Method for Displaying Ultrasonic Image, Electronic Device, and Ultrasonic Imaging System

Abstract

A method, an electronic device, and an ultrasonic imaging system for displaying ultrasonic images. The method includes: obtaining a display protocol for displaying ultrasonic images, where the display protocol at least defines the logical relationship between multiple sections in ultrasonic examinations; obtaining a plurality of acquired ultrasonic images related to the display protocol from a storage medium; determining the mapping relationship between the plurality of ultrasonic images and the sections included in the display protocol; receiving an operation instruction for displaying the plurality of ultrasonic images; and in response to the operation instruction, on a display interface, displaying the plurality of ultrasonic images according to the logical relationship and the mapping relationship, and displaying the identifiers of the sections corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic images. This method can display a plurality of ultrasonic images obtained from ultrasonic examinations according to the logical relationship between the sections defined by the display protocol, which is beneficial for reviewing the results of ultrasonic examinations.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of ultrasonic imaging technology, and more particularly to a method for displaying ultrasonic images, an electronic device, and an ultrasonic imaging system. Background Art

[0002] Ultrasonic imaging is to emit ultrasonic waves into the human body and receive and record the ultrasonic echo signals reflected, scattered, or transmitted by various different organs and tissue interfaces in the body, and obtain tissue information according to the characteristics of the ultrasonic echo signals. An ultrasonic examination requires examining multiple sections, and there is a certain logical relationship between each section. This relationship can depend on the association between the positions of human tissues, or on the association between tissue functions, or on the doctor's habits.

[0003] Generally, when displaying ultrasonic images of multiple sections obtained from an ultrasonic examination, they are arranged in the order of their generation. However, the order of generating ultrasonic images has a certain randomness. Displaying ultrasonic images in the generation order cannot reflect the association between sections, which is not conducive to helping doctors review ultrasonic images; if a section is missed, it is not easy to detect. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A series of simplified concepts are introduced in the Summary of the Invention section, which will be further described in detail in the Detailed Description section. The Summary of the Invention section of the present invention does not mean to attempt to define the key features and essential technical features of the claimed technical solution, nor does it mean to attempt to determine the protection scope of the claimed technical solution.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for displaying ultrasonic images, the method including:

[0006] Obtaining a display protocol for displaying ultrasonic images, the display protocol at least defining the logical relationship between multiple sections in an ultrasonic examination;

[0007] Obtaining a plurality of collected ultrasonic images related to the display protocol from a storage medium;

[0008] Determining the mapping relationship between the plurality of ultrasonic images and the sections included in the display protocol;

[0009] Receiving an operation instruction to display the plurality of ultrasonic images;

[0010] In response to the operation instruction, on a display interface, displaying the plurality of ultrasonic images according to the logical relationship and the mapping relationship, and displaying the identifiers of the sections corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic images.

[0011] In one embodiment, the method further includes: displaying relevant information of the display protocol on the display interface, where the relevant information at least includes the name of the display protocol.

[0012] In one embodiment, displaying the plurality of ultrasound images includes: tiledly displaying the plurality of ultrasound images on the display interface.

[0013] In one embodiment, displaying the plurality of ultrasound images includes: when at least two ultrasound images correspond to the same section plane, displaying the representative and stacking identifier of the ultrasound images among them;

[0014] When a selection instruction for the representative of the ultrasound image or the stacking identifier is received, tiledly display the at least two ultrasound images.

[0015] In one embodiment, the display protocol includes grouping information, and the method further includes:

[0016] Grouping the plurality of ultrasound images according to the grouping information of the display protocol;

[0017] The displaying the plurality of ultrasound images according to the logical relationship and the mapping relationship includes: each group of the ultrasound images is displayed according to the logical relationship and the mapping relationship.

[0018] In one embodiment, determining the mapping relationship between the plurality of ultrasound images and the section planes included in the display protocol includes:

[0019] Obtaining the section plane information marked when the plurality of ultrasound images are acquired;

[0020] Establishing a mapping relationship between the plurality of ultrasound images and the corresponding section planes included in the display protocol according to the section plane information.

[0021] In one embodiment, the plurality of ultrasound images are acquired under the guidance of an examination protocol, and the examination protocol and the section planes included in the display protocol are at least partially the same; the logical relationship between the same section planes defined by the examination protocol is different from the logical relationship between the same section planes defined by the display protocol.

[0022] In one embodiment, the plurality of ultrasound images are acquired under the guidance of an examination protocol, and the examination protocol and the section planes included in the display protocol are partially the same; the logical relationship between the same section planes defined by the examination protocol is the same as the logical relationship between the same section planes defined by the display protocol.

[0023] In one embodiment, the multiple ultrasonic images are acquired under the guidance of an examination protocol, and all the sections included in the examination protocol are the same as those included in the display protocol; the logical relationship between the sections defined by the examination protocol is the same as the logical relationship between the sections defined by the display protocol.

[0024] In one embodiment, the logical relationship between multiple sections in the ultrasonic examination defined by the display protocol includes:

[0025] The logical relationship established according to the section position, the logical relationship established according to the tissue function, or the logical relationship established according to the user's habit.

[0026] In one embodiment, the ultrasonic images include static ultrasonic images or ultrasonic video images; when the ultrasonic image is an ultrasonic video image, displaying the ultrasonic image includes: displaying a representative frame of the ultrasonic video image and playing the ultrasonic video image when a selection instruction for the representative frame is received.

[0027] In one embodiment, obtaining the multiple ultrasonic images from a storage medium includes: receiving the multiple ultrasonic images through a network, obtaining the multiple ultrasonic images from a removable storage medium, or obtaining the multiple ultrasonic images from a local storage medium.

[0028] In one embodiment, obtaining the display protocol includes: receiving the display protocol through a network, obtaining the display protocol from a removable storage medium, receiving a custom display protocol input by a user, or obtaining the display protocol from a local storage medium.

[0029] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides an electronic device for displaying ultrasonic images. The electronic device includes a memory and a processor. A computer program is stored on the memory and run by the processor. When the computer program is run by the processor, it executes the method for displaying ultrasonic images as described above.

[0030] A third aspect of the embodiments of the present invention provides an ultrasonic imaging system, and the ultrasonic imaging system includes:

[0031] An ultrasonic probe;

[0032] A transmitting circuit for exciting the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves towards a target tissue;

[0033] A receiving circuit for controlling the ultrasonic probe to receive the echo of the target tissue to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal;

[0034] A processor for generating an ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic echo signal. The processor is further used to execute the steps of the method for displaying ultrasonic images as described above to control a display to display the ultrasonic image.

[0035] When a method, an electronic device, and an ultrasonic imaging system for displaying ultrasonic images according to an embodiment of the present invention display a plurality of acquired ultrasonic images, they are displayed according to the logical relationship between sections defined by a display protocol, which can better reflect the logical relationship between the sections corresponding to the ultrasonic images, is beneficial for a doctor to review the ultrasonic examination results, and is beneficial for timely discovering sections missed during the examination process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0037] In the drawings:

[0038] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0039] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart of a method for displaying ultrasonic images according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0040] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of displaying ultrasonic images according to a display protocol according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0041] Figure 4 A schematic block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0042] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention more obvious, the exemplary embodiments according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, rather than all embodiments of the present invention. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited by the exemplary embodiments described herein. Based on the embodiments of the present invention described herein, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative efforts shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0043] In the following description, a large number of specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the present invention, some well-known technical features are not described.

[0044] It should be understood that the present invention can be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, providing these embodiments will make the disclosure thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

[0045] The purpose of the terms used herein is only to describe specific embodiments and is not a limitation of the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It should also be understood that the terms "comprising" and / or "including", when used in this specification, specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of the related listed items.

[0046] To fully understand the present invention, detailed structures will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solutions proposed by the present invention. The alternative embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. However, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention may also have other embodiments.

[0047] Next, first refer to Figure 1 Describe an ultrasonic imaging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 FIG. shows a schematic structural block diagram of an ultrasonic imaging system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] As Figure 1 shown, the ultrasonic imaging system 100 includes a probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 116, and a display 118. Further, the ultrasonic imaging system may further include a transmit / receive selection switch 120 and a beam synthesis module 122. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 may be connected to the probe 110 through the transmit / receive selection switch 120.

[0049] The probe 110 includes a plurality of transducer elements. The plurality of transducer elements can be arranged in a row to form a linear array, or arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form a planar array, and the plurality of transducer elements can also form a convex array. The transducer elements are used to transmit ultrasonic waves according to the excitation electrical signals, or convert the received ultrasonic waves into electrical signals. Therefore, each transducer element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between electrical pulse signals and ultrasonic waves, so as to transmit ultrasonic waves to the tissue in the target area of the object to be measured, and can also be used to receive the ultrasonic echo reflected by the tissue. During ultrasonic detection, it is possible to control which transducer elements are used to transmit ultrasonic waves and which transducer elements are used to receive ultrasonic waves through the transmission sequence and the reception sequence, or control the transducer elements to be used to transmit ultrasonic waves or receive the echoes of ultrasonic waves in different time slots. The transducer elements participating in the ultrasonic wave transmission can be simultaneously excited by electrical signals to transmit ultrasonic waves simultaneously; or, the transducer elements participating in the ultrasonic beam transmission can also be excited by a plurality of electrical signals with a certain time interval to continuously transmit ultrasonic waves with a certain time interval.

[0050] During the ultrasonic imaging process, the transmission circuit 112 sends the transmitted pulse after delay focusing to the probe 110 through the transmit / receive selection switch 120. The probe 110 is excited by the transmitted pulse to transmit an ultrasonic beam to the tissue in the target area of the object to be measured, and after a certain time delay, receives the ultrasonic echo with tissue information reflected from the tissue in the target area, and reconverts this ultrasonic echo into an electrical signal. The receiving circuit 114 receives the electrical signal generated by the conversion of the probe 110, obtains the ultrasonic echo signal, and sends these ultrasonic echo signals to the beam synthesis module 122. The beam synthesis module 122 performs processing such as focusing delay, weighting, and channel summation on the ultrasonic echo data, and then sends it to the processor 116. The processor 116 performs processing such as signal detection, signal enhancement, data conversion, and logarithmic compression on the ultrasonic echo signal to form an ultrasonic image. The ultrasonic image obtained by the processor 116 can be displayed on the display 118 or stored in the memory 124.

[0051] Optionally, the processor 116 can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, and can use a single or multiple application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), a single or multiple general integrated circuits, a single or multiple microprocessors, a single or multiple programmable logic devices, or any combination of the foregoing circuits and / or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices. Moreover, the processor 116 can control other components in the ultrasonic imaging system 100 to execute the corresponding steps of the methods in the various embodiments of this specification.

[0052] The display 118 is connected to the processor 116. The display 118 can be a touch display screen, a liquid crystal display screen, etc.; or, the display 118 can be an independent display such as a liquid crystal display or a television outside the ultrasonic imaging system 100; or, the display 118 can be the display screen of an electronic device such as a smart phone or a tablet computer, etc. Among them, the number of the displays 118 can be one or more.

[0053] The display 118 can display the ultrasonic image obtained by the processor 116. In addition, while displaying the ultrasonic image, the display 118 can also provide a graphical interface for the user to perform human-computer interaction. One or more controlled objects are set on the graphical interface, and the user is provided to input operation instructions through the human-computer interaction device to control these controlled objects, so as to perform corresponding control operations. For example, an icon is displayed on the graphical interface, and the icon can be operated by using the human-computer interaction device to perform a specific function, such as drawing a region of interest box on the ultrasonic image, etc.

[0054] Optionally, the ultrasonic imaging system 100 can further include other human-computer interaction devices other than the display 118, which are connected to the processor 116. For example, the processor 116 can be connected to the human-computer interaction device through an external input / output port. The external input / output port can be a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, or a combination of both. The external input / output port can also be implemented based on protocols such as USB, CAN, etc., and / or wired network protocols.

[0055] Among them, the human-computer interaction device can include an input device for detecting the input information of the user. The input information can be, for example, a control instruction for the ultrasonic emission / reception timing, an operation input instruction for drawing points, lines or boxes on the ultrasonic image, or can also include other instruction types. The input device can include one or a combination of multiple of a keyboard, a mouse, a roller, a trackball, a mobile input device (such as a mobile device with a touch display screen, a mobile phone, etc.), a multi-functional knob, etc. The human-computer interaction device can also include an output device such as a printer.

[0056] The ultrasonic imaging system 100 can further include a memory 124 for storing the instructions executed by the processor, storing the received ultrasonic echoes, storing the ultrasonic images, etc. The memory can be a flash card, a solid-state memory, a hard disk, etc. It can be a volatile memory and / or a non-volatile memory, a removable memory and / or a non-removable memory, etc.

[0057] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the illustrated ultrasonic imaging system 100 are only illustrative, and it can include more or fewer components. The present invention is not limited thereto.

[0058] The following is a reference to Figure 2 Describe the method for displaying ultrasonic images proposed in the embodiments of the present invention, Figure 2 which is a schematic flowchart of a method 200 for displaying ultrasonic images according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, the method 200 for displaying ultrasonic images according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0059] In step S210, obtain a display protocol for displaying ultrasonic images, where the display protocol at least defines the logical relationship between multiple sections in ultrasonic examination;

[0060] In step S220, obtain a plurality of collected ultrasonic images related to the display protocol from a storage medium;

[0061] In step S230, determine the mapping relationship between the plurality of ultrasonic images and the sections included in the display protocol;

[0062] In step S240, receive an operation instruction for displaying the plurality of ultrasonic images;

[0063] In step S250, in response to the operation instruction, on a display interface, display the plurality of ultrasonic images according to the logical relationship and the mapping relationship, and display the identifiers of the sections corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic images.

[0064] When the method 200 for displaying ultrasonic images according to an embodiment of the present invention displays a plurality of collected ultrasonic images, it displays according to the logical relationship between the sections defined by the display protocol, which can better reflect the logical relationship between the sections corresponding to the ultrasonic images, is beneficial for doctors to review the results of ultrasonic examination, and is beneficial for timely discovering the sections missed during the examination process.

[0065] Exemplarily, each display protocol defines the logical relationship between multiple sections that need to be examined in the same type of ultrasonic examination, and this logical relationship can be the order of ultrasonic images corresponding to different sections. With the release of various ultrasonic examination guidelines and specifications, doctors are required to complete a series of section examinations as the basis for diagnosis in various ultrasonic examinations. These sections are generally important sections selected by the industry and relatively capable of discovering more abnormalities. For example, the sections defined by the display protocol of the heart may include the left ventricular long-axis section, the short-axis section of the great arteries, the apical four-chamber section, etc.; the sections defined by the display protocol of the brain include the transverse section at the thalamus level, the transverse section at the lateral ventricle level, the transverse section at the cerebellum level, etc. During ultrasonic examination, doctors need to slide and examine multiple sections to avoid missing abnormal tissues or structures. When referring to different ultrasonic examination guidelines or specifications, the sections and their logical relationships involved in the examination protocol may also change, and users can modify the display protocol according to needs or formulate a new display protocol.

[0066] Exemplarily, the logical relationships between multiple sections in an ultrasound examination defined by a display protocol may include logical relationships established according to section positions, logical relationships established according to tissue functions, or logical relationships established according to user habits. In the logical relationship established according to section positions, the orders of adjacent sections are adjacent. In the logical relationship established according to tissue functions, the orders of sections with the same or similar tissue functions are adjacent. Exemplarily, one type of ultrasound examination may correspond to multiple display protocols, and the user can make a selection among them.

[0067] The method for obtaining a display protocol may include receiving the display protocol through a network, obtaining the display protocol from a removable storage medium, receiving a customized display protocol input by the user, or obtaining the display protocol from a local storage medium, etc. The display protocol can be shared among different devices through a network or a removable storage medium. The method for obtaining a display protocol may include directly receiving the display protocol, or invoking the display protocol according to the link, name, number, etc. of the display protocol. Displaying ultrasound images according to the display protocol helps to achieve collaboration between multiple terminals or between a terminal and the cloud. For example, the terminal formulates a display protocol locally, or obtains the display protocol from other terminals or the cloud; the ultrasound imaging system uploads multiple ultrasound images obtained from an ultrasound examination to the cloud, and the terminal obtains the ultrasound images from the cloud or directly from the ultrasound imaging system; the terminal displays the ultrasound images according to the display protocol, so as to enable multiple terminals or a terminal and the cloud to collaborate to complete the production of the display protocol, the examination of ultrasound images, the viewing of ultrasound examination results, etc., and achieve remote quality control.

[0068] In step S220, a plurality of acquired ultrasound images related to the display protocol are obtained from the storage medium. Exemplarily, the plurality of ultrasound images are ultrasound images acquired for the same target object and are a plurality of ultrasound images obtained in the same type of ultrasound examination, and the type of ultrasound examination includes but is not limited to head ultrasound examination, cardiac ultrasound examination, etc. The plurality of ultrasound images may be acquired in one ultrasound examination or in multiple ultrasound examinations. The plurality of ultrasound images may include ultrasound images in different imaging modes, such as grayscale mode, color mode, elastography mode, contrast imaging mode, etc. The ultrasound images may include static ultrasound images or may also include ultrasound video images.

[0069] In some embodiments, obtaining a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium includes receiving a plurality of ultrasound images via a network. Exemplarily, the network may include a wired network or a wireless network. When receiving a plurality of ultrasound images via the network, the plurality of ultrasound images may be obtained from an ultrasound imaging system that acquires the ultrasound images via the network, or from ultrasound images uploaded by the ultrasound imaging system from the cloud, or from any other device. Obtaining a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium may also include obtaining a plurality of ultrasound images from a removable storage medium. For example, a plurality of ultrasound images acquired by the ultrasound imaging system may be copied to the removable storage medium, and an electronic device for displaying the ultrasound images obtains the ultrasound images therefrom; the removable storage medium includes a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, etc. Obtaining a plurality of ultrasound images from a storage medium may also include obtaining a plurality of ultrasound images from a local storage medium. For an ultrasound imaging system, obtaining a plurality of ultrasound images from a local storage medium may include obtaining ultrasound images that were previously acquired and stored in the local storage medium. For an electronic device other than the ultrasound imaging system, obtaining a plurality of ultrasound images from a local storage medium may include ultrasound images that were previously obtained via a network connection or a removable storage medium and stored in the local storage medium.

[0070] In some embodiments, the plurality of ultrasound images may be acquired under the guidance of an examination protocol. Specifically, the examination protocol defines a plurality of sections to be examined under the current type of ultrasound examination. The examination protocol is configured in the ultrasound section examination guidance workflow. The ultrasound section examination guidance workflow can organize the plurality of sections to be examined in the ultrasound examination in a certain order or form through the examination protocol, guiding the user to complete the examination one by one. Some of the examination work can be automatically completed by the ultrasound imaging system, thereby improving the doctor's work efficiency and standardizing the doctor's operation process.

[0071] During the process of ultrasound examination, the user needs to gradually complete the acquisition of ultrasound images of multiple sections. During the examination, the doctor can check each section one by one according to the preset section sequence in the examination protocol, or check each section one by one according to the patient's condition, the doctor's own habit, or in a custom order. When examining each section, the doctor places the probe at the examination position corresponding to the current section to be examined. The ultrasound imaging system emits ultrasonic waves to the tissue at this position through the probe, and receives the echoes of the ultrasonic waves to obtain ultrasonic echo signals, and processes the ultrasonic echo signals to obtain the ultrasound image corresponding to the section to be examined. After obtaining the ultrasound image corresponding to the current section to be examined, the doctor can actively freeze the ultrasound image, select a standard section from a group of ultrasound image sequences for image storage. The stored ultrasound image has a mapping relationship with the current section to be examined, that is, the ultrasound image has the section information of the current section to be examined. After the doctor stores the image, the ultrasound imaging system can automatically unfreeze the ultrasound image to facilitate the doctor's examination of the next section until the examination of all sections specified in the examination protocol is completed, and multiple ultrasound images are obtained.

[0072] For the same type of ultrasound examination, the display protocol and the examination protocol include at least some of the same sections. In some embodiments, for the same sections in the examination protocol and the display protocol, the logical relationship between the same sections defined by the examination protocol is different from the logical relationship between the same sections defined by the display protocol. For example, for the long-axis section of the left ventricle and the short-axis section of the great arteries, the examination protocol defines that the long-axis section of the left ventricle is before the short-axis section of the great arteries, and the display protocol defines that the long-axis section of the left ventricle is after the short-axis section of the great arteries. The different logical relationships enable the display of ultrasound images to be unrestricted by the examination protocol.

[0073] In some embodiments, the examination protocol and the display protocol include some of the same sections; for the same sections in the examination protocol and the display protocol, the logical relationship between the same sections defined by the examination protocol is the same as the logical relationship between the same sections defined by the display protocol. The display protocol also includes sections different from the examination protocol, and the logical relationship of this part of the sections can depend on the section position, tissue function, etc., and the embodiments of the present invention do not limit this.

[0074] In one embodiment, the inspection protocol and the display protocol include exactly the same sections, and the logical relationships between the sections defined by the inspection protocol are the same as the logical relationships between the sections defined by the display protocol. For example, the inspection protocol and the display protocol for the heart both include the same 13 sections, and the order of the 13 sections specified by the inspection protocol and the display protocol is the same. When performing an ultrasound examination according to the inspection protocol, the doctor can perform a sequential examination in the order of the sections specified by the inspection protocol, or can perform the examination according to personal habits. Therefore, the inspection order of the sections is not necessarily the same as the order specified by the inspection protocol. If the logical relationships between the sections defined by the display protocol are the same as the logical relationships between the sections defined by the display protocol, then when displaying multiple ultrasound images of a cardiac ultrasound examination according to the display protocol, it is possible to ensure that the multiple ultrasound images are displayed in the order specified by the inspection protocol.

[0075] In step S230, determine the mapping relationship between the multiple ultrasound images and the sections included in the display protocol. Among them, the section information marked when collecting the multiple ultrasound images can be obtained, and based on the section information marked when collecting the multiple ultrasound images, a mapping relationship is established between the multiple ultrasound images and the corresponding sections included in the display protocol. As described above, the multiple ultrasound images can be collected under the guidance of the inspection protocol. During the process of collecting the ultrasound images, the doctor completes the collection of the ultrasound image corresponding to each section one by one under the guidance of the inspection protocol. After obtaining the ultrasound image corresponding to the current section to be examined, the doctor selects the ultrasound image for image storage, and the stored ultrasound image is marked with the section information of the current section to be examined. Exemplarily, the multiple ultrasound images are not limited to being collected under the guidance of the inspection protocol, and the marked section information can also be the section information manually marked by the doctor during the examination.

[0076] Exemplarily, if no section information is marked when collecting the ultrasound images, classification can also be performed according to the image features of the ultrasound images to determine the mapping relationship between the ultrasound images and different sections. For example, an object detection model based on machine learning or an object detection model based on deep learning can be used to identify the anatomical structures and category information in the ultrasound images, and based on the corresponding relationship between the anatomical structures and the sections, determine the mapping relationship between the ultrasound images and the sections. For example, if it is recognized that the ultrasound image contains anatomical structures such as a gastric bubble, an umbilical vein, and a transverse section of the spine, it is determined that the section corresponding to the ultrasound image is the abdominal circumference section; if it is recognized that the ultrasound image contains a double kidney structure, it is determined that the section corresponding to the ultrasound image is the transverse section of the double kidneys, etc.

[0077] In step S240, an operation instruction for displaying multiple ultrasonic images is received. In some embodiments, the operation instruction for displaying multiple ultrasonic images may include an operation instruction for selecting a display protocol, and a selection instruction for selecting multiple ultrasonic images to be displayed according to the display protocol. In some embodiments, after determining the display protocol and ultrasonic images selected by the user, the mapping relationship between the multiple ultrasonic images and the sections included in the display protocol may be determined. In other embodiments, the mapping relationship between the ultrasonic images and the sections included in the display protocol may be determined when the ultrasonic images are acquired.

[0078] In step S250, in response to the operation instruction for displaying multiple ultrasonic images, on the display interface, multiple ultrasonic images are displayed according to the logical relationship between the sections defined by the display protocol and the mapping relationship between the sections and the ultrasonic images, and the identifiers of the sections corresponding to the multiple ultrasonic images are also displayed. Among them, displaying multiple ultrasonic images according to the logical relationship and the mapping relationship may specifically include displaying multiple ultrasonic images in the section order defined by the display protocol. For example, the logical relationship of the cardiac sections is the left ventricular long-axis section, the great artery long-axis section, and the main pulmonary artery long-axis section. Then, when displaying the ultrasonic images corresponding to the above three sections, the ultrasonic image corresponding to the left ventricular long-axis is displayed before the ultrasonic image corresponding to the great artery long-axis, and the ultrasonic image corresponding to the great artery long-axis is displayed before the ultrasonic image corresponding to the main pulmonary artery long-axis. At the same time, in order for the user to understand that multiple ultrasonic images are currently being displayed according to the logical relationship between the sections, section identifiers need to be displayed to mark the section corresponding to each ultrasonic image. The section identifier may be a graph, text, or a combination of both representing the section type.

[0079] In one embodiment, when displaying multiple ultrasonic images, the multiple ultrasonic images may be tiled and displayed on the display interface, that is, the positions of the multiple ultrasonic images are arranged on the display interface according to the logical relationship between the sections defined by the display protocol. Since during ultrasonic examination, each section may examine multiple ultrasonic images, when at least two ultrasonic images correspond to the same section, the positions of the at least two ultrasonic images corresponding to the same section may be arranged in the order of acquisition time, the clarity of the ultrasonic images, or other appropriate orders.

[0080] Alternatively, to make the layout of the display interface more concise, at least two ultrasound images corresponding to the same section plane can be stacked and displayed. Specifically, when at least two ultrasound images correspond to the same section plane, the representative and stacking identifier of the ultrasound images can be displayed; when a selection instruction for the representative or stacking identifier of the ultrasound image is received, at least two ultrasound images of this section plane are tiled and displayed. The representative of the ultrasound image can be the first acquired ultrasound image, the last acquired ultrasound image, the ultrasound image of a certain specific imaging mode, the ultrasound image with the best image quality, or any one of the ultrasound images. The stacking identifier can be any identifier that can represent the meaning of multiple ultrasound images.

[0081] In one embodiment, for the ultrasound video image in the ultrasound image, the representative frame of the ultrasound image can be displayed, and when a selection instruction for the representative frame is received, the ultrasound video image is played. The representative frame can be the first frame, the last frame, the frame with the best image quality, or any frame in the ultrasound video image.

[0082] In one embodiment, the display protocol further includes grouping information, and the grouping information includes multiple section planes included in each group and the logical relationship between the multiple section planes of each group. Multiple ultrasound images can be grouped according to the grouping information of the display protocol, and the multiple ultrasound images are grouped and displayed.

[0083] For example, the obstetric display protocol can include multiple groups, specifically including the head, heart, spine, abdomen, limbs, etc. Each group includes several section planes. The section planes of the head include the transverse cerebellar plane, the transverse thalamic plane, the transverse lateral ventricle plane, etc. The section planes of the face include the nasolabial coronal plane, the transverse plane of both eyeballs, the median sagittal plane of the face, etc. The section planes of the heart include the four-chamber view, the left ventricular outflow tract view, the right ventricular outflow tract view, etc. The section planes of the trunk include the upper abdominal transverse plane, the transverse bladder plane at the level of the umbilical artery, the transverse plane of both kidneys, etc. The section planes of the upper limb include the long axis plane of the humerus, the long axis plane of the ulna and radius, the hand plane, etc. When multiple ultrasound images are displayed according to the logical relationship between the section planes defined by the display protocol and the mapping relationship between the section planes and the ultrasound images, each group of ultrasound images can be displayed according to their respective logical relationships and mapping relationships. The ultrasound images corresponding to different groups can be displayed in different regions of the same display interface, or the ultrasound images corresponding to different groups can be displayed on different display interfaces. In some embodiments, a grouping list can be displayed on the display interface, and the user can view the ultrasound images of the target group through the grouping list.

[0084] Furthermore, while displaying the ultrasound images on the display interface according to the logical relationship between the section planes, relevant information of the currently adopted display protocol can also be displayed on the display interface, and this relevant information at least includes the name of the currently adopted display protocol. For example, seeFigure 3 , the currently adopted display protocol is the adult heart display protocol, which defines the logical relationships between multiple sections of the heart, and the name of the display protocol is the adult heart.

[0085] In addition to the name of the display protocol, the relevant information of the display protocol may also include information such as the developer of the display protocol, the specified time of the display protocol, the standards, specifications or guidelines according to which the display protocol is developed. Exemplarily, other relevant information of the display protocol except the name can be displayed when a relevant operation instruction is received. For example, when a selection instruction for the name of the display protocol is received, other information except the name can be displayed.

[0086] Furthermore, the number of sections included in the currently adopted display protocol and the number of sections corresponding to the currently displayed multiple ultrasonic images can also be displayed. Continuing to refer to Figure 3 , the currently adopted display protocol for the adult heart includes 13 sections, and the currently displayed ultrasonic images cover all 13 sections. Therefore, 13 / 13 is displayed near the name of the display protocol, which helps the user to promptly discover the sections missed during the examination.

[0087] In summary, when the method 200 for displaying ultrasonic images according to the embodiments of the present invention displays the multiple collected ultrasonic images, it is displayed according to the logical relationships between the sections defined by the display protocol, which can better reflect the logical relationships between the sections corresponding to the ultrasonic images, is beneficial for the doctor to review the ultrasonic examination results, and is beneficial for promptly discovering the sections missed during the examination.

[0088] The embodiments of the present invention also provide an electronic device for displaying ultrasonic images, which is used to implement the method 200 for displaying ultrasonic images described above. The electronic device provided by the embodiments of the present invention may be a device without a configured inspection protocol, such as a personal computer, a mobile terminal, etc. Referring to Figure 4 , the electronic device 400 provided by the embodiments of the present invention includes a memory 410 and a processor 420. A computer program is stored on the memory 410 and is run by the processor 420. When the computer program is run by the processor 420, it executes the method 200 for displaying ultrasonic images.

[0089] Among them, the processor 420 can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. Circuits, single or multiple application-specific integrated circuits, single or multiple general-purpose integrated circuits, single or multiple microprocessors, single or multiple programmable logic devices, or any combination of the foregoing circuits and / or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices can be used. And the processor 420 can control other components in the electronic device 400 to perform desired functions. The memory 410 may include one or more computer program products, and the computer program products may include various forms of computer-readable storage media, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. The volatile memory may include, for example, random access memory and / or cache memory, etc. The non-volatile memory may include, for example, read-only memory, hard disk, flash memory, etc. One or more computer program instructions may be stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and the processor 420 may run the program instructions to implement the DR image analysis method in the present invention and / or other various desired functions. Various application programs and various data may also be stored in the computer-readable storage medium, such as various data used and / or generated by the application programs, etc.

[0090] In the past, in an ultrasound imaging system that uses an inspection protocol to guide the acquisition of ultrasound images, the ultrasound images can be displayed according to the inspection protocol. However, for terminals or cloud devices without an inspection protocol, the ultrasound images can only be displayed according to the acquisition time. In contrast, the electronic device 400 in the embodiment of the present invention can display the ultrasound images according to the display protocol, which can better reflect the logical relationship between sections.

[0091] The embodiment of the present invention also provides an ultrasound imaging system for implementing the method 200 of displaying ultrasound images described above. The ultrasound imaging system includes a probe, a transmitting circuit, a receiving circuit, a processor, and a display. Referring back to Figure 1 , the ultrasound imaging system can be implemented as the ultrasound imaging system 100 shown in Figure 1 . The ultrasound imaging system 100 may include a probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 116, and a display 118. Optionally, the ultrasound imaging system 100 may further include a transmit / receive selection switch 120 and a beam synthesis module 122. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 may be connected to the probe 110 through the transmit / receive selection switch 120.

[0092] Among them, the transmitting circuit 112 is used to excite the probe 110 to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object; the receiving circuit 114 is used to control the probe to receive the ultrasonic echo returned from the target object to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal; the processor 116 is used to process the ultrasonic echo signal to obtain an ultrasonic image of the target object, and execute the steps of the method 200 for displaying the ultrasonic image. On the display interface of the display 118, a plurality of ultrasonic images are displayed according to the logical relationship between the sections defined by the display protocol and the mapping relationship between the ultrasonic image and the section. The above only describes the main functions of the components of the ultrasonic imaging system. For more details, refer to the relevant description of the method 200 for displaying the ultrasonic image, which will not be elaborated here.

[0093] In addition, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a computer storage medium, on which program instructions are stored. When the program instructions are run by a computer or a processor, they are used to execute the corresponding steps of the method 200 for displaying the ultrasonic image according to any embodiment of the present invention. The computer storage medium is a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium, which may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area may store an operating system and application programs required for at least one function; the data storage area may store data created during the execution of the program instructions, etc. In addition, the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one magnetic disk storage device, a flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. In some embodiments, the non-volatile computer-readable storage medium may include a memory remotely provided with respect to the processor.

[0094] Exemplarily, the computer storage medium may include, for example, a hard disk of a personal computer, a storage component of a tablet computer, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a USB memory, a memory card of a smart phone, or any combination of the above storage media. The computer storage medium may be any combination of one or more computer-readable storage media.

[0095] Although example embodiments have been described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the above example embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention thereto. Those of ordinary skill in the art can make various changes and modifications therein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. All such changes and modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention as claimed in the appended claims.

[0096] Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the elements and algorithm steps of the examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or in a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are executed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. A person skilled in the art may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of the present invention.

[0097] In several embodiments provided by the present invention, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division, and there may be other division methods in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another device, or some features can be ignored or not executed.

[0098] In the specification provided here, a large number of specific details are set forth. However, it can be understood that the embodiments of the present invention can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known methods, structures, and technologies have not been shown in detail so as not to obscure the understanding of this specification.

[0099] Similarly, it should be understood that, in order to streamline the present invention and assist in understanding one or more of the various inventive aspects, in the description of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the various features of the present invention are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. However, the methods of the present invention should not be construed as reflecting the intention that the claimed invention requires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as reflected in the corresponding claims, the inventive point lies in that the corresponding technical problems can be solved with fewer features than all the features of a single disclosed embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into the detailed description, where each claim itself serves as a separate embodiment of the present invention.

[0100] Those skilled in the art can understand that, except for features that are mutually exclusive, any combination can be adopted for all the features disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) and all the processes or units of any method or device so disclosed. Unless otherwise expressly stated, each feature disclosed in this specification (including the accompanying claims, abstract, and drawings) can be replaced by an alternative feature that provides the same, equivalent, or similar purpose.

[0101] In addition, those skilled in the art can understand that although some embodiments described herein include certain features included in other embodiments rather than other features, the combination of features of different embodiments means that it is within the scope of the present invention and forms different embodiments. For example, in the claims, any one of the claimed embodiments can be used in any combination.

[0102] Each component embodiment of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, or in software modules running on one or more processors, or in a combination thereof. Those skilled in the art should understand that a microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP) can be used in practice to implement some or all of the functions of some of the modules according to the embodiments of the present invention. The present invention can also be implemented as a device program (for example, a computer program and a computer program product) for executing part or all of the methods described herein. Such a program for implementing the present invention can be stored on a computer-readable medium, or can be in the form of one or more signals. Such signals can be downloaded from an Internet website, or provided on a carrier signal, or provided in any other form.

[0103] It should be noted that the above embodiments illustrate rather than limit the present invention, and those skilled in the art can design alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim. The present invention can be implemented by means of hardware including several different elements and by means of a suitably programmed computer. In a unit claim listing several devices, several of these devices can be embodied by the same item of hardware. The use of the words first, second, and third, etc. does not denote any order. These words can be interpreted as names.

[0104] As described above, it is only the specific implementation manner of the present invention or the description of the specific implementation manner. The protection scope of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present invention, and all of them should be covered by the protection scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an ultrasonic image, characterized in that, The method includes: Obtaining a display protocol for displaying ultrasonic images, where the display protocol at least defines the logical relationships between multiple sections in ultrasonic examinations, and the logical relationships include the logical relationships established according to section positions, the logical relationships established according to tissue functions, or the logical relationships established according to user habits; Obtaining multiple collected ultrasonic images related to the display protocol from a storage medium; Determining the mapping relationships between the multiple ultrasonic images and the sections included in the display protocol. Determining the mapping relationships between the multiple ultrasonic images and the sections included in the display protocol includes: obtaining the section information of the multiple ultrasonic images; establishing mapping relationships between the multiple ultrasonic images and the corresponding sections included in the display protocol according to the section information; Receiving an operation instruction to display the multiple ultrasonic images; In response to the operation instruction, on a display interface, displaying the multiple ultrasonic images according to the logical relationships and the mapping relationships, and displaying the identifiers of the sections corresponding to the multiple ultrasonic images.

2. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, wherein It further includes: Displaying relevant information of the display protocol on the display interface, where the relevant information at least includes the name of the display protocol.

3. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, wherein, Displaying the multiple ultrasonic images includes: Tiling and displaying the multiple ultrasonic images on the display interface.

4. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, characterized in that, Displaying the multiple ultrasonic images includes: When at least two ultrasonic images correspond to the same section, displaying the representative and stacking identifier of the ultrasonic images among them; When receiving a selection instruction for the ultrasonic image representative or the stacking identifier, tiling and displaying the at least two ultrasonic images.

5. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, characterized in that The display protocol includes grouping information, and the method further includes: Grouping the multiple ultrasonic images according to the grouping information of the display protocol; Displaying the multiple ultrasonic images according to the logical relationships and the mapping relationships includes: each group of the ultrasonic images is displayed according to the logical relationships and the mapping relationships.

6. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, wherein, Obtaining the section information of the multiple ultrasonic images includes: Obtaining the section information marked when collecting the multiple ultrasonic images.

7. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multiple ultrasonic images are collected under the guidance of an examination protocol, and the examination protocol has at least partial identity with the sections included in the display protocol; the logical relationships between the same sections defined by the examination protocol are different from the logical relationships between the same sections defined by the display protocol.

8. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, wherein, The multiple ultrasonic images are collected under the guidance of an examination protocol, and the examination protocol has partial identity with the sections included in the display protocol; the logical relationships between the same sections defined by the examination protocol are the same as the logical relationships between the same sections defined by the display protocol.

9. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, characterized in that The multiple ultrasonic images are collected under the guidance of an examination protocol, and the examination protocol has full identity with the sections included in the display protocol; the logical relationships between the sections defined by the examination protocol are the same as the logical relationships between the sections defined by the display protocol.

10. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic images include static ultrasonic images or ultrasonic video images; When the ultrasonic image is an ultrasonic video image, displaying the ultrasonic image includes: displaying a representative frame of the ultrasonic video image and playing the ultrasonic video image when a selection instruction for the representative frame is received.

11. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, wherein Obtaining the plurality of ultrasonic images from a storage medium includes: Receiving the plurality of ultrasonic images through a network, obtaining the plurality of ultrasonic images from a removable storage medium, or obtaining the plurality of ultrasonic images from a local storage medium.

12. The method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to claim 1, wherein, Obtaining the display protocol includes: Receiving the display protocol through a network, obtaining the display protocol from a removable storage medium, receiving a custom display protocol input by a user, or obtaining the display protocol from a local storage medium.

13. An electronic device for displaying ultrasonic images, characterized in that, The electronic device includes a memory and a processor. A computer program is stored on the memory and run by the processor. When the computer program is run by the processor, it executes the method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to any one of claims 1-12.

14. An ultrasonic imaging system, characterized in that, The ultrasonic imaging system includes: An ultrasonic probe; A transmitting circuit for exciting the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to a target tissue; A receiving circuit for controlling the ultrasonic probe to receive echoes of the target tissue to obtain ultrasonic echo signals; A processor for generating an ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic echo signals. The processor is further configured to execute the steps of the method for displaying an ultrasonic image according to any one of claims 1-12 to control a display to display the ultrasonic image.

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