Ultrasound color flow imaging method, apparatus, ultrasound device, and storage medium

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of medical imaging, and discloses an ultrasonic color blood flow imaging method and device, ultrasonic equipment and a storage medium, the method comprising the following steps: when the time length required for B mode and C mode to scan one frame respectively satisfies a preset condition, the target part is scanned by using the B mode to obtain a B frame image; after one frame of the B frame image is obtained, the target part is scanned by using the C mode to obtain a C frame image, wherein the C frame image is greater than or equal to two frames; and an ultrasonic color blood flow image is generated based on the B frame image and the C frame image. By using the B mode+C mode asynchronous scanning mode, that is, after one frame is scanned by using the B mode, two frames or more than two frames are scanned by using the C mode, the frame rate of the C mode scanning is improved, and the useful information is increased.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of medical imaging technology, specifically to ultrasound color blood flow imaging methods, devices, ultrasound equipment, and storage media. Background Technology

[0002] Color Doppler ultrasound imaging uses two-dimensional color images to characterize the velocity or energy of blood flow and is an important function of ultrasound diagnostic equipment. Conventional color Doppler imaging technology is based on the Doppler principle, analyzing the Doppler frequency shift of blood flow, calculating blood flow velocity and energy, performing color spectral mapping, and finally fusing it with a two-dimensional B-mode image. Color Doppler imaging requires separate B-mode and C-mode scans, resulting in long scan times and low frame rates. During C-mode scans, each location requires multiple re-emissions (typically 8-16), and to reduce C-mode scan time, the C-mode line density is usually very low. B-mode, on the other hand, requires higher resolution, therefore requiring a higher transmission line count.

[0003] There are two common methods to improve the frame rate of BC images: 1) After entering BC mode, reduce the number of lines in B mode, but this results in a significant loss of spatial resolution in the B image, especially when the C scan time is significantly longer than the B scan time, so the frame rate improvement is limited; 2) Perform inter-frame interpolation of the C image in the post-processing stage, which can improve the C display frame rate, but this only increases the perceived frame rate, and the actual effective information of the C image is not increased. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides an ultrasound color flow imaging method, apparatus, ultrasound equipment and storage medium to solve the problem that the actual frame rate of current ultrasound color flow imaging is difficult to improve.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides an ultrasound color flow imaging method, the method comprising:

[0006] When the time required for both B mode and C mode to scan one frame meets the preset conditions, B mode is used to scan the target area to obtain B frame images.

[0007] After acquiring one B-frame image, the target area is scanned using C mode to acquire C-frame images, where there are two or more C-frame images.

[0008] Ultrasound color blood flow images are generated based on B-frame and C-frame images.

[0009] In some alternative implementations, the method further includes, prior to scanning the target area in B-mode to obtain B-frame images:

[0010] Calculate the first time required to scan one frame in mode B and the second time required to scan one frame in mode C;

[0011] If the first duration is the same as the second duration, then it is confirmed that the duration required for each of modes B and C to scan one frame meets the preset conditions.

[0012] If the first duration and the second duration are not the same, calculate the first time difference between the first duration and the second duration. When the first time difference is less than the first preset threshold, confirm that the duration required for each of modes B and C to scan one frame meets the preset condition.

[0013] In some optional implementations, when the first time difference is less than a first preset threshold, the target area is scanned using B-mode to obtain B-frame images, including:

[0014] Determine the length of the first duration and the length of the second duration, and adjust the first duration according to the determination result to obtain the adjusted first duration, wherein the adjusted first duration is the same as the second duration;

[0015] Based on the adjusted first duration, the target area is scanned using mode B to obtain B-frame images.

[0016] In some optional implementations, calculating the first duration required to scan one frame in mode B and the second duration required to scan one frame in mode C includes:

[0017] The first duration required to scan one frame in mode B is calculated based on the current number of transmission lines in mode B and the transmission interval time per line in mode B.

[0018] The second duration required to scan one frame in C mode is calculated based on the number of packets in C mode, the number of transmission lines in each packet, and the transmission interval per line in C mode.

[0019] In some optional implementations, when the first time difference is less than a first preset threshold, the first duration is adjusted according to the judgment result to obtain an adjusted first duration, including:

[0020] If the first duration is greater than the second duration, then the quotient of the second duration and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to mode B is rounded down to the nearest integer to determine the target transmission line number in mode B.

[0021] Calculate the first product of the number of target transmission lines and the transmission interval time per line, and determine the first difference between the second duration and the first product as the first waiting duration, and take the sum of the first duration and the first waiting duration as the adjusted first duration;

[0022] If the first duration is less than the second duration, then calculate the second product of the current number of transmission lines in mode B and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to mode B, and determine the second difference between the second duration and the second product as the second waiting duration, and use the sum of the first duration and the second waiting duration as the adjusted first duration.

[0023] In some optional implementations, ultrasound color Doppler flow images are generated based on B-frame and C-frame images, including:

[0024] Acquire two C-frame images before and after the target B-frame image, where the target B-frame image is any frame among all the acquired B-frame images;

[0025] The target energy component is calculated based on the energy components corresponding to the two C-frame images respectively, and the target velocity component is calculated based on the velocity components corresponding to the two C-frame images respectively. The target energy component and the target velocity component are the energy component and velocity component corresponding to the missing C-frame image between the two C-frame images.

[0026] For each target C-frame image, the target C-frame image is fused with the adjacent B-frame image to obtain an ultrasound color flow image. The target C-frame image is any frame from all acquired C-frame images and all missing C-frame images, and the adjacent B-frame image is the latest B-frame image acquired before the target C-frame image.

[0027] In some optional implementations, the two C-frame images include a first C-frame image and a second C-frame image. The target velocity component is calculated based on the velocity components corresponding to the two C-frame images, including:

[0028] The first velocity component corresponding to the first C-frame image and the second velocity component corresponding to the second C-frame image are converted into data types to obtain the target first velocity component and the target second velocity component.

[0029] Calculate the absolute value of the difference between the target's first velocity component and the target's second velocity component;

[0030] If the absolute value is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold, then the first velocity component and the second velocity component are substituted into the preset function relationship to obtain the target velocity component;

[0031] If the absolute value is less than the second preset threshold, the average of the first velocity component and the second velocity component will be used as the target velocity component.

[0032] In a second aspect, the present invention provides an ultrasound color blood flow imaging device, the device comprising:

[0033] The B-mode scanning module is used to scan the target area in B-mode to obtain B-frame images when the time required for scanning one frame in both B-mode and C-mode meets the preset conditions.

[0034] The C-mode scanning module is used to scan the target area in C mode after acquiring one B-frame image to obtain C-frame images, wherein the C-frame images are greater than or equal to two frames.

[0035] The imaging module is used to generate ultrasound color blood flow images based on B-frame and C-frame images.

[0036] Thirdly, the present invention provides an ultrasound device, comprising: a memory and a processor, the memory and the processor being communicatively connected to each other, the memory storing computer instructions, and the processor executing the computer instructions to perform the ultrasound color flow imaging method of the first aspect or any corresponding embodiment described above.

[0037] Fourthly, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for causing a computer to perform the ultrasound color flow imaging method of the first aspect or any corresponding embodiment described above.

[0038] The ultrasound color Doppler imaging method, apparatus, ultrasound equipment, and storage medium provided in this embodiment improve the C-mode scanning frame rate and increase useful information by employing a B-mode + C-mode asynchronous scanning method. Specifically, after scanning one frame in B-mode, two or more frames are scanned in C-mode. Taking N=2 as an example, if the time required to scan one frame in B-mode is equal to the time required to scan one frame in C-mode, then compared to existing technologies, the C-mode image display frame rate can be doubled. Attached Figure Description

[0039] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a schematic flowchart of an ultrasound color blood flow imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a B-mode + C-mode scan according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of C-mode packet scanning according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figures 4a-4d This is a schematic diagram of B-frame inter-interpolation according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0044] Figure 5 This is a structural block diagram of an ultrasound color Doppler imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 6This is a structural block diagram of another ultrasound color flow imaging device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware structure of the ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0047] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0048] This invention provides an ultrasound color flow imaging method that improves the ultrasound color flow frame rate by adding C-mode scanning.

[0049] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an embodiment of an ultrasound color flow imaging method is provided. It should be noted that the steps shown in the flowchart in the accompanying drawings can be performed in an ultrasound device. Furthermore, although a logical order is shown in the flowchart, in some cases, the steps shown or described may be performed in a different order than that shown here.

[0050] This embodiment provides an ultrasound color flow imaging method, which can be used in the aforementioned ultrasound equipment. Figure 1 This is a flowchart of an ultrasound color flow imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the process includes the following steps:

[0051] Step S101: When the time required for B mode and C mode to scan one frame each meets the preset conditions, B mode is used to scan the target part to obtain B frame image.

[0052] Step S102: After acquiring a B-frame image, the target area is scanned using C mode to acquire a C-frame image, wherein the C-frame image is greater than or equal to two frames.

[0053] In other words, after scanning one frame using mode B, scanning N frames using mode C, where N is greater than or equal to 2; Figure 2 The scanning sequence shown is based on N=2 as an example;

[0054] The B-mode (Brightness Mode) scan is used to obtain a grayscale image reflecting the body's tissue structure, i.e., a black and white B-image (i.e., a B-frame image). The C-mode (Color Flow Imaging Mode) scan is used to obtain a C-image reflecting the distribution of blood flow within the body, i.e., a C-frame image.

[0055] Step S103: Generate an ultrasound color blood flow image based on the B-frame image and the C-frame image.

[0056] Specifically, B and C images are obtained by referring to existing related technologies, and the C image is superimposed on the B image to form the final ultrasound color blood flow image. In particular, the C image (velocity component, energy component, or a combination of both) is color-fused with the latest frame of the B image to obtain the BC image.

[0057] Because mode C has more retransmissions and fewer effective transmission line positions, while mode B has fewer retransmissions and more effective transmission line positions, the scanning time for modes B and C is often similar.

[0058] The ultrasound color Doppler flow imaging method provided in this embodiment improves the C-mode scanning frame rate and increases useful information by employing a B-mode + C-mode asynchronous scanning method. Specifically, after scanning one frame in B-mode, two or more frames are scanned in C-mode. Taking N=2 as an example, if the time required to scan one frame in B-mode is equal to the time required to scan one frame in C-mode, then compared to existing technologies, the C-mode image display frame rate can be doubled.

[0059] This embodiment provides an ultrasound color flow imaging method, which can be used in the aforementioned ultrasound equipment. Figure 1 This is a flowchart of an ultrasound color Doppler imaging method according to an embodiment of the present invention, which includes the following steps:

[0060] Step S201: Calculate the first duration required to scan one frame in mode B and the second duration required to scan one frame in mode C.

[0061] In some optional implementations, calculating the first duration required to scan one frame in mode B and the second duration required to scan one frame in mode C includes:

[0062] The first duration required to scan one frame in mode B is calculated based on the current number of transmission lines in mode B and the transmission interval time per line in mode B.

[0063] In other words, the first duration bFrameTime required to scan one frame in mode B can be calculated based on the number of B transmission lines bTxLineNum and the transmission interval per line bPRT: bFrameTime = bTxLineNum × bPRT.

[0064] The second duration required to scan one frame in C mode is calculated based on the number of packets in C mode, the number of transmission lines in each packet, and the transmission interval per line in C mode.

[0065] Please see Figure 3 The principle of sub-package scanning is:

[0066] The number of repetitions at each location is called the ensemble. The repetition frequency is called the PRF (Pressure Frequency), and different PRFs are used to measure different blood flow velocity ranges. Based on the PRF, the time interval between two adjacent scans at the same location can be obtained as cPRP = 1 / PRF. The time to complete one C-mode scan is called cPRT (i.e., the interval between each line of the C-mode scan), which is determined by the scan depth: cPRT = 2 * cScanDepth / velocity, where cScanDepth is the C-mode scan depth and velocity is the speed of ultrasound in the propagation medium. cPRP ≥ cPRT is required for a scan to be valid; otherwise, starting the next scan before the current scan is complete will cause scanning errors. Therefore, after completing one scan, a certain waiting time must be waited until the cPRP time is met before proceeding to the next scan. This waiting time is wasted. If the waiting time is sufficient, scans can be performed at other locations before the next repetition scan, until the PRP time is met before proceeding to the next repetition scan at the first location.

[0067] Based on the relationship between cPRT and cPRP, the number of scan lines that can be completed in the cPRP time is SweepSizeTx (an integer). The relationship is as follows: SweepSizeTx * cPRT + WaiteTime = cPRP. Since cPRP is not necessarily an integer multiple of cPRT, the waiting time WaiteTime needs to be added. Therefore, SweepSizeTx = floor(cPRP / cPRT), where floor(.) is for rounding down.

[0068] Each scan covers SweepSizeTx locations. Once the cPRP time is satisfied, the next scan is repeated until the Ensemble of repeated scans is completed, at which point one bag of scans is complete. Then, the next bag of scans is performed, and so on, until all scan line locations have been scanned repeatedly.

[0069] Number of packets (sub-packets) within the Region of Interest (ROI) (the target location in this embodiment). Where ceil is rounded up, cTxLineNum is the number of transmit lines in mode C, and SweepSizeTx is the number of transmit lines per packet.

[0070] The second duration required to scan one frame in C mode is cFrameTime = PacketNum × SweepSizeTx × cPRT, where PacketNum is the number of packets in C mode, SweepSizeTx is the number of transmission lines per packet, and cPRT is the transmission interval per line in C mode.

[0071] Step S202: If the first duration is the same as the second duration, then confirm that the duration required for each of modes B and C to scan one frame meets the preset conditions.

[0072] Step S203: If the first duration and the second duration are not the same, calculate the first time difference between the first duration and the second duration. When the first time difference is less than the first preset threshold, confirm that the duration required for each of modes B and C to scan one frame meets the preset condition. Here, the first time difference is an absolute value.

[0073] Step S204: When the time required for B mode and C mode to scan one frame each meets the preset conditions, B mode is used to scan the target area to obtain B frame image.

[0074] In some optional implementations, when the first time difference is less than a first preset threshold, the target area is scanned using B-mode to obtain B-frame images, including:

[0075] Determine the length of the first duration and the length of the second duration, and adjust the first duration according to the determination result to obtain the adjusted first duration, wherein the adjusted first duration is the same as the second duration;

[0076] Based on the adjusted first duration, the target area is scanned using mode B to obtain B-frame images.

[0077] In this embodiment, if the difference between the first duration and the second duration is not significant, the scanning time of mode B, i.e., the first duration, is adjusted to make the first duration equal to the second duration. This ensures that the time interval between each frame is constant, which is beneficial for subsequent image-based diagnosis.

[0078] In some optional implementations, when the first time difference is less than a first preset threshold, the first duration is adjusted according to the judgment result to obtain an adjusted first duration, including:

[0079] If the first duration is greater than the second duration, then the quotient of the second duration cFrameTime and the per-line transmission interval bPRT corresponding to mode B is rounded down to the nearest integer to determine the target number of transmission lines in mode B. The target number of transmission lines, i.e., the reduced number of transmission lines in mode B, is bTxLineNum = floor(cFrameTime / bPRT).

[0080] Calculate the first product of the number of target transmission lines and the transmission interval per line, and determine the first difference between the second duration and the first product as the first waiting duration. The sum of the first duration and the first waiting duration is taken as the adjusted first duration. The first waiting duration, i.e., the first difference, is bWaitTime1 = cFrameTime - bTxLineNum × bPRT

[0081] That is, if the first duration is greater than the second duration, the number of transmission lines in mode B is reduced and the first duration is recalculated; if the second duration is greater than the recalculated first duration after reducing the number of transmission lines, and the difference is less than the transmission interval per line in mode B, then a first waiting time is added to the recalculated first duration, and the first waiting time is equal to the difference.

[0082] In other optional implementations, when the first time difference is less than a first preset threshold, the first duration is adjusted according to the judgment result to obtain an adjusted first duration, including:

[0083] If the first duration is less than the second duration, then calculate the second product of the current number of transmission lines in mode B and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to mode B, and determine the second difference between the second duration and the second product as the second waiting duration, and use the sum of the first duration and the second waiting duration as the adjusted first duration.

[0084] In other words, if the first waiting time is less than the second waiting time, then a second waiting time is added to the first waiting time. The second waiting time is bWaitTime2 = cFrameTime - bTxLineNum × bPRT.

[0085] In this embodiment, although the number of transmission lines in mode B is reduced in some cases, resulting in a slight sacrifice of B image spatial resolution, the sacrifice is minimal. The first time required to scan one frame in mode B is slightly less than the second time required to scan one frame in mode C, so there is no need to sacrifice B image spatial resolution.

[0086] Step S205: After acquiring a B-frame image, the target area is scanned using C mode to acquire a C-frame image, wherein the C-frame image is greater than or equal to two frames.

[0087] In cases where the scanning times for Mode B and Mode C are different, in this embodiment, if the first time difference is greater than or equal to a first preset threshold, it is confirmed that the time required for each of Mode B and Mode C to scan one frame does not meet the preset condition. In this case, normal B+C interval scanning is used, i.e., Mode B scans one frame and then Mode C scans one frame. In other words, if the difference between the first and second durations is too large, the existing Mode B + Mode C interval scanning is used.

[0088] Step S206: Generate an ultrasound color blood flow image based on the B-frame image and the C-frame image.

[0089] In some optional implementations, ultrasound color Doppler flow images are generated based on B-frame and C-frame images, including:

[0090] Acquire two C-frame images before and after the target B-frame image, where the target B-frame image is any frame among all the acquired B-frame images;

[0091] The target energy component is calculated based on the energy components corresponding to the two C-frame images respectively, and the target velocity component is calculated based on the velocity components corresponding to the two C-frame images respectively. The target energy component and the target velocity component are the energy component and velocity component corresponding to the missing C-frame image between the two C-frame images.

[0092] Here, the target energy component can include the energy component at each location in the missing C-frame image. The energy components at each location in the missing C-frame image can be calculated based on the energy components at corresponding locations in the two C-frame images. The target velocity component is calculated similarly. The energy component (P) and velocity component (V) at corresponding locations in the two C-frame images can be calculated using the autocorrelation method, where the velocity component is quantized to the range of [-128, 127], using a signed integer int8.

[0093] For each target C-frame image, the target C-frame image is fused with the adjacent B-frame image to obtain an ultrasound color flow image. The target C-frame image is any frame from all acquired C-frame images and all missing C-frame images, and the adjacent B-frame image is the latest B-frame image acquired before the target C-frame image.

[0094] In this embodiment, through Figure 2 As shown in the example, mode B scans one frame, while mode C scans two or more frames continuously. However, the continuous scanning of C frames is interrupted by B frames, resulting in discontinuity in the C image. Therefore, inter-frame interpolation is required in the post-processing stage to fill in the missing C frame images and ensure a stable display frame rate for the C image.

[0095] In some optional implementations, the two C-frame images include a first C-frame image and a second C-frame image. The target velocity component is calculated based on the velocity components corresponding to the two C-frame images, including:

[0096] The first velocity component corresponding to the first C-frame image and the second velocity component corresponding to the second C-frame image are converted into data types to obtain the target first velocity component and the target second velocity component.

[0097] Calculate the absolute value of the difference between the target's first velocity component and the target's second velocity component;

[0098] If the absolute value is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold, then the first velocity component and the second velocity component are substituted into the preset function relationship to obtain the target velocity component;

[0099] If the absolute value is less than the second preset threshold, the average of the first velocity component and the second velocity component will be used as the target velocity component.

[0100] The formula for calculating the velocity component at each location in the missing C-frame image between two C-frame images is:

[0101] If Abs(int16(V1(i,j))-int16(V2(i,j)))>=128,

[0102] Then, V3(i,j)=shift(dist(V1(i,j),V2(i,j))*0.5,V2(i,j))

[0103] Otherwise, V3(i,j) = (V1(i,j) + V2(i,j)) / 2;

[0104] In this function, Abs(.) is the absolute value function, V2(i,j) and V1(i,j) are the velocity components at position (i,j) of two frames of color blood flow images, V3(i,j) is the velocity component at position (i,j) of a frame of color blood flow images between the two frames, int16(.) is the function to convert data into a 16-bit signed number, dist(.) is the function to calculate the distance between two points, i.e., circular subtraction; shift(.) is the function to calculate the offset between two points, i.e., circular addition.

[0105] Specifically, the blood flow velocities V1(i,j) and V2(i,j) of the two consecutive frames are directional vectors, quantized using 8-bit signed numbers. The sign of the value indicates the direction of the velocity: a positive sign indicates the blood flow velocity is towards the probe, and a negative sign indicates the blood flow velocity is away from the probe. If the blood flow velocity is too high and the PRF is too low, aliasing will occur: points with positive high velocity will appear as points with negative high velocity, or vice versa. Direct interpolation will turn points with positive and negative changes into very small values. Here, a circular calculation method is used. The difference in velocity between the two consecutive frames is used to determine whether there is aliasing. If the absolute value of the difference between V1(i,j) and V2(i,j) is greater than a threshold, it is considered an aliasing point, and interpolation is performed according to the circular calculation method; otherwise, interpolation is performed using the conventional method. The circular calculation uses dist(.) for difference and shif(.) for summation.

[0106] 1) dist(.): First calculate the difference between V1(i,j) and V2(i,j). If the difference is greater than 128, subtract 256 from the difference; if the difference is less than -128, add 256 to the difference.

[0107] 2)shif(.): First calculate the sum of V1(i,j) and V2(i,j). If the sum is greater than 128, subtract 256 from the sum; if the sum is less than -128, add 256 to the difference.

[0108] 3) Circular interpolation method: shift(dis(V1,V2)*coef,V2), where coef is the interpolation coefficient.

[0109] In this embodiment, the V component has direction. Considering the aliasing situation, direct interpolation is not possible, and the principle of vector calculation is adopted.

[0110] Additionally, regarding P-component interpolation: For each position (i,j), the energy components of the two frames of image C before and after scan B are P2(i,j) and P1(i,j), respectively. Linear interpolation is used to obtain the energy value P3(i,j) at the intermediate time. The calculation method is as follows:

[0111] P3(i,j)=(P1(i,j)+P2(i,j)) / 2.

[0112] In this embodiment, the time interval between each frame scan between B mode and C mode is denoted as T. After inter-frame interpolation of C image is performed, the display frame rate of C image is cFrameRate = 1 / T.

[0113] Let T be the time interval between each frame scan between modes B and C. The time interval between two B frames is (N+1)*T. Since the frame rate of B images is lower than that of C images, to maintain the same frame rate for both B and C, linear interpolation can be used to calculate the number of intermediate B frames. Two consecutive B frames are designated B1 and B2, and N B frames are inserted in between. The calculation method for the nth B frame is as follows:

[0114] B_n=(B2-B1)*n / (N+1)+B1.

[0115] For example, please see Figures 4a-4d The diagram shown is an illustration of inter-frame interpolation in image B. Figure 4a This is the previous frame, image B. Figure 4d For the next frame B image, Figure 4b and Figure 4c For intermediate interpolated frames.

[0116] In this embodiment, after performing inter-frame interpolation on the B image, the display frame rate of the B image is bFrameRate = 1 / T. If no inter-frame interpolation is performed, bFrameRate = 1 / ((N+1)*T).

[0117] Interpolation between B and C images is not limited to the linear interpolation methods mentioned above; nonlinear interpolation methods can also be used. The data used for interpolation is not limited to the data of two consecutive frames; it can also be the data of more than two consecutive frames.

[0118] This embodiment also provides an ultrasound color Doppler imaging device for implementing the above embodiments and preferred embodiments; details already described will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" can refer to a combination of software and / or hardware that performs a predetermined function. Although the device described in the following embodiments is preferably implemented in software, hardware implementation, or a combination of software and hardware, is also possible and contemplated.

[0119] This embodiment provides an ultrasound color Doppler imaging device, such as Figure 5 As shown, it includes:

[0120] The B-mode scanning module 501 is used to scan the target area using B-mode to obtain a B-frame image when the time required for scanning one frame by both B-mode and C-mode meets the preset conditions.

[0121] The C-mode scanning module 502 is used to scan the target area in C mode after acquiring a B-frame image to obtain a C-frame image, wherein the C-frame image is greater than or equal to two frames.

[0122] Imaging module 503 is used to generate ultrasound color blood flow images based on B-frame and C-frame images.

[0123] In some alternative implementations, please refer to Figure 6 The device also includes:

[0124] The calculation module 50a is used to calculate the first duration required to scan one frame in mode B and the second duration required to scan one frame in mode C.

[0125] The first confirmation module 50b is used to confirm that the time required for each of the B mode and the C mode to scan one frame meets the preset conditions if the first duration is the same as the second duration.

[0126] The second confirmation module 50c is used to calculate the first time difference between the first time and the second time if the first time and the second time are not the same. When the first time difference is less than the first preset threshold, it confirms that the time required for each of the B mode and the C mode to scan one frame meets the preset condition.

[0127] In some alternative implementations, please refer to Figure 6 The B-mode scanning module 501 includes:

[0128] An adjustment unit is used to determine the size of the first duration and the second duration, and adjust the first duration according to the determination result to obtain the adjusted first duration, wherein the adjusted first duration is the same as the second duration;

[0129] The scanning unit is used to scan the target area using B mode based on the adjusted first duration to obtain B-frame images.

[0130] In some alternative implementations, please refer to Figure 6 The calculation module 50a includes:

[0131] The first calculation unit is used to calculate the first duration required to scan one frame in mode B based on the current number of transmission lines in mode B and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to mode B.

[0132] The second calculation unit is used to calculate the second duration required to scan one frame in C mode based on the number of packets in C mode, the number of transmission lines in each packet, and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to C mode.

[0133] In some optional implementations, the adjustment unit includes:

[0134] The first adjustment subunit is configured to, if the first duration is greater than the second duration, determine the target number of transmission lines in mode B by rounding down the quotient of the second duration and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to mode B; calculate the first product of the target number of transmission lines and the transmission interval time per line, determine the first difference between the second duration and the first product as the first waiting duration, and use the sum of the first duration and the first waiting duration as the adjusted first duration;

[0135] The second adjustment subunit is used to calculate the second product of the current number of transmission lines in mode B and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to mode B if the first duration is less than the second duration, and to determine the second difference between the second duration and the second product as the second waiting duration, and to take the sum of the first duration and the second waiting duration as the adjusted first duration.

[0136] In some alternative implementations, please refer to Figure 6 The imaging module 503 includes:

[0137] The acquisition unit is used to acquire two C-frame images before and after the target B-frame image, wherein the target B-frame image is any frame among all the acquired B-frame images;

[0138] The third calculation unit is used to calculate the target energy component based on the energy components corresponding to the two C-frame images respectively, and to calculate the target velocity component based on the velocity components corresponding to the two C-frame images respectively. The target energy component and the target velocity component are the energy component and velocity component corresponding to the missing C-frame image between the two C-frame images.

[0139] The fusion unit is used to fuse each target C-frame image with an adjacent B-frame image to obtain an ultrasound color blood flow image. The target C-frame image is any frame among all acquired C-frame images and all missing C-frame images, and the adjacent B-frame image is the latest B-frame image acquired before the target C-frame image.

[0140] In some alternative implementations, the third computing unit includes:

[0141] The conversion subunit is used to convert the data type of the first velocity component corresponding to the first C-frame image and the second velocity component corresponding to the second C-frame image to obtain the target first velocity component and the target second velocity component.

[0142] The difference calculation subunit is used to calculate the absolute value of the difference between the first velocity component and the second velocity component of the target.

[0143] The first velocity component calculation subunit is used to substitute the first velocity component and the second velocity component into a preset function relationship to obtain the target velocity component if the absolute value is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold.

[0144] The second velocity component calculation subunit is used to take the average of the first velocity component and the second velocity component as the target velocity component if the absolute value is less than the second preset threshold.

[0145] Further functional descriptions of the above modules and units are the same as those in the corresponding embodiments described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0146] In this embodiment, the ultrasound color blood flow imaging device is presented in the form of a functional unit. Here, a unit refers to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) circuit, a processor and memory that execute one or more software or fixed programs, and / or other devices that can provide the above functions.

[0147] This invention also provides an ultrasonic device having the above-described features. Figure 5 or Figure 6 The ultrasound color Doppler imaging device shown.

[0148] Please see Figure 7 , Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ultrasonic device provided in an optional embodiment of the present invention, such as... Figure 7As shown, the ultrasound device includes one or more processors 10, a memory 20, and interfaces for connecting the various components, including high-speed interfaces and low-speed interfaces. The various components communicate with each other via different buses and can be mounted on a common motherboard or otherwise installed as needed. The processors can process instructions executed within the ultrasound device, including instructions stored in or on memory to display graphical information of a GUI on external input / output devices (such as display devices coupled to the interfaces). In some alternative embodiments, multiple processors and / or multiple buses can be used with multiple memories and multiple memory modules, if desired. Figure 7 Take a processor 10 as an example.

[0149] Processor 10 may be a central processing unit, a network processor, or a combination thereof. Processor 10 may further include a hardware chip. The hardware chip may be an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a programmable logic device (PLD), or a combination thereof. The programmable logic device may be a complex programmable logic device (CAMP), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a general-purpose array logic (GDA), or any combination thereof.

[0150] The memory 20 stores instructions executable by at least one processor 10 to cause at least one processor 10 to perform the method shown in the above embodiments.

[0151] The memory 20 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. The program storage area may store the operating system and applications required for at least one function; the data storage area may store data created based on the use of the ultrasound device. Furthermore, the memory 20 may include high-speed random access memory and may also include non-transitory memory, such as at least one disk storage device, flash memory device, or other non-transitory solid-state storage device. In some alternative embodiments, the memory 20 may optionally include memory remotely located relative to the processor 10, and these remote memories may be connected to the ultrasound device via a network. Examples of such networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, corporate intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

[0152] The memory 20 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory; the memory may also include non-volatile memory, such as flash memory, hard disk or solid-state drive; the memory 20 may also include a combination of the above types of memory.

[0153] The ultrasound device also includes an input device 30 and an output device 40. The processor 10, memory 20, input device 30, and output device 40 can be connected via a bus or other means. Figure 7 Taking the example of a connection between China and Israel via a bus.

[0154] Input device 30 can receive input digital or character information, and generate key signal inputs related to user settings and function control of the ultrasound device, such as a touch screen, keypad, mouse, trackpad, touchpad, indicator, one or more mouse buttons, trackball, joystick, etc. Output device 40 may include display devices, auxiliary lighting devices (e.g., LEDs), and haptic feedback devices (e.g., vibration motors). The aforementioned display devices include, but are not limited to, liquid crystal displays, light-emitting diodes, displays, and plasma displays. In some alternative embodiments, the display device may be a touch screen.

[0155] The ultrasound device also includes a communication interface for communicating with other devices or communication networks.

[0156] This invention also provides a computer-readable storage medium. The methods described above according to embodiments of the invention can be implemented in hardware or firmware, or implemented as computer code that can be recorded on a storage medium, or implemented as computer code downloaded via a network and originally stored on a remote storage medium or a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and then stored on a local storage medium. Thus, the methods described herein can be processed by software stored on a storage medium using a general-purpose computer, a dedicated processor, or programmable or dedicated hardware. The storage medium can be a magnetic disk, optical disk, read-only memory, random access memory, flash memory, hard disk, or solid-state drive, etc.; further, the storage medium can also include combinations of the above types of memory. It is understood that computers, processors, microprocessor controllers, or programmable hardware include storage components capable of storing or receiving software or computer code, which, when accessed and executed by the computer, processor, or hardware, implements the methods shown in the above embodiments.

[0157] Although embodiments of the invention have been described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and all such modifications and variations fall within the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for ultrasound color Doppler imaging, characterized in that, The method includes: When the time required for both B mode and C mode to scan one frame meets the preset conditions, the target area is scanned using the B mode to obtain the B frame image. After acquiring one frame of the B-frame image, the target area is scanned using the C mode to acquire C-frame images, wherein the C-frame images are greater than or equal to two frames. An ultrasound color Doppler blood flow image is generated based on the B-frame image and the C-frame image; If the time required for B mode and C mode to scan one frame does not meet the preset condition, then B mode scans one frame and then C mode scans one frame. The method further includes the following steps before scanning the target area in B-mode to obtain B-frame images: Calculate the first time required to scan one frame in mode B and the second time required to scan one frame in mode C; If the first duration is the same as the second duration, then it is confirmed that the duration required for each of the B mode and the C mode to scan one frame meets the preset condition. If the first duration and the second duration are not the same, then calculate the first time difference between the first duration and the second duration. When the first time difference is less than the first preset threshold, confirm that the duration required for the B mode and the C mode to scan one frame meets the preset condition.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the first time difference is less than a first preset threshold, the step of scanning the target area in B-mode to obtain B-frame images includes: Determine the magnitude of the first duration and the second duration, and adjust the first duration according to the determination result to obtain the adjusted first duration, wherein the adjusted first duration is the same as the second duration; Based on the adjusted first duration, the target area is scanned using mode B to obtain B-frame images.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The calculation of the first duration required to scan one frame in mode B and the second duration required to scan one frame in mode C includes: The first duration required to scan one frame in mode B is calculated based on the current number of transmission lines in mode B and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to mode B. The second duration required to scan one frame in C mode is calculated based on the number of packets in C mode, the number of transmission lines in each packet, and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to C mode.

4. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the first time difference is less than a first preset threshold, adjusting the first duration based on the judgment result to obtain the adjusted first duration includes: If the first duration is greater than the second duration, then the quotient of the second duration and the per-line transmission interval time corresponding to the B mode is rounded down to the nearest integer to determine the target transmission line number in the B mode; Calculate the first product of the target number of transmission lines and the transmission interval time per line, and determine the first difference between the second duration and the first product as the first waiting duration, and take the sum of the first duration and the first waiting duration as the adjusted first duration; If the first duration is less than the second duration, then calculate the second product of the current number of transmission lines in mode B and the transmission interval time per line corresponding to mode B, and determine the second difference between the second duration and the second product as the second waiting duration, and take the sum of the first duration and the second waiting duration as the adjusted first duration.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The generation of ultrasound color Doppler flow images based on the B-frame and C-frame images includes: Acquire two C-frame images before and after the target B-frame image, wherein the target B-frame image is any frame among all the acquired B-frame images; The target energy component is calculated based on the energy components corresponding to the two C-frame images respectively, and the target velocity component is calculated based on the velocity components corresponding to the two C-frame images respectively, wherein the target energy component and the target velocity component are the energy component and velocity component corresponding to the missing C-frame image between the two C-frame images; For each target C-frame image, the target C-frame image is fused with the adjacent B-frame image to obtain an ultrasound color flow image. The target C-frame image is any frame among all the acquired C-frame images and all the missing C-frame images, and the adjacent B-frame image is the latest B-frame image acquired before the target C-frame image.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The two C-frame images include a first C-frame image and a second C-frame image. The step of calculating the target velocity component based on the velocity components corresponding to the two C-frame images includes: The first velocity component corresponding to the first C-frame image and the second velocity component corresponding to the second C-frame image are converted into data types to obtain the target first velocity component and the target second velocity component. Calculate the absolute value of the difference between the first velocity component and the second velocity component of the target; If the absolute value is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold, then the first velocity component and the second velocity component are substituted into the preset function relationship to obtain the target velocity component; If the absolute value is less than the second preset threshold, then the average of the first velocity component and the second velocity component is taken as the target velocity component.

7. An ultrasound color flow imaging device, characterized in that, The device includes: The B-mode scanning module is used to scan the target area using the B-mode when the time required for scanning one frame by the B-mode and the C-mode respectively meets the preset conditions, so as to obtain the B-frame image. The C-mode scanning module is used to scan the target area using the C-mode after acquiring one frame of the B-frame image, so as to obtain C-frame images, wherein the C-frame images are greater than or equal to two frames. An imaging module is used to generate ultrasound color blood flow images based on the B-frame image and the C-frame image; The B-mode scanning module and the C-mode scanning module are used to scan one frame in B-mode and then scan one frame in C-mode when the time required for B-mode and C-mode to scan one frame respectively does not meet the preset conditions. The device further includes: The calculation module is used to calculate the first duration required to scan one frame in mode B and the second duration required to scan one frame in mode C. The first confirmation module is used to confirm that if the first duration is the same as the second duration, the duration required for the B mode and the C mode to scan one frame respectively meets the preset conditions. The second confirmation module is used to calculate a first time difference between the first time and the second time if the first time is different from the second time. When the first time difference is less than a first preset threshold, it confirms that the time required for the B mode and the C mode to scan one frame respectively meets the preset condition.

8. An ultrasonic device, characterized in that, include: A memory and a processor are communicatively connected, the memory stores computer instructions, and the processor executes the ultrasound color flow imaging method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 by executing the computer instructions.

9. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions for causing the computer to perform the ultrasound color flow imaging method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images