ULTRASOUND SYSTEM GENERATING AN IMAGE BASED ON BRIGHTNESS VALUE OF DATA

• US 20110087095A1
• Filed: 10/12/2010
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/13/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Kwang Hee
• Application Number:
  US12/902,923
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087095A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/10136 3D ultrasound image
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/20116 Active contour; Active surface; Snakes
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2207/30004 Biomedical image processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 7/11 Region-based segmentation

Abstract

An ultrasound system that extracts label regions from ultrasound data based on image brightness. An ultrasound data acquisition unit forms ultrasound data of a target object. A processing unit is connected to the ultrasound data acquisition unit. The processing unit forms volume data including a plurality of voxels based on the ultrasound data, and extracts label regions having lower brightness values than a reference value from the volume data to thereby form an ultrasound image by rendering the extracted label regions.

Claims

1. An ultrasound system, comprising:

an ultrasound data acquisition unit configured to form ultrasound data of a target object; and

a processing unit connected to the ultrasound data acquisition unit, the processing unit being configured to form volume data including a plurality of voxels based on the ultrasound data, and extract label regions having lower brightness values than a reference value from the volume data to thereby form an ultrasound image by rendering the extracted label regions.

2. The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

calculate the reference value for detecting the label regions from the volume data;

extract voxels having lower value than the reference value by comparing the brightness value of each voxel with the reference value;

label the extracted voxels to thereby set the label regions; and

set boundaries of the label regions.

3. The ultrasound system of claim 2, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

extract a middle point of the boundary set at each label region;

set the extracted middle point as a seed volume; and

enlarge the seed volume radially to thereby set the boundary of the label region.

4. The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

set a plurality of slice planes including a plurality of pixels on the volume data;

calculate a reference value for detecting the label regions from each slice plane;

extract pixels having a lower value than the reference value by comparing the brightness value of each pixel with the reference value;

label the extracted pixels to thereby set the label regions; and

synthesize the plurality of slice planes having the label regions to thereby form the volume data.

5. The ultrasound system of claim 4, wherein the processing unit is further configured to:

extract middle points of the label regions on each slice plane;

set the extracted middle points as seed points; and

enlarge the seed points radially to thereby set the boundary of each slice plane.

6. A method of extracting an object of interest based on brightness value, the method comprising:

forming ultrasound data of a target object;

forming volume data comprising a plurality of voxels based on the ultrasound data;

extracting label regions having lower brightness values than a reference value from the volume data; and

forming an ultrasound image by rendering the extracted label regions.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein extracting label regions comprises:

calculating the reference value for detecting the label regions from the volume data;

extracting voxels having a lower value than the reference value by comparing the brightness value of each voxel with the reference value;

labeling the extracted voxels to thereby set the label regions; and

setting boundaries of the label regions.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein setting boundaries comprises:

extracting a middle point of the boundary set at each label region;

setting the extracted middle point as a seed volume; and

enlarging the seed volume radially to thereby set the boundary of the label region.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein extracting label regions comprises:

setting a plurality of slice planes comprising a plurality of pixels on the volume data;

calculating a reference value for detecting the label regions from each slice plane;

extracting pixels having a lower value than the reference value by comparing the brightness value of each pixel with the reference value;

labeling the extracted pixels to thereby set the label regions; and

synthesizing the plurality of slice planes having the label regions to thereby form the volume data.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein labeling the extracted pixels comprises:

extracting middle points of the label regions on each slice plane;

setting the extracted middle points as seed points; and

enlarging the seed points radially to thereby set the boundary of each slice plane.