Method of providing copy image and ultrasound apparatus therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10631825-B2
Application number	US-201414582415-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 24, 2014
Priority date	Mar 13, 2013
Publication date	Apr 28, 2020
Grant date	Apr 28, 2020

Abstract

An ultrasound measurement method includes: providing a first object and a second object within an ultrasound image displayed on a touch screen; activating the first object and the second object, to be movable to perform a measurement on the ultrasound image; receiving a touch-and-drag input with respect to at least one of the first and second objects; and displacing a corresponding one of the first and second objects on the ultrasound image in correspondence with the received touch-and-drag input.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of medical diagnostic ultrasound imaging, the method comprising:
outputting an ultrasound signal and receiving an ultrasound echo signal, by a probe;
generating an ultrasound image based on the ultrasound echo signal;
displaying the ultrasound image in a first area of a touch screen of a tablet device;
receiving, from a user on a second area of the touch screen, an input for selecting a measurement mode, on one of first selectable elements displayed on the second area;
displaying, on the second area, second selectable elements indicating at least a distance button and an ellipse button, based on the input on a measure button included in the first selectable elements;
receiving an input for selecting a measurement type instruction indicating a measurement shape, from the user, on one of the second selectable elements, the measurement shape including a measurement line;
providing, on the ultrasound image, a first measurement mark and a second measurement mark, and visual indicators which define a first expanded touch recognition range and a second expanded touch recognition range for the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark, respectively, wherein the visual indicators enclose the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark, respectively;
receiving a first touch and drag input on at least a portion of at least one from among the first expanded touch recognition range and the second expanded touch recognition range;
moving at least one from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark, based on the first touch and drag input, to change a distance between the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark;
displaying the at least one from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark that have been moved, at a new position, wherein the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark are positioned at opposite ends of the measurement line, respectively;
providing a measurement result of the distance between the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark, thereby providing a length of the measurement line; and
controlling a communicator of the tablet device, to transmit the ultrasound image to an external device,
wherein the probe is connected to a side of the tablet device,
the providing the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark comprises providing each of the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark in a center of the first expanded touch recognition range and the second expanded touch recognition range, respectively, wherein the center of each of the first expanded touch recognition range and the second expanded touch recognition range corresponds to a center point within each of the visual indicators, respectively, and
the displaying the at least one from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark comprises, when the distance between the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark is changed, displaying the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark at the center point of each of the visual indicators, respectively,
wherein each of the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark remains centered within each of the visual indicators, respectively, when the length of the measurement line becomes smaller such that the first expanded touch recognition range overlaps the second expended touch recognition range based on the moving the at least one from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark and when the length of the measurement line becomes greater based on the moving the at least one from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark are selectably movable, based on receiving a second touch and drag input on the touch screen corresponding to the first expanded touch recognition range or the second expanded touch recognition range, respectively.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first and drag input comprises a first touch input,
wherein the moving comprises:
moving one from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark according to information indicating which measurement mark, among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark, is determined to be selected based on receiving, from the user, the first touch input on at least a portion of a touch screen area where the first expanded touch recognition range overlaps the second expanded touch recognition range,

wherein portions of the visual indicators intersect, to surround the at least the portion of the touch screen area where the first expanded touch recognition range overlaps the second expanded touch recognition range, and
wherein the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark in combination define the measurement shape.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the moving the one from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark further comprises:
moving a measurement mark, from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark, which has been most recently moved in time, based on the receiving the first touch and drag input on the at least the portion of the touch screen area where the first expanded touch recognition range overlaps the second expanded touch recognition range.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the first and drag input further comprises a drag input, and
the moving further comprises:
receiving the first touch input on the at least the portion of the touch screen area at a first point and determining whether the first touch input corresponds to an initial position of the first measurement mark or the second measurement mark on the touch screen;
receiving the drag input by which the first measurement mark or the second measurement mark is dragged on the touch screen, based on the determining, the drag input corresponding to an intermediate position of the first measurement mark or the second measurement mark being dragged on the touch screen; and
detecting a second point corresponding to the new position of the first measurement mark or the second measurement mark, the second point being a point on the touch screen at which the first touch and drag input is released,

wherein the first point and the second point correspond to different positions on the touch screen,
the intermediate position is a position disposed on a path of the drag input between the initial position and the new position, and
the new position is a measurement position corresponding to a certain feature in the ultrasound image.

6. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the moving further comprises selecting the one from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark based on priority order information,
wherein the priority order information indicates which measurement mark among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark has a higher priority, based on a pre-specified criterion.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein at least one from among the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark is movable during at least one from among an annotation input mode, a Doppler mode, and an M mode.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first measurement mark is associated with a first pixel of the ultrasound image and the second measurement mark is associated with a second pixel of the ultrasound image, the second pixel being different from the first pixel, and
touch screen coordinates of the first measurement mark and the second measurement mark correspond to that of the first pixe

Assignees

• Samsung Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jae-Ho
• Hong Soon-Jae
• Yun Gi-Hun

Classifications

• G01S7/52084

  related to particular user interfaces (special user input means for ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/467) · CPC title

• G06T2207/20104

  Interactive definition of region of interest [ROI] · CPC title

• A61B8/469

  for selection of a region of interest · CPC title

• A61B8/467

  characterised by special input means · CPC title

• G06F3/0488 Primary

  using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures · CPC title