超声平面波同相正交信号频域波束形成算法

针对频域平面波波束形成算法尚不能直接应用于采用正交解调的超声成像系统中的实际问题,提出一种平面波同相正交信号频域波束形成方法。以平面波射频信号频域波束形成算法为基础,根据射频信号与同相正交信号波数空间变量之间的关系,推导了平面波同相正交信号与对应图像的频谱映射表达式,从而实现对正交解调后信号的频域超声图像重建。采用2016年Plane Wave Imaging Challenge in Medical Ultrasound (PICMUS)发布的仿真、仿体及在体原始回波数据对这一方法进行验证,并评估图像的分辨率和对比噪声比。仿真和仿体实验结果表明,相对于射频信号的频域波束形成算法,该算法可获得与之相同的图像质量,并将成像速度提高了约4倍。在体实验数据的成像结果也验证了该算法在实际应用中的有效性。     

最小均方误差解调算法在彩色超声血流成像中的研究

研究了最小均方误差正交解调算法在超声血流成像中的应用。首先由设计的期望信号与接收信号在最小均方误差原则下得到其迭代解调形式,获得回波信号同相分量和正交分量,然后由得到的正交解调信号通过自相关的方法对血流流速进行估计。解调算法的仿真结果表明,对高斯噪声信噪比为0.5—10dB的正弦波调制信号,解调输出平均信噪比与Hilbert变换法和I/Q解调法相比分别提高了15dB和4dB;血流成像的仿真结果表明,在流速估计性能相当的情况下,解调的乘法运算量仅分别为上述对比方法的18%和9%。因此在超声血流成像中应用最小均方误差正交解调算法,对于提高估计性能和降低运算量都有一定意义。      

最小均方误差解调算法在彩色超声血流成像中的研究

研究了最小均方误差正交解调算法在超声血流成像中的应用。首先由设计的期望信号与接收信号在最小均方误差原则下得到其迭代解调形式,获得回波信号同相分量和正交分量,然后由得到的正交解调信号通过自相关的方法对血流流速进行估计。解调算法的仿真结果表明,对高斯噪声信噪比为0.5¹0 dB的正弦波调制信号,解调输出平均信噪比与Hilbert变换法和I/Q解调法相比分别提高了15 dB和4 dB;血流成像的仿真结果表明,在流速估计性能相当的情况下,解调的乘法运算量仅分别为上述对比方法的18%和9%。因此在超声血流成像中应用最小均方误差正交解调算法,对于提高估计性能和降低运算量都有一定意义。     

特征空间和符号相干系数融合的最小方差超声波束形成

为了提高医学超声成像的空间分辨率,提出一种融合了特征空间最小方差与符号相干系数的波束形成方法。首先利用最小方差法计算回波数据的协方差矩阵和加权向量;然后对协方差矩阵进行特征分解得到信号子空间,并将加权向量投影到该空间上;最后计算符号相干系数,用于优化特征空间法得到的回波信号,最终获得超声成像数据。为验证算法的有效性,对医学超声成像中常用的点目标、斑目标进行仿真,对点目标仿体和人体颈动脉组织进行超声成像实验。结果表明:所提出的方法在分辨率、对比度以及稳健性等方面都优于传统的延时叠加算法、最小方差算法、特征空间最小方差法以及特征空间与相干系数融合的方法。     

水浸超声检测的平面波频域快速成像算法

给出了一种基于一步相移法的水浸超声检测快速频域算法,以适用于液浸式相控阵成像。通过在阵列信号频域乘以相移因子,将阵列虚拟延拓至水浸工件表面,再进行单介质频域成像。相比时域延时叠加算法,节省了计算界面折射点的用时。对于垂直入射平面波检测,提出一种网格匹配的方法,通过调整傅里叶变换的点数,使阵列信号频域和图像频域的采样网格相重合,有效地减少了频域插值误差和伪像,进一步降低了运算次数.实验结果表明,网格匹配频域算法的运算次数仅为时域平面波算法的1/60,为水浸式超声实时检测提供了一种可行方案。      

基于合成孔径技术的内镜超声相控阵成像算法

利用孔径大小为2.32mm的16阵元换能器,搭建了一套16通道的内镜超声相控阵成像实验系统。在此基础上提出了一种适用于内镜成像的相控阵成像算法(PAI),该算法利用延时和叠加算法(DAS)取得扫描线数据,再利用合成孔径技术中的相干样点叠加,得到高分辨率图像。该相控阵成像算法实现了发射和接收的动态聚焦。经FieldII仿真和内镜探头超声成像实验验证,与延时和叠加算法以及动态接收聚焦算法(DRF)相比,图像的理论横向分辨率分别提高了93.68%和17.5%,实验获得的实际横向分辨率分别提高了92.78%和14.69%,验证了相控阵成像算法和实验系统的可行性。     

特征空间和符号相干系数融合的最小方差超声波束形成

为了提高医学超声成像的空间分辨率,提出一种融合了特征空间最小方差与符号相干系数的波束形成方法。首先利用最小方差法计算回波数据的协方差矩阵和加权向量;然后对协方差矩阵进行特征分解得到信号子空间,并将加权向量投影到该空间上;最后计算符号相干系数,用于优化特征空间法得到的回波信号,最终获得超声成像数据。为验证算法的有效性,对医学超声成像中常用的点目标、斑目标进行仿真,对点目标仿体和人体颈动脉组织进行超声成像实验。结果表明:所提出的方法在分辨率、对比度以及稳健性等方面都优于传统的延时叠加算法、最小方差算法、特征空间最小方差法以及特征空间与相干系数融合的方法。      

基于超快超声多普勒的三维脑损伤成像方法研究

三维超声微血管成像可直观呈现血流信息,对于脑血管疾病诊断和治疗具有重要意义。本文旨在将超快超声成像技术、超快超声功率多普勒技术和机械扫描相结合,实现脑血管三维成像和脑缺血区域评价。通过工程实现,完成了可同步控制微型线性位移平台移动和超声阵列超快发射、高速采集与压缩存储的三维扫描数据采集序列与系统。利用GPU并行运算,高效实现了超声图像波束合成方法,对原始射频超声数据完成重建。进而,基于SVD杂波滤除技术,从重建三维超声数据中提取了脑部的动态小血管信号,并获得了各切面的功率多普勒成像和冠状面彩色多普勒超声小血管成像。最后,采用体素方法对三维脑血管进行重建。大鼠在体实验结果表明,该成像系统可用于三维脑血管网络在体成像,以及脑血管损伤区域定位与量化评价。本工作对脑病检测技术发展与诊断方法研究具有一定的借鉴意义。此外,相关检测系统和成像算法具有一定普适性,对其他富含微血流血管的组织检测也有一定的参考价值。     

平面波超声成像中的波束合成方法研究进展*

平面波成像通过单次全孔径发射-接收即可获取整幅图像,将成像帧频显著地提升至1000帧/秒以上。然而,平面波成像过程中发射的非聚焦波束将导致回波信号信噪比降低,进而使图像的分辨率和对比度变差。通过多角度相干复合成像技术可以改善平面波成像的图像质量,但是会以牺牲帧频为代价。因此研究人员们开始将新型波束合成技术引入平面波成像中,例如自适应波束合成、基于逆问题求解的波束合成及基于深度学习的波束合成方法等,以期实现图像质量和成像帧频间更好的权衡。该文综述了平面波成像中的新型波束合成方法领域的研究进展,并对该应用进行了总结和展望。     

频域宽带下视多波束三维声成像算法

为解决下视多波束三维成像声呐跨航向分辨率差、旁瓣级高的问题,提出一种频域宽带下视多波束三维声成像算法。该算法将阵元域回波信号通过二维傅里叶变换直接变换到波数-频率域,之后进行深度向匹配滤波,同时选取带宽内的频点进行频域宽带信号的相位补偿,再进行二维逆傅里叶变换回阵元域,实现跨航向-深度向成像处理。沿航向采用时域合成孔径方法,得到三维图像结果.计算机仿真和海上实验结果表明,相比于常规的下视多波束三维成像声呐处理算法,改进的方法跨航向主瓣变窄,角分辨率明显提高,旁瓣降低10~30 dB。相比于传统基于分块DFT的频域宽带波束形成,改进的频域宽带方法避免了跨航向处理中的时域分块插值和多次变换域,复数加法和乘法次数显著降低。改进的频域宽带下视多波束三维声成像算法可以有效地获取水下三维高分辨图像,抑制虚影,明显改善成像质量。同时,计算效率高,更适合于实时成像系统实现。      

Combined Sign Coherent Factor and Delay Multiply and Sum Beamformer for Plane Wave Imaging

Plane wave imaging is a relatively new technique in ultrasound imaging. However, in traditional methods, the coherent information of different emissions and different elements are not considered. In fact, the sign coherent factor (SCF) can improve the lateral resolution of the imaging greatly. In addition, the delay multiply and sum (DMAS) beamformer is mainly based on the spatial correlation of background scattering signals, it has higher contrast and resolution, but suffers from energy loss at great depths. In this paper, combining the advantages of SCF and DMAS, the sign coherent factor delay multiply and sum (SCF-DMAS) beamformer for plane wave imaging is proposed. Unlike the traditional plane wave imaging, the proposed SCF-DMAS beamformer is based on the 2-D echo data set, which improves the imaging speed greatly. Finally, we simulated the point targets and the cyst phantom to evaluate the performance of proposed method. Compared with the traditional plane wave imaging, the lateral resolution of SCF-DMAS beamformer improves greatly for the point targets, and for the cyst phantom the contrast ratio (CR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) increased by 96.97 and by 79.98% respectively without reducing the frame rate.     

Quantification and improvement of the signal-to-noise ratio in a magnetic resonance image acquisition procedure

A procedure is developed to quantify and improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of magnetic resonance images. The image SNR is quantified using the correlation function of two independent acquisitions of an image. To test the performance of the quantification, SNR measurement data are fitted to theoretically expected curves. The proposed correlation technique is also used to improve the SNR by estimating the amplitude of the signal spectrum. The technique is applied to a set of MR images, and its performance in terms of gain in SNR, contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and resolution loss is compared to that of classical noise filters. The SNR as well as the CNR is improved significantly with minor loss of resolution. Finally, it is shown that the correlation technique can be implemented in a highly efficient way in almost any acquisition procedure of a magnetic resonance imaging system.     

A measurement-domain adaptive beamforming approach for ultrasound instrument based on distributed compressed sensing: Initial development

High efficient acquisition of the sensor array signals and accurate reconstruction of the backscattering medium are important issues in ultrasound imaging instrument. This paper presents a novel measurement-domain adaptive beamforming approach (MABF) based on distributed compressed sensing (DCS) which seeks to simultaneously measure signals that are each individually sparse in some domain(s) and also mutually correlated with much few measurements under the Nyquist rate. Instead of sampling conventional backscattering signals at the Nyquist rate, few linear projections of the returned signal with random vectors are taken as measurements, which can reduce the amount of samples per channel greatly and makes the real-time transmission of sensor array data possible. Then high resolution ultrasound image is reconstructed from the few measurements of DCS directly by the proposed MABF algorithm without recovering the raw sensor signals with complex convex optimization algorithm. The simulated results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.     

相干场成像全相位目标直接重构法

回波信号处理和目标重构算法是相干场成像中的核心数据处理技术, 直接影响系统的成像质量. 基于全相位谱分析理论, 提出一种新的系统融合处理算法, 对接收端回波信号直接提取全相位谱相位及幅值信息实现目标图像重构, 能够有效抑制各种因素带来的频率误差. 经室外实验系统验证, 成像能力大大优于传统重构算法, 重构目标分辨率接近理论极限值.     

Pixel based focusing for photoacoustic and ultrasound dual-modality imaging

It is desired that the same imaging functional modules such as beamformation, envelope detection, and digital scan conversion (DSC) are employed for the efficient development of a cross-sectional photoacoustic (PA) and ultrasound (US) dual-modality imaging system. The beamformation can be implemented using either delay-and-sum beamforming (DAS-BF) or adaptive beamforming methods, each with their own advantages and disadvantages for the dual-modality imaging. However, the DSC is always problematic because it causes blurring the fine details of an image, e.g., edges. This paper demonstrates that the pixel based focusing method is suitable for the dual-modality imaging; beamformation is directly conducted on each display pixel and thus DSC is not necessary. As a result, the artifacts by DSC are no longer a problem, so that the proposed method is capable of providing the maximum spatial resolution achievable by DAS-BF. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated through simulation and ex vivo experiments with a microcalcification-contained breast specimen, and the results were compared with those from DAS-BF and adaptive beamforming methods with DSC. The comparison demonstrated that the proposed method effectively overcomes the disadvantages of each beamforming method.     

Basic Study on Imaging Interferometer using Long Gradient-Index Lenses for Optical Coherence Tomography

An imaging interferometer with two long gradient-index (GRIN) lenses and a charge coupled device (CCD) sensor array is proposed and studied for application to an optical coherence tomography system that can observe the subsurface structure of internal organs through a small hole in the body. An image of lines 11 μm wide was obtained using the phase-shifting method and a test pattern as a sample. The lateral resolution obtained was 22 μm. The axial resolution was also measured and found to be 19.4 μm by measuring the coherence function. The dynamic range was about 60 dB, based on the RF spectrum of the beat signal. A sectional image of a 10-yen Japanese coin was measured as a rough surface sample.     

基于滤波成像的大视角数字全息技术

为提高数字全息再现像视角,提出一种基于滤波成像的数字全息技术来实现大视角的三维物体面型测量.利用离轴像面数字全息技术,通过在4F相干图像处理系统的空间频谱面处放置可移动的低通滤波器,使满足CCD分辨率的物光波与参考光波干涉形成全息图,并控制低通滤波及成像区域分别记录不同谱段的子全息图.再现时,首先对子全息图进行数字傅里叶变换,重构对应频谱段,并对频谱段进行拼接形成完整的物光频谱|而后通过数字再现获得大视角的数字全息再现像.利用该方法测量了圆柱形表面（光滑的缝纫针）的三维形貌,并取得了较好的实验结果.     

Broadband optimal contrast resolution beamforming

This paper proposes a novel receive beamformer architecture for broadband imaging systems that uses unique finite impulse response (FIR) filters on each channel. The conventional delay-and-sum (DAS) beamformer applies receive apodization by weighting the signal on each receive channel prior to beam summation. Our proposed FIR beamformer passes the focused receive radio frequency (RF) signals through multi-tap FIR filters on each receive channel prior to summation. The receive FIR filters are constructed to maximize the contrast resolution of the system’s spatial response. The broadband FIR beamformer produces spatial point spread functions (PSFs) with narrower mainlobe widths and lower sidelobe levels than spatial PSFs produced by the conventional DAS beamformer.We present simulation results showing that FIR filters of modest tap lengths (3-7) can yield marked improvement in image contrast and point resolution. Specifically we show that 7-tap FIR filters can reduce sidelobe and grating lobe energy by 30 dB and improve contrast resolution by as much as 20 dB compared to conventional apodization profiles. This improvement in contrast resolution comes at the expense of a decrease in beamformer sensitivity. We investigate the effects of phase aberration and show in simulation results that the multi-tap FIR beamformer outperforms the unaberrated DAS beamformer by 8-12 dB even in the presence of moderate aberration characterized by a root-mean-square strength of 28 ns and a full-width at half-maximum correlation length of 3.6 mm. We show experimental results wherein multi-tap FIR filters decrease sidelobe energy in the resulting 2D spatial response while achieving a narrow mainlobe. We also show results where the FIR beamformer improves the contrast to noise ratio (CNR) in simulated B-mode cyst images by more than 4 dB. Our algorithm has the potential to significantly improve ultrasound beamforming in any application where the system response is reasonably well characterized. Furthermore, this algorithm can be used to increase contrast and resolution in one-way beamforming systems such as acousto-optic and opto-acoustic imaging.     

用于心脏电活动成像的空间滤波器输出噪声抑制方法

利用人体表面测量的心脏磁场数据无创成像心脏电活动,需要解决的关键问题是提高其重建分布电流源偶极矩强度的分辨率.本文在最小方差波束成形(MVB)方法的基础上,提出了一种可抑制空间滤波器输出噪声功率增益(SONG)的波束成形方法,目的是通过构造一种新的滤波器权矩阵,约束空间滤波器的输出噪声功率增益,提高重建分布电流源偶极矩强度的分辨率,即分布电流源空间谱估计的源分辨能力,从而增强心脏电活动磁成像的分辨率.文中给出了电流源重建的理论分析和仿真结果;比较了该方法与MVB方法的差别;并给出了两个健康人36通道心脏磁场数据的电活动成像.结果表明,SONG方法分辨电流源的能力较强,能够观察到心脏电磁场信号R峰时刻健康人的心室电活动较强,心房电活动较弱等特征.