Method and means for eliminating fountain effect in an ultrasound system display
First Claim
1. A method of selectively updating pixel data for an ultrasound system display whereby spurious visual effects are minimized comprising the steps of scanning an object with ultrasound transducer means, generating video data in response to signals from said ultrasound transducer means, generating from said video data vectors including data for individual pixels in said system display, comparing pixel addresses of a vector with pixel addresses of a preceding vector, and updating pixel data when a pixel address of said vector is not present in said preceding vector.
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Abstract
Pixel data is selectively updated in an ultrasound scanning system in which the monitor display includes a plurality of addressable pixels. A random access memory holds the intensity values for the display pixels, and the memory is updated in response to rescanning of a patient. Updating is inhibited for a pixel of a vector when the preceding vector included the same pixel. Spurious display effects are thereby minimized.
5 Citations
11 Claims
- 1. A method of selectively updating pixel data for an ultrasound system display whereby spurious visual effects are minimized comprising the steps of scanning an object with ultrasound transducer means, generating video data in response to signals from said ultrasound transducer means, generating from said video data vectors including data for individual pixels in said system display, comparing pixel addresses of a vector with pixel addresses of a preceding vector, and updating pixel data when a pixel address of said vector is not present in said preceding vector.
- 5. In an ultrasound system, apparatus for selectively updating pixel data in response to sequential vectors each including data for a plurality of pixels, comprising a random access memory, means operably connected with said random access memory for storing address information of all pixels in a vector, first means for comparing stored address information of a pixel and address information of a pixel in the succeeding vector, and means for disabling pixel data update when said address information for said stored pixel is the same as address information for the pixel in the succeeding vector.
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9. Means for selectively updating pixel data in response to sequential vectors in an ultrasound system display and the like comprising
a random access memory having first capacity for address data for pixels in a vector, first register means for sequentially receiving pixel address data from said random access memory, first comparator means for receiving and comparing pixel address data from said first register means and pixel address data from a succeeding vector, means for loading said first register means and said first comparator means with pixel address data from said succeeding vector, means for storing said pixel address from said succeeding vector in said random access memory as previously stored address data is read from said random access memory, and means for inhibiting pixel data update in response to said first comparator means indicating that stored pixel address information is identical to pixel address information from said succeeding vector.
Specification