Ultrasound Touchscreen User Interface and Display

• US 20090043195A1
• Filed: 09/22/2005
• Published: 02/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Poland, McKee D.
• Application Number:
  US11/577,025
• Publication Number:
  US 20090043195A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/461 Displaying means of special interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/465 adapted to display user selection data, e.g. icons or menus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/467 characterised by special input means
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52068 Stereoscopic displays; Three-dimensional displays; Pseudo 3D displays G01S15/8993 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52074 Composite displays, e.g. split-screen displays; Combination of multiple images or of images and alphanumeric tabular information
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52084 related to particular user interfaces special user input means for ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/467
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04807 Pen manipulated menu
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

User interface for providing user control over device functions of an ultrasound imaging system (10) includes a touchscreen (18) and activation areas (22, 24, 26) defined thereon simultaneous images. Each activation area (22, 24, 26) has a unique assigned function relating to processing of the ultrasound images with an indication of the function being displayed on the activation area (22, 24, 26). A processor (16) is coupled to the touchscreen (18) for detecting a touch on the activation areas (22, 24, 26) and performing the function associated with each activation area (22, 24, 26) upon being touched. In this manner, all UI controls can be implemented as virtual controls by assigning the function of each control to an activation area (22, 24, 26) so that the user can simply touch the activation area and effect the desired control.

Claims

1. In an ultrasound imaging system, a user interface for providing user control over device functions of the imaging system, comprising:

a touchscreen (18);

a segmented activation area (30, 42) defined on said touchscreen (18), said segmented activation area (30,42) including a plurality of activation areas (32, 44) wherein each of said plurality of activation areas (32, 44) has a unique assigned function relating to the imaging system with an indication of said function being displayed on said activation area (32, 44); and

a processor (16) coupled to said touchscreen (18) for detecting a touch on said activation areas (32, 44) defined on said touchscreen (18) and performing the function associated with each of said activation areas (32, 44) upon being touched.

2. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said plurality of activation areas (32, 44) are arranged relative to one another such that center points of said plurality of activation areas (32, 44) are equidistant from a common point on said touchscreen (18), said plurality of activation areas (32, 44) being arranged in a ring around said common point.

3. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said segmented activation area (30) is circular and each of said plurality of activation areas (32) has a form of at least a portion of a sector, and said plurality of activation areas (32) occupy substantially the entire space of said segmented activation area (30).

4. The user interface of claim 1, wherein said segmented activation area (42) is a polygon and each of said plurality of activation areas (44) has a form of at least a portion of a polygon, and said plurality of activation areas (44) occupy substantially the entire space of said segmented activation area (42).

5. The user interface of claim 1, wherein the function associated with at least one of said plurality of activation areas (32, 44) is display of a submenu (34, 46) of a plurality of additional activation areas (36, 38, 48), each of said additional activation areas (36, 48) having the form of a portion of a sector and a unique assigned function relating to the imaging system with an indication of said function being displayed on said additional activation area (36, 48).

6. The user interface of claim 5, wherein said segmented activation area (30) is substantially circular, said additional activation areas (36, 38) being arranged adjacent to an outer surface of said at least one of said plurality of activation areas (32) such that said additional activation areas (36, 38) have center points equidistant from a center of said segmented activation area (30).

7. The user interface of claim 5, wherein said segmented activation area (42) is polygonal, said additional activation areas (48) being arranged around a common point such that said additional activation areas (48) have center points equidistant from said common point and one of said additional activation areas (48) is adjacent to an outer surface of said at least one of said plurality of activation areas (44).

8. The user interface of claim 1, further comprising an additional activation area (24) defined on said touchscreen (18) which when touched, causes said segmented activation area (30) to appear on said touchscreen (18) with its center at the touched location on said additional activation area (24), said segmented activation area (30) being related to said additional activation area (24).

9. In an ultrasound imaging system, a user interface for providing user control over device functions of the imaging system, comprising:

a touchscreen (18);

a first activation area (24) defined on said touchscreen (18) which when touched, causes a plurality of related second activation areas (32) to appear on said touchscreen (18), each of said second activation areas (32) having a unique assigned function relating to the imaging system with an indication of said function being displayed on said second activation area (32); and

a processor (16) coupled to said touchscreen (18) for detecting a touch on said first and second activation areas (24, 32) defined on said touchscreen (18) and performing the function associated with each of said first and second activation areas (24, 32) upon being touched.

10. The user interface of claim 9, wherein said second activation areas (32) are arranged in a single segmented activation area (30).

11. The user interface of claim 9, wherein said second activation areas (32) comprise an activation area (26) having the form of a thumbwheel for adjusting a function value and an activation area (28) providing a readout of the function value.

12. In an ultrasound imaging system, a user interface for providing user control over device functions of the imaging system, comprising:

a touchscreen (18);

an activation area (22, 26, 40) defined on said touchscreen (18), said activation area (22, 26, 40) having an assigned parameter or profile of a parameter relating to the imaging system with an indication of said parameter or profile being displayed on said activation area (22, 26, 40); and

a processor (16) coupled to said touchscreen (18) for detecting a sliding touch over said activation area (22, 26, 40) and adjusting the parameter or profile based on the sliding touch.

13. The user interface of claim 12, wherein said activation area (26) has the appearance of a thumbwheel for adjusting the assigned parameter and said processor (16) is arranged to detect a direction of the sliding touch over said activation area (26).

14. The user interface of claim 13, further comprising a numerical readout (28) arranged in association with said activation area (26) to display a value of the assigned parameter.

15. The user interface of claim 12, wherein said processor (16) is arranged to display an initial profile of the parameter, adjust the assigned profile based on the sliding touch, and display the adjusted profile.

16. An ultrasound imaging system (10), comprising:

an ultrasound scanner (12);

a touchscreen (18);

a processor (16) coupled to said ultrasound scanner and said touchscreen (18) and arranged to display real-time three-dimensional ultrasound images on said touchscreen (18); and

a plurality of activation areas (22, 26) defined on said touchscreen (18), each of the activation areas (22, 26) having a unique assigned function relating to processing of a three-dimensional image with an indication of said function being displayed on said activation area (22, 26), said processor (16) being arranged to detect touches of said activation areas (22, 26) and perform the function associated with each of said activation areas (22, 26) upon being touched.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said processor (16) is arranged to display the three-dimensional ultrasound images as multiple planes oriented in their true spatial positions with respect to each other.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein one of said activation areas is arranged to enable vertical/horizontal translation of the displayed ultrasound images.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein one of said activation areas is arranged to enable rotation of the displayed ultrasound images.

20. In an ultrasound imaging system, a user interface for providing user control over device functions of the imaging system, comprising:

a touchscreen (18);

a plurality of activation areas (22) defined on said touchscreen (18); and

a processor coupled to said touchscreen (18) for assigning unique functions relating to the imaging system to each of said activation areas (22) depending on an operation mode of the imaging system such that each of said activation areas (22) has a variably assigned function, an indication of said function being displayed on said activation area (22), said processor (16) detecting a touch on said activation areas (22) defined on said touchscreen (18) and performing the function associated with each of said activation areas (22) upon being touched.

21. A method for providing user control over device functions of an ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

displaying ultrasound images on a touchscreen (18);

defining a plurality of activation areas (22, 24, 26) on a touchscreen (18) simultaneous with the display of the ultrasound images, each of the activation areas (22, 24, 26) having a unique assigned function relating to processing of the ultrasound images with an indication of the function being displayed on the activation area (22, 24, 26);

positioning the activation areas (22, 24, 26) to minimize interference with the simultaneous display of the ultrasound images;

detecting when one of the activation areas (22, 24, 26) is touched; and

performing the function associated with the touched activation area (22, 24, 26) to change the displayed ultrasound images.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising controlling the appearance and disappearance of activation areas (22, 24, 26) based on need for the functions assigned to the activation areas (22, 24, 26) or based on activation by a user.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the positioning step comprises arranging all of the activation areas (22, 24, 26) along a left or right side of a visual field (20) of the touchscreen (18).

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising assigning variable functions and indications to the activation areas (22, 24, 26) depending on an operation mode of the imaging system.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the defining step includes defining at least one of the activation areas as a segmented activation area (30) including a plurality of distinct activation areas (32) each having the form of at least a portion of a sector and a unique assigned function relating to the imaging system with an indication of the function being displayed on the activation area (32).

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the function assigned to one of the activation areas (24) is display of a submenu (30) of a plurality of additional activation areas (32), further comprising centering display of the submenu (30) at a location on the activation area (24) touched by the user such that each of the additional activation areas (32) is equidistant from the point of touch.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the function assigned to at least one of the activation areas (22, 26, 50) is to provide adjustment of a parameter or profile of a parameter in multiple directions, further comprising detecting a sliding touch over the at least one activation area (22, 26, 50) and adjusting the parameter based on the sliding touch.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein real-time three-dimensional ultrasound images are displayed, the activation areas (22) being assigned functions relating to processing of three-dimensional images.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein the function assigned to at least one of the activation areas (26) is to provide adjustment of a parameter, further comprising displaying a numerical readout (28) of the parameter while the at least one activation area (26) is being touched and removing the numerical readout (28) from the touchscreen (18) once touching of the at least one activation area (26) has ceased.

30. The method of claim 21, further comprising selectively switching a visual field (20) of the touchscreen (18) from a first mode in which the entire field of view is occupied by the ultrasound images to a second mode in which the activation areas (22, 24, 26, 32) are displayed in the field of view.

31. The method of claim 21, further comprising the step of displaying the activation areas (22, 24, 26, 32) in a semi-transparent manner over the displayed ultrasound images.

32. The method of claim 21, further comprising defining an activation area for text entry and converting text handwritten in the activation area into data for storage in association with the ultrasound images.