Fetal ultrasound processing unit for separating heart rate signals

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2022192525-A1
Application number	US-202017606082-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Apr 22, 2020
Priority date	Apr 24, 2019
Publication date	Jun 23, 2022
Grant date	—

Abstract

A processing unit and method for processing fetal Doppler ultrasound data to extract a set of signals representative of different distinct heart rate signal sources, i.e. maternal heart rate and fetal heart rate. Doppler data is received (32) from a plurality of different transducer sources, corresponding to different (but potentially overlapping) tissue regions within the maternal abdomen. From the multiple sources of Doppler ultrasound data is compiled (34) a single set of input signal channels, each corresponding to a different tissue region within the maternal abdomen. These are then processed successively by a PCA algorithm (36) followed by an ICA algorithm (38), which work to unmix the multiple heart rate sources present in each of the input channels, and derive a set of output signals from the ICA which can be taken as representative of separate heart rate sources.

First claim

1 . An ultrasound processor for use in fetal monitoring for distinguishing different heart rate sources within received Doppler ultrasound data,
the ultrasound processor being communicatively coupleable in use with at least two ultrasound transducer sources; and the ultrasound processor configured to: receive first input Doppler ultrasound data from a first ultrasound transducer source, and receive second input Doppler ultrasound data from a second ultrasound transducer source; compile from the first and second input Doppler ultrasound data a single set of input ultrasound signal channels, each corresponding to a different particular tissue region within the subject; perform a principal component analysis (PCA); procedure, configured to identify one or more linear combinations of the input signal channels which are statistically uncorrelated, the linear combinations defining, when composed, a set of first output signals, and perform an independent component analysis (ICA); procedure, configured to identify one or more linear combinations of said first output signals which are statistically independent from one another, said one or more linear combinations defining a set of one or more second output signals, the one or more second output signals thereby providing signals corresponding to distinct heart rate sources.

2 . The ultrasound processor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the compiled set of ultrasound signal channels comprises channels corresponding to at least two different depth regions within the subject, and/or comprises channels corresponding to at least two different lateral regions within the subject.

3 . The ultrasound processor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the PCA procedure is configured to identify the linear combinations of said input signal channels that result in first output signals having a combined signal strength or variance exceeding a defined threshold while being statistically uncorrelated with one another.

4 . The ultrasound processor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound processor is further configured to generate the set of second output signals in accordance with the identified linear combinations.

5 . The ultrasound processor as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the ultrasound processor is adapted to process the second output signals to derive from each a heart rate signal or heart rate measurement.

6 . The ultrasound processor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the ultrasound processor is further adapted to attribute to each of the second output signals a physiological source.

7 . The ultrasound processor as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the compiling comprises compiling from the first and second input Doppler ultrasound data a single vector of input ultrasound signal channels, each corresponding to a different particular tissue region within the subject.

8 . An ultrasound apparatus comprising:
at least one ultrasound processor as claimed in claim 1 ; and one or more ultrasound transducers, operatively coupled to the ultrasound processor, for providing at least one of the first and second input Doppler ultrasound data to the ultrasound processor.

9 . The ultrasound apparatus as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the ultrasound apparatus comprises an ultrasound probe unit, the probe unit incorporating the ultrasound processor and at least a portion of the one or more ultrasound transducers.

10 . A patient monitoring system comprising:
an ultrasound processor as claimed in claim 1 ; and a connection interface for connecting in use to at least two ultrasound transducer units.

11 . The patient monitoring system as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising a set of at least two ultrasound transducer units coupled to said connection interface.

12 . The patient monitoring system as claimed in claim 10 , further including a controller adapted to control acquisition of ultrasound data by at least one connected ultrasound transducer unit in use.

13 . An ultrasound processing method for use in distinguishing different heart rate sources within received Doppler ultrasound data, the method comprising:
receiving first input Doppler ultrasound data from a first ultrasound transducer source, and receiving second input Doppler ultrasound data from a second ultrasound transducer source; compiling from the first and second input Doppler ultrasound data a single set of input ultrasound signal channels, each corresponding to a different particular tissue region within the subject; performing a principal component analysis, PCA, procedure, configured to identify one or more linear combinations of the input signal channels which are statistically uncorrelated, the linear combinations defining, when composed, a set of first output signals, and performing an independent component analysis, ICA, procedure, configured to identify one or more linear combinations of said first output signals which are statistically independent from one another, said one or more linear combinations defining a set of one or more second output signals, the one or more second output signals thereby providing signals corresponding to distinct heart rate sources.

14 . The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the compiled set of ultrasound signal channels comprises channels corresponding to at least two different depth regions within the subject, and/or comprises channels corresponding to at least two different lateral regions within the subject.

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Franck Christoph Florian
• Wohlschlager Markus Silvester

Classifications

• A61B8/02 Primary

  Measuring pulse or heart rate · CPC title

• A61B2562/0204

  Acoustic sensors · CPC title

• A61B5/02411 Primary

  of foetuses · CPC title

• A61B5/02444

  Details of sensor (A61B5/02427 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A61B2562/043

  in a linear array · CPC title