An ultrasonic transmission method, an ultrasonic imaging method, and an ultrasonic imaging apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application disclose an ultrasonic emission method, an ultrasonic imaging method and an ultrasonic imaging device. The ultrasonic emission method comprises controlling an ultrasonic probe to alternately emit a plurality of groups of first ultrasonic wave sequences and second ultrasonic wave sequences to a scanning target, the first ultrasonic wave sequence comprising at least one focused wave, and the second ultrasonic wave sequence comprising a plurality of non-focused waves emitted along at least two emission angles; wherein the emission voltage of the first N non-focused waves of at least one group of the second ultrasonic wave sequences is a first emission voltage, N is a positive integer, the emission voltage of the remaining non-focused waves of the at least one group of the second ultrasonic wave sequences, except for the first N non-focused waves, is a second emission voltage, and the first emission voltage is greater than the second emission voltage. By increasing the emission voltage of the first N non-focused waves adjacent to the first ultrasonic wave sequence in the second ultrasonic wave sequence, interference occurring in the ultrasonic detection process is reduced, and the effect of ultrasonic imaging is improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of ultrasonic imaging, and in particular to an ultrasonic wave emitting method, an ultrasonic imaging method and an ultrasonic imaging device. BACKGROUND

[0002] A medical ultrasonic imaging diagnosis device can obtain ultrasonic characteristic information of human tissue and organ structure by using ultrasonic wave propagation in the human body. Different ultrasonic wave emitting conditions are applicable to different examination requirements, for example, focused wave emission is applicable to two-dimensional gray-scale images of tissue, and non-focused wave (for example, plane wave and divergent wave) is applicable to high-frame-rate ultrafast blood flow imaging. In order to obtain more examination information of the user in ultrasonic examination, there is currently a duplex ultrasonic wave working mode, that is, the ultrasonic wave emitting condition is alternately changed during examination, for example, focused wave and non-focused wave emission modes are alternately performed (that is, focused wave and non-focused wave are alternately emitted), so that high spatial resolution two-dimensional gray-scale images of tissue and high-frame-rate ultrafast blood flow imaging or vector blood flow imaging can be simultaneously realized.

[0003] However, although this working mode of alternately emitting ultrasonic waves can obtain more abundant ultrasonic examination information, interference is prone to occur during detection, and the imaging effect is not ideal. SUMMARY

[0004] The following is a summary of the subject matter of the detailed description herein. This summary is not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

[0005] Embodiments of the present application provide an ultrasonic wave emitting method, an ultrasonic imaging method and an ultrasonic imaging device, which can reduce interference occurring in the ultrasonic detection process and improve the effect of ultrasonic imaging.

[0006] In a first aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide an ultrasonic wave emitting method, comprising:

[0007] alternately emitting, by an ultrasonic probe, a plurality of groups of first ultrasonic wave sequences and second ultrasonic wave sequences to a scanning target, the first ultrasonic wave sequence comprising at least one focused wave, and the second ultrasonic wave sequence comprising a plurality of non-focused waves emitted along at least two emitting angles;

[0008] The emitting voltage of the first N non-focused waves of at least one group of the second ultrasonic wave sequences is a first emitting voltage, where N is a positive integer, the emitting voltage of the remaining non-focused waves of the at least one group of the second ultrasonic wave sequences other than the first N non-focused waves is a second emitting voltage, and the first emitting voltage is greater than the second emitting voltage;

[0009] The first transmission voltage and the second transmission voltage are not greater than a first safety threshold, the first safety threshold is determined by a part of safety indexes in basic safety indexes of the sound output and transmission parameters corresponding to the non-focused waves, the part of safety indexes includes a spatial peak time average sound intensity safety index, a mechanical index safety index and a thermal index safety index; and in the process of alternately transmitting the first ultrasonic wave sequence and the second ultrasonic wave sequence, a surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe caused by the magnitude and / or transmission duration of the first transmission voltage and the second transmission voltage meets a preset requirement, the preset requirement is that the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe is not greater than a second safety threshold specified by a probe surface temperature safety index in the basic safety indexes of the sound output.

[0010] In a second aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide an ultrasonic imaging method, comprising:

[0011] transmitting ultrasonic waves to a scanning target, wherein the ultrasonic wave transmission method in any one of the first aspect embodiments is used when transmitting ultrasonic waves to the scanning target;

[0012] receiving echoes of the first ultrasonic wave sequence returned by the scanning target to obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0013] receiving echoes of the second ultrasonic wave sequence returned by the scanning target to obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal;

[0014] obtaining a blood flow velocity vector in the scanning target according to the second ultrasonic echo signal;

[0015] obtaining a tissue image of at least a part of the scanning target according to the first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0016] displaying the blood flow velocity vector and the tissue image.

[0017] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide an ultrasonic wave transmission method, comprising:

[0018] controlling an ultrasonic probe to alternately transmit a plurality of groups of first ultrasonic wave sequences and second ultrasonic wave sequences to a scanning target, the first ultrasonic wave sequence comprising at least one focused wave, and the second ultrasonic wave sequence comprising a plurality of non-focused waves;

[0019] the transmission voltage of the first N non-focused waves in at least one group of the second ultrasonic wave sequences is a first transmission voltage, wherein N is a positive integer, the transmission voltage of the remaining non-focused waves in the at least one group of the second ultrasonic wave sequences other than the first N non-focused waves is a second transmission voltage, and the first transmission voltage is greater than the second transmission voltage;

[0020] The first transmission voltage and the second transmission voltage are not greater than a first safety threshold, the first safety threshold is determined by a partial safety index in basic safety indexes of the sound output and a transmission parameter corresponding to the non-focused wave, the partial safety index includes a spatial peak time average sound intensity safety index, a mechanical index safety index, and a thermal index safety index; and in the process of alternately transmitting the first ultrasonic wave sequence and the second ultrasonic wave sequence, a surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe caused by the magnitude and / or transmission duration of the first transmission voltage and the second transmission voltage meets a preset requirement, the preset requirement is that the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe is not greater than a second safety threshold specified by a probe surface temperature safety index in the basic safety indexes of the sound output.

[0021] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging method, comprising:

[0022] transmitting ultrasonic waves to a scanning target, wherein the ultrasonic wave transmission method in any one of the third aspect embodiments is used when transmitting ultrasonic waves to the scanning target;

[0023] receiving echoes of the first ultrasonic wave sequence returned by the scanning target to obtain a first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0024] receiving echoes of the second ultrasonic wave sequence returned by the scanning target to obtain a second ultrasonic echo signal;

[0025] obtaining a blood flow image in the scanning target according to the second ultrasonic echo signal;

[0026] obtaining a tissue image of at least a part of the scanning target according to the first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0027] displaying the blood flow image and the tissue image.

[0028] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasonic wave transmission method, comprising:

[0029] alternately transmitting a plurality of groups of first ultrasonic wave sequences and second ultrasonic wave sequences to a scanning target, the first ultrasonic wave sequence comprising at least one focused wave, and the second ultrasonic wave sequence comprising a plurality of non-focused waves;

[0030] a transmission voltage of a first N non-focused wave of at least one group of the second ultrasonic wave sequences is a first transmission voltage, N is a positive integer, a transmission voltage of a remaining non-focused wave of the at least one group of the second ultrasonic wave sequences other than the first N non-focused wave is a second transmission voltage, and the first transmission voltage is greater than the second transmission voltage.

[0031] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasonic imaging method, comprising:

[0032] An ultrasonic wave sequence is emitted toward a scanning target, wherein the ultrasonic wave emission method of any one of the fifth aspect embodiments described above is used when emitting the ultrasonic wave sequence toward the scanning target.

[0033] Receive the echo of the first ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0034] Receive the echo of the second ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the second ultrasonic echo signal;

[0035] A blood flow image within the scanned target is obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signal;

[0036] A tissue image of at least a portion of the scanned target is obtained based on the first ultrasound echo signal;

[0037] The blood flow image and the tissue image are displayed.

[0038] Seventhly, embodiments of this application provide an ultrasound imaging device, including:

[0039] Ultrasonic probe;

[0040] Transmitter / receiver circuit: The transmitter / receiver circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to transmit ultrasonic waves toward the scanning target and receive ultrasonic echoes to obtain ultrasonic echo signals.

[0041] The processor is used to process ultrasound echo signals to obtain tissue images or ultrasound spectrum data of the target heart.

[0042] A monitor is used to display tissue images or ultrasound spectrum data;

[0043] The processor is also used to perform the ultrasonic emission method of the first, third or fifth aspect embodiments described above, or to perform the ultrasonic imaging method of the second, fourth or sixth aspect embodiments described above.

[0044] Eighthly, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device, including a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the ultrasonic emission method as described in the first, third, or fifth aspects above, or to further execute the ultrasonic imaging method described in the second, fourth, or sixth aspects above.

[0045] Ninthly, embodiments of this application provide a computer storage medium storing a computer program applied to an ultrasound imaging device. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the ultrasound emission method as described in the first, third, or fifth aspects above, or is also used to execute the ultrasound imaging method described in the second, fourth, or sixth aspects above.

[0046] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this application provide a computer program product or computer program that includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the ultrasonic emission method as described in the first, third, or fifth aspects above, or to further perform the ultrasonic imaging method as described in the second, fourth, or sixth aspects above.

[0047] In some embodiments of this application, the ultrasonic probe is controlled to alternately emit multiple sets of first and second ultrasonic sequences toward the scanning target. The emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence is the first emission voltage, and the emission voltage of the remaining unfocused waves is the second emission voltage. The first emission voltage is higher than the second reflection voltage. In this embodiment, the emission voltage of the unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence is non-uniform, especially the emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence is higher than that of the subsequent unfocused waves. Since the last focused wave of the first ultrasonic sequence is immediately followed by the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence, the interference caused by the echo of the focused wave to the emission of the unfocused waves can be reduced by increasing the emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence, thereby improving the ultrasonic imaging effect. In addition, since only the emission voltage of some unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence is increased, the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe during the alternating emission of the first and second ultrasonic sequences can be controlled to meet the safety requirements.

[0048] In some embodiments of this application, the second ultrasound sequence includes multiple unfocused waves along at least two emission angles. The projection components (i.e., velocity components) of the vector blood flow velocity at different emission angles are obtained by the echo data of the multiple unfocused waves along at least two emission angles, thereby obtaining the vector blood flow velocity. Since the emission voltage of the multiple unfocused waves emitted at different emission angles is also non-uniform, the interference of the focused wave on the unfocused wave can be reduced. When the first ultrasound sequence and the second ultrasound sequence are alternately emitted towards the scanning target, high frame rate, low interference and meeting the safety index requirements of ultrasound blood flow imaging can be achieved, resulting in better imaging effect. Attached Figure Description

[0049] The accompanying drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the technical solutions of this application and constitute a part of the specification. They are used together with the embodiments of this application to explain the technical solutions of this application and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions of this application.

[0050] Figure 1 This is a structural connection diagram of an ultrasound imaging device provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of vector blood flow velocity synthesis provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of an ultrasonic emission method provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of another ultrasonic emission method provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figures 5 to 10 This is a schematic diagram of an alternating transmission mode of a first ultrasonic sequence and a second ultrasonic sequence according to some embodiments of this application;

[0055] Figure 11 This is a flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method provided in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0056] The present application will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. The described embodiments should not be considered as limitations on the present application, and all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0057] In the following description, references are made to “some embodiments,” which describe a subset of all possible embodiments. However, it is understood that “some embodiments” may be the same subset or different subsets of all possible embodiments and may be combined with each other without conflict.

[0058] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing embodiments of this application only and is not intended to limit this application.

[0059] like Figure 1The diagram shows a structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging device. The ultrasound imaging device 100 includes an ultrasound probe 110, a transmit / receive selection switch 120, a receiving circuit 130, a processor 140, a display 150, a transmitting circuit 160, and a memory 170. The transmit / receive selection switch 120 can activate the ultrasound probe 110 to transmit an ultrasonic beam towards a target area via the transmitting circuit 160, and the ultrasound probe 110 can receive the ultrasonic echo of the ultrasonic beam returning from the target area via the receiving circuit 130. The processor 140 can obtain the ultrasonic echo signal based on the ultrasonic echo of the ultrasonic beam and process the ultrasonic echo signal.

[0060] For example, the transmit / receive selection switch 120 can excite the ultrasound probe 110 to emit ultrasound waves toward the target blood flow region via the transmit circuit 160, and receive the ultrasound echoes returning from the target blood flow region via the receive circuit 130. The processor 140 can obtain the ultrasound echo signal based on the ultrasound echo; and perform signal processing on the ultrasound echo signal to obtain the vector blood flow velocity.

[0061] Traditional blood flow velocities obtained using the Doppler principle (PW) are based on angle-corrected velocities. The vector blood flow velocity described in this application can more accurately represent the actual speed and direction of blood flow than the traditional angle-corrected velocities.

[0062] The vector blood flow velocity can be calculated using any of the following methods: spot tracking, transverse wave oscillation, or multi-angle deflection transmission / reception.

[0063] Taking the method of obtaining vector blood flow velocity through multi-angle deflection transmission / reception as an example, the transmit / receive selection switch 120 can excite the ultrasound probe 110 to emit ultrasound waves towards the target blood flow region along a first scanning angle via the transmitting circuit 160, and receive the ultrasound echoes returning from the target blood flow region via the receiving circuit 130. The processor 140 can obtain a first ultrasound echo signal along the first scanning angle based on the ultrasound echo, and obtain a first blood flow velocity at the target location (also called the target point) within the target blood flow region based on the first ultrasound echo signal. This first blood flow velocity is actually the projection component (also called the velocity component) of the vector blood flow velocity at the target location on the first scanning angle. Similarly, by exciting the ultrasound probe 110 to emit ultrasound waves towards the target blood flow region along a second scanning angle via the transmitting circuit 160, a second blood flow velocity at the target location can be obtained. This second blood flow velocity is actually the projection component (also called the velocity component) of the vector blood flow velocity at the target location on the second scanning angle. The actual velocity magnitude and direction, i.e., the vector blood flow velocity, are obtained by angular synthesis of the first and second blood flow velocities. like Figure 2As shown, the velocity component of the vector blood flow velocity at the target location at the first scanning angle is the first blood flow velocity. The velocity component of the vector blood flow velocity at the target location at the second scanning angle is the second blood flow velocity. By synthesizing angles, perpendicular lines are drawn to the two velocity components. The vector blood flow velocity at the target location can be determined from the intersection of the two perpendicular lines. The above example of combining velocity components corresponding to two different scanning angles is merely illustrative. Any method for combining velocity components corresponding to different scanning angles can refer to this example. Figure 2 Please refer to the relevant explanations provided above for clarification. This application does not limit the number of scanning angles, that is, it does not limit the number of velocity components. For the velocity components corresponding to three or more scanning angles, angle synthesis can be performed. Please refer to the relevant explanations above for clarification as well; an exhaustive list is not provided here.

[0064] It should be noted that the velocity components at different scanning angles can be obtained using the autocorrelation method.

[0065] The formula for calculating the velocity component can be found below:

[0066]

[0067]

[0068] in, This represents the velocity components calculated at different scanning angles (e.g., when there are two different angles, such as...). Figure 2 As shown, in the formula , and This represents the velocity components at two different scanning angles. Indicates the center frequency of the signal emitted by the probe. The PRF (Pulse Repetition Frequency) represents the emission frequency at the same scanning angle. N Indicates the number of launches. Indicates the first m The real part of the transmitted and received processed signal. Indicates the first m The imaginary part of the transmitted and received processed signal. It is the operator that takes the imaginary part. It is the operator for taking the real part. j It is the imaginary unit.

[0069] In one embodiment of this application, vector blood flow velocity can also be obtained based on a speckle-tracking vector blood flow imaging method. This can be achieved by summing absolute differences to calculate the vector blood flow velocity using speckle tracking. Furthermore, a more accurate vector blood flow velocity can be obtained by combining plane wave emission and speckle tracking.

[0070] In one embodiment of this application, vector blood flow velocity can also be obtained based on a vector blood flow imaging method using transverse wave oscillation. Specifically, longitudinal velocity is obtained using a conventional Doppler-based calculation method, transverse velocity is calculated using an ultrasound field that generates transverse oscillations and then calculated using an autocorrelation method, and finally, the transverse and longitudinal velocities are combined to obtain the vector blood flow velocity.

[0071] The aforementioned vector blood flow velocity has the same magnitude as the actual velocity of blood flow (such as red blood cells in blood flow), or more closely approximating the actual velocity of blood flow (such as red blood cells in blood flow); its direction is the same as the actual flow direction of blood flow (such as red blood cells in blood flow), or more closely approximating the actual flow direction of blood flow (such as red blood cells in blood flow); the direction of the vector blood flow velocity can be in the range of 0° to 360° within the imaging plane, and its direction can characterize the actual flow direction of blood flow.

[0072] For example, the processor 140 can also obtain an ultrasound echo signal based on the ultrasound echo; and obtain an ultrasound image of the target area based on the ultrasound echo signal. This ultrasound image can be a grayscale ultrasound image (B-image) representing blood vessels or other tissue structures, or a color Doppler ultrasound flow map (Color Doppler image) representing blood flow information. Signal processing methods for the ultrasound echo signal include, but are not limited to, beamforming, orthogonal demodulation, wall filtering, and color encoding. The ultrasound image obtained by the processor 140 can be stored in the memory 170. Furthermore, the ultrasound image can be displayed on the display 150. The wall filtering step in conventional color Doppler ultrasound processing can use conventional IIR or FIR filters to obtain a blood flow signal with a high signal-to-noise ratio, and then process the blood flow signal to calculate the blood flow velocity.

[0073] For example, vector blood flow velocity is represented on an ultrasound image by dynamic or static markers, wherein the orientation of the markers indicates the velocity direction of the vector blood flow velocity, and the size or transparency of the markers indicates the velocity magnitude of the vector blood flow velocity.

[0074] For example, representing vector blood flow velocity on ultrasound images with dynamic markers includes: dynamically updating the position of the markers on two adjacent ultrasound frames to create a flowing effect that changes over time, wherein the position of the markers represents the corresponding position of blood flow within the vascular tissue.

[0075] It should be noted that the dynamic display of vector blood flow can be presented by displaying dynamic markers on the ultrasound image. The specific implementation is as follows: First, the magnitude and direction of the vector blood flow velocity in the current frame are obtained. Then, some markers are randomly displayed in the ultrasound image of the vascular tissue. These markers can be symbols such as arrows, triangles, and circles. Based on the magnitude and direction of the vector blood flow velocity corresponding to the location of each marker in the current frame, combined with the time interval between two adjacent frames, the location of the marker in the next frame is calculated, and then the marker is displayed. This process is repeated, and displaying several frames together can visually present the effect of blood flow.

[0076] Optionally, the display 150 in the ultrasound imaging device 100 can be a touch screen, an LCD screen, or a separate display device such as an LCD screen or a television, independent of the ultrasound imaging device 100; or the display 150 can be the screen of an electronic device such as a smartphone or tablet, etc. The number of displays 150 can be one or more.

[0077] Optionally, the memory 170 in the ultrasound imaging device 100 can be a flash memory card, solid-state memory, hard disk, etc. It can be volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory, removable memory and / or non-removable memory, etc.

[0078] Optionally, the processor 140 in the ultrasound imaging device 100 can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. It can use circuits, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more general-purpose integrated circuits, one or more microprocessors, one or more programmable logic devices, or any combination of the foregoing circuits and / or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices, so that the processor 140 can perform the corresponding steps of the methods in the various embodiments of this specification.

[0079] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the illustrated ultrasound imaging device 100 are merely illustrative and may include more or fewer components. For example, the ultrasound imaging device 100 may also include input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, scroll wheel, trackball, etc., and / or may include output devices such as a printer. The corresponding external input / output ports may be wireless communication modules, wired communication modules, or a combination of both. External input / output ports may also be implemented based on bus protocols such as USB, CAN, and / or wired network protocols. This invention is not limited in this respect.

[0080] See Figure 1As shown, an embodiment of this application provides an ultrasound imaging device, comprising:

[0081] Ultrasonic probe 110;

[0082] The transmitting / receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe 110 to transmit an ultrasonic wave sequence to the scanning target and receive the ultrasonic echo to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal.

[0083] Processor 105, the processor being used to process the ultrasound echo signal to obtain tissue images and / or blood flow images of the scanned target;

[0084] Display 106, the display 106 being used to display the tissue image and / or blood flow image;

[0085] The processor is also used to execute the ultrasonic emission method or ultrasonic imaging method of any embodiment provided in this application.

[0086] In one embodiment, the transmitting / receiving circuit includes a transmitting circuit 101 and a receiving circuit 103.

[0087] This application provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to implement the ultrasonic emission method or ultrasonic imaging method of any embodiment provided in this application.

[0088] This application provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program applied to an ultrasound imaging device. When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the ultrasound emission method or ultrasound imaging method of any embodiment provided in this application.

[0089] This application provides a computer program product or computer program that includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the ultrasonic emission method or ultrasonic imaging method of any embodiment provided in this application.

[0090] The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” etc. (if present) in the specification and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments of this application described herein can be implemented, for example, in orders other than those illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having,” and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0091] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, and "more than" means two or more. "And / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent three cases: only A exists, only B exists, and both A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0092] It should be understood that in the description of the embodiments of this application, "multiple" means two or more, "greater than", "less than", "exceeding" etc. are understood to exclude the number itself, and "above", "below", "within" etc. are understood to include the number itself.

[0093] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The structure shown is for illustrative purposes only and may include more... Figure 1 The more or fewer components shown, or having the same Figure 1 The different configurations shown. Figure 1 The components shown can be implemented in hardware and / or software.

[0094] Ultrasound imaging, as a non-invasive medical imaging technology, plays an irreplaceable role in vascular disease screening and routine blood flow examination and diagnosis. Based on the Doppler principle, ultrasound blood flow imaging can provide information about the tissue condition and blood flow characteristics within the scanned area, thereby revealing whether there are any abnormalities in the tissue function of the scanned area. Traditional ultrasound blood flow imaging operates in a duplex mode, containing a color image of blood flow and a two-dimensional grayscale image of the tissue. In this duplex mode, blood flow imaging and tissue imaging are almost synchronous, but the ultrasound emission conditions for the two types of images are different. This is because blood flow imaging primarily focuses on sensitivity and display frame rate, while two-dimensional grayscale imaging primarily focuses on spatial resolution.

[0095] To achieve near-synchronous imaging, the ultrasound emission for blood flow imaging and grayscale imaging is alternated. This alternating emission method causes interference when switching between the two different ultrasound waves. Furthermore, because the echo signal of blood flow is extremely weak, typically only a few percent or even less than the echo signal intensity of tissue, the current blood flow imaging emission is easily affected by the previous frame's grayscale imaging emission when switching from grayscale imaging to blood flow imaging during the alternating emission process.

[0096] Based on this, embodiments of this application provide an ultrasonic emission method, an ultrasonic imaging method, and an ultrasonic imaging device. By increasing the emission voltage of a portion of the non-focused waves in the ultrasonic sequence, the interference caused by the echo of the focused wave to the emission of the non-focused waves is reduced, thereby improving the effect of ultrasonic blood flow imaging.

[0097] based on Figure 1 The ultrasonic imaging device shown uses the following ultrasonic wave emission method: Figure 3 As shown, the specific steps may include, but are not limited to, the following steps S100.

[0098] Step S100: Control the ultrasound probe to alternately emit multiple sets of first ultrasound sequences and second ultrasound sequences toward the scanning target. The first ultrasound sequence includes at least one focused wave, and the second ultrasound sequence includes multiple unfocused waves.

[0099] The emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in at least one set of second ultrasonic sequences is the first emission voltage, where N is a positive integer. The emission voltage of the remaining unfocused waves in at least one set of second ultrasonic sequences, excluding the first N unfocused waves, is the second emission voltage. The first emission voltage is greater than the second emission voltage.

[0100] The ultrasound probe of an ultrasound imaging device scans a target (e.g., organs, tissues, blood vessels, etc. in the human or animal body, not shown in the figure) by alternately emitting a first ultrasound sequence and a second ultrasound sequence. The first ultrasound sequence includes a focused wave for grayscale imaging of the tissue, and the second ultrasound sequence includes a non-focused wave for blood flow imaging. Since the first and second ultrasound sequences are emitted alternately, after emitting the first ultrasound sequence, the ultrasound probe then emits the second ultrasound sequence and receives the echo signals from both sequences. Based on the echo signal intensity in the current duplex mode, because the energy of the non-focused wave is more dispersed than that of the focused wave, the signal-to-noise ratio of the echo signal obtained by the ultrasound probe is relatively low. Therefore, the echo signal of the first ultrasound sequence used for grayscale imaging is much larger than the echo signal of the second ultrasound sequence used for blood flow imaging. The echo signal generated by the first ultrasound sequence may affect the echo signal generated by the second ultrasound sequence, thus interfering with the blood flow imaging process.

[0101] To avoid interference, various processing methods have been employed, but each has its own drawbacks. For example, traditional color ultrasound imaging incorporates a blank scan during ultrasound transmission, creating a time difference between the first and second ultrasound sequences. This means that blood flow imaging is not immediately transmitted after grayscale scanning, thus reducing interference caused by rapid switching of ultrasound signals. However, this method increases the idle time during the scanning process, leading to a decrease in the frame rate of the ultrasound image. Similarly, for vector blood flow imaging, the gain of the blood flow image can be adjusted or the transmission voltage can be increased. However, while reducing visible interference by decreasing the gain affects the fullness of blood flow, increasing the voltage cannot exceed current safety regulations for acoustic output, thus limiting the extent of voltage increases.

[0102] The embodiments of this application employ a non-uniform sound output method, which only increases the sound output of the emission that may be subject to interference, thereby changing the mutual interference between the first ultrasonic sequence and the second ultrasonic sequence, and the overall sound output does not increase significantly, which can meet the current safety regulations for sound output.

[0103] Specifically, an ultrasonic probe alternately generates a first ultrasonic wave sequence and a second ultrasonic wave sequence. The first ultrasonic wave sequence uses a focused wave, and the second ultrasonic wave sequence generated after the first ultrasonic wave sequence includes multiple unfocused waves. The first N unfocused waves use a first transmission voltage, and the other unfocused waves use a second transmission voltage, with the first transmission voltage being greater than the second transmission voltage. In this way, the signal strength of the echo signal of the unfocused waves using the first transmission voltage is increased, thereby reducing the influence of the echo signal of the focused wave in the first ultrasonic wave sequence on the echo signal of the unfocused waves using the first transmission voltage.

[0104] It is worth noting that, in order to obtain a more accurate blood flow motion state, in some cases, the emission angle of the unfocused wave can be adjusted. Based on the echo data of the unfocused wave at multiple different emission angles, multiple blood flow velocity components corresponding to multiple different emission angles can be obtained. By synthesizing these blood flow velocity components, a more accurate blood flow velocity vector, i.e., vector blood flow velocity, can be obtained.

[0105] Specifically, the transmission method of the second ultrasonic sequence in step S100 can be achieved through the following steps:

[0106] Step S200: Control the ultrasound probe to alternately emit multiple sets of first ultrasound sequences and second ultrasound sequences toward the scanning target. The first ultrasound sequence includes at least one focused wave, and the second ultrasound sequence includes multiple unfocused waves emitted along at least two emission angles.

[0107] In step S200 above, the second ultrasound sequence includes multiple non-focused waves emitted along at least two emission angles. In a set of second ultrasound sequences, the number of non-focused waves can be determined as needed (greater than or equal to two), and the emission angles of the non-focused waves can also be determined as needed (at least two directions). After one non-focused wave is emitted, an echo signal of that non-focused wave is obtained. Processing the echo signals of at least two non-focused waves at a certain emission angle yields the velocity components of the blood flow within the scanned target along that emission angle. Changing the emission angle of the non-focused waves allows for the acquisition of velocity components of the blood flow within the scanned target along different emission angles. Angle fitting of these velocity components yields the vector velocity of the blood flow within the scanned target, thereby constructing a complete and more accurate ultrasound vector blood flow image. In the vector blood flow image, the motion state of the blood flow within the scanned target can be more intuitively observed through the motion state of markers (e.g., arrows, triangle icons, etc.). In this embodiment, by controlling the emission delay of each element in the ultrasound probe, the emission angle can be changed, resulting in multiple non-focused waves with different emission angles in a set of second ultrasound sequences. For example, referring to... Figure 5As shown, the arrow pointing to the lower left represents the non-focused wave emitted along the first deflection angle, the arrow pointing vertically downward represents the non-focused wave emitted along the second deflection angle, and the arrow pointing to the lower right represents the non-focused wave emitted along the third deflection angle. The first deflection angle, the second deflection angle, and the third deflection angle are different, and the above deflection angles are relative to a certain emission angle. Therefore, in the actual operation of ultrasound scanning, the first deflection angle can be selected as the reference emission angle, and the second deflection angle and the third deflection angle can be obtained by adjusting relative to the reference emission angle.

[0108] For focused waves, multiple sets of echo signals from focused waves can be obtained to generate multiple frames of ultrasound grayscale images. These ultrasound grayscale images can display the tissue condition of the scanned target. By superimposing the ultrasound vector blood flow images obtained from multiple non-focused waves onto the ultrasound grayscale images, the tissue condition and blood flow motion of the scanned target can be observed simultaneously.

[0109] It is understood that the aforementioned non-focused waves can be plane waves or divergent waves. Although the beams of plane waves or divergent waves can cover almost the entire imaging area of ​​the ultrasound probe and the imaging frame rate is very high, neither plane waves nor divergent waves form a focal point inside the human body. The energy of the beams of plane waves or divergent waves is relatively dispersed, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the echo signal is relatively low. In contrast, due to its focusing characteristics, although only one or a few scan lines can be obtained in each scan, and a grayscale image of the tissue can only be synthesized after multiple transmissions, the signal-to-noise ratio of the echo signal of the focused wave is higher than that of the plane wave or divergent wave echo signal, which affects the reception of the plane wave or divergent wave echo signal. Therefore, using plane waves or divergent waves for blood flow imaging and alternately using focused waves for grayscale imaging is suitable for the ultrasound transmission method of this application embodiment.

[0110] As can be seen from the aforementioned ultrasonic emission method, increasing the emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence enhances the intensity of the echo signals of these unfocused waves and reduces the interference caused by the echo signals of focused waves adjacent to these unfocused waves. According to current safety regulations for acoustic output, the magnitudes of the first and second emission voltages cannot exceed a first safety threshold. This first safety threshold is determined by certain safety indicators in the basic safety indicators of acoustic output and the emission parameters corresponding to the unfocused waves. These safety indicators include the spatial peak time-averaged sound intensity safety indicator, the mechanical index safety indicator, and the thermal index safety indicator. Furthermore, during the alternating emission of multiple sets of the first and second ultrasonic sequences, the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe caused by the magnitude of the first and second emission voltages and / or the emission duration meets a preset requirement: the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe does not exceed the second safety threshold specified in the probe surface temperature safety indicator of the basic safety indicators for acoustic output.

[0111] In ultrasound imaging examinations, acoustic output must meet basic safety standards. These standards include: attenuated spatial-peak temporal-average intensity (ISPTA.3), mechanical index (MI), thermal index (TI, including TIS, TIB, and TIC), and probe surface temperature. The actual values ​​of these safety standards are determined by the ultrasound probe's emission voltage. In other words, assuming all emission parameters except the emission voltage remain constant, each safety standard determines an upper limit emission voltage for the ultrasound probe. Since all these safety standards must be met simultaneously in ultrasound imaging examinations, the lowest of the respective upper limit emission voltages is the final safe upper limit.

[0112] Due to the different properties of focused waves and non-focused waves, the upper limit of the transmission voltage that can be used for continuous transmission with focused waves and continuous transmission with non-focused waves under the above safety conditions is different.

[0113] In conventional focused wave transmission, the minimum emission intensity (MI) may determine the final upper limit of the transmission voltage. However, unfocused waves, being unfocused, theoretically allow for a significantly higher transmission voltage compared to conventional focused wave modes, at the same MI value. According to FDA standards (excluding ophthalmological examinations), the MI value should not exceed 1.9, but for unfocused waves, the MI value limit is generally not a bottleneck for increasing energy. Similarly, for Ispta.3 and TI, the energy of unfocused waves is more dispersed, and these values ​​are usually not bottlenecks for increasing energy. Compared to conventional focused waves, the upper limit of the voltage determined by Ispta.3, MI, and TI can be significantly increased when using unfocused waves. However, because unfocused waves use larger probe apertures, or even full-aperture transmission, this leads to a significant temperature rise on the probe surface. This is especially problematic for phased array probes used in cardiac imaging, where full-aperture transmission may be the primary issue to increase the scanning range. Therefore, although using non-focused wave emission can significantly increase the upper limit of voltage determined by Ispta.3, MI, and TI, the temperature rise of the probe surface may actually lower the final safe voltage limit.

[0114] In addition to controlling the emission voltage of the second ultrasonic sequence, the emission voltage of the first ultrasonic sequence also needs to comply with the safety regulations for acoustic output. For example, the emission voltage of the focused wave in the first ultrasonic sequence is the third emission voltage, and the magnitude of the third emission voltage does not exceed the third safety threshold. The third safety threshold is determined by some safety indicators in the basic safety indicators of acoustic output and the emission parameters corresponding to the focused wave. Furthermore, during the alternating emission of multiple sets of first and second ultrasonic sequences, the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe caused by the magnitude of the first, second, and third emission voltages and / or the emission duration meets the aforementioned preset requirements.

[0115] The transmission parameters of the first and second ultrasonic sequences described above may include at least one of the following: the number of transmission array elements, the focal position, the transmission frequency, and the length of the excitation signal. Adjusting these transmission parameters can change the transmission of focused and unfocused waves, ensuring that the transmission voltage requirements of the ultrasonic transmission method in this embodiment are met while simultaneously satisfying the safety regulations for acoustic output. It should be noted that the focal point of the divergent wave is behind the ultrasonic probe, equivalent to a virtual focal point, while a plane wave can be understood as having a focal point at infinity. There are various ways to adjust the transmission parameters; those skilled in the art can determine the adjustment method based on the actual scanning target, scanning time, and imaging quality, etc., which will not be listed here.

[0116] It is worth noting that, in the embodiments of this application, the first ultrasound sequence and the second ultrasound sequence can be divided in different ways. As follows: Figure 5 — Figure 10 As shown, thick solid arrows represent focused waves in the first ultrasonic sequence, thin solid arrows represent unfocused waves of the first transmitted voltage in the second ultrasonic sequence, and thin dashed arrows represent unfocused waves of the second transmitted voltage in the second ultrasonic sequence. Figures 5 to 10 The diagram illustrates the emission of ultrasonic waves in a specific time sequence. For unfocused waves, the arrows pointing downwards to the left, vertically downwards, and downwards to the right represent different emission angles, denoted as the first unfocused wave at the first emission angle, the second unfocused wave at the second emission angle, and the third unfocused wave at the third emission angle, respectively. Therefore, it can be known that in... Figures 5 to 10 Each group of unfocused waves includes the first unfocused wave, the second unfocused wave, and the third unfocused wave mentioned above.

[0117] In some cases, the ultrasound probe emits a first ultrasound sequence and a second ultrasound sequence in the following ways: Figure 5 As shown, the following first and second ultrasonic wave sequences are emitted sequentially:

[0118] First non-focused wave, second non-focused wave, third non-focused wave, focused wave, second non-focused wave, third non-focused wave, first non-focused wave, second non-focused wave, third non-focused wave, first non-focused wave, focused wave, third non-focused wave, first non-focused wave, second non-focused wave, third non-focused wave, first non-focused wave, second non-focused wave, focused wave...

[0119] In the above process, a focused wave can be considered as a first ultrasound sequence, and the unfocused waves between two adjacent focused waves form a second ultrasound sequence. The first unfocused wave in the second ultrasound sequence uses a first transmission voltage, while the other unfocused waves use a second transmission voltage. Each second ultrasound sequence contains two first unfocused waves, two second unfocused waves, and two third unfocused waves. Based on the echo data of two unfocused waves with the same transmission angle, a velocity component corresponding to one transmission angle is calculated. Based on the echo data of unfocused waves with three different transmission angles, three velocity components corresponding to three transmission angles are calculated. By fitting these three velocity components to their angles, the blood flow velocity vector, i.e., the vector blood flow velocity, is obtained. It is worth noting that the first unfocused wave in each of the two adjacent second ultrasound sequences uses different transmission directions, and the first unfocused wave in each of the three adjacent second ultrasound sequences represents the first, second, and third transmission angles, respectively. Furthermore, each second ultrasound sequence contains six unfocused waves, which can be considered as the first three unfocused waves forming one group and the last three forming another group, with each group containing three unfocused waves at different transmission angles.

[0120] Of course, the number of unfocused waves in the second ultrasound sequence must be at least two, but can be less than six. For example, with two emission angles, one set of second ultrasound sequences may contain a first unfocused wave at a first emission angle and a second unfocused wave at a second emission angle, and an adjacent set of second ultrasound sequences may also contain a first unfocused wave at a first emission angle and a second unfocused wave at a second emission angle. Alternatively, one set of second ultrasound sequences may contain two first unfocused waves at first emission angles, and an adjacent set of second ultrasound sequences may contain two second unfocused waves at second emission angles. The number of unfocused waves in the second ultrasound sequence can also be more than six. For example, with three emission angles, the number of unfocused waves in the second ultrasound sequence is a multiple of three. Figure 6 As shown, the second ultrasonic sequence includes multiple sets of unfocused waves, each set containing multiple unfocused waves, and the emission angles of each unfocused wave within each set are different. Furthermore, in the first ultrasonic sequence described above, the number of focused waves can also be multiple, such as... Figure 7 As shown.

[0121] The above Figure 5The first and second ultrasonic sequences can also be divided as follows: every three emissions from the ultrasonic probe form a emission group. Each emission group generally contains three unfocused waves at the first, second, and third emission angles, emitted using the second emission voltage. During actual emission, for some emission groups, one of the unfocused waves is replaced with a focused wave, and the unfocused wave following that focused wave is adjusted to use the first emission voltage. Figure 5 As shown, each two emission groups constitute one emission cycle. Within the cycle, a non-focused wave in the first emission group is replaced with a focused wave, while the second emission group remains unchanged. The non-focused waves replaced each time are, in sequence, the first, second, and third non-focused waves. Thus, within each cycle, because one non-focused wave is replaced, another non-focused wave with the same emission angle cannot use the echo data of the focused wave to calculate the velocity component of the blood flow at that emission angle. In this case, the echo data of the replaced non-focused wave can be obtained by interpolation between the ultrasound echo data of the corresponding non-focused wave in the preceding or subsequent emission groups and the ultrasound echo data of the corresponding non-focused wave in the following or subsequent emission groups. For example, Figure 5 The emission position of the second focused wave was originally intended to emit the second unfocused wave corresponding to the second emission angle of the fourth emission group. Therefore, the echo data of the replaced second unfocused wave in the fourth emission group can be obtained by interpolation from the echo data of the two second unfocused waves in the third and fifth emission groups. Using the echo data of the second unfocused wave in the third emission group and the echo data of the replaced second unfocused wave, or using the echo data of the replaced second unfocused wave and the echo data of the second unfocused wave in the fifth emission group, a blood flow velocity component along the second emission angle can be calculated.

[0122] From the above Figure 5 It is known that during the transmission of multiple sets of second ultrasonic sequences, the first unfocused wave of the currently transmitted second ultrasonic sequence has a different transmission angle than the first unfocused wave of the previous set of second ultrasonic sequences. Since the first unfocused wave uses the first transmission voltage, which is higher than the second transmission voltage, in order to avoid transmitting multiple times at the same transmission angle in a short period of time (which can easily cause excessive temperature rise of the same area of ​​human skin), the above three transmission angles are separated and cycled in a certain period. Each transmission at the same transmission angle of the first transmission voltage is separated by a relatively long period, thereby reducing the temperature rise of the probe surface.

[0123] It is understandable that the above Figure 5 The first ultrasound sequence may contain multiple focused waves; for example, the first ultrasound sequence may contain two focused waves. Figure 5The launch situation became as follows Figure 7 As shown.

[0124] It is understandable that in steps S100 and S200 above, the first N unfocused waves can actually be set to use the first transmission voltage, for example, when N=2. Figure 5 The launch situation became as follows Figure 8 As shown.

[0125] In some cases, the ultrasound probe emits a first ultrasound sequence and a second ultrasound sequence in the following ways: Figure 9 As shown, the following first and second ultrasonic wave sequences are emitted sequentially:

[0126] First non-focused wave, second non-focused wave, third non-focused wave, focused wave, first non-focused wave, second non-focused wave, third non-focused wave, focused wave, first non-focused wave, second non-focused wave, third non-focused wave, focused wave...

[0127] Figure 9 In the illustrated embodiment, a first ultrasound sequence and a second ultrasound sequence are emitted alternately. The first ultrasound sequence contains only one focused wave, while the second ultrasound sequence contains unfocused waves at three complete emission angles. The first unfocused wave in the second ultrasound sequence uses a first emission voltage, and the other two unfocused waves use a second emission voltage. Then, in two adjacent second ultrasound sequences, the velocity component of the blood flow along the corresponding emission angle is calculated based on the echo data of the two unfocused waves at the same emission angle.

[0128] Understandable Figure 9 The first ultrasound sequence can contain multiple focused waves, and the second ultrasound sequence can also contain a multiple of three unfocused waves. Figure 9 The launch situation became as follows Figure 10 As shown.

[0129] The above Figures 5 to 10 The above examples are merely illustrative of various transmission scenarios in this application and do not imply that this application can only perform ultrasonic wave transmission using the above methods. For other transmission methods, please refer to the above description. Figures 5 to 10 The launch methods are obtained, and will not be listed in detail here.

[0130] It is worth noting that the above Figures 5 to 10Both methods increase the emission voltage of the unfocused waves following the first ultrasonic sequence (i.e., using the first emission voltage) relative to the increase of the second emission voltage. However, in some cases, not all unfocused waves following the first ultrasonic sequence have their emission voltage increased. The emission voltage of the unfocused waves following the first ultrasonic sequence can be increased after a certain period of time (e.g., several emission cycles). The unfocused waves during this period of time can be emitted in the conventional emission mode (i.e., using the second emission voltage).

[0131] In the ultrasonic emission method provided in this application embodiment, the emission voltage of the unfocused waves of the second ultrasonic sequence is non-uniform. In particular, the emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence is higher than that of the subsequent unfocused waves. Since the last focused wave of the first ultrasonic sequence is immediately followed by the first N unfocused waves of the second ultrasonic sequence, the interference caused by the echo of the focused wave to the emission of the unfocused waves can be reduced by increasing the emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence, thereby improving the ultrasonic imaging effect. In addition, since only the emission voltage of some unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence is increased, the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe during the alternating emission of the first and second ultrasonic sequences can be controlled to meet the safety requirements. On the other hand, the second ultrasound sequence includes multiple unfocused waves along at least two emission angles. The projection components (i.e., velocity components) of the vector blood flow velocity at different emission angles are obtained from the echo data of the multiple unfocused waves along at least two emission angles, and thus the vector blood flow velocity can be obtained. Since the emission voltage of the multiple unfocused waves emitted at different emission angles is also non-uniform, the interference of the focused wave on the unfocused wave can be reduced. When the first ultrasound sequence and the second ultrasound sequence are alternately emitted towards the scanning target, high frame rate, low interference and meeting the safety index requirements of ultrasound blood flow imaging can be achieved, with better imaging effect.

[0132] Reference Figure 11 This application also provides an ultrasound imaging method, including but not limited to the following steps S310 to S360:

[0133] Step S310: Control the ultrasonic probe to emit an ultrasonic wave sequence toward the scanning target, wherein the ultrasonic wave emission method described above is used when emitting the ultrasonic wave sequence toward the scanning target.

[0134] Step S320: Receive the echo of the first ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the first ultrasonic echo signal;

[0135] Step S330: Receive the echo of the second ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the second ultrasonic echo signal;

[0136] Step S340: Obtain a blood flow image within the scanned target based on the second ultrasound echo signal;

[0137] Step S350: Obtain a tissue image of at least a portion of the scanned target based on the first ultrasound echo signal;

[0138] Step S360: Display blood flow images and tissue images.

[0139] The ultrasound imaging device performs ultrasound imaging on the scanned target by executing the aforementioned ultrasound emission method. In the process of alternately emitting the first ultrasound sequence and the second ultrasound sequence, the ultrasound probe also acquires the echo signals of the first ultrasound sequence and the second ultrasound sequence, that is, it acquires the first ultrasound echo signal and the second ultrasound echo signal respectively. The tissue image is obtained based on the first ultrasound echo signal, and the blood flow image is obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signal. The tissue image and the blood flow image are then superimposed and displayed.

[0140] The blood flow image has an imaging frame rate greater than 60Hz. The blood flow image can be displayed as a color Doppler blood flow map (using different colors to represent blood flow velocity) or a blood flow velocity vector map (using arrows to represent blood flow velocity vectors), or both color Doppler blood flow map and blood flow velocity vector map can be displayed simultaneously.

[0141] This application provides an electronic device, including a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, it implements the ultrasonic emission method as described in the above embodiments, or it is also used to execute the ultrasonic imaging method described in the above embodiments.

[0142] This application provides a computer storage medium storing a computer program applied to an ultrasound imaging device. When executed by a processor, the computer program implements the ultrasound emission method as described in the above embodiments, or it is also used to execute the ultrasound imaging method described in the above embodiments.

[0143] This application provides a computer program product or computer program that includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a computer device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the computer device to perform the ultrasonic emission method as described in the above embodiments, or further to perform the ultrasonic imaging method as described in the above embodiments.

[0144] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, or indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0145] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0146] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0147] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0148] It should also be understood that the various implementation methods provided in this application can be combined arbitrarily to achieve different technical effects.

[0149] The above provides a detailed description of the preferred embodiments of this application. However, this application is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Those skilled in the art can make various equivalent modifications or substitutions without departing from the spirit of this application. All such equivalent modifications or substitutions are included within the scope defined by the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting ultrasonic waves, characterized in that, The method includes: The ultrasound probe is controlled to alternately emit multiple sets of first ultrasound sequences and second ultrasound sequences toward the scanning target. The first ultrasound sequence includes at least one focused wave, and the second ultrasound sequence includes multiple unfocused waves emitted along at least two emission angles. The emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequence is the first emission voltage, where N is a positive integer, and the emission voltage of the remaining unfocused waves in the at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequence other than the first N unfocused waves is the second emission voltage, wherein the first emission voltage is greater than the second emission voltage. Wherein, the magnitudes of the first transmission voltage and the second transmission voltage do not exceed a first safety threshold, the first safety threshold being determined by a portion of the safety indicators in the basic safety indicators of acoustic output and the transmission parameters corresponding to the unfocused wave, the portion of the safety indicators including the spatial peak time-averaged sound intensity safety indicator, the mechanical index safety indicator, and the thermal index safety indicator; and during the alternating transmission of the multiple sets of first ultrasonic wave sequences and second ultrasonic wave sequences, the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe caused by the magnitudes of the first transmission voltage and the second transmission voltage and / or the transmission duration meets a preset requirement, the preset requirement being that the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe does not exceed the second safety threshold specified by the probe surface temperature safety indicator in the basic safety indicators of acoustic output.

2. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the transmission of the multiple sets of second ultrasonic sequences, the first unfocused wave of the currently transmitted second ultrasonic sequence has a different transmission angle than the first unfocused wave of the previous set of second ultrasonic sequences.

3. An ultrasonic emission method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second ultrasonic sequence includes multiple sets of unfocused waves, wherein each set of unfocused waves includes multiple unfocused waves and the emission angle of each unfocused wave in each set of unfocused waves is different.

4. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 3, characterized in that, Each group of unfocused waves includes a first unfocused wave, a second unfocused wave, and a third unfocused wave, wherein the emission angles of the first unfocused wave, the second unfocused wave, and the third unfocused wave are, in sequence, the first emission angle, the second emission angle, and the third emission angle.

5. An ultrasonic emission method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that... The non-focused wave includes a plane wave or a divergent wave.

6. An ultrasonic emission method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, In the at least one set of the second ultrasonic sequences, only the first non-focused wave has the first transmission voltage, and the transmission voltages of the remaining non-focused waves other than the first non-focused wave are the second transmission voltages.

7. An ultrasonic emission method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence following the first ultrasonic sequence in each group is the first emission voltage, and the emission voltage of the remaining unfocused waves other than the first N unfocused waves is the second emission voltage.

8. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 1, characterized in that... The emission voltage of the focused wave in the first ultrasonic sequence is a third emission voltage, the magnitude of which does not exceed a third safety threshold. The third safety threshold is determined by a portion of the safety indicators in the basic safety indicators of the acoustic output and the emission parameters corresponding to the focused wave. Furthermore, during the alternating emission of the multiple sets of first and second ultrasonic sequences, the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe caused by the magnitude and / or emission duration of the first, second, and third emission voltages meets the preset requirements.

9. An ultrasonic emission method according to claim 1 or 8, characterized in that... The transmission parameters include at least one of the following: the number of transmission array elements, the focal position, the transmission frequency, and the length of the excitation signal.

10. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 1, characterized in that, During the transmission of multiple sets of the second ultrasonic wave sequences, a first number of array elements of the ultrasonic probe are controlled to transmit the first N unfocused waves of the at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequences at the first transmission voltage, and a second number of array elements of the ultrasonic probe are controlled to transmit the remaining unfocused waves of the at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequences excluding the first N unfocused waves at the second transmission voltage, wherein the first number is less than the second number.

11. An ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: A sequence of ultrasonic waves is emitted toward a scanning target, wherein the ultrasonic wave emission method described in any one of claims 1 to 10 is used when the ultrasonic wave sequence is emitted toward the scanning target. Receive the echo of the first ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the first ultrasonic echo signal; Receive the echo of the second ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the second ultrasonic echo signal; The blood flow velocity vector within the scanned target is obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signal; A tissue image of at least a portion of the scanned target is obtained based on the first ultrasound echo signal; Display the blood flow velocity vector and the tissue image.

12. An ultrasonic emission method, characterized in that... The method includes: The ultrasound probe is controlled to alternately emit multiple sets of first ultrasound sequences and second ultrasound sequences toward the scanning target. The first ultrasound sequence includes at least one focused wave, and the second ultrasound sequence includes multiple unfocused waves. The emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequence is the first emission voltage, where N is a positive integer, and the emission voltage of the remaining unfocused waves in the at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequence other than the first N unfocused waves is the second emission voltage, wherein the first emission voltage is greater than the second emission voltage. Wherein, the magnitudes of the first transmission voltage and the second transmission voltage do not exceed a first safety threshold, the first safety threshold being determined by a portion of the safety indicators in the basic safety indicators of acoustic output and the transmission parameters corresponding to the unfocused wave, the portion of the safety indicators including the spatial peak time-averaged sound intensity safety indicator, the mechanical index safety indicator, and the thermal index safety indicator; and during the alternating transmission of the multiple sets of first ultrasonic wave sequences and second ultrasonic wave sequences, the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe caused by the magnitudes of the first transmission voltage and the second transmission voltage and / or the transmission duration meets a preset requirement, the preset requirement being that the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe does not exceed the second safety threshold specified by the probe surface temperature safety indicator in the basic safety indicators of acoustic output.

13. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 12, characterized in that... The non-focused wave includes a plane wave or a divergent wave.

14. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 12, characterized in that, In the at least one set of the second ultrasonic sequences, only the first non-focused wave has the first transmission voltage, and the transmission voltages of the remaining non-focused waves other than the first non-focused wave are the second transmission voltages.

15. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence following the first ultrasonic sequence in each group is the first emission voltage, and the emission voltage of the remaining unfocused waves other than the first N unfocused waves is the second emission voltage.

16. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 12, characterized in that, The emission voltage of the focused wave in the first ultrasonic sequence is a third emission voltage, the magnitude of which does not exceed a third safety threshold. The third safety threshold is determined by a portion of the safety indicators in the basic safety indicators of the acoustic output and the emission parameters corresponding to the focused wave. Furthermore, during the alternating emission of the multiple sets of first and second ultrasonic sequences, the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe caused by the magnitude and / or emission duration of the first, second, and third emission voltages meets the preset requirements.

17. An ultrasonic emission method according to claim 12 or 16, characterized in that, The transmission parameters include at least one of the following: the number of transmission array elements, the focal position, the transmission frequency, and the length of the excitation signal.

18. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 12, characterized in that, During the transmission of multiple sets of the second ultrasonic wave sequences, a first number of array elements of the ultrasonic probe are controlled to transmit the first N unfocused waves of the at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequences at the first transmission voltage, and a second number of array elements of the ultrasonic probe are controlled to transmit the remaining unfocused waves of the at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequences excluding the first N unfocused waves at the second transmission voltage, wherein the first number is less than the second number.

19. An ultrasonic emission method according to any one of claims 12 to 16, 18, characterized in that, Each group of the second ultrasonic sequences includes multiple unfocused waves. During the transmission of the multiple groups of the second ultrasonic sequences, the transmission angle of the currently transmitted unfocused wave is the same as or different from that of the previously transmitted unfocused wave, wherein the currently transmitted unfocused wave and the previously transmitted unfocused wave belong to the same group of the second ultrasonic sequences.

20. An ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: The ultrasonic wave sequence is emitted toward the scanning target, wherein the ultrasonic wave emission method described in any one of claims 12 to 19 is used when the ultrasonic wave sequence is emitted toward the scanning target. Receive the echo of the first ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the first ultrasonic echo signal; Receive the echo of the second ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the second ultrasonic echo signal; A blood flow image within the scanned target is obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signal; A tissue image of at least a portion of the scanned target is obtained based on the first ultrasound echo signal; The blood flow image and the tissue image are displayed.

21. A method for transmitting ultrasonic waves, characterized in that, The method includes: Multiple sets of first and second ultrasonic sequences are alternately emitted toward the scanning target. The first ultrasonic sequence includes at least one focused wave, and the second ultrasonic sequence includes multiple unfocused waves. The emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in at least one set of the second ultrasonic sequences is the first emission voltage, where N is a positive integer, and the emission voltage of the remaining unfocused waves in the at least one set of the second ultrasonic sequences other than the first N unfocused waves is the second emission voltage, wherein the first emission voltage is greater than the second emission voltage.

22. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 21, characterized in that... The non-focused wave includes a plane wave or a divergent wave.

23. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 21, characterized in that, In the at least one set of the second ultrasonic sequences, only the first non-focused wave has the first transmission voltage, and the transmission voltages of the remaining non-focused waves other than the first non-focused wave are the second transmission voltages.

24. The ultrasonic wave emission method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The emission voltage of the first N unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence following the first ultrasonic sequence in each group is the first emission voltage, and the emission voltage of the remaining unfocused waves other than the first N unfocused waves is the second emission voltage.

25. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 21, characterized in that, During the transmission of multiple sets of the second ultrasonic wave sequences, a first number of array elements of the ultrasonic probe are controlled to transmit the first N unfocused waves of the at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequences at the first transmission voltage, and a second number of array elements of the ultrasonic probe are controlled to transmit the remaining unfocused waves of the at least one set of the second ultrasonic wave sequences other than the first N unfocused waves at the second transmission voltage, wherein the first number is less than the second number.

26. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The second ultrasonic sequence comprises multiple unfocused waves emitted along at least two emission angles.

27. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 26, characterized in that, During the transmission of the multiple sets of second ultrasonic sequences, the first unfocused wave of the currently transmitted second ultrasonic sequence has a different transmission angle than the first unfocused wave of the previous set of second ultrasonic sequences.

28. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 26, characterized in that, The second ultrasonic sequence includes multiple sets of unfocused waves, wherein each set of unfocused waves includes multiple unfocused waves and the emission angle of each unfocused wave in each set of unfocused waves is different.

29. The ultrasonic emission method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The emission angles of the multiple unfocused waves in the second ultrasonic sequence are all the same.

30. An ultrasound imaging method, characterized in that, The method includes: The ultrasonic wave sequence is emitted toward the scanning target, wherein the ultrasonic wave emission method described in any one of claims 21 to 29 is used when the ultrasonic wave sequence is emitted toward the scanning target. Receive the echo of the first ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the first ultrasonic echo signal; Receive the echo of the second ultrasonic sequence returned by the scanned target to obtain the second ultrasonic echo signal; A blood flow image within the scanned target is obtained based on the second ultrasound echo signal; A tissue image of at least a portion of the scanned target is obtained based on the first ultrasound echo signal; The blood flow image and the tissue image are displayed.

31. The ultrasound imaging method according to claim 30, characterized in that, The imaging frame rate for obtaining the blood flow image is greater than 60Hz.

32. An ultrasound imaging method according to claim 30 or 31, characterized in that, The blood flow images include color Doppler blood flow maps and / or blood flow velocity vector maps.

33. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that, include: Ultrasonic probe; A transmitting / receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to transmit an ultrasonic wave sequence toward the scanning target and receive ultrasonic echoes to obtain ultrasonic echo signals. A processor for processing the ultrasound echo signal to obtain tissue images and / or blood flow images of the scanned target; A display for displaying the tissue images and / or blood flow images; The processor is also used to perform the ultrasonic emission method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, 12 to 19, and 21 to 29, or to perform the ultrasonic imaging method according to any one of claims 11, 20, and 30 to 32.

Images