SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING A REAL-TIME ULTRASOUND SIGNAL WITHIN A TIME WINDOW

• US 20100185093A1
• Filed: 01/15/2010
• Published: 07/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ultrasound Medical Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ultrasound Medical Devices, Inc.
• Inventors: Hamilton, James
• Application Number:
  US12/688,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20100185093A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8959 using coded signals for correlation purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52026 Extracting wanted echo signals Doppler systems G01S15/50; Doppler short range imaging systems G01S15/8979
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52034 Data rate converters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52036 using analysis of echo signal for target characterisation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5205 Means for monitoring or calibrating
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52093 using coded signals G01S15/8959 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52095 using multiline receive beamforming

Abstract

A method for acquiring and processing 3D ultrasound data including acquiring partial 3D ultrasound data. The partial 3D ultrasound data is composed of partial 3D ultrasound data frames that are collected by collecting an ultrasound target plane and collecting at least one ultrasound offset plane. The method additionally includes processing the partial 3D ultrasound data.

Claims

1. A method for acquiring and processing 3D ultrasound data comprising:

acquiring partial 3D ultrasound data composed of partial 3D ultrasound data frames, wherein a partial 3D ultrasound data frame is collected by;

collecting an ultrasound target plane; and

collecting at least one ultrasound offset plane; and

processing the partial 3D ultrasound data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the offset plane is substantially parallel and displaced a set distance from the target plane, and the target plane and the at least one offset plane cooperatively combine to form a 3D volume image.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring a partial 3D ultrasound data composed of partial 3D ultrasound data frames further includes:

multiplexing a first transmit beam signal with a second transmit beam signal;

transmitting the multiplexed transmit beam signals;

receiving at least one receive beam corresponding to the first transmit beam signal and at least one receive beam corresponding to the second transmit beam signal; and

demultiplexing the received beams.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising modulating the transmit beam signals with substantially orthogonal codes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring a ultrasound data composed of partial 3D ultrasound data frames further includes:

collecting local subsets of a full ultrasound data frame at a high rate;

calculating object motion from the collected ultrasound data for the local subsets; and

combining objection motion information of the local subsets to form full frame images at a lower rate.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

setting an inter-frameset data rate;

setting an intra-frameset data rate;

selecting frames from the acquired partial 3D ultrasound data to form a plurality of framesets at an inter-frameset and intra-frame set data rates; and

wherein processing ultrasound data is performed on the framesets.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising calculating object motion from the acquired partial 3D ultrasound data.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein calculating object motion further includes:

calculating at least one first stage displacement estimation from a first ultrasound data frame and second ultrasound data frame; and

calculating at least one second stage displacement estimation from the first ultrasound data frame, the second ultrasound data frame, and the first stage displacement estimate.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein a first stage displacement estimation is a lower resolution displacement estimation than the second stage displacement estimation.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein a first stage displacement estimation is a lower accuracy estimation than the second stage displacement estimation.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising modifying a system parameter based on the calculated object motion.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying a system parameter includes modifying a parameter of data generation based on object motion.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein modifying a parameter of data generation includes adjusting operation of an ultrasound acquisition device that is acquiring the partial 3D ultrasound data.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein a modifying a parameter of data generation includes modifying a parameter of data formation and forming the partial 3D ultrasound data prior to processing the ultrasound data.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein modifying a system parameter includes modifying a processing parameter based on object motion.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising calculating a data quality metric;

wherein modification of a processing parameter is additionally based on the data quality metric.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein processing partial 3D ultrasound data includes forming an ultrasound image, resampling of the ultrasound image, and performing temporal processing.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein modifying a system parameter additionally includes modifying a processing parameter based on object motion.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

acquiring a partial 3D ultrasound data by performing a technique of technique of fast-acquisition of data;

setting an inter-frameset data rate;

selecting frames from the acquired partial 3D ultrasound data to form a plurality of framesets at an inter-frameset data rate;

wherein processing ultrasound data is performed on the framesets; and

wherein calculating object motion includes;

calculating at least one first stage displacement estimation from a first ultrasound data frame and second ultrasound data frame; and

calculating at least one second stage displacement estimation from the first ultrasound data frame, the second ultrasound data frame, and the first stage displacement estimation.

20. A system for acquiring and processing 3D ultrasound data comprising:

a partial 3D Acquisition system that collects a target data plane and an offset data plane to form a partial 3D ultrasound data frame;

a motion measurement unit; and

an ultrasound processor.

21. The system of claim 20, further comprising a system parameter modifier that uses the output of the motion measurement unit to adjust settings of the system.