METHOD AND ULTRASOUND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING ULTRASOUND IMAGE

• US 20150209012A1
• Filed: 01/09/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/28/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: HYUN, Dong-gyu, OH, Dong-hoon
• Application Number:
  US14/594,048
• Publication Number:
  US 20150209012A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4405 Device being mounted on a trolley
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/465 adapted to display user selection data, e.g. icons or menus
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/466 adapted to display 3D data 3D imaging and stereoscopic displays in devices for short-range imaging with acoustic waves G01S15/8993 and G01S7/52068, respectively; 3D image rendering G06T15/00; manipulating 3D models for computer graphics G06T19/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/469 for selection of a region of interest
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/485 involving measuring strain or elastic properties
• 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 8/5238 for combining image data of patient, e.g. merging several images from different acquisition modes into one image for image registration algorithms G06T7/30
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8988 Colour Doppler imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8993 Three dimensional imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52063 Sector scan display
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52071 Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging
• 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: G06T 19/00 Manipulating 3D models or images for computer graphics
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 2210/41 Medical

Abstract

Provided is an ultrasound image display method. The ultrasound image display method includes acquiring ultrasound image data of an object, receiving a selection of at least one range of image pixel information acquired from the ultrasound image data, extracting partial image ultrasound image data corresponding to the at least one range from among the ultrasound image data, and three-dimensionally displaying an ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range by using the partial ultrasound image data.

Claims

1. An ultrasound image display method comprising:

acquiring ultrasound image data of an object;

receiving a selection of at least one range of image pixel information acquired from the ultrasound image data;

extracting partial image ultrasound image data corresponding to the at least one range from among the ultrasound image data; and

three-dimensionally displaying an ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range by using the partial ultrasound image data.

2. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound image data comprises at least one of brightness (B) mode image data, spectral Doppler image data, color Doppler image data, elasticity image data, and motion (M) mode image data.

3. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the image pixel information acquired from the ultrasound image data comprises at least one of brightness information, speed information, color information, elasticity information, amplitude information of a sound reflection signal, and sound impedance information.

4. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the selection of the at least one range comprises:

displaying an image pixel information map, in which the image pixel information is gradually represented, on a screen; and

receiving a user input for selecting the at least one range through the image pixel information map.

5. The ultrasound image display method of claim 4, wherein the image pixel information map comprises at least one of a gray scale map, a color scale map, an elasticity map, and a speed map.

6. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the selection of the at least one range comprises:

displaying a setting window for setting the at least one range on a screen; and

receiving the selection of the at least one range through the setting window.

7. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional displaying of the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range comprises converting image pixel information acquired from the partial ultrasound image data into height values.

8. The ultrasound image display method of claim 7, wherein the converting of the image pixel information into the height values comprises determining a sign of the height values based on movement direction information of a tissue or a bloodstream when the partial ultrasound image data is color Doppler image data or spectral Doppler image data.

9. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional displaying of the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range comprises two-dimensionally displaying other images except the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range among the entire ultrasound image displayed based on the ultrasound image data.

10. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional displaying of the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range comprises transparently or semi-transparently displaying other images except the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range among the entire ultrasound image displayed based on the ultrasound image data.

11. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional displaying of the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range comprises three-dimensionally displaying the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range by using a light source-based rendering method.

12. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional displaying of the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range comprises:

receiving a selection of at least one rendering method among a plurality of rendering methods; and

three-dimensionally displaying the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range by using the selected rendering method.

13. The ultrasound image display method of claim 1, wherein the receiving of the selection of the at least one range comprises receiving a selection of a first range and a second range of the image pixel information acquired from the ultrasound image data.

24. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium that stores a program that, when executed by a computer, performs the ultrasound image display method of claim 1.

14. An ultrasound apparatus comprising:

an ultrasound image data acquiring unit configured to acquire ultrasound image data of an object;

a user input unit configured to receive a selection of at least one range of image pixel information acquired from the ultrasound image data; and

a controller configured to extract partial image ultrasound image data corresponding to the at least one range from among the ultrasound image data, and control a display to three-dimensionally displaying an ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range by using the partial ultrasound image data.

15. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the controller controls the display to display an image pixel information map in which the image pixel information is gradually represented, and

the user input unit receives a user input for selecting the at least one range through the image pixel information map.

16. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the controller controls the display to display a setting window for setting the at least one range, and

the user input unit receives the selection of the at least one range through the setting window.

17. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller converts image pixel information acquired from the partial ultrasound image data into height values.

18. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 17, wherein the controller determines a sign of the height values based on movement direction information of a tissue or a bloodstream when the partial ultrasound image data is color Doppler image data or spectral Doppler image data.

19. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller controls the display to two-dimensionally display other images except the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range among the entire ultrasound image displayed based on the ultrasound image data.

20. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller controls the display to transparently or semi-transparently display other images except the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range among the entire ultrasound image displayed based on the ultrasound image data.

21. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 14, wherein the controller controls the display to three-dimensionally display the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range by using a light source-based rendering method.

22. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the user input unit receives a selection of at least one rendering method among a plurality of rendering methods, and

the controller controls the display to three-dimensionally display the ultrasound image corresponding to the at least one range by using the selected rendering method.

23. The ultrasound apparatus of claim 14, wherein the user input unit receives a selection of a first range and a second range of the image pixel information acquired from the ultrasound image data.