan lines, which are selected among the scan lines and supplement scan lines determined with the others, are assigned to each scan line data forming unit in the ultrasound imaging system. A partial data of the main scan line and a first supplement data of the supplement scan line are formed with receive data obtained from receive signals from at least one transducer. A second supplement data provided from other scan line data forming units is applied to the partial data of the main scan line to form a scan line data of the main scan line.

Abstract: An image processing module includes an input unit, a weight operator, and a synthesizer. The input unit is configured to receive a plurality of input signals of a plurality of channels. The weight operator is configured to calculate at least one weight to be applied to each channel based on at least one converted signal. The at least one converted signal is acquired by converting at least one input signal among the plurality of input signals of each channel, or by converting a synthesized input signal of the plurality of input signals of each channel. The synthesizer is configured to synthesize the plurality of input signals of the plurality of channels using the weight.

Abstract: Disclosed herein is a beamformer that performs beamforming, including a weight computation processor configured to compute a covariance of a conversion signal which is obtainable by converting an input signal using at least one conversion function, approximate the computed covariance to a Toeplitz matrix form, and compute a conversion signal weight that is a weight for the conversion signal based on the approximation result, and a synthesizer configured to generate an output signal using the conversion signal weight computed by the weight computation processor.

Abstract: A beamforming module includes a conversion unit configured to convert an input signal to generate a converted signal using at least one conversion function, a weight calculator configured to calculate a converted signal weight as a weight for the converted signal, and a synthesizer configured to generate a result signal using the converted signal and the converted signal weight.

Abstract: Disclosed is an ultrasound color Doppler image system. The ultrasound color Doppler image system includes a calculation unit that calculates a mean value associated with an I/Q signal corresponding to a pixel of a color image in an ultrasound image and generates a multiplication value using the calculated mean value; a comparison unit that compares the generated multiplication value with the mean value; and a masking unit that performs masking of the pixel based on a comparison result, and, the calculation unit calculates the mean value of the I/Q signal for each frame, selects a reference mean value based on scales of the calculated mean values, and generates the multiplication value by multiplying the selected reference mean value and a scale factor.

Abstract: Embodiments of adaptively performing clutter filtering are disclosed. In one embodiment, by way of non-limiting example, an ultrasound system comprises: an ultrasound data acquisition unit configured to transmit and receive ultrasound signals to and from a target object to thereby output a plurality of ultrasound data for obtaining a color Doppler mode image, wherein the target object includes at least one of a tissue and a blood flow; and a processing unit placed in communication with the ultrasound data acquisition unit and being configured to locate the plurality of ultrasound data on a complex plane, the processing unit being further configured to perform a circle fitting upon the plurality of ultrasound data located on the complex plane and perform a downmixing and a clutter filtering upon the circle-fitted ultrasound data in consideration of speed of the tissue.

Abstract: An ultrasound system and method for forming ultrasound data corresponding to a receive scan line independent of a synthetic aperture. The ultrasound system includes the ultrasound data forming unit configured to: form scan line data corresponding to each of the receive scan lines by using data provided from the receive channels; form accumulated data by accumulating the scan line data corresponding to the receive scan lines of the same position; set a storing start position for storing the accumulated data based on the transmit synthesizing number; and store the accumulated data by shifting the storing start position by 1, thereby forming ultrasound data corresponding to each of the receive scan linen lines.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of removing an effect of side lobes in an ultrasound synthetic image.

Abstract: Embodiments for performing clutter filtering in an ultrasound system are disclosed. In one embodiment, an ultrasound data acquisition unit acquires ultrasound data from a target object for color Doppler imaging and a processing unit extracts a plurality of frequency components of the ultrasound data using an autoregressive model and computes a mean frequency component of the plurality of frequency components. The processing unit detects frequency components corresponding to a clutter signal based on the plurality of frequency components and the mean frequency component and performs clutter filtering upon the ultrasound data by using the frequency components corresponding to the clutter signal.

Abstract: There is provided an ultrasound system for forming strain images by decreasing decorrelation of receive signals, which vary with time or space. More specifically, the decorrelation between the receive signals obtained without and with applying stress to a target object is reduced to decrease an error, which occurs during the calculation of a delay. Also, a center frequency, which varies with depth of a target object, is compensated to form the strain image.