Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, image processing apparatus, and image processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10603014-B2
Application number	US-201514731534-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 5, 2015
Priority date	Jun 18, 2014
Publication date	Mar 31, 2020
Grant date	Mar 31, 2020

Abstract

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a Doppler processing circuitry, an image generating circuitry, and a control circuitry. The Doppler processing circuitry calculates a correlation matrix using a first data string that is a set of reflected wave data generated based on reflected waves that are generated by transmitting ultrasonic waves without making time intervals of transmission pulses uniform on an identical scan line. The Doppler processing circuitry calculates a filter coefficient based on a result of principal component analysis using the correlation matrix. The Doppler processing circuitry extracts a second data string that is included in the first data string, and that is a set of reflected wave data originated from reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves that are reflected on a moving object present on the identical scan line, using the filter coefficient. The Doppler processing circuitry estimates moving object information of the moving object based on the extracted second data string. The image generating circuitry generates ultrasonic image data based on the moving object information. The control circuitry causes a display to display the ultrasonic image data thereon.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:
a Doppler processing circuitry configured to
calculate a correlation matrix using a first data string that is a set of reflected wave data generated based on reflected waves that are generated by transmitting ultrasonic waves without making time intervals of transmission pulses uniform on an identical scan line;
calculate a filter coefficient based on a result of principal component analysis using the correlation matrix;
extract a second data string that is included in the first data string, and that is a set of reflected wave data originated from reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves that are reflected on a moving object present on the identical scan line, using the filter coefficient;
estimate moving object information of the moving object based on the extracted second data string;
an image generating circuitry configured to generate ultrasonic image data based on the moving object information; and
a control circuitry configured to cause a display to display the ultrasonic image data thereon, wherein

the Doppler processing circuitry determines a number of principal components to be suppressed in the principal component analysis, based on a threshold that is changed in accordance with a magnitude of an eigenvalue of the correlation matrix.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the Doppler processing circuitry calculates a power of the moving object using at least a part of the second data string, as the moving object information.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the Doppler processing circuitry calculates a speed of the moving object from a pulse pair having a short intervals in the second data string, as the moving object information.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein
the Doppler processing circuitry calculates a speed of the moving object from a pulse pair having a short intervals in the second data string, as the moving object information.

5. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:
a Doppler processing circuitry configured to
calculate a correlation matrix using a first data string that is a set of reflected wave data generated based on reflected waves that are generated by transmitting ultrasonic waves without making time intervals of transmission pulses uniform on an identical scan line;
calculate a filter coefficient based on a result of principal component analysis using the correlation matrix;
extract a second data string that is included in the first data string, and that is a set of reflected wave data originated from reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves that are reflected on a moving object present on the identical scan line, using the filter coefficient;
estimate moving object information of the moving object based on the extracted second data string;
an image generating circuitry configured to generate ultrasonic image data based on the moving object information; and
a control circuitry configured to cause a display to display the ultrasonic image data thereon, wherein

the Doppler processing circuitry determines a number of principal components to be suppressed in the principal component analysis by an adaptive algorithm, based on a magnitude of an eigenvalue of the correlation matrix, and
the Doppler processing circuitry
calculates a correlation matrix in each of a plurality of ranges that are obtained by dividing a scan range in which transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are performed, and calculates a correlation matrix of each of a plurality of subdivided ranges that are obtained by further dividing each of the ranges by interpolation processing using the correlation matrix of each of the ranges,
calculates a filter coefficient of each of the subdivided ranges from the correlation matrix of each of the subdivided ranges,
extracts the second data string of each of the subdivided ranges using the filter coefficient of each of the subdivided ranges,
estimates the moving object information based on the second data string of each of the subdivided ranges, and
the image generating circuitry generates ultrasonic image data from the moving object information.

6. An image processing apparatus comprising:
a Doppler processing circuitry configured to
calculate a correlation matrix using a first data string that is a set of reflected wave data generated based on reflected waves that are generated by transmitting ultrasonic waves without making time intervals of transmission pulses uniform on an identical scan line;
calculate a filter coefficient based on a result of principal component analysis using the correlation matrix;
extract a second data string that is included in the first data string, and that is a set of reflected wave data originated from reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves that are reflected on a moving object present on the identical scan line, using the filter coefficient;
estimate moving object information of the moving object based on the extracted second data string;

an image generating circuitry configured to generate ultrasonic image data based on the moving object information; and
a control circuitry configured to cause a display to display the ultrasonic image data thereon, wherein
the Doppler processing circuitry determines a number of principal components to be suppressed in the principal component analysis, based on a threshold that is changed in accordance with a magnitude of an eigenvalue of the correlation matrix.

7. An image processing method comprising:
calculating a correlation matrix using a first data string that is a set of reflected wave data generated based on reflected waves that are generated by transmitting ultrasonic waves without making time intervals of transmission pulses uniform on an identical scan line;
calculating a filter coefficient based on a result of principal component analysis using the correlation matrix;
extracting a second data string that is included in the first data string, and that is a set of reflected wave data originated from reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves that are reflected on a moving object present on the identical scan line, using the filter coefficient;
estimating moving object information of the moving object based on the extracted second data string;
generating ultrasonic image data based on the moving object information; and
displaying the ultrasonic image data on a display, wherein
the calculating the filter component comprises determining a number of principal components to be suppressed in the principal component analysis, based on a threshold that is changed in accordance with a magnitude of an eigenvalue of the correlation matrix.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the Doppler processing circuitry is further configured to calculate the filter coefficient by performing a matrix operation to approximate and reduce a clutter component as a principal component.

9. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the Doppler processing circuitry determines the number of principal components to be suppressed in the principal component analysis by an adaptive algorithm.

Assignees

• Toshiba Medical Sys Corp
• Canon Medical Systems Corp

Inventors

• Sato Takeshi

Classifications

• A61B8/488

  involving Doppler signals · CPC title

• G01S15/8979

  Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems · CPC title

• A61B8/461

  Displaying means of special interest · CPC title

• A61B8/5207 Primary

  involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image · CPC title