An ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method and device, storage medium

Abstract

An ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method and device and storage medium, the position information of the CW sampling line is used to determine the transmitting aperture center position of the probe (40), the transmitting aperture center position of the probe (40) is used to determine the transmitting aperture, and the elements included in the transmitting aperture on the probe (40) are controlled to perform the transmission of the ultrasonic beam, the determined transmitting aperture is used to determine the receiving aperture, and the elements included in the receiving aperture on the probe (40) are controlled to perform the reception of the ultrasonic beam echo, so as to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal, the influence caused by the excessively large transmitting deflection angle can be reduced, and the ultrasonic imaging effect is relatively ideal.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ultrasound imaging, and more specifically to an ultrasound continuous wave Doppler imaging method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] Medical ultrasound imaging devices utilize the propagation of ultrasound waves within the human body to obtain ultrasound characteristic information about the structure of human tissues and organs. Current ultrasound imaging devices typically employ multi-element probes. In such devices, a high-voltage pulse wave is applied to each element of the probe, exciting the elements to generate high-frequency ultrasound waves, which then form a transmitted beam that enters the human body. Each element of the probe receives the echoes scattered or reflected by the human tissue structure, forming a received beam. The ultrasound imaging device then extracts information from the ultrasound echoes to create various imaging modes for display.

[0003] Continuous Wave Doppler (CW) blood flow imaging assesses blood flow velocity in the human body, such as in the brain and heart, by detecting Doppler frequency shift information and acquiring its spectrum or power spectrum in real time. In CW mode, the probe elements are typically divided into two parts: one part for transmission and another for reception. For blood flow signal detection, phased array probes or conventional CW probes are commonly used. A key feature of phased array probes is that the starting point (or tip) of the CW sampling line is always defined at the transverse center of the probe, allowing for transmission, scanning, and reception at specific angles within a certain range. Conventional CW probes, on the other hand, can only transmit and receive signals in a fixed direction. Both types of probes use fixed transmit and receive apertures, which can lead to many undesirable problems, especially when the probe has a large number of elements or a wide transverse dimension—for example, excessive focus deflection angles, ultimately resulting in suboptimal ultrasound imaging.

[0004] Technical issues

[0005] To address the above problems, the present invention provides an ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method and apparatus.

[0006] Solution to the problem

[0007] Technical solutions

[0008] According to a first aspect, one embodiment provides an ultrasound continuous wave Doppler imaging method, comprising:

[0009] Obtain the location information of the CW sampling line;

[0010] The center position of the probe's emission aperture is determined based on the position information of the CW sampling line;

[0011] The emission aperture is determined based on the center position of the emission aperture of the probe, and the array elements contained in the emission aperture on the probe are controlled to emit ultrasonic beams.

[0012] The receiving aperture is determined based on the determined transmitting aperture, and the array elements contained in the receiving aperture on the probe are controlled to receive the ultrasonic beam echo in order to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal.

[0013] An ultrasound image is obtained based on the ultrasound echo signal.

[0014] According to a second aspect, one embodiment provides a continuous-wave Doppler imaging device, comprising:

[0015] The location information acquisition unit is used to acquire the location information of the CW sampling line;

[0016] The scanning control unit is used to determine the center position of the probe's emission aperture based on the position information of the CW sampling line; determine the emission aperture based on the determined center position of the probe's emission aperture, and control the array elements included in the emission aperture on the probe to emit ultrasonic beams; determine the receiving aperture based on the determined emission aperture, and control the array elements included in the receiving aperture on the probe to receive ultrasonic beam echoes, so as to obtain ultrasonic echo signals.

[0017] An image processing unit is used to perform ultrasound imaging based on the ultrasound echo signal.

[0018] According to a third aspect, one embodiment provides a storage medium storing a program for executing the continuous wave Doppler imaging method described in the embodiment.

[0019] Beneficial effects of the invention

[0020] Beneficial effects

[0021] According to the ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method, apparatus, and storage medium of the above embodiments, since the center position of the transmitting aperture of the probe is determined according to the position information of the CW sampling line, the transmitting aperture is determined according to the determined center position of the transmitting aperture of the probe, and the array elements included in the transmitting aperture on the probe are controlled to transmit the ultrasonic beam, and the receiving aperture is determined according to the determined transmitting aperture, and the array elements included in the receiving aperture on the probe are controlled to receive the ultrasonic beam echo, so as to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal, the present invention can reduce the influence caused by excessive transmitting deflection angle, and further improve the ultrasonic imaging effect.

[0022] Brief description of the accompanying drawings Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1This is a flowchart of an embodiment of an ultrasound continuous wave Doppler imaging method;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a flowchart illustrating the acquisition of CW sampling line position information in an ultrasound continuous wave Doppler imaging method according to one embodiment.

[0025] Figure 3 (a) is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ultrasonic continuous Doppler imaging device according to an embodiment;

[0026] Figure 3 (b) is a schematic diagram of the structure of another embodiment of the ultrasound continuous Doppler imaging device;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a linear B-array image display according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the process of determining the center position of the probe's emission aperture based on the position information of the CW sampling line in an ultrasonic continuous Doppler imaging method according to one embodiment.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing the receiving aperture and transmitting aperture set on the probe in one embodiment;

[0030] Figure 7 (a) is a schematic diagram of setting the receiving aperture and transmitting aperture on the probe in another embodiment;

[0031] Figure 7 (b) is a schematic diagram of setting the receiving aperture and transmitting aperture on the probe in another embodiment.

[0032] The best embodiment of the invention

[0033] The best embodiment of the present invention

[0034] Type the description paragraph of the best embodiment of the invention here.

[0035] Invention Embodiments

[0036] Embodiments of the present invention Detailed Implementation

[0037] Take, for example, an ultrasound imaging device equipped with a continuous wave Doppler probe. Such devices are pre-set with fixed emission and receiving apertures at the factory, which cannot be changed by the user. This means that the probe always operates with fixed emission and receiving apertures, which can lead to many undesirable problems, especially when the probe has a large number of array elements or a wide lateral dimension—for example, it can cause excessive focusing deflection angle, ultimately resulting in unsatisfactory ultrasound imaging results.

[0038] To address the aforementioned problems, this invention proposes an ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method and apparatus, which can configure the transmitting aperture and receiving aperture according to the situation, thereby effectively reducing the impact caused by excessive transmitting deflection angle, and further improving the ultrasonic imaging effect. The effect of this invention is more obvious for probes with a large number of array elements or a wide lateral dimension, such as some linear array and convex array probes.

[0039] It should be noted that the transmitting aperture mentioned in this article refers to the set of all array elements on the probe used to transmit the ultrasonic beam. Once the transmitting aperture is determined, the number and position of the array elements on the probe used for transmission are also determined, that is, which array elements on the probe are specifically used for transmission. Similarly, the receiving aperture mentioned in this article refers to the set of all array elements on the probe used to receive the ultrasonic beam. Once the receiving aperture is determined, the number and position of the array elements on the probe used for reception are also determined, that is, which array elements on the probe are specifically used for reception.

[0040] Example 1

[0041] Please refer to Figure 1 An embodiment of the present invention discloses an ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method, which includes steps S10 to S50, which are described in detail below.

[0042] Step S10: Obtain the position information of the CW sampling line. In one embodiment, the position information of the CW sampling line includes the position information of the top end of the CW sampling line. Here, the top end of the CW sampling line can refer to the end of the CW sampling line closer to the probe or the intersection point of the CW sampling line with the line or plane containing the probe array elements. In one embodiment, the ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method of the present invention has multiple methods for obtaining the position information of the CW sampling line; for example, please refer to... Figure 2 In one embodiment, step S10 may include steps S11 and S12.

[0043] Step S11: Determine the current CW sampling line based on external input or automatically by the imaging device. That is, in some embodiments, when the imaging device (e.g., an ultrasound continuous wave Doppler imaging device) is operating, the user can input or adjust the position and / or angle relative to the probe elements of the CW sampling line via an input device. The current CW sampling line can be easily determined based on external input. Alternatively, in other embodiments, the imaging device may have the function of automatically determining or adjusting the CW sampling line, for example, by automatically determining and / or adjusting the position and / or angle relative to the probe elements of the CW sampling line through analysis of the currently acquired ultrasound image data, etc.

[0044] Step S12: Obtain the position information of the CW sampling line based on the current CW sampling line. Once the current CW sampling line is determined by external input or automatically by the imaging device, its position information is already determined and can be easily obtained.

[0045] Step S20: Determine the center position of the probe's emission aperture based on the obtained CW sampling line position information.

[0046] Step S30: Determine the emission aperture based on the determined center position of the probe's emission aperture, and control the array elements included in the emission aperture on the probe to emit ultrasonic beams. In one embodiment, step S30, determining the emission aperture based on the determined center position of the probe's emission aperture, includes: selecting multiple array elements centered on the center position of the emission aperture as the emission aperture according to the set emission aperture size value. Here, "center" is not a strict mathematical definition of size, but rather relative to the array elements. For example, consider a linear array probe, which includes 1 to 100 array elements from left to right. When the center position of the emission aperture is exactly the position of a certain array element, if the emission aperture size value is odd, then the center position of the emission aperture is exactly the center. If the emission aperture size value is even, then the center position of the emission aperture is increased by one of the two array elements located in the middle. For example, if the center position of the emission aperture is the 10th array element... For example, when the aperture size is 7, elements 7 through 13 are used for firing; when the aperture size is 6, elements 7 through 12 or elements 8 through 13 are used for firing. Similarly, when the center of the aperture is not the location of a single element, but rather a location between two elements, if the aperture size is even, the number of elements on both sides of the center is the same; if the aperture size is odd, the number of elements on one side of the center will be one more than the number of elements on the other side.

[0047] Step S40: Determine the receiving aperture based on the determined transmitting aperture, and control the array elements included in the receiving aperture on the probe to receive the ultrasonic beam echo to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal. In one embodiment, step S40, determining the receiving aperture based on the determined transmitting aperture, includes selecting at least a portion of the array elements other than the transmitting aperture as the receiving aperture. That is, in some embodiments, when the transmitting aperture is determined by the center position of the transmitting aperture based on the position of the sampling line, some or all of the remaining array elements on the probe can be selected as the receiving aperture.

[0048] Step S50: Obtain an ultrasound image based on the ultrasound echo signal.

[0049] As can be seen, the ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method of the present invention determines the transmitting aperture and receiving aperture based on the position information of the CW sampling line. Therefore, when the CW sampling line changes, the transmitting aperture and receiving aperture should be updated accordingly. Therefore, in one embodiment, step S10 of the ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method of the present invention, when acquiring the position information of the CW sampling line, further includes: updating the position information of the CW sampling line according to the changed CW sampling line when the CW sampling line changes. Accordingly, the ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method in one embodiment of the present invention further includes: updating the center position of the transmitting aperture of the probe according to the updated position information of the CW sampling line; updating the transmitting aperture according to the updated center position of the transmitting aperture of the probe, and controlling the array elements included in the updated transmitting aperture on the probe to transmit the ultrasonic beam; updating the receiving aperture according to the updated transmitting aperture, and controlling the array elements included in the updated receiving aperture on the probe to receive the ultrasonic beam echo, thereby obtaining an updated ultrasonic echo signal; and obtaining an updated ultrasonic image based on the updated ultrasonic echo signal.

[0050] Please refer to Figure 3 (a) In one embodiment of the present invention, a continuous wave Doppler imaging device is also disclosed, which includes a position information acquisition unit 20, a scanning control unit 30, a probe 40, and an image processing unit 50; please refer to Figure 3 (b) In one embodiment, the continuous wave Doppler imaging device of the present invention may further include a display unit 60, which will be described in detail below.

[0051] The position information acquisition unit 20 is used to acquire the position information of the CW sampling line. In one embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 20 acquires the position information of the CW sampling line, which includes the position information of the top end of the CW sampling line. The position information acquisition unit 20 can acquire the position information of the CW sampling line in various ways. For example, in one embodiment, the position information acquisition unit 20 determines or automatically determines the current CW sampling line based on external input, and acquires the position information of the CW sampling line based on the current CW sampling line. The probe 40 includes multiple array elements and is used to perform the transmission of the ultrasonic beam and the reception of the ultrasonic beam echo. For example, the probe can be a linear array probe.

[0052] The scanning control unit 30 is used to control the array elements on the probe 40 to emit ultrasonic beams and receive ultrasonic beam echoes. Specifically, the scanning control unit 30 determines the center position of the probe's emitting aperture based on the position information of the CW sampling line, determines the emitting aperture based on the determined center position, and controls the array elements included in the emitting aperture on the probe to emit ultrasonic beams. It also determines the receiving aperture based on the determined emitting aperture and controls the array elements included in the receiving aperture on the probe to receive ultrasonic beam echoes, thereby obtaining ultrasonic echo signals. In one specific embodiment, the scanning control unit 30 determines the emitting aperture based on the determined center position of the probe's emitting aperture by setting multiple array elements centered at the center position of the emitting aperture as the emitting aperture, based on a set emitting aperture size value. In another specific embodiment, the scanning control unit 30 determines the receiving aperture based on the determined emitting aperture by setting at least a portion of the array elements outside the emitting aperture as the receiving aperture.

[0053] In one embodiment, the scanning control unit 30 not only controls which array elements are used for transmission and which are used for reception, but also controls the type, shape, and delay of the transmitted pulses, so that the transmitted ultrasonic beam is focused on a predetermined focal position on a predetermined sampling line. In one embodiment, the scanning control unit 30 adjusts the delay of the echoes of each array element and focuses them to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the currently received signal at the user-selected focal position.

[0054] The image processing unit 50 is used to perform ultrasound imaging based on the ultrasound echo signal to obtain an ultrasound image.

[0055] Display unit 60 is used to display ultrasound images.

[0056] As can be seen, the ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging device of the present invention determines the transmitting aperture and receiving aperture based on the position information of the CW line sample. Therefore, when the CW line sample changes, the transmitting aperture and receiving aperture should be updated accordingly. Therefore, in one embodiment, when the position information acquisition unit 20 of the ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging device of the present invention acquires the position information of the CW sampling line, if the CW sampling line changes, it updates the position information of the CW sampling line according to the changed CW sampling line. Correspondingly, the scanning control unit 30 in the ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler device of one embodiment of the present invention updates the center position of the transmitting aperture of the probe according to the updated position information of the CW sampling line; updates the transmitting aperture according to the updated center position of the transmitting aperture of the probe, and controls the array elements included in the updated transmitting aperture on the probe to perform ultrasonic beam transmission; updates the receiving aperture according to the updated transmitting aperture, and controls the array elements included in the updated receiving aperture on the probe to perform ultrasonic beam echo reception, so as to obtain an updated ultrasonic echo signal; the image processing unit 50 obtains an updated ultrasonic image according to the updated ultrasonic echo signal.

[0057] Let's illustrate this with an example.

[0058] like Figure 4 The image described is a typical linear B-array image display area. The thick solid line in the image represents the CW sampling line, and the circles on the CW sampling line indicate the CW convergence position, i.e., the focal point on the CW sampling line. The black solid dots in the image represent the top of the CW sampling line. The CW sampling line and its focal point can be selected according to user commands. For example, the CW sampling line in the image can be moved horizontally or rotated around the focal point. Correspondingly, when the position of the CW sampling line changes, the position of its top also changes. This invention can determine and adjust the probe's transmitting and receiving aperture information based on the position information of the CW sampling line. When the position information of the CW sampling line changes, the probe's transmitting and receiving aperture information is updated accordingly. Because this invention determines the probe's transmitting and receiving aperture information based on the position information of the CW sampling line, it effectively reduces the impact caused by excessive transmitting deflection angle, resulting in a more ideal ultrasonic imaging effect.

[0059] Example 2

[0060] This embodiment 2 makes some improvements based on embodiment 1. The improvement concept of this embodiment 2 is as follows: the transmitting aperture and receiving aperture are determined according to whether the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left or right of the probe center line, and which array elements on the probe are used to perform ultrasonic beam transmission and which array elements are used to perform ultrasonic beam echo reception. The details are explained below.

[0061] Based on Example 1, the ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method disclosed in one embodiment of the present invention is described in reference [reference needed]. Figure 5 Step S20 determines the center position of the probe's emission aperture based on the position information of the CW sampling line, and may include steps S20-01 to S20-05.

[0062] Step S20-01: Determine whether the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left or right of the probe centerline based on the position information of the CW sampling line. If the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left of the probe centerline, proceed to step S20-03; otherwise, proceed to step S20-05.

[0063] Step S20-03: Set the center position of the emission aperture to the left of the probe centerline.

[0064] Step S20-05: Set the center position of the emission aperture to the right of the probe centerline.

[0065] For example, we might use Figure 6 Taking the linear array probe shown as an example, Figure 6 The circles filled with diagonal lines represent array elements, which include 192 elements. For ease of description, they are given as... Figure 6 Each array element is numbered from 1 to 192 from left to right. When it is determined that the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left of the probe centerline, the center position of the emission aperture is set to be to the left of the probe centerline. For example, the center position of the emission aperture can be set to the position of the 47th array element to the left of the probe centerline. When the emission aperture size is 93, multiple array elements centered on the center position of the emission aperture are selected as the emission aperture. The array elements included in the emission aperture are the array elements numbered 1 to 93, and these array elements are controlled to emit the ultrasonic beam.

[0066] Next, the receiving aperture is determined based on the determined transmitting aperture, for example, by controlling at least a portion of the array elements outside the transmitting aperture to be the receiving aperture. For example... Figure 6 The array elements outside the transmitting aperture, specifically elements 100 to 192 out of numbers 94 to 192, are designated as the receiving aperture. It can be seen that... Figure 6 Elements 94 to 99 are closed elements, meaning they neither transmit nor receive. The advantage of this is that for probes with weak crosstalk prevention capabilities between closely spaced elements, the presence of closed elements between the transmitting and receiving apertures can prevent crosstalk. Of course, to maximize the utilization of each element on the probe, after setting elements 1 to 93 as transmitting apertures, the remaining elements 94 to 192 can also be set as receiving apertures.

[0067] Based on Embodiment 1, in a continuous wave Doppler imaging device proposed in an embodiment of the present invention, when the scanning control unit 30 determines the center position of the probe's emission aperture according to the position of the CW sampling line, it can determine whether the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left or right of the probe's center line based on the position information of the CW sampling line. If it is determined that the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left of the probe's center line, then the center position of the emission aperture is set to be to the left of the probe's center line; otherwise, the center position of the emission aperture is set to be to the right of the probe's center line.

[0068] The continuous wave Doppler imaging method and apparatus disclosed in this example set the array elements for transmission and reception according to whether the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left or right of the probe centerline. This can reduce the adverse effects of excessive transmission deflection, such as improving the signal-to-noise ratio, reducing the influence of the grating lobe when the transmission deflection is too large, concentrating energy on the main lobe, and reducing the influence of the image.

[0069] Example 3

[0070] This embodiment 3 makes some improvements based on embodiment 1. The improvement concept of this embodiment 3 is as follows: based on the obtained position information of the CW sampling line, the position represented by the position information of the top of the CW sampling line is set as the center position of the transmitting aperture, thereby finally determining the transmitting aperture and the receiving aperture, and determining which array elements on the probe are used to perform the transmission of the ultrasonic beam and which array elements are used to perform the reception of the ultrasonic beam echo. The details are explained below.

[0071] Based on Embodiment 1, an embodiment of the present invention discloses an ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method, such as an ultrasonic linear array continuous wave Doppler imaging method. Step S20, determining the center position of the probe's emission aperture based on the position information of the CW sampling line, may include: using the position information of the top end of the CW sampling line as the center position of the emission aperture. Then, the emission aperture is determined based on the determined center position of the probe's emission aperture, and the receiving aperture is determined based on the determined emission aperture.

[0072] Let's take a linear array probe as an example for further explanation. For instance, this probe includes 192 array elements. Please refer to... Figure 7 (a) and (b), Figure 7 The circles filled with diagonal lines represent array elements, which include 192 elements. For ease of description, they are given as... Figure 7 The array elements are numbered 1 to 192 from left to right. First, based on the acquired CW sampling line position information, the position indicated by the top of the CW sampling line is taken as the center position of the emission aperture. For example, let's assume... Figure 7The position of element 75, indicated by the top position information of the CW sampling line, is the center position of the emission aperture. Next, the emission aperture is determined based on the determined center position of the probe's emission aperture. For example, based on the set emission aperture size value, multiple elements centered at the emission aperture center position are selected as the emission aperture. Assuming the emission aperture size value is 70, elements 41-110, or elements 40-109, are set as the emission aperture. Figure 7 Taking the setting of array elements 41 to 110 as the transmitting aperture as an example, the receiving aperture is then determined based on the determined transmitting aperture. For example, at least some of the array elements other than the transmitting elements 41 to 110 are selected as the receiving aperture. Figure 7 In (a), all array elements other than the transmitting aperture are set as receiving apertures. Figure 7 (b) sets a portion of the array elements outside the transmitting aperture as the receiving aperture.

[0073] Based on Embodiment 1, in a continuous wave Doppler imaging device proposed in an embodiment of the present invention, when the scanning control unit determines the center position of the probe's emission aperture according to the position of the CW sampling line, it may set the position represented by the position information of the top of the CW sampling line as the center position of the emission aperture.

[0074] The continuous wave Doppler imaging method and apparatus disclosed in this example determine the array element corresponding to the top of the CW sampling line on the probe. Based on this, the transmitting and receiving aperture information is further determined, identifying which array elements on the probe are used for transmitting the ultrasonic beam and which are used for receiving the ultrasonic beam echo. Therefore, a more suitable transmitting and receiving aperture size and position can be selected based on the position of the sampling line top. During reception, array elements with weaker received signals (under the same conditions, the noise of each element is roughly the same, but the received signal strength varies depending on its position relative to the focal point (which is related to the top position of the sampling line and the deflection angle)) can be excluded from the receiving aperture, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio. Furthermore, the adverse effects of excessive transmitting deflection can be further reduced, for example, by reducing the influence of the grating lobe when the transmitting deflection is too large, and by simultaneously reducing the deflection angle during transmission and reception to further improve signal strength. Especially for probes with a wider lateral width and more array elements in the lateral width direction (e.g., probes with array elements arranged in a one-dimensional linear or curved array (e.g., commonly referred to as area array probes or convex array probes), probes with array elements arranged in a two-dimensional planar or curved array, etc., which are collectively referred to as "wide array probes" in this document), the method and apparatus of the embodiments of the present invention can enable the transmitting aperture and receiving aperture on such probes to be positioned more accurately, and the sampling line can meet the user's adjustment requirements for the sampling gate without excessive deflection (which also means that the emission deflection angle of the ultrasonic beam to be emitted does not need to be excessively deflected). (For example, when the transmitting aperture and receiving aperture are fixed, the deflection angle of the sampling line relative to the array elements may be too large when the required sampling gate position is located at the side edge of the current scanning area), thereby effectively improving the signal-to-noise ratio and reducing the adverse effects of excessive emission deflection.

[0075] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the functions of the various methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware or by computer programs. When all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer programs, the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may include: read-only memory, random access memory, disk, optical disk, hard disk, etc., and the program is executed by a computer to achieve the above functions. For example, the program can be stored in the memory of a device, and when the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the above functions can be achieved. In addition, when all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer programs, the program can also be stored in a server, another computer, disk, optical disk, flash drive, or external hard drive, etc., and can be downloaded or copied to the memory of a local device, or the system of the local device can be updated. When the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the functions in the above embodiments can be achieved.

[0076] The above examples illustrate the present invention and are only intended to aid in understanding the invention, not to limit it. Those skilled in the art can make variations to the specific embodiments described above based on the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, include: Display the CW sampling lines on the B image; Obtain the location information of the CW sampling line; The acquisition of the CW sampling line position information includes: determining the current CW sampling line based on external input or automatically determined by the imaging device, and acquiring the CW sampling line position information based on the current CW sampling line; The center position of the probe's emission aperture is determined based on the position information of the CW sampling line; The emission aperture is determined based on the center position of the emission aperture of the probe, and the array elements contained in the emission aperture on the probe are controlled to emit ultrasonic beams. The receiving aperture is determined based on the determined transmitting aperture, and the array elements included in the receiving aperture on the probe are controlled to receive the ultrasonic beam echo to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal; wherein, at least a portion of the array elements other than the transmitting aperture are selected as the receiving aperture, and a closed array element is set between the transmitting aperture and the receiving aperture, such that the closed array element is separated from the transmitting aperture and the receiving aperture, and the closed array element neither transmits nor receives. An ultrasound image is obtained based on the ultrasound echo signal.

2. A continuous wave Doppler ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, include: Obtain the location information of the CW sampling line; The center position of the probe's emission aperture is determined based on the position information of the CW sampling line; The emission aperture is determined based on the center position of the emission aperture of the probe, and the array elements contained in the emission aperture on the probe are controlled to emit ultrasonic beams. The receiving aperture is determined based on the determined transmitting aperture, and the array elements included in the receiving aperture on the probe are controlled to receive the ultrasonic beam echo to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal; wherein, at least a portion of the array elements other than the transmitting aperture are selected as the receiving aperture, and a closed array element is set between the transmitting aperture and the receiving aperture, such that the closed array element is separated from the transmitting aperture and the receiving aperture, and the closed array element neither transmits nor receives. An ultrasound image is obtained based on the ultrasound echo signal; wherein: Obtaining the position information of the CW sampling line also includes: updating the position information of the CW sampling line according to the changed CW sampling line when the CW sampling line changes; The method further includes: Update the probe's emission aperture center position based on the updated CW sampling line position information; The emission aperture is updated based on the center position of the updated emission aperture of the probe, and the array elements contained in the updated emission aperture on the probe are controlled to emit ultrasonic beams. The receiving aperture is updated based on the updated transmitting aperture, and the array elements contained in the updated receiving aperture on the probe are controlled to receive the ultrasonic beam echo in order to obtain the updated ultrasonic echo signal. Updated ultrasound images are obtained based on updated ultrasound echo signals.

3. The ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The location information of the CW sampling line includes the location information of the top of the CW sampling line.

4. The ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the center position of the probe's emission aperture based on the position information of the CW sampling line includes: Determine whether the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left or right of the probe centerline based on the position information of the CW sampling line; When it is determined that the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left of the probe centerline, the center position of the emission aperture is set to be to the left of the probe centerline; otherwise, the center position of the emission aperture is set to be to the right of the probe centerline.

5. The ultrasonic continuous wave Doppler imaging method as described in claim 3, characterized in that, Determining the center position of the probe's emission aperture based on the position information of the CW sampling line includes: using the position information of the top end of the CW sampling line as the center position of the emission aperture.

6. The ultrasound continuous wave Doppler imaging method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, Determining the emission aperture based on the determined center position of the probe's emission aperture includes: selecting multiple array elements centered at the center position of the emission aperture as the emission aperture according to the set emission aperture size value.

7. A continuous-wave Doppler imaging device, characterized in that, include: The location information acquisition unit is used to acquire the location information of the CW sampling line; The location information acquisition unit determines or automatically determines the current CW sampling line based on external input, and acquires the location information of the CW sampling line based on the current CW sampling line; A probe, comprising multiple array elements, is used to perform the transmission of an ultrasonic beam and the reception of the ultrasonic beam echo. The scanning control unit is used for The center position of the probe's emission aperture is determined based on the position information of the CW sampling line; The emission aperture is determined based on the center position of the emission aperture of the probe, and the array elements contained in the emission aperture on the probe are controlled to emit ultrasonic beams. The receiving aperture is determined based on the determined transmitting aperture, and the array elements included in the receiving aperture on the probe are controlled to receive the ultrasonic beam echo to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal; wherein, at least a portion of the array elements other than the transmitting aperture are selected as the receiving aperture, and a closed array element is set between the transmitting aperture and the receiving aperture, such that the closed array element is separated from the transmitting aperture and the receiving aperture, and the closed array element neither transmits nor receives. An image processing unit is used to perform ultrasound imaging based on the ultrasound echo signal; the image processing unit is also used to display the CW sampling line on the B image.

8. A continuous-wave Doppler imaging device, characterized in that, include: The location information acquisition unit is used to acquire the location information of the CW sampling line; A probe, comprising multiple array elements, is used to perform the transmission of an ultrasonic beam and the reception of the ultrasonic beam echo. The scanning control unit is used for The center position of the probe's emission aperture is determined based on the position information of the CW sampling line; The emission aperture is determined based on the center position of the emission aperture of the probe, and the array elements contained in the emission aperture on the probe are controlled to emit ultrasonic beams. The receiving aperture is determined based on the determined transmitting aperture, and the array elements included in the receiving aperture on the probe are controlled to receive the ultrasonic beam echo to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal; wherein, at least a portion of the array elements other than the transmitting aperture are selected as the receiving aperture, and a closed array element is set between the transmitting aperture and the receiving aperture, such that the closed array element is separated from the transmitting aperture and the receiving aperture, and the closed array element neither transmits nor receives. An image processing unit is configured to perform ultrasound imaging based on the ultrasound echo signal; wherein: When the CW sampling line changes: The location information acquisition unit updates the location information of the CW sampling line according to the changed current CW sampling line; The scanning control unit: Update the probe's emission aperture center position based on the updated CW sampling line position information; The emission aperture is updated based on the center position of the updated emission aperture of the probe, and the array elements contained in the updated emission aperture on the probe are controlled to emit ultrasonic beams. The receiving aperture is updated based on the updated transmitting aperture, and the array elements contained in the updated receiving aperture on the probe are controlled to receive the ultrasonic beam echo in order to obtain the updated ultrasonic echo signal. The image processing unit obtains an updated ultrasound image based on the updated ultrasound echo signal.

9. The continuous wave Doppler imaging device as described in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The location information of the CW sampling line acquired by the location information acquisition unit includes the location information of the top end of the CW sampling line.

10. The continuous wave Doppler imaging device as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The scanning control unit is used for: Determine whether the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left or right of the probe centerline based on the position information of the CW sampling line; When it is determined that the top of the CW sampling line is located to the left of the probe centerline, the center position of the emission aperture is set to be to the left of the probe centerline; otherwise, the center position of the emission aperture is set to be to the right of the probe centerline.

11. The continuous wave Doppler imaging device as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The scanning control unit sets the position indicated by the position information of the top of the CW sampling line as the center position of the emission aperture.

12. The continuous wave Doppler imaging device as described in any one of claims 7 or 11, characterized in that: The scanning control unit sets multiple array elements centered at the center position of the emission aperture as the emission aperture according to the set emission aperture size value.

13. A storage medium storing a program, characterized in that, The program is used to perform the continuous wave Doppler imaging method as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images