The Improvement and Quantitative Assessment of B-Mode Images Produced by an Annular Array/Cone Hybrid

Hybrid ultrasound imaging systems, which combine spherical focusing on transmit with axicon focusing on receive, provide excellent resolution over a useful depth of field. This paper presents a new hybrid design with improved sensitivity, in which the axicon focusing is achieved by two conical mirrors and a PZT 5A disk out into 8 sectors. We have investigated two methods of processing the signals from the 8 sectors. In the first, phase …