US 12,189,027 B2
System and method for ultrasound imaging of tissue through bone
William J. Sehnert, Rochester, NY (US); Zeljko Ignjatovic, Rochester, NY (US); and Jovan Mitrovic, Rochester, NY (US)
Assigned to UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER, Rochester, NY (US); and CARESTREAM HEALTH, INC., Rochester, NY (US)
Appl. No. 17/920,390
Filed by University of Rochester, Rochester, NY (US); and Carestream Health, Inc., Rochester, NY (US)
PCT Filed Apr. 26, 2021, PCT No. PCT/US2021/029188
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Oct. 20, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/217141, PCT Pub. Date Oct. 28, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/014,726, filed on Apr. 24, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2023/0161033 A1, May 25, 2023
Int. Cl. A61B 8/00 (2006.01); A61B 8/08 (2006.01); G01S 7/52 (2006.01); G01S 15/89 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 15/8977 (2013.01) [A61B 8/0808 (2013.01); A61B 8/0875 (2013.01); A61B 8/4488 (2013.01); A61B 8/5207 (2013.01); A61B 8/54 (2013.01); A61B 8/565 (2013.01); G01S 7/52077 (2013.01); G01S 15/8952 (2013.01)] 37 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for obtaining an ultrasound image of tissue through bone, the method comprising:
using a transducer having an initial sensing matrix to transmit into the bone a first plurality of excitation pulses at a plurality of frequencies and measure a first plurality of echoes corresponding to the first plurality of excitation pulses reflected from the bone;
calculating a plurality of energies each corresponding to a respective one of the first plurality of echoes and identifying a lowest echo corresponding to a lowest of the plurality of energies;
matching the lowest echo to a corresponding one of the first plurality of excitation pulses, the corresponding one of the first plurality of excitation pulses having a chosen frequency;
generating an acoustic impulse response by deconvolving the corresponding one of the first plurality of excitation pulses with the lowest echo;
generating an updated sensing matrix by convolving the initial sensing matrix with the acoustic impulse response; and
transmitting a second plurality of excitation pulses into the tissue and generating an image of the tissue based on a second plurality of echoes corresponding to the second plurality of excitation pulses and the updated sensing matrix.