Ultrasound imaging apparatus, signal processor, and signal processing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12220283-B2
Application number	US-202217846928-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 22, 2022
Priority date	Jun 28, 2021
Publication date	Feb 11, 2025
Grant date	Feb 11, 2025

Abstract

Provided is an ultrasound imaging apparatus capable of reducing examination time with optimizing parameters on an examination basis. A subject is irradiated with an ultrasound wave, and a plurality of ultrasound transducers receives the ultrasound wave from the subject to obtain received signals. A feature value is calculated from the received signals, the feature value indicating a frequency-dependent characteristic of attenuation of the ultrasound wave, associated with propagation of the ultrasound wave through the subject. A predetermined processing is performed on the received signals using one or more received-signal processing parameters to generate an image. An image processing is performed on the generated image using one or more image processing parameters. Values of the received-signal processing parameter and the image processing parameter are determined based on the feature value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An ultrasound imaging apparatus comprising:
a receiver configured to receive signals outputted in time series from a plurality of ultrasound transducers that have received an ultrasound wave from a subject irradiated with the ultrasound wave;
a feature value detector configured to calculate from the received signals, a feature value indicating a frequency-dependent characteristic of attenuation of the ultrasound wave, associated with propagation of the ultrasound wave through the subject;
a signal-image processor configured to execute a predetermined process on the received signals, using one or more received-signal processing parameters to generate an image, and to perform an image processing on thus generated image, using one or more image processing parameters; and
a controller configured to set values of the received-signal processing parameter and the image processing parameter used by the signal-image processor, to execute processing,
wherein the controller comprises a parameter determiner that determines a value or values of one or more parameters among the received-signal processing parameters and the image processing parameters, on the basis of the feature value calculated by the feature value detector, the parameter determiner comprising
a feature value storage memory configured to store the feature value,
a difference calculator configured to read the feature value of a previous time or earlier from the feature value storage memory and to calculate a difference between the read feature value and the feature value calculated by the feature value detector this time,
a feature value corrector configured to correct the feature value of this time, when the difference is greater than a predefined first threshold, and
a selector configured to select a corresponding parameter value from predetermined parameter values, using the feature value corrected by the feature value corrector.

2. The ultrasound imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller sets the parameter values determined by the parameter determiner, when common received signals are processed by the signal-image processor, thereby allowing the feature value to be reflected in real time on generation of the image according to the signal-image processor.

3. The ultrasound imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the feature value detector obtains information of a frequency component that varies in a depth direction of the received signals, and calculates the feature value based on the information.

4. The ultrasound imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the feature value detector comprises
a pre-processor configured to divide the received signals into a plurality of depth segments, and to extract the received signals in the plurality of depth segments,
a frequency analyzer configured to perform frequency analysis on the received signals in each of the plurality of depth segments, extracted by the pre-processor, and
a depth profile calculator configured to obtain from information indicated by the frequency components of the received signals in the plurality of segments, having been analyzed by the frequency analyzer, a change in the depth direction of a characteristic indicated by a predetermined frequency component, and outputs the change as the feature value.

5. The ultrasound imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the receiver applies beamforming to the received signals outputted from the plurality of ultrasound transducers along a predetermined scan line, and
the feature value detector performs processing on the received signals after beamforming to obtain the feature value.

6. The ultrasound imaging apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein
the feature value detector calculates as the feature value, at least one of the followings; a change in the depth direction of center frequency of the received signals, a change in the depth direction of a transmission band of the received signals, a change in the depth direction of maximum amplitude within a predetermined frequency section, and a change in the depth direction of either of power and energy.

7. The ultrasound imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ultrasound wave applied to the subject are irradiated in the depth direction of the subject, and
the received-signal processing parameter includes a parameter to change one or more values of a depth-varying bandpass filter, a depth-varying receive aperture, and a depth-varying sound speed, used in processing the received signals.

8. The ultrasound imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the ultrasound wave is applied to the subject are irradiated in the depth direction of the subject, and
the image processing parameter is a parameter for changing a value of time gain control.

9. The ultrasound imaging apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a transmitter, wherein
the transmitter generates transmission signals based on one or more parameters, delivers the transmission signals to the ultrasound transducers, and allows the ultrasound transducers to convert the transmission signals to an ultrasound wave to be applied to the subject, and
the parameter determiner sets a value of one or more parameters among the parameters used for generating the transmission signals by the transmitter, based on the feature value.

10. An ultrasound imaging apparatus comprising:
a receiver configured to receive signals outputted in time series from a plurality of ultrasound transducers that have received an ultrasound wave from a subject irradiated with the ultrasound wave;
a feature value detector configured to calculate from the received signals, a feature value indicating a frequency-dependent characteristic of attenuation of the ultrasound wave, associated with propagation of the ultrasound wave through the subject;
a signal-image processor configured to execute a predetermined process on the received signals, using one or more received-signal processing parameters to generate an image, and to perform an image processing on thus generated image, using one or more image processing parameters; and
a controller configured to set values of the received-signal processing parameter and the image processing parameter used by the signal-image processor, to execute processing,
wherein the controller comprises a parameter determiner that determines a value or values of one or more parameters among the received-signal processing parameters and the image processing parameters, on the basis of the feature value calculated by the feature value detector,
wherein the feature value detector obtains information of a frequency component that varies in a depth direction of the received signals, and calculates the feature value based on the information,
wherein the feature value detector comprises
a pre-processor configured to divide the received signals into a plurality of depth segments, and to extract the received signals in the plurality of depth segments,
a frequency analyzer configured to perform frequency analysis on the received signals in each of the plurality of depth segments, extracted by the pre-processor, and
a depth profile calculator configured to obtain from information indicated by the frequency components of the received signals in the plurality of segments, having been analyzed by the frequency analyzer, a change in the depth direction of a characteristic indicated by a predetermined frequency component, and outputs the change as the feature value, and

wherein the ultrasound imaging apparatus further comprises a parameter value memory, wherein in the parameter value memory, a plurality of predetermined types according to ways of chang

Assignees

• Fujifilm Healthcare Corp
• Fujifilm Corp

Inventors

• Tanaka Chizue
• Maruyama Misaki
• Ikeda Teiichiro
• Amino Kazuhiro

Classifications

• G01S15/89

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S7/53

  Means for transforming coordinates or for evaluating data, e.g. using computers · CPC title

• G01S7/58

  for providing variable ranges · CPC title

• A61B8/4488

  the transducer being a phased array · CPC title

• A61B8/5207 Primary

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