Ultrasonic system and method for storing data

• US 6,629,926 B1
• Filed: 07/15/1999
• Issued: 10/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Acuson Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Original Assignee: Acuson Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Finger, David J., Fash, D. Grant III, Shakouri, Shahrokh, Guracar, Ismayil M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaworski, Francis J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Patel, Maulin
• Application Number:
  US09/354,254
• Time in Patent Office: 1,545 Days
• Field of Search: 600/443, 600/447, 600/453, 600/454, 600/455, 600/437
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52023 Details of receivers
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52034 Data rate converters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/5206 Two-dimensional coordinated display of distance and direction; B-scan display

Abstract

An apparatus and method for processing ultrasound data is provided. The apparatus includes an interface operatively connected to a memory, a programmable single instruction multiple data processor (or two symmetric processors), a source of acoustic data (such as a data bus) and a system bus. The memory stores data from the processor, ultrasound data from the source, and data from the system bus. The processor has direct access to the memory. Alternatively, the system bus has direct access to the memory. The interface device translates logically addressed ultrasound data to physically addressed ultrasound data for storage in a memory. The translation is the same for data from both the processor and the source for at least a portion of a range of addresses. The memory stores both ultrasound data and various of: beamformer control data, instruction data for the processor, display text plane information, control plane data, and a table of memory addresses. One peripheral connects to the ultrasound apparatus. An interface adapter, powered from the ultrasound apparatus, translates information transferred between the peripheral and the ultrasound apparatus. The adapter connects non-standard peripherals to various standard interfaces on the ultrasound apparatus.

Claims

1. An ultrasound system for storing data, the system comprising:

a source of ultrasound data;

a memory comprising at least one memory component operatively connected to the source of ultrasound data; and

a system data path for transferring control data, the system data path operatively connected to the memory;

wherein the memory stores ultrasound data from the source and beamformer control data.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory stores instruction data for a system processor.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory stores text and graphics plane data.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory stores processed ultrasound image data from a system processor.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises a plurality of the memory components configured in at least two memory banks.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein an interface device operatively connects the system data path and the source to the memory.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the memory stores a table of addresses.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the interface device is operable to provide direct access to the memory by the system data path and the source.

9. The system of claim 8 further comprising a system processor for controlling the output of the beamformer control data.

10. A method for storing data in an ultrasound system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing ultrasound image data in a memory comprising at least one memory component; and

(b) storing beamformer control data in the memory

wherein the steps (a) and (b) comprise controlling storage with an interface device operatively connected to a source of the ultrasound image data, to the memory, and to a system control data path.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising the steps of:

(c) storing display control plane data in the memory; and

(d) storing display text and graphics plane data in the memory.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step (c) of storing in the memory instruction data for a system processor.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising the step (d) of storing in the memory processed ultrasound image data from the system processor.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step (d) of storing a table of addresses in the memory.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step (c) of directly accessing the memory with a system processor, the source, and the system control data path.

16. An ultrasound system for storing data, the,system comprising:

a memory comprising at least one memory component operatively connected to a source of ultrasound data; and

a system processor operatively connected to the memory;

wherein the memory stores the ultrasound data from the source and instruction data, for the system processor.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the system processor directly accesses the instruction data for execution.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the memory stores processed ultrasound image data from the system processor.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the memory comprises synchronous DRAM.

20. The system of claim 19 wherein the memory comprises a plurality of the memory components configured in at least two memory banks, the memory banks comprising a plurality of pages.

21. The system of claim 16 wherein:

the memory comprises a plurality of physically addressed memory components;

the ultrasound data is logically addressed; and

the ultrasound data is stored in the physically addressed memory components in response to the logical addresses.

22. The system of claim 16 wherein the system processor and the source use a same logical address scheme for access to ultrasound image data in the memory.

23. The system of claim 22 wherein an interface device operatively connects the source and system processor to the memory.

24. The system of claim 23 wherein the source and the system processor directly access the memory.

25. The system of claim 22 wherein the memory stores a table of addresses.

26. The system of claim 16 wherein the system processor comprises a single instruction multiple data capable processor.

27. The system of claim 16 wherein the memory stores text plane information.

28. The system of claim 27 wherein the memory is operable to provide the text plane information at a rate substantially the same as a display update rate.

29. The system of claim 16 wherein the ultrasound image data comprises data selected from the group consisting of:

acoustic line data, video data, B-mode data, M-mode data, processed image data, spectral Doppler data, color Doppler data, compressed image data, uncompressed image data, beamformer output data, processed beamformer acoustic data and combinations thereof.

30. The system of claim 16 wherein the memory stores data selected from the group consisting of:

audio data, ECG data, pressure data, respiration data, DC-A data, DC-B data, DC-C data, DC-D data, communication data, interface data, interprocessor communication data, waveform data, quantity data, beamformer control data and combinations thereof.

31. The system of claim 16 wherein the system processor is operable to provide control signals in response to the instruction data.

32. A method for storing data in an ultrasound system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing ultrasound image data in a memory comprising at least one memory component; and

(b) storing instruction data for a system processor in the memory.

33. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step (c) of executing instructions from the memory with the system processor.

34. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step (c) of storing in the memory processed ultrasound image data from the system processor.

35. The method of claim 32 wherein the steps (a) and (b) comprise storing data in a memory selected from the group of:

synchronous DRAM and RAMBUS.

36. The method of claim 32 wherein the steps (a) and (b) comprise storing data in a plurality of the memory components configured in at least two memory banks.

37. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step (c) of translating logical addresses associated with the ultrasound image data to physical memory addresses associated with a plurality of the memory components.

38. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step (c) of accessing ultrasound image data in the memory with a same logical address scheme for the system processor and a source of ultrasound image data.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein the step (c) comprises using the same logical to physical address translation for direct access by the system processor and the source.

40. The method of claim 38 wherein the step (c) comprises translating logical addresses with an interface device.

41. The method of claim 38 further comprising the step (d) of storing a table of addresses in the memory.

42. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step (c) of storing text plane information in the memory.

43. The method of claim 42 further comprising the step (d) of outputting from memory the text plane information at a rate substantially the same as a display update rate.

44. The method of claim 32 wherein the step (a) comprises storing the ultrasound image data selected from the group consisting of:

acoustic line data, video data, B-mode data, M-mode data, processed image data, spectral Doppler data, color Doppler data, compressed image data, uncompressed image data, beamformer output data, processed beamformer acoustic data and combinations thereof.

45. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step (c) of storing in the memory data selected from the group consisting of:

audio data, ECG data, pressure data, respiration data, DC-A data, DC-B data, DC-C data, DC-D data, communication data, interface data, interprocessor communication data, waveform data, quantity data, beamformer control data and combinations thereof.

46. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step (c) of providing control signals from the system processor in response to the instruction data.

47. The method of claim 32 further comprising the step (c) of storing in the memory beamformer control data.

48. An ultrasound system for storing data, the system comprising:

a memory comprising at least one memory component operatively connected to a source of ultrasound image data; and

a display operatively connected to the memory;

wherein the memory stores the ultrasound image data and display text plane information.

49. The system of claim 48 wherein the memory stores instruction data for a system processor.

50. The system of claim 48 wherein the memory stores display control plane data.

51. The system of claim 48 wherein the memory stores graphics plane data.

52. The system of claim 48 wherein the memory stores processed ultrasound image data from a system processor.

53. The system of claim 48 wherein the memory comprises a plurality of the memory components configured in at least two memory banks.

54. The system of claim 48 wherein the display text plane information and the ultrasound image data are accessed in memory with a same logical address scheme.

55. The system of claim 54 wherein an interface device operatively connects the source and the display to the memory.

56. The system of claim 54 wherein the memory stores a table of addresses.

57. The system of claim 48 wherein the memory is operable to provide the display text plane information at a first rate substantially the same as a display update rate.

58. The system of claim 57 further comprising a first-in first-out buffer operable to output the display text information to the display at substantially the display update rate and receive data at the first rate, the first rate being variable as a function of time.

59. The system of claim 48 further comprising a system processor operable to provide the display text plane information to the memory.

60. A method for storing data in an ultrasound system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing ultrasound image data in a memory comprising at least one memory component; and

(b) storing display text plane information in the memory.

61. The method of claim 60 further comprising the steps of:

(c) storing display control plane data in the memory; and

(d) storing display graphics plane data in the memory.

62. The method of claim 60 further comprising the step (c) of storing in the memory instruction data for a system processor.

63. The method of claim 62 further comprising the step (d) of storing in the memory processed ultrasound image data from the system processor.

64. The method of claim 60 further comprising the step (c) of accessing the display information and the ultrasound image data in the memory with a same logical address scheme.

65. The method of claim 60 wherein the steps (a) and (b) comprise controlling storage with an interface device operatively connected to a source of the ultrasound image data and to the memory.

66. The method of claim 64 further comprising the step (d) of storing a table of addresses in the memory.

67. The method of claim 60 further comprising the step (c) of outputting from the memory the display text plane information at a first rate substantially the same as a display update rate.

68. The method of claim 62 further comprising the step (d) of providing from the system processor the display text plane information.

69. The method of claim 62 further comprising the step (c) of directly accessing the memory with the system processor, a data transfer controller, and a system bus.

70. A method for storing data in an ultrasound system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) storing ultrasound image data in a memory comprising at least one memory component; and

(b) storing display control plane data for each pixel in the memory each pixel associated with an image responsive to the image data.

71. The method of claim 70 further comprising the step (c) of storing display text plane data in the memory.

72. A method of storing data in an ultrasound system, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning a logical address to each of a set of one or more groups of ultrasound data;

(b) translating each logical address to a physical address;

(c) storing in locations in a memory corresponding to the physical addresses the ultrasound data; and

(d) storing in the memory each physical address as a table.

73. The method of claim 72 further comprising the step (e) of storing instruction data for a system processor in the memory.

74. The method of claim 72 wherein the step (a) comprises assigning sequential addresses.

75. The method of claim 72 wherein the step (c) comprises storing in the memory ultrasound image data from a system processor and ultrasound image data from a source of ultrasound image data.

76. The method of claim 75 further comprising the step (e) of directly accessing the memory with the system processor and the source.

77. The method of claim 75 herein the steps (b) and (c) comprise accessing the memory by the system processor and the source with a same logical address scheme.

78. The method of claim 72 wherein the step (b) comprises translating logical addresses with an interface device.

79. The method of claim 72 further comprising the steps of:

(e) providing the ultrasound data from a data bus operatively connected to the memory; and

(f) storing text plane information in the memory.

80. The method of claim 79 further comprising the step (g) of outputting the text plane information at a rate substantially the same as a display update rate.

81. The method of claim 72 wherein the step (c) comprises storing the ultrasound data selected from the group consisting of:

acoustic line data, video data, B-mode data, M-mode data, processed image data, spectral Doppler data, color Doppler data, compressed image data, uncompressed image data, beamformer output data, processed beamformer output data, and combinations thereof.

82. The method of claim 72 further comprising the step (e) of storing in the memory data selected from the group consisting of:

audio data, ECG data, pressure data, respiration data, DC-A data, DC-B data, DC-C data, DC-D data, communication data, interface data, interprocessor communication data, waveform data, quantity data, beamformer control data and combinations thereof.

83. The method of claim 73 further comprising the step (f) of providing control signals from the system processor in response to the instruction data.

84. A ultrasound system for storing data, the system comprising:

an ultrasound data path for transferring a set of one or more groups of logically addressed ultrasound data;

an interface device for translating each logical address to a physical address; and

a memory device for storing the ultrasound data in locations corresponding to the physical addresses and for storing each physical address as a table.