Variable-size elements in 2D sparse arrays for 3D medical ultrasound
Résumé
Background, Motivation and Objectives 3D ultrasound imaging using 2D arrays is one of the most challenging recent innovations in medical ultrasound. The electronic control of the probe elements allows the beam steering in all directions, making possible volumetric acquisitions. Usually, 2D array elements are aligned on a regular mid-wavelength (pitch< λ/2) grid giving rise to grating lobes. An irregular elements placement allows reducing the grating lobes and the use of elements of size greater than λ/2 to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. We propose an irregular positioning strategy with variable-size elements to maintain large beam directivity, increase the probe energy and reduce the grating lobes