Some practice

The methods of ultrasound echo-pulse visualization are widely applied in medicine. The existing echo-pulse systems include many types. Each system can be conditionally divided into six interdependent components.

  • Object under investigation
  • Converter
  • Scan System
  • Transceiver
  • Control System
  • System of Data Storage and Mapping
óëüòðàçâóêîâàÿ ýõî-èìïóëüñíàÿ âèçóàëèçàöèÿ

In our concrete case the objects under investigation are patient's internal organs and soft tissues (except for organs which contain air pockets and osteal tissues).

The Converter serves to radiate a sounding acoustic impulse into the investigated object and to receive acoustic echo-signals re-radiated by the target. The Converter contains of a plate of piezo-electric material or the matrix of piezo-elements.

The Scan System provides the movement of a pencil axis through the investigated object by the travel of the converter with a fixed pencil direction using the mechanical drive (mechanical sector scanning) or by the pencil movement with respect to a fixed converter (grating) with the help of electronic control (electronic scanning). Both ways demand the existence of mechanical or electronic bitmap to limit the travel of the pencil by some area and at the same time to receive electrical signals which determine pencil position.

The Transceiver. The role of a transmitting channel is to excite the converter by the impact - usually by the voltage jump with the front steep enough, so that the major part of energy is in the zone of the resonance frequencies of the converter. The receiver represents some system of coupling between the converter and the display used to transfer the information obtained with the help of ultrasound to an observer.

The Control System is usually a microsystem which synchronizes the work of all constituents and forms the control signals. The system works under the control of the original software.

The System of Data Storage and Mapping. The mapping device is a cathode-ray tube of other generally accepted information carrier (printers, magnetic storages, etc.).