WO2025010933A1 - 一种面阵超声换能器及超声成像方法、电子设备 - Google Patents

一种面阵超声换能器及超声成像方法、电子设备 Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2025010933A1
WO2025010933A1 PCT/CN2023/137188 CN2023137188W WO2025010933A1 WO 2025010933 A1 WO2025010933 A1 WO 2025010933A1 CN 2023137188 W CN2023137188 W CN 2023137188W WO 2025010933 A1 WO2025010933 A1 WO 2025010933A1
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Prior art keywords
array
sub
ultrasonic
area
aperture
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PCT/CN2023/137188
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English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
张志强
王宁远
强禹
邱维宝
郑海荣
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Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of CAS
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Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology of CAS
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/44—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device
    • A61B8/4483—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
    • A61B8/4488—Constructional features of the ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic diagnostic device characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer the transducer being a phased array
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/48—Diagnostic techniques
    • A61B8/483—Diagnostic techniques involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A61—MEDICAL OR VETERINARY SCIENCE; HYGIENE
    • A61B—DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION
    • A61B8/00—Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves
    • A61B8/54—Control of the diagnostic device

Definitions

  • the present application relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging, and in particular to a planar array ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic imaging method, and electronic equipment.
  • Three-dimensional ultrasound imaging has important application value in medical clinical and academic research. It upgrades traditional two-dimensional ultrasound surface imaging to three-dimensional ultrasound volume imaging, which can reflect richer structural level information, thereby detecting complex lesions or organ conditions that cannot be evaluated by two-dimensional ultrasound imaging, and conducting more accurate clinical diagnosis and scientific research.
  • using a two-dimensional array transducer for three-dimensional data acquisition is the fastest and most accurate.
  • the full-sampling large-aperture two-dimensional array ultrasonic transducer can achieve good imaging quality and high imaging flexibility, but the number of array elements of this array transducer is tens of thousands, and the number of physical channels of the imaging system must also be tens of thousands, which is not only difficult to wire, but also very costly.
  • the number of array elements of a full-sampling two-dimensional array ultrasonic transducer is N ⁇ N, and the number of system channels required is the same as the number of array elements, so an imaging system with a high number of channels is required.
  • two-dimensional array transducers In order to reduce production costs, system channel count, facilitate wiring, and achieve high-quality three-dimensional imaging, the following two-dimensional array transducers have been proposed in this field: two-dimensional sparse array ultrasonic transducer, row and column addressed array ultrasonic transducer, two-dimensional array ultrasonic transducer based on beamforming integrated circuit, and selectable two-dimensional array ultrasonic transducer based on high-voltage switch.
  • the two-dimensional sparse array ultrasonic transducer randomly and uniformly selects a small number of activated array elements on the full sampling two-dimensional array for imaging, reducing the number of system channels required for three-dimensional ultrasonic imaging to the required number of activated array elements, and the wiring is simple and easy to implement.
  • the row-column addressed array ultrasonic transducer consists of two vertically overlapping one-dimensional arrays.
  • the array in one direction is used for transmission, and the array in the other direction is used for reception, thereby achieving focused imaging.
  • This method changes the number of array elements of the two-dimensional probe from N ⁇ N to N+N, greatly reducing the number of system channels required and the wiring cost.
  • the two-dimensional array ultrasonic transducer based on beamforming integrated circuit first sends the signals received by multiple adjacent array elements into the beamforming integrated circuit, and then outputs them as one signal after beamforming processing, thereby reducing the signal paths entering the system (for example, the signals of four array elements are output as one signal path, which can reduce the number of system channels to 1/4 of the number of array elements).
  • the parameters such as delay and focus of such transducers are fixed, which is not flexible enough and can only be applied to specific imaging needs.
  • the sensitivity and resolution of the two-dimensional sparse array ultrasonic transducer decrease as the number of activated array elements decreases, and the calculation of the optimal arrangement of the activated array elements is time-consuming and parameter-dependent. Since the row-column addressed array ultrasonic transducer is not a true two-dimensional array in structure, it will produce edge effects during imaging, have a larger main lobe width and a stronger side lobe amplitude, and have a poorer resolution than the full sampling area array.
  • the beamforming delay set in the integrated circuit of the two-dimensional area array ultrasonic transducer based on the beamforming integrated circuit is a fixed value, the imaging parameters of the probe are also fixed, and cannot be flexibly adjusted with the application, and the usage scenarios are limited. Therefore, the full sampling two-dimensional area array ultrasonic transducer is still the best choice for three-dimensional ultrasonic imaging, and has great advantages in signal-to-noise ratio, sensitivity, resolution, and flexibility of beam control.
  • a selectable full-sampling two-dimensional array ultrasonic transducer based on a high-voltage switch is connected to a programmable high-voltage switch for sub-aperture selection, thereby realizing three-dimensional ultrasonic imaging of a full-sampling thousand-element array ultrasonic transducer by a low-channel ultrasonic imaging system.
  • the existing 1024-element full-sampling 2D array ultrasound transducer divides the 1024 elements into four sub-arrays (8 ⁇ 32) to achieve line connection, with a 0.6 mm interval between each sub-array. Due to the existence of the interval and the limitation of its wiring method, only four fixed sub-apertures can be selected for imaging, which seriously affects the flexibility of imaging method optimization and also leads to poor imaging quality.
  • the purpose of this specification is to provide a planar array ultrasonic transducer, an ultrasonic imaging method, and an electronic device to solve the problems of inflexibility and poor imaging quality of existing ultrasonic imaging methods.
  • the first aspect of the present specification provides a planar array ultrasonic transducer, comprising: a plurality of array elements distributed in an array, the distance between adjacent array elements in a first direction is consistent, and the distance between adjacent array elements in a second direction is consistent, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; the plurality of array elements are divided into a plurality of sub-array regions, each sub-array region having array elements in M rows and N columns; array elements in the same row and column positions in each sub-array region can be connected to the same channel line, and array elements in different row and column positions in each sub-array region are connected to different channel lines; the channel line is used to input an excitation signal of the planar array ultrasonic transducer and/or transmit an ultrasonic echo signal; wherein M and N are natural numbers; at the same time, for any row and column position, at most one array element in the row and column position of one sub-array region is connected to the channel line.
  • any row and column position and the channel line corresponding to the row and column position there is only one array element at the row and column position in a sub-array region connected to the channel line.
  • the array elements connected to each channel line form a continuous sub-aperture region.
  • array elements at the same row and column positions in each sub-array region are connected to the channel line via a multiple-select-one controllable switch.
  • the number of the channel lines is the same as the number of array elements in each sub-array region, and the number of movable contacts of the multiple-select-one controllable switch is the same as the number of divided sub-array regions.
  • each sub-array region is arranged in X rows and Y columns, where X and Y are both arbitrary natural numbers.
  • the second aspect of the present specification provides an ultrasonic imaging method for a planar array ultrasonic transducer, wherein the planar array ultrasonic transducer includes a plurality of array elements distributed in an array, wherein the distances between adjacent array elements in a first direction are consistent, and the distances between adjacent array elements in a second direction are consistent, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; the plurality of array elements are divided into a plurality of subarray regions, each subarray region having M rows and N columns of array elements; array elements at the same row and column positions in each subarray region can be connected to the same channel line, and array elements at different row and column positions in each subarray region are connected to different channel lines; the channel line is used to input an excitation signal of the planar array ultrasonic transducer and/or transmit an ultrasonic echo signal; wherein M and N are natural numbers; at the same time, for any row and column position, there is at most one subarray region The array elements at the row and column positions are connected
  • each array element in the sub-aperture area when controlling each array element in the sub-aperture area to be connected to a channel line, for any row and column position and the corresponding channel line, only the array element at the row and column position of the sub-array area is controlled to be connected to the corresponding channel line, and the array elements connected to each channel line form a continuous sub-aperture area.
  • the set of each preset area when determining each preset area for receiving an ultrasonic echo signal, is made to cover each array element on the area array transducer; and/or, when determining each sub-aperture area for transmitting an ultrasonic signal, the set of each sub-aperture area is made to cover each array element on the area array transducer.
  • the set of each preset area when determining each preset area for receiving ultrasonic echo signals, the set of each preset area at least covers the array element on the area array transducer that is closest to the imaging target, and the set of each preset area does not include at least one array element on the area array transducer that is farthest from the imaging target; and/or, when determining each sub-aperture area for transmitting ultrasonic signals, the set of each sub-aperture area at least covers the array element on the area array transducer that is closest to the imaging target, and the set of each sub-aperture area does not include at least one array element on the area array transducer that is farthest from the imaging target.
  • each of the sub-aperture regions and each of the preset regions comprises an arbitrary shape.
  • the number of rows and columns of the preset area and each divided sub-array area are the same.
  • each sub-aperture area to transmit an ultrasonic signal before controlling each sub-aperture area to transmit an ultrasonic signal, it also includes: determining the emission angle corresponding to each sub-aperture area; controlling a target sub-aperture area to transmit an ultrasonic signal, and controlling a target preset area to receive an ultrasonic echo signal, including: controlling the target sub-aperture area to transmit an ultrasonic signal at each emission angle, and controlling the target preset area to receive the ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to each emission angle; wherein, the ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to an emission angle refers to the ultrasonic echo signal generated when the target sub-aperture area transmits an ultrasonic signal at the emission angle.
  • the third aspect of this specification provides an electronic device, comprising: a memory and a processor, the processor and the memory are communicatively connected to each other, the memory stores computer instructions, and the processor implements the steps of any one of the methods described in the second aspect by executing the computer instructions.
  • a fourth aspect of this specification provides a computer storage medium, wherein the computer storage medium stores computer program instructions, and when the computer program instructions are executed by a processor, the steps of any one of the methods described in the second aspect are implemented.
  • the ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification can reduce the number of channels of the ultrasonic transducer while maintaining the same distance in the row direction and the same distance in the column direction, and can realize sub-aperture transmission or reception at any position on the ultrasonic transducer array, and can realize sub-apertures of any shape.
  • the ultrasound imaging method provided in this specification can realize three-dimensional ultrasound imaging of a high-channel full-sampling two-dimensional ultrasound probe using a low-channel, low-cost imaging system.
  • the imaging quality can be optimized and the resolution, contrast and signal-to-noise ratio of three-dimensional ultrasound imaging can be greatly improved.
  • FIG1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a multiple-choice-one controllable selector
  • FIGS. 2 to 4 show schematic diagrams of wiring methods of a planar array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification
  • FIG5 shows a schematic diagram of a sub-aperture region
  • FIG6 shows a schematic diagram of a wiring method of an ultrasonic transducer that may exist in the prior art
  • FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of another wiring method of an area array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification.
  • FIG8 shows a flow chart of the ultrasound imaging method provided in this specification
  • FIG9 is a schematic diagram showing an implementation of step 20 in FIG8 ;
  • FIG10 is a schematic diagram showing an ultrasonic imaging method proposed based on the ultrasonic transducer wiring method shown in FIG2 to FIG4;
  • FIG11 is a schematic diagram showing a sub-aperture region transmitting an ultrasonic signal at different transmission angles
  • FIG12 is a schematic diagram showing another ultrasonic imaging method proposed based on the ultrasonic transducer wiring mode shown in FIG2 to FIG4;
  • FIG13 is a schematic diagram showing three possible working modes of an ultrasonic transducer in the prior art
  • FIG. 14 shows a principle block diagram of an electronic device provided in this specification.
  • the present specification provides a planar array ultrasonic transducer, which includes a plurality of array elements distributed in an array, wherein the distances between the plurality of array elements in a first direction are consistent, and the distances between the plurality of array elements in a second direction are consistent, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
  • the first direction may be the extension direction of a row of array elements in the array (hereinafter referred to as the row direction)
  • the second direction may be the extension direction of a column of array elements in the array (hereinafter referred to as the column direction).
  • array elements are divided into multiple sub-array areas, each of which has M rows and N columns of array elements.
  • Array elements in the same row and column position in each sub-array area can be connected to the same channel line, and array elements in different row and column positions in each sub-array area are connected to different channel lines.
  • the channel line is used to input the excitation signal of the array ultrasonic transducer and/or transmit the ultrasonic echo signal.
  • M and N are natural numbers.
  • at most one array element in the row and column position of one sub-array area is connected to the channel line.
  • the ultrasonic transducer mentioned in this specification may be at least one of the following: a piezoelectric transducer, a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT), or a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (PMUT).
  • CMUT capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer
  • PMUT piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer
  • the “consistent distances” of “adjacent array elements” may mean that the distances between adjacent array elements are equal, or that the difference in distances between adjacent array elements is so small that the influence on the imaging result can be ignored.
  • each sub-array area has M rows and N columns of array elements, the shape and layout of each sub-array area are the same. Any array element in any sub-array area can be located by the number of rows and columns.
  • “Different row and column positions” means that the two positions have different row numbers and/or different column numbers.
  • the channel line which means that for the position of m rows and n columns (m is any natural number from 1 to M, n is any natural number from 1 to N), there is no m-row and n-column array element in the subarray region connected to the corresponding channel line of m rows and n columns, or there is an m-row and n-column array element in the subarray region connected to the corresponding channel line of m rows and n columns.
  • the channel line corresponds to the row and column position one by one.
  • array elements at the same row and column position in each sub-array region can be connected to the same channel line. That is, the array elements at the same row and column position in each sub-array region can be connected to the same controllable device, which is connected to the channel line corresponding to the row and column position, and by controlling the controllable device, it is possible to select which one or several array elements (among the array elements connected to the controllable device) are electrically connected to the channel line.
  • controllable device may include a plurality of controllable switches, wherein each controllable switch corresponds to an array element, one end of the controllable switch is electrically connected to the corresponding array element, and the other end is electrically connected to the channel line. Whether each array element is connected to the channel line is controlled by controlling whether the controllable switch is closed.
  • the plurality of controllable switches may be integrated into the same chip.
  • controllable device may be a multiple-choice controllable selector, as shown in FIG1 , the multiple-choice controllable selector includes a static contact, multiple moving contacts and a contact, the static contact is electrically connected to the channel line, and each moving contact is electrically connected to an array element.
  • the first end of the contact is electrically connected to the static contact, and the other end can be controlled to be electrically connected to any moving contact, so as to control the array element corresponding to the moving contact to be electrically connected to the channel line.
  • the number of moving contacts is not less than the number of divided sub-array regions. In some embodiments, the number of moving contacts is the same as the number of divided sub-array regions. That is, at the same time, for any row and column position (for example, an array element of m rows and n columns), there is only one array element of the row and column position of a sub-array region connected to the channel line. In other embodiments, the number of moving contacts can also be 1 more than the number of divided sub-array regions. For example, the extra moving contact is left floating (that is, it is not connected to anything).
  • the contact when the contact is connected to the moving contact, it means that at the same time, for a row and column position (for example, an array element of m rows and n columns), there is no array element of the row and column position of a sub-array region connected to the channel line.
  • a row and column position for example, an array element of m rows and n columns
  • the “multi-select one controllable selector” in this specification may specifically be a multiplexed high-voltage switch.
  • the "channel line" in this specification is used to input the excitation signal of the area array ultrasonic transducer and/or transmit the ultrasonic echo signal. All channel lines of an area array ultrasonic transducer can be used to input the excitation signal, or all can be used to transmit the ultrasonic echo signal. Alternatively, part of the channel lines in an area array ultrasonic transducer can be used to input the excitation signal, and another part of the channel lines can be used to transmit the ultrasonic echo signal. Whether the channel line is used to input the excitation signal or to transmit the ultrasonic echo signal can be determined according to the specific use of the area array ultrasonic transducer.
  • FIGS 2 to 4 show schematic diagrams of a planar array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification.
  • the planar array ultrasonic transducer includes 1024 array elements, which are arranged in a 32 ⁇ 32 pattern. These array elements are divided into the following four sub-array regions: Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4. Each of these four sub-array regions is arranged in a 16 ⁇ 16 pattern. These four sub-array regions are arranged in a “ ⁇ ” shape.
  • the array elements in the same row and column of each sub-array area can be connected to the same channel line, and the array elements in different rows or columns can be connected to different channel lines.
  • the array element in the first row and first column of the sub-array areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 is connected to the controllable switch Switch 1, and the controllable switch Switch 1 is connected to the "first channel line”;
  • the array element in the 16th row and 16th column of the sub-array areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 is connected to the controllable switch Switch 256, and the controllable switch Switch 256 is connected to the "256th channel line".
  • the area array ultrasonic transducer shown in FIG2 may correspond to 256 switches and 256 channel lines.
  • FIG3 and FIG4 only show the connection methods of two array elements in the sub-array areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4, and the connection methods of the remaining array elements can be obtained by analogy based on the connection methods of FIG2 and FIG3.
  • Figures 2 to 4 show schematic diagrams of four sub-array areas arranged in a field shape
  • the surface array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification can also be divided into other numbers of array areas, for example, there can be 6 sub-array areas, and these 6 sub-array areas are arranged in 2 rows and 3 columns; or there can be 9 sub-array areas, and these 9 sub-array areas are arranged in a 3 ⁇ 3 manner. That is, the surface array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification can be divided into X ⁇ Y sub-array areas, and these X ⁇ Y areas are arranged in X rows and Y columns. X and Y can both be any natural numbers. In some examples, X ⁇ 2, Y ⁇ 2, that is, the surface array ultrasonic transducer has at least 2 rows and at least 2 columns.
  • any row and column position and the channel line corresponding to the row and column position there is one and only one array element at the row and column position of the sub-array area connected to the channel line; and the array elements connected to each channel line form a continuous sub-aperture area.
  • the array elements at the same row and column position in each sub-array region are connected to the channel line through K-select-one controllable switches, so that the above-mentioned "there is only one array element at the row and column position in the sub-array region connected to the channel line" can be realized.
  • the number of channel lines is the same as the number of array elements contained in a sub-array region, and the value of K is the same as the number of divided sub-array regions.
  • the array elements connected to the channel line can be dispersed at various positions on the array transducer. Controlling the array elements connected to the channel line to form a continuous subaperture area can make the ultrasonic signal emitted during subaperture imaging more concentrated, so that the signal strength is high and the imaging effect is better.
  • FIG5 shows a schematic diagram of the sub-aperture area, wherein each square thick solid line frame represents a sub-aperture area.
  • each square thick solid line frame represents a sub-aperture area.
  • the area circled by the square thick solid line frame is the sub-aperture area corresponding to time t1;
  • all the array elements in the lower square thick solid line frame are connected to the channel line, and the array elements outside the square thick solid line frame are not connected to the channel line due to the limitation of the wiring method, that is, the array elements in the square thick solid line frame are selected to transmit ultrasonic signals or receive ultrasonic echo signals, then the area circled by the square thick solid line frame is the sub-aperture area corresponding to time t2.
  • FIG5 shows a schematic diagram of the positions of two sub-aperture areas.
  • the sub-aperture area can have multiple positions, and any sub-array area in the areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 can also form a sub-aperture.
  • the formed continuous sub-aperture area can be as large as the divided sub-array area at most, and the number and arrangement of array elements contained in the largest continuous sub-aperture area are the same as those of the divided sub-array area.
  • FIG6 shows a schematic diagram of an array element arrangement of a planar array ultrasonic transducer that may exist in the prior art, wherein 1024 array elements are divided into 4 sub-array regions, each region has 256 sub-array elements, and the 256 array elements are arranged in a rectangular shape of 8 rows and 32 columns.
  • the distance between adjacent array regions is greater than the distance between each array element in the sub-array region.
  • the array elements in the same row and column position in each sub-array region are also connected to the channel line through a multiple-choice controllable switch.
  • the number of channel lines is also the same as the number of array elements in each sub-array region, that is, there are 256 channel lines.
  • the difference between the area array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification and the area array ultrasonic transducer shown in Figure 6 is that: 1.
  • the distances between the array elements of the area array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification are consistent, that is, the distances between the subarray regions are equal to the distances between the array elements in the subarray region, while in Figure 6 the distances between adjacent subarray regions are greater than the distances between the array elements in the subarray region, that is, the distances between the array elements are not consistent;
  • the number of rows and columns of the subarray region of the area array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification can be arbitrarily selected, while the number of columns of the subarray region in Figure 6 can only be 1 column; 3.
  • the area array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification can form a subaperture region for transmitting ultrasound or receiving ultrasonic echoes at any position on the area array of the area array ultrasonic transducer (a subaperture of any shape can be realized), while the area array ultrasonic transducer shown in Figure 6 cannot form a subaperture region across regions.
  • the planar array ultrasonic transducer shown in FIG. 6 can only control one of the subarray areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 as a subaperture area at a time.
  • the ultrasonic imaging effect will be affected by the interval between the subarray areas, resulting in poor ultrasonic imaging effect.
  • FIG. 7 in the ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification, the imaging effect of the subaperture area formed across the area (as shown in the large black thick solid line rectangular frame in FIG.
  • the size of the subaperture area can be selected at will.
  • the shape of the subaperture area can also be selected at will, for example, the subaperture shape can also be a shape that is approximately circular.
  • each array element of the planar array ultrasonic transducer is consistent, and each array element is usually connected to a channel line, that is, the number of channel lines is equal to the number of array elements, so the number of channels of the planar array ultrasonic transducer is large.
  • the planar array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification reduces the number of channels of the planar array ultrasonic transducer through multiplexing, and this array element wiring method is a prerequisite for realizing sub-aperture transmission or reception at any position on the planar array ultrasonic transducer (even sub-apertures of any shape can be realized).
  • the area array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification can reduce the number of channels of the area array ultrasonic transducer while maintaining the same distance between each array element, and can realize sub-aperture transmission or reception at any position on the area array of the area array ultrasonic transducer, and can even realize sub-apertures of arbitrary shapes.
  • the sub-aperture imaging scheme selects only part of the sub-aperture in the full aperture each time it transmits and receives, and then coherently combines the imaging results of multiple sub-apertures to achieve high-quality ultrasonic imaging while maintaining a high imaging frame rate.
  • only sub-aperture array elements that are less than or equal to the number of system channels are selected for transmission each time, and then the signals are coherently combined to achieve image quality equivalent to full-aperture transmission. Due to the limitations of the process level, the wiring of the array ultrasonic transducer needs to leave some space to place the channel lines connecting the array elements. Therefore, the array ultrasonic transducer shown in Figure 6 divides the full aperture into four sub-apertures, and there are intervals between the sub-apertures, which seriously affects the imaging quality and the flexibility of the imaging method.
  • the ultrasonic imaging method includes the following steps:
  • S10 Determine each sub-aperture area for transmitting an ultrasonic signal and each preset area for receiving an ultrasonic echo signal.
  • the wiring structure of the planar array ultrasonic transducer has the following characteristics: 1. At the same time, for any row and column position, at most one array element at the row and column position in a subarray area is connected to the channel line; 2. Array elements at the same row and column position in each subarray area can be connected to the same channel line, and array elements at different row and column positions in each subarray area are connected to different channel lines.
  • the number of array elements in a sub-aperture area or a preset area must be less than or equal to the number of array elements in a divided sub-array area, and the array elements in a sub-aperture area or a preset area can be continuously distributed or dispersedly distributed.
  • each sub-aperture area and each preset area can be of any shape.
  • each array element in the sub-aperture region when controlling each array element in the sub-aperture region to be connected to a channel line, for any row and column position and the corresponding channel line, only one array element in the row and column position of the sub-array region is controlled to be connected to the corresponding channel line, and the array elements connected to each channel line form a continuous sub-aperture region, that is, a sub-aperture region represented by any square thick solid line frame as shown in FIG5 is formed.
  • the formed sub-aperture area should be the same as the divided sub-array area in terms of the number of array elements, the number of rows, the number of columns, etc. (the array elements corresponding to the row and column positions of one and only one sub-array area are connected to the corresponding channel line) or the formed sub-aperture area is smaller than the divided sub-array area in at least one of the number of array elements, the number of rows, the number of columns, etc.
  • the number of array elements, the number of rows, the number of columns, etc. contained in the preset area should be the same as those of the divided sub-array area (corresponding to the array elements of the row and column positions of one and only one sub-array area being connected to the corresponding channel line), or the number of array elements, the number of rows, the number of columns, etc. contained in the preset area is smaller than those of the divided sub-array area in at least one aspect (corresponding to at least one row and column position, no array element of the row and column position of a sub-array area is connected to the channel line corresponding to the row and column position).
  • the preset areas may be non-intersecting or intersecting with each other. In theory, the preset areas may be at any position.
  • the set of each preset area covers each array element on the planar array transducer.
  • each preset area can receive the ultrasonic echo signal in turn, and then the ultrasonic echo signals received by each array element in these preset areas are coherently composited to obtain an ultrasonic image, and the ultrasonic image thus obtained has an imaging effect equivalent to that of full-aperture reception, that is, the imaging effect is better.
  • the sub-aperture regions may be non-intersecting or intersecting with each other. In theory, the sub-aperture regions may be located at any position.
  • each sub-aperture region when determining each sub-aperture region for each ultrasonic signal, covers each array element on the planar array transducer.
  • each sub-aperture region can transmit an ultrasonic signal in sequence, and then the ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to these sub-aperture regions are coherently composited to obtain an ultrasonic image, and the ultrasonic image thus obtained has an imaging effect equivalent to that of full-aperture transmission, that is, the imaging effect is better.
  • each array element on the array transducer may refer to covering all array elements on the array transducer.
  • the array elements that can be used to transmit ultrasonic signals or receive ultrasonic echoes for ultrasonic imaging are not all array elements on the ultrasonic transducer.
  • “covering each array element on the array transducer” does not mean covering all array elements.
  • the set of preset areas when determining the preset areas for receiving ultrasonic echo signals, at least covers the array elements on the array transducer that are closest to the imaging target, and the set of preset areas does not include at least one array element on the array transducer that is farthest from the imaging target.
  • the set of preset areas may only include some array elements on the ultrasonic transducer, and the array elements on the ultrasonic transducer that are far from the imaging target may not be within the coverage of the set.
  • the array elements of the ultrasonic transducer that are closer to the imaging target are used to receive ultrasonic echo signals, while the array elements that are far from the imaging target are not used to receive ultrasonic echo signals. Since the ultrasonic echo signals received by the array elements that are far from the imaging target are easily interfered with and have low accuracy, the above setting can improve the quality of ultrasonic imaging.
  • the set of each sub-aperture area when determining each sub-aperture area for transmitting an ultrasonic signal, at least covers the array element on the array transducer that is closest to the imaging target, and the set of each sub-aperture area does not include at least one array element on the array transducer that is farthest from the imaging target.
  • the set of sub-aperture areas may only include some array elements on the ultrasonic transducer, and the array elements on the ultrasonic transducer that are far from the imaging target may not be within the coverage of the set.
  • the array elements of the ultrasonic transducer that are closer to the imaging target are used to transmit ultrasonic signals, while the array elements that are far from the imaging target are not used to transmit ultrasonic signals. Since the ultrasonic signals emitted by the array elements that are far from the imaging target are easily interfered with and have low accuracy, the above setting can improve the quality of ultrasonic imaging.
  • S20 Controlling each sub-aperture area to transmit an ultrasonic signal in turn, and when each sub-aperture area transmits an ultrasonic signal, controlling each preset area to receive an ultrasonic echo signal in turn, and using the ultrasonic echo signal received by each array element in each preset area as the ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to the sub-aperture area that transmits the ultrasonic signal; wherein, controlling a sub-aperture area to transmit an ultrasonic signal means controlling each array element in the sub-aperture area to be connected to a channel line, and controlling a preset area to receive an ultrasonic echo signal means controlling each array element in the preset area to be connected to a channel line.
  • step S20 may include the following steps:
  • S21 Control the array elements in the current sub-aperture area to be connected to the channel lines so that the array elements in the current sub-aperture area transmit ultrasonic signals, and control the array elements in the current preset area to be connected to the channel lines so that the current preset area receives ultrasonic echo signals; obtain the ultrasonic echo signals received by each array element in the current preset area.
  • step S22 Determine whether there is a next preset area. If the determination result is yes, execute step S23; otherwise, jump to step S24 to continue execution.
  • the sub-aperture region 1 can be first controlled to transmit an ultrasonic signal, and the preset region Ap1 can be controlled to receive an ultrasonic echo signal; then the sub-aperture region 1 can be controlled to transmit an ultrasonic signal, and the preset region Ap2 can be controlled to receive an ultrasonic echo signal; then the sub-aperture region 1 can be controlled to transmit an ultrasonic signal, and the preset region Ap3 can be controlled to receive an ultrasonic echo signal; then the sub-aperture region 1 can be controlled to transmit an ultrasonic signal, and the preset region Ap4 can be controlled to receive an ultrasonic echo signal.
  • the ultrasonic echo signals received by each array element in the preset regions Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 are used as the ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the sub-aperture region 1.
  • step S25 Determine whether there is a next sub-aperture region. If the determination result is yes, execute step S26; otherwise, jump to step S27 to continue execution.
  • a method similar to “obtaining the ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to sub-aperture region 1” can be used to obtain ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to sub-aperture region 2, sub-aperture region 3...sub-aperture region k-1, and sub-aperture region k, respectively.
  • the transmission angle of each sub-aperture region when transmitting an ultrasonic signal can be controlled.
  • Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of a transmission wave formed when a sub-aperture region transmits an ultrasonic signal at different angles.
  • the transmission path of the divergent wave can usually be regarded as being emitted from a virtual source.
  • controlling a target sub-aperture area to transmit an ultrasonic signal, and controlling a target preset area to receive an ultrasonic echo signal can be as follows: controlling the target sub-aperture area to transmit an ultrasonic signal at each transmission angle, and controlling the target preset area to respectively receive the ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to each transmission angle; wherein an ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to an transmission angle refers to an ultrasonic echo signal generated when the target sub-aperture area transmits an ultrasonic signal at the transmission angle.
  • FIG12 shows a schematic diagram of this technical solution.
  • the target sub-aperture area is sub-aperture area 1 and the target preset area is preset area Ap1
  • the sub-aperture area 1 can be controlled to transmit an ultrasonic signal at an emission angle of 1
  • the preset area Ap1 can be controlled to receive an ultrasonic echo signal
  • the sub-aperture area 1 can be controlled to transmit an ultrasonic signal at an emission angle of 2
  • the preset area Ap1 can be controlled to receive an ultrasonic echo signal...
  • the sub-aperture area 1 can be controlled to transmit an ultrasonic signal at an emission angle of a-1, and the preset area Ap1 can be controlled to receive an ultrasonic echo signal; finally, the sub-aperture area 1 can be controlled to transmit an ultrasonic signal at an emission angle of a, and the preset area Ap1 can be controlled to receive an ultrasonic echo signal.
  • a is the number of emission angles corresponding to the sub-aperture area 1.
  • the ultrasonic imaging method provided in this specification transmits at a different angles for each sub-aperture area, and each transmission is received by four preset areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 respectively.
  • the data of k ⁇ a ⁇ 4 (where 4 represents the number of preset areas, and of course, 4 can also be changed to other natural numbers) transmission and reception pairs are coherently composited to form a frame of B-mode image.
  • this method can significantly improve the contrast and signal-to-noise ratio of imaging.
  • FIG13 shows a possible schematic diagram of three working modes of a prior art area array ultrasonic transducer, which are Full, Light and Direct.
  • the regions shown in the upper layer of FIG13 correspond to the sub-array regions in FIG6
  • the regions shown in the lower layer of FIG12 also correspond to the sub-array regions in FIG6 .
  • the regions in the same vertical direction are essentially the same sub-array regions in FIG6 .
  • the Full mode means: the array elements in the subarray area Ap1 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the array elements in the subarray areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 receive ultrasonic echo signals; the array elements in the subarray area Ap2 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the subarray areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 receive ultrasonic echo signals; the array elements in the subarray area Ap3 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the subarray areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 receive ultrasonic echo signals; the array elements in the subarray area Ap4 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the subarray areas Ap1, Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 receive ultrasonic echo signals. That is to say, in the Full mode, 16 transmitting and receiving pairs are formed, and finally the 16 results (the ultrasonic echo signal received once in a subarray area is called a result) are coherently composited into an image.
  • Light mode means: the array elements in the subarray areas Ap1 and Ap2 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the array elements in the subarray areas Ap1, Ap2, and Ap3 receive ultrasonic echo signals; the array elements in the subarray area Ap3 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the array elements in the subarray areas Ap2, Ap3, and Ap4 receive ultrasonic echo signals; the array elements in the subarray area Ap4 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the array elements in the subarray areas Ap3 and Ap4 receive ultrasonic echo signals.
  • 10 transmitting and receiving pairs are formed in Light mode, and finally the 10 results (the ultrasonic echo signal received once in a subarray area is called a result) are coherently composited into an image.
  • Direct mode means: the array elements in the subarray area Ap1 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the array elements in the subarray area Ap1 receive ultrasonic signals; the array elements in the subarray area Ap2 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the array elements in the subarray area Ap2 receive ultrasonic signals; the array elements in the subarray area Ap3 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the array elements in the subarray area Ap3 receive ultrasonic signals; the array elements in the subarray area Ap4 transmit ultrasonic signals, and the array elements in the subarray area Ap4 receive ultrasonic signals. That is to say, in Direct mode, 4 transmitting and receiving pairs are formed, and finally the 4 results (the ultrasonic echo signal received once in a subarray area is called a result) are coherently composited into an image.
  • planar array ultrasonic transducer shown in FIG6 can form 16 transmitting and receiving pairs at most, and obtain 16 results, and these 16 results are used to synthesize an ultrasonic image.
  • the planar array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification can form k ⁇ a ⁇ 4 (k is the number of sub-aperture areas, a is the number of emission angles corresponding to each sub-aperture area) transmit-receive pairs.
  • the number of sub-aperture areas can be any natural number, and the number of emission angles can also be any natural number.
  • the number of transmit-receive pairs that can be formed by the planar array ultrasonic transducer provided in this specification can be much greater than the 16 transmit-receive pairs of the transducer shown in FIG6 , and the imaging parameters can be flexibly set, thereby improving the imaging quality. Therefore, the ultrasonic imaging method provided in this specification obtains an ultrasonic image of higher quality.
  • the ultrasonic imaging method provided in this specification can select any sub-aperture area and any transmission angle to transmit ultrasonic signals, and select any preset area to receive ultrasonic signals, and the number, size, and position of the preset areas can be selected arbitrarily, so the ultrasonic imaging method provided in this specification is more flexible.
  • the area array ultrasonic transducer shown in FIG6 can only select one of the above three working modes, and has low flexibility.
  • the ultrasonic imaging method when the number of channel lines of the hardware system is limited, only selects the sub-aperture array elements that are less than or equal to the number of channel lines for transmission each time, and then coherently composites the ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to multiple sub-aperture areas, so as to achieve image quality equivalent to full-aperture transmission.
  • the ultrasonic imaging method provided in this specification can flexibly control the number of transmissions and the shape of the sound field through imaging parameters such as the number and arrangement of sub-aperture areas, deflection angles and the number of deflection angles, the size of the field of view, and the size of the sub-aperture, thereby improving the imaging quality.
  • imaging parameters such as the number and arrangement of sub-aperture areas, deflection angles and the number of deflection angles, the size of the field of view, and the size of the sub-aperture, thereby improving the imaging quality.
  • the two-dimensional array transducer can be flexibly selected and controlled, and its sub-aperture imaging scheme can be explored to achieve high contrast, high signal-to-noise ratio, and large field of view three-dimensional ultrasonic imaging at a low system cost.
  • An embodiment of the present invention further provides an electronic device, as shown in FIG14 , which may include a processor 1401 and a memory 1402 , wherein the processor 1401 and the memory 1402 may be connected via a bus or other means, with FIG14 taking the connection via a bus as an example.
  • the processor 1401 may be a central processing unit (CPU).
  • the processor 1401 may also be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, or a combination of the above chips.
  • DSP digital signal processors
  • ASIC application-specific integrated circuits
  • FPGA field-programmable gate arrays
  • the memory 1402 is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that can be used to store non-transitory software programs, non-transitory computer executable programs and modules, such as program instructions/modules corresponding to the ultrasound imaging method in the embodiment of the present invention.
  • the processor 1401 executes various functional applications and data classification of the processor by running the non-transitory software programs, instructions and modules stored in the memory 1402, that is, the ultrasound imaging method in the above method embodiment is implemented.
  • the memory 1402 may include a program storage area and a data storage area, wherein the program storage area may store an operating system, an application required by at least one function; the data storage area may store data created by the processor 1401, etc.
  • the memory 1402 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage device.
  • the memory 1402 may optionally include a memory remotely arranged relative to the processor 1401, and these remote memories may be connected to the processor 1401 via a network. Examples of the above-mentioned network include, but are not limited to, the Internet, an intranet, a local area network, a mobile communication network, and combinations thereof.
  • the one or more modules are stored in the memory 1402, and when executed by the processor 1401, perform the above-mentioned ultrasound imaging method.
  • the present specification provides a computer storage medium storing computer program instructions, which implement the steps of any of the above-mentioned ultrasound imaging methods when executed by a processor.
  • the present specification provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program.
  • the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any one of the above-mentioned ultrasound imaging methods are implemented.
  • the storage medium can be a disk, an optical disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc.; the storage medium can also include a combination of the above-mentioned types of memory.
  • the present application can be used in many general or special computer system environments or configurations, such as personal computers, server computers, handheld or portable devices, tablet devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based systems, set-top boxes, programmable consumer electronic devices, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environments including any of the above systems or devices, etc.
  • the present application may be described in the general context of computer-executable instructions executed by a computer, such as program modules.
  • program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types.
  • the present application may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks are performed by remote processing devices connected through a communication network.
  • program modules may be located in local and remote computer storage media, including storage devices.

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Abstract

一种面阵超声换能器及超声成像方法、电子设备，其中，面阵超声换能器包括多个阵元，相邻阵元之间的距离一致；多个阵元被划分为多个子阵列区域，各子阵列区域均具有M行、N列的阵元；各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元可连接至同一通道线，各子阵列区域中不同行列位置的阵元连接至不同的通道线；通道线用于输入面阵超声换能器的激励信号和/或传输超声回波信号；在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置，最多只有一个子阵列区域的行列位置的阵元连接至通道线。该超声换能器减少了超声换能器的通道数量，并且能够在超声换能器面阵上的任意位置实现子孔径发射或接收，提高成像的灵活性。

Description

一种面阵超声换能器及超声成像方法、电子设备 技术领域
本申请涉及超声成像技术领域，特别涉及一种面阵超声换能器及超声成像方法、电子设备。
 背景技术
三维超声成像在医学临床与学术科研方面有重要的应用价值，它将传统的二维超声面成像提升一个维度至三维超声体成像，能体现更加丰富的结构层次信息，从而检测出二维超声成像无法评估的复杂病变或器官状态，进行更准确的临床诊断与科研探究。在各种三维超声扫描方法中，使用二维面阵换能器进行三维数据采集最为快速、精准。
全采样大孔径二维面阵超声换能器能达到好的成像质量和高的成像灵活性，但这种面阵换能器的阵元数有成千上万，要求成像系统的物理通道数也要成千上万，不仅布线难度大，成本也非常高。全采样二维面阵超声换能器阵元数量为N×N，所需系统通道数与阵元数相同，故需要高通道数的成像系统。
为减少制作成本、系统通道数、便于布线，同时实现高质量的三维成像，本领域提出了以下几种二维面阵换能器：二维稀疏阵列超声换能器、行列寻址阵列超声换能器、基于波束形成集成电路的二维面阵超声换能器、基于高压开关的可选通二维面阵超声换能器。
二维稀疏阵列超声换能器在全采样二维面阵上随机均匀选通少量激活阵元进行成像，将三维超声成像所需的系统通道数减少为所需的激活阵元数，布线简单易于实现。
行列寻址阵列超声换能器由两个垂直重叠放置的一维阵列组成，一个方向的阵列用于发射，另一个方向的阵列用于接收，从而实现聚焦成像，该方法将二维探头的阵元数从N×N变成了N+N，极大地减少了所需的系统通道数与布线成本。
基于波束形成集成电路的二维面阵超声换能器先将相邻多个阵元接收到的信号送入波束形成集成电路，经波束形成处理后输出为一个信号，从而减少进入系统的信号通路（比如四个阵元的信号输出为一个信号通路，就可以把系统通道数降低到阵元数的1/4）。但这样的换能器延时、聚焦等参数都固定了，不够灵活，只能应用于特定的成像需求。
二维稀疏阵列超声换能器与全采样面阵相比，稀疏阵列的灵敏度和分辨率随着激活阵元的减少而降低，且激活阵元最优化排列的计算耗时并依赖于参数。行列寻址阵列超声换能器由于结构上并不是真正意义上的二维阵列，成像时会产生边缘效应，有较大的主瓣宽度和较强的旁瓣幅度，与全采样面阵相比分辨率较差。基于波束形成集成电路的二维面阵超声换能器由于集成电路中设置的波束形成延时为固定值，探头的成像参数也随之固定，不能随着应用灵活调节，使用场景受限。所以，全采样二维面阵超声换能器仍是三维超声成像的最优选择，在信噪比，灵敏度，分辨率，波束控制的灵活性上都有极大优势。
基于高压开关的可选通全采样二维面阵超声换能器，连接到可编程高压开关进行子孔径的选通，实现由低通道超声成像系统完成全采样千阵元面阵超声换能器的三维超声成像。
然而，现有的1024阵元全采样二维面阵超声换能器为了实现线路连接将1024阵元分成四个子阵列（8×32），各子阵列之间存在0.6 mm的间隔。由于间隔的存在与其布线方式的限制，只能选择固定的四个子孔径进行成像，严重影响了成像方法优化的灵活性，也导致较差的成像质量。
 技术问题
本说明书的目的是提供一种面阵超声换能器及超声成像方法、电子设备，以解决现有超声成像方法不灵活、成像质量差的问题。
 技术解决方案
为解决上述技术问题，本说明书第一方面提供一种面阵超声换能器，包括：呈阵列分布的多个阵元，相邻阵元在第一方向上的距离一致，且相邻阵元在第二方向上的距离一致，其中所述第一方向与所述第二方向垂直；所述多个阵元被划分为多个子阵列区域，各子阵列区域均具有M行、N列的阵元；各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元可连接至同一通道线，各子阵列区域中不同行列位置的阵元连接至不同的通道线；所述通道线用于输入所述面阵超声换能器的激励信号和/或传输超声回波信号；其中，所述M、所述N为自然数；在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置，最多只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至通道线。
在一些实施例中，在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置及所述行列位置对应的通道线，有且只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至所述通道线。
在一些实施例中，连接至各通道线的阵元形成一个连续的子孔径区域。
在一些实施例中，各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元通过多选一可控开关连接至所述通道线。
在一些实施例中，所述通道线的数量与每个子阵列区域中的阵元数量相同，所述多选一可控开关的动触点的数量与所划分的子阵列区域的数量相同。
在一些实施例中，各子阵列区域呈X行Y列排布，所述X、所述Y均为任意自然数。
本说明书第二方面提供一种超声成像方法，用于面阵超声换能器，所述面阵超声换能器包括呈阵列分布的多个阵元，相邻阵元在第一方向上的距离一致，且相邻阵元在第二方向上的距离一致，其中所述第一方向与所述第二方向垂直；所述多个阵元被划分为多个子阵列区域，各子阵列区域具有M行及N列的阵元；各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元可连接至同一通道线，各子阵列区域中不同行列位置的阵元连接至不同的通道线；所述通道线用于输入所述面阵超声换能器的激励信号和/或传输超声回波信号；其中，所述M、N为自然数；在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置，最多只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至通道线；所述方法包括：确定用于发射超声信号的各子孔径区域、用于接收超声回波信号的各预设区域；依次控制各子孔径区域发射超声信号，并在每个子孔径区域发射超声信号时，依次控制各预设区域接收超声回波信号，并将各预设区域内的各阵元所接收到的超声回波信号作为与发射超声信号的子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号；其中，控制一个子孔径区域发射超声信号是指控制所述子孔径区域内的各阵元连接至通道线，控制一个预设区域接收超声回波信号是指控制所述预设区域内的各阵元连接至通道线；将各子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号进行处理，得到超声图像。
在一些实施例中，在控制所述子孔径区域内的各阵元连接至通道线时，对于任意一个行列位置及对应的通道线，控制只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至所述对应的通道线，并且连接至各通道线的阵元形成一个连续的子孔径区域。
在一些实施例中，在确定用于接收超声回波信号的各预设区域时，使各预设区域的集合覆盖所述面阵换能器上的各阵元；和/或，在确定用于发射超声信号的各子孔径区域时，使各子孔径区域的集合覆盖所述面阵换能器上的各阵元。
在一些实施例中，在确定用于接收超声回波信号的各预设区域时，使各预设区域的集合至少覆盖所述面阵换能器上离成像目标最近的阵元，并且各预设区域的集合不包括面阵换能器上离成像目标最远的至少一个阵元；和/或，在确定用于发射超声信号的各子孔径区域时，使各子孔径区域的集合至少覆盖所述面阵换能器上离成像目标最近的阵元，并且各子孔径区域的集合不包括面阵换能器上离成像目标最远的至少一个阵元。
在一些实施例中，所述各子孔径区域及所述各预设区域包括任意形状。
在一些实施例中，所述预设区域与划分的各子阵列区域的行数及列数均相同。
在一些实施例中，在控制各子孔径区域发射超声信号之前，还包括：确定各子孔径区域分别对应的发射角度；控制一个目标子孔径区域发射超声信号，并控制一个目标预设区域接收超声回波信号，包括：控制所述目标子孔径区域以各发射角度发射超声信号，并控制所述目标预设区域分别接收各个发射角度对应的超声回波信号；其中，一个发射角度对应的超声回波信号是指所述目标子孔径区域以所述发射角度发射超声信号时产生的超声回波信号。
本说明书第三方面提供一种电子设备，包括：存储器和处理器，所述处理器和所述存储器之间互相通信连接，所述存储器中存储有计算机指令，所述处理器通过执行所述计算机指令，从而实现第二方面任一项所述方法的步骤。
本说明书第四方面提供一种计算机存储介质，所述计算机存储介质存储有计算机程序指令，所述计算机程序指令被处理器执行时实现第二方面任一项所述方法的步骤。
本说明书所提供的超声换能器，能够在行方向上的距离一致、列方向上的距离一致的情况下减少超声换能器的通道数量，并且能够在超声换能器面阵上的任意位置实现子孔径发射或接收，可以实现任意形状的子孔径。
 有益效果
本说明书所提供的超声成像方法，可以实现使用低通道、低成本的成像系统完成高通道全采样二维超声探头的三维超声成像，同时，通过灵活调整三维子孔径超声成像算法的成像参数，可以优化成像质量，大大提升三维超声成像的分辨率、对比度与信噪比。
 附图说明
为了更清楚地说明本申请实施方式或现有技术中的技术方案，下面将对实施方式或现有技术描述中所需要使用的附图作简单地介绍，显而易见地，下面描述中的附图仅仅是本申请中记载的一些实施方式，对于本领域普通技术人员来讲，在不付出创造性劳动性的前提下，还可以根据这些附图获得其他的附图。
图1示出了多选一可控选择器的结构示意图；
图2至图4示出了本说明书提供的一种面阵超声换能器的布线方式示意图；
图5示出了子孔径区域的示意图；
图6示出了现有技术中可能存在的一种超声换能器的布线方式示意图；
图7示出了本说明书提供的另一种面阵超声换能器的布线方式示意图；
图8示出了本说明书提供的超声成像方法的流程图；
图9示出了图8中的步骤20的一种实施方式示意图；
图10示出了基于图2至图4所示的超声换能器布线方式提出的一种超声成像方法的示意图；
图11示出了子孔径区域以不同发射角度发射超声信号的示意图；
图12示出了基于图2至图4所示的超声换能器布线方式提出的另一种超声成像方法的示意图；
图13示出了一种可能的现有技术的超声换能器的三种工作模式示意图；
图14示出了本说明书提供的一种电子设备的原理框图。
 本发明的实施方式
为了使本技术领域的人员更好地理解本申请中的技术方案，下面将结合本申请实施方式中的附图，对本申请实施方式中的技术方案进行清楚、完整地描述，显然，所描述的实施方式仅仅是本申请一部分实施方式，而不是全部的实施方式。基于本申请中的实施方式，本领域普通技术人员在没有作出创造性劳动前提下所获得的所有其他实施方式，都应当属于本申请保护的范围。
本说明书提供一种面阵超声换能器，该面阵超声换能器包括呈阵列分布的多个阵元，这些多个阵元在第一方向上的距离一致，且这些多个阵元在第二方向上的距离一致，其中所述第一方向与所述第二方向垂直。其中，第一方向可以是阵列中的一行阵元的延伸方向（以下简称行方向），第二方向可以是阵列中的一列阵元的延伸方向（以下简称列方向）。
这些阵元被划分为多个子阵列区域，各子阵列区域均具有M行、N列的阵元。各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元可连接至同一通道线，各子阵列区域中不同行列位置的阵元连接至不同的通道线。通道线用于输入面阵超声换能器的激励信号和/或传输超声回波信号。其中，M、N为自然数。在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置，最多只有一个子阵列区域的行列位置的阵元连接至通道线。
本说明书中所提及的超声换能器，可以是以下至少一者：压电换能器、电容式微机械超声换能器（CMUT）、压电式微机械超声换能器（PMUT）。
“相邻阵元”的“距离一致”，可以是相邻阵元之间的距离相等，也可以是相邻阵元之间的距离差值非常小以至于对于成像结果的影响可以忽略。
本说明书所述的“行列位置”是指通过行和列定位的一个位置。由于各子阵列区域都是M行、N列的阵元，因此各子阵列区域的形状、布局是相同的。任意子阵列区域的任意一个阵元都可以通过行数和列数来定位。
“不同行列位置”是指两个位置的行数不同和/或列数不同。
“在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置，‘最多只有一个’子阵列区域的行列位置的阵元连接至通道线”，可以是对于m行n列的位置（m为1至M的任意一个自然数，n为1至N的任意一个自然数），没有一个子阵列区域的m行n列阵元连接至m行n列对应的通道线，也可以是有一个子阵列区域的m行n列阵元连接至m行n列对应的通道线。通道线与行列位置是一一对应的。
上述“各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元可连接至同一通道线”，是指各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元可被控制连接至同一通道线。也即，各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元可连接至同一可控器件，该可控器件连接至该行列位置对应的通道线，通过控制该可控器件可以选择（连接至该可控器件的各阵元中）哪一个或者哪几个阵元与该通道线电连接。
在一些实施例中，该可控器件可以包括多个可控开关，其中，每个可控开关对应于一个阵元，可控开关的一端与对应的阵元电连接，另一端与通道线电连接。通过控制可控开关是否闭合来控制各阵元是否连接至该通道线。上述多个可控开关可被集成在同一个芯片中。
在另一些实施例中，该可控器件可以是多选一的可控选择器，如图1所示，该多选一可控选择器包括一个静触点、多个动触点和触头，静触点与通道线电连接，每一个动触点分别与一个阵元电连接。触头的第一端与静触点电连接，另一端可被控制与任意一个动触点电连接，从而实现控制该动触点对应的阵元与通道线电连接。
动触点的数量不少于所划分的子阵列区域的数量相同。在一些实施例中，动触点的数量与所划分的子阵列区域的数量相同。也即在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置（例如m行n列的阵元），有且只有一个子阵列区域的该行列位置的阵元连接至通道线。在另一些实施例中，动触点的数量也可以比所划分的子阵列区域的数量多1，例如，多出来的1个动触点悬空（即什么也不接），那么当触头与该动触点连接时，表示在同一时刻，对于一个行列位置（例如m行n列的阵元），没有一个子阵列区域的该行列位置的阵元连接至通道线。
本说明书中的“多选一可控选择器”具体可以为多路复用高压开关。
本说明书中的“通道线”用于输入面阵超声换能器的激励信号和/或传输超声回波信号。一个面阵超声换能器的所有通道线可以都用于输入激励信号，也可以都用于传输超声回波信号。也可以是一个面阵超声换能器中的一部分通道线用于输入激励信号，另一部分通道线用于传输超声回波信号。通道线具体用于输入激励信号还是用于传输超声回波信号，可以根据面阵超声换能器的具体使用方式而定。
图2至图4示出了本说明书提供的一种面阵超声换能器的示意图。该面阵超声换能器包括1024个阵元，这些阵元呈32×32的排列方式。这些阵元被划分为以下四个子阵列区域：Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4。这四个子阵列区域中，每个子阵列区域呈16×16的排列方式。这四个子阵列区域呈“田”字型排列。
各子阵列区域中同一行同一列位置的阵元可连接至同一通道线，不同行或者不同列的阵元连接至不同的通道线。例如，如图3所示，子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4中第1行第1列位置的阵元连接至可控开关Switch 1，该可控开关Switch 1连接至“第1通道线”；如图4所示，子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4中第16行第16列位置的阵元连接至可控开关Switch 256，该可控开关Switch 256连接至“第256通道线”。图2所示的面阵超声换能器可对应有256个Switch、256个通道线。图3和图4仅示出了子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4中的2个阵元的连接方式，其余阵元的连接方式可以依据图2和图3的连接方式类推得到。
虽然图2至图4示出了呈田字形排列的四个子阵列区域的示意图，然而本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器也可以被划分为其他数量的阵列区域，例如，可以是6个子阵列区域，这6个子阵列区域呈2行3列的排列方式；也可以是9个子阵列区域，这9个子阵列区域呈3×3的排列方式。也即，本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器可被划分为X×Y个子阵列区域，这X×Y个区域呈X行Y列排布。X、Y可以均可以为任意的自然数。在一些示例中，X≥2，Y≥2，也就是说，面阵超声换能器至少具有2行，且至少具有2列。
在一些实施例中，在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置及所述行列位置对应的通道线，有且只有一个子阵列区域的该行列位置的阵元连接至该通道线；并且，连接至各通道线的阵元形成一个连续的子孔径区域。
例如，各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元通过K选一可控开关连接至通道线，这样可以实现上述“有且只有一个子阵列区域的该行列位置的阵元连接至该通道线”。通道线的数量与一个子阵列区域中所包含的阵元的数量是相同的，K的取值与所划分的子阵列区域的数量是相同的。
在“有且只有一个子阵列区域的该行列位置的阵元连接至该通道线”这一设置下，连接至通道线的阵元可以是分散在面阵换能器上的各个位置。控制连接至通道线的阵元形成一个连续的子孔径区域，能够便于子孔径成像时所发射的超声信号更为集中，使得信号强度高、成像效果更好。
图5示出了子孔径区域的示意图，其中每个正方形粗实线框表示一个子孔径区域。例如，在t1时刻，上方的正方形实线粗框内的阵元全部连接至通道线，在该正方形粗实线框外的阵元由于布线方式的限制全都不连接至通道线，也就是说选取正方形粗实线框内的阵元发射超声信号或接收超声回波信号，那么该正方形粗实线框所圈中的区域即为t1时刻对应的子孔径区域；在t2时刻，下方的正方形粗实线框内的阵元全部连接至通道线，而在该正方形粗实线框外的阵元由于布线方式的限制全都不连接至通道线，也就是说选取正方形粗实线框内的阵元发射超声信号或接收超声回波信号，那么该正方形粗实线框所圈中的区域即为t2时刻对应的子孔径区域。图5中示出了两个子孔径区域的位置示意图。实际上子孔径区域可以有多种位置，区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4中的任意一个子阵列区域也可以形成一个子孔径。
所形成的连续的子孔径区域，最大可以与所划分的子阵列区域一样大，最大的、连续的子孔径区域所包含的阵元数量、排布方式与所划分的子阵列区域均相同。
需要说明的是，在“同一时刻，对于一个行列位置及该行列位置对应的通道线，可以没有一个子阵列区域的该行列位置的阵元连接至该通道线”的情况下，所形成的连续子孔径区域的行数、列数均小于所划分的子阵列区域。
图6示出了现有技术中可能存在的一种面阵超声换能器的阵元排列示意图，其中1024个阵元被划分为4个子阵列区域，每个区域有256个子阵列阵元，这256个阵元呈8行32列的矩形排列。相邻在阵列区域之间的距离大于子阵列区域内各阵元间的距离。各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元也通过多选一可控开关连接至通道线。通道线的数量也与每个子阵列区域中的阵元数量相同，也即有256个通道线。
本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器与图6所示面阵超声换能器的区别在于；1、本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器的各阵元之间的距离一致，也即各子阵列区域间的距离等于子阵列区域内各阵元间的距离，而在图6中相邻子阵列区域之间的距离是大于子阵列区域内各阵元间的距离的，也即各阵元之间的距离并不是一致的；2、本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器的子阵列区域的行数、列数均可以任意选择，而图6中子阵列区域的列数只能是1列；3、本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器可以在面阵超声换能器面阵上的任意位置形成用于发射超声或接收超声回波的子孔径区域（可以实现任意形状的子孔径），而图6所示的面阵超声换能器则不可以跨区域形成子孔径区域。
针对上述第3点，由于图6中各子阵列区域之间的距离是大于子阵列区域内各阵元间的距离的，因此图6所示面阵超声换能器只能每次控制子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4中的一个作为子孔径区域，在子孔径区域跨越两个子阵列区域的情况下，超声成像效果会受子阵列区域间间隔的影响，从而导致超声成像效果不好。如图7所示，本说明书所提供的超声换能器中，跨区域形成的子孔径区域（如图7中的黑色粗实线大矩形框所示）与任意一个子阵列区域形成子孔径区域的成像效果是一样的。如图7中的黑色粗实线小矩形框所示，本说明书所提供的超声换能器中，子孔径区域的大小是可以随意选取的。实质上，子孔径区域的形状也是可以随意选取的，例如子孔径形状还可以为近似圆形的形状。
需要说明的是，在本申请之前，各阵元之间的距离一致的面阵超声换能器，通常是每个阵元分别连接至一个通道线，也即通道线的数量等于阵元的数量，因此面阵超声换能器的通道数较多。而本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器通过多路复用减少了面阵超声换能器的通道数量，而这种阵元布线方式是在面阵超声换能器上的任意位置实现子孔径发射或接收（甚至可以实现任意形状的子孔径）的前提条件。
通过上述分析可知，本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器，能够在保持各阵元之间距离一致的情况下减少面阵超声换能器的通道数量，并且能够在面阵超声换能器面阵上的任意位置实现子孔径发射或接收，甚至可以实现任意形状的子孔径。
子孔径成像方案每次发射和接收时仅选通全孔径中的部分子孔径，再将多个子孔径的成像结果相干复合，在保持高成像帧频的同时实现高质量的超声成像。在硬件系统的通道线数量有限的情况下，每次只选通小于或等于系统通道数的子孔径阵元进行发射，再将信号进行相干复合，可实现与全孔径发射相当的图像质量。由于工艺水平的限制，面阵超声换能器布线需要留有部分空间以放置连接阵元的通道线，因此，图6所示的面阵超声换能器将全孔径划分为了四个子孔径，且各子孔径间存在间隔，严重影响了成像质量及成像方法的灵活性。
基于子孔径成像原理，本说明书基于上文提供的面阵超声换能器提供一种超声成像方法，如图8所示，该超声成像方法包括如下步骤：
S10：确定用于发射超声信号的各子孔径区域、用于接收超声回波信号的各预设区域。
面阵超声换能器的布线结构具有以下特点：1、在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置，最多只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至通道线；2、各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元可连接至同一通道线，各子阵列区域中不同行列位置的阵元连接至不同的通道线。
由于面阵超声换能器的上述布线结构的限制，一个子孔径区域或者一个预设区域中的阵元数量必然是少于或等于所划分的一个子阵列区域中的阵元数量，并且一个子孔径区域或者一个预设区域中的阵元可以是连续分布的，也可以是分散分布的。
在一些实施例中，各子孔径区域及各预设区域可以是任意形状。
在另一些实施例中，在控制所述子孔径区域内的各阵元连接至通道线时，对于任意一个行列位置及对应的通道线，控制只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至所述对应的通道线，并且连接至各通道线的阵元形成一个连续的子孔径区域。即形成如图5中所示的任意一个正方形粗实线框所表示的子孔径区域。
从图5可以看出，基于面阵超声换能器的上述布线结构的限制，在一个子孔径区域连续的情况下，所形成的一个子孔径区域在所包含的阵元数量、行数、列数等各方面都应当是与所划分的子阵列区域相同的（对应于有且只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至所述对应的通道线）或者所形成的一个子孔径区域在所包含的阵元数量、行数、列数等方面中的至少一个方面是小于所划分的子阵列区域的。
类似地，基于面阵超声换能器的上述布线结构的限制，在一个预设区域连续的情况下，一个预设区域在所包含的阵元数量、行数、列数等各方面都应当是与所划分的子阵列区域相同的（对应于有且只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至所述对应的通道线）或者一个预设区域在所包含的阵元数量、行数、列数等方面中的至少一个方面是小于所划分的子阵列区域的（对应于至少一个行列位置，没有一个子阵列区域的该行列位置的阵元连接至该行列位置对应的通道线）。
各预设区域之间可以是互不交叉的，也可以是有交叉的。理论上，各预设区域可以是在任意位置的。
在一些实施例中，在确定用于接收超声回波信号的各预设区域时，使各预设区域的集合覆盖所述面阵换能器上的各阵元。通过这一设置，在一个子孔径区域发射超声信号时，各预设区域可以依次接收超声回波信号，再将这些预设区域内的各阵元所接收的超声回波信号进行相干复合得到超声图像，由此得到的超声图像与全孔径接收相当的成像效果，即成像效果更佳。
各子孔径区域之间可以是互不交叉的，也可以是有交叉的。理论上，各子孔径区域可以是在任意位置的。
在一些实施例中，在确定用于各超声信号的各子孔径区域时，使各子孔径区域的集合覆盖所述面阵换能器上的各阵元。通过这一设置，各子孔径区域可以依次发射超声信号，再将这些子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号进行相干复合得到超声图像，由此得到的超声图像与全孔径发射相当的成像效果，即成像效果更佳。
上述“覆盖所述面阵换能器上的各阵元”，可以是指覆盖面阵换能器上的所有阵元。在一些情况下（例如部分阵元故障），能够用于发射超声信号或接收超声回波的阵元以进行超声成像的阵元并不是超声换能器上的所有阵元，在这种情况下，“覆盖所述面阵换能器上的各阵元”并非是覆盖所有阵元。
在另一些实施例中，在确定用于接收超声回波信号的各预设区域时，使各预设区域的集合至少覆盖所述面阵换能器上离成像目标最近的阵元，并且各预设区域的集合不包括面阵换能器上离成像目标最远的至少一个阵元。也就是说，预设区域的集合可以仅包括超声换能器上的部分阵元，超声换能器上离成像目标较远的阵元可以不在该集合的覆盖范围内。例如，采用超声换能器中距离成像对象较近的阵元接收超声回波信号，而不采用距离成像对象较远的阵元接收超声回波信号。由于距离成像对象较远的阵元所接收的超声回波信号容易受干扰、准确性不高，因此上述设置能够提高超声成像的质量。
在一些实施例中，在确定用于发射超声信号的各子孔径区域时，使各子孔径区域的集合至少覆盖所述面阵换能器上离成像目标最近的阵元，并且各子孔径区域的集合不包括面阵换能器上离成像目标最远的至少一个阵元。也就是说，子孔径区域的集合可以仅包括超声换能器上的部分阵元，超声换能器上离成像目标较远的阵元可以不在该集合的覆盖范围内。例如，采用超声换能器中距离成像对象较近的阵元发射超声信号，而不采用距离成像对象较远的阵元发射超声信号。由于距离成像对象较远的阵元所发射的超声信号容易受干扰、准确性不高，因此上述设置能够提高超声成像的质量。
S20：依次控制各子孔径区域发射超声信号，并在每个子孔径区域发射超声信号时，依次控制各预设区域接收超声回波信号，并将各预设区域内的各阵元所接收到的超声回波信号作为与发射超声信号的子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号；其中，控制一个子孔径区域发射超声信号是指控制所述子孔径区域内的各阵元连接至通道线，控制一个预设区域接收超声回波信号是指控制所述预设区域内的各阵元连接至通道线。
具体地，如图9所示，步骤S20可以包括如下步骤：
S21：控制当前子孔径区域内的阵元连接至通道线，以使当前子孔径区域内的阵元发射超声信号，并控制当前预设区域内的阵元连接至通道线，以使当前预设区域接收超声回波信号；获取当前预设区域内的各阵元接收到的超声回波信号。
S22：判断是否存在下一预设区域。在判断结果为是的情况下，执行步骤S23；否则跳转至步骤S24继续执行。
S23：将当前预设区域的下一预设区域作为当前预设区域，并跳转至S21继续执行。
S24：将当前子孔径区域发射超声信号时，各预设区域的各阵元接收到的超声回波信号作为当前子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号。
下面以图2至图5所示的面阵超声换能器来阐述上述步骤S21至S27。
如图10所示，可以先控制子孔径区域1发射超声信号，并控制预设区域Ap1接收超声回波信号；再控制子孔径区域1发射超声信号，并控制预设区域Ap2接收超声回波信号；然后控制子孔径区域1发射超声信号，并控制预设区域Ap3接收超声回波信号；然后再控制子孔径区域1发射超声信号，并控制预设区域Ap4接收超声回波信号。将上述预设区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4中的各阵元所接收到的超声回波信号作为子孔径区域1所对应的超声回波信号。
S25：判断是否存在下一子孔径区域。在判断结果为是的情况下，执行步骤S26；否则跳转至步骤S27继续执行。
S26：将当前子孔径区域的下一子孔径区域作为当前子孔径区域，并跳转至S21继续执行。
沿用上例，如图10所示，可以采用与“获取子孔径区域1所对应的超声回波信号时”类似的方法，获取子孔径区域2、子孔径区域3……子孔径区域k-1、子孔径区域k分别对应的超声回波信号。
S27：在获取各子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号之后，将各子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号进行相干复合，得到超声图像。
S30：将各子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号进行处理，得到超声图像。
在一些实施例中，各子孔径区域发射超声信号时的发射角度是可以控制的。图11示出了一个子孔径区域以不同角度发射超声信号时所形成的发射波的示意图。发散波的传输路径通常可以被看做是从一个虚拟源发出的。
相应地，控制一个目标子孔径区域发射超声信号，并控制一个目标预设区域接收超声回波信号，可以为：控制所述目标子孔径区域以各发射角度发射超声信号，并控制所述目标预设区域分别接收各个发射角度对应的超声回波信号；其中，一个发射角度对应的超声回波信号是指所述目标子孔径区域以所述发射角度发射超声信号时产生的超声回波信号。
图12示出了这一技术方案的示意图。如图12所示，假设目标子孔径区域为子孔径区域1、目标预设区域为预设区域Ap1，那么可以先控制子孔径区域1以发射角度1发射超声信号，并控制预设区域Ap1接收超声回波信号；再控制子孔径区域1以发射角度2发射超声信号，并控制预设区域Ap1接收超声回波信号……控制子孔径区域1以发射角度a-1发射超声信号，并控制预设区域Ap1接收超声回波信号；最后控制子孔径区域1以发射角度a发射超声信号，并控制预设区域Ap1接收超声回波信号。其中，a为子孔径区域1所对应的发射角度的个数。
本说明书所提供的超声成像方法，对每个子孔径区域在a个不同角度下进行发射，每次发射由Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4四个预设区域分别接收，将k×a×4（其中，4表示预设区域的个数，当然，4也可以更改为其他自然数）个发射接收对的数据进行相干复合合成一帧B mode图像，该方法相比于传统三维超声成像方法可以显著提升成像的对比度与信噪比。
图13示出了一种可能的现有技术的面阵超声换能器的三种工作模式示意图，这三种工作模式 Full、Light和Direct。图13中上层所示的各区域对应于图6中的各子阵列区域，图12中的下层所示的各区域也对应于图6中的各子阵列区域，同一竖直方向上的区域实质是图6中的同一子阵列区域。
Full模式是指：子阵列区域Ap1内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4内的阵元接收超声回波信号；子阵列区域Ap2内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4接收超声回波信号；子阵列区域Ap3内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4接收超声回波信号；子阵列区域Ap4内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3、Ap4接收超声回波信号。也就是说在Full模式下形成了16个发射接收对，最后将16个结果（一个子阵列区域的一次接收的超声回波信号称为一个结果）相干复合成一张图像。
Light模式是指：子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap1、Ap2、Ap3内的阵元接收超声回波信号；子阵列区域Ap3内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap2、Ap3、Ap4内的阵元接收超声回波信号；子阵列区域Ap4内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap3、Ap4内的阵元接收超声回波信号。也就说在Light模式下形成了10个发射接收对，最后将10个结果（一个子阵列区域的一次接收的超声回波信号称为一个结果）相干复合成一张图像。
Direct模式是指：子阵列区域Ap1内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap1内的阵元接收超声信号；子阵列区域Ap2内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap2内的阵元接收超声信号；子阵列区域Ap3内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap3内的阵元接收超声信号；子阵列区域Ap4内的阵元发射超声信号，子阵列区域Ap4内的阵元接收超声信号。也就是说在Direct模式下形成了4个发射接收对，最后将4个结果（一个子阵列区域的一次接收的超声回波信号称为一个结果）相干复合成一张图像。
由此可见，图6中所示面阵超声换能器最多能够形成16个发射接收对，得到16个结果，采用这16个结果合成超声图像。
然而，如图12所示，本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器能够形成k×a×4（k为子孔径区域的数量、a为每个子孔径区域对应的发射角度的个数）个发射接收对。子孔径区域的数量可以为任意自然数，发射角度的数量也可以为任意自然数。由此可见，本说明书所提供的面阵超声换能器所能够形成的发射接收对的数量可以远多于图6所示换能器的16个发射接受对，可以灵活设置成像参数，从而提高成像质量。因此，本说明书所提供的超声成像方法得到的超声图像的质量更高。
本说明书所提供的超声成像方法可以选择任意子孔径区域、任意发射角度发射超声信号，并选择任意预设区域接收超声信号，并且预设区域的数量、大小、位置都是可以任意选取的，因此本说明书所提供的超声成像方法更为灵活。而图6所示的面阵超声换能器只能够选择上述三种工作模式中的一个模式，灵活性较低。
本说明书所提供的超声成像方法，在硬件系统的通道线数量有限的情况下，每次只选通小于或等于通道线数量的子孔径阵元进行发射，再将多个子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号进行相干复合，可实现与全孔径发射相当的图像质量。
本说明书所提供的超声成像方法，通过子孔径区域的数量和排列位置、偏转角度与偏转角数量、视野开角大小、子孔径大小等成像参数，可以灵活控制发射次数、声场形状，从而提升成像质量。结合本说明书所提供的超声换能器的布线方式与面阵换能器的结构优势，可灵活任意选通与控制二维面阵换能器，探究其子孔径成像方案，以较低的系统成本实高对比度、高信噪比、大视野范围的三维超声成像。
本发明实施例还提供了一种电子设备，如图14所示，该电子设备可以包括处理器1401和存储器1402，其中处理器1401和存储器1402可以通过总线或者其他方式连接，图14中以通过总线连接为例。
处理器1401可以为中央处理器（Central Processing Unit，CPU）。处理器1401还可以为其他通用处理器、数字信号处理器（Digital Signal Processor，DSP）、专用集成电路（Application Specific Integrated Circuit，ASIC）、现场可编程门阵列（Field-Programmable Gate Array，FPGA）或者其他可编程逻辑器件、分立门或者晶体管逻辑器件、分立硬件组件等芯片，或者上述各类芯片的组合。
存储器1402作为一种非暂态计算机可读存储介质，可用于存储非暂态软件程序、非暂态计算机可执行程序以及模块，如本发明实施例中的超声成像方法对应的程序指令/模块。处理器1401通过运行存储在存储器1402中的非暂态软件程序、指令以及模块，从而执行处理器的各种功能应用以及数据分类，即实现上述方法实施例中的超声成像方法。
存储器1402可以包括存储程序区和存储数据区，其中，存储程序区可存储操作系统、至少一个功能所需要的应用程序；存储数据区可存储处理器1401所创建的数据等。此外，存储器1402可以包括高速随机存取存储器，还可以包括非暂态存储器，例如至少一个磁盘存储器件、闪存器件、或其他非暂态固态存储器件。在一些实施例中，存储器1402可选包括相对于处理器1401远程设置的存储器，这些远程存储器可以通过网络连接至处理器1401。上述网络的实例包括但不限于互联网、企业内部网、局域网、移动通信网及其组合。
所述一个或者多个模块存储在所述存储器1402中，当被所述处理器1401执行时，执行上述超声成像方法。
上述电子设备具体细节可以参阅上述实施例中的相关描述和效果进行理解，此处不再赘述。
本说明书提供一种计算机存储介质，该计算机存储介质存储有计算机程序指令，该计算机程序指令被处理器执行时实现上述任一种超声成像方法的步骤。
本说明书提供一种计算机程序产品，该计算机程序产品包含有计算机程序，该计算机程序被处理器执行时实现上述任一种超声成像方法的步骤。
本领域技术人员可以理解，实现上述实施例方法中的全部或部分流程，是可以通过计算机程序来指令相关的硬件来完成，所述的程序可存储于一计算机可读取存储介质中，该程序在执行时，可包括如上述各方法的实施例的流程。其中，所述存储介质可为磁碟、光盘、只读存储记忆体（Read-Only Memory，ROM）、随机存储记忆体（Random Access Memory，RAM）、快闪存储器（Flash Memory）、硬盘（Hard Disk Drive，缩写：HDD）或固态硬盘（Solid-State Drive，SSD)等；所述存储介质还可以包括上述种类的存储器的组合。
本说明书中的各个实施方式均采用递进的方式描述，各个实施方式之间相同相似的部分互相参见即可，每个实施方式重点说明的都是与其他实施方式的不同之处。
上述实施方式阐明的系统、装置、模块或单元，具体可以由计算机芯片或实体实现，或者由具有某种功能的产品来实现。
为了描述的方便，描述以上装置时以功能分为各种单元分别描述。当然，在实施本申请时可以把各单元的功能在同一个或多个软件和/或硬件中实现。
通过以上的实施方式的描述可知，本领域的技术人员可以清楚地了解到本申请可借助软件加必需的通用硬件平台的方式来实现。基于这样的理解，本申请的技术方案本质上或者说对现有技术做出贡献的部分可以以软件产品的形式体现出来，该计算机软件产品可以存储在存储介质中，如ROM/RAM、磁碟、光盘等，包括若干指令用以使得一台计算机设备（可以是个人计算机，服务器，或者网络设备等）执行本申请各个实施方式的某些部分的方法。
本申请可用于众多通用或专用的计算机系统环境或配置中。例如：个人计算机、服务器计算机、手持设备或便携式设备、平板型设备、多处理器系统、基于微处理器的系统、置顶盒、可编程的消费电子设备、网络PC、小型计算机、大型计算机、包括以上任何系统或设备的分布式计算环境等等。
本申请可以在由计算机执行的计算机可执行指令的一般上下文中描述，例如程序模块。一般地，程序模块包括执行特定任务或实现特定抽象数据类型的例程、程序、对象、组件、数据结构等等。也可以在分布式计算环境中实践本申请，在这些分布式计算环境中，由通过通信网络而被连接的远程处理设备来执行任务。在分布式计算环境中，程序模块可以位于包括存储设备在内的本地和远程计算机存储介质中。
虽然通过实施方式描绘了本申请，本领域普通技术人员知道，本申请有许多变形和变化而不脱离本申请的精神，希望所附的权利要求包括这些变形和变化而不脱离本申请的精神。

Claims (13)

  1. 一种面阵超声换能器，其特征在于，包括：
    呈阵列分布的多个阵元，相邻阵元在第一方向上的距离一致，且相邻阵元在第二方向上的距离一致，其中所述第一方向与所述第二方向垂直；
    所述多个阵元被划分为多个子阵列区域，各子阵列区域均具有M行、N列的阵元；各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元可连接至同一通道线，各子阵列区域中不同行列位置的阵元连接至不同的通道线；所述通道线用于输入所述面阵超声换能器的激励信号和/或传输超声回波信号；其中，所述M、所述N为自然数；
    在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置，最多只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至通道线。
  2. 根据权利要求1所述的面阵超声换能器，其特征在于，在同一时刻，对于任意一个行列位置及所述行列位置对应的通道线，有且只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至所述通道线。
  3. 根据权利要求1所述的面阵超声换能器，其特征在于，连接至各通道线的阵元形成一个连续的子孔径区域。
  4. 根据权利要求1所述的面阵超声换能器，其特征在于，各子阵列区域中同一行列位置的阵元通过多选一可控开关连接至所述通道线；所述通道线的数量与每个子阵列区域中的阵元数量相同，所述多选一可控开关的动触点的数量与所划分的子阵列区域的数量相同。
  5. 根据权利要求1所述的面阵超声换能器，其特征在于，各子阵列区域呈X行Y列排布，所述X、所述Y均为任意自然数。
  6. 一种超声成像方法，其特征在于，用于权利要求1至5任一项所述的面阵超声换能器，所述方法包括：
    确定用于发射超声信号的各子孔径区域、用于接收超声回波信号的各预设区域；
    依次控制各子孔径区域发射超声信号，并在每个子孔径区域发射超声信号时，依次控制各预设区域接收超声回波信号，并将各预设区域内的各阵元所接收到的超声回波信号作为与发射超声信号的子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号；其中，控制一个子孔径区域发射超声信号是指控制所述子孔径区域内的各阵元连接至通道线，控制一个预设区域接收超声回波信号是指控制所述预设区域内的各阵元连接至通道线；
    将各子孔径区域对应的超声回波信号进行处理，得到超声图像。
  7. 根据权利要求6所述的超声成像方法，其特征在于，在控制所述子孔径区域内的各阵元连接至通道线时，对于任意一个行列位置及对应的通道线，控制只有一个子阵列区域的所述行列位置的阵元连接至所述对应的通道线，并且连接至各通道线的阵元形成一个连续的子孔径区域。
  8. 根据权利要求6所述的超声成像方法，其特征在于，在确定用于接收超声回波信号的各预设区域时，使各预设区域的集合覆盖所述面阵换能器上的各阵元；
    和/或，
    在确定用于发射超声信号的各子孔径区域时，使各子孔径区域的集合覆盖所述面阵换能器上的各阵元。
  9. 根据权利要求6所述的超声成像方法，其特征在于，在确定用于接收超声回波信号的各预设区域时，使各预设区域的集合至少覆盖所述面阵换能器上离成像目标最近的阵元，并且各预设区域的集合不包括面阵换能器上离成像目标最远的至少一个阵元；
    和/或，
    在确定用于发射超声信号的各子孔径区域时，使各子孔径区域的集合至少覆盖所述面阵换能器上离成像目标最近的阵元，并且各子孔径区域的集合不包括面阵换能器上离成像目标最远的至少一个阵元。
  10. 根据权利要求6所述的超声成像方法，其特征在于，所述各子孔径区域及所述各预设区域包括任意形状。
  11. 根据权利要求10所述的超声成像方法，其特征在于，在控制各子孔径区域发射超声信号之前，还包括：确定各子孔径区域分别对应的发射角度；
    控制一个目标子孔径区域发射超声信号，并控制一个目标预设区域接收超声回波信号，包括：
    控制所述目标子孔径区域以各发射角度发射超声信号，并控制所述目标预设区域分别接收各个发射角度对应的超声回波信号；其中，一个发射角度对应的超声回波信号是指所述目标子孔径区域以所述发射角度发射超声信号时产生的超声回波信号。
  12. 一种电子设备，其特征在于，包括：
    存储器和处理器，所述处理器和所述存储器之间互相通信连接，所述存储器中存储有计算机指令，所述处理器通过执行所述计算机指令，从而实现权利要求6至11任一项所述方法的步骤。
  13. 一种计算机存储介质，其特征在于，所述计算机存储介质存储有计算机程序指令，所述计算机程序指令被处理器执行时实现权利要求6至11任一项所述方法的步骤。
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