PROVIDING PARTICLE FLOW IMAGE IN ULTRASOUND SYSTEM

• US 20130172744A1
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Published: 07/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: KIM, Hyoung Jin
• Application Number:
  US13/729,907
• Publication Number:
  US 20130172744A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/441
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/08 Detecting organic movements or changes, e.g. tumours, cysts, swellings A61B8/02 - A61B8/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/463 characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display composite display in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S7/52074
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5223 for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8984 Measuring the velocity vector
• 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 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54

Abstract

There are provided embodiments for providing a particle flow age for representing flow of at least one region of interest (more particularly, particle) by using vector Doppler. In one embodiment, by way of non-limiting example, an ultrasound system comprises: a processing unit configured to form vector information of a target object based on ultrasound data corresponding to the target object, form a Doppler mode image based on the vector information, and set at least one region of interest on the Doppler mode image based on input information of a user, the processing unit being further configured to form a flow image for representing flow of the at least one region of interest based on the vector information.

Claims

1. An ultrasound system, comprising:

a processing unit configured to form vector information of a target object based on ultrasound data corresponding to the target object, form a Doppler mode image based on the vector information, and set at least one region of interest on the Doppler mode image based on input information of a user, the processing unit being further configured to form a flow image for representing flow of the at least one region of interest based on the vector information.

2. The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the region of interest includes a particle.

3. The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to form the vector information corresponding to a velocity and a direction of the target object in consideration of at least one transmission direction and at least one reception direction corresponding to the at least one transmission direction.

4. The ultrasound system of claim 1, further comprising:

a user input unit configured to receive the input information for setting the at least one region of interest on the Doppler mode image and setting a weighting value corresponding to the at least one region of interest.

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

determine a movement direction and a velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest by a predetermined time based on the vector information;

apply the weighting value to the determined velocity based on the input information to calculate an actual velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest; and

form the particle flow image based on the movement direction and the actual velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest.

6. The ultrasound system of claim 5, wherein the processing unit is configured to form the particle flow image for representing the flow of the at least one region of interest as points based on the movement direction and the actual velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest.

7. The ultrasound system of claim 5, wherein the processing unit is configured to form the particle flow image for representing the flow of the at least one region of interest as a stream line based on the movement direction and the actual velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest.

8. The ultrasound system of claim 1, further comprising:

an ultrasound data acquiring unit configured to transmit ultrasound signals to a living body including the target object in at least one transmission direction, and receive ultrasound echo signals from the living body in at least one reception direction to acquire the ultrasound data corresponding to the at least one reception direction.

9. The ultrasound system of claim 8, wherein the ultrasound data acquiring unit is configured to:

transmit the ultrasound signals to the living body in a first transmission direction; and

receive the ultrasound echo signals from the living body in a first reception direction and a second reception direction to acquire the ultrasound data corresponding to the respective first and second reception directions.

10. The ultrasound system of claim 8, wherein the ultrasound data acquiring unit is configured to:

transmit the ultrasound signals to the living body in a first transmission direction and a second transmission direction; and

receive the ultrasound echo signals from the living body in a first reception direction to acquire the ultrasound data corresponding to the first reception direction of the respective first and second transmission directions.

11. The ultrasound system of claim 8, wherein the ultrasound data acquiring unit is configured to:

transmit the ultrasound signals to the living body in a first transmission direction and a second transmission direction; and

receive the ultrasound echo signals from the living body in a first reception direction and a second reception direction to acquire the ultrasound data corresponding to the respective first and second reception directions.

12. The ultrasound system of claim 8, wherein the ultrasound data acquiring unit is configured to transmit the ultrasound signals in an interleaved transmission scheme.

13. The ultrasound system of claim 8, wherein the ultrasound signals include plane wave signals or focused signals.

14. A method of providing a particle flow image, comprising:

a) forming vector information of a target object based on ultrasound data corresponding to the target object;

b) forming a Doppler mode image based on the vector information;

c) setting at least one region of interest on the Doppler mode image based on input information of a user; and

d) forming a flow image for representing flow of the at least one region of interest based on the vector information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the region of interest includes a particle.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the step b) comprises:

forming the vector information corresponding to a velocity and a direction of the target object in consideration of at least one transmission direction and at least one reception direction corresponding to the at least one transmission direction.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

receiving the input information for setting the at least one region of interest on the Doppler mode image and for setting a weighting value corresponding to the at least one region of interest, prior to performing the step c).

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the step d) comprises:

d1) determining a movement direction and a velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest by a predetermined time based on the vector information;

d2) applying the weighting value to the determined velocity based on the input information to calculate an actual velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest; and

d3) forming the particle flow image based on the movement direction and the actual velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step d3) comprises:

forming the particle flow image for representing the flow of the at least one region of interest as points based on the movement direction and the actual velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step d3) comprises:

forming the particle flow image for representing the flow of the at least one region of interest as a stream line based on the movement direction and the actual velocity corresponding to the at least one region of interest.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

transmitting ultrasound signals to a living body including the target object in at least one transmission direction and receiving ultrasound echo signals from the living body in at least one reception direction to acquire the ultrasound data corresponding to the at least one reception direction, prior to performing the step a).

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of acquiring the ultrasound data comprises:

transmitting the ultrasound signals to the living body in a first transmission direction; and

receiving the ultrasound echo signals from the living body in a first reception direction and a second reception direction to acquire the ultrasound data corresponding to the respective first and second reception directions.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of acquiring the ultrasound data comprises:

transmitting the ultrasound signals to the living body in a first transmission direction and a second transmission direction; and

receiving the ultrasound echo signals from the living body in a first reception direction to acquire the ultrasound data corresponding to the first reception direction of the respective first and second transmission directions.

24. The method of claim 21, wherein the step of acquiring the ultrasound data comprises:

transmitting the ultrasound signals to the living body in a first transmission direction and a second transmission direction; and

receiving the ultrasound echo signals from the living body in a first reception direction and a second reception direction to acquire the second ultrasound data corresponding to the respective first and second reception directions.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein the ultrasound signals are transmitted in an interleaved transmission scheme.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein the ultrasound signals include plane wave signals or focused signals.