AN ULTRASONIC ADAPTIVE BEAMFORMING METHOD AND ITS APPLICATION FOR TRANSCRANIAL IMAGING

摘要

A method for ultrasonic imaging a volume behind a barrier includes placing an array of elements of a probe adjacent the barrier. The local thickness and the sound speed in the barrier are estimated. A plurality of subapertures are defined in the array of elements, each subaperture defined by a different subset of adjacent elements. Ultrasonic waveforms are collected from each of the subapertures by focusing each subaperture approximately at the inner surface of the barrier. The ultrasonic waveforms through the subaperture elements are combined to generate a combined A-mode waveform. A profile of an inner surface of the barrier adjacent the probe is extracted based upon the combined A-mode waveforms. A correction is calculated based upon the profile. The volume behind the barrier is scanned using beamforming based upon the correction to generate an image of the volume.