Abstract: An ultrasound transducer device includes a handle portion, a transducer head, and a connector coupled to the transducer head and the handle portion to enable the transducer head to rotate with respect to the handle portion to provide different form factors for the ultrasound transducer device.

Abstract: A transducer connects with a support arm. The support arm supports only some of the weight, even in a locked state. By only supporting a portion or less than all of the weight, the support arm allows downward movement or pressure, but less than the pressure applied without any resistance for the gravity acting on the support arm. The pressure maintains contact between the patient and the transducer for scanning.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system may use a capacitive membrane or electrostrictive ultrasound transducer to realize isotropic volumetric imaging with bias-line element selection and a variety of aperture synthesis techniques. Two dimensional beam formation may be performed by using a beamformer to focus along one dimension, and then perform a second round of “off-line” or “retrospective” beam formation along the other direction.

Abstract: A stand, especially a floor stand, with a movable arm with an attachment section provided at the end of the arm for an object to be held by means of the stand, especially an imaging device in the form of an ultrasound head, with the attachment section being supported movably on the arm via a ball-and-socket joint comprising a ball head carrying the attachment section and a head holder supporting the ball head on the arm side, with a locking device being provided for releasable locking of the ball head (32) in its adopted position in the head holder.

Abstract: A stand, in particular a floor stand, having an arm for holding an object, in particular an imaging device in the form of an ultrasound transducer, said arm being mounted on a vertical column and movable vertically via a vertical guide, wherein a counterweight balancing the weight of the arm is provided on or in the vertical column, a device (24) being provided for moving the counterweight (21) counter to the weight force (FG) for at least partially overriding the counterbalance.

Abstract: Presented is a method of operating a capacitive microfabricated ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) array with multiple firings of varying bias voltage polarity patterns to improve its performance in imaging non-linear media, such as in contrast agent imaging or tissue harmonic imaging. Additionally, transducers incorporating the method are provided. The method of cMUT operation and the corresponding cMUT does not require pre-distortion or phase inversion of the transmit signal and can achieve an improvement in the elevation focus of the cMUT, as compared to the elevation focus that a single firing can achieve. Further, the method of operating the cMUT minimizes the deleterious effects that result from insulators being subjected to high electric fields.

Abstract: A transducer connects with a support arm. The support arm supports only some of the weight, even in a locked state. By only supporting a portion or less than all of the weight, the support arm allows downward movement or pressure, but less than the pressure applied without any resistance for the gravity acting on the support arm. The pressure maintains contact between the patient and the transducer for scanning.

Abstract: A capacitive microfabricated ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) is operated to improve its performance during harmonic imaging in non-linear media, such as in contrast agents or in human tissue. The cMUT is operated by inverting the transmit waveform to adjacently spaced azimuth elements, and combining at least two additional firings without adjacent inversion, for each transmit vector, thereby canceling the second harmonic generation of the cMUT; and thus, the performance of harmonic imaging using the cMUTs can achieve improvement.

Abstract: A capacitive microfabricated transducer array used for 3-D imaging, with a relatively large elevation dimension and a bias control of the elevation aperture in space and time, confers the same benefits of mechanical translation, except that image cross-sections are electronically rather than mechanically scanned, and are registered very accurately in space. The 3-D cMUT, when combined with elevation bias control and convex curvature in elevation, increases the volume interrogated by the electronic scanning, thus improving field of view. Further still, the 3-D cMUT can be combined Fresnel focusing of the elevation section to improve the elevation focus.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system may use a capacitive membrane or electrostrictive ultrasound transducer to realize isotropic volumetric imaging with bias-line element selection and a variety of aperture synthesis techniques. Two dimensional beam formation may be performed by using a beamformer to focus along one dimension, and then perform a second round of “off-line” or “retrospective” beam formation along the other direction.

Abstract: Presented is a method of operating a capacitive microfabricated ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) array with multiple firings of varying bias voltage polarity patterns to improve its performance in imaging non-linear media, such as in contrast agent imaging or tissue harmonic imaging. Additionally, transducers incorporating the method are provided. The method of cMUT operation and the corresponding cMUT does not require pre-distortion or phase inversion of the transmit signal and can achieve an improvement in the elevation focus of the cMUT, as compared to the elevation focus that a single firing can achieve. Further, the method of operating the cMUT minimizes the deleterious effects that result from insulators being subjected to high electric fields.

Abstract: A method and apparatus in an ultrasound imaging system is disclosed that enhances the contrast-to-tissue ratio and signal-to-noise ratio of contrast imaging using stepped-chirp waveforms. The first waveform component is employed with a first frequency optimized to initiate the bubble dynamics and the second waveform component is employed with a second frequency optimized to produce an enhanced bubble nonlinear response. The first waveform component and the at least a second waveform component are transmitted as a single stepped-chirp transmit pulse. At least one of a center frequency, an amplitude, a starting phase, and a bandwidth of the waveform components are adjusted to generate the single stepped-chirp transmit pulse. A relative phase, a switch time, and a time delay between the waveform components are also adjusted for maximal enhancement of bubble nonlinear response.

Abstract: A capacitive microfabricated ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) is operated to improve its performance during harmonic imaging in non-linear media, such as in contrast agents or in human tissue. The cMUT is operated by inverting the transmit waveform to adjacently spaced azimuth elements, and combining at least two additional firings without adjacent inversion, for each transmit vector, thereby canceling the second harmonic generation of the cMUT; and thus, the performance of harmonic imaging using the cMUTs can achieve improvement.

Abstract: A capacitive microfabricated transducer array used for 3-D imaging, with a relatively large elevation dimension and a bias control of the elevation aperture in space and time, confers the same benefits of mechanical translation, except that image cross-sections are electronically rather than mechanically scanned, and are registered very accurately in space. The 3-D cMUT, when combined with elevation bias control and convex curvature in elevation, increases the volume interrogated by the electronic scanning, thus improving field of view. Further still, the 3-D cMUT can be combined Fresnel focusing of the elevation section to improve the elevation focus.

Abstract: Certain embodiments include a system and method for banding suppression in a B-mode ultrasound image. Banding occurs in a diagnostic image when two or more focal regions having different waveforms and/or frequencies, for example, are combined. The resulting difference in intensity between the focal regions produces banding in the final image. For purposes of illustration only, the method below will be described with two focal zones. Certain embodiments of the present invention reduce banding in a diagnostic image including a plurality of focal zones by processing the first focal zone, determining intensity around the border or “stitch line” between the two focal regions, and adjusting the second focal region based on the difference in intensity. Preferably, processing is done in real time as image frames are updated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for smoothing speckle pattern and increasing contrast resolution in ultrasound images is provided. Compared to other frequency compounding techniques, wide-band harmonic frequency compounding reduces speckle noise without sacrificing the resolution. Compared to spatial compounding, wide-band harmonic frequency compounding is more robust against tissue motion because sequential vectors rather than frames are summed together for compounding. The method and apparatus is implemented by transmitting two or more firings, combining two or more of the firings coherently to extract the tissue-generated harmonic components, detecting the outputs of the coherent sums and detecting one or more firings before coherent sum, and finally combining all detected outputs to form the compounded image. The method and apparatus sums wide-band fundamental and wide-band harmonic images after detection to form a compounded image.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for smoothing speckle pattern and increasing contrast resolution in ultrasound images is provided. Compared to other frequency compounding techniques, wide-band harmonic frequency compounding reduces speckle noise without sacrificing the resolution. Compared to spatial compounding, wide-band harmonic frequency compounding is more robust against tissue motion because sequential vectors rather than frames are summed together for compounding. The method and apparatus is implemented by transmitting two or more firings, combining two or more of the firings coherently to extract the tissue-generated harmonic components, detecting the outputs of the coherent sums and detecting one or more firings before coherent sum, and finally combining all detected outputs to form the compounded image. The method and apparatus sums wide-band fundamental and wide-band harmonic images after detection to form a compounded image.

Abstract: Certain embodiments include a system and method for banding suppression in a B-mode ultrasound image. Banding occurs in a diagnostic image when two or more focal regions having different waveforms and/or frequencies, for example, are combined. The resulting difference in intensity between the focal regions produces banding in the final image. For purposes of illustration only, the method below will be described with two focal zones. Certain embodiments of the present invention reduce banding in a diagnostic image including a plurality of focal zones by processing the first focal zone, determining intensity around the border or “stitch line” between the two focal regions, and adjusting the second focal region based on the difference in intensity. Preferably, processing is done in real time as image frames are updated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus in an ultrasound imaging system is disclosed that enhances the contrast-to-tissue ratio and signal-to-noise ratio of contrast imaging using stepped-chirp waveforms. The first waveform component is employed with a first frequency optimized to initiate the bubble dynamics and the second waveform component is employed with a second frequency optimized to produce an enhanced bubble nonlinear response. The first waveform component and the at least a second waveform component are transmitted as a single stepped-chirp transmit pulse. At least one of a center frequency, an amplitude, a starting phase, and a bandwidth of the waveform components are adjusted to generate the single stepped-chirp transmit pulse. A relative phase, a switch time, and a time delay between the waveform components are also adjusted for maximal enhancement of bubble nonlinear response.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for improving the penetration of the harmonic imaging while preserving the image uniformity by using signals from a similar frequency band to form a composite image. A near field image uses primarily tissue generated harmonic signal associated with a first transmitting event that has a center frequency of f1. Such tissue generated harmonic signal has a frequency band centered on 2f1. In the far field, fundamental echo signals from the second transmitting event that has a center frequency of f2 are primarily use. Since the center frequency f2 in the transmitting event is close to 2f1 and there is a significant overlap in frequency band between signals extracted from the first transmitting event and signals extracted from the second transmitting event, a composite image formed from these signals has similar speckle size across the whole image.