US 11,723,626 B2
Concave ultrasound transducers and 3D arrays
David M. Smith, Lodi, CA (US); Donald F. Specht, Los Altos, CA (US); Linda V. Cabrera, Cypress, CA (US); Kenneth D. Brewer, Santa Clara, CA (US); and David J. Specht, San Jose, CA (US)
Assigned to Maui Imaging, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by MAUI IMAGING, INC., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 16, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/99,116.
Application 17/099,116 is a division of application No. 14/965,704, filed on Dec. 10, 2015, granted, now 10,835,208.
Application 14/965,704 is a continuation of application No. 14/595,083, filed on Jan. 12, 2015, granted, now 9,220,478, issued on Dec. 29, 2015.
Application 14/595,083 is a continuation of application No. 13/272,105, filed on Oct. 12, 2011, granted, now 9,247,926, issued on Feb. 2, 2016.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/392,896, filed on Oct. 13, 2010.
Prior Publication US 2021/0068787 A1, Mar. 11, 2021
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. A61B 8/00 (2006.01); G01S 7/52 (2006.01); G01S 15/89 (2006.01); A61B 8/14 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01); B06B 1/06 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/4494 (2013.01) [A61B 8/145 (2013.01); A61B 8/4444 (2013.01); A61B 8/4483 (2013.01); A61B 8/461 (2013.01); A61B 8/467 (2013.01); A61B 8/523 (2013.01); A61B 8/5207 (2013.01); A61B 8/58 (2013.01); G01S 7/5205 (2013.01); G01S 15/892 (2013.01); G01S 15/8913 (2013.01); G01S 15/8927 (2013.01); G01S 15/8929 (2013.01); G01S 15/8934 (2013.01); A61B 8/14 (2013.01); B06B 1/0622 (2013.01); G01S 7/52084 (2013.01)] 12 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of producing volumetric data representing a region of interest within an object to be imaged, the method comprising:
transmitting ultrasound energy as an unfocused ultrasound ping towards a scatterer with a transmit aperture comprising at least one transducer element on an ultrasound transducer array;
receiving ultrasound echoes from the scatterer with a first receive aperture comprising a first receiver group of transducer elements on the ultrasound transducer array;
coherently combining echoes received by the elements of the first receive aperture;
forming first volumetric data with the coherently combined ultrasound echoes received by the first receive aperture;
receiving ultrasound echoes from the scatterer with a second receive aperture comprising a second receiver group of transducer elements on the ultrasound transducer array;
coherently combining echoes received by the elements of the second receive aperture;
forming second volumetric data with the coherently combined ultrasound echoes received by the second receive aperture; and
incoherently combining the first volumetric data and the second volumetric data to produce the volumetric data representing the region of interest.