A controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system and method

Abstract

This invention belongs to the field of shear wave ultrasonic testing technology, and discloses a shear wave ultrasonic testing system and method with a controllable source. The system divides the area to be tested into sub-blocks; transmits vibration energy to the area to be tested through the vibration of a controllable source, acquires vibration wave signals, and preprocesses these signals; generates acoustic radiation force through an ultrasonic excitation circuit to excite the medium to vibrate, generating shear waves that propagate in the area to be tested; transmits detection pulses to the area to be tested through an ultrasonic detection circuit and receives echoes; and processes the preprocessed vibration wave signals and the echo signals through a signal processing program to obtain the shear wave ultrasonic testing results. The shear wave ultrasonic testing system with a controllable source provided by this invention is lightweight, structurally sound, economical, and has a wide range of applications. It also boasts advantages such as good sealing performance, stable confining pressure, and accurate shear wave velocity data.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of shear wave ultrasonic testing technology, and particularly relates to a shear wave ultrasonic testing system and method with a controllable source. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, the non-invasive measurement of tissue stiffness using ultrasound elastography (SWE) has attracted widespread attention. It has been used in rehabilitation, sports medicine, and orthopedics to assess muscle stiffness. However, my country still lacks research and development in the field of shear wave elastography ultrasound diagnostic equipment. Currently, skeletal muscle injuries mainly rely on the experience of clinicians or on imaging examinations such as electromyography (EMG) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, ultrasound diagnostic equipment with elastography systems is expensive, limiting its clinical application. Especially in primary healthcare units, doctors lack clinical experience or large diagnostic equipment, making it difficult to diagnose and treat patients with skeletal muscle injuries during training in a timely and effective manner. This not only misses the optimal treatment window but may also lead to unnecessary additional medical expenses. Furthermore, during major natural disasters, with frequent large-scale injuries, how to quickly conduct early diagnosis of affected groups to prevent severe skeletal muscle necrosis and life-threatening situations is a pressing practical need that urgently needs to be addressed. External mechanical vibration, as an economical and effective alternative to shear wave induction, can effectively reduce the cost of shear wave ultrasound, enabling shear wave elastography to be used more widely.

[0003] Because the characteristic of a controllable seismic source is that its signal characteristics can be artificially controlled, and corresponding scanning signals can be designed to avoid interference signals, thereby improving the signal resolution, which is difficult to achieve with other artificial seismic sources. Therefore, using a controllable seismic source for ultrasound-assisted diagnostic examination can effectively simulate the form of shear wave ultrasound. It can not only be combined with existing B-mode ultrasound equipment, but also achieve miniaturization and improvement of shear wave ultrasound examination, which will help to further promote shear wave ultrasound. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention provides a controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system and method.

[0005] This invention is implemented as follows: a controllable source shear wave ultrasonic testing system, the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic testing system comprising:

[0006] The seismic source vibration module, connected to the central control module, is used to transmit vibration energy to the area to be detected through the vibration of a controllable seismic source and to acquire vibration wave signals.

[0007] The vibration wave processing module, connected to the central control module, is used to preprocess the acquired vibration wave signal through a vibration wave processing program.

[0008] The central control module is connected to the source vibration module, vibration wave processing module, ultrasonic detection module, and echo signal processing module. It is used to coordinate and control the normal operation of each module of the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system through the central processor.

[0009] The ultrasonic testing module, connected to the central control module, is used to transmit detection pulses to the area to be tested through the ultrasonic testing circuit and receive echoes, and then send the echo signals to the signal processing module.

[0010] The echo signal processing module, connected to the central control module, is used to process the preprocessed vibration wave signal and the echo signal through a signal processing program to obtain the shear wave ultrasonic detection result.

[0011] Furthermore, the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system also includes:

[0012] The region division module, connected to the central control module, is used to divide the region to be detected into sub-blocks through the region division program.

[0013] The central control module, connected to the region division module, shear wave acquisition module, data storage module, and update display module, is used to coordinate and control the normal operation of each module of the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system through the central processor.

[0014] The shear wave acquisition module, connected to the central control module, is used to generate acoustic radiation force through the ultrasonic excitation circuit, excite the medium to vibrate, and generate shear waves to propagate in the area to be detected.

[0015] The data storage module, connected to the central control module, is used to store the sub-block division data of the area to be detected, the vibration wave signal, the vibration wave processing result, the shear wave data, the echo signal, and the shear wave ultrasonic detection result through the cloud database server.

[0016] The update display module, connected to the central control module, is used to update and display real-time data on the sub-block division data of the area to be detected, vibration wave signals, vibration wave processing results, shear wave data, echo signals, and shear wave ultrasonic detection results.

[0017] Furthermore, the preprocessing of the vibration wave signal by the vibration wave processing module using the vibration wave processing program includes:

[0018] The original vibration wave signal data volume is acquired, and the original vibration wave signal data volume is supplemented with data according to a preset rule to obtain the second vibration wave signal data volume of the area to be detected.

[0019] The second vibration wave signal data volume is iteratively processed using the heat conduction transformation equation to obtain the low wavenumber noise depth domain vibration wave signal data volume of the region to be detected.

[0020] Furthermore, the step of processing the preprocessed vibration wave signal using a signal processing program via the echo signal processing module includes:

[0021] Construct a seismic wave processing model and determine the range of radial radii of the subdivision nodes and the radial radius of the subdivision nodes to which the seismic wave processing model is adapted.

[0022] Based on the radial radius of the partitioning nodes, the partitioning nodes, boundary points, weighting factors, and propagation angle of the seismic wave processing model are obtained using the fast node partitioning method.

[0023] Furthermore, the fast node decomposition method includes:

[0024]

[0025] Where r is the radial radius of the partition node, v is the vibration wave velocity, τ is the time step, and a j is the difference coefficient, k is the difference order, and j represents the number of grid cells from the difference center point.

[0026] Furthermore, the step of processing the echo signal using a signal processing program via the echo signal processing module includes:

[0027] A focused ultrasonic pulse is emitted toward the area to be detected by an ultrasonic detection circuit. The focused ultrasonic pulse generates an acoustic radiation force, which causes the acoustic radiation force to generate a shear wave within the area.

[0028] The propagation velocity of the shear wave is detected, and the change in elastic modulus of the region to be detected is determined based on the change in the propagation velocity of the shear wave and the pre-processed vibration wave signal.

[0029] The property changes of the region to be tested are determined based on the change in the elastic modulus, and the shear wave ultrasonic test results are obtained based on the property changes of the region to be tested.

[0030] Furthermore, determining the property change of the region to be detected based on the change in elastic modulus includes:

[0031] The propagation speed of the shear wave within a preset time is determined, and when the propagation speed of the shear wave is greater than a preset value, it is determined that the properties of the area to be detected have changed.

[0032] The preset time is 150–300 μs, and the preset value is 4–6 m / s.

[0033] Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer device comprising a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform the following steps:

[0034] The area to be tested is divided into sub-blocks; vibration energy is transmitted to the area to be tested through the vibration of a controllable vibration source to obtain vibration wave signals and preprocess the vibration wave signals; acoustic radiation force is generated through an ultrasonic excitation circuit to excite the medium to vibrate and generate shear waves that propagate in the area to be tested; detection pulses are emitted to the area to be tested through an ultrasonic detection circuit and echoes are received; the preprocessed vibration wave signals and the echo signals are processed by a signal processing program to obtain the shear wave ultrasonic detection results.

[0035] Another object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the following steps:

[0036] The area to be tested is divided into sub-blocks; vibration energy is transmitted to the area to be tested through the vibration of a controllable vibration source to obtain vibration wave signals and preprocess the vibration wave signals; acoustic radiation force is generated through an ultrasonic excitation circuit to excite the medium to vibrate and generate shear waves that propagate in the area to be tested; detection pulses are emitted to the area to be tested through an ultrasonic detection circuit and echoes are received; the preprocessed vibration wave signals and the echo signals are processed by a signal processing program to obtain the shear wave ultrasonic detection results.

[0037] Another objective of this invention is to provide an information data processing terminal for implementing the controllable vibration source shear wave ultrasonic detection system.

[0038] Based on the above technical solutions and the technical problems solved, the advantages and positive effects of the technical solution to be protected by this invention are as follows:

[0039] First, addressing the technical problems existing in the prior art and the difficulty in solving them, this paper closely analyzes, in conjunction with the technical solution to be protected by this invention and the results and data obtained during the research and development process, how the technical solution of this invention solves the technical problems, and the inventive technical effects brought about by solving these problems. The specific description is as follows:

[0040] The controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system provided by this invention adopts an excitation-vibration-detection working mode to perform shear wave ultrasonic detection on the area to be detected. Both excitation and detection use longitudinal waves, which can make the detected shear wave velocity data accurate and stable. It overcomes the shortcomings of traditional conventional seismic exploration methods, such as high cost, complex equipment operation and low accuracy. It has strong ease of use, practicality and accuracy.

[0041] Second, considering the technical solution as a whole or from a product perspective, the technical effects and advantages of the technical solution to be protected by this invention are specifically described as follows:

[0042] The controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system provided by this invention is lightweight, has a reasonable structure, is economical and effective, has a wide range of applications, and has advantages such as good sealing performance, stable confining pressure, and accurate shear wave velocity data. Attached Figure Description

[0043] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the embodiments of the present invention will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0044] Figure 1 This is a structural block diagram of the controllable vibration source shear wave ultrasonic detection system provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for preprocessing a vibration wave signal using a vibration wave processing module and a vibration wave processing program, provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for processing the echo signal using a signal processing program through an echo signal processing module, provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] The diagram shows: 1. Region division module; 2. Seismic source vibration module; 3. Seismic wave processing module; 4. Central control module; 5. Shear wave acquisition module; 6. Ultrasonic detection module; 7. Echo signal processing module; 8. Data storage module; 9. Update display module. Detailed Implementation

[0048] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this invention clearer, the invention will be further described in detail below with reference to embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the invention.

[0049] To address the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system and method, which will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] I. Explanatory and Illustrative Embodiments. To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand how the present invention is specifically implemented, this section provides an explanatory and illustrative description of the embodiments described in the claims.

[0051] like Figure 1 As shown, the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system provided in this embodiment of the invention includes:

[0052] The region division module 1 is connected to the central control module 4 and is used to divide the region to be detected into sub-blocks through the region division program.

[0053] The seismic source vibration module 2 is connected to the central control module 4 and is used to transmit vibration energy to the area to be detected through the vibration of the controllable seismic source and to acquire vibration wave signals.

[0054] The vibration wave processing module 3 is connected to the central control module 4 and is used to preprocess the acquired vibration wave signal through the vibration wave processing program.

[0055] The central control module 4 is connected to the area division module 1, the source vibration module 2, the vibration wave processing module 3, the shear wave acquisition module 5, the ultrasonic detection module 6, the echo signal processing module 7, the data storage module 8, and the update display module 9. It is used to coordinate and control the normal operation of each module of the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system through the central processor.

[0056] The shear wave acquisition module 5 is connected to the central control module 4 and is used to generate acoustic radiation force through the ultrasonic excitation circuit to excite the vibration of the medium and generate shear waves that propagate in the area to be detected.

[0057] The ultrasonic testing module 6 is connected to the central control module 4 and is used to transmit detection pulses to the area to be tested through the ultrasonic testing circuit and receive echoes, and send the echo signals to the signal processing module.

[0058] The echo signal processing module 7 is connected to the central control module 4 and is used to process the preprocessed vibration wave signal and the echo signal through a signal processing program to obtain the shear wave ultrasonic detection result.

[0059] The data storage module 8 is connected to the central control module 4 and is used to store the sub-block division data of the area to be detected, the vibration wave signal, the vibration wave processing result, the shear wave data, the echo signal and the shear wave ultrasonic detection result through the cloud database server.

[0060] The update display module 9, connected to the central control module 4, is used to update and display real-time data of the sub-block division data of the area to be detected, vibration wave signals, vibration wave processing results, shear wave data, echo signals, and shear wave ultrasonic detection results.

[0061] like Figure 2 As shown, the preprocessing of the vibration wave signal by the vibration wave processing module using the vibration wave processing program provided in this embodiment of the invention includes:

[0062] S101, acquire the original vibration wave signal data volume;

[0063] S102, the original vibration wave signal data body is supplemented with data according to a preset rule to obtain the second vibration wave signal data body of the area to be detected;

[0064] S103, the second vibration wave signal data volume is iteratively processed through the heat conduction transformation equation to obtain the low wavenumber noise depth domain vibration wave signal data volume of the area to be detected.

[0065] The present invention provides a method for processing pre-processed vibration wave signals using an echo signal processing module and a signal processing program, including:

[0066] Construct a seismic wave processing model and determine the range of radial radii of the subdivision nodes and the radial radius of the subdivision nodes to which the seismic wave processing model is adapted.

[0067] Based on the radial radius of the partitioning nodes, the partitioning nodes, boundary points, weighting factors, and propagation angle of the seismic wave processing model are obtained using the fast node partitioning method.

[0068] The fast node decomposition method provided in this embodiment of the invention includes:

[0069]

[0070] Where r is the radial radius of the partition node, v is the vibration wave velocity, τ is the time step, and a j is the difference coefficient, k is the difference order, and j represents the number of grid cells from the difference center point.

[0071] like Figure 3 As shown, the process of processing the echo signal using a signal processing program via an echo signal processing module, as provided in this embodiment of the invention, includes:

[0072] S201, a focused ultrasonic pulse is emitted toward the area to be detected by an ultrasonic detection circuit. The focused ultrasonic pulse generates acoustic radiation force, so that the acoustic radiation force generates shear waves within the area.

[0073] S202, detect the propagation speed of the shear wave, and determine the change in the elastic modulus of the region to be detected based on the change in the propagation speed of the shear wave and the pre-processed vibration wave signal.

[0074] S203, determine the property change of the area to be tested based on the change in elastic modulus, and obtain the shear wave ultrasonic test result based on the property change of the area to be tested.

[0075] The present invention provides for determining the property changes of the region to be detected based on the change in elastic modulus, including:

[0076] The propagation speed of the shear wave within a preset time is determined, and when the propagation speed of the shear wave is greater than a preset value, it is determined that the properties of the area to be detected have changed.

[0077] The preset time is 150–300 μs, and the preset value is 4–6 m / s.

[0078] II. Application Examples. To demonstrate the inventiveness and technical value of the present invention, this section provides application examples of the claimed technical solutions applied to specific products or related technologies.

[0079] An application embodiment of the present invention provides a computer device, the computer device including a memory and a processor, the memory storing a computer program, the computer program being executed by the processor causing the processor to perform the following steps:

[0080] The area to be tested is divided into sub-blocks; vibration energy is transmitted to the area to be tested through the vibration of a controllable vibration source to obtain vibration wave signals and preprocess the vibration wave signals; acoustic radiation force is generated through an ultrasonic excitation circuit to excite the medium to vibrate and generate shear waves that propagate in the area to be tested; detection pulses are emitted to the area to be tested through an ultrasonic detection circuit and echoes are received; the preprocessed vibration wave signals and the echo signals are processed by a signal processing program to obtain the shear wave ultrasonic detection results.

[0081] An application embodiment of the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the following steps:

[0082] The area to be tested is divided into sub-blocks; vibration energy is transmitted to the area to be tested through the vibration of a controllable vibration source to obtain vibration wave signals and preprocess the vibration wave signals; acoustic radiation force is generated through an ultrasonic excitation circuit to excite the medium to vibrate and generate shear waves that propagate in the area to be tested; detection pulses are emitted to the area to be tested through an ultrasonic detection circuit and echoes are received; the preprocessed vibration wave signals and the echo signals are processed by a signal processing program to obtain the shear wave ultrasonic detection results.

[0083] An application embodiment of the present invention provides an information data processing terminal, which is used to implement the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system.

[0084] It should be noted that embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of both. The hardware portion can be implemented using dedicated logic; the software portion can be stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system, such as a microprocessor or dedicated-design hardware. Those skilled in the art will understand that the above-described devices and methods can be implemented using computer-executable instructions and / or included in processor control code, for example, such code provided on a carrier medium such as a disk, CD, or DVD-ROM, a programmable memory such as read-only memory (firmware), or a data carrier such as an optical or electronic signal carrier. The devices and modules of the present invention can be implemented by hardware circuitry such as very large-scale integrated circuits or gate arrays, semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or programmable hardware devices such as field-programmable gate arrays, programmable logic devices, etc., or by software executed by various types of processors, or by a combination of the above-described hardware circuitry and software, such as firmware.

[0085] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in the present invention, and within the spirit and principles of the present invention, should be covered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A controllable source shear wave ultrasonic testing system, characterized in that, The controllable vibration source shear wave ultrasonic detection system includes: The seismic source vibration module, connected to the central control module, is used to transmit vibration energy to the area to be detected through the vibration of a controllable seismic source and to acquire vibration wave signals. The vibration wave processing module, connected to the central control module, is used to preprocess the acquired vibration wave signal through a vibration wave processing program. The central control module is connected to the source vibration module, the vibration wave processing module, the ultrasonic detection module, and the echo signal processing module. It is used to coordinate and control the normal operation of each module of the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system through the central processor. The ultrasonic testing module, connected to the central control module, is used to transmit detection pulses to the area to be tested through the ultrasonic testing circuit and receive echoes, and then send the echo signals to the signal processing module. The echo signal processing module, connected to the central control module, is used to process the preprocessed vibration wave signal and the echo signal through a signal processing program to obtain the shear wave ultrasonic detection result. The controllable vibration source shear wave ultrasonic detection system also includes: The region division module, connected to the central control module, is used to divide the region to be detected into sub-blocks through the region division program. The central control module, connected to the region division module, shear wave acquisition module, data storage module, and update display module, is used to coordinate and control the normal operation of each module of the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system through the central processor. The shear wave acquisition module, connected to the central control module, is used to generate acoustic radiation force through the ultrasonic excitation circuit, excite the medium to vibrate, and generate shear waves to propagate in the area to be detected. The data storage module, connected to the central control module, is used to store the sub-block division data of the area to be detected, the vibration wave signal, the vibration wave processing result, the shear wave data, the echo signal, and the shear wave ultrasonic detection result through the cloud database server. The updated display module is connected to the central control module and is used to update and display real-time data of the sub-block division data of the area to be detected, vibration wave signals, vibration wave processing results, shear wave data, echo signals, and shear wave ultrasonic detection results. The echo signal processing module uses a signal processing program to process the preprocessed vibration wave signal, including: Construct a seismic wave processing model and determine the range of radial radii of the subdivision nodes and the radial radius of the subdivision nodes to which the seismic wave processing model is adapted. Based on the radial radius of the partitioning nodes, the partitioning nodes, boundary points, weighting factors, and vibration wave field propagation angle of the seismic wave processing model are obtained using the fast node partitioning method. The fast node decomposition method includes: in, r The radial radius of the partition node. v For the velocity of the vibration wave, τ For time step, a j These are the difference coefficients. k It is the difference order. j This represents the number of grid cells from the center of the difference. The echo signal is processed by the echo signal processing module using a signal processing program, including: The ultrasonic detection circuit emits focused ultrasonic pulses toward the area to be detected. The focused ultrasonic pulses generate acoustic radiation force, which causes the acoustic radiation force to generate shear waves within the area. The propagation velocity of the shear wave is detected, and the change in elastic modulus of the region to be detected is determined based on the change in the propagation velocity of the shear wave and the pre-processed vibration wave signal. The property changes of the region to be tested are determined based on the change in elastic modulus, and the shear wave ultrasonic test results are obtained based on the property changes of the region to be tested. The step of determining the property change of the region to be detected based on the change in elastic modulus includes: The propagation speed of the shear wave within a preset time is determined, and when the propagation speed of the shear wave is greater than a preset value, it is determined that the properties of the area to be detected have changed. The preset time is 150–300 μs, and the preset value is 4–6 m / s.

2. The controllable vibration source shear wave ultrasonic detection system as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The preprocessing of the vibration wave signal by the vibration wave processing module using the vibration wave processing program includes: The original vibration wave signal data volume is acquired, and the original vibration wave signal data volume is supplemented with data according to a preset rule to obtain the second vibration wave signal data volume of the area to be detected. The second vibration wave signal data volume is iteratively processed using the heat conduction transformation equation to obtain the low wavenumber noise depth domain vibration wave signal data volume of the region to be detected.

3. A computer device, characterized in that, The computer device includes a memory and a processor. The memory stores a computer program, which, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to perform the detection steps of the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system as described in any one of claims 1 to 2.

4. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform the detection steps of the controllable source shear wave ultrasonic detection system as described in any one of claims 1 to 2.

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