A variable sampling receive beamformer for high resolution ultrasound endoscopy

传统的低频大穿透超声成像系统是基于被称为换能器阵列的微型发射-接收元件的大阵列。通过使用由许多单独寻址的换能器元件组成的换能器阵列，可以电子地改变孔径的有效曲率，从而产生更好的图像质量。这是因为超声波能量可以被聚焦并转向不同的角度。另一方面，高频超声是一种相对较新的技术，它使用能够比目前用于诊断成像的传统超声系统高一个数量级的微制造成像阵列。虽然分辨率随着超声频率的增加而增加，但换能器阵列和电子硬件的制造难度增加了。这是因为换能器元件的尺寸变得微小，并且电子硬件所需的模拟和数字频率增加。 尽管有这些挑战，我们的研究小组已经开发出一种高频小型化(&lt；3 mm)成像内窥镜和大部分相关的电子硬件和软件，使这项技术能够用作从身体内部可视化组织的工具，而不是目前仅限于外部局部应用的同等技术。这种高分辨率内窥镜的潜在应用包括腹腔镜、听觉、心内、神经成像等。目前还没有其他超声技术将如此高的分辨率与微型前视内窥镜形状因素结合在一起。这项技术在几个不同的医学领域给诊断带来革命性变化的潜力是非常真实的。 这份创意创新方案描述了一种新型高频超声电子硬件的开发，以及将其转化为商业产品的策略。拟议的一种成本相对较低的电子硬件将允许以最低的数据捕获率和电子处理来生成图像，以便能够以极高的帧速率生成图像。

Conventional low frequency large penetration ultrasound imaging systems are based on large arrays of miniature transmitter-receiver elements called a transducer array. By using a transducer array, made of many individually addressed transduction elements, the effective curvature of the aperture can be changed electronically, resulting in a much better image quality. This is because the ultrasound energy can be focused and steered off to different angles. High-frequency ultrasound, on the other hand, is a relatively new technology that uses micro-fabricated imaging arrays that are capable of an order of magnitude higher resolution than conventional ultrasound systems currently used in diagnostic imaging. Although resolution increases with ultrasound frequency, the difficulty in fabricating the transducer arrays and electronic hardware is increased. This is because the size of the transduction elements become microscopic, and the required analog and digital frequencies of the electronic hardware increase. Despite these challenges, our research group has developed a high frequency miniaturized ( <3mm) imaging endoscope and most of the associated electronic hardware and software that will enable this technology to be used as a tool for visualizing tissues from within the body, as opposed to the current equivalent technology that is limited to external topical applications. Potential applications of such a high resolution endoscope include laparoscopic, auditory, intracardiac, neural imaging, and many more. Currently no other ultrasound technology exists that combines such high resolution, with the miniature forward looking endoscopic form factor. The potential for this technology to revolutionize diagnostics in several different fields of medicine is very real. This Idea to Innovation proposal describes the development of novel piece of high frequency ultrasound electronic hardware, and a strategy for transferring this into a commercial product. The proposed piece of relatively low-cost electronic hardware, will allow for images to be generated with minimal data capture rates and electronic processing so that images can be generated at extremely high frame rates.