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.     

Eigenspace-based minimum variance beamformer combined with Wiener postfilter for medical ultrasound imaging

In this paper, a new beamformer which combines the eigenspace-based minimum variance (ESBMV) beamformer with the Wiener postfilter is proposed for medical ultrasound imaging. The primary goal of this work is to further improve the medical ultrasound imaging quality on the basis of the ESBMV beamformer. In this method, we optimize the ESBMV weights with a Wiener postfilter. With the optimization of the Wiener postfilter, the output power of the new beamformer becomes closer to the actual signal power at the imaging point than the ESBMV beamformer. Different from the ordinary Wiener postfilter, the output signal and noise power needed in calculating the Wiener postfilter are estimated respectively by the orthogonal signal subspace and noise subspace constructed from the eigenstructure of the sample covariance matrix.We demonstrate the performance of the new beamformer when resolving point scatterers and cyst phantom using both simulated data and experimental data and compare it with the delay-and-sum (DAS), the minimum variance (MV) and the ESBMV beamformer. We use the full width at half maximum (FWHM) and the peak-side-lobe level (PSL) to quantify the performance of imaging resolution and the contrast ratio (CR) to quantify the performance of imaging contrast. The FWHM of the new beamformer is only 15%, 50% and 50% of those of the DAS, MV and ESBMV beamformer, while the PSL is 127.2 dB, 115 dB and 60 dB lower. What is more, an improvement of 239.8%, 232.5% and 32.9% in CR using simulated data and an improvement of 814%, 1410.7% and 86.7% in CR using experimental data are achieved compared to the DAS, MV and ESBMV beamformer respectively. In addition, the effect of the sound speed error is investigated by artificially overestimating the speed used in calculating the propagation delay and the results show that the new beamformer provides better robustness against the sound speed errors. Therefore, the proposed beamformer offers a better performance than the DAS, MV and ESBMV beamformer, showing its potential in medical ultrasound imaging.     

Efficient array beam forming by spatial filtering for ultrasound B-mode imaging

This paper proposes an efficient array beam-forming method using spatial matched filtering (SMF) for ultrasonic imaging. In the proposed method, ultrasonic waves are transmitted from an array subaperture with fixed transmit focus as in conventional array imaging. At receive, radio frequency echo signals from each receive channel are passed through a spatial matched filter that is constructed based on the system transmit-receive spatial impulse response. The filtered echo signals are then summed without time delays. The filter concentrates and spatially registers the echo energy from each element so that the pulse-echo impulse response of the summed output is focused with acceptably low side lobes. Analytical beam pattern analysis and simulation results using a linear array show that this spatial filtering method can improve lateral resolution and contrast-to-noise ratio as compared with conventional dynamic receive focusing (DRF) methods. Experimental results with a linear array are consistent but point out the need to address additional practical issues. Spatial filtering is equivalent to synthetic aperture methods that dynamically focus on both transmit and receive throughout the field of view. In one common example of phase aberrations, the SMF method was degraded to a degree comparable to conventional DRF methods.     

A high frequency amplitude-steered array for real-time volumetric imaging

Real-time three-dimensional acoustic imaging is difficult in water or tissue because of the slow speed of sound in these media. Conventional pulse-echo data collection, which uses at least one transmit pulse per line in the image, does not allow for the real-time update of a volume of data at practical ranges. Recently, a linear amplitude-steered array was presented that allows the collection of a plane of data with a single transmit pulse by spatially separating frequencies in the lateral direction. Later, by using a linear array with frequency separation in the vertical direction and rotating the array in the horizontal direction, volumetric data were collected with a small number of transmit pulses. By expanding the linear array to a two-dimensional array, data can now be collected for volumetric imaging in real time. In this study, the amplitude-steered array at the heart of a real-time volumetric sonar imaging system is described, giving the design of the array and describing how data are collected and processed to form images. An analysis of lateral resolution in the vertical and horizontal directions shows that resolution is improved in the direction of frequency separation over systems that use a broad transmit beam. Images from simulated data are presented.     

Correlation-based imaging technique using ultrasonic transmit–receive array for Non-Destructive Evaluation

This paper describes a novel array post-processing method for Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) using phased-array ultrasonic probes. The approach uses the capture and processing of the full matrix of all transmit–receive time-domain signals from a transducer array as in the case of the Total Focusing Method (TFM), referred as the standard of imaging algorithms. The proposed technique is based on correlation of measured signals with theoretical propagated signals computed over a given grid of points. In that case, real-time imaging can be simply implemented using discrete signal product. The advantage of the present technique is to take into account transducer directivity, dynamics and complex propagation patterns, such that the number of required array elements for a given imaging performance can be greatly reduced. Numerical and experimental application to contact inspection of isotropic structure is presented and real-time implementation issues are discussed.     

Optimization of sparse synthetic transmit aperture imaging with coded excitation and frequency division

An effective aperture approach is used for optimization of a sparse synthetic transmit aperture (STA) imaging system with coded excitation and frequency division. A new two-stage algorithm is proposed for optimization of both the positions of the transmit elements and the weights of the receive elements. In order to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in a synthetic aperture system, temporal encoding of the excitation signals is employed. When comparing the excitation by linear frequency modulation (LFM) signals and phase shift key modulation (PSKM) signals, the analysis shows that chirps are better for excitation, since at the output of a compression filter the sidelobes generated are much smaller than those produced by the binary PSKM signals. Here, an implementation of a fast STA imaging is studied by spatial encoding with frequency division of the LFM signals. The proposed system employs a 64-element array with only four active elements used during transmit. The two-dimensional point spread function (PSF) produced by such a sparse STA system is compared to the PSF produced by an equivalent phased array system, using the Field II simulation program. The analysis demonstrates the superiority of the new sparse STA imaging system while using coded excitation and frequency division. Compared to a conventional phased array imaging system, this system acquires images of equivalent quality 60 times faster, when the transmit elements are fired in pairs consecutively and the power level used during transmit is very low. The fastest acquisition time is achieved when all transmit elements are fired simultaneously, which improves detectability, but at the cost of a slight degradation of the axial resolution. In real-time implementation, however, it must be borne in mind that the frame rate of a STA imaging system depends not only on the acquisition time of the data but also on the processing time needed for image reconstruction. Comparing to phased array imaging, a significant increase in the frame rate of a STA imaging system is possible if and only if an equivalent time efficient algorithm is used for image reconstruction.     

Eigenfunction analysis of stochastic backscatter for characterization of acoustic aberration in medical ultrasound imaging

Presented here is a characterization of aberration in medical ultrasound imaging. The characterization is optimal in the sense of maximizing the expected energy in a modified beamformer output of the received acoustic backscatter. Aberration correction based on this characterization takes the form of an aberration correction filter. The situation considered is frequently found in applications when imaging organs through a body wall: aberration is introduced in a layer close to the transducer, and acoustic backscatter from a scattering region behind the body wall is measured at the transducer surface. The scattering region consists of scatterers randomly distributed with very short correlation length compared to the acoustic wavelength of the transmit pulse. The scatterer distribution is therefore assumed to be delta correlated. This paper shows how maximizing the expected energy in a modified beamformer output signal naturally leads to eigenfunctions of a Fredholm integral operator, where the associated kernel function is a spatial correlation function of the received stochastic signal. Aberration characterization and aberration correction are presented for simulated data constructed to mimic aberration introduced by the abdominal wall. The results compare well with what is obtainable using data from a simulated point source.     

传声器阵列波束比判决语音增强方法

针对单一波束形成器难以深度抑制空间相干干扰的问题,提出了一种综合了最小方差无畸变响应波束形成器与对称子阵延时求和波束形成器的语音增强方法。定义了一种波束输出比因子,根据该因子在目标声区域和干扰声区域的幅值变化,给出了采样协方差矩阵对角加载量的调整方法,并进一步利用该因子在后滤波环节对空间干扰进行判决滤波。文中对判决滤波时的上限阈值和下限阈值的实时更新方法给出了说明。所提出的算法能进一步抑制空间干扰和噪声,且可满足实时需要。在传声器圆阵上的实验表明,该方法在输出信干噪比及语音质量上,均优于经典对角加载算法及采样协方差矩阵扫描重构算法。      

Comparison of the measured and theoretical performance of a broadband circular microphone array

The design and construction of a circular microphone array (CMA) that has a wide frequency range suitable for human hearing is presented. The design of the CMA was achieved using a technique based on simulated directivity index (DI) curves. The simulated DI curves encapsulate the critical microphone array performance limitations: spatial aliasing, measurement noise, and microphone placement errors. This paper demonstrates how the non-regularized DI curves for a given beamforming order clearly define the bandwidth of operation, in other words, the frequency band for which the beamformer has relatively constant and maximum directivity. Detailed and comprehensive experimental data that characterizes the CMA beamformer are also presented.     

Uncertainty analysis of the standard delay-and-sum beamformer and array calibration

Beamforming has become an ubiquitous task in aeroacoustic noise measurements for source localization and power estimation. The standard delay-and-sum (DAS) beamformer is the most commonly used beamforming algorithm due to its simplicity and robustness and also serves as the basis for more sophisticated algorithms, such as the deconvolution approach for the mapping of acoustic sources (DAMAS). The DAS data reduction equation is a function of many parameters including the microphone locations, microphone transfer functions, temperature and the cross-spectral matrix (CSM), where each one of these parameters has a unique uncertainty associated with it. This paper provides a systematic uncertainty analysis of the DAS beamformer and Dougherty's widely used calibration procedure under the assumption that the underlying mathematical model of incoherent, monopole sources is correct. An analytical multivariate method based on a first-order Taylor series expansion and a numerical Monte-Carlo method based on assumed uncertainty distributions for the input variables are considered. The uncertainty of calibration is analyzed using the Monte-Carlo method, whereas the uncertainty of the DAS beamformer is analyzed using both the complex multivariate and the Monte-Carlo methods. It is shown that the multivariate uncertainty analysis method fails when the perturbations are relatively large and/or the output distribution is non-Gaussian, and therefore the Monte-Carlo analysis should be used in the general case. The calibration procedure is shown to greatly reduce the uncertainties in the DAS power estimates. In particular, 95 percent confidence intervals for the DAS power estimates are presented with simulated data for various scenarios. Moreover, the 95 percent confidence intervals for the integrated DAS levels at different frequencies are computed using experimental data. It is shown that with experimental data, the 95 percent confidence intervals for the integrated power levels are within of the mean levels when the component uncertainties are set at low but achievable values.     

Helmholtz-pair transmit coil with integrated receive array for high-resolution MRI of trabecular bone in the distal tibia at 7T

A Helmholtz-pair local transmit RF coil with an integrated four-element receive array RF coil and foot immobilization platform was designed and constructed for imaging the distal tibia in a whole-body 7T MRI scanner. Simulations and measurements of the B(1) field distribution of the transmit coil are described, along with SAR considerations for operation at 7T. Results of imaging the trabecular bone of three volunteers at 1.5T, 3T and 7T are presented, using identical 1.5T and 3T versions of the 7T four-element receive array. The spatially registered images reveal improved visibility for individual trabeculae and show average gains in SNR of 2.8× and 4.9× for imaging at 7T compared to 3T and 1.5T, respectively. The results thus display an approximately linear dependence of SNR with field strength and enable the practical utility of 7T scanners for micro-MRI of trabecular bone.     

A post-compression based ultrasound imaging technique for simultaneous transmit multi-zone focusing

The compression error of post-compression based coded excitation techniques increases with decreasing f-number, which causes the elevation of side-lobe levels. In this paper, a post-compression based coded excitation technique with reduced compression errors through dynamic aperture control is proposed. To improve the near-field resolution with no frame rate reduction, the proposed method performs simultaneous transmit multi-zone focusing using two mutually orthogonal complementary Golay codes. In the proposed method, the two mutually orthogonal sequences of length 16 are simultaneously transmitted toward two different focal depths, which are separately compressed into two short pulses on receive after dynamic focusing is performed. After carrying out the same transmit-receive operation for the same scan line with the complementary set of the orthogonal Golay codes, a single scan line with two transmit foci is obtained.The computer simulation results using a linear array with a center frequency of 7.5 MHz and 60% 6 dB bandwidth show that the range side-lobe level can be suppressed below −50 dB, when f-number is maintained not smaller than 3. The performance of the proposed scheme for a smaller f-number of 2 was also verified through actual experiments using a 3.85 MHz curved linear array with 60% 6 dB bandwidth. Both the simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method provides improved lateral resolution compared to the conventional pre-compressed and post-compression based coded excitation imaging using Golay codes.     

Adaptive beamforming for nonstationary arrays

Adaptive beamformers automatically adjust to the input data on the sensors in an attempt to maximize the bearing resolution of a signal and minimize the effects of noise or interfering signals. To the author's knowledge, all adaptive beamformers currently available in the literature assume that the sensors are stationary over the time required to collect the data. This assumption is invalid on arrays of sensors mounted on nonstationary platforms, and results in poor beamforming performance. In this paper we present an adaptive beamformer that has been designed to operate on nonstationary arrays. The beamformer directly incorporates any changes in array shape or heading that may occur during the time required to collect the data. The output of the adaptive beamformer is shown for both synthetic data and for real data collected on a towed array. Results show that signal detection, bearing accuracy, bearing resolution, and interference suppression all increase when the array shape and track are incorporated into the beamformer if the sensor platform is not stationary.     

一种新型的液闪阵列成像屏空间分辨特性

针对低强度射线成像,自主研制了一种像元为0.1 mm高探测效率的液闪阵列屏.为此,基于倾斜刀口边缘响应的测量原理,建立了理论模拟方法和实验研究方法,对该液闪阵列屏开展了空间分辨性能研究.通过理论模拟,给出了液闪阵列屏在14 MeV中子和1.25 MeV伽马射线激发下的调制传递函数,并与像元为0.1,0.3和0.5 mm的闪烁纤维阵列屏进行了理论对比.在60Co伽马射线源上,对液闪阵列屏和像元为0.3和0.5 mm的两种国产闪烁纤维阵列屏进行了调制传递函数实测研究.理论模拟和实验结果一致,均表明液闪阵列的空间特性优于闪烁纤维阵列屏,而且具有更好的均匀性,对1.25 MeV伽马,空间分辨接近0.9 lp/mm,而其他两种纤维阵列屏仅达到0.5 lp/mm,对于14 MeV中子,液闪阵列屏的空间分辨可达到1.8 lp/mm.     

A new beamforming technique for ultrasonic imaging systems

We propose a simple, versatile and inexpensive beamforming method that performs the aperture windowing of an ultrasonic transducer array in the transmit mode, without modifying the driver voltage, but simply controlling the length of the electric pulse driving the array elements. A conversion formula has been determined that permits us to compute, for a desired emitted pulse amplitude, the corresponding driving pulse length to be applied. Any shading function can be implemented over any type of transducer array, using very low-cost hardware. Computer simulations and experimental measurements, with a 3.8 MHz convex array, confirm the effectiveness of this approach in enhancing the contrast resolution, since the off-axis intensity in the radiated beam pattern is largely reduced.     

互相关自适应加权的医学超声成像算法研究

根据超声成像系统的超声回波信号互相关性,提出互相关自适应加权超声成像算法.该算法根据散射点回波信号之间的空间相关性设置加权系数,对不同位置的散射点进行自适应加权成像,从而降低了成像系统的旁瓣,抑制了相关性较差的噪声.通过Field II仿真的点目标和吸声斑目标处理结果表明该方法成像的横向和纵向分辨率高,成像速度快.相对于延时叠加(DAS)算法,该算法对散射点成像可提高对比度16 dB,对于吸声斑成像可提高对比度0.85 dB.最后采用完备数据集进行实验,结果表明该算法成像分辨率优于DAS算法,对比度提高了17 dB.     

Space-time encoding for high frame rate ultrasound imaging

Frame rate in ultrasound imaging can be dramatically increased by using sparse synthetic transmit aperture (STA) beamforming techniques. The two main drawbacks of the method are the low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the motion artifacts, that degrade the image quality. In this paper we propose a spatio-temporal encoding for STA imaging based on simultaneous transmission of two quasi-orthogonal tapered linear FM signals. The excitation signals are an up- and a down-chirp with frequency division and a cross-talk of -55 dB. The received signals are first cross-correlated with the appropriate code, then spatially decoded and finally beamformed for each code, yielding two images per emission. The spatial encoding is a Hadamard encoding previously suggested by Chiao et al. [in: Proceedings of the IEEE Ultrasonics Symposium, 1997, p. 1679]. The Hadamard matrix has half the size of the transmit element groups, due to the orthogonality of the temporal encoded wavefronts. Thus, with this method, the frame rate is doubled compared to previous systems. Another advantage is the utilization of temporal codes which are more robust to attenuation. With the proposed technique it is possible to obtain images dynamically focused in both transmit and receive with only two firings. This reduces the problem of motion artifacts. The method has been tested with extensive simulations using Field II. Resolution and SNR are compared with uncoded STA imaging and conventional phased-array imaging. The range resolution remains the same for coded STA imaging with four emissions and is slightly degraded for STA imaging with two emissions due to the -55 dB cross-talk between the signals. The additional proposed temporal encoding adds more than 15 dB on the SNR gain, yielding a SNR at the same order as in phased-array imaging.     

Synthetic aperture ultrasound imaging

The paper describes the use of synthetic aperture (SA) imaging in medical ultrasound. SA imaging is a radical break with today's commercial systems, where the image is acquired sequentially one image line at a time. This puts a strict limit on the frame rate and the possibility of acquiring a sufficient amount of data for high precision flow estimation. These constrictions can be lifted by employing SA imaging. Here data is acquired simultaneously from all directions over a number of emissions, and the full image can be reconstructed from this data. The paper demonstrates the many benefits of SA imaging. Due to the complete data set, it is possible to have both dynamic transmit and receive focusing to improve contrast and resolution. It is also possible to improve penetration depth by employing codes during ultrasound transmission. Data sets for vector flow imaging can be acquired using short imaging sequences, whereby both the correct velocity magnitude and angle can be estimated. A number of examples of both phantom and in vivo SA images will be presented measured by the experimental ultrasound scanner RASMUS to demonstrate the many benefits of SA imaging.     

Design of a capacitively decoupled transmit/receive NMR phased array for high field microscopy at 14.1T

A design is presented for a "phased array" of four transmit/receive saddle-geometry volume coils for microimaging at 600 MHz within a 45 mm clear-bore vertical magnet. The small size of the coils, approximately 10 mm in length, and high frequency of operation both present considerable challenges for the design of a phased array. The particular design consists of four saddle coils, stacked vertically, in order to produce an array suitable for imaging samples, typical of many microimaging studies, with a large length:diameter ratio. Optimal coil overlap is used to reduce the mutual inductance between adjacent coils, and capacitive networks are used to maximize the isolation between all of the coils. Standard 50 Omega input impedance preamplifiers are used so that the preamplifiers do not have to be integrated directly into the probe. Isolation between coils was better than 20 dB for all coil pairs. An increase in signal-to-noise of 70 +/- 3% was achieved, averaged over the whole array, compared to a single coil of the same dimensions. High resolution phased array images are shown for ex vivo tissue samples.     

子阵列差分系数加权的超声成像算法

传统的自适应加权系数可以有效改善超声图像的分辨率和对比度,但会影响背景图像的散斑特性,因此提出子阵列差分加权系数(SDF)以提升图像质量.该系数适用于传统线扫描超声成像,首先对阵列接收到的回波信号采用子阵列平滑的方式计算均值,得到信号中高相干性成份的强度,再用差分的方式反映相邻阵元回波信号之间的差异性,最后对延时叠加(...