Method and system for processing beamformed data

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12259502-B2
Application number	US-202418624596-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 2, 2024
Priority date	Dec 10, 2021
Publication date	Mar 25, 2025
Grant date	Mar 25, 2025

Abstract

Examples relate to a method for processing beamformed data of a medium. The beamformed data includes a first set of beamformed data associated with a first spatial region and a second set of beamformed data associated with a second spatial region, and the method includes estimating the clutter caused by the second spatial region at the first set.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of improving a quality of beamformed data of a medium, the beamformed data being generated via a transducer device, the method comprising:
obtaining beamformed data for the medium;
selecting a first set of beamformed data associated with a first spatial region;
determining a second set of beamformed data associated with a plurality of second spatial regions; and
estimating clutter caused by the plurality of second spatial regions at the first set of beamformed data based only on the second set of beamformed data.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the clutter is estimated without processing signal data received from the medium.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein estimating the clutter comprises subtracting a linear combination of the plurality of second set of beamformed data.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the clutter is estimated in one of real time and quasi-real time.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising, before obtaining the beamformed data:
transmitting an emitted sequence of ultrasound waves into the medium, and
receiving a response sequence of ultrasound waves from the medium, wherein the ultrasound signal data are based on the response sequence of ultrasound waves.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising associating pixels at the first spatial region with the estimated clutter.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising compensating the estimated clutter at the first spatial region.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein compensating the clutter is performed when an amplitude of the second set of beamformed data exceeds a predefined threshold.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising removing the clutter at the first spatial region.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein removing the clutter is performed when an amplitude of the second set of beamformed data exceeds a predefined threshold.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is performed for a plurality of first spatial regions of the medium, in one of in parallel and in series.

12. A method of training an artificial intelligence (AI) model based on the estimated clutter according to claim 1 .

13. A system for processing beamformed data of a medium, the system comprising:
a transducer device comprising one or more transducer elements, the one or more transducer elements being configured to emit an ultrasound wave and to transform a received ultrasound wave into a signal;
a processor operatively coupled to the transducer device;
a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory storing instructions that, when executed by the processor, perform a set of operations comprising:
obtaining beamformed data for the medium;
selecting a first set of beamformed data associated with a first spatial region;
determining a second set of beamformed data associated with a plurality of second spatial regions; and
estimating clutter caused by the plurality of second spatial regions at the first set of beamformed data based only on the second set of beamformed data.

14. The system of claim 13 , wherein the ultrasound wave comprises one of a focused wave, a diverging wave, and a plane wave.

15. The system of claim 13 , wherein the medium comprises one of human or animal liver, a breast, or muscle fibers.

16. The system of claim 13 , wherein one of the plurality of second spatial regions comprises an organ interface.

17. A method of improving a quality of beamformed data of a medium, the beamformed data being generated via a transducer device, the method comprising:
obtaining beamformed data for the medium;
selecting a first set of beamformed data associated with a first spatial region;
determining a second set of beamformed data associated with a plurality of second spatial regions; and
estimating clutter caused by the first spatial region at the second set of beamformed data based only on the first set of beamformed data.

18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the clutter is estimated without processing signal data received from the medium.

19. The method of claim 17 , further comprising associating pixels at the plurality of second spatial regions with the estimated clutter.

20. The method of claim 17 , further comprising compensating the estimated clutter at the plurality of second spatial regions.

Assignees

• Supersonic Imagine

Inventors

• Fraschini Christophe
• Lambert William

Classifications

• G01S15/8918

  the array being linear · CPC title

• A61B8/5269

  involving detection or reduction of artifacts · CPC title

• G16H30/40

  for processing medical images, e.g. editing · CPC title

• A61B8/4483

  characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer · CPC title

• G01S7/52077 Primary

  with means for elimination of unwanted signals, e.g. noise or interference · CPC title