US 11,719,795 B2
Sector variable time gain compensation
Mark E. Schafer, Lower Gywnedd, PA (US); Cheng-Ning Chang, North Wales, PA (US); and Ross Lefkowitz, Philadelphia, PA (US)
Assigned to Accutome, Inc., Malvern, PA (US)
Filed by Accutome Inc., Malvern, PA (US)
Filed on Aug. 7, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/988,004.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/884,461, filed on Aug. 8, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2021/0038187 A1, Feb. 11, 2021
Int. Cl. G01S 7/52 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/10 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 7/52033 (2013.01) [A61B 8/10 (2013.01); A61B 8/5207 (2013.01); A61B 8/4461 (2013.01); A61B 8/4488 (2013.01)] 28 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An ultrasound system comprising a computing device, a transducer steering mechanism and an ultrasound transducer, wherein:
the ultrasound transducer is configured to generate angularly discrete signals over a scan region of the ultrasound system under the control of the transducer steering mechanism, for processing by the computing device;
the computing device is communicatively coupled to the ultrasound transducer; and
the computing device includes a processor configured to
receive a plurality of angularly discrete ultrasound signals from the ultrasound transducer over the scan region,
determine a scan line count corresponding to each of the received plurality of angularly discrete ultrasound signals,
associate a Time Gain Compensation (TGC) curve from a plurality of TGC curves with each of the scan line counts, and
apply one of the plurality of TGC curves to each of the plurality of angularly discrete ultrasound signals as associated with the scan line count of each angularly discrete ultrasound signal, wherein one TGC curve of the plurality of TGC curves is applied to one of the plurality of angularly discrete ultrasound signals associated with a first scan line count based on a user preconfiguration associating the one TGC curve to the first scan line count and a different TGC curve is applied to a different one of the plurality of angularly discrete ultrasound signals associated with a second scan line count based on the user preconfiguration associating the different TGC curve to the second scan line count, and each of the applied TGC curves defines a gain that maintains, increases, or decreases the angularly discrete ultrasound signal to which it is applied.