US 12,290,409 B2
Method and systems for increasing transmit power during an ultrasound scan
Thomas Huepf, Schoefling a.A. (AT); Christian Fritz Perrey, Mondsee (AT); and Thomas Andrew Kraus, Waukesha, WI (US)
Assigned to GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Filed on Dec. 31, 2018, as Appl. No. 16/237,154.
Prior Publication US 2020/0205787 A1, Jul. 2, 2020
Int. Cl. A61B 8/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/56 (2013.01) [A61B 8/4483 (2013.01); A61B 8/463 (2013.01); A61B 8/546 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method, comprising:
receiving a first user command, wherein the first user command is an imaging mode selection;
initiating an ultrasound scan in response to receiving the first user command;
during the ultrasound scan that was initiated in response to the first user command, acquiring a series of ultrasound frames with a first transmit power, wherein the first transmit power is based on a first set of transmit parameters, wherein the first set of transmit parameters constrain the first transmit power based on thermal limits, the thermal limits including a rate of change in tissue temperature;
displaying the series of ultrasound frames acquired with the first transmit power; and
continuing the ultrasound scan and acquiring ultrasound frames with the first transmit power until a second user command is received, wherein the second user command is a command to pause the ultrasound scan, and wherein the command to pause the ultrasound scan is a user command to reduce the transmit power from the first transmit power to no transmit power;
receiving the second user command to pause the ultrasound scan while the ultrasound scan is ongoing with the first transmit power; and
responsive to receiving the second user command to pause the ultrasound scan while the ultrasound scan is ongoing with the first transmit power,
immediately acquiring at least one ultrasound frame with a second transmit power higher than the first transmit power, wherein the second transmit power is based on a second set of transmit parameters that ignores the rate of change in tissue temperature; then
pausing transmission of ultrasonic pulses by reducing the second transmit power to no transmit power until a third user command is received, wherein the third user command is a command to resume the ultrasound scan; then
receiving the third user command while the transmission of ultrasonic pulses is paused;
resuming the scan responsive to the third user command, where resuming the scan includes acquiring a second series of ultrasound frames with the first transmit power;
receiving a fourth user command, wherein the fourth user command is a command to end the ultrasound scan;
responsive to receiving the command to end the ultrasound scan,
acquiring a final freeze frame with the second transmit power higher than the first transmit power responsive to the command to end the ultrasound scan;
outputting the final freeze frame to memory; and
concluding the ultrasound scan and ceasing transmission of ultrasonic pulses for the ultrasound scan after acquiring the final freeze frame,
wherein the ultrasound scan is immediately transitioned from the first transmit power to the second transmit power and then paused every time the second user command is received while the ultrasound scan is ongoing with the first transmit power.