Improving harmonic imaging by a novel beamforming process for ultrasound medical scanners

In this paper, the harmonic beamforming, a technique proposed by the authors to improve the harmonic imaging process in medical echography, is shortly presented. It relies on a modification to the delays used in reception beamforming that allows one to sharply reduce the echoes centered at the fundamental frequency and to keep the echoes centered at the second harmonic, while preserving the focusing performances. The harmonic beamforming is then assessed in term of beam pattern, harmonic-to-fundamental ratio, and range resolution. The tuning of the parameters involved in the harmonic beamforming and the related effects are investigated. The results are compared with those provided by traditional methods of harmonic imaging, clearly showing some advantages in the application of the proposed beamforming scheme.