A REAL-TIME AND FINE RESOLUTION ANALYZER USED TO ESTIMATE THE INSTANTANEOUS ENERGY-DISTRIBUTION OF DOPPLER SIGNALS

Doppler ultrasound signal analysers in current use require that the signal be stationary within the time interval of processing, and yield average results for that interval. A real-time instantaneous frequency analyser based on the Wigner distribution function (WDF) has been developed, which provides a means of analysing time-varying signals or signals with short stationary time periods, and also produces results with very high instantaneous temporal resolution without causing significant deterioration of frequency resolution. In addition to the real-time processing, the most recent 2.4 s of Doppler signal is stored in the analyser so that the operator can perform further fine analysis and obtain results with very high resolutions in both the time and frequency domains. The pseudo-instantaneous mean frequency (PIMF) and the Pseudo-instantaneous Power Distribution (PIPD) are calculated and displayed every 4.0 ms in the real-time processing mode, and with a resolution of between 80 mus and 2 ms in the fine resolution analysis mode. The analyser utilises an algorithm developed so that the WDF can be calculated efficiently using the conventional Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) method, and the PIPDs are calculated from data that contribute equally.