Ultrasonic imaging systems and methods

Claim 2

1 A system for simultaneously imaging 120 ultrasonic reflections from a section within an object and displaying a Doppler profile along a line substantially in said imaged section, the system comprising a pulsed realtime B-scan imaging arrangement for 125 periodically providing video signal fields comprising recurrent video signal lines, a simultaneously, asynchronously, operated pulsed Doppler arrangement for obtaining 1,573,842 Doppler profile signals comprising a plurality of analog signal levels, and visual display means for the simultaneous superimposed visual display of said realtime pulsed B-scan video signals and Doppler profile signals.

Claim 3

2 A system according to claim 1, arranged such that the Doppler profile signals are displayed between selected Bscan video signal lines.

Claim 4

3 A system according to claim 1, including multiplexer means for connection of said video signal from said B-scan system and Doppler profile signals to said visual display means.

Claim 5

4 A system according to claim 1, including Doppler cursor signal generating means having an output connected to said visual display means, and means for operating said Doppler cursor signal generating means between selected B-scan video signal lines for simultaneous visual display of said Doppler cursor, Doppler profile, and B-scan signals.

Claim 6

5 A system according to claim 1, including reticle signal generating means having an output connected to said visual display means, and means for operating said reticle signal generating means between selected B-scan video signal lines for simultaneous superimposed visual display of said reticle, B-scan and Doppler profile signals.

Claim 7

6 A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein said B-scan and Doppler arrangements include B-scan and Dopper transducers, respectively, movable along parallel linear paths, said B-scan arrangement includes means for periodically sweeping said B-scan transducer back and forth along its path of travel, and said Doppler arrangement includes manually controlled means for positioning said Doppler transducer along its path of travel.

Claim 8

7 A system according to claim 6, wherein said manually controlled means includes a control stick which is movable in one direction to control the transducer position, is movable in another direction to control the depth at which said Doppler profile signal begins, and is rotatable to control the Doppler profile length.

Claim 9

8 A system according to claim 7, including first variable electrical means connected to said control stick for control of such first means upon pivotal movement of said control stick in said first direction, second variable electrical means connected to said control stick for control of such second means upon pivotal movement of said control stick to said second direction, which in orthogonal to said first direction, and third variable electrical means connected to said control stick for control of such third means upon rotation of the control stick.

Claim 10

9 A system according to claim 8, wherein said first, second and third manually variable electrical means comprise first, second and third potentiometers, respectively.

Claim 11

A system according to claim 9, including means under control of said first potentiometer for controlling the position of said Doppler transducer, means under control of said second potentiometer for controlling the delay between operation of a pulsed Doppler transmitter and a Doppler receiver means of said Doppler arrangement, and means under control of said third potentiometer for controlling the length of time of operation of said Doppler receiver means.

Claim 12

11 A system according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the visual display means comprises a cathode ray tube.

Claim 13

12 A combination ultrasonic real time Bscan imaging and pulsed Doppler method, comprising generating recurrent ultrasonic wave pulses to insonify a section of an object under observation for B-scan imaging, receiving reflected wave pulses and converting the same to corresponding electrical signals, displaying a real time Bscan image of the insonified section of the object, asynchronously generating recurrent wave pulses for the pulsed Doppler operation along a beam which intersects the B-scan imaged section, while recurrently generating said ultrasonic wave pulses for B-scan imaging, receiving reflected Doppler wave pulses from along the Doppler beam axis and converting the same to a plurality of analog voltages related to the Doppler frequency of waves reflected from different points along the Doppler beam axis, and sequentially reading out the analog voltages between selected B-scan operations for the simultaneous superimposed display of the analog voltages with the pulsed B-scan image.

Claim 14

12 A combination ultrasonic real time Bscan imaging and pulsed Doppler method, comprising generating recurrent ultrasonic wave pulses to insonify a section of an object under observation for B-scan imaging, receiving reflected wave pulses and converting the same to corresponding electrical signals, displaying a real time Bscan image of the insonified section of the object, asynchronously generating recurrent wave pulses for the pulsed Doppler operation along a beam which intersects the B-scan imaged section, while recurrently generating said ultrasonic wave pulses for B-scan imaging, receiving reflected Doppler wave pulses from along the Doppler beam axis and converting the same to a plurality of analog voltages related to the Doppler frequency of waves reflected from different points along the Doppler beam axis, and sequentially reading out the analog voltages between selected B-scan operations for the simultaneous superimposed display of the analog voltages with the pulsed B-scan image.

Claim 15

13 A method according to claim 12, wherein the analog voltages are sequentially read out through use of a commutator. For the Applicants, D YOUNG & CO, Chartered Patent Agents, 9 & 10 Staple Inn, London WC 1 V 7RD. Printed for Her Majesty's Stationery Office bx the Courier Press Leamington Spa 1990 Published by The Patent Office 25 Southampton Buildings London WC 2 l AY from which copies may be obtained.