CN117379079A

CN117379079A - Ultrasonic imaging method, device, system and storage medium

Info

Publication number: CN117379079A
Application number: CN202210762854.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘瑞桉; 朱彦聪
Original assignee: Sonoscape Medical Corp
Current assignee: Sonoscape Medical Corp
Priority date: 2022-06-30
Filing date: 2022-06-30
Publication date: 2024-01-12

Abstract

The application provides an ultrasonic imaging method, comprising the following steps: transmitting a test excitation signal to an ultrasound catheter so that the ultrasound catheter emits test ultrasound based on the test excitation signal; acquiring a test echo signal corresponding to the test ultrasonic wave, and determining a catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasonic catheter based on the test echo signal; transmitting an imaging excitation signal to the ultrasound catheter in accordance with the catheter characteristics; and determining signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics, and processing ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters so as to obtain ultrasonic images. The self-adaptive ultrasonic catheter adapting method can realize self-adaptive adaptation to ultrasonic catheter application, can be compatible with ultrasonic catheters with different frequencies, can adapt signals to ultrasonic echo signals, and saves user cost. The application also provides an ultrasonic imaging device, an ultrasonic imaging system and a computer readable storage medium, which have the beneficial effects.

Description

Ultrasonic imaging method, device, system and storage medium

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of digital signal processing, and in particular, to an ultrasound imaging method, device, system, storage medium, and ultrasound host.

Background

Ultrasound imaging is a real-time, non-destructive, high-resolution imaging means whose operating frequency determines the resolution and imaging depth of ultrasound imaging, generally the higher the frequency, the higher the resolution, but the lower the imaging depth. According to the physical characteristics of the ultrasonic probe, a single ultrasonic probe has a single resonant frequency and a certain bandwidth. Therefore, for different application scenarios, the ultrasonic diagnosis needs to use ultrasonic probes with different frequencies to meet different clinical requirements.

However, the current ultrasonic imaging system is only compatible with several or more catheters with specific frequencies due to the influence of the receiving bandwidth, and an additional hardware identification module is added to the probe controller and the catheter end to ensure that the catheter end and the control end of the probe can be matched, so that the identification process is complex and the operation is complex. In addition, as the catheter is consumable, the consistency risk exists when the hardware identification module is added at the end of the catheter, and the cost of the catheter is greatly increased.

Disclosure of Invention

The purpose of the application is to provide an ultrasonic imaging method, an ultrasonic imaging device, an ultrasonic imaging system, a computer readable storage medium and an ultrasonic host, and the ultrasonic catheter can be automatically adapted without configuring a hardware identification module inside the catheter.

In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides an ultrasound imaging method, including:

transmitting a test excitation signal to an ultrasound catheter so that the ultrasound catheter emits test ultrasound based on the test excitation signal;

determining a test echo signal corresponding to the obtained test ultrasonic wave, and determining a catheter characteristic corresponding to an ultrasonic catheter based on the test echo signal;

transmitting an imaging excitation signal to the ultrasound catheter in accordance with the catheter characteristics;

and determining signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics, and processing ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters so as to obtain ultrasonic images.

Optionally, the determining, based on the test echo signal, the catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasound catheter includes:

performing frequency domain transformation on the test echo signal to obtain center frequency and bandwidth;

determining an excitation amplitude of the test excitation signal and an echo amplitude of the test echo signal, determining a catheter sensitivity based on the excitation amplitude and the echo amplitude;

and determining the center frequency, the bandwidth and the catheter sensitivity as catheter characteristics corresponding to the ultrasonic catheter.

Optionally, the transmitting imaging excitation signals to the ultrasound catheter according to the catheter characteristics includes:

determining a signal frequency of the imaging excitation signal based on the center frequency;

acquiring a corresponding relation between catheter sensitivity and ultrasonic echo signal amplitude, and determining an excitation amplitude of the imaging excitation signal based on the corresponding relation and the catheter sensitivity in the catheter characteristic;

an imaging excitation signal is transmitted to the ultrasound catheter in accordance with the signal frequency and the excitation amplitude.

Optionally, the determining a signal processing parameter according to the catheter feature, and processing an ultrasound echo signal corresponding to the imaging excitation signal based on the signal processing parameter to obtain an ultrasound image, includes:

determining an ultrasonic attenuation coefficient corresponding to the center frequency, and determining a compensation curve by utilizing an attenuation curve corresponding to the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient;

and carrying out signal compensation on the ultrasonic echo signals by using the compensation curve, and obtaining ultrasonic images based on the ultrasonic echo signals after signal compensation.

Acquiring a filter type and a filter order;

obtaining a digital filter transfer function based on the filter type, the filter order, and the bandwidth;

and filtering the ultrasonic echo signals based on the digital filter transfer function, and obtaining ultrasonic images based on the ultrasonic echo signals after filtering.

Optionally, determining a signal processing parameter according to the catheter feature, and processing an ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to the imaging excitation signal based on the signal processing parameter to obtain an ultrasonic image, including:

determining a signal amplitude range of the imaging excitation signal in the detected object according to a signal attenuation coefficient and a signal reflection coefficient of the detected object;

scaling the ultrasonic echo signals according to the signal amplitude range, and obtaining an initial ultrasonic image based on the scaled ultrasonic echo signals;

acquiring pixel values and image pixel distribution of a display device for displaying an ultrasound image;

and adjusting the contrast of the initial ultrasonic image according to the pixel value of the display device and the image pixel distribution so as to obtain an ultrasonic image.

Optionally, the sending a test excitation signal to the ultrasound catheter, so that the ultrasound catheter emits test ultrasound based on the test excitation signal, includes:

Performing in-situ detection on the ultrasonic catheter;

when the ultrasonic catheter is determined to be in place based on the in-place detection, an excitation transmitting device is triggered to transmit a narrow pulse excitation to the ultrasonic catheter so that the ultrasonic catheter transmits test ultrasonic waves to the simulation cavity based on the narrow pulse excitation.

The present application also provides an ultrasound imaging apparatus comprising:

a test signal transmitting module for transmitting a test excitation signal to an ultrasonic catheter so that the ultrasonic catheter transmits a test ultrasonic wave based on the test excitation signal;

the catheter characteristic determining module is used for acquiring a test echo signal corresponding to the test ultrasonic wave and determining the catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasonic catheter based on the test echo signal;

an imaging excitation module for transmitting an imaging excitation signal to the ultrasound catheter in accordance with the catheter characteristics;

and the signal processing module is used for determining signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics and processing ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters so as to obtain ultrasonic images.

The present application also provides an ultrasound imaging system comprising:

an ultrasound catheter; the ultrasonic catheter is internally provided with a transducer which is used for transmitting test ultrasonic waves after receiving the narrow pulse excitation and collecting test echo signals; receiving an imaging excitation signal and collecting an ultrasonic echo signal;

A catheter driver electrically connected to the ultrasound catheter; for transmitting a test excitation signal or an imaging excitation signal to the transducer through the excitation circuit;

an ultrasound host electrically connected to the catheter driver for determining a catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasound catheter based on the test echo signal; and determining signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics, and processing ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters so as to obtain ultrasonic images.

The present application also provides a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method as described above.

The application also provides an ultrasound host comprising a memory in which a computer program is stored and a processor which when calling the computer program in the memory implements the steps of the ultrasound imaging method as described above.

The application provides an ultrasonic imaging method, comprising the following steps: transmitting a test excitation signal to an ultrasound catheter so that the ultrasound catheter emits test ultrasound based on the test excitation signal; acquiring a test echo signal corresponding to the test ultrasonic wave, and determining a catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasonic catheter based on the test echo signal; transmitting an imaging excitation signal to the ultrasound catheter in accordance with the catheter characteristics; and determining signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics, and processing ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters so as to obtain ultrasonic images.

According to the ultrasonic imaging method and device, when ultrasonic imaging is achieved through the ultrasonic catheter, the ultrasonic catheter can be used for sending out test excitation signals to the ultrasonic catheter, the ultrasonic catheter can emit test ultrasonic waves after receiving the test excitation signals, so that the catheter characteristics of the ultrasonic catheter are determined according to the test echo signals, the imaging excitation signals of the ultrasonic catheter corresponding to the catheter characteristics can be automatically adapted, meanwhile, signal processing parameters can be determined according to the catheter characteristics, the returned ultrasonic echo signals can be subjected to image adjustment through the signal processing parameters, self-adaptive adaptation of ultrasonic catheter application is achieved, the ultrasonic catheters with different frequencies can be compatible, any hardware identification modules are not required to be added at the catheter end and the probe control end, the equipment cost and the learning cost of a user are saved, automatic processing of the ultrasonic echo signals can be achieved for different catheters, the ultrasonic imaging process is simplified, the ultrasonic imaging efficiency can be improved, and the user can read a graph conveniently.

The application also provides an ultrasonic imaging device, an ultrasonic imaging system, a computer readable storage medium and an ultrasonic host, which have the beneficial effects and are not repeated here.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings that are required to be used in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only embodiments of the present application, and that other drawings may be obtained according to the provided drawings without inventive effort to a person skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of an ultrasound imaging method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a catheter excitation process according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a signal processing procedure provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound imaging process according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound imaging process provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of an ultrasonic mainframe according to an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

For the purposes of making the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is apparent that the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, but not all embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue burden from the present disclosure, are within the scope of the present disclosure.

The ultrasonic imaging method provided by the embodiment of the application can be applied to an application scene comprising ultrasonic equipment, wherein the ultrasonic equipment comprises an ultrasonic host and an ultrasonic catheter. The ultrasonic host sends a test excitation signal to the ultrasonic catheter so that the ultrasonic catheter emits test ultrasonic waves based on the test excitation signal; acquiring a test echo signal corresponding to the test ultrasonic wave, and determining a catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasonic catheter based on the test echo signal; transmitting imaging excitation signals to the ultrasound catheter according to the catheter characteristics; and determining signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics, and processing ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters so as to obtain ultrasonic images.

Further, the ultrasound device may be an intravascular ultrasound device comprising, in addition to an ultrasound mainframe and an ultrasound catheter, a catheter driver connected to the ultrasound mainframe and the ultrasound catheter, respectively. Alternatively, the ultrasound catheter may be advanced or retracted within a lumen (e.g., within a blood vessel) under the control of a catheter driver. Further, during the retraction process, the transducer on the ultrasound catheter can transmit ultrasonic waves and receive ultrasonic echo signals based on the received excitation signals transmitted by the ultrasound host, and the ultrasound host can form intravascular ultrasound images or videos based on the ultrasonic echo signals acquired during the retraction process.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method provided in an embodiment of the present application, where the method may be applied to electronic devices such as an ultrasound device, and in particular, may be applied to an ultrasound host of the ultrasound device. The method comprises the following steps:

s101: transmitting a test excitation signal to an ultrasound catheter so that the ultrasound catheter emits test ultrasound based on the test excitation signal;

the method is applied to the identification and matching process of the ultrasonic catheter. Referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment of the present application, where the ultrasound imaging system may generally include two parts, a catheter and a probe control end, and the probe control end in fig. 2 includes a catheter driver and an ultrasound host. In a specific application of this embodiment, the catheter driver and the ultrasound mainframe may also be used as a probe control end, or even as an integrated device, and the ultrasound catheter may be used for ultrasound imaging after the adaptation of the catheter is completed.

The step aims at sending out a test excitation signal to the ultrasonic catheter to test the characteristic response of the ultrasonic catheter to the excitation signal, so that the characteristics of the catheter can be obtained. Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of a catheter excitation process according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 3, upon acquisition of the catheter insertion signal, an in-situ detection of the ultrasound catheter may be performed prior to transmitting the test excitation signal to determine if the ultrasound catheter is in place, i.e., to determine if the ultrasound catheter is in good contact with the catheter hub. Implementations of determining whether an ultrasound catheter is in place include, but are not limited to: the photoelectric sensor is adopted for detection, or the spring switch is arranged to determine whether the catheter is correctly inserted into the catheter driver according to the toggle state of the spring switch. Of course, other methods of in-situ detection may be employed by those skilled in the art, and are not limited in any way herein.

In this step, a test excitation signal may be sent to the ultrasound catheter by an excitation transmitting device in the probe control end to cause the ultrasound catheter to transmit test ultrasound waves. The excitation transmitting device is a device for transmitting excitation signals and can be composed of at least one of an FPGA, a high-speed MOS driver and an MOS tube. As shown in fig. 3, the test ultrasound may be a narrow pulse excitation. By narrow pulse excitation is meant pulse excitation with a duty cycle less than a preset value, which may typically be 50%, although other values may be set by a person skilled in the art. If the ultrasound imaging system as shown in fig. 2 is adopted, that is, the probe control end includes a catheter driver and an ultrasound host, after the ultrasound host detects that the catheter is in place, the FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array, field programmable gate array) module shown in fig. 3 is controlled to send a test excitation signal to the ultrasound catheter, where the FPGA module may be disposed on the ultrasound host or on the catheter driver. Of course, other components related to pulse excitation emission may be included in the process of emitting the narrow pulse excitation, for example, MOS (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor, MOSFET for short, chinese name MOSFET) transistor driving and MOS transistor, which are not limited herein by way of example. If the MOS drive and the MOS tube are included, the FPGA module, the high-speed MOS drive and the MOS tube can be controlled by the register to send out narrow pulse excitation with preset amplitude. The emission time and amplitude of the narrow pulse excitation to the ultrasonic catheter are not limited, and the emission time may be a preset time period after the ultrasonic catheter is detected to be in place, for example, 30 seconds, 60 seconds, etc., and the amplitude of the narrow pulse excitation may be set by a person skilled in the art, and may be 10V, 20V, or 30V, which is not particularly limited herein.

One specific implementation of this step may be: and firstly, performing in-situ detection on the ultrasonic catheter, and triggering the excitation transmitting device to transmit narrow pulse excitation to the ultrasonic catheter if the ultrasonic catheter is in-situ determined by the in-situ detection, so that the ultrasonic catheter transmits test ultrasonic waves to the simulation cavity based on the narrow pulse excitation. After the ultrasonic catheter receives the narrow pulse excitation, the transducer inside the ultrasonic catheter emits test ultrasonic waves according to the piezoelectric effect. After the test ultrasonic wave is transmitted to the high-reflectivity simulation cavity, the simulation cavity can reflect the test ultrasonic wave, and the transducer receives the reflected signal to obtain a test echo signal (also called as a reflection echo). By high reflectivity analog cavity is meant mainly objects with high acoustic impedance, such as iron pieces, glass plates etc. in order to collect an efficient emitted echo.

S102: acquiring a test echo signal corresponding to the test ultrasonic wave, and determining a catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasonic catheter based on the test echo signal;

this step entails collecting the reflected echoes of the test ultrasound and determining the corresponding catheter characteristics of the ultrasound catheter. The sampling rate used in acquiring the reflected echo is not limited herein, and the sampling may be performed by using an analog-to-digital converter with a higher sampling rate, for example, an analog-to-digital converter of 500MHz or 1 GHz.

The catheter characteristics are not limited herein and mainly include parameters related to the ultrasound catheter and applicable to matching the catheter to the probe controller, such as center frequency, bandwidth, and catheter sensitivity of the ultrasound catheter, among others. Further, the catheter characteristics can characterize the catheter type.

After the test echo signals are acquired, the test echo signals are subjected to frequency domain transformation to obtain center frequency and bandwidth, and the frequency domain transformation can be realized through Fourier transformation. For catheter sensitivity, the sensitivity may be determined from the amplitude of the reflected echo, the amplitude of the narrow pulse excitation. Here, the sensitivity calculation formula is not limited, and one possible sensitivity calculation formula may be s= -20 log10 (Vout/Vin), where Vout is the amplitude of the reflected echo and Vin is the amplitude of the narrow pulse excitation emitted in the previous step. The catheter characteristics may include the center frequency, bandwidth, and catheter sensitivity determined in the process described above.

S103: transmitting an imaging excitation signal to the ultrasound catheter in accordance with the catheter characteristics;

after determining the catheter characteristics in the previous step, the present step aims at emitting imaging excitation signals, which are required to be based on, i.e. adapted to, the catheter characteristics.

The imaging excitation signal is mainly composed of the signal frequency and the excitation amplitude determination before transmission. One possible way of determining this may be to determine the signal frequency at which the FPGA module transmits the excitation signal based on the center frequency of the ultrasound catheter in the catheter signature, and then determine the excitation amplitude of the excitation signal based on the catheter sensitivity in the catheter signature. For example, the signal frequency of the excitation signal sent by the FPGA module may be set to be the center frequency or a preset multiple (for example, 2 times) thereof, and so on. The excitation amplitude can be determined directly according to the catheter sensitivity, in a feasible manner, after the catheter sensitivity is determined, the corresponding relation between the catheter sensitivity and the amplitude of the ultrasonic echo signal can be determined, and then the excitation amplitude of the imaging excitation signal can be determined directly according to the corresponding relation and the catheter sensitivity, so that the amplitude of the ultrasonic echo signal is moderate. Specifically, the FPGA module is controlled by a register to send out an excitation pulse waveform with proper frequency in combination with a phase-locked loop (also called a phase-locked loop), at the moment, the excitation efficiency and the sensitivity are the highest, and the penetration depth is large. The phase locked loop may be connected to the FPGA module and further both may be provided in a catheter driver as shown in fig. 2.

S104: and determining signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics, and processing ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters so as to obtain ultrasonic images.

The signal processing parameters are parameters for processing ultrasonic echo signals. Based on the ultrasonic processing parameters, the electronic device can process the ultrasonic echo signals according to corresponding processing modes. Further, the processed ultrasonic echo signals can be subjected to image generation to obtain an ultrasonic image.

This step aims at further determining adapted signal processing parameters to adjust the ultrasound echo signals returned after the ultrasound catheter receives the imaging excitation signals, based on the catheter characteristics determined in the above steps.

A possible implementation, which can compensate the ultrasound echo signal based on the attenuation curve, comprises the following steps:

s1041a: determining an ultrasonic attenuation coefficient corresponding to the center frequency, and determining a compensation curve by utilizing an attenuation curve corresponding to the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient;

s1041b: and carrying out signal compensation on the ultrasonic echo signals by using the compensation curve, and obtaining ultrasonic images based on the ultrasonic echo signals after signal compensation.

After the center frequency of the ultrasonic catheter is determined, an ultrasonic attenuation coefficient at the center frequency and an attenuation curve corresponding to the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient can be determined, and then a compensation curve can be reversely pushed according to the attenuation curve so as to execute ultrasonic time gain compensation.

The decay curve may be y=e ^-ax Where x is depth, e is natural logarithm, a is ultrasonic attenuation coefficient, a=fc is 0.7 MHz/(db·mhz), fc is center frequency, that is, attenuation curves represent attenuation degrees corresponding to different depths. The TGC (Time Gain Compensation ) compensation curve can be applied to the FPGA module when performing compensation, the received ultrasonic echo signals can be subjected to signal compensation according to the compensation curve, and the ultrasonic echo signals can be subjected to signal compensation according to a compensation coefficient inversely proportional to the attenuation coefficient, so that negative effects caused by signal attenuation at different distances in the ultrasonic echo signals are reduced.

In another possible implementation manner, the ultrasonic echo signal may be filtered through a filter transfer function, where the implementation manner includes the following steps:

s1042a: acquiring a filter type and a filter order;

s1042b: obtaining a digital filter transfer function based on the filter type, the filter order, and the bandwidth;

S1042c: and filtering the ultrasonic echo signals based on the digital filter transfer function, and obtaining ultrasonic images based on the ultrasonic echo signals after filtering.

After determining the bandwidth of the ultrasound catheter, when the preset filter type and the preset order are preset, the digital filter transfer function corresponding to the bandwidth under the preset filter order can be directly determined, and the digital filter transfer function can be applied to the FPGA module. The preset filter type is not limited herein, and may include, but is not limited to, a finite impulse response filter, an infinite impulse response filter, etc., and the filter order includes, but is not limited to, 32 order, 64 order, etc.

Of course, the two implementation manners can be combined, so that the ultrasonic echo signals are processed to adapt to the generation of the ultrasonic image.

The embodiment of the application relates to two groups of different excitation processes, namely, firstly, test excitation signals are sent out and used for determining the catheter characteristics of an ultrasonic catheter according to test echo signals of test ultrasonic waves returned by the ultrasonic catheter, so that signal emission parameters are configured and the adaptation with the ultrasonic catheter is realized. And then, an imaging excitation signal is sent out in the application process of the ultrasonic catheter, and the returned ultrasonic echo signal is subjected to signal processing by utilizing signal processing parameters so as to adjust an image, adapt to display equipment and be convenient for a user to use.

When the ultrasonic imaging is realized by utilizing the ultrasonic catheter, the ultrasonic catheter can be utilized to send out a test excitation signal, and the ultrasonic catheter emits test ultrasonic waves after receiving the test excitation signal, so that the catheter characteristics of the ultrasonic catheter are determined according to the test echo signals, the imaging excitation signals of the ultrasonic catheter corresponding to the catheter characteristics can be automatically adapted, meanwhile, the signal processing parameters can be determined according to the catheter characteristics, the returned ultrasonic echo signals are subjected to image adjustment by utilizing the signal processing parameters, the self-adaptive adaptation of the ultrasonic catheter application is realized, the ultrasonic catheters with different frequencies can be compatible, any hardware identification module is not required to be added at the catheter end and the probe control end, the equipment cost and the learning cost of a user are saved, the automatic processing of the ultrasonic echo signals can be realized for different catheters, and the user is convenient to read a graph.

In an alternative embodiment, for determining the signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics, so as to perform the processing on the ultrasonic signal to obtain the ultrasonic image, referring to fig. 4, fig. 4 is a flowchart of the signal processing process provided in the embodiment of the present application, and may further be performed in the following manner:

s301: determining a signal amplitude range of the imaging excitation signal in the detected object according to a signal attenuation coefficient and a signal reflection coefficient of the detected object;

The detected object is an object to be subjected to ultrasonic detection, and may be a human body, an animal body, or a part including a blood vessel in the human body.

The implementation process of S301 may be: after the signal attenuation coefficient and the signal reflection coefficient of the detected object are determined, the range of the reflected signal amplitude after the imaging excitation signal reaches the detected object can be determined, and then the range of the signal amplitude of the ultrasonic echo signal received by the ultrasonic catheter can be determined.

S302: scaling the ultrasonic echo signals according to the signal amplitude range, and obtaining an initial ultrasonic image based on the scaled ultrasonic echo signals;

further, the scaling processing can be performed on the ultrasonic echo signal according to the display area of the display device, and the imaging processing can be performed on the ultrasonic echo signal after the scaling processing, so as to obtain an initial ultrasonic image.

S303: acquiring pixel values and image pixel distribution of a display device for displaying an ultrasound image;

s304: and adjusting the contrast of the initial ultrasonic image according to the pixel value of the display device and the image pixel distribution so as to obtain an ultrasonic image.

The present embodiment can determine the signal amplitude range, that is, the signal maximum value and the signal minimum value of the imaging excitation signal in the detected object, based on the signal attenuation coefficient and the signal reflection coefficient of the detected object. After the signal amplitude range is determined, the ultrasonic echo signal can be scaled, so that an initial ultrasonic image is obtained. The scaling process may make the signal amplitude of the ultrasound echo signal moderate. Further, the ultrasonic echo signals can be subjected to logarithmic compression to obtain compressed ultrasonic echo signals, and an initial ultrasonic image is obtained based on the compressed ultrasonic echo signals.

The contrast of the initial ultrasound image may be adjusted in step S303 and step S304 according to the display device' S corresponding pixel values and image pixel distribution. If the display device is the display device arranged on the ultrasonic host, the contrast of the compressed image can be directly adjusted according to the corresponding pixel value of the display component on the ultrasonic host. If the display device is a component externally connected with the ultrasonic host, the ultrasonic host can determine the pixel value of the display device so as to adjust the contrast of the compressed image. It should be noted that the adjusted contrast may preset multiple sets of different contrasts so that the user adjusts the different contrasts to view the ultrasound image. And after digital scan conversion processing, the adaptive ultrasonic image can be displayed on a display.

After the signal compensation and the signal processing are performed on the ultrasonic signal in the above embodiment, the present embodiment may further adjust the ultrasonic signal to further adapt to a display device for displaying an ultrasonic image, so as to ensure the user experience.

In combination with the above embodiments, the execution process of an ultrasound imaging method provided in the present application may refer to fig. 5, where fig. 5 sequentially includes catheterization, in-situ detection, catheter identification, excitation matching, filter matching, signal compensation, logarithmic compression, signal mapping, and the like, and after that, image display may be performed on a display device through digital scan conversion.

After the user inserts the catheter into the probe control end, the probe control end performs in-situ detection on the ultrasonic catheter. If the ultrasonic catheter is confirmed to be in place, starting to execute catheter identification; and realizing excitation matching, namely sending a test excitation signal to the ultrasonic catheter so that the ultrasonic catheter emits test ultrasonic waves based on the test excitation signal and obtains catheter characteristics based on the returned test echo signals. Thereafter transmitting imaging ultrasound waves based on the catheter characteristics and receiving ultrasound echo signals, processing the ultrasound echo signals: the filter matching is performed, the signal compensation corresponds to the execution of steps S1041a-S1041b, and the log compression and the signal mapping correspond to the execution of steps S301-S304 in the above embodiments, and the description thereof is not repeated here.

In order to more clearly describe the association relationship in the two excitation processes, please refer to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the ultrasonic imaging process provided in the embodiment of the present application.

In fig. 6, the narrow pulse excitation is used as a test excitation signal, and the corresponding test echo signal is subjected to spectrum conversion to obtain a corresponding spectrum signal, and the corresponding catheter characteristic of the ultrasonic catheter is determined based on the spectrum signal. The catheter characteristics include center frequency, bandwidth, and sensitivity.

The center frequency is used for realizing excitation matching, namely the imaging excitation signal emitted subsequently is referenced to the center frequency, and the center frequency can be directly used as the signal frequency of the imaging excitation signal. The center frequency is also used to achieve signal compensation, see in particular steps S1041a-S1041b.

The bandwidth is used to obtain the digital filter parameters for signal processing of the ultrasonic echo signals, and the specific process can be seen in steps S1042a-S1042c.

The sensitivity is likewise used to calculate the emission parameters of the imaging excitation signal, i.e. to calculate the signal amplitude of the imaging excitation signal.

An ultrasound imaging apparatus is provided herein below, which is described in cross-reference to a method of ultrasound imaging above.

Referring to fig. 7, the present application further provides an ultrasound imaging apparatus, specifically including:

In an alternative embodiment, the catheter feature determination module includes:

the frequency domain transformation unit is used for carrying out frequency domain transformation on the test echo signals to obtain center frequency and bandwidth;

a feature calculation unit for determining an excitation amplitude of the test excitation signal and an echo amplitude of the test echo signal, and determining a catheter sensitivity based on the excitation amplitude and the echo amplitude;

and the characteristic determining unit is used for determining the center frequency, the bandwidth and the catheter sensitivity as catheter characteristics corresponding to the ultrasonic catheter.

In an alternative embodiment, the imaging excitation module includes:

a frequency determining unit configured to determine a signal frequency of the imaging excitation signal based on the center frequency;

the amplitude determining unit is used for obtaining the corresponding relation between the catheter sensitivity and the ultrasonic echo signal amplitude and determining the excitation amplitude of the imaging excitation signal based on the corresponding relation and the catheter sensitivity in the catheter characteristic;

An imaging excitation signal transmitting unit for transmitting an imaging excitation signal to the ultrasound catheter according to the signal frequency and the excitation amplitude.

In an alternative embodiment, the signal processing module includes:

the signal compensation sub-module is used for determining an ultrasonic attenuation coefficient corresponding to the center frequency and determining a compensation curve by utilizing an attenuation curve corresponding to the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient; and carrying out signal compensation on the ultrasonic echo signals by using the compensation curve, and obtaining ultrasonic images based on the ultrasonic echo signals after signal compensation.

In an alternative embodiment, the signal processing module includes:

the filtering processing submodule is used for acquiring the type and the order of the filter; obtaining a digital filter transfer function based on the filter type, the filter order, and the bandwidth; and filtering the ultrasonic echo signals based on the digital filter transfer function, and obtaining ultrasonic images based on the ultrasonic echo signals after filtering.

In an alternative embodiment, the signal processing module includes:

an image processing sub-module, the image processing sub-module comprising:

a signal amplitude determining unit for determining a signal amplitude range of the imaging excitation signal in the detected object according to a signal attenuation coefficient and a signal reflection coefficient of the detected object;

The signal scaling unit is used for scaling the ultrasonic echo signals according to the signal amplitude range and obtaining an initial ultrasonic image based on the scaled ultrasonic echo signals;

a pixel determination unit for acquiring pixel values and image pixel distribution of a display device for displaying an ultrasound image;

and the contrast adjusting unit is used for adjusting the contrast of the initial ultrasonic image according to the pixel value of the display device and the image pixel distribution so as to obtain an ultrasonic image.

In an alternative embodiment, the test signal transmitting module includes:

the in-situ detection unit is used for in-situ detection of the ultrasonic catheter;

and the signal sending unit is used for triggering the excitation transmitting device to send a narrow pulse excitation to the ultrasonic catheter when the ultrasonic catheter is determined to be in place based on the in-place detection, so that the ultrasonic catheter transmits test ultrasonic waves to the simulation cavity based on the narrow pulse excitation.

The present application also provides an ultrasound imaging system, the structural schematic of which may be referred to in fig. 2.

An ultrasound imaging system provided herein may include:

an ultrasound host electrically connected to the catheter driver for determining a catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasound catheter based on the test echo signal; and determining signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics, and processing ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters. After the ultrasonic echo signals are processed based on the signal processing parameters, the ultrasonic host can generate images based on the processed ultrasonic echo signals, and then an ultrasonic image is obtained.

The ultrasonic catheter is provided with a transducer, and the ultrasonic catheter transmits test ultrasonic waves through the transducer after receiving the narrow pulse excitation and collects test echo signals.

In addition, the ultrasonic catheter may further comprise an outer sheath and a mount, the outer sheath comprising a transducer and a drive shaft, the drive shaft for performing torque transfer of the ultrasonic catheter; the mounting seat is provided with a connecting terminal for supporting the transducer; the transducer is connected with the connecting terminal through a coaxial line and is used for transmitting test ultrasonic waves after receiving the narrow pulse excitation and collecting test echo signals.

The transducer in an ultrasound catheter may be composed of a piezoelectric material, a matching layer, a backing material, and the drive shaft may be woven from a stainless steel material for torque transmission. The coaxial line can sequentially comprise a signal wire, an inner shielding layer, a ground wire and an outer shielding layer from the center to the outside so as to reduce the interference of signals from the outside. The mounting base can be made of metal, and the outer sheath tube can be made of sound-transmitting plastic. And it should be noted that the ultrasonic catheter should be biocompatible no matter what material is used for each component.

The catheter driver may be electrically connected with a connection terminal in the ultrasound catheter. The catheter driver may be provided with an FPGA module and an excitation circuit, the FPGA module being configured to transmit excitation pulses to the transducer via the excitation circuit, and may be configured for timing control and signal processing.

Of course, the catheter driver may also comprise a rotary motor, a retracting motor, etc. for effecting rotation and retraction of the catheter, respectively. An encoder for monitoring and feeding back the rotating electrical machine may also be included; a rotary transformer or an electrical slip ring may also be included to effect transmission of the electrical signal.

In addition, the catheter driver may further include:

The data acquisition circuit is used for acquiring ultrasonic signals received by the transducer;

and the amplifying circuit is used for amplifying the ultrasonic signal and performing time gain compensation on the ultrasonic signal. Optionally, an ultrasonic attenuation coefficient may be determined based on the determined center frequency in the catheter feature, and a compensation curve may be determined using an attenuation curve corresponding to the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient, so as to perform time gain compensation on the ultrasonic echo signal based on the compensation curve.

Of course, the above-mentioned ultrasonic host may also be provided with a video input interface, a USB interface, a power interface, an image processing device, a display device, etc., which are not limited herein.

According to the ultrasonic imaging system provided by the embodiment of the application, no hardware identification module is required to be arranged in an ultrasonic catheter or a catheter driver, the adaptation to catheters with different frequencies can be completed only by completing the calculation process of the signal emission parameters and the image adjustment parameters through the algorithm preset in the ultrasonic host, meanwhile, the adaptation of ultrasonic images can be realized, the equipment cost of a user is saved, the operation complexity when the ultrasonic catheter is used for executing ultrasonic detection is reduced, and the user can conveniently and rapidly operate the ultrasonic imaging system.

The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program which, when executed, can implement the steps of the ultrasound imaging method provided by the above-described embodiments. The storage medium may include: a U-disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a random access Memory (Random Access Memory, RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk, or other various media capable of storing program codes.

The present application also provides an ultrasound host, referring to fig. 8, and a block diagram of an ultrasound host provided in an embodiment of the present application, as shown in fig. 8, may include a processor 810 and a memory 820.

Processor 810 may include one or more processing cores, such as a 4-core processor, an 8-core processor, etc., among others. The processor 810 may be implemented in at least one hardware form of DSP (Digital Signal Processing ), FPGA, PLA (Programmable Logic Array, programmable logic array). The processor 810 may also include a main processor, which is a processor for processing data in an awake state, also called a CPU (Central Processing Unit ), and a coprocessor; a coprocessor is a low-power processor for processing data in a standby state. In some embodiments, the processor 810 may integrate a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit, image processor) for rendering and rendering of content required to be displayed by the display screen.

Memory 820 may include one or more computer-readable storage media, which may be non-transitory. Memory 820 may also include high-speed random access memory, as well as non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, flash memory storage devices. In this embodiment, the memory 820 is at least used to store a computer program 821 that, when loaded and executed by the processor 810, is capable of implementing the relevant steps of the ultrasound imaging method disclosed in any of the foregoing embodiments. In addition, the resources stored by the memory 820 may also include an operating system 822, data 823, and the like, and the storage manner may be transient storage or permanent storage. The operating system 822 may include, among other things, windows, linux, android.

In some embodiments, the ultrasound host may further include a display 830, an input-output interface 840, a communication interface 850, a sensor 860, a power supply 870, and a communication bus 880.

Of course, the structure of the ultrasound mainframe shown in fig. 8 is not limiting of the ultrasound mainframe in the embodiments of the application, and the ultrasound mainframe may include more or fewer components than shown in fig. 8, or may combine certain components in actual applications.

In the description, each embodiment is described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment is mainly described by the differences from other embodiments, so that the same similar parts among the embodiments are mutually referred. The system provided by the embodiment is relatively simple to describe as it corresponds to the method provided by the embodiment, and the relevant points are referred to in the description of the method section.

Specific examples are set forth herein to illustrate the principles and embodiments of the present application, and the description of the examples above is only intended to assist in understanding the methods of the present application and their core ideas. It should be noted that it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various improvements and modifications can be made to the present application without departing from the principles of the present application, and such improvements and modifications fall within the scope of the claims of the present application.

It should also be noted that in this specification, relational terms such as first and second, and the like are used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

Claims

1. An ultrasound imaging method, comprising:

acquiring a test echo signal corresponding to the test ultrasonic wave, and determining a catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasonic catheter based on the test echo signal;

2. The method of ultrasound imaging of claim 1, wherein the determining the corresponding catheter characteristics of the ultrasound catheter based on the test echo signals comprises:

3. The ultrasound imaging method of claim 2, wherein the transmitting an imaging excitation signal to the ultrasound catheter in accordance with the catheter characteristics comprises:

4. The ultrasound imaging method of claim 2, wherein determining signal processing parameters from the catheter characteristics and processing ultrasound echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters to obtain ultrasound images comprises:

5. The ultrasound imaging method of claim 2, wherein determining signal processing parameters from the catheter characteristics and processing ultrasound echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters to obtain ultrasound images comprises:

acquiring a filter type and a filter order;

6. The ultrasound imaging method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein determining signal processing parameters from the catheter characteristics and processing ultrasound echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters to obtain ultrasound images, comprises:

7. The ultrasound imaging method of any of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sending a test excitation signal to an ultrasound catheter such that the ultrasound catheter emits test ultrasound waves based on the test excitation signal comprises:

performing in-situ detection on the ultrasonic catheter;

8. An ultrasound imaging apparatus, comprising:

9. An ultrasound imaging system, comprising:

an ultrasound catheter; the ultrasonic catheter is used for transmitting test ultrasonic waves after receiving the narrow pulse excitation and collecting test echo signals; receiving an imaging excitation signal and collecting an ultrasonic echo signal;

an ultrasound host electrically connected to the catheter driver for determining a catheter characteristic corresponding to the ultrasound catheter based on the test echo signal; and determining signal processing parameters according to the catheter characteristics, and processing ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the imaging excitation signals based on the signal processing parameters.

10. A computer readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, implements the steps of the ultrasound imaging method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7.

11. An ultrasound host computer comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory has a computer program stored therein, and wherein the processor, when calling the computer program in the memory, implements the steps of the ultrasound imaging method of any of claims 1-7.