Abstract: Apparatus for ultrasound image acquisition is integrated into the casing of an ultrasound probe that includes an array of electro-acoustic transducers, which transmit and receive ultrasound pulses. The array communicate with a processing unit, to which reception signals are fed, and are connected to a unit generating signals for exciting the transmission of ultrasound waves. In one aspect of the invention, at least the processing unit is fitted into the probe casing and is configured to convert the reception signals into an image, and to generate video signals for generating an image on a display unit. The transmission between the probe and a remote unit displaying and possibly storing the images as video signals may be operated wirelessly.

Abstract: The present invention provides an ultrasound system, which comprises: a signal acquiring unit to transmit an ultrasound signal to an object and acquire an echo signal reflected from the object; a signal processing unit to control TGC (Time Gain Compensation) and LGC (Lateral Gain Compensation) of the echo signal; a TGC/LGC setup unit adapted to set TGC and LGC values based on TGC and LGC curves inputted by a user; and an image producing unit adapted to produce an ultrasound image of the object based on the echo signal. The signal processing unit is further adapted to control the TGC and the LGC of the echo signal based on the TGC and LGC values set by the TGC/LGC setup unit.

Abstract: An object information acquisition apparatus, configured to receive an acoustic wave from an object and acquire characteristic information of the object, includes a receiver configured to receive the acoustic wave and convert the received acoustic wave into an electric signal, a scan control unit configured to scan the receiver at least in one direction, and a display control unit configured to produce guide information for displaying a guide on a display unit, wherein the guide is in terms of the number of times the receiver is scanned in a first direction and wherein the guide information is produced using information associated with a specified region defined by a user as a region in which characteristic information is to be acquired.

Abstract: Devices are disclosed for obtaining data of a sample, particularly data capable of being processed to produce an image of a region of the sample. An exemplary device includes a light-beam source, an acoustic-wave source, an optical element, and an acoustic detector. The optical element is transmissive to a light beam produced by the light-beam source and reflective to acoustic waves produced by the acoustic-wave source. The optical element is situated to direct the transmitted light beam and reflected acoustic wave simultaneously along an optical axis to be incident at a situs in or on a sample to cause the sample to produce acoustic echoes from the incident acoustic waves while also producing photoacoustic waves from the incident light beam photoacoustically interacting with the situs. The acoustic detector is placed to receive and detect the acoustic echoes and the photoacoustic waves from the situs. The acoustic detector can comprise one or more hydrophones exploiting the acousto-electric effect.

Abstract: An imaging device is provided, comprising: a decorrelation circuit configured to receive K initial imaging signals and to perform a decorrelation operation on K initial imaging signals, respectively, to generate K decorrelated imaging signals; Kh wavelet decomposition circuits configured to perform K wavelet decomposition operations on the K decorrelated imaging signals, respectively, to generate K decomposed imaging signals; K quantization circuits configured to perform K quantization operations on the K decomposed imaging signals, respectively, to generate K quantized imaging signals; and a bit multiplexer configured to generate a compressed bit stream based on the K quantized imaging signals; a data line configured to pass the compressed bit stream; and a decompressor module configured to convert the compressed bit stream into K recovered imaging signals corresponding to the K initial imaging signals, wherein K is an integer greater than 1.

Abstract: A modular and tileable sensor array with routing in the interposer carrying the signals from the sensors to the integrated circuits. In one embodiment a large area modular sensor array assembly includes one or more tileable modules coupled together. The tileable modules have a plurality of transducer cells forming a sensor, an interposer coupled on a first side to the plurality of transducer cells by a plurality, one or more integrated circuits coupled to a second side of the interposer, wherein the interposer is configured to form the connection of at least some of the transducer cells to the integrated circuits, and one or more input/output connectors coupled to the interposer and providing an external interface.

Abstract: In order to provide an ultrasonic probe capable of suppressing the influence of multiple reflections occurring on the interface of a transducer with a CMUT chip and a backing layer, an ultrasonic probe of the present invention has a structure where an acoustic lens 14, transducers 11-1 to 11-m, and a backing layer 12 are laminated. Each of the transducers 11-1 to 11-m has a CMUT chip, and the backing layer 12 is formed of a material with a value of substantially the same acoustic impedance as the acoustic lens 14.

Abstract: An acoustic wave imaging apparatus having: a phase aligning unit which aligns phases of received signals obtained by a plurality of acoustic wave receiving elements; a complex signal acquiring unit which generates complex signals out of the phase aligned received signals; a correlation matrix calculating unit which calculates a correlation matrix of the complex signals; and an electric power calculating unit which calculates constrained minimum power of the received signals, using the correlation matrix and a predetermined constraint vector, wherein the correlation matrix calculating unit calculates the correlation matrix at a predetermined cycle, and sequentially outputs the calculated correlation matrix to the electric power calculating unit at a predetermined cycle, and the electric power calculating unit calculates a plurality of constrained minimum powers in parallel using the calculated correlation matrices, the plurality of constrained minimum powers are corresponding to the correlation matrices respec

Abstract: Systems and methods for sensing one or more signals include a plurality of pins, wherein the pins are independently movable relative to one another, one or more signal generators coupled to respective pins, one or more signal detectors coupled to respective pins, and a body, wherein the plurality of pins are coupled to the body.

Abstract: A method of operating a pathology laboratory, which utilizes an ultrasound imaging device, adapted to automatically image tissue specimens, in the laboratory. Resected tissue specimens are received into the laboratory and the ultrasound imaging device is used to image some of the received tissue specimens, thereby creating 3-dimensional tissue specimen images of imaged tissue specimens. Locations on the imaged tissue specimens to take tissue sample, in order to make microscope slides, are determined in reliance on the tissue specimen images and the tissue samples are taken from the locations determined and the microscope slides are produced.

Abstract: There is provided a signal processing apparatus including a focus position control unit that controls transmission focus positions to be focus positions of transmission waves transmitted by a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators and reception focus positions to be focus positions of reception waves received by the plurality of vibrators on the basis of position information regarding relative positions of the plurality of ultrasonic vibrators of which the relative positions are changeable.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transducer drive circuit for driving an ultrasonic transducer by outputting pulses including a positive pulse and a negative pulse to an output line is provided. The ultrasonic transducer includes a positive voltage supply circuit, a negative voltage supply circuit, a current-inflow-type ground clamp circuit configured to operate when voltage in the output line is positive voltage, and a current-outflow-type ground clamp circuit configured to operate when voltage in the output line is negative voltage, wherein the current-inflow-type ground clamp circuit is configured to enter an operation state at a time of generating the negative pulse in a state where the voltage in the output line is positive voltage, and the current-outflow-type ground clamp circuit is configured to enter an operation state at a time of generating the positive pulse in a state where the voltage in the output line is negative voltage.

Abstract: The invention relates to an imaging apparatus (1) for imaging an interior of an object (2). The imaging apparatus (1) comprises a first ultrasound sensor and a second ultrasound sensor for sensing the interior of the object at different frequencies, wherein the ultrasound sensing signals from the first ultrasound sensor are used for generating a first ultrasound image and a the ultrasound sensing signals from the second ultrasound sensor are used for generating a second ultrasound image. A larger frequency generally provides a smaller depth of penetrating the interior of the object and a larger spatial resolution than a smaller frequency. The imaging apparatus (1) can therefore provide the capability of simultaneously imaging the interior of the object with different spatial resolutions and at different penetration depths. This allows the imaging apparatus to improve the quality of imaging the interior of the object.

Abstract: Exemplary embodiments include an apparatus for imaging a volume of material contained inside a vessel. The apparatus includes a plurality of synchronized acoustic sensors positioned at a periphery of an inner volume of the vessel. A processor combines the outputs of the acoustic sensors to identify at least one ambient noise source of the industrial process generating a noise field that illuminates an internal volume of the vessel and to provide an image of the material by temporal and spatial coherent processing of the transmission and reflection of the noise field generated by the noise source.

Abstract: In a feature data space including a first coordinate system that contains at least some of sets of feature data being respectively extracted for known specimens as its coordinate components an ultrasonic observation apparatus calculates coordinate values of the feature data of a specimen in a second coordinate system and assigns display parameters corresponding to the calculated coordinate values, wherein the second coordinate system has a new coordinate axis as one of its coordinate axes, the new coordinate axis is an axis on which sum of distances between adjacent representative points is large, the representative points represent respective groups obtained by classifying the known specimens on the basis of information regarding each known specimen, the distances are obtained when the adjacent representative points, which are adjacent along a predetermined coordinate axis in the first coordinate system, are projected on a predetermined axis.

Abstract: A beamformer for forming a reception beam using a multichannel signal reflected from a subject is provided. The beamformer includes a signal generator that may generate a plurality of signals to which different apodization functions are applied, with respect to the multichannel signal, an estimator that may estimate a signal predominant component and a noise predominant component from the plurality of signals, a weight calculator that may calculate a weight to be applied to the signal predominant component according to each of channels, using the estimated signal predominant component and the estimated noise predominant component, and a weight applier that may apply the calculated weight to the estimated signal predominant component.

Abstract: Imaging systems, probes for imaging systems, and methods for noninvasive imaging are disclosed. In one example, a probe for use with an imaging system includes a slit configured to spatially filter a light beam from a light source. The probe includes a focusing device configured to cylindrically focus the spatially filtered light beam into an object, and an ultrasound transducer array configured to detect a photoacoustic signal emitted by the object in response to the cylindrically focused light beam.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transmitter and receiver includes a MEMS composite transducer. The MEMS composite transducer includes a substrate. Portions of the substrate define an outer boundary of a cavity. A first MEMS transducing member includes a first size. A first portion of the first MEMS transducing member is anchored to the substrate. A second portion of the first MEMS transducing member extends over at least a portion of the cavity and is free to move relative to the cavity. A second MEMS transducing member includes a second size that is smaller than the first size of the first MEMS transducing member. A first portion of the second MEMS transducing member is anchored to the substrate. A second portion of the second MEMS transducing member extends over at least a portion of the cavity and is free to move relative to the cavity. A compliant membrane is positioned in contact with the first and second MEMS transducing members.

Abstract: A coupling device for an atomic force microscope with acoustic sample excitation includes a sound generator, in particular an ultrasonic test head, and designed for coupling of sound waves generated using the sound generator into a sample body for the acoustic excitation of the sample body, where the coupling device has a liquid reservoir fillable and/or filled with a liquid in its inner space; the lower side of the sample body can be arranged and/or is arranged laterally displaceably on the liquid reservoir; the end of the sound generator formed for coupling the sound waves into the sample body is arranged in the inner space of the liquid reservoir and/or that sound waves can be coupled into the inner space with this end; and the spatial section of the inner space of the liquid reservoir disposed between this end and the lower side of the sample body is completely fillable and/or filled with the liquid.

Abstract: Generally, as the time for mechanical scanning of an acoustic wave receiver increases, the load on an examinee also increases. The present invention provides the calculation of a target speed at which an acoustic wave receiver is caused to move for the measurement of an acoustic wave, using data of an emission period of pulsed light and data of an interval between target measurement positions in a subject being examined. In addition, the acoustic wave receiver is caused to move so as to reach an initial target measurement position at the target speed at a time when initial pulsed light for measuring an acoustic wave is emitted. After the target speed has been reached, the acoustic wave receiver is caused to move at a uniform speed which is equal to the target speed.

Abstract: The present disclosure is directed at a method and system for shaping a membrane a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer, or CMUT. A bias voltage is asymmetrically applied to a membrane of the CMUT such that the membrane is directed to send ultrasonic waves that propagate along a propagation axis that is not parallel with a propagation axis along which ultrasonic waves propagate when the bias voltage is symmetrically applied to the membrane. In this way, the ultrasonic waves that are generated using a CMUT array can be physically steered to or focused on a target. Steering and focusing ultrasonic waves by altering the shape of the membrane by asymmetrically biasing the membrane reduces grating lobes and can also be used as part of an adaptive control system that can improve ultrasound image quality.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a reception unit generates reception beam data set groups based on echo signals. Each of the reception beam data set groups includes reception beam data sets respectively corresponding to reception beams associated with parallel signal processing. Each of the reception beam data sets is generated based on echo signals from transducers associated with a corresponding reception position. A scanning control unit sets the spatial arrangement of the reception beams. The reception beams are arranged at unequal intervals. A synthesizing unit generates synthetic beam data sets associated with reception positions based on the reception beam data set groups. Each of the synthetic beam data sets is obtained by synthesizing reception beam data sets associated with the same reception position. An image generation unit generates ultrasonic image data based on the synthetic beam data sets.

Abstract: A hand held ultrasonic instrument is provided in a portable unit which performs both B mode and Doppler imaging. The instrument includes a transducer array mounted in a hand-held enclosure, with an integrated circuit transceiver connected to the elements of the array for the reception of echo signals. A digital signal processing circuit performs both B mode and Doppler signal processing such as filtering, detection and Doppler estimation, as well as advanced functions such as assembly of multiple zone focused scanlines, synthetic aperture formation, depth dependent filtering, speckle reduction, flash suppression, and frame averaging.

Abstract: An exploration operation, in which the transmission/reception position, at which ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received, is changed by a specified pitch distance, is performed for each of a plurality of incident angles. A nonlinear image in which echo signals acquired from harmonic waves of reflected waves are presented is generated for each incident angle. Each nonlinear image is converted into a frame conversion image in accordance with the cross-sectional shape of an exploration-target area. A signal intensity threshold for removing echo signals resulting from an orientation defect is determined in advance. Frame conversion images formed by only echo signals 41a whose signal intensity is the signal intensity threshold or more are overlapped to generate a nonlinear exploration image 35. Exploration of a welded portion 23 stably provides a nonlinear exploration image 35 in which the shape of an interface 25 of the welded portion 23 is shown accurately and clearly.

Abstract: A sonar transducer network for observing a seabed includes a controller. A first transducer assembly includes a first acoustic transducer to convert a first ping to a first electrical signal; and a first transducer processor to receive a first electrical signal from the first acoustic transducer to generate the first transducer data. At least one second transducer assembly is spaced apart from the first transducer assembly. The second transducer assembly includes a second acoustic transducer to convert a second ping to a second electrical signal. The second transducer processor receives the second electrical signal from the second acoustical transducer to generate second transducer data. A network bus communicates first transducer data and second transducer data with the controller.

Abstract: Disclosed are systems and methods which efficiently control storage of and/or access to data which includes repetitive data or data which is used by different modes, processes, etcetera. Embodiments provide control for storage of and/or access to large amounts of data used in ultrasound system beam forming for image generation using a hierarchy of sequencers for controlling storage of and/or access to data. A frame sequencer may provide control at a frame level while an address sequencer is implemented to provide control at a data access level.

Abstract: Spherical microphone arrays provide an ability to compute the acoustical intensity corresponding to different spatial directions in a given frame of audio data. These intensities may be exhibited as an image and these images are generated at a high frame rate to achieve a video image if the data capture and intensity computations can be performed sufficiently quickly, thereby creating a frame-rate audio camera. A description is provided herein regarding how such a camera is built and the processing done sufficiently quickly using graphics processors. The joint processing of and captured frame-rate audio and video images enables applications such as visual identification of noise sources, beamforming and noise-suppression in video conferencing and others, by accounting for the spatial differences in the location of the audio and the video cameras. Based on the recognition that the spherical array can be viewed as a central projection camera, such joint analysis can be performed.

Abstract: An embodiment is a method and apparatus for ultrasonic contact imaging. A thin-film transistor (TFT) array is deposited on a substrate. A receiver having a plurality of receiver elements is deposited on the TFT array to receive a received signal. A transmitter adjacent to the receiver generates a transmit signal at an ultrasonic frequency. The transmit signal is reflected from a surface to produce a reflected signal. The received signal is a superposition of the transmit signal and the reflected signal as result of interference. The received signal is representative of differences in acoustic impedances across the surface.

Abstract: Methods and systems for ultrasound imaging are presented. The method includes configuring a plurality of apertures in a transducer array of an ultrasound imaging device, where the apertures include one or more transducer elements. Further, one or more reference pulses are delivered to a plurality of target regions to detect corresponding initial positions. Additionally, a pushing pulse is delivered to at least two of the plurality of target regions through at least two of the plurality of apertures. To that end, the plurality of apertures is focused at specific target regions in the plurality of target regions using a compound delay profile. Subsequently, one or more tracking pulses are delivered to the plurality of target regions for detecting corresponding displacements of at least the specific target regions in the plurality of target regions.

Abstract: Methods for tracking the identity of die after singulation from a wafer. The product chips and die include a pattern of features formed in a metallization level of a back-end-of-line (BEOL) wiring structure. The features in the pattern contain information relating to the die, such as a unique identifier that includes a wafer identification used to fabricate the die and a product chip location for the die on a wafer. The features may be imaged with the assistance of a beam of electromagnetic radiation that penetrates into a packaged die and is altered by the presence of the features in a way that promotes imaging.

Abstract: An acoustic camera comprises a first sound pick-up device, a second sound pick-up device, and a switch. The switch is respectively connected to the first sound pick-up device and the second pick-up device and used to select the first sound pick-up device or the second sound pick-up device to reconstruct the sound field of the sound source of a detected object. The first sound pick-up device has a first microphone array, and the first microphone array is a near-field uniform microphone array. The second sound pick-up device has a second microphone array, and the second microphone array is a far-field non-uniform microphone array.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a reception unit generates reception beam data set groups based on echo signals. Each of the reception beam data set groups includes reception beam data sets respectively corresponding to reception beams associated with parallel signal processing. Each of the reception beam data sets is generated based on echo signals from transducers associated with a corresponding reception position. A scanning control unit sets the spatial arrangement of the reception beams. The reception beams are arranged at unequal intervals. A synthesizing unit generates synthetic beam data sets associated with reception positions based on the reception beam data set groups. Each of the synthetic beam data sets is obtained by synthesizing reception beam data sets associated with the same reception position. An image generation unit generates ultrasonic image data based on the synthetic beam data sets.

Abstract: An ultrasonic transmitting/receiving circuit equipped with: a semiconductor circuit element which comprises at least three terminals including a first terminal connected to a plurality of transducer elements that constitute an ultrasonic probe, a second terminal connected to a transmission signal generating circuit, and a third terminal serving as an output terminal of an amplifier of a reception signal from the transducer element, and which has a function of amplifying a signal inputted from one terminal by the other terminal and outputting the amplified signal between at least two terminals among the above-said three terminals; and a control unit which performs control so as to cause the semiconductor circuit element to perform a first function of functioning as a switch for inputting a transmission signal to the transducer element and a second function of amplifying the reception signal received from the transducer element.

Abstract: For disposing projections of insulating film protruding into a hollow part in CMUT in order to suppress injection of electrical charge into the insulating film due to contact of a lower surface of a membrane with a lower surface of the hollow part, there are provided a structure of disposed projections preferred for suppressing increase in driving voltage for CMUT and decrease in receiving sensitivity, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same.

Abstract: A cMUT-type capacitive electroacoustic transducer including: at least one membrane configured to oscillate under effect of an electric field and/or an acoustic wave, wherein the membrane is formed from one or more layers of juxtaposed nanotubes or nanowires or nanorods, and an acoustic imaging device or UHF sonar including such transducers.

Abstract: A system for an adaptable aperture planar array for maintaining source resolution is provided. The system includes a first nested array defining a first aperture responsive to a first range of frequencies. The first aperture is sized based on an angle between the array and the source, and includes a first subset of sensor elements. The system includes a second nested array defining a second aperture responsive to a second range of frequencies that is less than the first range of frequencies. The second aperture is sized based on the angle between the array and the source, and includes a second subset of sensor elements. The first aperture and second aperture change in size as the angle changes, which results in a change in the sensor elements within the first subset and the second subset to maintain the source resolution for the array.

Abstract: A device for acoustic display of a position of an object in a reproduction space, a plurality of loudspeakers being arranged in the reproduction space at spatially different positions such that different spatial positions may be represented acoustically by differently driving the loudspeakers, includes a signal associater and a loudspeaker driver. The signal associater is configured to associate an acoustic signal to the object. The loudspeaker driver is configured to establish one or several loudspeaker signals for the plurality of loudspeakers, wherein the one or several loudspeaker signals by which the position of the object is displayed are based on the acoustic signal associated to the object by the signal associater. The one or several loudspeaker signals may be established such that, when reproducing the one or several loudspeaker signals, the position of the object in the reproduction space is displayed acoustically.

Abstract: When correcting the acoustic wave refraction occurring on the interface between mediums having different sound speeds by Snell's law, an applicable back-projection method is limited to a time domain method. An image data generating method performed to receive and convert an acoustic wave generated by irradiating a subject with light into a first electrical signal with an acoustic wave receiver via a medium having a sound speed different from that of the subject, and to generate image data based on the first electrical signal is provided, wherein a second electrical signal obtained when the acoustic wave is received at each virtual reception point is generated based on the first electrical signal through an integral calculation performed by using an advanced Green's function, and image data is generated based on the second electrical signal.

Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with an ultrasonic image measuring unit configured to measure an ultrasonic image of an object to be examined, a display unit configured to display the ultrasonic image, an input unit configured to input parameters for controlling the ultrasonic image measuring unit and the display unit, and a control unit configured to control the ultrasonic image measuring unit and the display unit by means of the parameters. The control unit is characterized by generating first switch information for inputting relating to a first control parameter included in the parameters, controlling the display unit to display the first switch information, selecting the first control parameter from the first switch information and inputting thereof, generating second switch information relating to a second control parameter which is the item next to the first control parameter, and controlling the display unit to display the second switch information.

Abstract: A measuring system for receiving acoustic waves and producing image data includes an acoustic wave receiver that detects acoustic waves which are generated by irradiating a specimen with pulsed light. The acoustic wave receiver converts the detected acoustic waves into an electric signal, and an image forming apparatus generates image data by using the electric signal. An artifact attributable to a band of an acoustic wave receiver is distinguished and reduced based on the positional relationship among respective voxel data representing an actual image and a reflected image of a light absorber located within the specimen and related artifacts, as viewed on the image data, by utilizing an acoustic wave reflecting surface on which the specimen is disposed.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, generating images according to intersection points includes obtaining samples of signals from transmitter-receiver pairs. A transmitter-receiver pair is configured to transmit a signal and receive the signal reflected by an object. Intersection points are determined, where an intersection point indicates an intersection for integer multiples of a sample-time distance. A subset of samples corresponding to the intersection points is selected. Image data is generated from the selected subset of samples, where the image data is used to generate an image of the object.

Abstract: An acoustic probe includes an acoustic transducer having acoustic transducer elements arranged in a one-dimensional array; and a variably-refracting acoustic lens coupled to the acoustic transducer. The variably-refracting acoustic lens has a pair of electrodes configured to adjust the focus of the variably-refracting acoustic lens in response to a selected voltage applied across the electrodes. In one embodiment, the variably-refracting acoustic lens includes a cavity, first and second fluid media disposed within the cavity, and the pair of electrodes. The speed of sound of an acoustic wave in the first fluid medium is different than the speed of sound of the acoustic wave in the second fluid medium. The first and second fluid media are immiscible with respect to each other, and the first fluid medium has a substantially different electrical conductivity than the second fluid medium.

Abstract: A cart for use with an ultrasonic imaging apparatus, comprising: a supporting part, a cart body and a bottom part; said cart body is connected to the supporting part and the bottom part; said supporting part is provided with an interface thereon for supporting and connecting the ultrasonic imaging apparatus; said cart body is an elevator structure provided with a power cable therein for supplying power to the ultrasonic imaging apparatus; the lower portion of the supporting part and the upper portion of the bottom part are both provided with a power socket; said power cable is a coiled cord structure, and its two ends are connected to the two power sockets; a stretchable elastic component having elastic recovery is provided inside the coiled cord structure of the power cable.

Abstract: The present invention is a method and an apparatus that can image objects immersed in optically opaque fluids using ultrasound in a confined space and in a harsh environment. If the fluid is not highly attenuating at frequencies above 1 MHz, where commercial ultrasound scanners are available, such scanners can be adapted for imaging in these fluids. In the case of highly attenuating fluids, such as drilling mud, then a low frequency collimated sound source is used.

Abstract: An imaging device is provided, comprising: a decorrelation circuit configured to receive K initial imaging signals and to perform a decorrelation operation on K initial imaging signals, respectively, to generate K decorrelated imaging signals; Kh wavelet decomposition circuits configured to perform K wavelet decomposition operations on the K decorrelated imaging signals, respectively, to generate K decomposed imaging signals; K quantization circuits configured to perform K quantization operations on the K decomposed imaging signals, respectively, to generate K quantized imaging signals; and a bit multiplexer configured to generate a compressed bit stream based on the K quantized imaging signals; a data line configured to pass the compressed bit stream; and a decompressor module configured to convert the compressed bit stream into K recovered imaging signals corresponding to the K initial imaging signals, wherein K is an integer greater than 1.

Abstract: There is provided a method of processing an ultrasound spectrum image. According to such method, a spectrum image is formed based on ultrasound data and then the noise is removed from the spectrum image. The noise-removed spectrum image is matched with one or more spectrum models representing specific spectrum types. Then, whether or not the noise-removed spectrum image contains an aliasing is checked. If the noise-removed spectrum image contains the aliasing, then the aliasing is removed from the noise-removed spectrum image to provide a noise-removed spectrum image without the aliasing. Thereafter, contour tracing is performed on the noise-removed spectrum image without the aliasing to detect contour points. Further, peak tracing is performed on the noise-removed spectrum image without the aliasing to detect peaks.

Abstract: Sonar three dimensional data are represented by a two dimensional image. Pixels of the two dimensional image are emphasized if the if the three dimensional data associated with the pixel differ by more than a criterion from the three dimensional data associated with neighboring pixels.

Abstract: A robotic surgical system has a robot arm holding an instrument for performing a surgical procedure, and a control system for controlling movement of the arm and its instrument according to user manipulation of a master manipulator. The control system includes a filter in its forward path to attenuate master input commands that may cause instrument tip vibrations, and an inverse filter in a feedback path to the master manipulator configured so as to compensate for delay introduced by the forward path filter. To enhance control, master command and slave joint observers are also inserted in the control system to estimate slave joint position, velocity and acceleration commands using received slave joint position commands and torque feedbacks, and estimate actual slave joint positions, velocities and accelerations using sensed slave joint positions and commanded slave joint motor torques.

Abstract: A method for early detection of a pregnancy complication, including touching a position sensor to a point on a fetal presenting part of a fetus in a mother, and capturing a position of the position sensor, touching the position sensor to a set of points on the mother and capturing the position of the position sensor at each point, and detecting a pregnancy complication sign based upon a predefined criterion for said pregnancy complication. Methods and apparatus are provided for identifying the BPD pattern in an ultrasound image, for determining characteristics of body parts outside of a pelvic region, for BPD reconstruction and for an adapter for a position sensor are also described among other embodiments.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are disclosed for the detection and imaging of ultrasonic harmonic contrast agents. The harmonic echo effect is detected through alternate polarity acquisition of harmonic contrast agent effects, which provides the benefits of suppressing the harmonic components of the transmitted signal while eliminating clutter.