A carotid ultrasound scanning method, device, equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The application relates to a carotid artery ultrasonic scanning method, device, equipment and storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: controlling an ultrasonic probe to adhere to the surface of a neck and move to search for the shallowest position of a carotid artery vascular image; taking the shallowest position of the carotid artery vascular image as a starting point, adjusting an ultrasonic depth parameter and the scanning contact force of a robot according to the vascular depth of the carotid artery vascular image in an ultrasonic image, and performing a preset length vascular scanning; according to the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery vascular image in the ultrasonic image in the preset length vascular scanning process, establishing the three-dimensional position of the vascular in the preset length vascular scanning process, and obtaining the vascular spatial position of the carotid artery vascular in a robot coordinate system; and after adjusting the relative position of the ultrasonic probe and the carotid artery vascular according to the vascular spatial position and the recorded robot pose in the preset length vascular scanning process, scanning along the direction of the carotid artery vascular. The scanning carotid artery is adaptively adjusted in the process of autonomously scanning the carotid artery by the ultrasonic robot.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ultrasound scanning technology, and in particular to a method, apparatus, device, and storage medium for carotid artery ultrasound scanning. Background Technology

[0002] Ultrasound imaging is a hospital imaging technique used to image organs and soft tissues in the human body.

[0003] In existing technologies, human ultrasound scanning can be performed using autonomous ultrasound robots, such as... Figure 4 As shown, an ultrasonic probe can be installed at the end of a multi-degree-of-freedom robot to perform ultrasonic scanning of the human body.

[0004] When using an autonomous ultrasound robot to scan the carotid arteries, the robot can place the ultrasound probe on the surface of the neck and perform the scan. However, individual differences exist, and the depth and direction of the carotid arteries vary. If the autonomous ultrasound robot only scans the neck area where the carotid arteries are typically located, the resulting ultrasound images may not show ideal locations or quality of the carotid arteries. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a carotid ultrasound scanning method that can be applied to autonomous ultrasound robots. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a carotid artery ultrasound scanning method, apparatus, device, and storage medium, with the aim of improving the quality of carotid artery images obtained by an autonomous ultrasound robot performing ultrasound scanning of the carotid artery.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present invention provide a carotid artery ultrasound scanning method, comprising:

[0007] If the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery, control the ultrasound probe to move against the surface of the neck to search for the shallowest location of the carotid artery in the image.

[0008] Starting from the shallowest point of the carotid artery image, the ultrasound depth parameters and the robot's scanning contact force are adjusted according to the depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image to perform a preset length of vascular scanning.

[0009] Based on the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image recorded during the preset length vascular scanning process, the three-dimensional position of the blood vessel during the preset length vascular scanning process is established, and the spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system is obtained.

[0010] Based on the spatial location of the blood vessels and the robot pose recorded during the pre-set length blood vessel scanning process, the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery is adjusted, and scanning is performed along the direction of the carotid artery.

[0011] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a carotid artery ultrasound scanning device, comprising:

[0012] The module for searching the shallowest location of a blood vessel image is used to control the ultrasound probe to move against the surface of the neck and search for the shallowest location of the carotid artery if the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery.

[0013] The preset length vascular scanning module is used to perform a preset length vascular scan, starting from the shallowest position of the carotid artery image and adjusting the ultrasound depth parameters and the robot's scanning contact force according to the vascular depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image.

[0014] The vascular spatial position determination module is used to establish the three-dimensional position of the vascular during the preset length vascular scanning process based on the robot pose recorded during the preset length vascular scanning process and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image, so as to obtain the vascular spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system.

[0015] The ultrasound probe adjustment module is used to adjust the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery based on the spatial position of the blood vessel and the robot pose recorded during the pre-set length blood vessel scanning process, and then scan along the direction of the carotid artery.

[0016] Thirdly, embodiments of the present invention provide an electronic device, including:

[0017] One or more processors;

[0018] Memory, used to store one or more programs;

[0019] When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the carotid ultrasound scanning method provided in any embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Fourthly, embodiments of the present invention provide a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer processor, are used to perform the carotid artery ultrasound scanning method provided in any embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] This invention provides a carotid artery ultrasound scanning method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. It uses the shallowest position of the carotid artery image as the starting point for a preset length of vascular scanning. Based on the robot's pose recorded during the scanning process and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image, it fits the spatial position of the blood vessel and adjusts the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery. This allows the ultrasound probe to scan the carotid artery in a more vertical orientation to obtain a cross-sectional image. This solves the problem of unsatisfactory carotid artery position and image quality in ultrasound images obtained by autonomous ultrasound robots scanning the neck region where the carotid artery is typically located. This improves the quality of carotid artery images obtained by autonomous ultrasound robots scanning the carotid artery. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a flowchart of a carotid artery ultrasound scanning method provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carotid artery ultrasound scanning device provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the autonomous ultrasonic robot in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the ultrasound probe translating to search for carotid artery vessels in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the depth of a carotid artery image in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the ultrasonic probe scanning path in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the invention and not intended to limit it. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, the accompanying drawings show only the parts relevant to the present invention, and not all of the structures.

[0030] Example 1

[0031] Figure 1This is a flowchart of a carotid artery ultrasound scanning method provided in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. This embodiment is applicable to situations where an autonomous ultrasound robot performs ultrasound scanning on a human body, specifically scanning the carotid arteries of a human body using an autonomous ultrasound robot. The method can be executed by a carotid artery ultrasound scanning device, which can be implemented by hardware and / or software and is generally integrated into an electronic device, such as an industrial control computer configured in an autonomous ultrasound robot. The method specifically includes:

[0032] Step 110: If the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery, control the ultrasound probe to move against the surface of the neck to search for the shallowest location of the carotid artery in the image.

[0033] In this process, to perform carotid artery ultrasound scanning, the robot's end-effector probe is placed near the carotid artery to be scanned to determine if the carotid artery is present in the ultrasound image. If the carotid artery is present in the ultrasound image, the probe is moved along the neck surface to locate the position where the carotid artery is most superficially visible in the ultrasound image. The superficialest carotid artery is defined as the area closest to the top edge of the ultrasound image during the search. Once the position of the probe at the superficialest carotid artery is found, its location is recorded.

[0034] Optionally, before controlling the ultrasound probe to move along the neck surface to search for the superficial location of the carotid artery if the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery, the method further includes:

[0035] Place the ultrasound probe near the carotid artery;

[0036] If the acquired ultrasound image does not contain the carotid artery, the ultrasound probe is controlled to move along the width of the probe to fit the neck and search for the carotid artery.

[0037] The process of placing the robot's end-effector probe near the carotid artery to be scanned can be achieved either by manually controlling the autonomous ultrasound robot to move the probe to the vicinity of the carotid artery, or by the robot automatically performing this task under visual guidance. If the carotid artery is not visible in the ultrasound image after the robot's end-effector probe is placed near the carotid artery, the probe is controlled to translate along its width to fit the neck and search for the carotid artery until it appears in the ultrasound image. For example, as... Figure 5 The image shows the process of searching for the carotid artery. Figure 5 The ultrasound probe on the left side of the middle is the initial position. The ultrasound image obtained from this position does not show the carotid artery. Subsequent scans... Figure 5 The three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system shown is translated along the Y-axis (i.e., the width direction of the ultrasound probe) to search for the carotid artery. Figure 5The ultrasound probe on the right side of the image is positioned to locate the carotid artery after translation.

[0038] Step 120: Starting from the shallowest position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image, adjust the ultrasound depth parameters and the robot's scanning contact force according to the depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image, and perform a preset length of vascular scanning.

[0039] The ultrasound depth parameter, measured in centimeters, is the depth value of the ultrasound image in ultrasound imaging medicine. It is determined by the pixel depth value of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image; the deeper the carotid artery is in the ultrasound image, the greater the adjustment required for the ultrasound depth parameter. The scanning contact force of the autonomous ultrasound robot scanning the carotid artery is determined by the pixel depth value of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image. The deeper the carotid artery, the greater the contact force between the autonomous ultrasound robot and the human neck. However, the scanning contact force will not exceed a comfort threshold. In preset-length vascular scanning, the ultrasound depth parameter and the robot's scanning contact force are adaptively adjusted according to the vascular depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image. The preset-length vascular scan is performed along... Figure 5 The preset distance for scanning along the X-axis is, for example, 2cm for vascular scanning. The preset length for vascular scanning is selected to establish the accuracy of the spatial position of the blood vessels. If it is too short, the reference error will be too large, and if it is too long, the scanning efficiency and quality will be affected. Therefore, an experimental value of 2cm is used. Of course, the preset length can be adjusted as needed.

[0040] Step 130: Based on the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image recorded during the preset length vascular scanning process, establish the three-dimensional position of the blood vessel during the preset length vascular scanning process, and obtain the spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system.

[0041] During the vascular scanning process of a preset length, the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image are recorded. The robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery are grouped together. Using each group of robot pose and carotid artery physical positions, the three-dimensional position of the blood vessel can be established. The three-dimensional position of the blood vessel is a series of three-dimensional position points in the carotid artery. The spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system can be obtained by fitting a series of three-dimensional position points.

[0042] Step 140: Based on the spatial location of the blood vessels and the robot pose recorded during the pre-set length blood vessel scanning process, adjust the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery, and then scan along the direction of the carotid artery.

[0043] After determining the spatial location of the blood vessel, the robot pose recorded during the pre-set length blood vessel scanning process is compared with the spatial location of the blood vessel to determine the relative angle between the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery. The relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery is adjusted so that the relative angle between the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery is such that the ultrasound scan slice is perpendicular to the carotid artery. Then, scanning is performed along the direction of the carotid artery, thereby completing the ultrasound scan of the carotid artery by the autonomous ultrasound robot.

[0044] This invention provides a carotid artery ultrasound scanning method, apparatus, device, and storage medium. It uses the shallowest position of the carotid artery image as the starting point for a preset length of vascular scanning. Based on the robot's pose recorded during the scanning process and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image, it fits the spatial position of the blood vessel and adjusts the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery. This allows the ultrasound probe to scan the carotid artery in a more vertical orientation to obtain a cross-sectional image. This solves the problem of unsatisfactory carotid artery position and image quality in ultrasound images obtained by autonomous ultrasound robots scanning the neck region where the carotid artery is typically located. This improves the quality of carotid artery images obtained by autonomous ultrasound robots scanning the carotid artery.

[0045] Optionally, controlling the movement of the ultrasound probe against the neck surface to search for the superficial location of the carotid artery in the image includes:

[0046] During the movement of the ultrasound probe driven by the robot, based on the robot's point-to-point motion prediction model, as the depth value of the carotid artery image decreases, the robot's motion trajectory is fitted according to the point where the robot's end probe contacts the human body to predict the next motion point. This prediction is repeated until the carotid artery image depth value reaches a minimum prediction trend point, which is taken as the shallowest position of the carotid artery image. The robot's point-to-point motion prediction model is set to be based on the quadratic exponential smoothing method, which uses the point where the robot's end probe contacts the human body to predict the trend of the neck surface.

[0047] The process involves the robot moving the ultrasound probe along the neck surface to search for the superficial location of the carotid artery in the image. Due to individual differences and the irregular curvature of the neck surface, the robot's end-effector's contact points with the body are used to predict the trend of the neck surface, establishing a robot point-motion prediction model. This model can be built using quadratic exponential smoothing. Quadratic exponential smoothing prediction:

[0048]

[0049] In the formula: P t (2) —The quadratic exponential smoothing value of the point where the robot's end-effector contacts the human body in the t-th cycle;

[0050] P t (1) —The first exponentially smoothed value of the point where the robot's end-effector contacts the human body in the t-th cycle;

[0051] —The quadratic exponential smoothing value of the point where the robot's end-effector contacts the human body in the (t-1)th cycle;

[0052] α — Weighting coefficient (also known as smoothing coefficient).

[0053] A robot-based motion prediction model is used for searching. After the ultrasound probe moves to its initial position, adjustments are made to center the blood vessel in the ultrasound image and ensure the probe is in contact with the body surface. During the robot's movement of the ultrasound probe and prediction of the next movement, the robot's motion trajectory is fitted multiple times using the points where the robot's end-probe contacts the body as the depth value of the carotid artery image decreases. This predicts the next movement point and executes the movement. This process is repeated until the point where H shows a minimum predictive trend is identified as the optimal starting point for the ultrasound probe to perform a pre-defined length of vascular scanning.

[0054] H = Min(P) Y -M Y )

[0055] like Figure 6 In the image, the depth value of the carotid artery is represented by H, and the center of the carotid artery is represented by M. Y The upper edge of the ultrasound image is represented by P. Y .

[0056] Optionally, the step of performing a preset length vascular scan, starting from the shallowest position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image and adjusting the ultrasound depth parameters and the robot's scanning contact force according to the vascular depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image, includes:

[0057] The depth of the carotid artery on ultrasound images is matched with multiple preset ranges of ultrasound depth parameters for the blood vessels.

[0058] Set the ultrasound depth parameter to the ultrasound depth parameter value corresponding to the preset vascular ultrasound depth parameter range that was successfully matched.

[0059] Match the depth of the carotid artery on the ultrasound image with multiple preset vascular scanning desired power ranges;

[0060] Set the contact force between the ultrasound probe and the human body to the desired scanning force corresponding to the preset vascular scanning desired force range that has been successfully matched;

[0061] Based on real-time ultrasound depth parameters and scanning contact force, a preset length of blood vessel is scanned.

[0062] The ultrasound depth parameter D is determined by the pixel depth value H of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image. The deeper the carotid artery is in the ultrasound image, the larger the image depth value needs to be adjusted.

[0063] D = 3.5 (H < 350);

[0064] D = 4.0(350) <H<500);

[0065] D = 5.0 (H > 500);

[0066] Similarly, the scanning contact force F of the autonomous ultrasound robot scanning the carotid artery is determined by the pixel depth value H of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image. The deeper the carotid artery is in the ultrasound image, the greater the scanning contact force, but it will not exceed the comfort force threshold; whereby...

[0067] F = 3N (H < 400);

[0068] F = 3 + (1.5 / 180) * (H - 400)N(400) <H<550);

[0069] F = 4.5 N (H > 550).

[0070] Optionally, the step of establishing the three-dimensional position of the blood vessel during the preset-length blood vessel scanning process based on the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image recorded during the preset-length blood vessel scanning process, and obtaining the spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system, includes:

[0071] During the vascular scanning process of a preset length, the robot pose and the physical location of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image are recorded at each scanning cycle point.

[0072] Based on the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image corresponding to each scanning cycle point, the corresponding three-dimensional position of the blood vessel is fitted, and the three-dimensional positions of the blood vessels at all scanning cycle points are integrated to obtain the spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system.

[0073] Optionally, the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery can be adjusted based on the spatial location of the blood vessel and the robot pose recorded during the vascular scanning process of a preset length, including:

[0074] The angle between the ultrasound probe and the spatial position of the blood vessel in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions is determined based on the robot's pose.

[0075] Control the rotation of the ultrasound probe around the Y-axis and / or Z-axis so that the ultrasound probe is perpendicular to the spatial position of the blood vessel.

[0076] Among them, such as Figure 7During carotid artery ultrasound scanning, the ultrasound probe should be aligned with the XYZ coordinate system of the robot's end effector. Figure 4 The X-axis movement scan (in the middle) constitutes Figure 7 The theoretical robotic probe path is shown; however, to center the carotid artery image within the entire ultrasound image, the actual scanning process will constitute... Figure 7 The actual robot probe path is shown. However, in the actual robot probe path, the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery will have angular deviations in the Y and / or Z directions. The ultrasound probe scanning slice cannot be perpendicular to the carotid artery, thus affecting the image quality of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image. Adjustments are made to the angular deviations in the Z and Y directions to correct these deviations. Figure 7 The orientation of the robot probe path after correction. If there is an angular deviation in the Y direction, adjust the Y direction, determine the angular deviation between the ultrasound probe and the spatial position of the blood vessel, and adjust the ultrasound probe to be vertical around the Y-axis; if there is an angular deviation in the Z direction, adjust the Z direction, and correct the scanning position deviation θ of the ultrasound probe around the Z-axis.

[0077]

[0078] After correcting for angular deviations in the Y and / or Z directions, the ultrasound probe scans along the carotid artery direction using the corrected robot probe path.

[0079] Example 2

[0080] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a carotid artery ultrasound scanning device provided in Embodiment 2 of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 2 As shown, the carotid artery ultrasound scanning device includes: a vessel image shallowest position search module 210, a preset length vessel scanning module 220, a vessel spatial position determination module 230, and an ultrasound probe adjustment module 240, wherein...

[0081] The blood vessel image shallowest position search module 210 is used to control the ultrasound probe to move against the neck surface to search for the shallowest position of the carotid artery if the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery.

[0082] The preset length vascular scanning module 220 is used to perform a preset length vascular scan, starting from the shallowest position of the carotid artery image and adjusting the ultrasound depth parameters and the robot's scanning contact force according to the vascular depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image.

[0083] The vascular spatial position determination module 230 is used to establish the three-dimensional position of the vascular during the preset length vascular scanning process based on the robot pose recorded during the preset length vascular scanning process and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image, so as to obtain the vascular spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system.

[0084] The ultrasound probe adjustment module 240 is used to adjust the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery based on the spatial position of the blood vessel and the robot pose recorded during the pre-set length blood vessel scanning process, and then scan along the direction of the carotid artery.

[0085] Optionally, the carotid artery ultrasound scanning device also includes:

[0086] The ultrasound probe shifting module is used to place the ultrasound probe near the carotid artery before controlling the movement of the ultrasound probe against the neck surface to search for the shallowest position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image if the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery.

[0087] The vessel search module is used to control the ultrasound probe to translate along the probe width direction to fit the neck and search for the carotid artery if the acquired ultrasound image does not contain the carotid artery.

[0088] Optionally, the vessel image shallowest location search module 210 is specifically used for:

[0089] During the movement of the ultrasound probe driven by the robot, based on the robot's point-to-point motion prediction model, as the depth value of the carotid artery image decreases, the robot's motion trajectory is fitted according to the point where the robot's end probe contacts the human body to predict the next motion point. This prediction is repeated until the carotid artery image depth value reaches a minimum prediction trend point, which is taken as the shallowest position of the carotid artery image. The robot's point-to-point motion prediction model is set to be based on the quadratic exponential smoothing method, which uses the point where the robot's end probe contacts the human body to predict the trend of the neck surface.

[0090] Optional, a preset length blood vessel scanning module 220, specifically used for:

[0091] The depth of the carotid artery on ultrasound images is matched with multiple preset ranges of ultrasound depth parameters for the blood vessels.

[0092] Set the ultrasound depth parameter to the ultrasound depth parameter value corresponding to the preset vascular ultrasound depth parameter range that was successfully matched.

[0093] Match the depth of the carotid artery on the ultrasound image with multiple preset vascular scanning desired power ranges;

[0094] Set the contact force between the ultrasound probe and the human body to the desired scanning force corresponding to the preset vascular scanning desired force range that has been successfully matched;

[0095] Based on real-time ultrasound depth parameters and scanning contact force, a preset length of blood vessel is scanned.

[0096] Optionally, the blood vessel spatial location determination module 230 is specifically used for:

[0097] During the vascular scanning process of a preset length, the robot pose and the physical location of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image are recorded at each scanning cycle point.

[0098] Based on the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image corresponding to each scanning cycle point, the corresponding three-dimensional position of the blood vessel is fitted, and the three-dimensional positions of the blood vessels at all scanning cycle points are integrated to obtain the spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system.

[0099] Optional, the ultrasound probe adjustment module 240 is specifically used for:

[0100] The angle between the ultrasound probe and the spatial position of the blood vessel in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions is determined based on the robot's pose.

[0101] Control the rotation of the ultrasound probe around the Y-axis and / or Z-axis so that the ultrasound probe is perpendicular to the spatial position of the blood vessel.

[0102] The carotid artery ultrasound scanning device provided in the embodiments of the present invention can perform the carotid artery ultrasound scanning method provided in any embodiment of the present invention, and has the corresponding functional modules and beneficial effects of performing the method.

[0103] Example 3

[0104] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in Embodiment 3 of the present invention, as shown below. Figure 3 As shown, the electronic device includes a processor 310, a memory 320, an input device 330, and an output device 340; the number of processors 310 in the electronic device can be one or more. Figure 3 Taking a processor 310 as an example; the processor 310, memory 320, input device 330, and output device 340 in the electronic device can be connected via a bus or other means. Figure 3 Taking the example of a connection between China and Israel via a bus.

[0105] The memory 320, as a computer-readable storage medium, can be used to store software programs, computer-executable programs, and modules, such as the program instructions / modules corresponding to the carotid artery ultrasound scanning method in this embodiment of the invention (e.g., the vessel image shallowest position search module 210, the preset length vessel scanning module 220, the vessel spatial position determination module 230, and the ultrasound probe adjustment module 240 in the carotid artery ultrasound scanning device). The processor 310 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device by running the software programs, instructions, and modules stored in the memory 320, thereby realizing the aforementioned carotid artery ultrasound scanning method.

[0106] The memory 320 may primarily include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system and at least one application program required for a given function; the data storage area may store data created based on terminal usage. Furthermore, the memory 320 may include high-speed random access memory and non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-volatile solid-state storage device. In some instances, the memory 320 may further include memory remotely located relative to the processor 310, which can be connected to the electronic device via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0107] Input device 330 can be used to receive input digital or character information, and to generate key signal inputs related to user settings and function control of the electronic device. Output device 340 may include display devices such as a display screen.

[0108] Example 4

[0109] Embodiment 4 of the present invention also provides a storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a computer processor, are used to perform a carotid artery ultrasound scanning method, including:

[0110] If the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery, control the ultrasound probe to move against the surface of the neck to search for the shallowest location of the carotid artery in the image.

[0111] Starting from the shallowest point of the carotid artery image, the ultrasound depth parameters and the robot's scanning contact force are adjusted according to the depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image to perform a preset length of vascular scanning.

[0112] Based on the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image recorded during the preset length vascular scanning process, the three-dimensional position of the blood vessel during the preset length vascular scanning process is established, and the spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system is obtained.

[0113] Based on the spatial location of the blood vessels and the robot pose recorded during the pre-set length blood vessel scanning process, the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery is adjusted, and scanning is performed along the direction of the carotid artery.

[0114] Of course, the computer-executable instructions provided in the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the method operations described above, but can also perform related operations in the carotid ultrasound scanning method provided in any embodiment of the present invention.

[0115] Based on the above description of the implementation methods, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the present invention can be implemented using software and necessary general-purpose hardware, and of course, it can also be implemented using hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, such as a computer floppy disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, hard disk, or optical disk, etc., including several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0116] It is worth noting that in the embodiments of the carotid artery ultrasound scanning device described above, the various units and modules included are only divided according to functional logic, but are not limited to the above division, as long as the corresponding functions can be achieved; in addition, the specific names of each functional unit are only for easy differentiation and are not used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0117] Although the present invention has been described in detail above with general descriptions, specific embodiments, and experiments, modifications or improvements can be made to it, which will be obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, all such modifications or improvements made without departing from the spirit of the present invention fall within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for carotid artery ultrasound scanning, characterized in that, include: If the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery, control the ultrasound probe to move against the surface of the neck to search for the shallowest location of the carotid artery in the image. Starting from the shallowest point of the carotid artery image, the ultrasound depth parameters and the robot's scanning contact force are adjusted according to the depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image to perform a preset length of vascular scanning. Based on the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image recorded during the preset length vascular scanning process, the three-dimensional position of the blood vessel during the preset length vascular scanning process is established, and the spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system is obtained. Based on the spatial location of the blood vessels and the robot pose recorded during the pre-set length blood vessel scanning process, the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery is adjusted, and scanning is performed along the direction of the carotid artery.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery, before controlling the ultrasound probe to move against the neck surface to search for the superficial location of the carotid artery in the image, the procedure also includes: Place the ultrasound probe near the carotid artery; If the acquired ultrasound image does not contain the carotid artery, the ultrasound probe is controlled to move along the width of the probe to fit the neck and search for the carotid artery.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method of controlling the ultrasound probe to move against the neck surface to search for the shallowest location of the carotid artery in the image includes: During the movement of the ultrasound probe driven by the robot, based on the robot's point-to-point motion prediction model, as the depth value of the carotid artery image decreases, the robot's motion trajectory is fitted according to the point where the robot's end probe contacts the human body to predict the next motion point. This prediction is repeated until the carotid artery image depth value reaches a minimum prediction trend point, which is taken as the shallowest position of the carotid artery image. The robot's point-to-point motion prediction model is set to be based on the quadratic exponential smoothing method, which uses the point where the robot's end probe contacts the human body to predict the trend of the neck surface.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The process begins at the shallowest point of the carotid artery image, and involves adjusting the ultrasound depth parameters and the robot's scanning contact force based on the depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image to perform a preset length of vascular scanning, including: The depth of the carotid artery on ultrasound images is matched with multiple preset ranges of ultrasound depth parameters for the blood vessels. Set the ultrasound depth parameter to the ultrasound depth parameter value corresponding to the preset vascular ultrasound depth parameter range that was successfully matched. Match the depth of the carotid artery on the ultrasound image with multiple preset vascular scanning desired power ranges; Set the contact force between the ultrasound probe and the human body to the desired scanning force corresponding to the preset vascular scanning desired force range that has been successfully matched; Based on real-time ultrasound depth parameters and scanning contact force, a preset length of blood vessel is scanned.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of establishing the three-dimensional position of the blood vessels during the preset-length blood vessel scanning process, based on the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image recorded during the preset-length blood vessel scanning process, and obtaining the spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system, includes: During the vascular scanning process of a preset length, the robot pose and the physical location of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image are recorded at each scanning cycle point. Based on the robot pose and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image corresponding to each scanning cycle point, the corresponding three-dimensional position of the blood vessel is fitted, and the three-dimensional positions of the blood vessels at all scanning cycle points are integrated to obtain the spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Based on the spatial location of the blood vessels and the robot pose recorded during the pre-set length vascular scan, the relative positions of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery are adjusted, including: The angle between the ultrasound probe and the spatial position of the blood vessel in the Y-axis and Z-axis directions is determined based on the robot's pose. Control the rotation of the ultrasound probe around the Y-axis and / or Z-axis so that the ultrasound probe is perpendicular to the spatial position of the blood vessel.

7. A carotid artery ultrasound scanning device, characterized in that, include: The module for searching the shallowest location of a blood vessel image is used to control the ultrasound probe to move against the surface of the neck and search for the shallowest location of the carotid artery if the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery. The preset length vascular scanning module is used to perform a preset length vascular scan, starting from the shallowest position of the carotid artery image and adjusting the ultrasound depth parameters and the robot's scanning contact force according to the vascular depth of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image. The vascular spatial position determination module is used to establish the three-dimensional position of the vascular during the preset length vascular scanning process based on the robot pose recorded during the preset length vascular scanning process and the physical position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image, so as to obtain the vascular spatial position of the carotid artery in the robot coordinate system. The ultrasound probe adjustment module is used to adjust the relative position of the ultrasound probe and the carotid artery based on the spatial position of the blood vessel and the robot pose recorded during the pre-set length blood vessel scanning process, and then scan along the direction of the carotid artery.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, Also includes: The ultrasound probe shifting module is used to place the ultrasound probe near the carotid artery before controlling the movement of the ultrasound probe against the neck surface to search for the shallowest position of the carotid artery in the ultrasound image if the ultrasound image contains the carotid artery. The vessel search module is used to control the ultrasound probe to translate along the probe width direction to fit the neck and search for the carotid artery if the acquired ultrasound image does not contain the carotid artery.

9. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; Memory, used to store one or more programs; When the one or more programs are executed by the one or more processors, the one or more processors implement the carotid artery ultrasound scanning method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

10. A storage medium containing computer-executable instructions, characterized in that, The computer-executable instructions, when executed by a computer processor, are used to perform the carotid artery ultrasound scanning method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

Images