US 12,186,133 B2
Systems and methods for improving ultrasound image quality by applying weighting factors
Josef R. Call, Campbell, CA (US); Donald F. Specht, Los Altos, CA (US); and Kenneth D. Brewer, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Maui Imaging, Inc., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed by MAUI IMAGING, INC., San Jose, CA (US)
Filed on Nov. 16, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/527,809.
Application 17/527,809 is a continuation of application No. 15/495,591, filed on Apr. 24, 2017, granted, now 11,172,911.
Application 15/495,591 is a continuation of application No. 13/850,823, filed on Mar. 26, 2013, granted, now 9,668,714, issued on Jun. 6, 2017.
Claims priority of provisional application 61/615,735, filed on Mar. 26, 2012.
Prior Publication US 2022/0071601 A1, Mar. 10, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 8/08 (2006.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/14 (2006.01); G01S 7/52 (2006.01); G01S 15/89 (2006.01); G06N 3/084 (2023.01)
CPC A61B 8/5246 (2013.01) [A61B 8/145 (2013.01); A61B 8/4477 (2013.01); A61B 8/4483 (2013.01); A61B 8/461 (2013.01); A61B 8/5207 (2013.01); A61B 8/5253 (2013.01); A61B 8/54 (2013.01); G01S 7/52046 (2013.01); G01S 15/8913 (2013.01); G01S 15/8927 (2013.01); G01S 15/8952 (2013.01); G06N 3/084 (2013.01); A61B 8/4245 (2013.01); A61B 8/4427 (2013.01); A61B 8/4488 (2013.01); G01S 7/52063 (2013.01)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of ultrasound imaging with a multiple aperture ultrasound probe, the method comprising:
separately transmitting an unfocused circular wave front ultrasound signal from each of a plurality of transmit apertures of the multiple aperture ultrasound probe into a region of interest and receiving echoes of the circular wave front ultrasound signals at a plurality of receive apertures;
for each of the transmitted unfocused circular wave front ultrasound signals, determining an elapsed time between a transmit time of transmitting the unfocused circular wave front ultrasound signal into the region of interest and a receive time of receiving echoes returned by reflectors in the region of interest, and determining intensity values for the received echoes;
analyzing patterns of the elapsed time and the intensity values for each transmit aperture to determine a degree of blockage of each of the plurality of transmit apertures; and
applying weighting factors to each of the plurality of transmit apertures proportional to the degree of blockage determined for each transmit aperture.