Spatial compound imaging in an ultrasound system

• US 8,968,199 B2
• Filed: 11/18/2010
• Issued: 03/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Medison Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kim, Jeong Sik
• Primary Examiner(s): Lamprecht, Joel
• Application Number:
  US12/949,430
• Publication Number:
  US 20110118605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 600/437, 600/443, 600/447, 600/439
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8995 Combining images from different aspect angles, e.g. spatial compounding
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52034 Data rate converters
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52049 using correction of medium-induced phase aberration

Abstract

Embodiments for forming an ultrasound spatial compound image by correcting refraction of ultrasound signals in an ultrasound system are disclosed herein. An ultrasound data acquisition unit forms a first set of ultrasound frame data and a second set of ultrasound frame data by using non-steered scan lines and steered scan lines, respectively. The processor, which is coupled to the ultrasound data acquisition unit, forms a plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data based on the second set of ultrasound frame data, selects one particular set of ultrasound frame data from the group consisting of the second set of ultrasound frame data and the plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data based on the first set of ultrasound frame data and spatially compounds the one particular set of ultrasound frame data and the first set of ultrasound frame data to form an ultrasound spatial compound image.

Claims

1. An ultrasound system, comprising:

an ultrasound data acquisition unit configured to form a first set of ultrasound frame data and a second set of ultrasound frame data by using non-steered scan lines and steered scan lines, respectively, the steered scan lines being steered at a predetermined steering angle with respect to the non-steered scan lines; and

a processor coupled to the ultrasound data acquisition unit and configured to form a plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data based on the second set of ultrasound frame data, select one particular set of ultrasound frame data from the group consisting of the second set of ultrasound frame data and the plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data based on the first set of ultrasound frame data and spatially compound the one particular set of ultrasound frame data and the first set of ultrasound frame data to form an ultrasound spatial compound image.

2. An ultrasound system, comprising:

an ultrasound data acquisition unit configured to transmit ultrasound signals toward a target object along non-steered scan lines and steered scan lines respectively steered at a predetermined steering angle with respect to the non-steered scan lines and receive echo signals to thereby form a plurality of sets of ultrasound frame data each being indicative of a target object, the plurality of sets of ultrasound frame data including a first set of ultrasound frame data formed based on the non-steered scan lines and a second set of ultrasound frame data formed based on the steered scan lines; and

a processor coupled to the ultrasound data acquisition unit and configured to set a plurality of sub steering angles based on the predetermined steering angle and resample the second set of ultrasound frame data based on the plurality of sub steering angles to form a plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data, the processor being further configured to compare the first set of ultrasound frame data with each of the sets including the second set of ultrasound frame data and the plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data to select a particular set of ultrasound frame data and spatially compound the selected particular set of ultrasound frame data and the first set of ultrasound frame data to form an ultrasound spatial compound image.

3. The ultrasound system of claim 2, wherein the processor includes:

a sub steering angle setting section configured to define a permissible refraction range for the predetermined steering angles and set the plurality sub steering angles to be within the permissible refraction range;

a resampler configured to resample the second set of ultrasound frame data based on the plurality of sub steering angles to form the plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data;

a mean absolute difference (MAD) computing section configured to compute MAD values between the first set of ultrasound frame data and each of the sets including the second set of ultrasound frame data and the plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data;

a selecting section configured to select the particular set of the ultrasound frame data resulting in a smallest MAD value;

a spatial compounding section configured to spatially compound the first set of ultrasound frame data and the selected particular set of the ultrasound frame data to form a set of ultrasound compound frame data; and

an image forming section configured to form the ultrasound spatial compound image by using the set of the ultrasound compound frame data.

4. The ultrasound system of claim 3, wherein the plurality of sub steering angles are set by increasing or decreasing the predetermined steering angle by a predetermined angle within the permissible refraction range.

5. A method of forming an ultrasound spatial compound image, comprising:

a) transmitting ultrasound signals to a target object along non-steered scan lines and receiving echo signals from the target object to form a first set of ultrasound frame data;

b) transmitting ultrasound signals to the target object along steered scan lines respectively steered at a predetermined steering angle with respect to the non-steered scan lines and receiving echo signals to thereby form a second set of ultrasound frame data;

c) resampling the second set of the ultrasound frame data based on a plurality of sub steering angles set based on the predetermined steering angle to form a plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data;

d) comparing the first set of ultrasound frame data with each of the sets including the second set of ultrasound frame data and the plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data to select a particular set of ultrasound frame data; and

e) spatially compounding the selected particular set of ultrasound frame data and the first set of ultrasound frame data to form an ultrasound spatial compound image.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step c) comprises:

defining a permissible refraction range for the predetermined steering angle;

setting the plurality of sub steering angles to be set within the permissible refraction range; and

resampling the second set of the frame data based on the plurality of sub steering angles to form the plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of sub steering angles are set by increasing or decreasing each of the predetermined steering angles by a predetermined angle within the permissible refraction range.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the step d) comprises:

computing MAD values between the first set of ultrasound frame data and each of the sets including the second set of ultrasound frame data and the plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data; and

selecting the particular set of resampled ultrasound frame data resulting in a smallest MAD value.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the step e) comprises:

spatially compounding the first set of ultrasound frame data and the selected particular set of resampled ultrasound frame data to form a set of ultrasound compound frame data; and

forming the ultrasound spatial compound image by using the set of ultrasound compound frame data.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a spatial compound image forming method comprising:

a) reading out a plurality of sets of ultrasound frame data corresponding to a plurality of frames based on echo signals from a target object from a storage unit, the plurality of sets of ultrasound frame data including a first set of ultrasound frame data formed based on non-steered scan lines and a second set of ultrasound frame data formed based on steered scan lines respectively steered at a predetermined steering angle;

b) resampling the second sets of frame data based on a plurality of sub steering angles set based on a permissible refraction range for the predetermined steering angle to form a plurality of sets of resampled frame data;

c) comparing the first set of ultrasound frame data with each of the sets including the second set of ultrasound frame data and the plurality of sets of resampled frame data to select a particular set of frame data; and

d) spatially compounding the selected particular set of ultrasound frame data and the first set of ultrasound frame data to form an ultrasound spatial compound image.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the step b) comprises:

defining the permissible refraction range for the predetermined steering angle;

setting the plurality of sub steering angles within the permissible refraction range; and

resampling the second set of the frame data based on the plurality of sub steering angles to form the plurality of sets of resampled frame data.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the plurality of sub steering angles are set by increasing or decreasing the predetermined steering angle by a predetermined angle within the permissible refraction range.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the step c) comprises:

computing MAD values between the first set of ultrasound frame data and each of the sets including the second set of ultrasound frame data and the plurality of sets of resampled ultrasound frame data; and

selecting the particular set of resampled ultrasound frame data resulting in a smallest MAD value.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the step d) comprises:

spatially compounding the first set of ultrasound frame data and the selected particular set of resampled ultrasound frame data to form a set of ultrasound compound frame data; and

forming the ultrasound spatial compound image by using the set of ultrasound compound frame data.