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Abstract

An ultrasound imaging system with a slewing bandpass filter is disclosed for selective passage of time varying acoustic signals. The acoustic signals represent artifacts of reflection of tissue and fluid. The bandpass filter includes two mixers and two fixed bandpass filters. The signal sources each provide a reference signal for two local oscillators. The first mixer mixes the input and first reference signals to a desired first frequency range. The first fixed bandpass filter has a top passband frequency above the first frequency range and provides a first filtered output signal. The second mixer mixes the first filtered signal and the second reference signal to a desired second frequency range. The second fixed bandpass filter has a center frequency and bandwidth not overlapping with the first bandpass filter. The second fixed bandpass filter provides a second filtered output signal with a scannable variable bandwidth passband characteristic useful for examining the time varying characteristics of the input signal. The slewing bandpass filter also includes a control means for controlling the first and second signal sources in accordance with time-varying characteristics of interest.

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First Claim