Ultrasound imaging methods, devices, apparatus, computer devices, and storage media

Abstract

The application relates to an ultrasonic imaging method, device, apparatus, computer device and storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: an ultrasonic imaging device acquires echo signals of each pixel point of a plurality of scanning regions based on a preset scanning strategy, performs beam synthesis according to the echo signals of each pixel point, obtains a synthesized image of each scanning region, and performs superposition processing on the synthesized images of the scanning regions to obtain a target image. In the method, the scanning strategy comprises a far-field virtual focus point track and a scanning interval, the far-field virtual focus point is used to place the focus point on a part outside the image region, the scanning range of the sound wave is increased, the scanning times are reduced under the premise of a certain imaging region, and because the far-field virtual focus point is very close to the array element for emitting the sound wave, the sound wave intensity does not seriously attenuate, the imaging frame frequency is improved under the premise of meeting the imaging quality, and the display effect is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of image processing, in particular to an ultrasonic imaging method, device, apparatus, computer device and storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] Ultrasonic diagnosis is a diagnostic method that applies ultrasonic detection technology to the human body, measures physiological or tissue structure data and morphology, and finds diseases and makes suggestions. Compared with other imaging methods, the real-time performance of ultrasonic diagnosis is its great advantage. Frame rate is an important indicator for evaluating real-time display. Frame rate refers to the number of frames or images displayed per second. For non-video imaging systems, the frame rate must be at least 30 fps. Below this frame rate, there will be a noticeable lag.

[0003] In ultrasonic diagnosis, different diagnostic items and diagnostic modes have different requirements for frame rate. For example, some specific applications such as color blood flow Doppler display and pulse wave velocity calculation require higher real-time performance, which means that higher frame rate will result in smoother effect. In the prior art, the multi-beam synthesis method is mainly used to improve the frame rate. Based on the traditional single-beam synthesis, two or four lines are processed for each scan, and the target image is output based on multiple linear scans.

[0004] However, the improvement of this linear imaging algorithm has limited effect on increasing frame rate. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, it is necessary to provide an ultrasonic imaging method, device, apparatus, computer device and storage medium for improving frame rate while ensuring image quality.

[0006] In a first aspect, an ultrasonic imaging method is provided, which includes:

[0007] Based on a preset scanning strategy, echo signals of each pixel point in a plurality of scanning regions are obtained. The scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focus track and a scanning interval.

[0008] Beamforming is performed according to the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain a synthesized image of each scanning region.

[0009] The synthesized images of each scanning region are superimposed to obtain a target image.

[0010] In one embodiment, the beamforming performed according to the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain a synthesized image of each scanning region includes:

[0011] The echo signals of each pixel point are signal demodulated to obtain an echo signal sequence of each pixel point.

[0012] The beamforming result of each pixel point is calculated according to the echo signal sequence of each pixel point.

[0013] The composite image of each scanning region is obtained according to the beamforming result of each pixel point in each scanning region.

[0014] In one embodiment, the beamforming result of each pixel point is calculated according to the echo signal sequence of each pixel point, including:

[0015] The current probe type is obtained, a mapping table of the synthetic parameters corresponding to the probe type is determined, and the target synthetic parameters of each pixel point are obtained; the mapping table of the synthetic parameters is used to indicate the corresponding relationship between the pixel points and the synthetic parameters under each probe type;

[0016] The beamforming result of each pixel point is calculated according to the target synthetic parameters of each pixel point and the echo signal sequence.

[0017] In one embodiment, the target synthetic parameters include the number of probe array elements, the delay time, the angle weight of the pixel point, and the distance weight of the pixel point; the beamforming result of each pixel point is calculated according to the target synthetic parameters of each pixel point and the echo signal sequence, including:

[0018] The beamforming result of each pixel point is calculated according to the number of probe array elements, the delay time, the angle weight of the pixel point, the distance weight of the pixel point, and the echo signal sequence;

[0019] The delay time is determined according to the coordinates of each pixel point, the coordinates of each probe array element, and the speed of light; the angle weight of the pixel point is determined according to the included angle between the echo direction of each pixel point and the normal of the probe array element; and the distance weight of the pixel point is determined according to the coordinates of each pixel point and the coordinates of the virtual focal point in the far field.

[0020] In one embodiment, the method further includes:

[0021] The echo signal sequence of each pixel point is optimized based on a preset interpolation algorithm according to the delay time of each pixel point and the echo signal sequence, to obtain an optimized echo signal sequence of each pixel point;

[0022] The beamforming result of each pixel point is calculated according to the target synthetic parameters of each pixel point and the echo signal sequence, including:

[0023] The beamforming result of each pixel point is calculated according to the target synthetic parameters of each pixel point and the optimized echo signal sequence.

[0024] In one embodiment, the probe type is a convex array probe; the method further includes:

[0025] determining coordinates of each pixel in the target image in a first coordinate system; the origin of the first coordinate system is a midpoint of a tangent segment of the array element array in the imaging area, and two directions of the first coordinate system are perpendicular to each other;

[0026] According to the conversion relationship between the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system, the coordinates of each pixel in the target image in the first coordinate system are converted to obtain a converted image; the origin of the second coordinate system is the probe center of the convex array probe.

[0027] In one of the embodiments, the determination manner of the scanning strategy includes:

[0028] According to the current scanning item and the scanning depth, a target frame frequency is determined, and according to the target frame frequency, a scanning number is determined.

[0029] According to the scanning depth and the imaging area, a far-field virtual focal point trajectory is determined; the starting point and the terminal point of the far-field virtual focal point trajectory are located at two straight line boundaries of the imaging area.

[0030] In a second aspect, an ultrasonic imaging device is provided, which includes an ultrasonic probe and a processor.

[0031] The processor is configured to execute the ultrasonic imaging method provided in the first aspect based on the sound wave signal emitted by the ultrasonic probe.

[0032] In a third aspect, an ultrasonic imaging apparatus is provided, which includes:

[0033] The acquisition module is configured to acquire echo signals of each pixel in a plurality of scanning areas based on a preset scanning strategy; the scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focal point trajectory and a scanning interval.

[0034] The calculation module is configured to perform beam synthesis according to the echo signals of each pixel to obtain a synthesized image of each scanning area.

[0035] The determination module is configured to perform superposition processing on the synthesized images of each scanning area to obtain a target image.

[0036] In a fourth aspect, a computer device is provided, which includes a memory and a processor; the memory stores a computer program; and the processor executes the computer program to implement the ultrasonic imaging method according to any one of the first aspect.

[0037] In a fifth aspect, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program; and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the ultrasonic imaging method according to any one of the first aspect.

[0038] The ultrasonic imaging method, device, apparatus, computer device and storage medium, the ultrasonic imaging device obtains echo signals of each pixel point of a plurality of scanning regions based on a preset scanning strategy, performs beam synthesis according to the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain a synthesized image of each scanning region, and performs superposition processing on the synthesized images of the scanning regions to obtain a target image. In the method, the scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focus point track and a scanning interval, the far-field virtual focus point is used to focus on a part outside the image region, the scanning range of the sound wave is increased, the number of scans is reduced under the premise of a certain imaging region, and because the far-field virtual focus point is very close to the array element that emits the sound wave, the sound wave intensity does not decay seriously, the imaging frame frequency is improved under the premise of meeting the imaging quality, and the display effect is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0039] Figure 1 An application environment diagram of an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0040] Figure 2 A flowchart of an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0041] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a single scanning region in an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0042] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of an imaging region of a convex array probe in an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0043] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of an imaging region of a linear array probe in an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0044] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of all scanning regions of a convex array probe in an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0045] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of all scanning regions of a linear array probe in an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0046] Figure 8 A flowchart of an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0047] Figure 9 A flowchart of an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0048] Figure 10 A scanning parameter diagram of a convex array probe in an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0049] Figure 11 A scanning parameter diagram of a linear array probe in an ultrasonic imaging method in an embodiment is shown;

[0050] Figure 12 A convex array probe scanning parameter diagram of an ultrasound imaging method in an embodiment;

[0051] Figure 13 A linear array probe scanning parameter diagram of an ultrasound imaging method in an embodiment;

[0052] Figure 14 A flow diagram of an ultrasound imaging method in an embodiment;

[0053] Figure 15 A conventional Lagrange interpolation method output image effect diagram of an ultrasound imaging method in an embodiment;

[0054] Figure 16 A preset interpolation method output image effect diagram of an ultrasound imaging method in an embodiment;

[0055] Figure 17 A flow diagram of an ultrasound imaging method in an embodiment;

[0056] Figure 18 A flow diagram of an ultrasound imaging method in an embodiment;

[0057] Figure 19 A flow diagram of an ultrasound imaging method in an embodiment;

[0058] Figure 20 A structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging device in an embodiment;

[0059] Figure 21 A structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging device in an embodiment;

[0060] Figure 22 An internal structure diagram of a computer device in an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and not intended to limit the present application.

[0062] The ultrasound imaging method provided by the present application can be applied in an application environment as shown in Figure 1 . Figure 1An ultrasound imaging device is provided, which includes a processor 1 and an ultrasound probe 2, and the processor 1 can perform the ultrasound imaging method provided in the present application based on the data collected by the ultrasound probe 2. The ultrasound imaging device can be divided into different types of ultrasound imaging devices according to different ultrasound probes, for example, an ultrasound imaging device based on a linear array probe, an ultrasound imaging device based on a convex array probe, and the ultrasound imaging method provided in the present application can be adapted to be performed for different types of ultrasound imaging devices.

[0063] The technical solutions of the present application and how the technical solutions solve the above technical problems will be described in detail below through embodiments and in combination with the drawings. The following specific embodiments can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes can not be described in detail in some embodiments. It should be noted that the present application Figures 2-13 The ultrasound imaging method provided in the embodiments has an execution subject of an ultrasound imaging device, which can also be an ultrasound imaging apparatus. The ultrasound imaging apparatus can be part or all of the ultrasound imaging device in a software, hardware, or combination of software and hardware manner. In the following method embodiments, the execution subject is taken as an example of the ultrasound imaging device.

[0064] In one embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, an ultrasound imaging method is provided, which relates to a process in which an ultrasound imaging device obtains echo signals of each pixel point of a plurality of scanning regions based on a preset scanning strategy, performs beamforming based on the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain a synthesized image of each scanning region, and then performs superposition processing on the synthesized images of the scanning regions to obtain a target image, including the following steps:

[0065] S201, obtaining echo signals of each pixel point of a plurality of scanning regions based on a preset scanning strategy; the scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focal point trajectory and a scanning interval.

[0066] The far-field virtual focal point trajectory refers to a virtual focal point located outside the imaging region based on the imaging region of the ultrasound imaging device. For example, taking a convex array probe, as Figure 3 shown, Figure 3 the shadow part is the imaging region, and a point outside the imaging region is the far-field virtual focal point. As Figure 4 shown, Figure 4 the left side is a position diagram of the far-field virtual focal point, Figure 4 and the right side is a position diagram of the near-field virtual focal point. It can be seen that the scanning range of the far-field virtual focal point is effectively increased. Optionally, taking a linear array probe as an example, as Figure 5 , Figure 5 a position diagram of the far-field virtual focal point and the imaging region of the linear array probe, i.e., the shadow part, is given.

[0067] In the working process of the ultrasonic imaging device, the ultrasonic probe performs one scan each time, and the next scan is performed after the end of the previous scan. The time interval between the two adjacent scans is referred to as a scan interval. The ultrasonic probe performs one scan operation when moving to a virtual focal point, and thus the time for obtaining one frame of ultrasonic image is equal to the product of the scan number and the scan interval. It should be noted that one frame of image is obtained by compounding all single scan results, and thus an equal correspondence relationship between the scan number, the image compounding number, and the focal point number can be obtained.

[0068] In this embodiment, the scan number can be determined according to the actual situation of the ultrasonic imaging device. The scan number affects the final imaging quality. The more the scan number is, the better the imaging quality is. The value of the scan number can determine the imaging quality level. For example, the scan number corresponding to the low-end imaging quality is 20, the scan number corresponding to the medium-end imaging quality is 30, and the scan number corresponding to the high-end imaging quality is 50. The determination method of the corresponding scan interval can be determined according to the actual situation of the detection depth, the frame rate, and the scan number.

[0069] Optionally, the minimum value of the scan interval t min The detection depth d can be used to determine the time required for at least one single scan, which is theoretically:

[0070]

[0071] The speed of sound c can be used to determine the scan interval t s ≥t min .

[0072] Optionally, the maximum value of the scan interval t max The frame rate f and the scan number a can be used to determine the scan interval, as shown in the following formula:

[0073]

[0074] Therefore, the value range of the scan interval can be determined as t min ≤t s ≤t max It should be noted that the specific value of the scan interval can be determined according to the system algorithm of the ultrasonic imaging device.

[0075] In this embodiment, the scan operation can be realized only after the virtual focal point trajectory in the far field and the scan interval are determined. The maximum frame rate of the current ultrasonic imaging device can also be determined based on the scan interval. Based on the principle that the minimum scan interval corresponds to the maximum frame rate, the determination formula of the maximum frame rate is as shown in the following formula:

[0076]

[0077] In this embodiment, in order to increase the scanning range of each time, reduce the scanning times and scanning interval, the virtual focus is constructed outside the imaging area, that is, the far field virtual focus is constructed, the scanning range of each time is increased, and the convex array probe is taken as an example. Figure 6 As shown in the figure, based on a certain imaging area, based on the far field virtual focus track, about 20 scans can cover the entire imaging area, which is much smaller than the number of transmissions required in traditional ultrasonic imaging. Taking the linear array probe as an example, referring to Figure 7 , Figure 7 The far field virtual focus track of the linear array probe is given, and the far field virtual focus track is parallel to the element array. Therefore, the far field virtual focus is used as the scanning focus in this embodiment. The corresponding far field virtual focus track is uniformly distributed in the place where the element array is parallel, as shown in the figure. Figure 6 Based on the determined far field virtual focus track and scanning interval, the scanning operation is performed, and the echo signals of each pixel point in each scanning area are obtained.

[0078] S202, beamforming is performed according to the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain a composite image of each scanning area.

[0079] Wherein, the beamforming of the echo signals of each pixel point can obtain the beamforming result of each pixel point, and the scanning image obtained by each scanning is determined according to the beamforming result of each pixel point obtained by each scanning.

[0080] In this embodiment, after obtaining the echo signals of each pixel point, the echo signals of each pixel point can be optionally demodulated to obtain the echo signal sequence of each pixel point, and the beamforming result of each pixel point can be calculated according to the echo signal sequence of each pixel point. Optionally, the ultrasonic imaging device can obtain the composite parameters corresponding to each pixel point, calculate the beamforming result of each pixel point based on the preset composite parameters, the preset beamforming function and the echo signal sequence of each pixel point. After obtaining the beamforming result of all pixel points in the scanning area, the low resolution image of the current scanning area is obtained based on the beamforming result of each pixel point, which is used as the composite image of the current scanning area, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0081] S203, the composite images of each scanning area are superimposed to obtain a target image.

[0082] In this embodiment, the beamforming result of each pixel point in each scanning area is obtained by each scanning, that is, a low resolution image of the corresponding scanning area is obtained by each scanning, and after the scanning of the imaging area is completed, a plurality of low resolution images corresponding to a plurality of scanning areas are obtained. The low resolution images are superimposed to obtain a high resolution image, that is, the target image.

[0083] In the above ultrasonic imaging method, the ultrasonic imaging device obtains echo signals of each pixel point in a plurality of scanning regions based on a preset scanning strategy, performs beamforming according to the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain a composite image of each scanning region, performs superposition processing on the composite images of each scanning region to obtain a target image. In the method, the scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focus track and a scanning interval, the far-field virtual focus is used to place the focus on a part outside the image region, thereby increasing the scanning range of the sound wave, reducing the scanning times under the premise of a certain imaging region, and because the far-field virtual focus is very close to the array element emitting the sound wave, the sound wave intensity does not decay seriously, thereby achieving the improvement of the imaging frame frequency and the improvement of the display effect under the premise of meeting the imaging quality.

[0084] The echo signals of each pixel point in the current scanning region are obtained by scanning once, the beamforming is performed according to the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain the current scanning result, and in an embodiment, as shown in Figure 8 The beamforming is performed according to the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain the composite image of each scanning region, including:

[0085] S301, signal demodulation is performed on the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain an echo signal sequence of each pixel point.

[0086] The ultrasonic detection is a means for obtaining scanning region information by using ultrasonic waves as a medium, and the echo signal is equivalent to carrying the information of the scanning region to the modulated signal with the ultrasonic wave as a carrier, so that after obtaining the echo signals of each pixel point, the echo signals need to be demodulated to obtain the information of the scanning region.

[0087] In the embodiment, because the characteristics of the ultrasonic field are pressure and velocity, a common ultrasonic transducer measures the pressure of the sound field as a real value signal, and another orthogonal component velocity must be derived from the measured pressure signal. Such a unique echo is equivalent to having no negative frequency component in the complex pressure-velocity signal. In order to remove the negative frequency component and reconstruct the orthogonal information, the Hilbert transform is selected for demodulation to obtain the echo signal sequence of each pixel point.

[0088] S302, the beamforming result of each pixel point is calculated according to the echo signal sequence of each pixel point.

[0089] In this embodiment, after obtaining the echo signal array of each pixel point after demodulation, the beam synthesis result of each pixel point is calculated according to the echo signal sequence of each pixel point. Alternatively, the ultrasound imaging device can obtain the synthesis parameter corresponding to each pixel point, calculate the beam synthesis result of each pixel point based on the preset synthesis parameter, the preset beam synthesis function and the echo signal sequence of each pixel point; or the ultrasound imaging device can also calculate the synthesis parameter of each pixel point based on the coordinates of each pixel point, calculate the beam synthesis result of each pixel point according to the calculated synthesis parameter of each pixel point, the preset beam synthesis function and the echo signal sequence of each pixel point, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0090] S303, obtaining the synthesis image of each scanning area according to the beam synthesis result of each pixel point in each scanning area.

[0091] In this embodiment, the beam synthesis result of all pixel points in the scanning area is obtained after each scanning, and the low-resolution image of the current scanning area is obtained based on the beam synthesis result of each pixel point as the synthesis image of the current scanning area, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0092] In this embodiment, the beam synthesis result of each pixel point in each scanning area is obtained each time the scanning is performed, the surface of the scanning area is constructed by pixel points, the region-oriented beam synthesis is adopted, the concept of line is abandoned, the time delay stacking is performed on the entire image area each time the scanning is performed, the echo signal of each scanning is fully utilized, and more accurate beam synthesis result is obtained, thereby avoiding the problem that the traditional beam synthesis algorithm only performs beam synthesis on the target points on the line and wastes the echo information of other reflection points.

[0093] In the process of calculating the beam synthesis result of each pixel point according to the echo signal sequence of each pixel point, since the probe type and the virtual far-field focus point are determined, the calculation parameter can be determined, that is, the calculation parameter is a constant value. In order to reduce the repeated calculation in the process, the beam synthesis calculation of each pixel point can be performed through the preset synthesis parameter mapping table. In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 9 The above calculating the beam synthesis result of each pixel point according to the echo signal sequence of each pixel point includes:

[0094] S401, obtaining the current probe type, determining the synthesis parameter mapping table corresponding to the probe type, and obtaining the target synthesis parameter of each pixel point; the synthesis parameter mapping table is used to indicate the corresponding relationship between the pixel point and the synthesis parameter under each probe type.

[0095] The probe type can be a convex array probe, a linear array probe, or the like. Different types of probes correspond to different first coordinate systems. In the coordinate system corresponding to the probe type, the coordinates of each pixel point can be determined. Based on the coordinates of each pixel point, the synthesis parameters corresponding to each pixel point can be determined, wherein the synthesis parameters include delay time, distance weight, angle weight, and array element number.

[0096] In this embodiment, after determining the probe type, the synthesis parameter mapping table corresponding to the current probe type is determined from the database. The synthesis parameter mapping table includes the pixel point identifiers and the synthesis parameters corresponding to each pixel point. In the calculation process, the synthesis parameters corresponding to each pixel point are obtained according to the pixel point identifiers, and the calculation is performed. This embodiment is not limited in this regard.

[0097] S402, according to the target synthesis parameters of each pixel point and the echo signal sequence, the beam synthesis result of each pixel point is calculated.

[0098] In this embodiment, according to the delay time, distance weight, angle weight, and array element number of each pixel point, and the preset beam synthesis function, the echo signal sequence of each pixel point is taken as input, and the beam synthesis result of each pixel point can be calculated.

[0099] The beam synthesis function pix(T) of the pixel point T can be represented as:

[0100]

[0101] ω d (T) is the distance weight of the pixel point T; ω a (T,i) is the angle weight of the pixel point T with respect to the i th array element; S i (·) is the echo signal received on the i th array element; T d is the delay time; E is the array element number, and E and i are natural numbers.

[0102] In this embodiment, the beam synthesis calculation of each pixel point is performed based on the synthesis parameter mapping table, which can greatly reduce the calculation time and improve the efficiency of image reconstruction. In addition, GPU is used to process the echo signal obtained in each transmission by using parallel calculation. The time for calculating one frame of image is equal to the time for calculating one transmission, and real-time imaging can be realized.

[0103] In one embodiment, the target synthesis parameters include the array element number, the delay time, the angle weight of the pixel point, and the distance weight of the pixel point. According to the target synthesis parameters of each pixel point and the echo signal sequence, the beam synthesis result of each pixel point is calculated, including:

[0104] The beam synthesis result of each pixel point is calculated according to the number of probe array elements, the delay time, the angle weight of the pixel point, the distance weight of the pixel point, and the echo signal sequence.

[0105] The delay time is determined according to the coordinates of each pixel point, the coordinates of each probe array element, and the speed of light; the angle weight of the pixel point is determined according to the included angle between the echo direction of each pixel point and the normal of the probe array element; and the distance weight of the pixel point is determined according to the coordinates of each pixel point and the coordinates of the far-field virtual focal point.

[0106] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the size of the final image is MxN, and the beam synthesis result of the pixel point T(m, n) is as follows:

[0107]

[0108] wherein ω d (T) is the distance weight of the pixel point T; ω a (T, i) is the angle weight of the pixel point T with respect to the i th array element; S i (·) is the echo signal received on the i th array element; T d is the delay time; E is the number of array elements, and E and i are natural numbers.

[0109] The calculation formula of the delay time T d is as follows:

[0110]

[0111] wherein c is the speed of sound, and t d is the transmission distance; r d i is the reception distance of the pixel point T to the array element i.

[0112] The calculation formulae of the transmission distance t d and the reception distance r d i of the pixel point to the array element i are as follows:

[0113] t d = i d + n * Δd

[0114]

[0115] wherein i d is the initial distance; Δd is the interval between the pixel points, and the interval between the pixel points is a constant value; (T x ,T y ) is the coordinates of the current pixel point T in the imaging area; (e ix ,e iy ) is the coordinates of the i th array element; n is the serial number of the pixel point T, and n is a natural number.

[0116] The far-field virtual focal point F and the line OF where the center O of the probe is located as the main direction of the sound wave propagation, the effective range of the sound wave propagation is symmetrical about the direction, and gradually focuses as the propagation depth increases. The sound wave energy in the main direction is the highest, so the target point closer to the direction receives more sound wave energy and has a larger weight, but the effective range will gradually decrease as the depth increases. Therefore, the distance weight ω d The definition of (T) is as follows:

[0117]

[0118] Where nconst is a constant, used for target point distance weight adjustment, d1 is the distance of pixel point T to the main direction OF, and d2 is the position depth of the foot D. For example, the convex array probe, the specific d1 and d2 schematic diagram can be referred to as shown in Figure 10 For example, the linear array probe, the specific d1 and d2 schematic diagram can be referred to as shown in Figure 11 The calculation method of d1 and d2 can be obtained by constructing the OF line equation based on the coordinates of the pixel point T.

[0119] ω a (T,i) is the echo angle weight, the sound wave reflected by the pixel point T will be emitted in all directions, assuming that the receiving element is Ei, when the direction of the target point T to the element Ei, that is, the echo direction is perpendicular to the element Ei, at this time, the echo signal received by the element Ei is the strongest, and the echo direction and the element normal angle θ is larger, the signal received by the element is weaker. For each pixel point, the angle weight of all receiving elements is calculated. Where the maximum of the echo direction and the element normal angle is not more than the array directivity angle For example, the convex array probe can be referred to as shown in Figure 12 For example, the linear array probe, the specific d1 and d2 schematic diagram can be referred to as shown in Figure 13 At this time, ω a The calculation formula of (T,i) is as follows:

[0120]

[0121] In this embodiment, the transmission distance and the receiving distance of each element are calculated for each pixel point, and the distance weight of each pixel point and the angle weight of each element are also calculated. Therefore, when calculating the beam synthesis result of each transmission, the complex numerical operation does not need to be repeatedly calculated, but only needs to be looked up in the parameter table according to the index of the pixel point, and then a simple numerical operation is performed, thereby reducing the calculation amount in the process of calculating the pixel point beam synthesis.

[0122] Since the echo signal sequence is discrete data, when the delay time is between two adjacent echo signals, interpolation is needed to calculate the echo signal to obtain an optimized echo signal sequence. In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 14 The method further includes:

[0123] S501, based on the delay time of each pixel point and the echo signal sequence, the echo signal sequence of each pixel point is optimized based on a preset interpolation algorithm to obtain an optimized echo signal sequence of each pixel point.

[0124] In this embodiment, the echo signal is a complex signal after Hilbert transform. If Lagrange interpolation method is used, there will be a large interpolation noise. The traditional Lagrange interpolation method is an approximation to the ideal echo signal. In the case where the accurate frequency of the echo signal cannot be obtained, the interpolation calculation is performed based on other known parameters that can be obtained, for example, the frequency offset of the accurate frequency of the echo signal, the rewriting of the interpolation function based on the center frequency of the echo signal, the calculation of the approximate value of the center frequency of the echo signal, and the interpolation calculation based on the rewritten interpolation function to obtain the optimized echo signal sequence of each pixel point.

[0125] S502, based on the target synthesis parameters of each pixel point and the optimized echo signal sequence, the beam synthesis result of each pixel point is calculated.

[0126] In this embodiment, based on the optimized echo signal sequence of each pixel point after interpolation calculation and the target synthesis parameters of each pixel point, the beam synthesis result of each pixel point is calculated. Similar to step S402, it is not repeated here. Alternatively, the image effect comparison chart based on the interpolation method provided in this embodiment and the traditional Lagrange interpolation method can be referred to as Figure 15 and Figure 16 As shown in Figure 15 The output image obtained based on the traditional Lagrange interpolation method is given; Figure 16 The output image obtained based on the interpolation method provided in this embodiment is given. By comparison, it can be found that the image quality is obviously improved by using the interpolation method provided in this embodiment.

[0127] In this embodiment, based on the interpolation calculation method provided in this embodiment, the problem of not being able to obtain the accurate frequency of the echo signal is effectively avoided. The interpolation calculation of the echo signal is performed based on the known parameters that can be obtained, which can improve the interpolation accuracy, reduce the interpolation noise, and make the finally obtained image quality higher.

[0128] When the probe of the ultrasonic imaging device is a convex array probe, coordinate conversion needs to be performed on the target image after the target image is obtained. In an embodiment, as shown in Figure 17 the above probe type is a convex array probe; the method further includes:

[0129] S601, determining the coordinates of each pixel point in the target image in a first coordinate system; the origin of the first coordinate system is the midpoint of the tangent segment of the array element array in the imaging area, and the two directions of the first coordinate system are perpendicular to each other.

[0130] The origin of the first coordinate system of each pixel point is the midpoint of the tangent segment of the array element array in the imaging area, the horizontal axis is the tangent line of the array element array, and the vertical axis is the vertical line passing through the origin and perpendicular to the tangent line. In this embodiment, according to the first coordinate system, the first coordinates of each pixel point in the first coordinate system are determined.

[0131] S602, according to the conversion relationship between the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system, performing coordinate conversion on the coordinates of each pixel point in the target image in the first coordinate system to obtain a coordinate-converted image; the origin of the second coordinate system is the probe center of the convex array probe.

[0132] The origin of the second coordinate system is the probe center of the convex array probe, the horizontal axis is the horizontal line passing through the origin, and the vertical axis is the vertical line passing through the origin and perpendicular to the horizontal axis. The conversion relationship between the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system can be preset.

[0133] In this embodiment, according to the preset coordinate conversion relationship between the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system, the first coordinates of each pixel point are converted into second coordinates in the second coordinate system to obtain a coordinate-converted image.

[0134] In this embodiment, converting the target image to a specified coordinate system can more intuitively display the scanning result to the doctor or other staff, and since the data amount will increase after scanning and conversion, the coordinate conversion is performed after the target image is obtained, thereby reducing the calculation amount in the imaging process.

[0135] Before scanning based on the ultrasonic imaging device, the scanning strategy of the ultrasonic imaging device needs to be determined, and in an embodiment, as shown in Figure 18 the above method for determining the scanning strategy includes:

[0136] S701, determining a target frame frequency according to the current scanning item and the scanning depth, and determining the number of scans according to the target frame frequency.

[0137] The scanning item refers to the scanning item currently to be performed, for example, abdominal ultrasound, cardiac color Doppler ultrasound, vascular color Doppler ultrasound, bone and muscle system, etc.; the scanning depth refers to the visible depth of scanning determined according to the scanning item and the current patient's condition.

[0138] In the embodiment, the target frame rate of the current ultrasound device is determined according to the current determined scan item and the determined scan depth. Optionally, the method for determining the target frame rate includes multiple methods. For example, a frame rate less than a maximum frame rate value can be determined as the target frame rate according to the current scan item and the scan depth; or the current maximum frame rate can be determined as the target frame rate according to the current scan item and the scan depth; or the optimal frame rate can be determined as the target frame rate by the device according to the current scan item, the scan depth, and the operating parameters of the current ultrasound imaging device based on the built-in algorithm of the ultrasound device. After the target frame rate is determined, the scanning times of the single frame image can be determined according to the target frame rate, which is not limited in the embodiment.

[0139] S702, determining a far-field virtual focus point track according to the scan depth and the imaging area; the starting point and the terminal of the far-field virtual focus point track are located at the two straight line boundaries of the imaging area.

[0140] The imaging area refers to the complete imaging area of the probe of the ultrasound imaging device. After the ultrasound imaging device is determined, the imaging area can be determined. In the embodiment, after the imaging area and the scan depth are determined, the virtual focus point track can be determined. For example, the virtual focus point in the embodiment is a far-field virtual focus point, that is, the track of the virtual focus point is outside the imaging area, and the starting point and the terminal of the track of the virtual focus point are the two straight line boundaries of the imaging area.

[0141] In the embodiment, the far-field virtual focus point outside the imaging area increases the scanning range of the single sound wave and reduces the total scanning times of the imaging area compared with the near-field virtual focus point inside the imaging area.

[0142] In order to better illustrate the above method, as shown in the embodiment, an ultrasound imaging method is provided, which specifically includes: Figure 19

[0143] S101, determining a target frame rate according to a current scan item and a scan depth, and determining a scanning time according to the target frame rate;

[0144] S102, determining a far-field virtual focus point track according to the scan depth and the imaging area;

[0145] S103, obtaining echo signals of each pixel point of a plurality of scanning areas based on the target frame rate and the far-field virtual focus point track;

[0146] S104, signal demodulating the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain an echo signal sequence of each pixel point;

[0147] ​S105, acquire the current probe type, determine a synthesis parameter mapping table corresponding to the probe type, and acquire target synthesis parameters of each pixel point;

[0148] S106, based on the delay time and the echo signal sequence of each pixel point, optimize the echo signal sequence of each pixel point based on a preset interpolation algorithm, and obtain an optimized echo signal sequence of each pixel point;

[0149] S107, according to the target synthesis parameters and the optimized echo signal sequence of each pixel point, calculate the beam synthesis result of each pixel point;

[0150] S108, according to the beam synthesis result of each pixel point in each scanning region, obtain a synthesized image of each scanning region.

[0151] In the embodiment, since the scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focus point trajectory and a scanning interval, a far-field virtual focus point is used, the focus point is placed on a part outside the image region, the scanning range of the sound wave is increased, the scanning times are reduced under the premise of a certain imaging region, the region-oriented beam synthesis is used, the waste of echo information of other reflection points is avoided, and since the far-field virtual focus point is very close to the array element that emits the sound wave, the sound wave intensity will not be severely attenuated, the imaging frame rate is improved under the premise of meeting the imaging quality, and the display effect is improved. In the beam synthesis process of each pixel point, the beam synthesis operation is performed according to the preset synthesis parameter mapping table, the repeated calculation is reduced, the efficiency of image reconstruction is improved, and further, the echo signal sequence is optimized by interpolation, the interpolation noise is reduced, and the interpolation result is more accurate.

[0152] The ultrasonic imaging method provided in the above embodiment has similar implementation principles and technical effects to the method embodiments, and will not be described here.

[0153] It should be understood that, although Figures 2-19 the steps in the flowchart are shown in order according to the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in order according to the arrows. Unless otherwise specified in this article, the execution of these steps has no strict order limitation, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, Figures 2-19 at least part of the steps in the flowchart can include multiple steps or multiple stages, which are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed alternately or alternately with at least part of other steps or steps or stages in other steps.

[0154] In one embodiment, as shown in Figure 1 , an ultrasonic imaging device is provided, which comprises an ultrasonic probe and a processor;

[0155] a processor configured to perform the above Figures 2-11 The embodiment provides an ultrasonic imaging method.

[0156] The ultrasonic imaging device provided by the above embodiment has similar implementation principles and technical effects to the method embodiment, and thus will not be described here.

[0157] In one embodiment, as Figure 20 shown, an ultrasonic imaging device is provided, comprising: an acquisition module 01, a calculation module 02 and a determination module 03, wherein:

[0158] The acquisition module 01 is configured to acquire echo signals of each pixel point in a plurality of scanning regions based on a preset scanning strategy; the scanning strategy comprises a far-field virtual focus track and a scanning interval;

[0159] The calculation module 02 is configured to perform beamforming based on the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain a composite image of each scanning region;

[0160] The determination module 03 is configured to perform superposition processing on the composite images of each scanning region to obtain a target image.

[0161] In one embodiment, the calculation module 02 is configured to perform signal demodulation on the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain an echo signal sequence of each pixel point; to calculate a beamforming result of each pixel point based on the echo signal sequence of each pixel point; and to obtain a composite image of each scanning region based on the beamforming results of each pixel point in each scanning region.

[0162] In one embodiment, the calculation module 02 is configured to acquire a current probe type, determine a composite parameter mapping table corresponding to the probe type, and acquire target composite parameters of each pixel point; the composite parameter mapping table is configured to indicate a corresponding relationship between a pixel point and a composite parameter under each probe type; and to calculate a beamforming result of each pixel point based on the target composite parameters of each pixel point and the echo signal sequence.

[0163] In one embodiment, the target composite parameters comprise a number of probe elements, a delay time, an angle weight of a pixel point, and a distance weight of a pixel point; the calculation module 02 is configured to calculate a beamforming result of each pixel point based on the number of probe elements, the delay time, the angle weight of the pixel point, the distance weight of the pixel point, and the echo signal sequence;

[0164] The delay time is determined based on the coordinates of each pixel point, the coordinates of each probe element, and the speed of light; the angle weight of the pixel point is determined based on an included angle between an echo direction of each pixel point and a normal of the probe element; and the distance weight of the pixel point is determined based on the coordinates of each pixel point and the coordinates of the far-field virtual focus.

[0165] In one embodiment, the computing module 02 is further configured to optimize the echo signal sequence of each pixel point based on a preset interpolation algorithm according to the delay time of each pixel point and the echo signal sequence, to obtain an optimized echo signal sequence of each pixel point; and to calculate a beamforming result of each pixel point according to the target combining parameter of each pixel point and the optimized echo signal sequence.

[0166] In one embodiment, the probe type is a convex array probe; as shown in Figure 21 The ultrasonic imaging device further includes a conversion module 04.

[0167] The conversion module 04 is configured to determine the coordinates of each pixel point in the target image in a first coordinate system; the origin of the first coordinate system is the midpoint of the tangent segment of the array element array in the imaging region, and the two directions of the first coordinate system are perpendicular to each other; the coordinates of each pixel point in the target image in the first coordinate system are converted according to the conversion relationship between the first coordinate system and a second coordinate system, to obtain a converted image; the origin of the second coordinate system is the probe center of the convex array probe.

[0168] In one embodiment, the obtaining module 01 is further configured to determine a target frame frequency according to the current scan item and the scan depth, and determine a scan number according to the target frame frequency; determine a far-field virtual focal point trajectory according to the scan depth and the imaging region; the starting point and the terminal of the far-field virtual focal point trajectory are located on two straight line boundaries of the imaging region, respectively.

[0169] The specific limitations of the ultrasonic imaging device can be referred to the limitations of the ultrasonic imaging method in the foregoing, which will not be repeated here. Each module in the ultrasonic imaging device can be realized by software, hardware and a combination thereof, in whole or in part. Each module can be embedded in or independent of the processor in the computer device in hardware form, or can be stored in the memory in the computer device in software form, so as to be called and executed by the processor to perform the operations corresponding to each module.

[0170] In one embodiment, a computer device is provided, which can be a server, and the internal structure diagram thereof can be as shown in Figure 22As shown in the figure. The computer device includes a processor, a memory, a communication interface, a display screen and an input device connected by a system bus. Among them, the processor of the computer device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system and a computer program. The internal memory provides an environment for the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium to run. The communication interface of the computer device is used for wired or wireless communication with external terminals. Wireless communication can be achieved through WIFI, operator network, NFC (Near Field Communication) or other technologies. The computer program is executed by the processor to implement an ultrasonic imaging method. The display screen of the computer device can be a liquid crystal display screen or an electronic ink display screen. The input device of the computer device can be a touch layer overlaid on the display screen, or a key, trackball or touchpad arranged on the shell of the computer device, or an external keyboard, touchpad or mouse, etc.

[0171] Those skilled in the art can understand that, Figure 22 The structure shown in the figure is only a block diagram of part of the structure related to the scheme of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the scheme of the present application is applied. A specific computer device can include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different component arrangement.

[0172] In one embodiment, a computer device is provided, comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program, and the processor executing the computer program to implement the following steps:

[0173] Based on a preset scanning strategy, echo signals of each pixel point in a plurality of scanning regions are obtained; the scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focus point trajectory and a scanning interval;

[0174] Beamforming is performed according to the echo signals of each pixel point to obtain a composite image of each scanning region;

[0175] The composite images of each scanning region are superimposed to obtain a target image.

[0176] The computer device provided in the above embodiments has similar implementation principles and technical effects to the above method embodiments, which will not be described here.

[0177] In one embodiment, a computer readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the following steps:

[0178] Based on a preset scanning strategy, echo signals of each pixel point in a plurality of scanning regions are obtained; the scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focus point trajectory and a scanning interval;

[0179] The beamforming is performed according to the echo signals of the respective pixels to obtain a composite image of each scanning region.

[0180] The composite images of the respective scanning regions are superimposed to obtain a target image.

[0181] The computer readable storage medium provided in the above embodiments has similar implementation principles and technical effects to the above method embodiments, and thus will not be described again.

[0182] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be completed by a computer program instructing related hardware, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, the computer program can include the processes of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments provided in the present application, any reference to a memory, storage, database or other medium can include at least one of a non-volatile and volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can include a read-only memory (ROM), a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, a flash memory or an optical storage, etc. The volatile memory can include a random access memory (RAM) or an external cache memory. As an illustration but not limitation, the RAM can be in various forms, such as a static random access memory (SRAM) or a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), etc.

[0183] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined in any manner. To make the description concise, all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are not described, but as long as the combinations of the technical features do not exist, they should be considered as the scope of the present application.

[0184] The above embodiments only express several implementation manners of the present application, and the description is more specific and detailed, but it should not be understood as a limitation on the scope of the patent. It should be pointed out that for ordinary skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present application, some modifications and improvements can be made, which are all within the scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of the patent of the present application should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. An ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: Based on a preset scanning strategy, echo signals of each pixel in multiple scanning regions are acquired; the scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focus trajectory and a scanning interval; the scanning interval is determined based on the scanning depth, target frame rate, and number of scans. Beamforming is performed based on the echo signals of each pixel to obtain a composite image of each scanning area. The composite images of each of the scanned regions are superimposed to obtain the target image; The step of beamforming based on the echo signals of each pixel to obtain a composite image of each scanned region includes: The echo signals of each pixel are demodulated to obtain an echo signal sequence for each pixel; wherein, the echo signal sequence for each pixel is obtained by selecting Hilbert transform for demodulation and optimizing it based on the delay time of each pixel according to a preset interpolation algorithm; wherein, the preset interpolation algorithm is to rewrite the interpolation function based on the center frequency of the echo signal to calculate an approximate value of the center frequency of the echo signal. Based on the target synthesis parameters of each pixel and the echo signal sequence, the beamforming result of each pixel is calculated. Based on the beamforming results of each pixel within each scanning region, a composite image of each scanning region is obtained.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain the current probe type, determine the synthesis parameter mapping table corresponding to the probe type, and obtain the target synthesis parameters for each pixel; the synthesis parameter mapping table is used to indicate the correspondence between pixels and synthesis parameters under each probe type.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target synthesis parameters include the number of probe array elements, delay time, pixel angle weight, and pixel distance weight; The step of calculating the beamforming result of each pixel based on the target synthesis parameters of each pixel and the echo signal sequence includes: The beamforming result of each pixel is calculated based on the number of probe array elements, the delay time, the angle weight of the pixel, the distance weight of the pixel, and the echo signal sequence.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The delay time is determined based on the coordinates of each pixel, the coordinates of each probe element, and the speed of light; the angle weight of each pixel is determined based on the angle between the echo direction of each pixel and the normal of the probe element; the distance weight of each pixel is determined based on the coordinates of each pixel and the coordinates of the far-field virtual focus.

5. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The probe type is a convex array probe, and the method further includes: The coordinates of each pixel in the target image in a first coordinate system are determined; the origin of the first coordinate system is the midpoint of the external tangent line segment of the array of elements in the imaging region. Based on the transformation relationship between the first coordinate system and the second coordinate system, the coordinates of each pixel in the target image in the first coordinate system are transformed to obtain the image after coordinate transformation; the origin of the second coordinate system is the center of the probe circle of the convex array probe.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The method for determining the scanning strategy includes: Based on the current scan item and scan depth, determine the target frame rate, and based on the target frame rate, determine the number of scans; The far-field virtual focus trajectory is determined based on the scanning depth and the imaging area; the starting point and the ending point of the far-field virtual focus trajectory are respectively located at the two straight line boundaries of the imaging area.

7. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that, The device includes an ultrasonic probe and a processor; The processor is configured to execute the ultrasound imaging method according to any one of claims 1-6 based on the acoustic wave signal emitted by the ultrasound probe.

8. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that, The device includes: The acquisition module is used to acquire the echo signals of each pixel in multiple scanning areas based on a preset scanning strategy; the scanning strategy includes a far-field virtual focus trajectory and a scanning interval; the scanning interval is determined based on the scanning depth, target frame rate, and number of scans; The calculation module is used to perform beamforming based on the echo signals of each pixel to obtain a composite image of each scanned area; The determining module is used to overlay the composite images of each of the scanned regions to obtain the target image; The calculation module is specifically used to demodulate the echo signals of each pixel to obtain an echo signal sequence for each pixel. The echo signal sequence for each pixel is obtained by using Hilbert transform for demodulation and optimizing it based on a preset interpolation algorithm according to the delay time of each pixel. The preset interpolation algorithm involves rewriting the interpolation function based on the center frequency of the echo signal to calculate an approximate value of the center frequency of the echo signal. Based on the target synthesis parameters of each pixel and the echo signal sequence, the beamforming result of each pixel is calculated. Based on the beamforming result of each pixel within each scanning area, a synthesized image of each scanning area is obtained.

9. A computer device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, characterized in that, When the processor executes the computer program, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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