US 11,998,393 B2
System and method of signal processing for ultrasound arrays with mechanically adjustable transducer shapes
Bruno H. Haider, Rehoboth Beach, DE (US); Kjell Kristoffersen, Oslo (NO); Edouard DaCruz, De Cimiez-Bat (FR); Flavien Daloz, Biot (FR); Geir Ultveit Haugen, Stabekk (NO); Johan Kirkhorn, Horten (NO); and Anders R. Sørnes, Oslo (NO)
Assigned to GE Precision Healthcare LLC, Wauwatosa, WI (US)
Filed by GE Precision Healthcare LLC, Wauwatosa, WI (US)
Filed on Oct. 20, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/075,103.
Prior Publication US 2022/0117584 A1, Apr. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. A61B 8/08 (2006.01); A61B 8/00 (2006.01)
CPC A61B 8/5207 (2013.01) [A61B 8/0883 (2013.01); A61B 8/4494 (2013.01); A61B 8/461 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of determining relative position offsets for transducer segments of an ultrasound device including a number of relatively movable transducer segments, the method comprising the steps of:
a. providing an ultrasound device including a first transducer segment moveably connected to a second transducer segment via a controllable actuator;
b. moving the first transducer segment relative to the second transducer segment by operating the controllable actuator;
c. determining a positional offset for ultrasound signals emitted from the first transducer segment relative to ultrasound signals emitted from the second transducer segment; and
d. correcting subsequent ultrasound signals emitted from or received by at least one of the first and second transducer segments using the positional offset to produce an ultrasound image,
wherein the step of determining the positional offset for the first transducer segment comprises determining the positional offset with an acoustic measurement of a number of ultrasound signals received by the first transducer segment and the second transducer segment,
wherein the step of determining the positional offset with an acoustic measurement of a number of ultrasound signals received by the first transducer segment and the second transducer segment comprises the steps of:
a. obtaining a first set of ultrasound signals from the ultrasound signals received by the first transducer segment;
b. obtaining a second set of ultrasound signals from the ultrasound signals received by the second transducer segment; and
c. correlating the first set of ultrasound signals to the second set of ultrasound signals to determine the positional offset, and
wherein the step of correlating the first set of ultrasound signals to the second set of ultrasound signals comprises the steps of:
a. converting each of the first set of ultrasound signals and the second set of ultrasound signals into an in-phase component and a quadrature component to form a first IQ signal and a second IQ signal;
b. multiplying one of the first or second IQ signals with the complex conjugate of the other of the first or second IQ signal to form a product;
c. determining the phase of the product;
d. using the phase to estimate the positional offset.