Veterinary ultrasonic imaging device, ultrasonic imaging device and scanning method thereof

Abstract

The veterinary ultrasound imaging device, ultrasound imaging device and scanning method provided by the present invention first activate the scanning protocol; then display one or more sections to be inspected of the scanning protocol; select a section to be inspected, call and display the teaching content of the selected section to be inspected in the ultrasound teaching material according to the selected section to be inspected; the ultrasound teaching material includes the teaching content of the one or more sections to be inspected; the teaching content is used to teach the user how to scan the section to obtain the corresponding ultrasound image; transmit ultrasound to the scanned object and receive ultrasound echoes to obtain the ultrasound image of the scanned object; and evaluate the quality of the ultrasound image and provide feedback. It can be seen that the entire scanning process not only has the required sections for the user to choose, but also the sections have teaching content as a scanning guide, and the quality of the user's scanning operation can also be fed back, which can assist the doctor in scanning throughout the process, thereby improving the doctor's ultrasound scanning work efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of medical devices, and in particular to veterinary ultrasonic imaging equipment, ultrasonic imaging equipment and scanning methods thereof. Background Art

[0002] When doctors are conducting ultrasound scans and diagnoses, they may miss the order or location of the scanned sections, or may be unfamiliar with the scanning techniques, and need some guidance. The parts that need guidance include several parts: process guidance for some typical diseases, lesions, physical examinations, etc.; and guidance on the scanning techniques, section names, and examples of typical sonograms for a certain section in the process.

[0003] Most of the existing solutions provide read-only instructions in the form of ultrasound scanning instructions, operating instructions, and online help on the ultrasound machine. This method is relatively rigid, lacks guidance on actual workflows, and has limited help for users in actual use. The above problems cause doctors to be inefficient in ultrasound scanning. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention mainly provides a veterinary ultrasonic imaging device, an ultrasonic imaging device and a scanning method thereof, aiming to improve the working efficiency of doctors' ultrasonic scanning.

[0005] One embodiment provides a veterinary ultrasonic imaging device, including:

[0006] An ultrasonic probe, used for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a region of interest in biological tissue and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves;

[0007] A transmitting / receiving control circuit, used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves;

[0008] A human-computer interaction device, used to output visual information and receive user input;

[0009] A memory, used to store ultrasound teaching materials of at least one scanning protocol, wherein the scanning protocol includes one or more pre-set sections to be examined; the ultrasound teaching materials include teaching contents of the one or more sections to be examined; the teaching contents are used to teach a user how to perform a scanning operation on the sections to obtain a corresponding ultrasound image;

[0010] A processor, configured to receive an operation for importing teaching content through the human-computer interaction device, import the teaching content from an external device based on the operation; determine the section to which the teaching content belongs, and add the imported teaching content and the section to which it belongs to the ultrasound teaching material;

[0011] The processor is further configured to:

[0012] Receiving a scanning start instruction through the human-computer interaction device;

[0013] activating a scanning protocol associated with the scanning start instruction according to the scanning start instruction;

[0014] Displaying one or more sections to be examined of the scanning protocol through the human-computer interaction device;

[0015] Receiving, through the human-computer interaction device, an instruction for selecting a section to be inspected from one or more sections to be inspected in the scanning protocol, and determining the selected section to be inspected according to the instruction;

[0016] According to the selected section to be examined, calling the teaching content of the selected section to be examined in the ultrasound teaching material and displaying it through the human-computer interaction device;

[0017] The ultrasonic probe is controlled by the transmitting / receiving control circuit to transmit ultrasonic waves to the scanned object and receive ultrasonic echoes to obtain an ultrasonic image of the scanned object;

[0018] The ultrasound image is quality evaluated, and feedback is provided to the user on the scanning operation based on the result of the quality evaluation.

[0019] An embodiment provides an ultrasonic imaging device, including:

[0020] An ultrasonic probe, used for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a region of interest in biological tissue and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves;

[0021] A transmitting / receiving control circuit, used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves;

[0022] A human-computer interaction device, used to output visual information and receive user input;

[0023] A processor, the processor being configured to:

[0024] Receiving a scanning start instruction through the human-computer interaction device;

[0025] activating a scanning protocol associated with the scanning start instruction according to the scanning start instruction; wherein the scanning protocol includes one or more pre-set sections to be inspected;

[0026] Displaying one or more sections to be examined of the scanning protocol through the human-computer interaction device;

[0027] Receiving, through the human-computer interaction device, an instruction for selecting a section to be inspected from one or more sections to be inspected in the scanning protocol, and determining the selected section to be inspected according to the instruction;

[0028] According to the selected section to be examined, the teaching content of the selected section to be examined in the ultrasound teaching material is called and displayed through the human-computer interaction device; the ultrasound teaching material includes the teaching content of the one or more sections to be examined; the teaching content is used to teach the user how to scan the section to obtain the corresponding ultrasound image;

[0029] The transmitting / receiving control circuit controls the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the scanned object and receive ultrasonic echoes to obtain an ultrasonic image of the scanned object.

[0030] In the ultrasonic imaging device provided in one embodiment, after obtaining the ultrasonic image of the scanned object, the method further includes:

[0031] The ultrasound image is quality evaluated, and feedback is provided to the user on the scanning operation based on the result of the quality evaluation.

[0032] In the ultrasonic imaging device provided by an embodiment, the result of the quality assessment includes whether the quality of the ultrasonic image meets the preset requirements; the processor provides feedback to the user's scanning operation according to the result of the quality assessment, including:

[0033] If the quality of the ultrasound image does not meet the preset requirements, a first prompt message is displayed through the human-computer interaction device; the first prompt message includes an adjustment method for the scanning operation.

[0034] In the ultrasonic imaging device provided by an embodiment, the result of the quality assessment includes a score or a grade; and the processor provides feedback to the user's scanning operation according to the result of the quality assessment, including:

[0035] The result of the quality assessment is displayed through the human-computer interaction device.

[0036] In the ultrasonic imaging device provided by an embodiment, the result of the quality assessment includes a result of whether the quality of the ultrasonic image meets a preset requirement; and the processor is further configured to:

[0037] If the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirement, the ultrasound image is saved as the ultrasound image of the selected section to be examined.

[0038] In the ultrasonic imaging device provided by an embodiment, the result of the quality assessment includes a result of whether the quality of the ultrasonic image meets a preset requirement; and the processor is further configured to:

[0039] If the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements, a second prompt message is displayed through the human-computer interaction device; the second prompt message is used to prompt the user to end the scanning process of the current section; or,

[0040] If the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements, the scanning process of the current section is terminated and the scanning process of the next section is started.

[0041] In the ultrasonic imaging device provided by an embodiment, the processor is further configured to:

[0042] Selecting a target ultrasound image with the highest score or grade from ultrasound images acquired within a preset time period;

[0043] The target ultrasound image is saved as the ultrasound image of the selected section to be examined.

[0044] In the ultrasound imaging device provided by one embodiment, the teaching content includes: a video of a standard scanning operation, a reference ultrasound image obtained based on the standard scanning operation, a schematic diagram of a section corresponding to the teaching content, and at least one of a text description of the standard scanning operation; the schematic diagram is used to illustrate the anatomical structure contained in the section.

[0045] In the ultrasonic imaging device provided by one embodiment, the human-computer interaction device includes a main display and a sub-display; the teaching content of the selected section to be examined is displayed on the display interface of the sub-display;

[0046] After obtaining the ultrasonic image of the scanned object, the processor displays the ultrasonic image on the display interface of the main display.

[0047] An embodiment provides a scanning method of an ultrasonic imaging device, comprising:

[0048] Receive a scanning start instruction;

[0049] Activating a scanning protocol associated with the scanning start instruction; wherein the scanning protocol includes one or more pre-set sections to be inspected;

[0050] Displaying one or more sections to be examined in the scanning protocol;

[0051] receiving an instruction for selecting a section to be inspected from one or more sections to be inspected in the scanning protocol, and determining the selected section to be inspected according to the instruction;

[0052] According to the selected section to be examined, the teaching content of the selected section to be examined in the ultrasound teaching material is called and displayed; the ultrasound teaching material includes the teaching content of the one or more sections to be examined; the teaching content is used to teach the user how to scan the section to obtain the corresponding ultrasound image;

[0053] Transmitting ultrasonic waves to the scanned object and receiving ultrasonic echoes to obtain an ultrasonic image of the scanned object;

[0054] The ultrasound image is quality evaluated, and feedback is provided to the user on the scanning operation based on the result of the quality evaluation.

[0055] According to the veterinary ultrasound imaging device, ultrasound imaging device and scanning method thereof of the above-mentioned embodiment, the scanning protocol is first activated; the scanning protocol includes one or more pre-set sections to be inspected; then one or more sections to be inspected of the scanning protocol are displayed; an instruction for selecting a section to be inspected from one or more sections to be inspected of the scanning protocol is received, and the selected section to be inspected is determined according to the instruction; the teaching content of the selected section to be inspected in the ultrasound teaching material is called and displayed according to the selected section to be inspected; the ultrasound teaching material includes the teaching content of the one or more sections to be inspected; the teaching content is used to teach the user how to perform a scanning operation on the section to obtain a corresponding ultrasound image; ultrasound waves are emitted to the scanned object and ultrasound echoes are received to obtain an ultrasound image of the scanned object; the ultrasound image is quality evaluated, and feedback is given to the user's scanning operation based on the result of the quality evaluation. It can be seen that the entire scanning process not only has the required sections for the user to select, but also the sections have teaching content as a scanning guide, and the quality of the user's scanning operation can also be fed back, which can assist the doctor in scanning throughout the process, thereby improving the doctor's ultrasound scanning work efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] Figure 1 A structural block diagram of an embodiment of an ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention;

[0057] Figure 2 A flow chart of an embodiment of a scanning method provided by the present invention;

[0058] Figure 3 In one embodiment of the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention, the display interface of the main display;

[0059] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an interface of ultrasound teaching software in an embodiment of the ultrasound imaging device provided by the present invention;

[0060] Figure 5 A flowchart of using ultrasound teaching software in an embodiment of the ultrasound imaging device provided by the present invention;

[0061] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a scanning guide interface in an embodiment of the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention;

[0062] Figure 7 In one embodiment of the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention, the display interface of the main display. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] The present invention is further described in detail below by specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Wherein similar elements in different embodiments adopt associated similar element numbers. In the following embodiments, many detailed descriptions are for making the present application better understood. However, those skilled in the art can easily recognize that some features can be omitted in different situations, or can be replaced by other elements, materials, methods. In some cases, some operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification, this is to avoid the core part of the present application being overwhelmed by too much description, and for those skilled in the art, it is not necessary to describe these related operations in detail, and they can fully understand the related operations according to the description in the specification and the general technical knowledge in the art.

[0064] In addition, the features, operations or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any appropriate manner to form various implementations. At the same time, the steps or actions in the method description can also be interchanged or adjusted in a manner that is obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various sequences in the specification and the drawings are only for the purpose of clearly describing a certain embodiment and are not meant to be a required sequence, unless otherwise specified that a certain sequence must be followed.

[0065] The serial numbers of the components in this document, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the objects described and do not have any order or technical meaning. The "connection" and "coupling" mentioned in this application, unless otherwise specified, include direct and indirect connections (couplings).

[0066] like Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention includes an ultrasonic probe 30, a transmitting / receiving control circuit 40 (i.e., a transmitting circuit 410 and a receiving circuit 420), a beamforming module 50, an IQ demodulation module 60, a processor 20, a human-computer interaction device 70 and a memory 80.

[0067] The ultrasonic probe 30 includes a transducer (not shown in the figure) composed of a plurality of array elements arranged in an array, wherein the plurality of array elements are arranged in a row to form a linear array, or arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form a surface array, or the plurality of array elements can also form a convex array. The array elements are used to transmit ultrasonic waves according to the excitation electrical signal, or to convert the received ultrasonic waves into electrical signals. Therefore, each array element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between the electrical pulse signal and the ultrasonic wave, so as to realize the transmission of ultrasonic waves to the object 10 to be imaged, and can also be used to receive the echo of the ultrasonic wave reflected back by the tissue. When performing ultrasonic detection, the transmitting circuit 410 and the receiving circuit 420 can be used to control which array elements are used to transmit ultrasonic waves and which array elements are used to receive ultrasonic waves, or control the array elements to transmit ultrasonic waves or receive ultrasonic waves in time slots. The array elements participating in ultrasonic emission can be excited by electrical signals at the same time, thereby transmitting ultrasonic waves at the same time; or the array elements participating in ultrasonic emission can also be excited by several electrical signals with a certain time interval, thereby continuously transmitting ultrasonic waves with a certain time interval.

[0068] The transmitting circuit 410 is used to generate a transmitting sequence according to the control of the processor 20. The transmitting sequence is used to control some or all of the multiple array elements to transmit ultrasound to the object to be imaged. The transmitting sequence parameters include the array element position, the number of array elements and the ultrasound beam transmission parameters (such as amplitude, frequency, number of transmissions, transmission interval, transmission angle, waveform, focus position, etc.) used for transmission. In some cases, the transmitting circuit 410 is also used to phase delay the transmitted beam so that different transmitting array elements transmit ultrasound at different times so that each transmitted ultrasound beam can be focused on a predetermined area of ​​interest. Different working modes, such as B image mode, C image mode and D image mode (Doppler mode), may have different transmitting sequence parameters. After the echo signal is received by the receiving circuit 420 and processed by subsequent modules and corresponding algorithms, a B image reflecting the anatomical structure of the tissue, a C image reflecting the blood flow information and a D image reflecting the Doppler spectrum image can be generated.

[0069] The receiving circuit 420 is used to receive the ultrasonic echo signal from the ultrasonic probe 30 and process the ultrasonic echo signal. The receiving circuit 420 may include one or more amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), etc. The amplifier is used to amplify the received echo signal after appropriate gain compensation, and the amplifier is used to sample the analog echo signal at a predetermined time interval to convert it into a digitized echo signal, and the digitized echo signal still retains amplitude information, frequency information, and phase information. The data output by the receiving circuit 420 can be output to the beamforming module 50 for processing, or output to the memory 80 for storage.

[0070] The beamforming module 50 is connected to the receiving circuit 420 signal, and is used to perform beamforming processing such as corresponding delay and weighted summation on the echo signal. Since the distances from the ultrasonic receiving point in the measured tissue to the receiving array element are different, the channel data of the same receiving point output by different receiving array elements have delay differences, and delay processing is required to align the phases and perform weighted summation on the different channel data of the same receiving point to obtain the ultrasound image data after beamforming. The ultrasound image data output by the beamforming module 50 is also called radio frequency data (RF data). The beamforming module 50 outputs the radio frequency data to the IQ demodulation module 60. In some embodiments, the beamforming module 50 may also output the radio frequency data to the memory 80 for caching or storage, or directly output the radio frequency data to the processor 20 for image processing.

[0071] The beamforming module 50 may perform the above functions in the form of hardware, firmware or software. The beamforming module 50 may be integrated in the processor 20 or may be separately provided, which is not limited in the present invention.

[0072] The IQ demodulation module 60 removes the signal carrier through IQ demodulation, extracts the tissue structure information contained in the signal, and performs filtering to remove noise. The signal obtained at this time is called a baseband signal (IQ data pair). The IQ demodulation module 60 outputs the IQ data pair to the processor 20 for image processing. In some embodiments, the IQ demodulation module 60 also outputs the IQ data pair to the memory 80 for caching or storage, so that the processor 20 reads the data from the memory 80 for subsequent image processing.

[0073] The IQ demodulation module 60 may also perform the above functions in the form of hardware, firmware or software. In some embodiments, the IQ demodulation module 60 may also be integrated with the beamforming module 50 in one chip.

[0074] The processor 20 is configured to be a central controller circuit (CPU), one or more microprocessors, a graphics controller circuit (GPU) or any other electronic component that can process input data according to specific logical instructions. It can control peripheral electronic components according to input instructions or predetermined instructions, or read and / or save data from the memory 80. It can also process the input data by executing the program in the memory 80, for example, performing one or more processing operations on the collected ultrasound data according to one or more working modes. The processing operations include but are not limited to adjusting or limiting the form of ultrasound waves emitted by the ultrasound probe 30, generating various image frames for subsequent display of the human-computer interaction device 70, or adjusting or limiting the content and form displayed on the display, or adjusting one or more image display settings displayed on the display (such as ultrasound images, interface components, and positioning areas of interest).

[0075] As echo signals are received, the acquired ultrasound data may be processed by the processor 20 in real time during scanning, or may be temporarily stored on the memory 80 and processed in quasi-real time in either on-line or off-line operation.

[0076] In this embodiment, the processor 20 controls the operation of the transmitting circuit 410 and the receiving circuit 420, for example, controls the transmitting circuit 410 and the receiving circuit 420 to work alternately or simultaneously. The processor 20 can also determine a suitable working mode according to the user's selection or the setting of the program, form a transmission sequence corresponding to the current working mode, and send the transmission sequence to the transmitting circuit 410, so that the transmitting circuit 410 uses the suitable transmission sequence to control the ultrasound probe 30 to transmit ultrasound waves.

[0077] The processor 20 is also used to process the ultrasound data to generate a grayscale image of signal strength changes within the scanning range, which reflects the anatomical structure inside the tissue, called a B image. The processor 20 can output the B image to the display of the human-computer interaction device 70 for display.

[0078] The human-computer interaction device 70 is used for human-computer interaction, such as outputting visual information and receiving user input. The user input can be received by a keyboard, operation button, mouse, trackball, touchpad, etc., or a touch screen integrated with a display; the visual information can be output by a display.

[0079] The memory 80 is used to store the above-mentioned various data, and is also used to store ultrasound teaching materials of at least one scanning protocol, wherein the scanning protocol includes one or more pre-set sections to be examined. The ultrasound teaching materials include teaching contents of the one or more sections to be examined. The teaching contents are used to teach the user how to perform scanning operations on the sections to obtain corresponding ultrasound images.

[0080] The ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention can provide ultrasonic teaching materials for doctors (users) to learn. Figure 4 and Figure 5 , the process may include the following steps:

[0081] Step 1', the doctor sends an instruction for starting the teaching help through the input device, the processor 20 receives the instruction for starting the teaching help through the input device, and in response to the instruction, displays the teaching help interface through the display, such as Figure 4As shown. Usually, ultrasound teaching software is provided in the ultrasound imaging device, and the instruction to start the ultrasound teaching software is the instruction to start the teaching help. The teaching help interface can present all existing sections (stored in the memory) for the doctor to select. These sections can be classified according to the part of the target object (such as tissue, organ, etc.). After the doctor selects the part, all the sections corresponding to the part are presented for the doctor to select; these sections can also be classified according to the scanning protocol. After the doctor selects the scanning protocol, all the sections corresponding to the scanning protocol are presented for the doctor to select. Of course, the ultrasound probe can also be used as the parent directory, such as Figure 4 As shown, after selecting the ultrasound probe, select the site or scanning protocol, and then select the section.

[0082] Step 2', the doctor selects a section through the input device, and the processor 20 receives an instruction for selecting a section through the input device, and in response to the instruction, displays the teaching content of the selected section through the display. The teaching content of the section is used to teach the user how to scan the section to obtain the corresponding ultrasound image. In this way, the doctor can learn the scanning operation of each section in the teaching help interface through the ultrasound teaching software.

[0083] The processor 20 can also present a teaching content import interface on the display based on the user's instructions, receive an operation for importing teaching content through an input device, and import teaching content from an external device based on the operation. Of course, the processor 20 can also provide a teaching content production interface through the display, receive an operation for producing teaching content through an input device, and produce teaching content based on the operation. Regardless of how the new teaching content is obtained, the processor can automatically determine the section to which the teaching content belongs based on the teaching content, or determine the section to which the teaching content belongs based on the user's operation, thereby adding the imported teaching content and the section to which it belongs to the ultrasound teaching material. Of course, the processor 20 can also determine the part or scanning protocol to which the teaching content further belongs based on the user's operation, and of course it can also automatically determine the part or scanning protocol to which the teaching content belongs based on the section to which the teaching content belongs, so as to better classify it in the ultrasound teaching material.

[0084] from Figure 4It can be seen that a skilled doctor can find the section to be learned through multiple selection operations from the teaching help interface, but for an unfamiliar doctor, he is not even sure which ultrasound probe or which part of the menu the section is under, so it is time-consuming and laborious to find it. The teaching help interface is helpful for doctors to learn how to scan the section to obtain an ultrasound image. It is suitable for learning before scanning, but cannot provide help during the doctor's scanning process. For example, during the section scanning process, the doctor is not familiar with the current section and cannot get a suitable ultrasound image. To start the ultrasound teaching software, it is necessary to first switch to the teaching help interface, and then select the ultrasound probe → part / ultrasound protocol → section in sequence to see the corresponding teaching content. This is very time-consuming, and the doctor may not be able to find the desired section. Therefore, the ultrasound imaging equipment provided by the present invention also uses an automated workflow to achieve process guidance, uses images, text, videos and other media for example guidance, and combines the automatic recognition of the section to achieve feedback on the user's scanning quality, and finally achieves an optimized workflow for full-process image drawing guidance. Specifically, its scanning method is as follows Figure 2 As shown, the following steps are included:

[0085] Step 1, receiving a scan start instruction. For example, a doctor needs to examine a target object (such as a patient, an animal, etc.), and operates the ultrasonic imaging device through an input device, so that one or more icons of scan protocols are displayed on the display of the human-computer interaction device for the doctor to select, which can be icons of all scan protocols already available in the ultrasonic imaging device for the doctor to select. The human-computer interaction device may include a main display and a secondary display. The main display is mainly used to display ultrasonic images, and the secondary display is usually smaller than the main display. For example, a touch display may be used to facilitate the doctor's operation. The icons of each scan protocol may be displayed on the main display or on the secondary display. The scan protocol may be a workflow for typical diseases, lesions, physical examinations, trauma, tissues and organs, etc., to provide process guidance for doctors. The scan protocol includes one or more pre-set sections to be examined, usually including multiple sections to be examined. The doctor selects an icon, that is, selects the scan protocol corresponding to the icon, and at the same time issues a scan start instruction for the selected scan protocol. The processor 20 receives the scan start instruction through the input device.

[0086] Different scanning protocols can be developed for different needs according to literature, ultrasound guidelines, industry practice standards, etc. during factory settings. The scanning protocol may include: number of slices, sequence of slices, name of each slice, precautions for slices, body position diagram, etc.

[0087] Step 2: In response to the scan start instruction, the processor 20 activates the scan protocol associated with the scan start instruction, that is, activates the scan protocol selected by the user, thereby starting the workflow corresponding to the scan protocol.

[0088] Step 3: The processor 20 displays one or more sections to be examined in the scanning protocol through a display. Similarly, the display can be a main display or a secondary display. For example, Figure 3 As shown, after activating the scanning protocol selected by the user, the section mark A included in the scanning protocol is displayed on the display interface of the display. The section mark A may include the section name and serial number, etc., to facilitate the doctor's selection.

[0089] Step 4: The doctor operates the input device to select a section mark A. The processor 20 receives an instruction for selecting a section to be inspected from one or more sections to be inspected in the scanning protocol through the input device, and determines the selected section to be inspected according to the instruction. Figure 3 When the doctor operates the input device to select the middle section mark A, the processor 20 can determine that the section to be examined selected by the doctor is the section corresponding to the middle section mark A.

[0090] Step 5, the processor 20 calls the teaching content of the selected section to be inspected in the ultrasound teaching material according to the selected section to be inspected and displays it through the display. Similarly, the display can be a main display or a sub-display. The teaching content usually requires a relatively large display space. In order to facilitate the doctor to scan the image in real time with reference to the teaching content, the teaching content of the section to be inspected in this embodiment is displayed through the sub-display, and the main display displays the ultrasound image. Calling the teaching content of the selected section to be inspected and displaying it can be automatically performed after step 4, or it can be manually triggered by the doctor after step 4. This embodiment is described as the latter. In this embodiment, a virtual button is displayed on the main display and / or the sub-display. The doctor operates the input device to click the virtual button, and an instruction for starting the scanning guide is issued. The processor 20 receives the instruction for starting the scanning guide through the input device, and in response to the instruction, calls the teaching content of the selected section to be inspected in the ultrasound teaching material according to the selected section to be inspected and displays it through the sub-display.

[0091] The ultrasound teaching material includes one or more teaching contents of the sections to be examined. The teaching contents are used to teach the user how to scan the sections to obtain the corresponding ultrasound images. In this embodiment, the ultrasound teaching material is ultrasound teaching software (iScanHelper). The processor 20 calls the teaching contents of the sections to be examined in the ultrasound teaching software to present them to the doctor. There is no need to make additional teaching contents, which is very convenient. In addition, subsequent updates, modifications, additions, and editing of the teaching contents of the ultrasound teaching software can correspond to the updates, modifications, additions, and editing of the teaching contents of the sections to be examined, which has strong scalability.

[0092] like Figure 6As shown, the teaching content includes: a video of a standard scanning operation, a reference ultrasound image obtained based on the standard scanning operation, a schematic diagram of a section corresponding to the teaching content, and at least one of a text description of the standard scanning operation. This embodiment is described by taking the above four as an example.

[0093] For the convenience of description, the secondary display will be Figure 6 The interface shown is called a scanning guidance interface. That is, in response to an instruction for starting the scanning guidance, the processor 20 displays the scanning guidance interface through the secondary display, and calls the teaching content of the section to be examined selected in the ultrasound teaching material to be displayed on the scanning guidance interface. The scanning guidance interface includes a video area 1 for displaying a video of a standard scanning operation. The video can present a standard scanning operation, reflecting the position of the ultrasound probe scanning on the target object, the movement trajectory of the ultrasound probe, the angle of the ultrasound probe, etc. The scanning operation of an experienced doctor can be recorded in advance. When there are multiple videos of standard scanning operations, they can be displayed in the video area 1 at the same time, and the display area of ​​one video is significantly larger than that of other videos. The doctor clicks on one of the videos to play the video, that is, the processor 20 receives an instruction for selecting a video through an input device, and plays the selected video in response to the instruction. By playing the video, the doctor can quickly and intuitively learn how to correctly scan the current section, which is very convenient and fast, and improves the work efficiency of doctors, especially those with less experience.

[0094] The scanning guidance interface includes a first image area 2, which is used to display a reference ultrasound image obtained based on a standard scanning operation, that is, to display an ideal ultrasound image of the current section for the doctor's reference. When there are multiple reference ultrasound images, they can be displayed simultaneously in the first image area 2, and the display area of ​​one reference ultrasound image is significantly larger than that of other reference ultrasound images. The reference ultrasound image can be a single-frame image or an ultrasound video composed of multiple frames. The reference ultrasound image can be used by the doctor to determine whether the image obtained by his own scan is appropriate.

[0095] The image scanning guidance interface includes a second image area 3, which is used to display a schematic diagram of the section corresponding to the teaching content, that is, a schematic diagram of the currently selected section. The schematic diagram is used to illustrate the anatomical structures contained in the section, and the names of the anatomical structures can also be marked and presented on the schematic diagram, which can prompt the doctor which anatomical structures need to focus on.

[0096] The scanning guide interface includes a text area 4 for displaying text instructions for standard scanning operations, and teaching doctors how to perform scanning operations through text, so as to obtain the desired ultrasound image of the current section. A play button can also be displayed in the text area 4, and the processor 20 receives an instruction for clicking the play button through an input device, and in response to the instruction, plays the voice corresponding to the text instructions, that is, reads out the text instructions, so that doctors do not need to view the text, which is more convenient.

[0097] The scanning guidance interface may also include an ultrasound mode area 5, which is used to present the most suitable ultrasound mode for the current section. The ultrasound mode is the usual B mode, C mode, D mode, etc. The ultrasound mode area 5 can also present all ultrasound modes that can be used for the current section, and mark the most suitable ultrasound mode. The above-mentioned 1-4 display areas can be associated with the ultrasound mode of the ultrasound mode area 5. When the doctor selects an ultrasound mode in the ultrasound mode area 5, the 1-4 display areas display the content associated with the selected ultrasound mode. Doctors can see different scanning guidance based on different ultrasound modes, so that the scanning guidance interface can carry more teaching information.

[0098] Since the teaching content of the section in this embodiment is obtained from the ultrasound teaching materials, and the teaching content can be imported from the external device into the ultrasound teaching materials, the scanning protocol or the teaching content when scanning can be added later, just import it, and the data modularization is realized, which can be supplemented very conveniently. Therefore, the present invention is very suitable for veterinary ultrasound imaging equipment. In the veterinary field, the current ultrasound imaging equipment is not very targeted. At most, some targeted scanning protocols are set according to common pets such as cats and dogs. As we all know, there are tens of thousands of animal species in nature. The current veterinary ultrasound imaging equipment is difficult to meet the scanning work of various animals. The veterinary ultrasound equipment using the technical solution of the present invention can be prepared by senior doctors or authoritative doctors in the later stage. Teaching content of various sections, and then imported into the veterinary ultrasound equipment, so as to meet the scanning needs of different types of animals, which is very convenient and fast; and the teaching content of the section is an integration of the valuable experience of senior doctors or authoritative doctors, which can be well passed on to users around the world and has a wide range of applications.

[0099] Step 6, the processor 20 controls the ultrasonic probe 30 through the transmitting / receiving control circuit 40 to transmit ultrasonic waves to the scanned object 10 and receive ultrasonic echoes to obtain an ultrasonic image of the scanned object. There is no requirement for the order of step 6 and step 5, and there is no requirement for the order of step 6 and steps 1, 2, 3 and 4. Usually, different scanning protocols or different sections have different corresponding ultrasonic parameters. Therefore, after activating the scanning protocol selected by the user, ultrasonic waves can be transmitted to the scanned object 10 and ultrasonic echoes can be received according to the ultrasonic parameters corresponding to the scanning protocol to obtain an ultrasonic image of the scanned object; or after selecting the section to be inspected in step 4, ultrasonic waves can be transmitted to the scanned object 10 and ultrasonic echoes can be received according to the ultrasonic parameters corresponding to the selected section to be inspected to obtain an ultrasonic image of the scanned object. This embodiment is described by the latter as an example. The doctor can directly scan the image to obtain the ultrasonic image, and select one or more frames as the ultrasonic image of the current section to be inspected, or issue an instruction to execute step 5, refer to the teaching content to scan the image to obtain the ultrasonic image, and select one or more frames as the ultrasonic image of the current section to be inspected.

[0100] like Figure 3 As shown, after the processor 20 obtains the ultrasound image of the scanned object, it displays the ultrasound image on the display interface of the main display. In this embodiment, the secondary display displays the scanning guide interface ( Figure 6 ), the doctor refers to the scanning guidance interface on the secondary display while operating the probe and sees the ultrasound image on the main display, making the human-computer interaction efficient.

[0101] In summary, the present invention uses a scanning guidance interface to view common techniques, key points, anatomical structures and other information of the current section, and guides the user to perform correct scanning to the greatest extent in an illustrative manner.

[0102] The present invention can also provide feedback on the quality of the scanned image as shown in the following steps.

[0103] Step 7: The processor 20 performs quality assessment on the ultrasound image and provides feedback to the user's scanning operation based on the quality assessment result. The feedback can be in various forms, which are described below by way of example.

[0104] In one embodiment, the result of the quality assessment includes whether the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements. There are many ways to perform quality assessment on the ultrasound image to obtain the result of the quality assessment, such as comparing the ultrasound image with the reference ultrasound image in the teaching content to obtain the result of whether the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements; for example, inputting the ultrasound image into a pre-trained deep learning model to obtain the result of whether the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements, and so on.

[0105] Furthermore, if the quality of the ultrasound image does not meet the preset requirements, the processor 20 displays a first prompt message through the human-computer interaction device (main display or auxiliary display). The first prompt message includes the adjustment method of the scanning operation, such as prompting the doctor to adjust the angle and position of the ultrasound probe. The first prompt message can be presented in the form of pictures, text, videos, etc., which are not limited by the present invention. If the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements, the processor 20 can prompt the user to save the ultrasound image, or automatically save the ultrasound image as an ultrasound image of the selected section to be inspected and prompt the user. If the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements, the processor 20 can also display a second prompt message through the human-computer interaction device (main display or auxiliary display); the second prompt message is used to prompt the user to end the scanning process of the current section, or the processor 20 automatically ends the scanning process of the current section and starts the scanning process of the next section.

[0106] In one embodiment, the result of the quality assessment is itself a kind of feedback, and the processor 20 displays the result of the quality assessment through the main display or the auxiliary display. The doctor sees the result of the quality assessment and processes it by himself.

[0107] In this embodiment, the result of the quality assessment includes a score or grade. There are many ways to perform quality assessment on ultrasound images to obtain a score or grade, such as comparing the ultrasound image with a reference ultrasound image in the teaching content (such as comparing clarity, signal-to-noise ratio, anatomical structure features, etc.), thereby obtaining the score or grade of the ultrasound image; for example, inputting the ultrasound image into a pre-trained deep learning model to obtain the score or grade of the ultrasound image, and so on. The processor 20 can display the score or grade of the ultrasound image through the main display or the sub-display. The score or grade can be displayed on the corresponding ultrasound image, such as Figure 7 As shown in the figure, "Sub4C" indicates the name of the current section, and "Image Quality" is 40, indicating that the score of the current ultrasound image is 40. The doctor can see the current score or grade to know the quality of the current ultrasound image, and can save or re-scan the image, which can be very helpful for doctors with little experience. The processor 20 can also display the body position map of the current section on the display interface of the main display for the doctor's reference.

[0108] The processor 20 can select the target ultrasound image with the highest score or grade from the ultrasound images obtained within the preset time period; and save the target ultrasound image as the ultrasound image of the selected section to be examined. In order to save a better ultrasound image, the processor 20 can filter out ultrasound images with scores higher than a preset score, or filter out ultrasound images with grades higher than a preset grade from the ultrasound images obtained within the preset time period, and then select the target ultrasound image with the highest score or grade from the filtered ultrasound images; and save the target ultrasound image as the ultrasound image of the selected section to be examined. The preset score or preset grade is used as a bottom line to ensure the quality of the section ultrasound image.

[0109] The ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention can also customize the scanning protocol, such as adding or modifying the scanning protocol. The scanning process of the section is usually fixed, such as scanning, storing, marking, measuring, etc., and the scanning protocol is often composed of multiple sections, so the customized scanning protocol is mainly to customize the sections it contains. Specifically, the processor 20 can also present the scanning protocol editing interface on the display based on the user's instructions, and receive the operation for adding a scanning protocol through the input device (for example, setting its section after creating a new scanning protocol), so as to obtain a new scanning protocol. The operation for modifying the scanning protocol is received through the input device, so that the existing scanning protocol is modified (such as adding or reducing sections, etc.), or the modified scanning protocol is saved as a new scanning protocol. The teaching content combined with the section can also be freely imported and produced. The ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention is very suitable for application in the veterinary field, which is convenient for users to prepare scanning protocols, teaching content, etc. for the animals they need to scan, thereby improving the scope of application of the equipment and the work efficiency of doctors.

[0110] This document is described with reference to various exemplary embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications may be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of this document. For example, various operating steps and components for performing the operating steps may be implemented in different ways (e.g., one or more steps may be deleted, modified, or incorporated into other steps) depending on the specific application or considering any number of cost functions associated with the operation of the system.

[0111] In addition, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the principles of the present invention may be reflected in a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium, which is pre-installed with a computer-readable program code. Any tangible, non-temporary computer-readable storage medium may be used, including magnetic storage devices (hard disks, floppy disks, etc.), optical storage devices (CD-ROMs, DVDs, Blu Ray disks, etc.), flash memory, and / or the like. These computer program instructions may be loaded onto a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing device to form a machine, so that these instructions executed on a computer or other programmable data processing device may generate a device that implements a specified function. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory, which may instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory may form a manufactured product, including an implementation device that implements a specified function. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device, so that a series of operating steps are performed on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device may provide steps for implementing a specified function.

[0112] Although the principles of this invention have been shown in various embodiments, many modifications of structures, arrangements, proportions, elements, materials and components particularly suitable for specific environments and operational requirements can be used without departing from the principles and scope of this invention. The above modifications and other changes or amendments will be included in the scope of this invention.

[0113] The foregoing specific description has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the consideration of the present disclosure will be illustrative rather than restrictive, and all these modifications will be included in its scope. Similarly, the advantages, other advantages and solutions to the problems of various embodiments have been described above. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to the problems and any elements that can produce these, or make them more clear, should not be interpreted as critical, necessary or necessary. The term "include" and any other variants used in this article are all non-exclusive inclusions, so that the process, method, article or device including the list of elements not only includes these elements, but also includes other elements that are not explicitly listed or do not belong to the process, method, system, article or device. In addition, the term "coupled" and any other variants used in this article refer to physical connections, electrical connections, magnetic connections, optical connections, communication connections, functional connections and / or any other connections.

[0114] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the basic principles of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims.

Claims

1. A veterinary ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that: include: An ultrasonic probe, used for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a region of interest in biological tissue and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves; A transmitting / receiving control circuit, used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves; A human-computer interaction device, used to output visual information and receive user input; A memory, used to store ultrasound teaching materials of at least one scanning protocol, wherein the scanning protocol includes one or more pre-set sections to be examined; the ultrasound teaching materials include teaching contents of the one or more sections to be examined; the teaching contents of the sections to be examined are used to teach a user how to perform a scanning operation on the sections to be examined to obtain a corresponding ultrasound image; A processor, configured to receive an operation for importing teaching content through the human-computer interaction device, import the teaching content from an external device based on the operation; determine the section to which the teaching content belongs, and add the imported teaching content and the section to which it belongs to the ultrasound teaching material; The processor is further configured to: Receiving a scanning start instruction through the human-computer interaction device; activating a scanning protocol associated with the scanning start instruction according to the scanning start instruction; Displaying one or more sections to be examined of the scanning protocol through the human-computer interaction device; Receiving, through the human-computer interaction device, an instruction for selecting a section to be inspected from one or more sections to be inspected in the scanning protocol, and determining the selected section to be inspected according to the instruction; According to the selected section to be examined, calling the teaching content of the selected section to be examined in the ultrasound teaching material and displaying it through the human-computer interaction device; The ultrasonic probe is controlled by the transmitting / receiving control circuit to transmit ultrasonic waves to the scanned object and receive ultrasonic echoes to obtain an ultrasonic image of the scanned object; The ultrasound image is quality evaluated, and feedback is provided to the user on the scanning operation based on the result of the quality evaluation.

2. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that: include: An ultrasonic probe, used for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a region of interest in biological tissue and receiving echoes of the ultrasonic waves; A transmitting / receiving control circuit, used for controlling the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the region of interest and receive echoes of the ultrasonic waves; A human-computer interaction device, used to output visual information and receive user input; A processor, the processor being configured to: Receiving a scanning start instruction through the human-computer interaction device; activating a scanning protocol associated with the scanning start instruction according to the scanning start instruction; wherein the scanning protocol includes one or more pre-set sections to be inspected; Displaying one or more sections to be examined of the scanning protocol through the human-computer interaction device; Receiving, through the human-computer interaction device, an instruction for selecting a section to be inspected from one or more sections to be inspected in the scanning protocol, and determining the selected section to be inspected according to the instruction; According to the selected section to be examined, the teaching content of the selected section to be examined in the ultrasound teaching material is called and displayed through the human-computer interaction device; the ultrasound teaching material includes the teaching content of the one or more sections to be examined; the teaching content of the section to be examined is used to teach the user how to scan the section to be examined to obtain a corresponding ultrasound image; The transmitting / receiving control circuit controls the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the scanned object and receive ultrasonic echoes to obtain an ultrasonic image of the scanned object.

3. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 2, characterized in that: After obtaining the ultrasound image of the scanned object, it also includes: The ultrasound image is quality evaluated, and feedback is provided to the user on the scanning operation based on the result of the quality evaluation.

4. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The result of the quality assessment includes whether the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements; the processor provides feedback to the user's scanning operation according to the result of the quality assessment, including: If the quality of the ultrasound image does not meet the preset requirements, a first prompt message is displayed through the human-computer interaction device; the first prompt message includes an adjustment method for the scanning operation.

5. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The result of the quality assessment includes a score or a grade; the processor provides feedback to the user's scanning operation according to the result of the quality assessment, including: The result of the quality assessment is displayed through the human-computer interaction device.

6. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The result of the quality assessment includes whether the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements; the processor is also used for: If the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirement, the ultrasound image is saved as the ultrasound image of the selected section to be examined.

7. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1 or 3, characterized in that: The result of the quality assessment includes whether the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements; the processor is also used for: If the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements, a second prompt message is displayed through the human-computer interaction device; the second prompt message is used to prompt the user to end the scanning process of the current section; or, If the quality of the ultrasound image meets the preset requirements, the scanning process of the current section is terminated and the scanning process of the next section is started.

8. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The processor is further configured to: Selecting a target ultrasound image with the highest score or grade from ultrasound images acquired within a preset time period; The target ultrasound image is saved as the ultrasound image of the selected section to be examined.

9. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The teaching content includes: a video of a standard scanning operation, a reference ultrasound image obtained based on the standard scanning operation, a schematic diagram of a section corresponding to the teaching content, and at least one of a text description of the standard scanning operation; the schematic diagram is used to illustrate the anatomical structure contained in the section.

10. The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The human-computer interaction device comprises a main display and a sub-display; the teaching content of the selected section to be inspected is displayed on the display interface of the sub-display; After obtaining the ultrasonic image of the scanned object, the processor displays the ultrasonic image on the display interface of the main display.

11. A scanning method of an ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that: include: Receive a scanning start instruction; Activating a scanning protocol associated with the scanning start instruction; wherein the scanning protocol includes one or more pre-set sections to be inspected; Displaying one or more sections to be examined in the scanning protocol; receiving an instruction for selecting a section to be inspected from one or more sections to be inspected in the scanning protocol, and determining the selected section to be inspected according to the instruction; According to the selected section to be examined, the teaching content of the selected section to be examined in the ultrasound teaching material is called and displayed; the ultrasound teaching material includes the teaching content of the one or more sections to be examined; the teaching content of the section to be examined is used to teach the user how to perform a scanning operation on the section to be examined to obtain a corresponding ultrasound image; Transmitting ultrasonic waves to the scanned object and receiving ultrasonic echoes to obtain an ultrasonic image of the scanned object; The ultrasound image is quality evaluated, and feedback is provided to the user on the scanning operation based on the result of the quality evaluation.

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