Ultrasonic imaging system, ultrasonic imaging method, computer-readable storage medium

Abstract

An embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging system, an ultrasonic imaging method, and a computer-readable storage medium. The ultrasonic imaging method includes: acquiring a first electrical signal converted from an echo signal received by an ultrasonic array, determining the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal, and determining an acquisition row in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal; using the acquisition row as the first row, successively converting the received echo signals into second electrical signals for output; reconstructing an image of a target object according to the second electrical signals to complete ultrasonic imaging. The embodiments of the present application can obtain complete and clear echo signals, and thus can improve the image reconstruction effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of ultrasonic imaging technology. Specifically, the present application relates to an ultrasonic imaging system, an ultrasonic imaging method, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic imaging uses an ultrasonic beam to scan a target object, receives the echo signal reflected by the target object, and processes the echo signal to obtain an image of the target object. For high-resolution imaging, an ultrasonic pattern of the ultrasonic echo signal is generally obtained by using a refined receiving array with a two-dimensional structure (for example, an ultrasonic sensor), and fast imaging of the target object is realized based on the ultrasonic pattern.

[0003] When performing fast imaging in the above manner, it is necessary to perform discontinuous slice sampling on the reflected echo signal. Currently, the slice time of slice sampling is selected manually, resulting in the problem that a complete and clear echo signal cannot be obtained, which will affect the imaging effect. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the disadvantages of the existing method, the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging system, an ultrasonic imaging method, and a computer-readable storage medium to solve the technical problem that a complete and clear echo signal cannot be obtained in the existing technology.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging system, including:

[0006] An ultrasonic array for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a target object and receiving an echo signal formed by the reflection of the ultrasonic waves by the target object;

[0007] A first acquisition circuit connected to the ultrasonic array for converting the echo signal into a first electrical signal and outputting it, determining the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal, and determining the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal;

[0008] A second acquisition circuit connected to the ultrasonic array for taking the acquisition row as the first row and converting the echo signal into a second electrical signal and outputting it row by row;

[0009] An imaging circuit for reconstructing an image of the target object according to the second electrical signal to complete ultrasonic imaging.

[0010] Optionally, the first acquisition circuit includes an echo signal confirmation module and an acquisition confirmation module;

[0011] The echo signal confirmation module is configured to convert ambient noise into a noise signal, and convert the echo signal received by each row in the detection rows of the ultrasonic array into a first electrical signal. According to the noise signal and the first electrical signal, determine the minimum row number and the maximum row number in the detection rows where the echo signal exists. The detection rows are partial rows in the ultrasonic array, and the difference in the number of rows between adjacent detection rows is a preset value;

[0012] The acquisition confirmation module is configured to determine the proportion of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array according to the minimum row number and the maximum row number. If the proportion meets a preset condition, use the row corresponding to the minimum row number as the acquisition row.

[0013] Optionally, the second acquisition circuit is specifically configured to use the acquisition row as the first row and the row corresponding to the maximum row number as the end row, and convert the received echo signal into a second electrical signal row by row for output.

[0014] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging method, including:

[0015] Obtain a first electrical signal converted from an echo signal received by an ultrasonic array, determine the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal, and determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal;

[0016] Use the acquisition row as the first row, and convert the received echo signal into a second electrical signal row by row for output;

[0017] Reconstruct an image of the target object according to the second electrical signal to complete ultrasonic imaging.

[0018] Optionally, the obtaining of the first electrical signal converted from the echo signal received by the ultrasonic array includes:

[0019] Obtain a first electrical signal converted from the echo signal received by each row in the detection rows. The detection rows are partial rows in the ultrasonic array, and the difference in the number of rows between adjacent detection rows is a preset value;

[0020] Before obtaining the first electrical signal converted from the echo signal received by the ultrasonic array, it further includes:

[0021] Obtain a noise signal converted from ambient noise.

[0022] Optionally, the determining the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal and determining the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal includes:

[0023] According to the noise signal and the first electrical signal, determine the minimum row number and the maximum row number in the detection rows where the echo signal exists;

[0024] According to the minimum row number and the maximum row number, determine the proportion of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array to determine the distribution of the echo signal. If the proportion meets a preset condition, use the row corresponding to the minimum row number as the acquisition row; otherwise, re-acquire the noise signal and the first electrical signal until the proportion meets the preset condition.

[0025] Optionally, the determining the minimum row number and the maximum row number in the detection rows where an echo signal exists according to the noise signal and the first electrical signal includes:

[0026] Successively obtain the first electrical signal of each row in the detection rows, and calculate the sum of the absolute values of the signals of the first electrical signal of each row;

[0027] Successively for each row, if the sum of the absolute values of the signals is greater than the noise signal, use the number of the current row as the minimum row number until the sum of the absolute values of the signals is less than the noise signal. Use the row above the detection row where the sum of the absolute values of the signals is less than the noise signal as the end row, and use the number of the row corresponding to the end row as the maximum row number.

[0028] Optionally, the determining the proportion of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array according to the minimum row number and the maximum row number includes:

[0029] Calculate the difference between the minimum row number and the maximum row number, and use the ratio of the difference to the total row number as the proportion of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array.

[0030] Optionally, the obtaining the noise signal converted from environmental noise includes:

[0031] When the ultrasonic array does not emit ultrasonic waves, successively read the electrical signals of each detection row, calculate the sum of the absolute values of the signals of the electrical signal of each detection row, and use the sum of the absolute values of the signals as the noise signal of the current detection row.

[0032] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the ultrasonic imaging method described above is implemented.

[0033] The beneficial technical effects brought by the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application include:

[0034] The ultrasonic imaging system in the embodiments of the present application includes: an ultrasonic array, a first acquisition circuit, a second acquisition circuit, and an imaging circuit; since the first acquisition circuit can convert the echo signal into a first electrical signal for output, determine the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal, and determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal, that is, the ultrasonic imaging system in the embodiments of the present application can first locate the distribution of the echo signal through the first acquisition circuit, determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal, that is, can reasonably select the slice time according to the distribution of the echo signal. Compared with the prior art that selects the slice time manually, the embodiments of the present application can obtain a complete and clear echo signal, and thus can improve the image reconstruction effect.

[0035] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be given in part in the following description, which will become apparent from the following description, or can be learned through the practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and be readily understood from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the drawings, where:

[0037] Figure 1 is a structural block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an ultrasonic array provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] Figure 3 is a structural block diagram of the first acquisition circuit included in the ultrasonic imaging system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] Figure 4 is a schematic flow diagram of an ultrasonic imaging method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 5 is a schematic circuit structure diagram of an ultrasonic imaging system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 6 is Figure 5 the timing diagram of the circuit shown;

[0043] Figure 7 is a schematic acquisition timing diagram of the ultrasonic imaging system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figures 8a - 8c is a schematic diagram of acquisitions at different time slices provided by an embodiment of the present application.

[0045] DESCRIPTION OF THE REFERENCE NUMERALS:

[0046] 11 - Ultrasonic array; 12 - First acquisition circuit; 13 - Second acquisition circuit; 14 - Imaging circuit; 21 - Ultrasonic sensor; 22 - Target object; 23 - Reflected sound beam; 24 - Transmitted sound beam; 121 - Echo signal confirmation module; 122 - Acquisition confirmation module. Detailed implementation

[0047] The embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the present application. It should be understood that the embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings are exemplary descriptions for explaining the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

[0048] Those skilled in the art of the present technology can understand that unless specifically stated, the singular forms "a", "an", "the", and "said" used herein may also include plural forms. It should be further understood that the term "including" used in the specification of the present application means the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not exclude the implementation of other features, information, data, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or their combinations supported by the art of the present technology. It should be understood that when we say an element is "connected" or "coupled" to another element, the one element can be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or it can mean that the one element and the other element establish a connection relationship through an intermediate element. In addition, the "connection" or "coupling" used here can include wireless connection or wireless coupling. The term "and / or" used here means at least one of the items defined by the term, for example, "A and / or B" can be implemented as "A", or implemented as "B", or implemented as "A and B".

[0049] In the current related technology for non - continuous slice - type sampling, when using the thin - film transistor pixel circuit integrated in the refined receiving array with a two - dimensional structure, at time t 开始 ~t 结束 any arbitrary time points t1, t2, t3, etc. are selected for signal integration acquisition, and the integration time is less than T / 2 (T is the period of the ultrasonic signal, the reciprocal of the frequency); finally, according to the magnitudes of the received signals of each array element, an ultrasonic image is obtained, and the ultrasonic image reflects the spatial distribution characteristics of the ultrasonic waves.

[0050] In a high - resolution imaging acquisition system, since the echo signals received from each reflection point are distributed in a circular ring, the contour of the target object can be reconstructed by using the centroid positioning aggregation method. The slice data of the receiving array is a circular ring formed by the superposition of multiple reflection points. It is not practical to use the circle fitting, so the Hough gradient detection and the local direction voting method are used to locate the center of the circle, and further complete the projection reconstruction of the target image.

[0051] In the actual processing, it is found that the selection of the slicing time in slice sampling is crucial for the effect of projection reconstruction. If the slicing time is too early, the signal differences of different pixels are small, and the signals of different reflection points are stacked together and indistinguishable. If the slicing time is too late, the received signals by the receiving array are incomplete. Therefore, it is crucial to reasonably select the slicing time. Currently, the slicing time in slice sampling is selected manually, resulting in the problem that a complete and clear echo signal cannot be obtained, which will further affect the imaging effect.

[0052] In view of the above problems existing in the current related technologies, the embodiments of the present application provide an ultrasonic imaging system and an ultrasonic imaging method to solve the technical problem that a complete and clear echo signal cannot be obtained in the current technology.

[0053] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present application clearer, the following will further describe the embodiments of the present application in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0054] The embodiments of the present application provide an ultrasonic imaging system, as Figure 1 shown, including: an ultrasonic array 11, a first acquisition circuit 12, a second acquisition circuit 13, and an imaging circuit 14; the ultrasonic array 11 is configured to emit ultrasonic waves to a target and receive the echo signals formed by the reflection of the ultrasonic waves by the target; the first acquisition circuit 12 is connected to the ultrasonic array 11, and is configured to convert the echo signals into first electrical signals and output them, determine the distribution of the echo signals according to the first electrical signals, and determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array 11 according to the distribution of the echo signals; the second acquisition circuit 13 is connected to the ultrasonic array 11, and is configured to use the acquisition rows as the first row and sequentially convert the received echo signals into second electrical signals and output them; the imaging circuit 14 is configured to reconstruct an image of the target according to the second electrical signals to complete ultrasonic imaging.

[0055] As Figure 2 shown, the ultrasonic array 11 in the embodiments of the present application may be an ultrasonic sensor 21. The ultrasonic sensor 21 can both emit ultrasonic waves and receive the ultrasonic waves (i.e., echoes) reflected by the target. Specifically, the ultrasonic sensor 21 emits ultrasonic waves, and the emitted sound beam 24 is directed to the target 22. The target 22 reflects the emitted sound beam 24 to form a reflected sound beam 23. The reflected sound beam 23 is directed to the ultrasonic sensor 21. The specific structure of the ultrasonic sensor 21 is similar to that of the prior art and will not be elaborated here.

[0056] It should be noted that the first acquisition circuit 12 and the second acquisition circuit 13 in the embodiments of the present application are both integrated in the ultrasonic array 11. The specific circuit structures of the first acquisition circuit 12 and the second acquisition circuit 13 are the same (that is, the first acquisition circuit 12 and the second acquisition circuit 13 are acquisition circuits with the same structure). The difference is that the acquisition timing sequence of the echo signal by the first acquisition circuit 12 and the acquisition timing sequence of the echo signal by the second acquisition circuit 13 may be different. The specific circuit structures of the first acquisition circuit 12 and the second acquisition circuit 13 will be introduced below.

[0057] In addition, in the embodiments of the present application, the specific method for the imaging circuit 14 to reconstruct the image of the target object according to the second electrical signal is similar to the prior art and will not be elaborated here.

[0058] The ultrasonic imaging system in the embodiments of the present application includes: an ultrasonic array 11, a first acquisition circuit 12, a second acquisition circuit 13, and an imaging circuit 14. Since the first acquisition circuit 12 can convert the echo signal into a first electrical signal for output, determine the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal, and determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array 11 according to the distribution of the echo signal. That is, the ultrasonic imaging system in the embodiments of the present application can first locate the distribution of the echo signal through the first acquisition circuit 12, determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array 11 according to the distribution of the echo signal, that is, can reasonably select the slice time according to the distribution of the echo signal. Compared with the prior art that selects the slice time manually, the embodiments of the present application can obtain a complete and clear echo signal, and thus can improve the reconstruction effect of the image.

[0059] In a specific embodiment, the first acquisition circuit 12 in the embodiments of the present application includes an echo signal confirmation module 121 and an acquisition confirmation module 122. As Figure 3 shown, the echo signal confirmation module 121 is configured to convert the ambient noise into a noise signal, and convert the echo signal received by each row in the detection rows in the ultrasonic array into a first electrical signal, and determine the minimum row number and the maximum row number in the detection rows where the echo signal exists according to the noise signal and the first electrical signal. The detection rows are part of the rows in the ultrasonic array, and the difference in the number of rows between adjacent detection rows is a preset value. The acquisition confirmation module 122 is configured to determine the proportion of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array according to the minimum row number and the maximum row number. If the proportion meets the preset condition, the row corresponding to the minimum row number is used as the acquisition row.

[0060] In the embodiment of the present application, the first acquisition circuit 12 converts the echo signals received by each row in the detection rows of the ultrasonic array into first electrical signals only, instead of converting the echo signals received by each row in the ultrasonic array into first electrical signals. That is, when converting the first electrical signals, a downsampling method is adopted, so that the position of the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array can be quickly determined, that is, the time points of slice sampling can be quickly determined. Specifically, the specific working process of the first acquisition circuit 12 and how to determine the minimum row number and the maximum row number in the detection rows with echo signals will be introduced in the following method part and will not be elaborated here.

[0061] It should be noted that the ultrasonic array 11 includes a number of ultrasonic units arranged in an array, and each ultrasonic unit integrates an acquisition circuit. Assuming that the ultrasonic array has 301 rows and 301 columns (i.e., the resolution of the ultrasonic array is 301*301), the row difference in the embodiment of the present application refers to the difference in row numbers. That is, the 301 rows of the ultrasonic units are numbered in ascending order. The number of the first row can be numbered 0, the number of the second row can be numbered 1, and so on. The number of the 301st row can be numbered 300; the preset value can be 50, that is, the numbers of the detection rows in the embodiment of the present application can be 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300. The specific value of the preset value is set according to the actual situation (such as according to the size of the resolution of the ultrasonic array) and will not be elaborated here.

[0062] In an alternative embodiment, the second acquisition circuit 13 in the embodiment of the present application is specifically configured to use the acquisition row as the first row and use the row corresponding to the maximum row number as the end row, and convert the received echo signals into second electrical signals row by row for output; when using the row corresponding to the maximum row number as the end row, the row scanning time can be reduced, thereby saving costs and reducing the power consumption of the second acquisition circuit 13.

[0063] In specific implementation, it is also possible not to use the row corresponding to the maximum row number as the end row, but only use the acquisition row as the first row, and convert the received echo signals into electrical signals row by row for output. The end row can be the last row of the ultrasonic array. This acquisition method has a relatively long acquisition time.

[0064] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging method, as Figure 4 shown, including:

[0065] S101. Obtain the first electrical signals converted from the echo signals received by the ultrasonic array, determine the distribution of the echo signals according to the first electrical signals, and determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signals;

[0066] S102. Use the acquisition row as the first row and convert the received echo signals into second electrical signals row by row for output;

[0067] S103. Reconstruct the image of the target object according to the second electrical signal to complete ultrasonic imaging.

[0068] The ultrasonic imaging method in the embodiments of the present application includes: obtaining a first electrical signal converted from an echo signal received by an ultrasonic array, determining the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal, and determining the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal; since the distribution of the echo signal is first determined according to the first electrical signal, and the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array are determined according to the distribution of the echo signal, that is, the embodiments of the present application can first locate the distribution of the echo signal and determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal, that is, the slice time can be reasonably selected according to the distribution of the echo signal. Compared with the prior art that selects the slice time manually, the embodiments of the present application can obtain a complete and clear echo signal, and thus can improve the image reconstruction effect.

[0069] In a high-resolution imaging acquisition system, the output signals of different pixel circuits (i.e., acquisition circuits) are acquired by means of multi-row scanning. The structure of the pixel circuit is as Figure 5 shown, and the timing of the pixel circuit is as Figure 6 shown. The entire acquisition process is divided into four stages: transmission, sampling, holding, and reading. The following will introduce these four different stages in combination with Figure 5 and Figure 6 respectively.

[0070] As Figure 5 shown, the components within the dotted line box in the figure are the equivalent circuit of the ultrasonic sensor 21. The pixel circuit includes four transistors and a capacitor. The first transistor T1, the second transistor T2, the third transistor T3, and the fourth transistor T4 are all N-type transistors; among them, the gate of the first transistor T1 is connected to the first control signal Vrst, and the other two poles of the first transistor T1 are respectively connected to the first node V12 and the first voltage Vbias; the gate of the second transistor T2 is connected to the second control signal Vclose, and the other two poles of the second transistor T2 are respectively connected to the first node V12 and the second node V1; the gate of the third transistor T3 is connected to the second node V1, and the other two poles of the third transistor T3 are respectively connected to the second voltage Vdd and the first pole of the fourth transistor T4; the gate of the fourth transistor T4 is connected to the third control signal Gate, and the second pole of the fourth transistor T4 is connected to the output terminal. After the fourth transistor T4 is turned on, the acquisition current Iout can be read out.

[0071] As Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, in the transmission stage (i.e., Figure 6In the t0 - t1 stage), the first control signal Vrst and the second control signal Vclose are at high level, the third control signal Gate is at low level, the first transistor T1 and the second transistor T2 are turned on, the fourth transistor T4 is turned off, the second node V1 receives the first voltage Vbias, biased to low level, and ultrasonic waves are emitted.

[0072] As Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, in the sampling stage (i.e., Figure 6 the t1 - t2 stage in), the first control signal Vrst and the second control signal Vclose are at high level, the third control signal Gate is at low level, the first transistor T1 and the second transistor T2 are turned on, the fourth transistor T4 is turned off, the second node V1 receives the first voltage Vbias. At this time, the first voltage Vbias is briefly pulled high, and sampling is completed by the capacitor C1. After sampling is completed, the first control signal Vrst becomes low level, the first transistor T1 is turned off, and the final potential of the second node V1 is affected by the echo.

[0073] As Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, in the holding stage (i.e., Figure 6 the t2 - t3 stage and t3 - t4 stage in), in the t2 - t3 stage of the holding stage, the first control signal Vrst and the third control signal Gate are at low level, the second control signal Vclose is at high level, the first transistor T1 and the fourth transistor T4 are turned off, the second transistor T2 is turned on, and the first node V12 and the second node V1 maintain the same potential; after all echoes end, that is, in the t3 - t4 stage of the holding stage, the first control signal Vrst, the second control signal Vclose, and the third control signal Gate are all at low level, and the first transistor T1, the second transistor T2, and the fourth transistor T4 are all turned off to reduce leakage current.

[0074] As Figure 5 and Figure 6 shown, in the readout stage (i.e., Figure 6 the t4 - t5 stage in), the first control signal Vrst and the second control signal Vclose are at low level, the third control signal Gate is at high level, the first transistor T1 and the second transistor T2 are turned off, the fourth transistor T4 is turned on, and the potential of the second node V1 is converted into a current signal through the third transistor T3 and output externally.

[0075] The embodiments of the present application are described by taking the resolution of the ultrasonic array as 301*301 (that is, the ultrasonic array includes 301 rows of ultrasonic units and 301 columns of ultrasonic units) as an example. In order to quickly determine the slice acquisition time, a downsampling (also called decimation) method is adopted to only turn on some Gates. That is, for the pixel circuits integrated in the 301 rows of ultrasonic units, only the third control signal Gates connected to the pixel circuits of some rows are set to high level. Only when the third control signal Gate is at high level, the pixel circuit has an output. That is, when the third control signal Gate is at high level, it can be considered that the pixel circuit is scanned. The embodiments of the present application adopt the downsampling method to only read the current Iout output by some row pixel circuits.

[0076] In a specific embodiment, the embodiments of the present application obtain the first electrical signal converted from the echo signal received by the ultrasonic array, including: obtaining the first electrical signal converted from the echo signal received by each row in the detection row. The detection row is a part of the rows in the ultrasonic array, and the difference in the number of rows between adjacent detection rows is a preset value. The embodiments of the present application take the preset value as 50 as an example for illustration, that is, the scanning step of the third control signal Gate is 50 (the scanning step changes according to the size of the resolution of the ultrasonic array, and this method of judging the slice time has nothing to do with the imaging position and is not limited to being located at the center of the ultrasonic array). The row numbers corresponding to the detection rows in the embodiments of the present application are 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300. According to the above introduction of the pixel circuit, the first electrical signal is the current signal transformed by the potential of the second node V1 through the third transistor T3, and the magnitude of this current signal can well reflect the magnitude of the echo signal.

[0077] Further, in order to remove the influence of environmental noise, before the embodiments of the present application obtain the first electrical signal converted from the echo signal received by the ultrasonic array, it further includes: obtaining the noise signal converted from the environmental noise.

[0078] Specifically, obtaining the noise signal converted from the environmental noise includes: when the ultrasonic array does not emit ultrasonic waves, reading the electrical signals of each detection row in sequence, calculating the sum of the absolute values of the signals of the electrical signals of each detection row, and taking the sum of the absolute values of the signals as the noise signal of the current detection row.

[0079] Such as Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, first, without emitting ultrasonic waves, sampling, holding, and reading are directly performed (for the specific working process, refer to the description in the above part and will not be elaborated here). In the reading stage, the third control signal GateN (where N represents the row number, N = 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300) is sequentially set to a high level. At this time, the current values output by each detection row can be sequentially read, and the sum of the absolute values of the signals of the GateN row signal amount is calculated and denoted as SumBiasN. Specifically, the sum of the absolute values of the current values output by the first row pixel circuit corresponding to Gate0 is calculated and denoted as SumBias0, and the sum of the absolute values of the current values output by the 51st row pixel circuit corresponding to Gate50 is calculated and denoted as SumBias50.

[0080] In an optional embodiment, the distribution of the echo signal is determined according to the first electrical signal, and the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array are determined according to the distribution of the echo signal, including: determining the minimum row number and the maximum row number in the detection rows where the echo signal exists according to the noise signal and the first electrical signal; determining the proportion of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array according to the minimum row number and the maximum row number to determine the distribution of the echo signal. If the proportion meets the preset condition, the row corresponding to the minimum row number is used as the acquisition row, otherwise, the noise signal and the first electrical signal are re-obtained until the proportion meets the preset condition.

[0081] In specific implementation, the embodiment of the present application determines the minimum row number and the maximum row number in the detection rows where the echo signal exists according to the noise signal and the first electrical signal, including: sequentially obtaining the first electrical signal of each row in the detection rows and calculating the sum of the absolute values of the signals of the first electrical signal of each row; sequentially for each row, if the sum of the absolute values of the signals is greater than the noise signal, the number of the current row is used as the minimum row number until the sum of the absolute values of the signals is less than the noise signal. The row above the detection row where the sum of the absolute values of the signals is less than the noise signal is used as the end row, and the number of the row corresponding to the end row is used as the maximum row number.

[0082] As Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, after completing the three stages of transmission, sampling, and holding, the third control signal GateN (where N represents the row number, N = 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300) is sequentially set to a high level. At this time, the current values output by each detection row can be sequentially read, and the sum of the absolute values of the signals of the GateN row signal quantity is calculated and denoted as SumN. If SumN is equal to SumBiasN, it indicates that there is no echo signal in the row of the ultrasonic array corresponding to the row number N. If SumN is greater than SumBiasN, it indicates that there is an echo signal in the row of the ultrasonic array corresponding to the row number N. For example: If it is determined in this way that there are echo signals in the rows of the ultrasonic array corresponding to the row numbers 50, 100, 150, 200, and 250, then the smallest row number is 50 and the largest row number is 250; If it is determined in this way that there are echo signals in the rows of the ultrasonic array corresponding to the row numbers 100 and 150, then the smallest row number is 100 and the largest row number is 150; If it is determined in this way that there are echo signals in the rows of the ultrasonic array corresponding to the row numbers 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300, then the smallest row number is 0 and the largest row number is 300.

[0083] In specific implementation, the embodiment of the present application determines the proportion of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array according to the smallest row number and the largest row number, including: calculating the difference between the smallest row number and the largest row number, and using the ratio of this difference to the total row number as the proportion of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array. In specific implementation, the total row number is the number corresponding to the largest row in the ultrasonic array, and can also be regarded as the value of the interval between all rows. For example, for a 301-row ultrasonic array, the total row number is 300.

[0084] Continuing with the above example, if the smallest row number is 50 and the largest row number is 250, at this time the proportion K of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array is K = (250 - 50) / 300 = 2 / 3; If the smallest row number is 100 and the largest row number is 150, at this time the proportion K of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array is K = (150 - 100) / 300 = 1 / 6; If the smallest row number is 0 and the largest row number is 300, at this time the proportion K of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array is K = (300 - 0) / 300 = 1.

[0085] In specific implementation, in the embodiments of the present application, that the ratio meets the preset condition may mean that the ratio K is greater than 80% and less than 100%. If the ratio K is within this range, it is considered that the slice time is appropriate, and the row corresponding to the smallest row number is used as the acquisition row, and each row of the ultrasonic array is opened row by row for formal acquisition; if the ratio K is less than 80%, re - emission, sampling and holding are performed, and the current value of the detection row is read again to re - determine the ratio K until the ratio K is greater than 80%; if the ratio K = 100%, it indicates that the signal is incomplete, and re - emission, sampling and holding are also required, and the current value of the detection row is read again to re - determine the ratio K.

[0086] As Figure 7 shown, Figure 7 is the timing diagram of the ultrasonic imaging method provided by the embodiments of the present application. In this timing, Tx represents the timing of ultrasonic wave emission, and Reset represents the timing of resetting the ultrasonic signal after the ultrasonic wave mode. This timing diagram includes two stages: the slice time determination stage and the formal scan acquisition stage. In the slice time determination stage, not every GateN is made high - level, and only the GateN corresponding to the detection row needs to be made high - level. In this stage, the slice time can be quickly estimated, that is, it is estimated which row is the formal acquisition row. After determining the acquisition row, starting from the sampling row as the first row, the third control signal Gate is made high - level row by row to read the current value row by row.

[0087] In a high - resolution imaging acquisition system, the echo signals received from each reflection point are distributed in a circular ring, as Figure 8a , Figure 8b and Figure 8c shown, which represent the distribution diagrams of the echo signals collected at different slice times; the ordinate in the figure represents the sampling interval of down - sampling; Figure 8a represents that the ratio K of the echo signal to the ultrasonic array is 67%. This ratio is close to 80%, and it is considered that the slice time is relatively appropriate. Figure 8b represents that the ratio K of the echo signal to the ultrasonic array is 17%, indicating that the slice time is too early. Figure 8c represents that the ratio K of the echo signal to the ultrasonic array is 100%, indicating that the slice time is too late. And through actual verification, among the ratios K = 67%, K = 17% and K = 100%, only when K = 67% can the image of the target object be reconstructed.

[0088] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiments of the present application provide a computer - readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the above - mentioned ultrasonic imaging method is implemented. The computer - readable storage medium provided by the embodiments of the present application has the same beneficial effects as the ultrasonic imaging method, which will not be elaborated here.

[0089] In summary, by applying the embodiments of the present application, at least the following beneficial effects can be achieved:

[0090] First, the ultrasonic imaging system in the embodiments of the present application includes: an ultrasonic array 11, a first acquisition circuit 12, a second acquisition circuit 13, and an imaging circuit 14; since the first acquisition circuit 12 can convert the echo signal into a first electrical signal for output, determine the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal, and determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array 11 according to the distribution of the echo signal, that is, the ultrasonic imaging system in the embodiments of the present application can first locate the distribution of the echo signal through the first acquisition circuit 12, and determine the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array 11 according to the distribution of the echo signal, that is, it can reasonably select the slice time according to the distribution of the echo signal. Compared with the prior art that selects the slice time manually, the embodiments of the present application can obtain a complete and clear echo signal, and thus can improve the image reconstruction effect.

[0091] Second, the first acquisition circuit 12 in the embodiments of the present application converts only the echo signals received by each row in the detection rows of the ultrasonic array into the first electrical signal, rather than converting the echo signals received by each row in the ultrasonic array into the first electrical signal. That is, when converting the first electrical signal, a downsampling method is adopted, and thus the position of the acquisition rows in the ultrasonic array can be quickly determined, that is, the time point of slice sampling can be quickly determined.

[0092] Those skilled in the art of the present technology can understand that the steps, measures, and solutions in the various operations, methods, and processes discussed in the present application can be alternated, changed, combined, or deleted. Further, the other steps, measures, and solutions in the various operations, methods, and processes discussed in the present application can also be alternated, changed, rearranged, decomposed, combined, or deleted. Further, the steps, measures, and solutions in the prior art that are the same as those disclosed in the present application can also be alternated, changed, rearranged, decomposed, combined, or deleted.

[0093] In the description of the present application, the directions or positional relationships indicated by the words "center", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. are the exemplary directions or positional relationships based on the drawings, which are for the convenience of describing or simplifying the embodiments of the present application, rather than indicating or implying that the device or component referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and thus should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

[0094] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "a plurality" is two or more.

[0095] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise clearly specified and defined, the terms "mounted", "connected" and "coupled" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it may be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it may be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, and it may be the communication inside two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to specific circumstances.

[0096] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner.

[0097] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts of the accompanying drawings are shown sequentially as indicated by the arrows, the order of execution of these steps is not limited to the order indicated by the arrows. Unless otherwise clearly stated in this document, in some implementation scenarios of the embodiments of this application, the steps in each process may be executed in other orders according to requirements. Moreover, some or all of the steps in each flowchart may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages based on the actual implementation scenario. Some or all of these sub-steps or stages may be executed at the same time or at different times. In the scenario where the execution times are different, the execution order of these sub-steps or stages can be flexibly configured according to requirements, and the embodiments of this application do not limit this.

[0098] The above are only some implementation manners of this application. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the technical concept of the solution of this application, other similar implementation means based on the technical idea of this application also belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic imaging system, characterized in that, including: an ultrasonic array for transmitting ultrasonic waves to a target and receiving an echo signal formed by reflection of the ultrasonic waves by the target; a first acquisition circuit connected to the ultrasonic array for converting the echo signal into a first electrical signal for output, determining the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal, and determining an acquisition row in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal; a second acquisition circuit connected to the ultrasonic array for taking the acquisition row as the first row and sequentially converting the echo signal into a second electrical signal for output row by row; an imaging circuit for reconstructing an image of the target according to the second electrical signal to complete ultrasonic imaging; the first acquisition circuit includes an echo signal confirmation module and an acquisition confirmation module; the echo signal confirmation module is configured to convert ambient noise into a noise signal, and convert the echo signal received by each row in a detection row in the ultrasonic array into a first electrical signal, determine a minimum row number and a maximum row number in the detection row where the echo signal exists according to the noise signal and the first electrical signal, the detection row is a part of the rows in the ultrasonic array, and the row number difference between adjacent detection rows is a preset value; sequentially obtain the first electrical signal of each row in the detection row according to the noise signal and the first electrical signal, and calculate the sum of the absolute values of the first electrical signals of each row; for each row in sequence, if the sum of the absolute values is greater than the noise signal, take the number of the current row as the minimum row number until the sum of the absolute values is less than the noise signal, take the row above the detection row where the sum of the absolute values is less than the noise signal as the end row, and take the number of the row corresponding to the end row as the maximum row number; the acquisition confirmation module is configured to determine the proportion of the echo signal in the ultrasonic array according to the minimum row number and the maximum row number, and if the proportion meets a preset condition, take the row corresponding to the minimum row number as the acquisition row.

2. The ultrasonic imaging system according to claim 1, wherein the second acquisition circuit is specifically configured to take the acquisition row as the first row and the row corresponding to the maximum row number as the end row, and sequentially convert the received echo signal into a second electrical signal for output row by row.

3. An ultrasonic imaging method, characterized in that, including: obtaining a noise signal converted from ambient noise; obtaining a first electrical signal converted from an echo signal received by the ultrasonic array, determining the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal, and determining an acquisition row in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal; taking the acquisition row as the first row and sequentially converting the received echo signal into a second electrical signal for output row by row; reconstructing an image of the target according to the second electrical signal to complete ultrasonic imaging; the obtaining a first electrical signal converted from an echo signal received by the ultrasonic array includes: obtaining a first electrical signal converted from the echo signal received by each row in a detection row, the detection row is a part of the rows in the ultrasonic array, and the row number difference between adjacent detection rows is a preset value; the determining the distribution of the echo signal according to the first electrical signal and determining an acquisition row in the ultrasonic array according to the distribution of the echo signal includes: Determine the minimum row number and the maximum row number in the detection rows where echo signals exist according to the noise signal and the first electrical signal; Determine the proportion of the echo signals in the ultrasonic array according to the minimum row number and the maximum row number to determine the distribution of the echo signals. If the proportion meets the preset condition, use the row corresponding to the minimum row number as the acquisition row; otherwise, re-obtain the noise signal and the first electrical signal until the proportion meets the preset condition; The determining the minimum row number and the maximum row number in the detection rows where echo signals exist according to the noise signal and the first electrical signal includes: Successively obtain the first electrical signal of each row in the detection rows, and calculate the sum of the absolute values of the signals of the first electrical signal of each row; Successively for each row, if the sum of the absolute values of the signals is greater than the noise signal, use the number of the current row as the minimum row number until the sum of the absolute values of the signals is less than the noise signal. Use the row above the detection row where the sum of the absolute values of the signals is less than the noise signal as the end row, and use the number of the row corresponding to the end row as the maximum row number.

4. The ultrasonic imaging method according to claim 3, characterized in that The determining the proportion of the echo signals in the ultrasonic array according to the minimum row number and the maximum row number includes: Calculate the difference between the minimum row number and the maximum row number, and use the ratio of the difference to the total row number as the proportion of the echo signals in the ultrasonic array.

5. The ultrasonic imaging method according to claim 3, wherein The obtaining the noise signal converted from environmental noise includes: When the ultrasonic array does not emit ultrasonic waves, successively read the electrical signals of each detection row, calculate the sum of the absolute values of the signals of the electrical signal of each detection row, and use the sum of the absolute values of the signals as the noise signal of the current detection row.

6. 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 ultrasonic imaging method according to any one of claims 3-5.

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