Acoustic display system and method for ultrasonic imaging

• US 5,622,172 A
• Filed: 09/29/1995
• Issued: 04/22/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens Medical Systems, Inc. (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Li, Ming, Kim, Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): MANUEL, GEORGE C
• Application Number:
  US08/536,509
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• Field of Search: 128/660.04, 128/660.05, 128/660.06, 128/660.07, 128/660.08, 128/660.09, 128/661.09, 128/661.1, 128/916
• US Class Current: 600/443
• 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: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52053 Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5206 Two-dimensional coordinated display of distance and direction; B-scan display

Abstract

An ultrasonic imaging system has a three-dimensional acoustic display. Beam-formed ultrasound scan signals are separated into channel signals and are then filtered using head-related transfer function (HRTF) filters. An HRTF is associated with each of several points in an interrogation region. A filter coefficient processor selects, for each channel signal, a set of HRTF filter parameters according to which sample volume the channel signal comes from. Each HRTF parameter set defines left-ear and right-ear response functions to a calibration sound generated at a calibration point in a calibration space; the calibration point itself corresponds to a predetermined position in the interrogation region. The HRTF-filtered channel signals are then combined into left and right audio output signals which drive left and right speakers that the user listens to while performing the ultrasound scan. The calibration points in the calibration space are mapped to respective reference sample volumes located in a predetermined ultrasonic interrogation region.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic imaging system with a three-dimensional acoustic display mapping an image interrogation volume onto an audible, three-dimensional acoustic space of an operator.

2. An ultrasonic imaging system, comprising:

transducer means for scanning an interrogation region of a patient'"'"'s body at a plurality of scanned sample volumes;

a beamformer forming a beam of returned signals from each respective scanned sample volume for each of a predetermined number of independent velocity directions;

a three-dimensional acoustic display system that includes;

channel separation means for converting each beam into a plurality of channel signals;

filter selection means for selecting, for each channel signal, one of a plurality of predetermined head-related transfer function (HRTF) parameter sets according to a predetermined function of the position in the interrogation region of the corresponding scanned sample volume and of the respective independent velocity direction, each HRTF corresponding to left-ear and right-ear response functions to a calibration sound generated at a calibration point in a calibration space, which calibration point corresponds to a predetermined position in the interrogation region;

HRTF filter means for filtering each channel signal as a predetermined function of the corresponding HRTF parameter set;

signal combination means for combining the HRTF filtered channel signals into left and right audio output signals; and

speaker means including first and second speakers for applying the left and right audio output signals to the left and right ears of a user and for generating combined audio display signals, the user thereby hearing the combined audio display signals with non-colinear apparent points of origin.

3. A system as defined in claim 2, further including a cine memory for pre-storing scan data, in which the HRTF filter means receives as the channel signals those pre-stored in the cine memory.

4. A method for generating an acoustic display of an ultrasound scan comprising the step of generating the display three-dimensionally by mapping an image interrogation volume onto an audible, three-dimensional acoustic space of an operator.

5. A method for generating an acoustic display of an ultrasound scan comprising the step of generating the display three-dimensionally, which in turn comprises the following sub-steps:

A) in a calibration mode;

1) determining a pair of head-related transfer functions (HRTF) for each of a plurality of calibration points in a predetermined calibration space, the HRTF'"'"'s in each pair corresponding to left-ear and right-ear response functions to a calibration sound generated at the respective calibration points; and

2) mapping the position of the calibration points in the calibration space to respective reference sample volumes located in a predetermined ultrasonic interrogation region;

B) in an operational mode;

1) scanning the interrogation region at a plurality of scanned sample volumes and forming a beam of returned signals from each respective scanned sample volume for each of a predetermined number of independent velocity directions;

2) separating each beam into a plurality of channel signals;

3) selecting for each channel signal one of the HRTF'"'"'s as a predetermined function of the position in the interrogation region of the corresponding scanned sample volume;

4) filtering each channel signal using the HRTF for the calibration point that corresponds to the sample volume;

5) combining the filtered channel signals into left and right audio output signals; and

6) applying the left and right audio output signals to first and second speakers that are oriented substantially toward the left and right ears of a user and that generate combined audio display signals, the user thereby hearing the combined audio display signals with non-colinear apparent points of origin.