Object-pose-based initialization of an ultrasound beamformer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10588595-B2
Application number	US-201214128139-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 19, 2012
Priority date	Jul 1, 2011
Publication date	Mar 17, 2020
Grant date	Mar 17, 2020

Abstract

A device and method for initializing an ultrasound beamformer to image an object based on a tool-pose-estimation of the object include an ultrasound imaging array and an object. The ultrasound imaging array operates with the beamformer. The object has a sensor external to the ultrasound imaging array. The tool-pose-estimation includes an estimation of the location and/or the orientation of the object. The tool-pose-estimation of the object is derived by a processor that receives an output of the sensor disposed on the object external to the imaging array that operates with the beamformer. The processor supplies the tool-pose-estimation to the beamformer to initialize the beamformer using the tool-pose-estimation for operating the imaging array.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasound system, comprising:
an ultrasound transducer array configured to transmit ultrasound signals to a sensor on an object for deriving a location and an orientation of the object;
a beamformer coupled to the ultrasound transducer array; and
a processor configured to receive an output of the sensor, to derive a tool-pose-estimation of the object including the location and the orientation of the object, and to provide the tool-pose-estimation to the beamformer,
wherein the ultrasound transducer array repeatedly transmits the ultrasound signals to the sensor in a one-way beamforming process for deriving the location and the orientation of the object;
wherein the processor operates with the beamformer and the ultrasound transducer array in the one-way beamforming process to repeatedly: acquire initialization frames, localize the sensor in a coordinate system based on the initialization frames, derive the tool-pose-estimation of the object based on localizing the sensor in the coordinate system, and initialize the beamformer with respect to tool-specific imaging frames based on the tool-pose-estimation;
wherein the ultrasound transducer array repeatedly transmits ultrasound signals in a two-way beamforming process, concurrent with the one-way beamforming process, wherein the transmissions in the two-way beamforming process are interspersed with the acquisitions of initialization frames in the one-way beamforming process; and
the processor operates with the initialized beamformer and the ultrasound transducer array based on the two-way beamforming to alternately acquire the tool-specific imaging frames and tissue-specific imaging frames using pulse-echo imaging, in the coordinate system.

2. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the processor derives the tool-pose-estimation without need for a result of any imaging based on data arriving by reflected ultrasound.

3. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the object and the sensor, wherein the sensor is attached to the object.

4. The ultrasound system of claim 3 , further comprising:
at least one additional sensor located apart from the sensor, wherein the object comprises the sensor and the at least one additional sensor.

5. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the object, the sensor and a further sensor,
wherein the object comprises an elongated body and the further sensor conforms to at least a portion of the elongated body.

6. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the object, the sensor and a further sensor, wherein the object comprises a tool being rigid and having a base and the further sensor is configured to optically detect the base for deriving the tool-pose-estimation by the processor.

7. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the beamformer is configured to limit an angle of incidence of at least one of a transmit beam and a receive beam to a nonzero value to mitigate sidelobe and reverberation artefacts.

8. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the object is elongated, and wherein the beamformer is further configured to, based on the tool-pose-estimation, place a plurality of transmit foci along the object at different depths to conform to the object.

9. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the object is elongated, wherein the beamformer is configured to steer ultrasound signals in an elevation direction, and wherein the initializing of the beamformer causes operation of the ultrasound transducer array to image an imaging plane in which a tip of the object longitudinally extends.

10. The ultrasound system of claim 9 , wherein the tip longitudinally extends within a further imaging plane, wherein the imaging plane and the further imaging plane are mutually non-parallel, the beamformer being further configured by the processor to operate the ultrasound transducer array to acquire images in the imaging plane and the further imaging plane for concurrent display of the images in real time on a display.

11. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the object is elongated, and wherein the beamformer is configured to spatially space beams to mitigate imaging artefacts discernible as interruptions along the object within an image of the object.

12. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the location comprises a tip of the object, and the tool-pose-estimation comprises an estimate of the location.

13. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to perform the deriving of the tool-pose-estimation, and to initialize the beamformer in real time to track the object.

14. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , further comprising:
the object, wherein the object comprises a specular reflector of ultrasound.

15. The ultrasound system of claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound transducer array repeatedly transmits the ultrasound signals in a first frequency band to the sensor in the one-way beamforming process for deriving the location and the orientation of the object, and wherein the ultrasound transducer array repeatedly transmits the ultrasound signals in a second frequency band, separate and apart from the first frequency band, in the two-way beamforming process.

16. A beamforming method for enhancing visualization of an object comprising at least one sensor, the method comprising:
repeatedly transmitting, by an ultrasound transducer array, ultrasound signals to the at least one sensor in a one-way beamforming process;
repeatedly acquiring initialization frames by a processor operating with the ultrasound transducer array in the one-way beamforming process;
repeatedly localizing the at least one sensor in a coordinate system based on the initialization frames;
repeatedly deriving a tool-pose-estimation comprising an estimate of a location and an orientation of the object by the processor based on localizing the at least one sensor in the coordinate system;
repeatedly initializing, with respect to tool-specific imaging frames and based on the tool-pose-estimation, a beamformer as an initialized beamformer for operating with the ultrasound transducer array to place a transmit focus at the object;
repeatedly transmitting, by the ultrasound transducer array, ultrasound signals in a two-way beamforming process, wherein the two-way beamforming process is concurrent with the one-way beamforming process, and wherein the transmissions of ultrasound signals in the two-way beamforming process are interspersed with the transmissions of the ultrasound signals in the one-way beamforming process; and
operating the ultrasound transducer array with the initialized beamformer and the processor based in the two-way beamforming process to alternately acquire the tool-specific imaging frames and tissue-specific imaging frames using pulse-echo imaging, in the coordinate system,
wherein the tool-specific imaging frames are for acquisition of images of the object and the tissue-specific imaging frames are for acquisition of images of a region of interest.

17. The method of claim 16 :
wherein repeatedly transmitting, by the ultrasound transducer array, the ultrasound signals to the at least one sensor in the one-way beamforming process comprises repeatedly transmitting, by the ultrasound transducer array, the ultrasound signals to the at least one sensor in the one-way beamforming process in a first frequency band, and
wherein repeatedly transmitting, by the ultrasound transducer array, the ultrasound signals in the two-way beamforming process comprises repeatedly transmitting, by the ultrasound transducer ar

Assignees

• Vignon Francois Guy Gerard Marie
• Jain Ameet Kumar
• Robert Jean Luc
• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Vignon Francois Guy Gerard Marie
• Jain Ameet Kumar
• Robert Jean-Luc

Classifications

• A61B34/20

  Surgical navigation systems; Devices for tracking or guiding surgical instruments, e.g. for frameless stereotaxis · CPC title

• A61M25/0108

  using radio-opaque or ultrasound markers · CPC title

• A61B8/4488

  the transducer being a phased array · CPC title

• A61B8/463

  characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display · CPC title

• G01S7/52047

  for elimination of side lobes or of grating lobes; for increasing resolving power · CPC title