EP0069677A1 - Vorrichtung für Ultraschall-Echographie zur Sektorabtastung - Google Patents

Vorrichtung für Ultraschall-Echographie zur Sektorabtastung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP0069677A1
EP0069677A1 EP82401291A EP82401291A EP0069677A1 EP 0069677 A1 EP0069677 A1 EP 0069677A1 EP 82401291 A EP82401291 A EP 82401291A EP 82401291 A EP82401291 A EP 82401291A EP 0069677 A1 EP0069677 A1 EP 0069677A1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
transducers
delays
group
distribution
focusing
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Application number
EP82401291A
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English (en)
French (fr)
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EP0069677B2 (de
EP0069677B1 (de
Inventor
Bruno Richard
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Bruno Richard Te Villejuif Frankrijk
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RICHARD Bruno
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique CNRS
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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G10—MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS; ACOUSTICS
    • G10K—SOUND-PRODUCING DEVICES; METHODS OR DEVICES FOR PROTECTING AGAINST, OR FOR DAMPING, NOISE OR OTHER ACOUSTIC WAVES IN GENERAL; ACOUSTICS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G10K11/00—Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound in general; Methods or devices for protecting against, or for damping, noise or other acoustic waves in general
    • G10K11/18—Methods or devices for transmitting, conducting or directing sound
    • G10K11/26—Sound-focusing or directing, e.g. scanning
    • G10K11/34—Sound-focusing or directing, e.g. scanning using electrical steering of transducer arrays, e.g. beam steering
    • G10K11/341—Circuits therefor
    • G10K11/345—Circuits therefor using energy switching from one active element to another

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to an ultrasonic pulse ultrasound probe and a device using such a probe and it finds a particularly important application in the medical field.
  • Ultrasound B Deep exploration of an organ or anatomical structure (ultrasound B) frequently involves scanning.
  • Ultrasound ultrasound devices have already been produced which provide both focusing and linear or sectoral scanning.
  • sector scanning has the great advantage of authorizing the exploration of internal anatomical structures from a very small surface in contact with the skin. It allows in particular to visualize the functioning of the heart muscle using a probe placed so that the ultrasonic beam passes between two successive ribs.
  • the scanning can be carried out electronically or mechanically.
  • fully satisfactory devices with linear scanning are known, using a bar comprising a number N of elementary transducers (certificate of addition already mentioned the scanning is carried out by moving with each shot the group n of transducers used simultaneously with a distribution delays or phases ensuring focus at the lily tance required.
  • angular scanning by modification of the phase distribution applied to a group of transducers used for all directions leads to very complicated and high cost electronic technology.
  • mechanical sector scanning devices using a rotary exploration head, they have the disadvantage of being generally much less reliable mechanically than purely electronic devices with fixed exploration head.
  • the present invention aims to provide a probe and an ultrasound ultrasound device which respond better than those previously known to the requirements of practice, in particular in that it makes it possible to carry out sectoral scanning in a simple and natural manner, associated with a focusing which can easily be carried out at a variable distance, that is to say of the type commonly known as "tracking".
  • the invention proposes in particular a probe having a bearing surface intended to be brought into contact with the member to be explored, carrying a linear network of N identical elementary transducers distributed n equal intervals intended to be connected electrically to means for temporarily connecting a group of n transducers at the same time to means for transmitting or receiving signals with delays corresponding to a distribution providing focus at a determined distance and to shift the group of n transducers by one shot to the next one, so as to achieve a sweep, characterized in that the transducers are arranged in a circular line with convexity turned towards the bearing surface, so as to automatically cause a sector sweep around the axis.
  • the invention also aims to provide an ultrasound device making it possible to use a probe of the above type and, at the cost of very limited additions, probes of other types such as those using a flat strip of transducers.
  • the invention provides an ultrasound ultrasound device for exploring a medium and in particular an organ or an internal anatomical structure, comprising a linear network of N identical elementary transducers distributed at equal intervals, means for storing at least one distribution of delays on n successive transducers (n being less than N) corresponding to focusing at a determined distance from the line, switching means making it possible to temporarily connect a group of n transducers to transmission means or for receiving signals with delays corresponding to said distribution and for shifting the group of n transducers so as to carry out a scanning, characterized in that the transducers are arranged in a circular line with convexity turned towards said medium so as to cause a scanning sectoral around the axis of the circular line during the operation of the switching means and in that the delays are pre seen to ensure focusing along the radius corresponding
  • Delays can be insured by lines delay or simulated by phase shift elements.
  • the first solution will generally be preferable, especially insofar as the delay means make it possible to vary this delay continuously.
  • the probe and the device defined above have many advantages: they have a great flexibility of operation, since they lend themselves perfectly to dynamic focusing; due to the fact that the transducers are in the immediate vicinity of the medium to be explored, the density of the lines of exploration will present a less variation between surface zones and deep zones than in the case of flat or concavity probes facing the medium. Focusing by geometric or electronic means remains possible in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the line on which the transducers are distributed. The electronic means of implementation remain very simple, because the angular scanning is carried out automatically along a sector having for center the distribution axis of the elementary transducers. The electronics of the device make it possible to work successively with very different probes, in particular as regards the radius of the circle on which the transducers are distributed and the spacing of the transducers.
  • the invention also aims to provide an ultrasound ultrasound device having a better signal / noise ratio than the prior devices, and achieving precise focusing by using a fine sampling of the delays, without however increasing prohibitively the cost.
  • This arrangement makes it possible to limit the number of first multiplexers to n, whatever the number N of transducers of the probe, which notably reduces the cost and makes it possible to adopt multiplexers having a high number of channels without however resulting in an excessive cost. It is thus easy to adopt a number a of channels and delays at least equal to 16, this number making it possible to fulfill the quality criteria required for medical applications.
  • N and n they can be 160 and 40 respectively (figures which are rarely exceeded to constitute a lens).
  • Each of the second multiplexers advantageously comprises a transmission element, ensuring the direct connection between said access and a transducer, and a reception element, ensuring the connection via a preamplifier between the transducer and the access of the first multiplexer and in that said elements are controlled by means synchronized with the transmission means so as to block the transmission element during the reception period and vice versa.
  • the switching means can be limited to an address generator causing the implementation of a particular game.
  • the switching means can also be provided to implement at will any one of several storage memories for different delay distributions.
  • n ° EN 80 22880 we can focus the transmission or upon reception of a group of n transducers distributed along a direction x'-x at a distance f 0 from a straight line on which the n elementary transducers are distributed, using a distribution of delays between the transducers in terms of the abscissa x from the center 0 of the group of transducers.
  • the invention requires carrying out a similar focusing using a probe of the kind shown in FIG. 1, comprising N elementary transducers 12 1 , ..., 12 i , ..., 12 N of which it will be assumed that n are used for each shot (n being equal to 7 in the illustrated case).
  • the remote focusing f 0 of the ultrasonic energy radiated by the transducers distributed over a circle of radius R can be ensured by attacking the n transducers, from a common pulse source, by means of appropriate delay.
  • the delays to be used are substantially the same as those necessary to focus the energy of transducers distributed along a linear bar at distance F, F being connected to R and to f 0 by the formula:
  • FIG. 1 there is shown schematically, downstream of a pulse amplifier 10 constituting the source of energy on transmission, a set of three delay lines 11 1 , 11 2 and 11 3 providing increasing delays and suitable.
  • the excitation pulse is applied directly to the two outermost transducers; via line 11 1 to the two adjacent transducers; via line 11 2 to the transducers framing the central transducer; and, via line 11 3 , to the central transducer.
  • the same delay combination allows focusing on reception, after which switching means (not shown) involve a group of n transducers offset from the first group to carry out the scanning.
  • the distribution of the delays to be adopted can be established by applying conventional formulas.
  • the delay to be imposed on the excitation of a transducer located at distance x from the center of the group of elementary transducers for focusing at distance F must be, in the Fresnel approximation: where c is the speed of ultrasound in the propa medium gation.
  • This variation can be simulated approximately with a small number of delays.
  • FIG. 2 shows, in dashed lines, the theoretical distribution of delays which would have to be achieved between the transducers as a function of their distance x from the center of the group for a parabolic law.
  • the solid line curve shows the simulation of the law of variation with sampling at several levels of delay each separated by a constant interval T.
  • each metallized strip belonging to an elementary transducer can have a circular shape whose radius corresponds to the distance between the ceramic and the point N.
  • Another solution consists in placing, in front of the elementary transducers, a lens, as illustrated in FIG. 4.
  • the common ceramic may have the shape of a portion of cylinder.
  • the lens will be convex if the speed of sound in its constituent material (for example hard synthetic elastomer) is less than the speed of sound in tissue.
  • This circuit is designed to be associated with a system of N transducers 12 1 , ..., 12 i , ..., 12 N , excitable by pulse. At each exploration, it causes the excitation of n transducers 12 i , with a determined delay distribution: it applies for example the excitation signal with a maximum delay to the transducers of order 1, 2, 3 and 4. It causes a delay of ⁇ on the signal before application to transducers of order 5 and 6, and so on.
  • the electronics which will now be described make it possible to use a number of transmit and receive multiplexers equal to n, therefore being able to be very much less than the total number N of transducers: it is thus possible, at a given cost, to use multiplexers with higher number of channels, sufficient to have a fine sampling, therefore a high focusing precision, and low side lobes.
  • the electronics shown in FIG. 5 are intended to be associated with a probe comprising N elementary transducers such as 12 i each associated with a switching circuit 80.
  • the electronics comprise a first network of multiplexers 34 in number n equal, not to the total number N of the transducers of the bar, but to the number of n transducers intervening during a shot, that is to say constituting a lens electronic.
  • Each of the first multiplexers 34 is used in association with several transducers offset by n.
  • the same multiplexer 34 will be associated with the transducers 12, 12 i + n , 12 i + 2n , 12 i + 3n in the embodiment envisaged.
  • This first network of multiplexers which makes it possible to select one of the a delay channels supplied by the transmission means, which comprise a pilot clock 38, a generator 39 and a register 15, is connected to the corresponding transducers by a second network of multiplexers, intended to effect the addressing of the transducers.
  • Each of these second multiplexers comprises a transmission element 81 making it possible to establish a direct connection between the input-output access of the first corresponding multiplexer 34 and the circuit 80 of a transducer. It also includes a reception element 82 allowing the reception signal to pass in the other direction, towards the access of the associated multiplexer 34, through a preamplifier 33. The latter can be particularly neat, given that its cost will have little influence on that of the entire device, since n preamplifiers will suffice for N transducers.
  • the circuits directly associated with the transducers can be of simple constitution. They can in particular comprise a single active component on emission, constituted for example by a V MOS transistor which has the advantage of very quickly switching a high power, supplied by a source at voltage -V, under the action of a low intensity control signal from the second multiplexer.
  • the selection of the channel connected by the first network of multiplexers to the transducers is carried out on the basis of information conveyed by shift registers 35 which, in the case of the use of sixteen channels, may be registers with four times four binary elements.
  • the clock 87 controlling the registers 35 will give a clock tick before each transmission and a stroke after each transmission.
  • An initialization system is provided so that the clock 87 emits a sufficient number of strokes to position the information, taken from a storage means 37, in the first n registers 35.
  • the first shot will be centered on the twentieth transducer of the bar. However, exploration can begin without waiting to have loaded the entire "lens" into the registers.
  • the second network of multiplexers is associated with a common command generator 88 which, for each shot, issues a common command 89 which unlocks the element 81 for a short period of time tightly framing the group of logic control and transmission signals. element 82 during the additional time.
  • the selection of the transducers supplied by the second network of multiplexers is ensured by information with two binary elements conveyed by shift registers 90 in cascade. This information with two binary elements is produced for each frame by a counter 91 which divides the number of clock strokes by 40. The advance is ensured by a clock (not shown) which provides one stroke for four clock courses 87
  • the other elementary circuits electronics can be relatively conventional and include a delay correction reception circuit 62 (constituted for example by a multiple tap delay line) and a signal processing circuit 25 attacking a display or storage system 57.
  • the device according to the invention is directly transposable from any existing system with electronic focusing and scanning, at the cost of a simple modification of the law of variation of the delay or of the phase shift; it uses a reduced number of different delays or phase shifts; sector scanning is obtained in a perfectly natural way thanks to the shape of the probe.
  • the difference in density of the scanning lines between the surface zone and the deep zone of the organ to be explored is reduced, because there is no convergence of a beam at the point of entry into the organ.
  • the sound field produced by the device according to the invention does not depend on the angle of observation relative in the middle plane.
  • experience shows that the convex shape of the probe does not constitute a handicap for good contact with the skin.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Acoustics & Sound (AREA)
  • Multimedia (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
  • Ultra Sonic Daignosis Equipment (AREA)
  • Measurement Of Velocity Or Position Using Acoustic Or Ultrasonic Waves (AREA)
EP82401291A 1981-07-08 1982-07-08 Vorrichtung für Ultraschall-Echographie zur Sektorabtastung Expired - Lifetime EP0069677B2 (de)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
FR8113445 1981-07-08
FR8113445A FR2509486A1 (fr) 1981-07-08 1981-07-08 Sonde d'echographie ultra-sonore et dispositif d'echographie a balayage sectoriel

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0069677A1 true EP0069677A1 (de) 1983-01-12
EP0069677B1 EP0069677B1 (de) 1986-09-10
EP0069677B2 EP0069677B2 (de) 1995-12-13

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ID=9260356

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Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP82401291A Expired - Lifetime EP0069677B2 (de) 1981-07-08 1982-07-08 Vorrichtung für Ultraschall-Echographie zur Sektorabtastung

Country Status (4)

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US (1) US4516583A (de)
EP (1) EP0069677B2 (de)
DE (1) DE3273181D1 (de)
FR (1) FR2509486A1 (de)

Families Citing this family (10)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4576045A (en) * 1983-12-29 1986-03-18 General Electric Company Wide aperture ultrasonic scanner employing convex transducer array
US4582065A (en) * 1984-06-28 1986-04-15 Picker International, Inc. Ultrasonic step scanning utilizing unequally spaced curvilinear transducer array
US4809184A (en) * 1986-10-22 1989-02-28 General Electric Company Method and apparatus for fully digital beam formation in a phased array coherent imaging system
US5262836A (en) * 1991-12-19 1993-11-16 Hughes Aircraft Company Coherent double homodyne optical backscatter filter
US5301674A (en) * 1992-03-27 1994-04-12 Diasonics, Inc. Method and apparatus for focusing transmission and reception of ultrasonic beams
US5379642A (en) * 1993-07-19 1995-01-10 Diasonics Ultrasound, Inc. Method and apparatus for performing imaging
NO308264B1 (no) * 1994-03-22 2000-08-21 Western Atlas Int Inc Brønnloggesonde med tilnærmet sylindrisk oppstilling av piezo- elektriske akustiske transdusere for elektronisk styring og fokusering av akustiske signaler
US7617732B2 (en) * 2005-08-26 2009-11-17 The Boeing Company Integrated curved linear ultrasonic transducer inspection apparatus, systems, and methods
US20070034011A1 (en) * 2005-07-25 2007-02-15 Pai-Chi Li Method and apparatus for dynamic focusing in ultrasonic imaging
GB201020249D0 (en) 2010-11-30 2011-01-12 Airbus Uk Ltd Ultrasonic array focussing apparatus and method

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2064588A1 (de) * 1970-12-30 1972-07-13 Krupp Gmbh Schaltanordnung zum Abstrahlen von Schallenergie in einen vorgegebenen Sek tor und/oder zum Empfang von Schallener gie aus solchem Sektor
FR2292978A1 (fr) * 1974-11-28 1976-06-25 Anvar Perfectionnements aux dispositifs de sondage par ultra-sons
EP0005593A1 (de) * 1978-05-12 1979-11-28 International Submarine Services S.A. Holographieeinrichtung und -verfahren mit akustischer Abtastung
US4233678A (en) * 1979-03-12 1980-11-11 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Serial phase shift beamformer using charge transfer devices
FR2472753A1 (fr) * 1979-12-31 1981-07-03 Anvar Perfectionnements aux dispositifs de sondage par ultra-sons

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS52131679A (en) * 1976-04-28 1977-11-04 Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co Ultrasonic diagnostic device
US4208916A (en) * 1978-09-13 1980-06-24 Picker Corporation Electronic ultrasonic sector scanning apparatus and method
JPS5615734A (en) * 1979-07-20 1981-02-16 Tokyo Shibaura Electric Co Ultrasonic diagnosing device
US4344327B1 (en) * 1979-12-28 1994-05-03 Aloka Co Ltd Electronic scanning ultrasonic diagnostic system
US4319489A (en) * 1980-03-28 1982-03-16 Yokogawa Electric Works, Ltd. Ultrasonic diagnostic method and apparatus
US4409982A (en) * 1980-10-20 1983-10-18 Picker Corporation Ultrasonic step scanning utilizing curvilinear transducer array

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE2064588A1 (de) * 1970-12-30 1972-07-13 Krupp Gmbh Schaltanordnung zum Abstrahlen von Schallenergie in einen vorgegebenen Sek tor und/oder zum Empfang von Schallener gie aus solchem Sektor
FR2292978A1 (fr) * 1974-11-28 1976-06-25 Anvar Perfectionnements aux dispositifs de sondage par ultra-sons
EP0005593A1 (de) * 1978-05-12 1979-11-28 International Submarine Services S.A. Holographieeinrichtung und -verfahren mit akustischer Abtastung
US4233678A (en) * 1979-03-12 1980-11-11 The United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Navy Serial phase shift beamformer using charge transfer devices
FR2472753A1 (fr) * 1979-12-31 1981-07-03 Anvar Perfectionnements aux dispositifs de sondage par ultra-sons

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2509486A1 (fr) 1983-01-14
FR2509486B1 (de) 1985-05-24
US4516583A (en) 1985-05-14
EP0069677B2 (de) 1995-12-13
EP0069677B1 (de) 1986-09-10
DE3273181D1 (en) 1986-10-16

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