An ultrasonic signal time delay detection method, device and related equipment

Abstract

The application discloses an ultrasonic signal time delay detection method, comprising: acquiring ultrasonic signals detected by a probe at multiple detection positions at different propagation times, and signal lengths of the ultrasonic signals; performing one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected by the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signals and the signal lengths, to obtain cross-correlation values corresponding to the different propagation times; screening a maximum cross-correlation value from all the cross-correlation values, and taking a propagation time corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value as a propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signals; the ultrasonic signal time delay detection method realizes ultrasonic signal time delay detection through one-way propagation calculation, and effectively improves the time delay detection efficiency of the ultrasonic signals. The application also discloses an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device, equipment and computer readable storage medium, which have the above beneficial effects.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ultrasonic waves, in particular to an ultrasonic signal time delay detection method, and relates to an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device, equipment and computer readable storage medium. BACKGROUND

[0002] In related technologies, when detecting the time delay of ultrasonic wave propagation, a cross-correlation algorithm is generally used for calculation. The current cross-correlation algorithm is a bidirectional single-step calculation, that is, the correlation coefficient is calculated once in the forward direction and once in the reverse direction. However, since the ultrasonic shear wave signal is single-sidedly excited when excited, that is, data is received at a position adjacent to the position of excitation, the ultrasonic effective signal is unidirectionally propagated. Obviously, using bidirectional single-step calculation to detect the time delay of unidirectionally propagated ultrasonic signal will cause a large amount of calculation, and when the data amount is large, the time consumption is more serious, further reducing the detection efficiency.

[0003] Therefore, how to effectively improve the time delay detection efficiency of ultrasonic signal is a problem to be solved by those skilled in the art. SUMMARY

[0004] The purpose of the present application is to provide an ultrasonic signal time delay detection method which realizes ultrasonic signal time delay detection through unidirectional propagation calculation, effectively improving the time delay detection efficiency of ultrasonic signal. Another purpose of the present application is to provide an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device, equipment and computer readable storage medium, all of which have the above-mentioned beneficial effects.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides an ultrasonic signal time delay detection method, comprising:

[0006] obtaining ultrasonic signals detected by a probe at multiple detection positions at different propagation times, and signal lengths of the ultrasonic signals;

[0007] performing unidirectional cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected at the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signals and the signal lengths, to obtain cross-correlation values corresponding to the different propagation times;

[0008] selecting a maximum cross-correlation value from all the cross-correlation values, and taking the propagation time corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value as the propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signal.

[0009] Preferably, the unidirectional cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected at the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signals and the signal lengths to obtain cross-correlation values corresponding to the different propagation times comprises:

[0010] each cross-correlation value is calculated using a cross-correlation calculation formula.

[0011] wherein the cross-correlation calculation formula is:

[0012]

[0013] wherein N represents the signal length, m represents the propagation time, m∈[0, N]; x represents the ultrasound signal at the initial propagation time, y represents the ultrasound signal at the propagation time m; R xy (m) represents the cross-correlation value of the ultrasound signal x and the ultrasound signal y at the propagation time m.

[0014] Preferably, after the one-way cross-correlation calculation of the ultrasound signals detected at the plurality of detection positions according to the ultrasound signals and the signal length is performed to obtain the cross-correlation value corresponding to the propagation time, the method further comprises:

[0015] calculating a cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasound signals at the current propagation time and the previous propagation time according to the cross-correlation value;

[0016] when the cross-correlation coefficient is lower than a step threshold, incrementing the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time, and calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the incremented step;

[0017] when the cross-correlation coefficient is higher than the step threshold, decrementing the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time, and calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the decremented step until the final propagation time is reached.

[0018] Preferably, the step of calculating the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasound signals at the current propagation time and the previous propagation time according to the cross-correlation value comprises:

[0019] obtaining a current cross-correlation value of the ultrasound signals at the current propagation time;

[0020] obtaining a previous cross-correlation value of the ultrasound signals at the previous propagation time;

[0021] taking the difference between the current cross-correlation value and the previous cross-correlation value as the cross-correlation coefficient.

[0022] Preferably, after the step of incrementing the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time, the method further comprises:

[0023] judging whether the incremented step exceeds a maximum step, if not, performing the step of calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the incremented step, if yes, calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the step before the increment;

[0024] after the step of decrementing the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time, the method further comprises:

[0025] If the reduced step is not lower than the minimum step, the step of calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the reduced step is performed, and if the reduced step is lower than the minimum step, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time is calculated according to the step before the reduction.

[0026] Preferably, the step of obtaining the step threshold value comprises:

[0027] performing energy calculation on the ultrasonic signals to obtain signal energy;

[0028] obtaining the step threshold value according to the signal energy calculation.

[0029] Preferably, the step of performing energy calculation on the ultrasonic signals to obtain signal energy comprises:

[0030] calculating the signal energy by using an energy calculation formula;

[0031] The energy calculation formula is:

[0032]

[0033] wherein, N represents the signal length; x represents the ultrasonic signal at the initial propagation time; E x represents the signal energy of the ultrasonic signal x.

[0034] In a second aspect, the present application further discloses an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device, comprising:

[0035] an information acquisition module, configured to acquire ultrasonic signals at each propagation time detected by a probe at a plurality of detection positions, and signal lengths of the ultrasonic signals;

[0036] a cross-correlation calculation module, configured to perform one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected by the plurality of detection positions according to each of the ultrasonic signals and the signal lengths, to obtain cross-correlation values corresponding to each of the propagation times;

[0037] a time delay detection module, configured to screen a maximum cross-correlation value from all the cross-correlation values, and take a propagation time corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value as a propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signals.

[0038] In a third aspect, the present application further discloses an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device, comprising:

[0039] a memory, configured to store a computer program;

[0040] a processor, configured to execute the computer program to implement the steps of any one of the ultrasonic signal time delay detection methods described above.

[0041] In a fourth aspect, the present application also discloses a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of any one of the above ultrasonic signal time delay detection methods are implemented.

[0042] The ultrasonic signal time delay detection method provided by the present application comprises the following steps: acquiring ultrasonic signals detected by a probe at multiple detection positions at different propagation times, and signal lengths of the ultrasonic signals; performing one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected by the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signals and the signal lengths, to obtain cross-correlation values corresponding to the different propagation times; and screening a maximum cross-correlation value from all the cross-correlation values, and taking the propagation time corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value as the propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signal.

[0043] It can be seen that, according to the propagation characteristics of the ultrasonic signal, the ultrasonic signal time delay detection method provided by the present application discards the two-way calculation of the cross-correlation algorithm. Since the ultrasonic signal is transmitted in one direction, the ultrasonic signal time delay detection is realized by one-way propagation calculation. After the ultrasonic signals at different propagation times and the signal lengths of the ultrasonic signals are detected by the probe at multiple detection positions, one-way cross-correlation calculation is directly performed on the ultrasonic signals, to obtain cross-correlation values corresponding to the different propagation times. Therefore, the propagation time corresponding to the cross-correlation value with the maximum value is selected as the propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signal. It can be seen that, compared with the two-way propagation calculation, the calculation amount of the one-way propagation calculation is greatly reduced, the time delay detection efficiency of the ultrasonic signal is effectively improved, and the one-way propagation calculation is more suitable for scenarios with a large amount of data.

[0044] The ultrasonic signal time delay detection device, the equipment and the computer readable storage medium provided by the present application all have the above beneficial effects, which will not be described here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0045] In order to more clearly illustrate the prior art and the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings used in the description of the prior art and the embodiments of the present application will be briefly introduced. Of course, the drawings related to the embodiments of the present application described below are only a part of the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings according to the provided drawings without creating any creative labor, and the obtained other drawings also belong to the protection scope of the present application.

[0046] Figure 1 A flowchart of the ultrasonic signal time delay detection method provided by the present application;

[0047] Figure 2 An ultrasonic signal propagation diagram provided by the present application;

[0048] Figure 3A structural schematic diagram of an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device provided in the application is shown in the figure.

[0049] Figure 4 A structural schematic diagram of an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device provided in the application is shown in the figure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0050] The core of the application is to provide an ultrasonic signal time delay detection method, which realizes ultrasonic signal time delay detection through one-way propagation calculation, effectively improving the time delay detection efficiency of the ultrasonic signal. Another core of the application is to provide an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device, equipment and computer readable storage medium, which also has the above-mentioned beneficial effects.

[0051] In order to more clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application will be introduced below in combination with the drawings of the embodiments of the application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the application, not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative labor fall within the scope of protection of the application.

[0052] In the related art, when detecting the time delay of ultrasonic wave propagation, a cross-correlation algorithm is generally used for calculation. The current cross-correlation algorithm is a two-way single-step calculation, that is, the correlation coefficient is calculated once in the forward direction, and once in the reverse direction. However, since the ultrasonic shear wave signal is single-sidedly excited when excited, that is, it is excited at one position and then received at the adjacent position, the effective signal of the ultrasonic wave is one-way propagation. Obviously, using two-way single-step calculation to realize time delay detection of one-way propagation ultrasonic signal will cause large calculation amount, and when the data amount is large, the time consumption is more serious, further causing the reduction of detection efficiency. Therefore, to solve the above technical problems, the embodiments of the application provide an ultrasonic signal time delay detection method, which realizes ultrasonic signal time delay detection through one-way propagation calculation, effectively improving the time delay detection efficiency of the ultrasonic signal.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 A flowchart of an ultrasonic signal time delay detection method provided in the application is shown in the figure, which can include:

[0054] S101: acquiring ultrasonic signals detected by a probe at multiple detection positions at each propagation time, and the signal length of the ultrasonic signal;

[0055] This step aims to acquire relevant data information of the ultrasonic signal to be calculated. Specifically, this may include the ultrasonic signal at each propagation moment (i.e., the data of the ultrasonic signal at each propagation moment) and the signal length of the ultrasonic signal, in order to perform cross-correlation calculations. For example, please refer to... Figure 2 , Figure 2 This application provides a schematic diagram of ultrasonic signal propagation, where the horizontal axis represents the propagation time and the vertical axis represents the ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic signal at each propagation time (0 to N) is shown in the diagram (a0 to a...). N )like Figure 2 As shown, N is the signal length of the ultrasonic signal. The ultrasonic signals at each propagation moment can be detected from multiple detection positions using an ultrasonic probe. During the propagation of the ultrasonic signal, different detection positions correspond to ultrasonic signals at different propagation moments.

[0056] Furthermore, the method of acquiring the above-mentioned data does not affect the implementation of this technical solution, and this application does not limit it. For example, it can be collected directly during the propagation of ultrasonic signals.

[0057] S102: Perform unidirectional cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected at multiple detection locations based on each ultrasonic signal and signal length to obtain the cross-correlation value corresponding to each propagation moment;

[0058] This step aims to calculate the cross-correlation values ​​corresponding to each propagation moment. Specifically, this can be achieved by performing unidirectional cross-correlation calculations based on the various data obtained in S101. The unidirectional cross-correlation calculation can be implemented using a unidirectional cross-correlation algorithm. Since the ultrasonic signal is excited unilaterally (i.e., excited at one location and received at the adjacent location), the ultrasonic signal propagates unidirectionally. Therefore, the cross-correlation values ​​can be calculated using unidirectional cross-correlation. That is, when the ultrasonic signal is excited on the left and received on the right, the propagation direction is from left to right, and only the cross-correlation value from left to right needs to be calculated. Conversely, when the ultrasonic signal is excited on the right and received on the left, the propagation direction is from right to left, and only the cross-correlation value from right to left needs to be calculated. Thus, compared to bidirectional propagation calculations, the computational load for unidirectional propagation is significantly reduced.

[0059] Understandably, the essence of cross-correlation calculation is to continuously adjust the values ​​of the propagation times and then calculate the cross-correlation value at each propagation time. The cross-correlation value represents the cross-correlation of the ultrasound signals; when its value is at its maximum, the corresponding propagation time is the propagation delay of the ultrasound signal.

[0060] As a preferred embodiment, the one-way cross-correlation calculation of the ultrasonic signals detected at the plurality of detection positions according to the respective ultrasonic signals and the signal length to obtain the cross-correlation values corresponding to the respective propagation time can comprise: calculating the respective cross-correlation values by using a cross-correlation calculation formula; wherein the cross-correlation calculation formula is:

[0061]

[0062] wherein N represents the signal length, m represents the propagation time, m∈[0,N]; x represents the ultrasonic signal at the initial propagation time, and y represents the ultrasonic signal at the propagation time m; R xy (m) represents the cross-correlation value of the ultrasonic signal x and the ultrasonic signal y at the propagation time m.

[0063] The preferred embodiment provides a calculation method of the cross-correlation value, i.e., based on the cross-correlation calculation formula, which is a one-way cross-correlation calculation. Specifically, the original cross-correlation calculation formula adopts a two-way cross-correlation calculation, i.e.:

[0064]

[0065] It can be seen that n starts from -N and ends at N. In this application, the cross-correlation calculation formula adopts one-way propagation calculation, and n starts from 0 and ends at N. Obviously, the calculation amount of the one-way cross-correlation calculation is only half of that of the original cross-correlation calculation formula, thereby greatly improving the time delay detection efficiency of the ultrasonic signal.

[0066] wherein x represents the ultrasonic signal at the initial propagation time, i.e., the ultrasonic signal at the non-propagation time, and y represents the ultrasonic signal at the propagation time m, i.e., the ultrasonic signal after propagation. Wherein m takes the value [0,N], when m takes the value 0, the ultrasonic signal y is the ultrasonic signal x, i.e., the ultrasonic signal at the initial propagation time; when m takes the value N, it represents the ultrasonic signal at the final propagation time, and N is the signal length of the ultrasonic signal. Thus, by adjusting the value of m in turn, the cross-correlation values of the ultrasonic signal at each propagation time can be calculated.

[0067] It can be understood that the adjustment of the value of m can be single-step adjustment, i.e., the value of m starts from 0 and is calculated, and the step value is 1 each time until the value is N; or adaptive step adjustment can be used, i.e., the step value of m is not necessarily 1, but can also be other values, which can be selected and set according to actual conditions.

[0068] S103: screening the maximum cross-correlation value from all cross-correlation values, and taking the propagation time corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value as the propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signal.

[0069] The step is to determine the propagation delay. Specifically, after obtaining the cross-correlation values corresponding to the respective propagation time, the maximum cross-correlation value is obtained from all cross-correlation values, that is, the maximum cross-correlation value described above, and the propagation time corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value is the propagation delay of the ultrasonic signal, thereby realizing the ultrasonic signal delay detection.

[0070] It can be seen that the ultrasonic signal delay detection method provided in the application discards the bidirectional calculation of the cross-correlation algorithm according to the propagation characteristics of the ultrasonic signal. Since the ultrasonic signal is transmitted in one direction, the ultrasonic signal delay detection is realized by one-way propagation calculation. After the ultrasonic probe detects the ultrasonic signal and the signal length at each propagation time from multiple detection positions, one-way cross-correlation calculation is directly performed to obtain the cross-correlation values corresponding to the respective propagation time, so as to select the propagation time corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value as the propagation delay of the ultrasonic signal. It can be seen that compared with bidirectional propagation calculation, the calculation amount of one-way propagation calculation is greatly reduced, the efficiency of ultrasonic signal delay detection is effectively improved, and it is more suitable for scenarios with large amounts of data.

[0071] As described above, the step value of the propagation time can be adaptively adjusted according to the actual situation. Obviously, compared with single-step calculation, adaptive adjustment of the step value can further reduce the calculation amount and improve the efficiency of ultrasonic signal delay detection. Therefore, the embodiment of the application provides another ultrasonic delay detection method.

[0072] As a preferred embodiment, after the one-way cross-correlation calculation of the ultrasonic signal detected by the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signal and the signal length is performed to obtain the cross-correlation values corresponding to the propagation time, the method can further include: calculating the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signal at the current propagation time and the previous propagation time according to the cross-correlation values; when the cross-correlation coefficient is lower than the step threshold, the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time is incremented, and the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time is calculated according to the incremented step; when the cross-correlation coefficient is higher than the step threshold, the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time is decremented, and the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time is calculated according to the decremented step, until the final propagation time is reached.

[0073] The ultrasonic signal time delay detection method provided by the preferred embodiment can adjust the step of the propagation time according to the cross-correlation coefficient of the cross-correlation values of adjacent propagation times, thereby realizing ultrasonic signal time delay detection based on adaptive step one-way cross-correlation. Specifically, after the calculation of the cross-correlation value corresponding to one propagation time is completed, the cross-correlation coefficient is calculated using the cross-correlation value and the cross-correlation value corresponding to the last propagation time of the propagation time (current propagation time), i.e., the similarity of the ultrasonic signals of the adjacent two propagation times is calculated. Further, when the cross-correlation coefficient is low, i.e., lower than the step threshold, it indicates that the ultrasonic signals of the adjacent two propagation times have low similarity, and the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time can be increased. When the cross-correlation coefficient is high, i.e., higher than the step threshold, it indicates that the ultrasonic signals of the adjacent two propagation times have high similarity, and the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time can be decreased. On this basis, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time can be calculated using the increased or decreased step, and the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signals at the next adjacent propagation time is calculated, and so on, until the final propagation time is reached, and the cross-correlation value corresponding to the final propagation time is calculated, the calculation of the cross-correlation values corresponding to all propagation times is completed, and the calculation amount is further reduced.

[0074] For example, assuming that the initial step is 1, the step update is single increment or single decrement. In a specific implementation, first, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the initial propagation time (m takes the value of 0) is calculated (referred to as the first cross-correlation value). Since the initial step is 1, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the first propagation time (m takes the value of 1) is calculated (referred to as the second cross-correlation value). Further, the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signal at the initial propagation time and the first propagation time is calculated according to the first cross-correlation value and the second cross-correlation value. Assuming that the cross-correlation coefficient is lower than the step threshold, the single increment step obtains an incremented step of 2. At this time, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the second propagation time (m takes the value of 3) is calculated (referred to as the third cross-correlation value), and the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signal at the first propagation time and the second propagation time is calculated according to the second cross-correlation value and the third cross-correlation value. Assuming that the cross-correlation coefficient is still lower than the step threshold, the single increment step obtains an incremented step of 3. At this time, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the third propagation time (m takes the value of 6) is calculated (referred to as the fourth cross-correlation value), and the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signal at the second propagation time and the third propagation time is calculated according to the third cross-correlation value and the fourth cross-correlation value. Assuming that the cross-correlation coefficient is higher than the step threshold, the single decrement step obtains a decremented step of 2. At this time, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the fourth propagation time (m takes the value of 8) is calculated (referred to as the fifth cross-correlation value), and the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signal at the third propagation time and the fourth propagation time is calculated according to the fourth cross-correlation value and the fifth cross-correlation value. In this way, the calculation of the cross-correlation value corresponding to all propagation times is completed. Thus, the adaptive adjustment of the step value is realized, and the time delay detection of the ultrasonic signal based on the adaptive step one-way cross-correlation is further realized. Obviously, when the step value is greater than 1, the last propagation time can be reached more quickly. At this time, the calculation amount is further reduced, and the time delay detection efficiency of the ultrasonic signal is more effectively improved.

[0075] wherein the step threshold is a pre-set threshold, and its specific value can be set by the technical personnel according to the actual demand, which is not limited in the present application. For example, it can be set according to the actual characteristics of the current ultrasonic signal.

[0076] As a preferred embodiment, the calculation of the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signal at the current propagation time and the last propagation time according to the cross-correlation value can include: obtaining the current cross-correlation value of the ultrasonic signal at the current propagation time; obtaining the last cross-correlation value of the ultrasonic signal at the last propagation time; and taking the difference between the current cross-correlation value and the last cross-correlation value as the cross-correlation coefficient.

[0077] The preferred embodiment provides a method for calculating the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasound signal at adjacent propagation time instants, i.e. the difference between the cross-correlation values corresponding to adjacent propagation time instants can be taken as the cross-correlation coefficient. Specifically, when the cross-correlation value corresponding to the current propagation time instant (current cross-correlation value) is obtained, the difference between the current cross-correlation value and the cross-correlation value corresponding to the previous propagation time instant of the current propagation time instant (previous cross-correlation value) is calculated, and the difference is the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasound signal at the current propagation time instant and the previous propagation time instant; further, when the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time instant of the current propagation time instant is calculated, the difference between the cross-correlation value and the current cross-correlation value is calculated, and the difference is the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasound signal at the next propagation time instant and the current propagation time instant. In this way, the cross-correlation coefficients of the ultrasound signal at each adjacent propagation time instant can be calculated.

[0078] As a preferred embodiment, after the step of increasing the propagation time instant, the following steps can also be included: judging whether the increased step exceeds the maximum step, if not, performing the step of calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time instant according to the increased step, if yes, calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time instant according to the step before increasing; correspondingly, after the step of decreasing the propagation time instant, the following steps can also be included: judging whether the decreased step is lower than the minimum step, if not, performing the step of calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time instant according to the decreased step, if yes, calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time instant according to the step before decreasing.

[0079] Further, the maximum step and the minimum step can also be preset, once the step value of the propagation time instant reaches the maximum step, even if the cross-correlation coefficient value is still lower than the step threshold, the step will not be increased any more, and the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time instant can be calculated according to the maximum step (the step before increasing); similarly, once the step value of the propagation time instant reaches the minimum step, even if the cross-correlation coefficient value is still higher than the step threshold, the step will not be decreased any more, and the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time instant can be calculated according to the minimum step (the step before decreasing).

[0080] In the implementation process, when the obtained cross-correlation coefficient is lower than the step threshold and needs to be increased, firstly, it is judged whether the step after the increase exceeds the maximum step. If not, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time can be directly calculated by using the step after the increase. If yes, it is indicated that the current step is the maximum step, and the step does not need to be further increased. At this time, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time can be calculated by using the step before the increase, that is, the maximum step. Similarly, when the obtained cross-correlation coefficient is higher than the step threshold and needs to be decreased, firstly, it is judged whether the step after the decrease is lower than the minimum step. If not, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time can be directly calculated by using the step after the decrease. If yes, it is indicated that the current step is the minimum step, and the step does not need to be further decreased. At this time, the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time can be calculated by using the step before the decrease, that is, the minimum step.

[0081] It can be understood that the specific values of the maximum step and the minimum step are not unique, and can also be set according to actual conditions, which are not limited in the application. For example, the maximum step can be set to 5 and the minimum step can be set to 1.

[0082] As a preferred embodiment, the obtaining process of the step threshold can include: performing energy calculation on the ultrasonic signal to obtain signal energy; and calculating the step threshold according to the signal energy.

[0083] The preferred embodiment provides a method for obtaining a step threshold, that is, the step threshold can be calculated and obtained according to the signal energy of the ultrasonic signal. Specifically, the energy calculation can be performed on the ultrasonic signal to obtain the signal energy, and then the step threshold can be calculated and obtained according to the signal energy. For example, the step threshold can be set to 1 / 10 of the signal energy. As can be seen, the preferred embodiment can determine the step threshold most suitable for the ultrasonic signal according to the actual characteristics of the ultrasonic signal currently needed to be calculated, so as to effectively ensure the accuracy of the time delay detection result of the ultrasonic signal.

[0084] As a preferred embodiment, the energy calculation on the ultrasonic signal to obtain the signal energy can include: calculating the signal energy by using an energy calculation formula; and the energy calculation formula is:

[0085]

[0086] wherein, N represents the signal length; x represents the ultrasonic signal at the initial propagation time; E x represents the signal energy of the ultrasonic signal x.

[0087] The preferred embodiment provides a signal energy calculation method, that is, based on the above energy calculation formula, using which the signal energy of the ultrasonic signal x at the non-propagation moment can be directly calculated, and thus the step threshold can be calculated based on the signal energy.

[0088] It can be seen that the ultrasonic signal time delay detection method provided by the embodiment of the application can not only realize ultrasonic signal time delay detection by using one-way cross-correlation calculation, but also adaptively adjust the step value at the propagation moment, that is, realize ultrasonic signal time delay detection based on adaptive step one-way cross-correlation, greatly reduce the calculation amount, and further improve the time delay detection efficiency of the ultrasonic signal.

[0089] To solve the above technical problems, the application also provides an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device, please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 The structure diagram of the ultrasonic signal time delay detection device provided by the application can include:

[0090] The information acquisition module 1 is used to acquire the ultrasonic signal at each propagation moment detected by the probe at multiple detection positions, and the signal length of the ultrasonic signal;

[0091] The cross-correlation calculation module 2 is used to perform one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected at multiple detection positions according to each ultrasonic signal and the signal length, and obtain the cross-correlation value corresponding to each propagation moment;

[0092] The time delay detection module 3 is used to select the maximum cross-correlation value from all cross-correlation values, and take the propagation moment corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value as the propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signal.

[0093] It can be seen that the ultrasonic signal time delay detection device provided by the embodiment of the application discards the two-way calculation of the cross-correlation algorithm according to the propagation characteristics of the ultrasonic signal. Since the ultrasonic signal is transmitted in one direction, the ultrasonic signal time delay detection is realized by one-way propagation calculation. After the ultrasonic probe detects the ultrasonic signal at each propagation moment and the signal length thereof from multiple detection positions, one-way cross-correlation calculation is directly performed thereon to obtain the cross-correlation value corresponding to each propagation moment, so that the propagation moment corresponding to the cross-correlation value with the maximum value is selected as the propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signal. It can be seen that, compared with two-way propagation calculation, the calculation amount of one-way propagation calculation is greatly reduced, the time delay detection efficiency of the ultrasonic signal is effectively improved, and it is more suitable for scenarios with large amount of data.

[0094] As a preferred embodiment, the cross-correlation calculation module 2 can be specifically used to calculate each cross-correlation value by using the cross-correlation calculation formula; wherein the cross-correlation calculation formula is:

[0095]

[0096] wherein, N represents the signal length, m represents the propagation time, m∈[0,N]; x represents the ultrasound signal at the initial propagation time, y represents the ultrasound signal at the propagation time m; R xy (m) represents the cross-correlation value of the ultrasound signal x and the ultrasound signal y at the propagation time m.

[0097] As a preferred embodiment, the ultrasound signal time delay detection device can further comprise a step adjustment module, which can comprise:

[0098] a cross-correlation coefficient calculation unit, configured to, after performing the one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasound signals detected at the plurality of detection positions according to the ultrasound signal and the signal length to obtain the cross-correlation value corresponding to the propagation time, calculate the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasound signal at the current propagation time and the previous propagation time according to the cross-correlation value;

[0099] a step increment unit, configured to, when the cross-correlation coefficient is lower than the step threshold, increment the step of the cross-correlation calculation of the propagation time, and calculate the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the incremented step;

[0100] a step decrement unit, configured to, when the cross-correlation coefficient is higher than the step threshold, decrement the step of the cross-correlation calculation of the propagation time, and calculate the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the decremented step, until the final propagation time is reached.

[0101] As a preferred embodiment, the cross-correlation coefficient calculation unit can be specifically configured to obtain the current cross-correlation value of the ultrasound signal at the current propagation time; obtain the previous cross-correlation value of the ultrasound signal at the previous propagation time; and take the difference between the current cross-correlation value and the previous cross-correlation value as the cross-correlation coefficient.

[0102] As a preferred embodiment, the step increment unit can be further configured to, after the step of the propagation time is incremented, judge whether the incremented step exceeds the maximum step, if not, execute the step of calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the incremented step, and if yes, calculate the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the step before the increment.

[0103] The step decrement unit can be further configured to, after the step of the propagation time is decremented, judge whether the decremented step is lower than the minimum step, if not, execute the step of calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the decremented step, and if yes, calculate the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the step before the decrement.

[0104] As a preferred embodiment, the step adjustment module can further comprise a step threshold calculation unit configured to calculate the energy of the ultrasonic signal to obtain a signal energy, and calculate a step threshold according to the signal energy.

[0105] As a preferred embodiment, the step threshold calculation unit can be specifically configured to calculate the signal energy by using an energy calculation formula, wherein the energy calculation formula is:

[0106]

[0107] wherein N represents the length of the signal, x represents the ultrasonic signal at an initial propagation time, and E x represents the signal energy of the ultrasonic signal x.

[0108] For the device provided in the present application, refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0109] To solve the above technical problems, the present application further provides an ultrasonic signal time delay detection device, which is described as follows Figure 4 Figure 4 The structure diagram of the ultrasonic signal time delay detection device provided in the present application can comprise:

[0110] The memory 10 is configured to store a computer program.

[0111] The processor 20 is configured to execute the computer program to realize the steps of any one of the above ultrasonic signal time delay detection methods.

[0112] For the device provided in the present application, refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0113] To solve the above problems, the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to realize the steps of any one of the above ultrasonic signal time delay detection methods.

[0114] The computer readable storage medium can include a U disk, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk or an optical disk, and various media that can store program codes.

[0115] For the computer readable storage medium provided in the present application, refer to the above method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0116] The various embodiments described in the specification are intended to be exemplary only. The same are presented in order to more completely explain the present application and its preferred embodiments. It should be understood that various modifications can be made to the embodiments described in specific examples without departing from the scope of the present application. Accordingly, the detailed description is not intended as an indication that the present application is limited to several preferred embodiments. Rather, the detailed description is intended to illustrate a number of embodiments described herein. The same are presented as examples of the present application. Other embodiments can be developed and fall within the scope of the present application. Accordingly, the scope of the present application is limited by the claims.

[0117] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various examples have been described herein in terms of their functionality, which has been described generally and symbolically in flow charts. Having thus described the functionality of the examples in terms of a process, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such functionality can be implemented in electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. The present application is therefore not limited to any one form of the examples described.

[0118] The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, hard disk can be used as a storage medium.

[0119] The above detailed description has set forth various embodiments of the applications. The descriptions are intended to be illustrative of the present application and its best mode, and are not intended to be limiting. Numerous modifications and adaptations will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of time delay detection of an ultrasonic signal, characterized in that, The method comprises the following steps: acquiring ultrasonic signals detected by a probe at multiple detection positions at different propagation times, and signal lengths of the ultrasonic signals; performing one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected by the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signals and the signal lengths, to obtain cross-correlation values corresponding to the different propagation times; selecting a maximum cross-correlation value from all the cross-correlation values, and taking a propagation time corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value as a propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signals; wherein, after the one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected by the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signals and the signal lengths, to obtain the cross-correlation values corresponding to the propagation times, the method further comprises the following steps: calculating a cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signals at a current propagation time and a previous propagation time according to the cross-correlation values; when the cross-correlation coefficient is lower than a step threshold, increasing a cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time, and calculating a cross-correlation value corresponding to a next propagation time according to the increased step; when the cross-correlation coefficient is higher than the step threshold, decreasing the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time, and calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the decreased step, until a final propagation time is reached.

2. The ultrasonic signal time delay detection method of claim 1, wherein, The one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected by the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signals and the signal lengths, to obtain the cross-correlation values corresponding to the propagation times, comprises the following steps: calculating the cross-correlation values according to a cross-correlation calculation formula; wherein, the cross-correlation calculation formula is: ； wherein, denotes the signal length, denotes the propagation time, ; denotes the ultrasound signal at the initial propagation time, denotes the ultrasound signal at the propagation time ; denotes the cross-correlation value of the ultrasound signal with the ultrasound signal at the propagation time .

3. The ultrasonic signal time delay detection method of claim 1, wherein, The calculation of the cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signals at the current propagation time and the previous propagation time according to the cross-correlation values comprises the following steps: acquiring a current cross-correlation value of the ultrasonic signals at the current propagation time; acquiring a previous cross-correlation value of the ultrasonic signals at the previous propagation time; taking a difference between the current cross-correlation value and the previous cross-correlation value as the cross-correlation coefficient.

4. The ultrasonic signal time delay detection method of claim 1, wherein, After the increasing of the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time, the method further comprises the following steps: determining whether the increased step exceeds a maximum step, if not, performing the step of calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the increased step, if yes, calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the step before the increasing; After the decreasing of the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time, the method further comprises the following steps: determining whether the decreased step is lower than a minimum step, if not, performing the step of calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the decreased step, if yes, calculating the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time according to the step before the decreasing.

5. The ultrasonic signal time delay detection method of claim 1, wherein, The acquisition process of the step threshold comprises the following steps: performing energy calculation on the ultrasonic signals to obtain signal energy; calculating the step threshold according to the signal energy.

6. The ultrasonic signal time delay detection method of claim 5, wherein, The energy calculation on the ultrasonic signals to obtain the signal energy comprises the following steps: calculating the signal energy according to an energy calculation formula; wherein, the energy calculation formula is: ； wherein, denotes the signal length; denotes the ultrasound signal at the initial propagation time; denotes the ultrasound signal signal energy.

7. An ultrasonic signal time delay detection apparatus, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: an information acquisition module is configured to acquire ultrasonic signals detected by a probe at multiple detection positions at different propagation times, and signal lengths of the ultrasonic signals; A cross-correlation calculation module is configured to perform one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected at the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signals and the signal length, to obtain a cross-correlation value corresponding to each of the propagation time points; A time delay detection module is configured to screen a maximum cross-correlation value from all the cross-correlation values, and take the propagation time point corresponding to the maximum cross-correlation value as the propagation time delay of the ultrasonic signal. Further comprising a step adjustment module configured to, after the one-way cross-correlation calculation on the ultrasonic signals detected at the multiple detection positions according to the ultrasonic signals and the signal length, obtain the cross-correlation value corresponding to the propagation time point, calculate a cross-correlation coefficient of the ultrasonic signal at the current propagation time point and the previous propagation time point according to the cross-correlation value; when the cross-correlation coefficient is lower than a step threshold, increment the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time point, and calculate the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time point according to the incremented step; when the cross-correlation coefficient is higher than the step threshold, decrement the cross-correlation calculation step of the propagation time point, and calculate the cross-correlation value corresponding to the next propagation time point according to the decremented step, until the final propagation time point is reached.

8. An ultrasonic signal time delay detection apparatus, characterized by, Comprise: a memory for storing a computer program; a processor for executing the computer program to implement the steps of the ultrasonic signal time delay detection method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by the processor to implement the steps of the ultrasonic signal time delay detection method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

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