Abstract: Systems, devices, and methods for ultrasonic imaging by sparse sampling are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system comprises an array of ultrasound transducer elements, electronic circuitry in communication with the array of ultrasound transducer elements and configured to select a first receive aperture of the array comprising a plurality of contiguous ultrasound transducer elements and at least one non-contiguous ultrasound transducer element, and a beamformer in communication with the electronic circuitry. Each ultrasound transducer element of the first receive aperture is configured to receive reflected ultrasound echoes and generate an electrical signal representative of imaging data.

Abstract: In an ultrasound imaging system which produces synthetically transmit focused images, the multiline signals used to form image scanlines are analyzed for speed of sound variation, and a map 60 of this variation is generated. In a preferred implementation, the phase discrepancy of the received multilines caused by speed of sound variation in the medium is estimated in the angular spectrum domain for the receive angular spectrum. Once the phase is estimated for all locations in an image, the differential phase between two points at the same lateral location, but different depth, is computed. This differential phase is proportional to the local speed of sound between the two points. A color-coded two- or three-dimensional map 60 is produced from these speed of sound estimates and presented to the user.

Abstract: A system includes an inspection device and an image processing unit. The inspection device is configured to scan a wafer to generate an inspected image. The image processing unit is configured to receive the inspected image, and is configured to analyze the inspected image by using at least one deep learning algorithm in order to determine whether there is any defect image shown in a region of interest in the inspected image. When there is at least one defect image shown in the region of interest in the inspected image, the inspection device is further configured to magnify the region of interest in the inspected image to generate a magnified inspected image for identification of defects.

Abstract: A system for visualization and quantification of ultrasound imaging data according to embodiments of the present disclosure may include a display unit, and a processor communicatively coupled to the display unit and to an ultrasound imaging apparatus for generating an image from ultrasound data representative of a bodily structure and fluid flowing within the bodily structure. The processor may be configured to estimate axial and lateral velocity components of the fluid flowing within the bodily structure, determine a plurality of flow directions within the image based on the axial and lateral velocity components, differentially encode the flow directions based on flow direction angle to generate a flow direction map, and cause the display unit to concurrently display the image including the bodily structure overlaid with the flow direction map.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an imaging probe and is configured for dynamically arranging presentation of visual feedback for guiding manual adjustment, via the probe, of a location, and orientation, associated with the probe. The arranging is selectively based on comparisons between fields of view of the probe and respective results of segmenting image data acquired via the probe. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes a sensor which guides a decision that acoustic coupling quality is insufficient, the apparatus issuing a user alert upon the decision.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system which uses multiline receive beamforming for synthetic transmit focusing are phase adjusted to account for speed of sound variation in the transmission medium. The phase discrepancy of the received multilines caused by speed of sound variation in the medium is estimated in the frequency domain for both the transmit angular spectrum and the receive angular spectrum. The phase variation is removed in the frequency domain, then an inverse Fourier transform is used to transform the frequency domain results to the spatial domain. In another implementation, the phase discrepancy of the received multilines is estimated and corrected entirely in the spatial domain.

Abstract: A system for visualization and quantification of ultrasound imaging data may include a display unit, and a processor communicatively coupled to the display unit and to an ultrasound imaging apparatus for generating an image from ultrasound data representative of a bodily structure and fluid flowing within the bodily structure. The processor may be configured to generate vector field data corresponding to the fluid flow, wherein the vector field data comprises axial and lateral velocity components of the fluid, extract spatiotemporal information from the vector field data at one or more user-selected points within the image, and cause the display unit to concurrently display the spatiotemporal information at the one or more user-selected points with the image including a graphical representation of the vector field data overlaid on the image, wherein the spatiotemporal information includes at least one of a magnitude and an angle of the fluid flow.

Abstract: The present invention relates to monitoring biological tissue during a delivery of energy. A probe-driving unit repeatedly drives an integrated push-and-track transducer unit, which is external to the control device, in repeatedly providing at least one ultrasonic push pulse (302) that is suitable for displacing biological tissue at a monitoring location (M), and in providing ultrasonic track pulses (301, 303) suitable for detecting tissue displacement occurring in response to the push pulse at the monitoring location, and in detecting and delivering ultrasonic tissue-response signals (R) relating to the track pulses. An evaluation unit receives the tissue-response signals, determines in real time whether a normalized displacement quantity has reached a threshold value, and provides an output signal when the threshold value has been reached.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an imaging probe and is configured for dynamically arranging presentation of visual feedback for guiding manual adjustment, via the probe, of a location, and orientation, associated with the probe. The arranging is selectively based on comparisons between fields of view of the probe and respective results of segmenting image data acquired via the probe. In an embodiment, the feedback does not include a grayscale depiction of the image data. Coordinate system transformations corresponding to respective comparisons may be computed. The selecting may be based upon and dynamically responsive to content of imaging being dynamically acquired via the probe.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to solutions of detecting and classifying wafer defects using machine learning techniques. The solutions take only one coarse resolution digital microscope image of a target wafer, and use machine learning techniques to process the coarse SEM image to review and classify a defect on the target wafer. Because only one coarse SEM image of the wafer is needed, the defect review and classification throughput and efficiency are improved. Further, the techniques are not distractive and may be integrated with other defect detecting and classification techniques.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system for analyzing tissue stiffness by shear wave measurement comprises a matrix array probe which acquires shear wave velocity data from three planes of a volumetric region of interest. The velocity data is used to color-code pixels in the planes in accordance with their estimated tissue stiffness. The planes are displayed in their relative spatial orientation in an isometric or perspective display. The positions and orientations of the planes can be changed from the system user interface, enabling a clinician to view selected planes of stiffness information which intersect the region of interest.

Abstract: Ultrasound apparatus and methods of processing signals are described. The ultrasound apparatus may include multiple channels. In some embodiments, signal processing techniques are described, which in some embodiments are performed on a per-channel basis. The signal processing techniques may involve using down-conversion and filtering of signals on multiple channels. The down-conversion and filtering may be done prior to beamforming.

Abstract: The invention relates to a heat sink parameter determination apparatus for determining a parameter of a heat sink like a blood vessel within an object such as a person (3) by minimizing a deviation between a measured temperature distribution, which has preferentially been measured by ultrasound thermometry, and a modeled temperature distribution, wherein the modeled temperature distribution is modeled based on a provided heat source parameter like the location of an ablation needle (2) and the heat sink parameter to be determined by using a given thermal model. This determination of heat sink parameters, which may be geometric and/or flow parameters, considers the real temperature distribution and is thus based on real heat sink influences on the temperature distribution. This can lead to an improved determination of heat sink parameters and hence to a more accurate temperature distribution which may be determined based on the determined heat sink parameters.

Abstract: This disclosure is directed to solutions of detecting and classifying wafer defects using machine learning techniques. The solutions take only one coarse resolution digital microscope image of a target wafer, and use machine learning techniques to process the coarse SEM image to review and classify a defect on the target wafer. Because only one coarse SEM image of the wafer is needed, the defect review and classification throughput and efficiency are improved. Further, the techniques are not distractive and may be integrated with other defect detecting and classification techniques.

Abstract: A system includes an inspection device and an image processing unit. The inspection device is configured to scan a wafer to generate an inspected image. The image processing unit is configured to receive the inspected image, and is configured to analyze the inspected image by using at least one deep learning algorithm in order to determine whether there is any defect image shown in a region of interest in the inspected image. When there is at least one defect image shown in the region of interest in the inspected image, the inspection device is further configured to magnify the region of interest in the inspected image to generate a magnified inspected image for identification of defects.

Abstract: Systems and methods for improving spectral-shift methods for calculating acoustic attenuation coefficients are disclosed. Systems, methods, and apparatuses for transmitting ultrasound pulse sequences for improved signal-to-noise outside the main passband of ultrasound transducers are disclosed. Systems, methods, and apparatuses for using the echoes from the transmitted pulse sequences to calculate the attenuation coefficient are disclosed.

Abstract: A method for using an interactive visual guidance tool for an imaging acquisition and display system and configured for user navigation with respect to a blockage of a field of view detects, and spatially defines, the blockage. It also integrates, with the image for joint visualization, an indicium that visually represents the definition. The indicium is moved dynamically according to movement, relative to the blockage, of the field of view. The indicium can be shaped like a line segment, or two indicia can be joined in a “V” shape to frame a region of non-blockage. The defining may be based on determining whether ultrasound beams in respective directions are blocked. Included, for deriving the image, in some embodiments are imaging channels for receiving image data for which a metric of coherence, i.e., similarity among channel data, is computed. The determination for a direction is based on the metric for locations in that direction.

Abstract: The invention provides an ultrasound data processing method for pre-processing signal data in advance of generating ultrasound images. The method seeks to reduce noise through application of coherent persistence to a series of raw ultrasound signal representations representative of the same path or section through a body but at different successive times. A motion compensation procedure including amplitude peak registration and phase alignment is applied to raw echo signal data in advance of application of persistence in order to cohere the signals and thereby limit the introduction of motion induced artifacts.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and devices that perform flow scan sequences are provided. In one embodiment, an ultrasound imaging system includes an intraluminal catheter or guidewire, an annular array of acoustic elements positioned around a circumference of the catheter or guidewire, and a processor in communication with the annular array. The processor is configured to activate a first subaperture of the annular array at a first time, thereafter, activate a second interleaving subaperture, and activate the first subaperture again at a different, second time such that the scan sequence moves around the circumference of the catheter or guidewire. Temporal differences between the received ultrasound signals obtained by the first subaperture at the first and second times are determined to detect motion around the annular array. By interleaving subaperture firings, the total number of firings to form an image frame can be reduced.

Abstract: Systems and methods for suppressing off-axis sidelobes and/or clutter, near-field reverberation clutter, and/or grating lobe contributions are disclosed. A dual apodization with median (DAM) filtering technique is disclosed. The dual apodization technique may include summing aligned channel data with apodization functions (406, 412, 414) with complementary apertures applied. Median values for a zero function (RF3) and the resulting signals (RF1, RF2) from the complementary apertures are determined to generate a median value signal (416, MVS). The median value signal is used to generate an ultrasound image with enhanced image contrast. A method of image smoothing of the ultrasound image with enhanced image contrast is also disclosed. The smoothed image may include low frequency components of the ultrasound image with enhanced image contrast and high frequency components of an original image.