Method and system for simultaneously displaying diagnostic medical ultrasound image clips

• US 6,349,143 B1
• Filed: 11/25/1998
• Issued: 02/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siemens Medical Solutions USA Incorporated (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Acuson Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Bernard, Jonathan, Hastings, Jeffrey S., Rock, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Johns, Andrew W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NAKHJAVAN, SHERVIN K
• Application Number:
  US09/200,170
• Time in Patent Office: 1,182 Days
• Field of Search: 382/128, 382/132, 382/232, 128/915, 128/916, 128/920, 128/922, 345/1, 345/4, 348/185, 600/437, 600/440, 600/441
• US Class Current: 382/128
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/464 involving a plurality of displays
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52034 Data rate converters
• 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: G06F 3/1438 using more than one graphics controller
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2340/12 Overlay of images, i.e. displayed pixel being the result of switching between the corresponding input pixels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/06 using colour palettes, e.g. look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/14 Display of multiple viewports
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/391 Resolution modifying circuits, e.g. variable screen formats
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/393 Arrangements for updating the contents of the bit-mapped memory
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/395 Arrangements specially adapted for transferring the contents of the bit-mapped memory to the screen G09G5/399 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/63 for local operation

Abstract

The preferred embodiments include a method and system for simultaneously displaying diagnostic medical ultrasound image clips on one or more monitors without degradation in display frame rate. In one preferred embodiment, compressed ultrasound image frames are sent to a video display system for decompression. Because compressed image frames are sent, there is no degradation in frame rate caused by the bandwidth limitations of the CPU/video display system bus. Further, because the video display system decompress the compressed image frames faster than decompression software executed by a CPU, there is no degradation in frame rate caused by power limitations of the CPU. The video display system can also be used to control the frame rate, luminance, and size of individual ultrasound image clips. The preferred video display system described herein finds particular utility in ultrasound examinations performed in cardiac, radiological, obstetrical, and neo-natal ultrasound examinations.

Claims

1. A method for simultaneously displaying a plurality of ultrasound image clips with an ultrasound image review system comprising a first and second video display system coupled with a first and second monitor, respectively, the method comprising:

(a) acquiring at least seven ultrasound image clips each comprising a respective plurality of ultrasound image frames acquired at a respective acquisition frame rate;

(b) storing said at least seven ultrasound image clips;

(c) providing at least four ultrasound image clips of said at least seven ultrasound image clips to the first video display system of the ultrasound image review system;

(d) providing at least three ultrasound image clips of said at least seven ultrasound image clips to the second video display system of the ultrasound image review system; and

(e) simultaneously displaying said at least four ultrasound image clips on the first monitor and said at least three ultrasound image clips on the second monitor, the respective plurality of ultrasound image frames of said at least four ultrasound image clips and said at least three ultrasound image clips being displayed at their respective acquisition frame rates.

2. A method for simultaneously displaying a plurality of ultrasound image clips with an ultrasound image review system comprising a first and second video display system coupled with a first and second monitor, respectively, the method comprising:

(a) receiving at least four ultrasound image clips each comprising a respective plurality of ultrasound image frames acquired at a respective acquisition frame rate;

(b) receiving at least three additional ultrasound image clips each comprising a respective plurality of ultrasound image frames acquired at a respective acquisition frame rate; and

(c) simultaneously displaying said at least four ultrasound image clips on a first monitor and said at least three ultrasound image clips on a second monitor, the respective plurality of ultrasound image frames of said at least four ultrasound image clips and said at least three ultrasound image clips being displayed at their respective acquisition frame rates.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein at least two ultrasound image clips on at least one of the monitors overlap.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein an ultrasound image clip is characterized by a luminance, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting the luminance of at least one of the image clips displayed on one of the monitors.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein an ultrasound image clip is characterized by an image size, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting the image size of at least one of the image clips displayed on one of the monitors.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein an ultrasound image clip is characterized by a display frame rate, and wherein the method further comprises adjusting the display frame rate of at least one of the image clips displayed on one of the monitors.

7. A method for simultaneously displaying a plurality of ultrasound image clips with an ultrasound image review system comprising a first and second video display system coupled with a first and second monitor, respectively, the method comprising:

(a) acquiring a first and second ultrasound image clip each comprising a respective plurality of ultrasound image frames acquired at a respective acquisition frame rate;

(b) storing said first and second ultrasound image clips in a compressed format;

(c) providing said first ultrasound image clip in a compressed format to the first video display system of the ultrasound image review system;

(d) providing said second ultrasound image clip in a compressed format to the second video display system of the ultrasound image review system;

(e) decompressing said first ultrasound image clip with the first video display system;

(f) decompressing said second ultrasound image clip with the second video display system; and

(g) simultaneously displaying said first ultrasound image clip on the first monitor and said second ultrasound image clip on the second monitor, the respective plurality of ultrasound image frames of said first and second ultrasound image clips being displayed at their respective acquisition frame rates.

8. A method for simultaneously displaying a plurality of ultrasound image clips with an ultrasound image review system comprising a first and second video display system coupled with a first and second monitor, respectively, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a first ultrasound image clip in a compressed format with a first video display system;

(b) receiving a second ultrasound image clip in a compressed format with a second video display system, said first and second ultrasound image clips each comprising a respective plurality of ultrasound image frames acquired at a respective acquisition frame rate;

(c) decompressing said first ultrasound image clip with the first video display system;

(d) decompressing said second ultrasound image clip with the second video display system; and

(e) simultaneously displaying said first ultrasound image clip on the first monitor and said second ultrasound image clip on the second monitor, the respective plurality of ultrasound image frames of said first and second ultrasound image clips being displayed at their respective acquisition frame rates.

9. An ultrasound image review system comprising:

a first monitor;

a second monitor;

a first video display system, coupled with the first monitor, comprising;

a first memory unit operative to store a first ultrasound image clip in a compressed format;

a first ultrasound image display processing path operative to decompress said compressed first ultrasound image clip; and

a first controller coupled with the first memory unit and first ultrasound image display processing path;

a second video display system, coupled with the second monitor, comprising;

a second memory unit operative to store a second ultrasound image clip in a compressed format;

a second ultrasound image display processing path operative to decompress said compressed second ultrasound image clip;

a second controller coupled with the second memory unit and second ultrasound image display processing path;

said first and second ultrasound image clips comprising a respective plurality of ultrasound image frames acquired at a respective acquisition frame rate; and

said first and second controllers operative to simultaneously display said first and second ultrasound image clips on the first and second monitors, respectively, such that the respective plurality of ultrasound image frames of said first and second ultrasound image clips are displayed at their respective acquisition frame rates.

10. A method for simultaneously displaying ultrasound image clips, the method comprising:

(a) displaying at least one ultrasound image clip on a first display device; and

(b) simultaneously displaying at least one ultrasound image clip on a second display device;

wherein the at least one ultrasound image clip displayed on the first display device comprises at least three ultrasound image clips and wherein the at least one ultrasound image clip simultaneously displayed on the second display device comprises at least four ultrasound image clips.

11. The invention of claim 10, wherein the ultrasound image clips simultaneously displayed on the first and second display devices are displayed at their respective acquisition frame rates.

12. A method for simultaneously displaying ultrasound image clips, the method comprising:

(a) displaying at least one ultrasound image clip on a first display device; and

(b) simultaneously displaying at least one ultrasound image clip on a second display device;

wherein the at least one ultrasound image clip displayed on the first display device comprises at least two ultrasound image clips and wherein the at least one ultrasound image clip simultaneously displayed on the second display device comprises at least five ultrasound image clips.

13. The invention of claim 12, wherein the ultrasound image clips simultaneously displayed on the first and second display devices are displayed at their respective acquisition frame rates.