Excitation schemes for low-cost transducer arrays

摘要

A device images time-wise in parallel using transducer elements of a group. The elements are of a current group and imaging is time-wise sequential by group. The groups may be spatially disposed with respect to each other so as to mutually intermesh element-wise. The imaging may include volumetric imaging. The device may be configured for not collectively using any of the elements to focus, nor to steer, a beam used in the imaging. The device may further be operable to transition between spacing states at least one of which is characterized by a respective minimum, nonzero, degree of intra-group, element-to-element non-adjacency, or may be fixed at a selected spacing state. The transitioning may be automatic, in response to input indicative of blood vessel size and/or depth.

主权项

1. An ultrasound device comprising:
an array of transducer elements for apportioning transducer elements of the array of transducer elements into a plurality of groups for operation by group; and a processor configured to control operation of the array of transducer elements, based on said apportioning, for imaging time-wise in parallel using the transducer elements of the array of transducer elements of a current group of said plurality of groups, and time-wise sequentially by group, the plurality of groups being spatially disposed with respect to each other so as to intermesh element-wise, wherein each of said plurality of groups comprises only non-adjacent transducer elements apportioned in accordance with a spacing state in which for all pairs of transducer elements of a first group of the plurality of groups, one or more transducer elements of one or more other groups of the plurality of groups intervene between the two transducer elements of the pair of transducer elements, and wherein each transducer element of the array of transducer elements has a face with a geometric center, and wherein the transducer elements of the array of transducer elements are arranged such that a line passing through the geometric centers of at least some of the transducer elements of one group of the plurality of groups does not fully enclose the transducer elements of any other group in the plurality of groups, wherein the processor is configured to control the operation of the array for the imaging time-wise in parallel by operating said transducer elements of said current group of said plurality of groups to, in a non-phased manner, image independently.