Anne M Hall

US Patent:

6375618, Apr 23, 2002

Filed:

Jan 31, 2000

Appl. No.:

09/494465

Inventors:

Richard Yung Chiao - Clifton Park NY
Yasuhito Takeuchi - Tokyo, JP
Anne Lindsay Hall - New Berlin WI
Kai Erik Thomenius - Clifton Park NY

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600447

Abstract:

In performing tissue-generated harmonic imaging using coded excitation, the transmit waveform for acquiring the N-th harmonic signal is biphase (1,-1) encoded using two code symbols of a code sequence, the portions (i. e. , chips) of the transmit waveform encoded with the second code symbol each being phase-shifted by 180Â/N relative to the chips encoded with the first code symbol. This is implemented by time shifting the portions (i. e. , chips) of the transmit sequence which are encoded with the second code symbol by ÂN fractional cycle at center frequency relative to the chips of the transmit sequence encoded with the first code symbol. During reception, the desired harmonic signal is isolated by a bandpass filter centered at twice the fundamental frequency and enhanced with decoding.

US Patent:

6478741, Nov 12, 2002

Filed:

Mar 19, 2001

Appl. No.:

09/810048

Inventors:

Richard Yung Chiao - Clifton Park NY
Anne Lindsay Hall - New Berlin WI

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Niskayuna NY

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600447

Abstract:

An optimized pulse waveform is used to excite contrast microbubbles such that the subharmonic signal may be easily isolated for imaging. By reducing the contribution of transmitted fundamental frequency f within the subharmonic band, the subharmonic imaging quality is improved. This is accomplished by transmitting an optimized pulse waveform and then filtering the received signal to isolate the subharmonic signal for imaging. The optimized pulse waveform has low spectral energy within a band of frequencies centered at f /2 and high spectral energy within another band of frequencies centered at f , where both bands are within the transducer passband. The contrast-generated subharmonic signal is extracted by a receive filter centered at f /2.

US Patent:

60743484, Jun 13, 2000

Filed:

Apr 23, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/065212

Inventors:

Richard Yung Chiao - Clifton Park NY
Anne Lindsay Hall - New Berlin WI
Kai Erik Thomenius - Clifton Park NY
Michael Joseph Washburn - New Berlin WI
Kenneth Wayne Rigby - Clifton Park NY

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600443

Abstract:

A method and apparatus for ultrasonically imaging flow directly in B mode employs a sequence of pulses transmitted to a transmit focal position, with the backscattered signals from this sequence being filtered to remove echoes from stationary or slow-moving reflectors along the transmit path. The resulting flow signals are superimposed on a conventional B-mode vector and displayed. A B-mode flow image is formed by repeating this procedure for multiple transmit focal positions across the region of interest. The filtering is performed in slow time (along transmit firings) using a high-pass "wall" filter (e. g. , an FIR filter) with harmonic image feed-through and optionally B-mode (fundamental) feed-through. The resulting B-mode flow image has low clutter from stationary or slow-moving tissue or vessel walls, high resolution, high frame rate and flow sensitivity in all directions.

US Patent:

61028584, Aug 15, 2000

Filed:

Apr 23, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/065213

Inventors:

William Thomas Hatfield - Schenectady NY
Kai Erik Thomenius - Clifton Park NY
Anne Lindsay Hall - New Berlin WI

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600443

Abstract:

A method and an apparatus for displaying three-dimensional images of ultrasound data having improved segmentation. This is accomplished by harmonic imaging. There are two types of harmonic imaging: (1) imaging of harmonics returned from contrast agents injected into the fluid; and (2) naturally occurring harmonics, generally referred to as "tissue harmonics". An ultrasound transducer array is controlled to transmit a beam formed by ultrasound pulses having a transmit center frequency and focused at a desired sample volume containing contrast agents. In the receive mode, the receiver forms the echoes returned at a multiple or sub-multiple of the transmit center frequency into a beam-summed receive signal. This process is repeated for each sample volume in each one of a multiplicity of scan planes. After filtering out the undesired frequencies in the receive signal, i. e.

US Patent:

53495241, Sep 20, 1994

Filed:

Jan 8, 1993

Appl. No.:

8/001998

Inventors:

Christopher M. W. Daft - Schenectady NY
Anne L. Hall - New Berlin WI
Sharbel E. Noujaim - Clifton Park NY
Lewis J. Thomas - Schenectady NY
Kenneth B. Welles - Scotia NY

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

G01F 166
G06F 1566
A61B 800

US Classification:

36441325

Abstract:

An ultrasonic imaging system for displaying color flow images includes a receiver which demodulates ultrasonic echo signals received by a transducer array and dynamically focuses the baseband echo signals. A color flow processor includes a time domain adaptive wall filter which automatically adjusts to changes in frequency and bandwidth of the wall signal components in the focused baseband echo signals. The mean frequency of the resulting filtered baseband echo signals is used to indicate velocity of flowing reflectors and to control color in the displayed image.

US Patent:

62103326, Apr 3, 2001

Filed:

Nov 10, 1999

Appl. No.:

9/437605

Inventors:

Richard Yung Chiao - Clifton Park NY
David John Muzilla - Mukwonago WI
Anne Lindsay Hall - New Berlin WI
Cynthia Andrews Owen - Memphis TN

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schenectady NY

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600443

Abstract:

In performing flow imaging using coded excitation and wall filtering, a coded sequence of broadband pulses (centered at a fundamental frequency) is transmitted multiple times to a particular transmit focal position, each coded sequence constituting one firing. On receive, the receive signals acquired for each firing are supplied to a finite impulse response filter which both compresses and bandpass filters the receive pulses, e. g. , to isolate a compressed pulse centered at the fundamental frequency. The compressed and isolated signals are then high pass filtered across firings using a wall filter. The wall-filtered signals are used to image blood flow and contrast agents.

US Patent:

58657509, Feb 2, 1999

Filed:

May 7, 1997

Appl. No.:

8/852699

Inventors:

William Thomas Hatfield - Schenectady NY
Todd Michael Tillman - West Milwaukee WI
Michael John Harsh - Waukesha WI
David John Muzilla - Mukwonago WI
Anne Lindsay Hall - New Berlin WI
Michael J. Washburn - New Berlin WI
David D. Becker - Milwaukee WI

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Milwaukee WI

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600443

Abstract:

A method and an apparatus for three-dimensional imaging of ultrasound data by constructing projections of data from a volume of interest. An ultrasound scanner collects B-mode or color flow images in a cine memory, i. e. , for a multiplicity of slices. A multi-row transducer array having a uniform elevation beamwidth is used to provide reduced slice thickness. The data from a respective region of interest for each of a multiplicity of stored slices is sent to a master controller, such data forming a volume of interest. The master controller performs an algorithm that projects the data in the volume of interest onto a plurality of rotated image planes using a ray-casting technique. The data for each projection is stored in a separate frame in the cine memory. These reconstructed frames are then displayed selectively by the system operator. Segmentation of three-dimensional projection images is enhanced by decreasing the thickness and increasing the resolution (i. e.

US Patent:

61028649, Aug 15, 2000

Filed:

Nov 23, 1998

Appl. No.:

9/197787

Inventors:

William Thomas Hatfield - Schenectady NY
Kai Erik Thomenius - Clifton Park NY
Anne Lindsay Hall - New Berlin WI
Todd Michael Tillman - W. Milwaukee WI
Patricia Ann Schubert - Milwaukee WI

Assignee:

General Electric Company - Schnectady NY

International Classification:

A61B 800

US Classification:

600454

Abstract:

A three-dimensional image of flowing fluid or moving tissue using velocity or power Doppler data is displayed by using an ultrasound scanner that collects velocity or power data in a cine memory to form a volume of pixel data. Average or median pixel values are projected on an image plane by casting rays through the data volume. As the ray passes through each scan plane, a data value is assigned to the ray at that point. At each scan plane, the assigned pixel data value is tested to see if it exceeds a noise threshold. For a given ray, pixel data values above the detection threshold are accumulated until a pixel data value falls below the detection threshold. A minimum number of pixel data values exceeding the threshold are required for each ray before the average of the accumulated values is processed and/or the median value is selected. When all pixels along a given ray have been tested, the projection is complete and the average or median projection is then displayed. Uniformity within the projected image and the sharpness of edges are enhanced by projecting average or median pixel values instead of maximum pixel values.