Micro Non-Uniform Linear Array (MNULA) for Ultrasound Plane Wave Imaging

Ultrasound plane wave imaging technology has been applied to more clinical situations than ever before because of its rapid imaging speed and stable imaging quality. Most transducers used in plane wave imaging are linear arrays, but their structures limit the application of plane wave imaging technology in some special clinical situations, especially in the endoscopic environment. In the endoscopic environment, the size of the linear array transducer is strictly miniaturized, and the imaging range is also limited to the near field. Meanwhile, the near field of a micro linear array has serious mutual interferences between elements, which is against the imaging quality of near field. Therefore, we propose a new structure of a micro ultrasound linear array for plane wave imaging. In this paper, a theoretical comparison is given through sound field and imaging simulations. On the basis of primary work and laboratory technology, micro uniform and non-uniform linear arrays were made and experimented with the phantom setting. We selected appropriate evaluation parameters to verify the imaging results. Finally, we concluded that the micro non-uniform linear array eliminated the artifacts better than the micro uniform linear array without the additional use of signal processing methods, especially for target points in the near-field. We believe this study provides a possible solution for plane wave imaging in cramped environments like endoscopy.