公开(公告)号：US4271842A

公开(公告)日：1981-06-09

申请号：US883171

申请日：1978-03-03

申请人： Donald F. Specht ,  Paul R. Goldberg

发明人： Donald F. Specht ,  Paul R. Goldberg

IPC分类号： A61B5/0456 ,  G01S15/89 ,  G06T11/00 ,  A61B10/00

CPC分类号： G01S15/899 ,  A61B5/0456

摘要： The apparatus includes an input controller connected to receive input data representing ultrasonic sector images of a patient for digitizing selected ones of the images thereby representing those images in a digital format. A front panel interface is provided for specifying the selected ones of the sector images to be digitized. Storage means are provided for storing the digitized data and processor means are provided for controlling the digitizing and storing of the input sector data and for enhancing the digital images. Display means are provided for displaying the enhanced sector images.

摘要翻译： 该装置包括输入控制器，其连接用于接收表示患者的超声波扇区图像的输入数据，用于数字化所选择的一个图像，从而以数字格式表示那些图像。 提供了用于指定要被数字化的所选择的扇区图像的前面板接口。 被提供用于存储数字化数据的存储装置，并且提供处理器装置用于控制输入扇区数据的数字化和存储以及用于增强数字图像。 提供显示装置用于显示增强的扇区图像。

公开(公告)号：US4241611A

公开(公告)日：1980-12-30

申请号：US16782

申请日：1979-03-02

申请人： Donald F. Specht ,  Julian Dow

发明人： Donald F. Specht ,  Julian Dow

IPC分类号： B06B1/06 ,  G01N29/22 ,  G01S15/89 ,  G01N29/00

CPC分类号： G01S15/8922 ,  B06B1/0625 ,  G01N29/221

摘要： An ultrasonic transducer assembly and system including a disc-shaped transducer element surrounded by ring-shaped transducer elements of different width to permit dynamic focusing and minimum phase cancellation. The elements are switched so that the output signals for various depths have a small dynamic range whereby the dynamic range of associated amplifiers is significantly reduced.

摘要翻译： 一种超声换能器组件和系统，包括由不同宽度的环形换能器元件包围的盘形换能器元件，以允许动态聚焦和最小相位消除。 这些元件被切换，使得用于各种深度的输出信号具有较小的动态范围，由此相关联的放大器的动态范围显着降低。

公开(公告)号：US09247926B2

公开(公告)日：2016-02-02

申请号：US13272105

申请日：2011-10-12

申请人： David M. Smith ,  Donald F. Specht ,  Linda V. Cabrera ,  Kenneth D. Brewer ,  David J. Specht

发明人： David M. Smith ,  Donald F. Specht ,  Linda V. Cabrera ,  Kenneth D. Brewer ,  David J. Specht

IPC分类号： A61B8/00 ,  G01S15/89 ,  A61B8/08 ,  A61B8/14 ,  B06B1/06 ,  G01S7/52

CPC分类号： A61B8/4494 ,  A61B8/14 ,  A61B8/145 ,  A61B8/4444 ,  A61B8/4483 ,  A61B8/461 ,  A61B8/467 ,  A61B8/5207 ,  A61B8/523 ,  A61B8/58 ,  B06B1/0622 ,  G01S7/5205 ,  G01S7/52084 ,  G01S15/8913 ,  G01S15/892 ,  G01S15/8927 ,  G01S15/8929 ,  G01S15/8934

摘要： A Multiple Aperture Ultrasound Imaging (MAUI) probe or transducer is uniquely capable of simultaneous imaging of a region of interest from separate apertures of ultrasound arrays. Some embodiments provide systems and methods for designing, building and using ultrasound probes having continuous arrays of ultrasound transducers which may have a substantially continuous concave curved shape in two or three dimensions (i.e. concave relative to an object to be imaged). Other embodiments herein provide systems and methods for designing, building and using ultrasound imaging probes having other unique configurations, such as adjustable probes and probes with variable configurations.

摘要翻译： 多孔超声成像（MAUI）探针或换能器独特地能够从超声阵列的单独孔径同时成像感兴趣的区域。 一些实施例提供了用于设计，构建和使用具有连续的超声换能器阵列的超声波探头的系统和方法，所述超声波探头可具有两维或三维的基本上连续的凹形弯曲形状（即，相对于要成像的物体是凹的）。 本文的其它实施例提供了用于设计，构建和使用具有其他独特配置的超声成像探针的系统和方法，例如具有可变构型的可调探针和探针。

公开(公告)号：US20140135626A1

公开(公告)日：2014-05-15

申请号：US14157257

申请日：2014-01-16

申请人： Donald F. Specht

发明人： Donald F. Specht

IPC分类号： A61B8/08 ,  A61B5/00 ,  A61B8/00 ,  A61B8/14

CPC分类号： A61B8/145 ,  A61B5/725 ,  A61B8/08 ,  A61B8/085 ,  A61B8/42 ,  A61B8/4209 ,  A61B8/4218 ,  A61B8/4245 ,  A61B8/4281 ,  A61B8/4455 ,  A61B8/4483 ,  A61B8/4494 ,  A61B8/483 ,  A61B8/5207 ,  A61B8/5253 ,  A61B8/543 ,  G01S7/52046 ,  G01S7/5205 ,  G01S15/8977

摘要： A combination of an ultrasonic scanner and an omnidirectional receive transducer for producing a two-dimensional image from received echoes is described. Two-dimensional images with different noise components can be constructed from the echoes received by additional transducers. These can be combined to produce images with better signal to noise ratios and lateral resolution. Also disclosed is a method based on information content to compensate for the different delays for different paths through intervening tissue is described. The disclosed techniques have broad application in medical imaging but are ideally suited to multi-aperture cardiac imaging using two or more intercostal spaces. Since lateral resolution is determined primarily by the aperture defined by the end elements, it is not necessary to fill the entire aperture with equally spaced elements. Multiple slices using these methods can be combined to form three-dimensional images.

摘要翻译： 描述了超声波扫描器和用于从接收到的回波产生二维图像的全向接收换能器的组合。 可以从附加传感器接收到的回波构建具有不同噪声分量的二维图像。 这些可以组合以产生具有更好的信噪比和横向分辨率的图像。 还公开了一种基于信息内容的方法，用于补偿通过中间组织的不同路径的不同延迟。 所公开的技术在医学成像中具有广泛的应用，但是理想地适用于使用两个或多个肋间空间的多孔心脏成像。 由于侧向分辨率主要由端部元件限定的孔确定，所以不必用均匀间隔的元件填充整个孔。 可以组合使用这些方法的多个片段来形成三维图像。

公开(公告)号：US20130218012A1

公开(公告)日：2013-08-22

申请号：US13773340

申请日：2013-02-21

申请人： Donald F. Specht ,  Kenneth D. Brewer

发明人： Donald F. Specht ,  Kenneth D. Brewer

IPC分类号： A61B8/08 ,  A61B8/00 ,  G03B42/06 ,  A61B8/14

CPC分类号： A61B8/485 ,  A61B8/145 ,  A61B8/4444 ,  A61B8/4477 ,  A61B8/4488 ,  A61B8/461 ,  A61B8/488 ,  A61B8/5207 ,  A61B8/5246 ,  G01S7/52022 ,  G01S7/52042 ,  G01S15/8915 ,  G01S15/8922 ,  G01S15/8929 ,  G01S15/8959 ,  G01S15/8979 ,  G01S15/8993 ,  G01S15/8997 ,  G03B42/06

摘要： Changes in tissue stiffness have long been associated with disease. Systems and methods for determining the stiffness of tissues using ultrasonography may include a device for inducing a propagating shear wave in tissue and tracking the speed of propagation, which is directly related to tissue stiffness and density. The speed of a propagating shear wave may be detected by imaging a tissue at a high frame rate and detecting the propagating wave as a perturbance in successive image frames relative to a baseline image of the tissue in an undisturbed state. In some embodiments, sufficiently high frame rates may be achieved by using a ping-based ultrasound imaging technique in which unfocused omni-directional pings are transmitted (in an imaging plane or in a hemisphere) into a region of interest. Receiving echoes of the omnidirectional pings with multiple receive apertures allows for substantially improved lateral resolution.

摘要翻译： 长期以来，组织刚度的变化与疾病有关。 使用超声检查来确定组织刚度的系统和方法可以包括用于在组织中诱导传播剪切波并跟踪传播速度的装置，这与组织刚度和密度直接相关。 可以通过以高帧速率对组织进行成像来检测传播剪切波的速度，并且相对于未受干扰状态的组织的基线图像，在连续的图像帧中检测传播波作为扰动。 在一些实施例中，可以通过使用基于ping的超声成像技术来实现足够高的帧速率，其中将未聚焦的全向光点（在成像平面中或在半球中）传输到感兴趣的区域。 接收具有多个接收孔径的全向点的回波允许基本上改进的横向分辨率。

公开(公告)号：US08473239B2

公开(公告)日：2013-06-25

申请号：US12760327

申请日：2010-04-14

申请人： Donald F. Specht ,  Kenneth D. Brewer ,  David M. Smith ,  Sharon L. Adam ,  John P. Lunsford

发明人： Donald F. Specht ,  Kenneth D. Brewer ,  David M. Smith ,  Sharon L. Adam ,  John P. Lunsford

IPC分类号： G01N29/00

CPC分类号： A61B8/42 ,  A61B8/00 ,  A61B8/0883 ,  A61B8/4218 ,  A61B8/4444 ,  A61B8/4477 ,  A61B8/587 ,  G01S7/5205 ,  G01S15/8913 ,  Y10T29/49778

摘要： Increasing the effective aperture of an ultrasound imaging probe by including more than one probe head and using the elements of all of the probes to render an image can greatly improve the lateral resolution of the generated image. In order to render an image, the relative positions of all of the elements must be known precisely. A calibration fixture is described in which the probe assembly to be calibrated is placed above a test block and transmits ultrasonic pulses through the test block to an ultrasonic sensor. As the ultrasonic pulses are transmitted though some or all of the elements in the probe to be tested, the differential transit times of arrival of the waveform are measured precisely. From these measurements the relative positions of the probe elements can be computed and the probe can be aligned.

公开(公告)号：US20130035595A1

公开(公告)日：2013-02-07

申请号：US13632929

申请日：2012-10-01

申请人： Donald F. Specht

发明人： Donald F. Specht

IPC分类号： A61B8/14

CPC分类号： A61B8/145 ,  A61B5/725 ,  A61B8/08 ,  A61B8/085 ,  A61B8/42 ,  A61B8/4209 ,  A61B8/4218 ,  A61B8/4245 ,  A61B8/4281 ,  A61B8/4455 ,  A61B8/4483 ,  A61B8/4494 ,  A61B8/483 ,  A61B8/5207 ,  A61B8/5253 ,  A61B8/543 ,  G01S7/52046 ,  G01S7/5205 ,  G01S15/8977

摘要： A combination of an ultrasonic scanner and an omnidirectional receive transducer for producing a two-dimensional image from received echoes is described. Two-dimensional images with different noise components can be constructed from the echoes received by additional transducers. These can be combined to produce images with better signal to noise ratios and lateral resolution. Also disclosed is a method based on information content to compensate for the different delays for different paths through intervening tissue is described. The disclosed techniques have broad application in medical imaging but are ideally suited to multi-aperture cardiac imaging using two or more intercostal spaces. Since lateral resolution is determined primarily by the aperture defined by the end elements, it is not necessary to fill the entire aperture with equally spaced elements. Multiple slices using these methods can be combined to form three-dimensional images.

摘要翻译： 描述了超声波扫描器和用于从接收到的回波产生二维图像的全向接收换能器的组合。 可以从附加传感器接收到的回波构建具有不同噪声分量的二维图像。 这些可以组合以产生具有更好的信噪比和横向分辨率的图像。 还公开了一种基于信息内容的方法，用于补偿通过中间组织的不同路径的不同延迟。 所公开的技术在医学成像中具有广泛的应用，但是理想地适用于使用两个或多个肋间空间的多孔心脏成像。 由于侧向分辨率主要由端部元件限定的孔确定，所以不必用均匀间隔的元件填充整个孔。 可以组合使用这些方法的多个片段来形成三维图像。

公开(公告)号：US20120116226A1

公开(公告)日：2012-05-10

申请号：US13333611

申请日：2011-12-21

申请人： Donald F. Specht

发明人： Donald F. Specht

IPC分类号： A61B8/00

CPC分类号： G06T7/0012 ,  A61B5/02007 ,  A61B5/7257 ,  A61B5/7264 ,  A61B8/06 ,  A61B8/08 ,  A61B8/0883 ,  A61B8/0891 ,  A61B8/4254 ,  A61B8/483 ,  A61B8/543 ,  G06T2207/10136 ,  G06T2207/20092 ,  G06T2207/30048 ,  G06T2207/30101

摘要： A non-invasive screening technique for visualizing coronary arteries which overcomes the problems of visualizing the curved arteries by projecting the three dimensional volume of the arteries onto a two dimensional screen. Blood-filled areas such as the coronary arteries and veins, are highlighted to contrast with other nearby tissues using non-linear classification and segmentation techniques. Data is gathered as a sequence of 2D slices stored as a 3D volume. Software interpolates voxels intermediate to the slices. Wiener filtering or LMS spatial filtering can be implemented on each 2D scan to improve lateral resolution and reduce noise prior to the use of the scan data with the classification and segmentation algorithms. A traditional handheld ultrasound probe is employed to enable the technician to locate the area of interest, but a gyroscopic stabilizer is added to minimize unwanted variation on two axes of rotation.

摘要翻译： 一种用于可视化冠状动脉的非侵入性筛查技术，其通过将三维体积的动脉投影到二维屏幕上来克服可视化弯曲动脉的问题。 使用非线性分类和分割技术突出显示血液填充区域，例如冠状动脉和静脉，与其他附近组织对比。 数据被收集为作为3D体积存储的2D片段的序列。 软件插入片段中间的体素。 维纳滤波或LMS空间滤波可以在每个2D扫描上实现，以便在使用分类和分割算法的扫描数据之前提高横向分辨率并降低噪点。 采用传统的手持式超声波探头来使技术人员能够定位感兴趣的区域，但是添加陀螺稳定器以最小化两个旋转轴上的不必要的变化。

公开(公告)号：US20100268503A1

公开(公告)日：2010-10-21

申请号：US12760327

申请日：2010-04-14

申请人： Donald F. Specht ,  Kenneth D. Brewer ,  David M. Smith ,  Sharon L. Adam ,  John P. Lunsford

发明人： Donald F. Specht ,  Kenneth D. Brewer ,  David M. Smith ,  Sharon L. Adam ,  John P. Lunsford

IPC分类号： G01N29/00 ,  G06F19/00

CPC分类号： A61B8/42 ,  A61B8/00 ,  A61B8/0883 ,  A61B8/4218 ,  A61B8/4444 ,  A61B8/4477 ,  A61B8/587 ,  G01S7/5205 ,  G01S15/8913 ,  Y10T29/49778

摘要： Increasing the effective aperture of an ultrasound imaging probe by including more than one probe head and using the elements of all of the probes to render an image can greatly improve the lateral resolution of the generated image. In order to render an image, the relative positions of all of the elements must be known precisely. A calibration fixture is described in which the probe assembly to be calibrated is placed above a test block and transmits ultrasonic pulses through the test block to an ultrasonic sensor. As the ultrasonic pulses are transmitted though some or all of the elements in the probe to be tested, the differential transit times of arrival of the waveform are measured precisely. From these measurements the relative positions of the probe elements can be computed and the probe can be aligned.

摘要翻译： 通过包括多于一个探针头并使用所有探针的元件来渲染图像来增加超声成像探针的有效孔径可以极大地改善所产生的图像的横向分辨率。 为了呈现图像，必须精确地知道所有元素的相对位置。 描述了一种校准夹具，其中要校准的探针组件放置在测试块上方，并将超声波脉冲通过测试块传送到超声波传感器。 由于超声波脉冲通过要测试的探头中的一些或全部元件传输，波形的到达差分传递时间被精确地测量。 通过这些测量，可以计算探针元件的相对位置，并且可以对准探针。

公开(公告)号：US06211971B1

公开(公告)日：2001-04-03

申请号：US09265866

申请日：1999-03-11

申请人： Donald F. Specht

发明人： Donald F. Specht

IPC分类号： G06T500

CPC分类号： G06T5/50 ,  G06T5/009 ,  G06T2207/20084 ,  H04N1/60 ,  H04N1/6058

摘要： A method and apparatus enhance visible contrast within an acquired image for display. The contrast enhancement utilizes all N bands of an original N-band spectral image to produce an M-dimensional enhanced image for display. The method creates an enhanced image from an original image in which the visible contrast in the original image is improved. The original image includes pixels, each pixel having N spectral intensities. The display or printer device which must display the relevant information may be limited to a number of bands M which is smaller than N. Maximum contrast of objects is obtained by emphasizing differences in the N-dimensional pixels by as large differences as possible within the dynamic range of the M-band display space. When M=N=3, this means moving pixels in the display space to utilize the full color palette available on a color monitor or printer. When N>M, a mapping from N space to M space must also be accomplished. In the methods of this patent, the mapping process and the spreading process are accomplished in the same algorithms. Clustering of the raw pixel data is usually used to reduce the computational requirements of the spreading step. Finally, in a creating step, an enhanced image is produced based on the N spectral intensities of each pixel and the N to M mapping developed by the algorithms.

摘要翻译： 一种方法和装置增强了所获取的图像中的可见对比度以供显示。 对比度增强使用原始N波段光谱图像的所有N个波段来产生用于显示的M维增强图像。 该方法从原始图像创建增强图像，其中原始图像中的可见对比度得到改善。 原始图像包括像素，每个像素具有N个光谱强度。 必须显示相关信息的显示器或打印机设备可以被限制为小于N的多个频带M.通过在动态范围内强调N维像素的差异尽可能大的差异来获得对象的最大对比度 范围内的M波段显示空间。 当M = N = 3时，这意味着移动显示空间中的像素以利用彩色监视器或打印机上可用的全彩色调色板。 当N> M时，也必须完成从N空间到M空间的映射。 在该专利的方法中，映射过程和扩展过程在相同的算法中完成。 通常使用原始像素数据的聚类来减少扩展步骤的计算需求。 最后，在创建步骤中，基于每个像素的N个光谱强度和由算法开发的N到M映射产生增强的图像。