Ultrasonic contrast imaging method, ultrasonic device and computer storage medium

Abstract

Disclosed are a method for ultrasound contrast imaging, an ultrasound device, and a computer storage medium. The method includes: stimulating an ultrasound probe with a target transmission voltage to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object perfused with a contrast agent, wherein the target transmission voltage is determined according to a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the corresponding voltage changes between adjacent levels are non-uniform; determining a front-end analog gain according to the level adjustment; receiving an ultrasound echo based on the front-end analog gain; processing the ultrasound echo to obtain an ultrasound echo signal; and obtaining an ultrasound contrast image of the target object according to the ultrasound echo signal. It can be seen that the target transmission voltage can be adjusted as the user adjusts the acoustic power level, and the transmission voltage is non-uniform as the level changes; further, the front-end analog gain can be adjusted based on the user's adjustment of the acoustic power level to avoid brightness jumps in ultrasound contrast images caused by changes in microbubble echo intensity due to changes in the transmission voltage.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present invention relate to the field of ultrasound, and more specifically, to an ultrasound contrast imaging method, an ultrasound device, and a computer storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasound examination is one of the most important imaging tools because it is radiation-free, easy to use, and low-cost. In recent years, ultrasound contrast imaging has played an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions. This can be accomplished by injecting ultrasound contrast agents into the body and using ultrasound contrast imaging technology for imaging.

[0003] The main component of ultrasound contrast agent is microbubbles of inert gas wrapped in a special material shell. Microbubbles are very sensitive to changes in the excitation sound pressure, especially the change in the peak-to-peak value of the excitation voltage of the contrast imaging device has a more obvious effect on the microbubbles close to the probe in the scanning section. At present, ultrasound equipment with contrast imaging function has multi-level acoustic output control, which can meet both the high voltage requirements of conventional imaging and the low voltage requirements of the contrast imaging mode. However, when reducing or increasing the acoustic power (AP), the voltage change will cause a corresponding change in the echo intensity of the microbubbles, causing the brightness of the obtained ultrasound contrast imaging image to jump, which is not conducive to human eye observation, and may even lead to inaccurate analysis conclusions based on ultrasound contrast imaging images. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present invention provide an ultrasound contrast imaging method, an ultrasound device and a computer storage medium.

[0005] In a first aspect, a method for ultrasound contrast imaging is provided, comprising:

[0006] The ultrasonic probe is stimulated to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object perfused with a contrast agent with a target transmitting voltage, wherein the target transmitting voltage is determined according to a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage changes corresponding to adjacent levels are non-uniform;

[0007] Determine the front-end analog gain based on the user's adjustment of the sound power level;

[0008] receiving an ultrasonic echo returned from the target object based on the front-end analog gain;

[0009] Processing the ultrasonic echo to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal;

[0010] An ultrasound contrast imaging image of the target object is obtained according to the ultrasound echo signal.

[0011] In a second aspect, a method for ultrasound contrast imaging is provided, comprising:

[0012] The ultrasonic probe is stimulated to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object perfused with a contrast agent with a target transmitting voltage, wherein the target transmitting voltage is determined according to a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage changes corresponding to adjacent levels are non-uniform;

[0013] receiving an ultrasonic echo returned from the target object to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal;

[0014] An ultrasound contrast imaging image of the target object is obtained according to the ultrasound echo signal.

[0015] In a third aspect, there is provided an ultrasound device comprising:

[0016] Ultrasound probe;

[0017] a transmit / receive selection switch, used to stimulate the ultrasound probe to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object perfused with a contrast agent with a target transmit voltage, and to stimulate the ultrasound probe to receive an ultrasonic echo returned from the target object via a receiving circuit, wherein the target transmit voltage is determined according to a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage changes corresponding to adjacent levels are non-uniform;

[0018] A memory, used for storing a program executed by the processor;

[0019] A processor, configured to process the ultrasonic echo to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal, and obtain an ultrasonic contrast-enhanced image of the target object according to the ultrasonic echo signal;

[0020] A display is used to display the ultrasound contrast image.

[0021] In a fourth aspect, a computer storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored, and when the computer program is executed by a computer or a processor, the steps of the method described in the first aspect or the second aspect are implemented.

[0022] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present invention, as the user adjusts the sound power level, the transmit voltage can be adjusted, and the transmit voltage is uneven as the level changes; further, the front-end analog gain can be adjusted based on the user's adjustment of the sound power level to avoid brightness jumps in the ultrasound angiography image caused by changes in the microbubble echo intensity due to changes in the transmit voltage. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic block diagram of an ultrasound device;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic flow chart of an ultrasound contrast imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic block diagram of an ultrasound system;

[0027] Figure 4 is another schematic flow chart of the ultrasound contrast imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a logarithmic curve relationship between a transmission voltage and a gear position according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a preset analog gain curve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a front-end analog gain curve according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of a total gain curve according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0033] In recent years, ultrasound contrast imaging has played an increasingly important role in the diagnosis of malignant diseases such as liver cancer, thyroid cancer and breast cancer.

[0034] When ultrasound encounters a scatterer, it will scatter. The strength of the scattering is related to the size, shape and acoustic impedance difference between the scatterer and the surrounding tissue. When a medium with an acoustic impedance completely different from that of blood is added to the blood (such as microbubbles), the scattering in the blood will be enhanced. This is the basic principle of acoustic angiography.

[0035] Tissue ultrasound contrast imaging utilizes this principle. Ultrasound contrast agents (solutions containing microbubbles) are injected intravenously, and then enter organs and tissues with blood perfusion, causing them to appear or be enhanced on the ultrasound device, thus providing important basis for clinical diagnosis.

[0036] When doctors use ultrasound contrast equipment to perform contrast examinations, they usually start the timer while injecting the ultrasound contrast agent, and use backward storage to store the lesion images in the scanned section. After the examination, the clinician will open the stored contrast film data for retrospective analysis, observe the perfusion pattern of the contrast agent microbubbles inside the lesion and compare it with the microbubble perfusion pattern in the surrounding normal tissue, and determine the nature of the lesion in combination with the medical history analysis, so as to make a differential diagnosis between benign and malignant. In addition, doctors can also use contrast quantitative analysis tools to conduct a more in-depth quantitative analysis of the stored contrast film data and conduct statistically significant research, hoping to discover the ultrasound contrast performance patterns of certain diseases.

[0037] It is understood that "angiography" refers to a medical imaging technique used to visualize the interior or lumen of blood vessels and organs of the body, and is particularly applicable to arteries, veins, and heart chambers. It is traditionally accomplished by injecting a radiopaque contrast agent into a blood vessel and imaging using X-ray-based techniques (e.g., fluoroscopy). Traditionally, angiography has been strictly defined as being based on projection radiography. However, recently the term has also been applied to newer vascular imaging techniques, such as CT angiography and MR angiography.

[0038] Ultrasound contrast agents rely on different ways of sound wave reflection from the interface between materials. This may be the surface of small bubbles or more complex structures. For example, contrast agents can be gas-filled microbubbles, which are administered intravenously to the systemic circulation. Microbubbles have a high degree of echogenicity (the ability of an object to reflect ultrasound waves). There is a big difference in the echogenicity of the gas in the microbubbles and the soft tissues around the body. Therefore, ultrasound imaging using microbubble contrast agents enhances the ultrasound backscattering of ultrasound waves to produce an ultrasound image with increased contrast due to high echo differences. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound can be used for imaging the blood perfusion in organs, measuring the blood flow rate in the heart and other organs, and for other applications, etc.

[0039] Conventional ultrasound imaging modes, such as B-mode and color Doppler, are all designed to maximize the potential of the system and probe. While ensuring safety, they strive to achieve imaging signal-to-noise ratio and penetration as much as possible, so they use high emission energy / voltage. The contrast imaging mode mainly relies on the reflection echo of microbubbles for imaging. In order to prevent the microbubbles from being shattered, the contrast mode requires the system to work at a low voltage. Therefore, ultrasound equipment with contrast function will have multi-level acoustic output control, which can meet both the high voltage requirements of conventional imaging and the low voltage requirements of the contrast mode. For example, IEC60601-2-37 stipulates that for systems that display mechanical index (MI) parameters in real time, when adjusting the sound power level, the step size of MI shall not exceed 0.2dB. If a multi-level acoustic output system that only meets this requirement is used, the two typical problems it faces are as follows:

[0040] 1. The quantization level of the device's transmitting voltage (or acoustic output power) is insufficient. For example, if the step size of MI is 0.15 (less than 0.2 to meet regulatory requirements), when using the system's AP transmission conditions for contrast imaging, if the ultrasound contrast agent microbubbles are found to be shattered, the user chooses to lower the AP level. A sudden reduction of MI by 0.15 will result in insufficient echo signal intensity generated by the microbubbles under the transmission conditions of this level, thereby affecting the CTR and penetration of the contrast image. Although only one AP level was lowered, this phenomenon shows that the transmission energy has been excessively reduced, and the appropriate acoustic output level should be between these two levels.

[0041] 2. Changing the acoustic output will cause the brightness of the contrast image to jump. When reducing or increasing the acoustic output energy, the voltage change will cause a corresponding change in the microbubble echo intensity, causing the brightness of the contrast image to jump, which is not conducive to human observation. For example, in order to minimize or even avoid the microbubble crushing phenomenon, the user will reduce the AP gear, and the brightness of the contrast image will be reduced accordingly, affecting the observation of microbubble perfusion in the near-field tissue or lesion within the imaging range.

[0042] The embodiment of the present invention provides a method for ultrasound contrast imaging, wherein the method can be implemented by an ultrasound device, which can also be called an ultrasound device or an ultrasound contrast device or system, such as Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasound device 10 includes an ultrasound probe 110 , a transmit / receive selection switch 120 , a transmitting circuit 160 , a receiving circuit 170 , a memory 130 , a processor 140 , and a display 150 .

[0043] The contrast agent may be infused into the target object through the injector. The transmit / receive selection switch 120 may excite the ultrasound probe 110 to transmit an ultrasonic beam to the target object infused with the contrast agent via the transmit circuit 160 with a target transmit voltage, and receive an ultrasonic echo of the ultrasonic beam returned from the target object via the receive circuit 170 through the ultrasound probe 110. The processor 140 may obtain an ultrasonic echo signal based on the ultrasonic echo of the ultrasonic beam, and obtain an ultrasonic contrast image of the target object according to the ultrasonic echo signal.

[0044] Exemplarily, the ultrasound contrast image obtained by the processor 140 may be stored in the memory 130. Optionally, the ultrasound contrast image may be displayed on the display 150.

[0045] Optionally, the display 150 in the ultrasound device 10 may be a touch screen, a liquid crystal display, etc.; or the display 150 may be an independent display device such as a liquid crystal display, a television, etc. that is independent of the ultrasound device 10; or the display 150 may be a display screen of an electronic device such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, etc. The number of the displays 150 may be one or more.

[0046] Optionally, the memory 130 in the ultrasound device 10 may be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory, a removable memory and / or a non-removable memory, etc., for example, it may be a flash memory card, a solid-state memory, a hard disk, etc.

[0047] Optionally, the processor 140 in the ultrasound device 10 can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof, and can use circuits, single or multiple application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), single or multiple general purpose integrated circuits, single or multiple microprocessors, single or multiple programmable logic devices, or any combination of the aforementioned circuits and / or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices, so that the processor 140 can execute the corresponding steps of the methods in the various embodiments of the present specification.

[0048] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the ultrasonic device 10 shown are only schematic, and it may include more or fewer components. For example, the ultrasonic device 10 may also include input devices such as a keyboard, a mouse, a roller, a trackball, and / or may include output devices such as a printer. The corresponding external input / output port may be a wireless communication module, or a wired communication module, or a combination of the two. The external input / output port may also be implemented based on USB, bus protocols such as CAN, and / or wired network protocols, etc. The present invention is not limited to this.

[0049] The following will be combined Figures 2 to 8The method of ultrasound contrast imaging in an embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0050] Figure 2 It is a schematic flow chart of the ultrasound contrast imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 The methods shown in include:

[0051] S10, stimulating the ultrasound probe with a target transmission voltage to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object infused with a contrast agent, wherein the target transmission voltage is determined according to a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage changes corresponding to adjacent levels are non-uniform.

[0052] S20, receiving the ultrasonic echo returned from the target object to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal.

[0053] S30, obtaining an ultrasound contrast-enhanced image of the target object according to the ultrasound echo signal.

[0054] In the embodiment of the present invention, the target object may include a target organ or tissue to be detected, such as the liver, kidney, breast, etc.

[0055] In the embodiment of the present invention, an ultrasound contrast agent may be injected into the target object (e.g., injected intravenously), and then the ultrasound contrast agent may enter the target organ or tissue along with the blood flow. An ultrasound contrast film may be generated by dynamically collecting ultrasound data for the process, wherein the ultrasound contrast film includes multiple frames of ultrasound contrast images.

[0056] Understandably, we can use Figure 1 The ultrasonic device 10 shown is used to perform Figure 2 The method described in Figure 3 The ultrasound system shown is implemented Figure 2 The method process shown in .

[0057] Figure 3 In the ultrasound system shown, the beamforming controller can calculate the transmission delay of each array element according to the transmission focus and the transmission aperture. Then the ultrasound system excites the array ultrasound transducer in sequence with a pulse wave of a certain amplitude voltage within a safe range, and converts the electrical signal into an acoustic signal through piezoelectric conversion. The ultrasound transducer transmits ultrasound to the tissue to be detected. When the ultrasound encounters reflection or scattering from the internal structure of the tissue, the echo signals of different depths will return to the ultrasound transducer one after another. The acoustic signal is converted into an electrical signal through piezoelectric conversion. The echo signal received by the receiving circuit is converted into a digital signal through low noise amplifier, analog gain compensation, and A / D conversion. According to the reception delay corresponding to the aperture at different depths given by the beamformer, the receiving beamformer performs beamforming operations on the echo data of each array element to obtain an ultrasound beam synthesis signal, and then continues to process each link of the back-end to finally obtain an ultrasound image.

[0058] against Figure 2 The method shown, in one implementation, as Figure 4 As shown, S11 may be included after S10, and S20 may include S21 and S22.

[0059] S10, stimulating the ultrasound probe with a target transmission voltage to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object infused with a contrast agent, wherein the target transmission voltage is determined according to a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage changes corresponding to adjacent levels are non-uniform.

[0060] S11, determining the front-end analog gain according to the user's adjustment of the sound power level.

[0061] S21, receiving an ultrasonic echo returned from a target object based on a front-end analog gain.

[0062] S22, processing the ultrasonic echo to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal.

[0063] S30, obtaining an ultrasound contrast-enhanced image of the target object according to the ultrasound echo signal.

[0064] For example, the parts of S11 and S21 involving the front-end analog gain can be combined with Figure 3 This is achieved by using the time gain compensation (TGC) shown in FIG.

[0065] It is understandable that in order to adjust the sound power, the gear position can be specifically set to adjust the sound power. Changes in parameters such as the transmission waveform, the transmission aperture, and the transmission voltage will cause changes in the sound power. In the present application, it can be assumed that the transmission waveform and the transmission aperture are fixed, that is, the adjustment of the sound power in the present application is achieved by adjusting the transmission voltage. In other words, the user can adjust the transmission voltage and then adjust the sound power by changing the gear position. In the present application, the adjustment of the transmission voltage and the adjustment of the sound power are basically equivalent.

[0066] Exemplarily, the predetermined voltage range can be adjusted through a certain number of gears. Among them, the predetermined voltage range is determined by the system, which can be the output voltage range of the system main power module, wherein the maximum output voltage involved in the output voltage range is limited by the safety range of the system, and it can be understood that the maximum output voltage is the emission voltage corresponding to the maximum sound power in the imaging mode. For example, the output voltage range can be 2V to 100V, expressed as a closed interval [2V, 100V]. Among them, the number of gears (i.e., the total number of gears) can be pre-set according to the needs of the scene to achieve fine adjustment of the voltage. For example, the total number of gears can be 50 gears or 100 gears, etc., which is not limited in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Exemplarily, the way of dividing the voltage by gear positions is non-uniform, that is, there are at least two different gear position intervals corresponding to unequal voltage changes. For example, the voltage change corresponding to adjusting from the M1th gear to the (M1 + 1)th gear is not equal to the voltage change corresponding to adjusting from the M2th gear to the (M2 + 1)th gear, where M2 is not equal to M1.

[0068] As an implementation, the voltage changes corresponding to any two different gear position intervals are not equal. This way of dividing gears can be called a non-uniform interval method. In this way, a more refined quantization of the output voltage range of the system can be achieved.

[0069] In one implementation, the smaller the transmit voltage, the smaller the voltage change between adjacent two gear positions. That is, for the same voltage range, the number of gear positions for adjusting a small voltage range is more than that for adjusting a large voltage range. For example, for [V1, V1 + ΔV] and [V2, V2 + ΔV], if V1 < V2, then the number of gear positions for adjusting [V1, V1 + ΔV] is more, while the number of gear positions for adjusting [V2, V2 + ΔV] is less. It can be seen that more gear positions can be allocated to the low voltage part and relatively fewer gear positions to the high voltage part. In this way, when in the working range of low voltage in the contrast mode, the user can have as many adjustment options as possible within the low voltage range, avoiding the influence on the echo signal intensity due to too large voltage change, and further affecting the CTR and penetration of the contrast image.

[0070] In one embodiment, the transmit voltage and the gear positions can satisfy a logarithmic curve relationship. If the total number of gear positions is represented as N, the maximum voltage of the transmit voltage range is represented as Vmax, and the voltage corresponding to each gear position is represented as V(n), where n = 1, 2, …, N. And V(1) = Vmax. If each gear position voltage decreases by Δ decibels step by step with Vmax (i.e., the maximum voltage corresponds to 0 dB) as the reference, then the logarithmic curve relationship between the transmit voltage and the gear positions can be expressed as:

[0071] V(n) = Vmax × 10 (1-n)×Δ / 20 , n = 1, 2, …, N.

[0072] Among them, for a specific ultrasonic imaging system, Vmax is measured according to regulatory requirements. N and Δ can be set as needed. Taking N = 101 and Δ = 0.3 as an example, if β(n) represents the dB value obtained by dividing the voltage of each gear position by the voltage corresponding to the maximum voltage, then:

[0073] β(1) = 0 dB, indicating that the voltage V(1) = Vmax corresponding to the gear position (i.e., n = 1) when the acoustic power (AP) is the largest;

[0074] β(101)=(1-N)*Δ=-30dB.

[0075] Furthermore, if Vmax = 100 V, then according to the above formula, V(1) = 100 V, V(101) = 3.16 V can be calculated. For example, the logarithmic curve relationship between the emission voltage and the gear position is as follows: Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 The X-axis represents the gear position, and the Y-axis represents the emission voltage. It shows that when the gear position is 48 (ie, X=48), the corresponding emission voltage is 19.72V (ie, Y=19.72).

[0076] It can be understood that when the transmission voltage and the gear position satisfy the logarithmic curve relationship, combined with Figure 5 In the example shown, the voltage changes (also called voltage intervals) between adjacent gears are not equal, the voltage interval of the low voltage part is smaller than the voltage interval of the high voltage part, and the number of gears in the low voltage range is much greater than the number of gears in the high voltage range. Figure 5 In the figure, after such non-uniform interval division, there are 54 gears with voltage lower than 20V. That is to say, for the voltage range of [3.16V, 100V], although the ratio of [3.16V, 20V] is only (20-3.16) / (100-3.16)=17.39%, the ratio of the number of gears is 54 / 101=53.5%, accounting for more than 50% of the total gears.

[0077] It can be understood that the target transmission voltage used to excite the ultrasonic probe in S10 is determined based on the user's adjustment of the gear position and the corresponding relationship between the transmission voltage and the gear position. Figure 5 Taking the corresponding relationship shown as an example, if the user selects the gear position 48 through adjustment, the target transmission voltage is 19.72V; if the user selects the gear position 1 through adjustment, the target transmission voltage is 100V.

[0078] It can be seen that this method can achieve nonlinear step-by-step adjustment of the transmission voltage, in which the low voltage part is finely divided, so that when the ultrasound imaging system works in the contrast mode, the user has more operating space and choice, and will not let the user make a dilemma between the crushing of microbubbles and the insufficient signal-to-noise ratio of the contrast image. And because the gear adjustment has a small change in voltage in the low voltage range, when the voltage is reduced through the gear, the transmission energy will not be excessively reduced, thereby ensuring the strength of the echo signal, and further ensuring the CTR and penetration of the contrast image.

[0079] In one implementation, S20 may include: acquiring a preset analog gain, and receiving an ultrasonic echo based on the preset analog gain.

[0080] For example, refer to Figure 3 The receiving circuit receives the echo signal of the ultrasonic transducer. After low-noise amplification and before A / D conversion, it often goes through a gain adjustment or compensation process with depth, that is, Figure 3 The time gain compensation (TGC) link in the process. Because when ultrasound waves propagate in tissues, their signal strength will attenuate with increasing depth. Generally speaking, for a tissue with a fixed acoustic impedance, the attenuation degree of the sound wave intensity of a fixed frequency is proportional to the depth. The deeper the ultrasound waves propagate in the tissue, the more severe the signal amplitude reduction. For example, the attenuation coefficient of normal human liver tissue is about 0.5dB / Mhz / cm. When using a 4MHz ultrasound signal for liver imaging, the attenuation law of the signal propagation therein is: for every 1cm of forward propagation, the signal strength decreases by 2dB. Therefore, the preset analog gain can be pre-set based on this principle, such as Figure 6 shown. Figure 6 In the figure, the horizontal axis represents the depth, the vertical axis represents the gain compensation value, and the curve represents the preset simulation gain. Specifically, starting from the tissue surface (depth 0) with the increase of depth, the gain is gradually increased, and the maximum value of the gain (such as Figure 6 The g0 in is the upper limit of the system front-end design, and the slope is determined by the attenuation coefficient of the ultrasonic imaging target. In the depth range of 0 to d0, the gain increases with the increase of depth, and the two are linearly related; when the depth is greater than d0, the gain is equal to the upper limit g0.

[0081] It should be noted that Figure 6 The curve of the preset analog gain shown in is illustrative and should not be interpreted as a limitation in the present application. For example, the preset analog gain at a depth of 0 may be greater than 0. For example, in the range of depths from 0 to d0, the relationship between the preset analog gain and the depth may not be linear. For example, in the range of depths from 0 to a depth greater than 0, the preset analog gain is equal to 0. For example, the preset analog gain at a depth d0 may be less than the upper limit g0.

[0082] In another implementation, Figure 4 As shown, S20 includes S11, and S20 includes S21 and S22. Therefore, the front-end analog gain is determined according to the gear adjustment of the sound power, that is, the front-end analog gain is dynamically determined and is no longer fixed.

[0083] Exemplarily, S11 may include: obtaining a preset analog gain; and obtaining a front-end analog gain by overall increasing or decreasing the preset analog gain according to the gear adjustment of the sound power.

[0084] The overall increase can be understood as that at any depth, the front-end analog gain is greater than the preset analog gain, and the difference between the two is equal at any depth. The overall decrease can be understood as that at any depth, the front-end analog gain is less than the preset analog gain, and the difference between the two is equal at any depth.

[0085] For the scenario where the acoustic power increases: the acoustic power increase is achieved by increasing the transmit voltage, and the preset analog gain can be reduced as a whole according to the increased transmit voltage to obtain the front-end analog gain. The front-end analog gain from the first depth to the second depth is increasing, and the front-end analog gain at the second depth is less than or equal to the upper limit, the first depth is less than the second depth, and the upper limit is determined by the system front-end design.

[0086] Optionally, if the front-end analog gain in the depth range from 0 to the first depth is zero after the above overall reduction, the back-end digital gain can be further determined so that: the total gain obtained by the front-end analog gain and the back-end digital gain satisfies: the total gain at the depth of zero is a negative value, the total gain at the first depth is zero, the total gain at the second depth and greater depths is less than or equal to the upper limit, and the total gain increases with the increase of depth in the range from zero to the second depth. It can be understood that the back-end digital gain is used to determine the gain compensation for the range from 0 to the first depth.

[0087] For the scenario of reduced sound power: the reduction of sound power is achieved by reducing the transmit voltage, and the preset analog gain is increased as a whole according to the size of the reduced transmit voltage to obtain the front-end analog gain, wherein the front-end analog gain at a depth of zero to a third depth is incremental, and the front-end analog gain at the third depth is less than or equal to an upper limit, and the upper limit is determined by the system front-end design.

[0088] Optionally, if after the above overall increase, the front-end analog gain at the third depth and greater depths is the upper limit, then the back-end digital gain can be further determined so that: the total gain obtained by the front-end analog gain and the back-end digital gain satisfies: the total gain from the depth of zero to the fourth depth is increasing, and the total gain at the fourth depth and greater depths is greater than the upper limit, and the third depth is less than the fourth depth. It can be understood that the back-end digital gain is used to determine the gain compensation at the third depth and greater depths.

[0089] Below Figure 6 The preset analog gain shown is used as an example, combined with Figure 7 and Figure 8 A specific implementation method of the embodiment of the present invention is described.

[0090] Specifically, S11 may include: obtaining a preset analog gain; if the user's adjustment of the sound power level indicates an increase in sound power, obtaining the front-end analog gain by reducing the preset analog gain as a whole; if the user's adjustment of the sound power level indicates a decrease in sound power, obtaining the front-end analog gain by increasing the preset analog gain as a whole.

[0091] As described above in connection with S10, an increase in sound power is achieved by increasing the transmission voltage. Correspondingly, the preset analog gain can be reduced as a whole according to the magnitude of the increased transmission voltage to obtain the front-end analog gain. Among them, the front-end analog gain at the first depth is zero, and the front-end analog gain at the second depth is the upper limit. The first depth is less than the second depth, and the upper limit is determined by the system front-end design. In combination with Figure 7 , the first depth can be represented as d1, the second depth can be represented as d2, and d1 < d2. Thus, after reducing the preset analog gain as a whole, when the depth is from 0 to d1, the front-end analog gain is zero. When the depth is from d1 to d2, the front-end analog gain changes linearly with the depth, and the slope is equal to the slope of the preset analog gain. When the depth is greater than d2, the front-end analog gain is the upper limit (i.e., g0).

[0092] Similarly, as described above in connection with S10, a decrease in sound power is achieved by reducing the transmission voltage. Correspondingly, the preset analog gain can be increased as a whole according to the magnitude of the reduced transmission voltage to obtain the front-end analog gain. Among them, the front-end analog gain at a depth of zero is a first positive value, and the front-end analog gain at the third depth is the upper limit. The first positive value is less than the upper limit, and the upper limit is determined by the system front-end design. In combination with Figure 7 , the first positive value can be represented as g1, the third depth can be represented as d3, and g1 < g0. Thus, after increasing the preset analog gain as a whole, when the depth is 0, the front-end analog gain is g1. When the depth is from 0 to d3, the front-end analog gain changes linearly with the depth, and the slope is equal to the slope of the preset analog gain. When the depth is greater than d3, the front-end analog gain is the upper limit (i.e., g0).

[0093] It can be understood that generally, d3 < d2, but the size relationship between d3 and d1 is not limited. This size relationship is at least related to factors such as slope and the magnitude of voltage change. In addition, the maximum and minimum values of increasing or decreasing the preset analog gain as a whole are limited by the design value of the receiving circuit. That is to say, the maximum values of d1, d2, d3, and g1 in the above text are limited by the design value of the receiving circuit.

[0094] It can be seen that as the sound power increases or decreases, the preset analog gain can be reduced or increased as a whole accordingly to obtain the front-end analog gain. Wherein, for each adjustment of a gear, the value of the reduction or increase of the front-end analog gain can be determined according to the progressive decibel Δ as described above, or can be a flexibly configured variable. Wherein, for different adjacent gears, the value of the overall reduction or increase of the front-end analog gain can be equal or unequal, and this application does not limit this. For example, adjusting from the M1th gear to the M1+1th gear causes the emission voltage to decrease, and then the front-end analog gain is increased as a whole, assuming that the overall increase value is g11. Adjusting from the M2th gear to the M2+1th gear causes the emission voltage to decrease, and then the front-end analog gain is increased as a whole, assuming that the overall increase value is g12. Then, g11 and g12 can be equal or unequal. Wherein M2 is not equal to M1.

[0095] In this way, for a multi-level acoustic output ultrasound system, the user can adjust the system's acoustic power level. The most typical application scenario is ultrasound contrast imaging mode. In this mode, in order to prevent the ultrasound contrast agent in the imaging section from being shattered, the system operates in a low voltage range. In daily examinations, because patients of different sizes and lesions of different depths are faced, users need to adjust the acoustic power level in a targeted manner in order to strike a balance between imaging penetration and the duration of microbubbles. While adjusting the acoustic power level, if the gain compensation remains unchanged, the brightness of the contrast image will inevitably change. By changing the front-end analog gain according to the adjustment of the acoustic power level as described in S11 above, it is possible to compensate for changes in the transmit voltage, thereby reducing the degree of change in the brightness of the ultrasound contrast image.

[0096] As mentioned above, it can be combined Figure 3 In the TGC link, the front-end processing part realizes the front-end analog gain compensation. However, since the upper and lower limits of the front-end analog gain cannot be changed (such as Figure 7 The upper and lower limits of the mid-front analog gain are g0 and g0 respectively, which may affect the uniformity of the overall ultrasound contrast imaging. Figure 3 , a digital gain compensation mechanism can be designed in the "B / M signal processing" link of the back-end processing part to further adjust the overall uniformity of the ultrasound contrast image.

[0097] Exemplarily, the back-end digital gain can be determined so that the difference between the total gain obtained by the front-end analog gain and the back-end digital gain and the preset analog gain is a constant value. For example, when the acoustic power decreases (i.e., the transmitting voltage decreases), at any depth, the difference between the total gain obtained and the preset analog gain is equal. For another example, when the acoustic power increases (i.e., the transmitting voltage increases), in the range of 0 to d0 (e.g., Figure 6At any depth between 0 and 100° (as shown), the difference between the total gain obtained and the preset analog gain is equal.

[0098] Specifically, in Figure 4 In the implementation shown, after determining the front-end analog gain as the acoustic power increases, it is also possible to: determine the back-end digital gain so that the total gain obtained by the front-end analog gain and the back-end digital gain satisfies: the total gain at a depth of zero is a negative value, the total gain at a first depth is zero, the total gain at a second depth and greater is an upper limit, and in the range of depths from zero to the second depth, the total gain varies linearly with depth and the slope is determined based on the attenuation coefficient of the ultrasound imaging target.

[0099] Combination Figure 8 , the total gain at depth 0 is g3, and g3<0. Moreover, in the range of depth 0 to d1, the total gain is determined based on the back-end digital gain. Exemplarily, in the range of depth 0 to d2, the total gain increases with the increase of depth, and the two are linearly related. In the range of depth greater than d2, the total gain is equal to the upper limit g0.

[0100] Specifically, in Figure 4 In the implementation shown, after determining the front-end analog gain as the acoustic power decreases, it is also possible to: determine the back-end digital gain so that the total gain obtained by the front-end analog gain and the back-end digital gain satisfies: the total gain at a depth of zero is a first positive value, the total gain at a third depth is an upper limit, the total gain at a fourth depth and greater depths is a second positive value, and the second positive value is greater than the upper limit, the third depth is less than the fourth depth, and in the range of depths from zero to the fourth depth, the total gain changes linearly with depth and the slope is determined based on the attenuation coefficient of the ultrasonic imaging target.

[0101] Combination Figure 8 , the total gain at depth 0 is g1, and g1>0. Moreover, in the range of depth greater than d3, the total gain is determined based on the back-end digital gain. Exemplarily, in the range of depth from 0 to d4, the total gain increases with the increase of depth, and the two are linearly related. In the range of depth greater than d4, the total gain is equal to g2, and g2>g0.

[0102] It can be seen that the present application can perform back-end digital gain compensation based on the front-end analog gain, thereby ensuring the overall uniformity of the ultrasound contrast imaging image.

[0103] Through the above combination Figures 2 to 8In the embodiment of the ultrasound contrast imaging method in the embodiment of the present invention, as the user adjusts the sound power level, the transmit voltage can be adjusted, and the transmit voltage is uneven as the level changes. And because the level adjustment has a small effect on the voltage change in the low voltage range, when the voltage is lowered through the level, the transmit energy will not be excessively reduced, thereby ensuring the strength of the echo signal, and further ensuring the CTR and penetration of the contrast image. Furthermore, the front-end analog gain and the back-end digital gain can be adjusted based on the user's adjustment of the sound power level, such as the above combination. Figure 7 and Figure 8 As described, the front-end analog gain can be adjusted preferentially within the range of the upper and lower limits of the analog gain (0 to g0), and the back-end digital gain (g3 to 0, g0 to g2) can be adjusted for the part beyond the range of the upper and lower limits of the analog gain (0 to g0). Thus, the total gain of the receiving end can be automatically adjusted as the user adjusts the sound power level, avoiding the brightness jump of the ultrasound contrast image caused by the change of the microbubble echo intensity due to the change of the transmitting voltage.

[0104] Now return to Figure 1 The ultrasound device 10 is shown.

[0105] In one implementation, the transmit / receive selection switch 120 can stimulate the ultrasound probe 110 to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object perfused with a contrast agent via the transmit circuit 160 with a target transmit voltage, and receive an ultrasonic echo of the ultrasonic beam returned from the target object via the receive circuit 170. The processor 140 can obtain an ultrasonic echo signal based on the ultrasonic echo; and obtain an ultrasonic contrast image of the target object based on the ultrasonic echo signal. The target transmit voltage is determined according to the user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage changes corresponding to adjacent levels are uneven. The display 150 can display the ultrasonic contrast image of the target object.

[0106] In one implementation, the transmit / receive selection switch 120 can excite the ultrasound probe 110 to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object perfused with a contrast agent via the transmit circuit 160 with a target transmit voltage, wherein the target transmit voltage is determined according to the user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage change corresponding to adjacent levels is uneven. The processor 140 can determine the front-end analog gain according to the user's adjustment of the acoustic power level. The transmit / receive selection switch 120 can receive an ultrasonic echo of an ultrasonic beam returned from the target object via the receive circuit 170. The processor 140 can process the ultrasonic echo to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; based on the ultrasonic echo signal, an ultrasonic contrast image of the target object is obtained. The display 150 can display the ultrasonic contrast image of the target object.

[0107] In addition, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer storage medium on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a computer or a processor, the aforementioned combination Figure 2 or Figure 4 The steps of the method described. For example, the computer storage medium is a computer readable storage medium.

[0108] In one embodiment, the computer program instructions, when executed by a computer or a processor, cause the computer or the processor to perform the following steps: stimulating the ultrasound probe with a target transmit voltage to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object infused with a contrast agent, wherein the target transmit voltage is determined based on a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the corresponding voltage changes between adjacent levels are non-uniform; receiving an ultrasonic echo returned from the target object to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; and obtaining an ultrasonic contrast image of the target object based on the ultrasonic echo signal.

[0109] In one embodiment, the computer program instructions, when executed by a computer or a processor, cause the computer or the processor to perform the following steps: stimulating the ultrasound probe with a target transmit voltage to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object infused with a contrast agent, wherein the target transmit voltage is determined based on a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the corresponding voltage changes between adjacent levels are non-uniform; determining a front-end analog gain based on the user's adjustment of the acoustic power level; receiving an ultrasonic echo returned from the target object based on the front-end analog gain; processing the ultrasonic echo to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; and obtaining an ultrasonic contrast image of the target object based on the ultrasonic echo signal.

[0110] Computer storage media may include, for example, a memory card of a smart phone, a storage component of a tablet computer, a hard disk of a personal computer, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), a USB memory, or any combination of the above storage media. A computer-readable storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0111] In addition, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer program product, which includes instructions. When the instructions are executed by a computer, the computer executes the above-mentioned combination Figure 2 or Figure 4 The steps of the method are described.

[0112] It can be seen that in the embodiment of the present invention, as the user adjusts the acoustic power level, the transmit voltage can be adjusted, and the transmit voltage is uneven as the level changes. And because the level adjustment has a small effect on the voltage change in the low voltage range, when the voltage is lowered through the level, the transmit energy will not be excessively reduced, thereby ensuring the strength of the echo signal and further ensuring the CTR and penetration of the angiographic image. Furthermore, based on the user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, the front-end analog gain and the back-end digital gain can be adjusted, such as the above combination. Figure 7 and Figure 8 As described, the front-end analog gain can be adjusted preferentially within the range of the upper and lower limits of the analog gain (0 to g0), and the back-end digital gain (g3 to 0, g0 to g2) can be adjusted for the part beyond the range of the upper and lower limits of the analog gain (0 to g0). Thus, the total gain of the receiving end can be automatically adjusted as the user adjusts the sound power level, avoiding the brightness jump of the ultrasound contrast image caused by the change of the microbubble echo intensity due to the change of the transmitting voltage.

[0113] Although example embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above example embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. Various changes and modifications may be made therein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as required by the appended claims.

[0114] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of the present invention.

[0115] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic, for example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0116] In the description provided herein, a large number of specific details are described. However, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures and techniques are not shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this description.

[0117] Similarly, it should be understood that in order to streamline the present invention and help understand one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the various features of the present invention are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, the method of the present invention should not be interpreted as reflecting the following intention: the claimed invention requires more features than the features explicitly stated in each claim. More specifically, as reflected in the corresponding claims, the inventive point is that the corresponding technical problem can be solved with less than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the specific embodiment are hereby expressly incorporated into the specific embodiment, wherein each claim itself serves as a separate embodiment of the present invention.

[0118] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, except for mutually exclusive features, all features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) and all processes or units of any method or device disclosed in this specification may be combined in any combination. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstracts and drawings) may be replaced by an alternative feature that provides the same, equivalent or similar purpose.

[0119] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although some embodiments described herein include certain features included in other embodiments but not other features, the combination of features of different embodiments is meant to be within the scope of the present invention and form different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments may be used in any combination.

[0120] The various component embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that a microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP) may be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some modules in the article analysis device according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention may also be implemented as a device program (e.g., a computer program and a computer program product) for executing part or all of the methods described herein. Such a program for implementing the present invention may be stored on a computer-readable medium, or may be in the form of one or more signals. Such a signal may be downloaded from an Internet website, or provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0121] It should be noted that the above embodiments illustrate the present invention rather than limit it, and that those skilled in the art may devise alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference symbol between brackets shall not be construed as a limitation on the claims. The word "comprising" does not exclude the presence of elements or steps not listed in the claims. The word "one" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements. The present invention may be implemented by means of hardware comprising a number of different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim enumerating a number of devices, several of these devices may be embodied by the same hardware item. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc., does not indicate any order. These words may be interpreted as names.

[0122] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present invention or an explanation of a specific embodiment. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, which should be included in the protection scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for ultrasound contrast imaging, characterized in that: include: The ultrasonic probe is stimulated with a target transmitting voltage to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object perfused with a contrast agent, wherein the target transmitting voltage is determined according to a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage change corresponding to adjacent levels is non-uniform, wherein the number of levels corresponding to a first transmitting voltage interval is greater than the number of levels corresponding to a second transmitting voltage interval, the lower limit voltage value of the first transmitting voltage interval is less than the lower limit voltage value of the second transmitting voltage interval, and the length of the first transmitting voltage interval is equal to the length of the second transmitting voltage interval; Determine the front-end analog gain based on the user's adjustment of the sound power level; receiving an ultrasonic echo returned from the target object based on the front-end analog gain; Processing the ultrasonic echo to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; An ultrasound contrast image of the target object is obtained according to the ultrasound echo signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: According to the user's adjustment of the sound power level, the front-end analog gain is determined, including: Get preset analog gain; If the user's adjustment of the sound power gear indicates that the sound power increases, the front-end analog gain is obtained by reducing the preset analog gain as a whole; If the user's adjustment of the sound power gear indicates that the sound power is reduced, the front-end analog gain is obtained by increasing the preset analog gain as a whole.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The increase in acoustic power is achieved by increasing the transmit voltage, and the preset analog gain is reduced as a whole according to the size of the increased transmit voltage to obtain the front-end analog gain, wherein the front-end analog gain increases from the first depth to the second depth, and the front-end analog gain at the second depth is less than or equal to an upper limit, the first depth is less than the second depth, and the upper limit is determined by the system front-end design.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that Processing the ultrasonic echo includes: The back-end digital gain is determined so that the total gain obtained by the front-end analog gain and the back-end digital gain satisfies: The total gain at a depth of zero is a negative value, the total gain at the first depth is zero, the total gain at the second depth and greater is less than or equal to the upper limit, and in the range from zero to the second depth, the total gain increases with increasing depth.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The reduction in acoustic power is achieved by reducing the transmitting voltage, and the preset analog gain is increased as a whole according to the size of the reduced transmitting voltage to obtain the front-end analog gain, wherein the front-end analog gain at a depth of zero to a third depth is incremental, and the front-end analog gain at the third depth is less than or equal to an upper limit, and the upper limit is determined by the system front-end design.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Processing the ultrasonic echo includes: The back-end digital gain is determined so that the total gain obtained by the front-end analog gain and the back-end digital gain satisfies: The total gain at depths of zero to a fourth depth increases, and the total gain at the fourth depth and greater is greater than the upper limit, and the third depth is less than the fourth depth.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The smaller the transmitting voltage is, the smaller the voltage change adjusted between two adjacent gears is.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The emission voltage and the gear position satisfy a logarithmic curve relationship.

9. A method for ultrasound contrast imaging, characterized in that: include: The ultrasonic probe is stimulated with a target transmitting voltage to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object perfused with a contrast agent, wherein the target transmitting voltage is determined according to a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage change corresponding to adjacent levels is non-uniform, wherein the number of levels corresponding to a first transmitting voltage interval is greater than the number of levels corresponding to a second transmitting voltage interval, the lower limit voltage value of the first transmitting voltage interval is less than the lower limit voltage value of the second transmitting voltage interval, and the length of the first transmitting voltage interval is equal to the length of the second transmitting voltage interval; receiving an ultrasonic echo returned from the target object to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; An ultrasound contrast image of the target object is obtained according to the ultrasound echo signal.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The sound power gear is used to adjust the sound power by adjusting the transmitting voltage.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The smaller the transmitting voltage is, the smaller the voltage change adjusted between two adjacent gears is.

12. The method according to any one of claims 9 to 10, characterized in that The emission voltage and the gear position satisfy a logarithmic curve relationship.

13. An ultrasonic device, characterized in that: include: Ultrasound probe; A transmit / receive selection switch, used to stimulate the ultrasound probe to transmit an ultrasonic beam to a target object perfused with a contrast agent with a target transmit voltage, and to stimulate the ultrasound probe to receive an ultrasonic echo returned from the target object via a receiving circuit, wherein the target transmit voltage is determined according to a user's adjustment of the acoustic power level, and the voltage change corresponding to adjacent levels is uneven, wherein the number of levels corresponding to a first transmit voltage interval is greater than the number of levels corresponding to a second transmit voltage interval, the lower limit voltage value of the first transmit voltage interval is less than the lower limit voltage value of the second transmit voltage interval, and the length of the first transmit voltage interval is equal to the length of the second transmit voltage interval; A memory for storing programs executed by the processor; A processor, configured to process the ultrasonic echo to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal, and obtain an ultrasonic contrast-enhanced image of the target object according to the ultrasonic echo signal; A display is used to display the ultrasound contrast image.

14. A computer storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a computer or a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12 are implemented.

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