SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR TOUCH SCREEN CONTROL OF AN ULTRASOUND SYSTEM

• US 20100049046A1
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: PEIFFER, JEFFREY SCOTT, CANOVA, KIMBERLY A., LAVIN, BRENT JASON
• Granted Patent: US 9,848,849 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4405 Device being mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4472 Wireless probes
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4477 using several separate ultrasound transducers or probes

Abstract

An ultrasound system includes a display device and a processor module. The display device is configured to display an ultrasound image. At least a portion of the display device includes a touch sensitive portion that is responsive to a touch in each of a plurality of user selectable elements presented on the display device. The processor module is configured to adjust at least one of the ultrasound image and an imaging setting based on the touch in at least one of the user selectable elements of the display device. The ultrasound image and the user selectable elements are concurrently displayed on the display device.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. An ultrasound system comprising:

one or more display devices for displaying an ultrasound image, at least one of the display devices presenting user selectable elements that are reconfigurable based on a current operating mode of the ultrasound system, the at least one of the display devices comprising a touch sensitive portion that encompasses the user selectable elements and that is responsive to touch to permit an operator to select one of the user selectable elements; and

a processor module configured to adjust one or more the ultrasound image and an imaging setting of the ultrasound system based on the touch the user selectable element, wherein the ultrasound image and the user selectable elements are concurrently displayed on one or more of the display devices.

22. The ultrasound system of claim 21, wherein the user selectable elements correspond to image adjustments, the processor module adjusting the ultrasound image according to one of the image adjustments when a corresponding one of the user selectable elements is touched.

23. The ultrasound system of claim 21, wherein the processor module is communicatively coupled with a user interface, the touch sensitive portion of the display device and the user interface each configured to select one or more image adjustments from a set of image adjustments to adjust display of the ultrasound image.

24. The ultrasound system of claim 21, further comprising a user interface communicatively coupled to the processor module, the processor module configured to adjust the ultrasound image based on input from the user interface, wherein the processor module is responsive to one of the user interface and the graphically displayed areas of the display devices at a given time to adjust the ultrasound image.

25. The ultrasound system of claim 21, wherein the user selectable elements and the ultrasound image are presented on separate, non-overlapping areas of the display devices.

26. The ultrasound system of claim 21, wherein one of the display devices presents a subset of the user selectable elements concurrently with the ultrasound image, the display device presenting a different subset of the user selectable elements based on input from a user.

27. The ultrasound system of claim 21, wherein the at least one of the display devices comprises a color touch screen.

28. The ultrasound system of claim 21, wherein the at least one of the display devices is programmable to customize the user selectable elements presented on the at least one of the display devices.

29. The ultrasound system of claim 21, further comprising a bracket interconnecting a plurality of the display devices.

30. The ultrasound system of claim 21, wherein one of the display devices is disposed above another one of the display devices.

31. The ultrasound system of claim 21, further comprising a USB port configured to communicate image data obtained by the ultrasound system.

32. The ultrasound system of claim 21, further comprising a dedicated button programmed to select an image adjustment when depressed by an operator.

33. The ultrasound system of claim 21, wherein at least one of the display devices is configured to be folded downward.

34. A method for presenting an ultrasound image obtained by an ultrasound system, the method comprising:

displaying the ultrasound image on one or more display devices having a touch sensitive portion;

concurrently displaying user selectable elements within the touch sensitive portion based on a current operating mode of the ultrasound system, the user selectable elements corresponding to a plurality of image adjustments;

receiving a selection of at least one of the image adjustments based on a user'"'"'s touch of a corresponding one of the user selectable elements; and

adjusting the ultrasound image according to the selected image adjustment.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the displaying operation comprises displaying at least one user selectable element for each of the plurality of image adjustments that also is capable of being selected by a user interface.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein displaying the ultrasound image and displaying the user selectable elements comprise displaying the ultrasound image and the user selectable elements in separate, non-overlapping areas of one of the display devices.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising customizing which of a subset of the user selectable elements is presented on the display devices.

38. A computer-readable storage medium for adjusting a display of an ultrasound image obtained using an ultrasound image, the medium comprising:

instructions for concurrently displaying the ultrasound image and user selectable elements representative of image adjustments to the ultrasound image on one or more display devices having a touch sensitive portion, the user selectable elements presented within the touch sensitive portion and being reconfigurable based on a current operating mode of the ultrasound system;

instructions for sensing touch of one of the user selectable elements to select a corresponding image adjustment; and

instructions for applying the image adjustment selected by the touch of at least one of the user selectable elements to adjust the ultrasound image.

39. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 38, further comprising instructions for switching control of the image adjustments between the touch sensitive portion and a user interface, wherein the instructions for applying the image adjustment comprise instructions for applying at least one of image adjustments selected using one of the touch sensitive portion and the user interface at a time.

40. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein the instructions for displaying comprise instructions for displaying the ultrasound image and the user selectable elements in separate, non-overlapping portions of one of the display devices.

41. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 38, wherein the instructions for displaying comprise instructions for customizing which subset of a plurality of subsets of the user selectable elements is displayed on one or more of the display devices.