Abstract: A system includes an image guidance system with a memory with computer executable instruction, a processor configured to execute the computer executable instructions, and a display. The computer executable instructions cause the processor to: receive a three-dimensional model of vasculature from an ultrasound imaging system, receive a real-time optical feed of an interior of a cavity from an optical camera-based guidance system, receive a first tracking signal indicative of a first spatial location of a probe of the ultrasound imaging system, receive a second spatial location of the optical camera-based guidance system, and overlay the optical feed with the three-dimensional model based on the first and second tracking signals. The display is configured to visually present the optical feed with the three-dimensional model overlaid thereover.

Abstract: A system includes a transducer array configured to produce a signal indicative of a received echo wave, receive circuitry configured to amplify and digitize the signal, sub-systems configured to process the digitized signal to generate an image including electronic noise from the system, and a system controller. The system controller is configured to retrieve a pre-determined noise level of an analog front end of the receive circuitry, configure the sub-systems, wherein each of sub-systems includes multiple processing blocks, and the configuring determines which of the processing blocks are employed and which of the processing blocks are bypassed for a scan, and determine a noise level for each of the employed sub-systems based on a corresponding noise model. The sub-systems include a processor configured to adaptively vary at least one of a gain and a dynamic range of the image as a function of depth based on the noise levels.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system includes a probe and a console. The probe includes an elongate shaft with a long axis, a transducer array disposed the shaft along the long axis and configured to generate signals indicative of received echoes, and a motor with a position sensor configured to rotate the shaft within a predetermined arc. The console includes a beamformer configured to process the signals from the transducer array and generate at least a volume of data for each sweep of the transducer array along the arc. The console further includes a display configured to display the volume of data.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (102) includes a transducer array (108) with a two-dimensional non-rectangular array of rows (110) of elements, transmit circuitry (112) that actuates the elements to transmit an ultrasound signal into a field of view, receive circuitry (114) that receives echoes produced in response to an interaction between the ultrasound signal and a structure in the field of view, and a beamformer that processes the echoes, thereby generating one or more scan lines indicative of the field of view.

Abstract: A method includes receiving first electrical signals from a first single-element transducer (1121) and second electrical signals from a second single-element transducer (1122). The transducers are disposed on a shaft (110), which has a longitudinal axis (200), of an ultrasound imaging probe (102) with transducing sides disposed transverse to and facing away from the longitudinal axis. The transducers are angularly offset from each other on the shaft by a non-zero angle. The transducers are operated at first and second different cutoff frequencies. The shaft concurrently translates and rotates while the transducers receive the first and second ultrasound signals. The method further includes delay and sum beamforming, with first and second beamformers (1201, 1202), the first and second electrical signals, respectively via different processing chains (7121, 7122), employing an adaptive synthetic aperture technique, producing first and second images.

Abstract: A system includes a transducer array configured to produce a signal indicative of a received echo wave, receive circuitry configured to amplify and digitize the signal, sub-systems configured to process the digitized signal to generate an image including electronic noise from the system, and a system controller. The system controller is configured to retrieve a pre-determined noise level of an analog front end of the receive circuitry, configure the sub-systems, wherein each of sub-systems includes multiple processing blocks, and the configuring determines which of the processing blocks are employed and which of the processing blocks are bypassed for a scan, and determine a noise level for each of the employed sub-systems based on a corresponding noise model. The sub-systems include a processor configured to adaptively vary at least one of a gain and a dynamic range of the image as a function of depth based on the noise levels.

Abstract: A system includes a transducer array configured to produce a signal indicative of a received echo wave, receive circuitry configured to amplify and digitize the signal, sub-systems configured to process the digitized signal to generate an image including electronic noise from the system, and a system controller. The system controller is configured to retrieve a pre-determined noise level of an analog front end of the receive circuitry, configure the sub-systems, wherein each of sub-systems includes multiple processing blocks, and the configuring determines which of the processing blocks are employed and which of the processing blocks are bypassed for a scan, and determine a noise level for each of the employed sub-systems based on a corresponding noise model. The sub-systems include a processor configured to adaptively vary at least one of a gain and a dynamic range of the image as a function of depth based on the noise levels.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging includes a beamformer configured to process ultrasound echo signals generated by the plurality of elements of a transducer array. The beamformer includes a delay processor configured to generate a delay for each of the signals and apply the delays to corresponding signals and a summer configured to sum the delayed signals to produce an image. The delay processor includes a spatio-temporal processor configured to computed delays based on time-of-flight calculations from a center of the elements to one of a transmit focal point, a virtual source or a plane, a spatial correction processor configured to compute delay corrections for the computed delays, an adder configured to add the delay corrections to the computed delays to produce corrected delays, and a delay component configured to delay each of the signals with a corresponding corrected delay.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (100) includes a transducer array (102). The transducer array includes a first set of transducer elements (206 or 208, 302 or 304) and a second set of transducer elements (208 or 206, 304 or 302). The first and second sets of transducer elements includes long axes and are angularly offset from each other by a non-zero angle with respect to the long axes. The ultrasound imaging system further includes a velocity processor (120) that processes echoes received by the first and second sets of transducer elements and determines an axial and two transverse flow velocity components based on the received echoes.

Abstract: A system includes an image guidance system with a memory with computer executable instruction, a processor configured to execute the computer executable instructions, and a display. The computer executable instructions cause the processor to: receive a three-dimensional model of vasculature from an ultrasound imaging system, receive a real-time optical feed of an interior of a cavity from an optical camera-based guidance system, receive a first tracking signal indicative of a first spatial location of a probe of the ultrasound imaging system, receive a second spatial location of the optical camera-based guidance system, and overlay the optical feed with the three-dimensional model based on the first and second tracking signals. The display is configured to visually present the optical feed with the three-dimensional model overlaid thereover.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (102) includes a transducer array (108) with a two-dimensional non-rectangular array of rows (110) of elements, transmit circuitry (112) that actuates the elements to transmit an ultrasound signal into a field of view, receive circuitry (114) that receives echoes produced in response to an interaction between the ultrasound signal and a structure in the field of view, and a beamformer that processes the echoes, thereby generating one or more scan lines indicative of the field of view.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system includes a probe and a console. The probe includes an elongate shaft with a long axis, a transducer array disposed the shaft along the long axis and configured to generate signals indicative of received echoes, and a motor with a position sensor configured to rotate the shaft within a predetermined arc. The console includes a beamformer configured to process the signals from the transducer array and generate at least a volume of data for each sweep of the transducer array along the arc. The console further includes a display configured to display the volume of data.

Abstract: A method includes receiving first electrical signals from a first single-element transducer (1121) and second electrical signals from a second single-element transducer (1122). The transducers are disposed on a shaft (110), which has a longitudinal axis (200), of an ultrasound imaging probe (102) with transducing sides disposed transverse to and facing away from the longitudinal axis. The transducers are angularly offset from each other on the shaft by a non-zero angle. The transducers are operated at first and second different cutoff frequencies. The shaft concurrently translates and rotates while the transducers receive the first and second ultrasound signals. The method further includes delay and sum beamforming, with first and second beamformers (1201, 1202), the first and second electrical signals, respectively via different processing chains (7121, 7122), employing an adaptive synthetic aperture technique, producing first and second images.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (102) includes a transducer array (108) with a two-dimensional non-rectangular array of rows (110) of elements, transmit circuitry (112) that actuates the elements to transmit an ultrasound signal into a field of view, receive circuitry (114) that receives echoes produced in response to an interaction between the ultrasound signal and a structure in the field of view, and a beamformer that processes the echoes, thereby generating one or more scan lines indicative of the field of view.

Abstract: An imaging transducer (302) includes a plurality of transducer elements (404, 604, 704, 804) arranged with respect to each other in an array along an long axis of the transducer, wherein an effective width of a transducer element of the transducer is equal to or greater than a center-to-center distance between adjacent transducer elements. A method includes acquiring data with an imaging transducer, wherein the transducer includes a plurality of transducer elements arranged with respect to each other in an array along an long axis of the transducer, wherein an effective width of a transducer element of the transducer is equal to or greater than a center-to-center distance between adjacent transducer elements.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging includes a beamformer configured to process ultrasound echo signals generated by the plurality of elements of a transducer array. The beamformer includes a delay processor configured to generate a delay for each of the signals and apply the delays to corresponding signals and a summer configured to sum the delayed signals to produce an image. The delay processor includes a spatio-temporal processor configured to computed delays based on time-of-flight calculations from a center of the elements to one of a transmit focal point, a virtual source or a plane, a spatial correction processor configured to compute delay corrections for the computed delays, an adder configured to add the delay corrections to the computed delays to produce corrected delays, and a delay component configured to delay each of the signals with a corresponding corrected delay.

Abstract: A motion processor (118) includes a motion estimator (306) that iteratively estimates a motion between a pair of consecutive frames of pre-processed echoes, wherein the motion estimator (306) generates the estimated motion based on at least on one iteration. A method includes iteratively estimating tissue motion between a pair of consecutive frames of pre-processed echoes over at least one iteration.

Abstract: An imaging transducer (302) includes a plurality of transducer elements (404, 604, 704, 804) arranged with respect to each other in an array along an long axis of the transducer, wherein an effective width of a transducer element of the transducer is equal to or greater than a center-to-center distance between adjacent transducer elements. A method includes acquiring data with an imaging transducer, wherein the transducer includes a plurality of transducer elements arranged with respect to each other in an array along an long axis of the transducer, wherein an effective width of a transducer element of the transducer is equal to or greater than a center-to-center distance between adjacent transducer elements.

Abstract: An ultrasound imaging system (102) includes a transducer array (108) with a two-dimensional non-rectangular array of rows (110) of elements, transmit circuitry (112) that actuates the elements to transmit an ultrasound signal into a field of view, receive circuitry (114) that receives echoes produced in response to an interaction between the ultrasound signal and a structure in the field of view, and a beamformer that processes the echoes, thereby generating one or more scan lines indicative of the field of view.

Abstract: A motion processor (118) includes a motion estimator (306) that iteratively estimates a motion between a pair of consecutive frames of pre-processed echoes, wherein the motion estimator (306) generates the estimated motion based on at least on one iteration. A method includes iteratively estimating tissue motion between a pair of consecutive frames of pre-processed echoes over at least one iteration.