Network-based ultrasound imaging system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017219704-A1
Application number	US-201515500933-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 18, 2015
Priority date	Aug 18, 2014
Publication date	Aug 3, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Systems and methods for network-based ultrasound imaging are provided, which can include a number of features. In some embodiments, an ultrasound imaging system images an object with three-dimensional unfocused pings and obtains digital sample sets from a plurality of receiver elements. A sub-set of the digital sample sets can be electronically transferred to a remote server, where the sub-set can be beamformed to produce a series of two-dimensional image frames. A video stream made up of the series of two-dimensional images frames can then be transferred from the remote server to a display device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of ultrasound imaging comprising:
transmitting an unfocused three-dimensional ping into an object from a transmitter element of a transducer array in a probe of a data capture device; receiving echoes of the unfocused three-dimensional ping with a plurality of receiver elements of the transducer array; converting analog signals from each of the plurality of receiver elements into a full dataset of digital sample sets, wherein the full dataset comprises digital sample sets from all the receiver elements; electronically transferring a sub-set of the digital sample sets to a remote server, wherein the sub-set comprises fewer digital samples than the full dataset; beamforming the sub-set of digital samples in the remote server to produce a series of two-dimensional image frames; and transferring a video stream made up of the series of two-dimensional image frames from the remote server to a display device.

2 . The method of claim 1 wherein, in response to a control signal, transferring the full dataset from the data capture device to the remote server and storing the full dataset at the remote server.

3 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining digital samples to include in the sub-set of digital samples by identifying digital samples associated with a selected imaging window from among the full dataset of digital sample sets.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the display device is physically attached to the data capture device.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the display device is not physically attached to the data capture device.

6 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the display device is a mobile device.

7 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting digital samples to include in the sub-set of digital samples by selecting only data samples corresponding to less than all pings transmitted from the probe.

8 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting digital samples to include in the sub-set of digital samples by selecting only data samples corresponding to less than all receive elements of the array.

9 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising selecting digital samples to include in the sub-set of digital samples by selecting only data samples corresponding to less than all receive apertures of the array.

10 . A network-based imaging system, comprising:
a data capture device comprising:
a housing containing transmit control electronics configured to transmit ultrasound signals from a first plurality of transducer elements;
receiver electronics configured to receive echoes of the transmitted ultrasound signals, the receiver electronics being further configured to digitize and store the received echoes as a full dataset in a first memory device physically located within a common housing of the data capture device; and
communication electronics configured to communicate the full dataset;
a remote server device comprising:
server communication electronics configured to receive the digitized echoes communicated by the communication electronics of the data capture device;
beamforming software executed by the remote server device and configured to convert the received digitized echoes into a video stream of consecutive image frames;
video streaming software executed by the remote server device and configured to stream the video to a display device.

11 . The imaging system of claim 10 , the display device further comprising:
user interface software executed by the display device and configured to receive user inputs to control one or more beamforming or video streaming parameters, and further configured to transfer user inputs to the beamforming software at the remote server device, the user interface software further comprising a user input control configured to transfer the full dataset to the remote server; video display software executed by the display device and configured to receive the video stream from the remote server device and to display the video stream.

12 . The system of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of data capture devices in communication with the remote server device.

13 . A method of collecting volumetric data representing a target object, the method comprising:
transmitting an unfocused three-dimensional ping into the target object from a transmitter element of a transducer array in a probe; receiving echoes of the unfocused three-dimensional ping with a plurality of receiver elements of the transducer array; converting analog signals from each of the plurality of receiver elements into a full dataset of digital sample sets, wherein the full dataset comprises digital sample sets from all the receiver elements; electronically transferring a sub-set of the digital sample sets to a remote server, wherein the sub-set comprises fewer digital samples than the full dataset; beamforming the sub-set of digital samples in the remote server to produce a series of two-dimensional image frames; and transferring a video stream made up of the series of two-dimensional image frames from the remote server to a mobile display device.

14 . The method of 13 wherein, in response to a control signal, transferring the full dataset to the remote server and storing the full dataset at the remote server.

15 . A method of ultrasound imaging comprising:
transmitting a plurality of unfocused three-dimensional pings into a three-dimensional target volume from a plurality of transmitter elements of a transducer array in a probe; receiving echoes of the unfocused three-dimensional pings with a plurality of receiver elements of the transducer array; converting analog signals from each of the plurality of receiver elements into a full dataset of digital sample sets, wherein the full dataset comprises digital sample sets from all the receiver elements; selecting a two-dimensional plane intersecting the three-dimensional target volume; identifying three-dimensional voxels intersecting the selected two-dimensional plane; identifying a sub-set of data samples corresponding to the selected two-dimensional plane; communicating only the sub-set of data samples over a computer network to a remote server; receiving, from the remote server, a video stream of two-dimensional images representing the selected two-dimensional plane; and displaying the video stream on a display device adjacent to the probe.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising, in response to a user command, communicating the full dataset to a remote data storage device.

Assignees

• Maui Imaging Inc

Inventors

• Call Josef R
• Davis Henry A
• Smith David M
• Specht David J
• Le Viet Nam
• Mchardy Lang J
• Digiovanni Ii Joseph James
• Osborn Nathan W
• Ritzi Bruce R

Classifications

• A61B8/5207

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

• A61B8/483

  involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data · CPC title

• A61B8/14

  Echo-tomography · CPC title

• A61B8/565

  involving data transmission via a network · CPC title

• G06F3/14

  Digital output to display device {; Cooperation and interconnection of the display device with other functional units} · CPC title