Image annotation method and ultrasonic imaging system, image processing device

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides a kind of image annotation method and ultrasonic imaging system, image processing device, the annotation method of ultrasonic image includes: in the display interface display annotation mark;When detecting the rotation operation of trackball, according to the rotation operation of trackball, adjust the annotation position of the annotation mark on the ultrasonic image;When detecting the pressing operation of preset button, according to the pressing time length of the preset button, adjust the indication direction of the annotation mark, so that the annotation mark indicates the region of interest in the ultrasonic image, and the region of interest includes lesion area;By adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark according to the pressing time length of the preset button, the annotation efficiency and accuracy of ultrasonic image are improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ultrasonic imaging, and in particular to an image annotation method, an ultrasonic imaging system and an image processing device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Ultrasound examination is a medical imaging examination technology that uses the physical characteristics and biological tissue acoustic parameters of ultrasound waves to image, combined with disciplines such as anatomy, pathophysiology and clinical medicine. Ultrasound examination is suitable for abdominal organs such as liver, gallbladder, pancreas and kidney, superficial organs such as breast, thyroid and testis, circulatory system such as heart and blood vessels, musculoskeletal system, gynecology and obstetrics, etc. It plays a very important role in the diagnosis of stones and effusions, the judgment of nodules, the evaluation of organ function, and prenatal examination of fetuses. Ultrasound examination mainly focuses on whether the structure and function of biological tissue are normal. When abnormalities are found, annotations are often made on the image to mark the location and range of the abnormalities, so as to better interpret and make decisions clinically.

[0003] In related technologies, when a region of interest in an image is annotated by an arrow, a scheme of controlling the position and direction of the arrow by a trackball can be used. However, the trackball needs to control both the position and the direction of the arrow, which is not convenient and efficient to operate. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application provides an image annotation method, an ultrasonic imaging system and an image processing device, which can improve the annotation efficiency and accuracy of an ultrasound image or an ultrasound body position map.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasound image annotation method, comprising:

[0006] displaying an ultrasound image through a display interface of a display device;

[0007] displaying an annotation mark on the display interface;

[0008] when a rotation operation on the trackball is detected, adjusting an annotation position of the annotation mark on the ultrasound image according to the rotation operation on the trackball;

[0009] when a pressing operation on a preset key is detected, adjusting an indication direction of the annotation mark according to a pressing time length of the preset key, so that the annotation mark indicates a region of interest in the ultrasound image, and the region of interest includes a lesion region.

[0010] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasound body position map annotation method, comprising:

[0011] displaying an ultrasound body position map through a display interface of a display device, the ultrasound body position map comprising a schematic diagram of a target examination site and an ultrasonic probe mark;

[0012] when a rotation operation on the trackball is detected, adjusting an annotation position of the ultrasound probe mark on the ultrasound body position map according to the rotation operation on the trackball;

[0013] when a pressing operation on the preset button is detected, adjusting an indicating direction of the ultrasound probe mark according to a pressing time length of the preset button, so that the ultrasound probe mark indicates a position and an orientation of an ultrasound probe when an ultrasound image of the target examination site is acquired.

[0014] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultrasound imaging system, and the ultrasound imaging system comprises:

[0015] an ultrasound probe;

[0016] a transmitting / receiving circuit configured to excite the ultrasound probe to emit an ultrasound wave to a target examination site, and receive a return wave of the ultrasound wave to obtain an ultrasound echo signal;

[0017] a human-computer interaction device, the human-computer interaction device comprising a trackball and a preset button;

[0018] a processor configured to implement steps of the image annotation method.

[0019] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an image processing device, and the image processing device comprises:

[0020] a human-computer interaction device, the human-computer interaction device comprising a trackball and a preset button;

[0021] a processor configured to implement steps of the image annotation method.

[0022] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to make the processor implement steps of the above method.

[0023] The image annotation method and the ultrasound imaging system and the image processing device provided in the embodiments of the present application, the image annotation method of the ultrasound image comprises: displaying an annotation mark on the display interface; when a rotation operation on the trackball is detected, adjusting an annotation position of the annotation mark on the ultrasound image according to the rotation operation on the trackball; when a pressing operation on the preset button is detected, adjusting an indicating direction of the annotation mark according to a pressing time length of the preset button, so that the annotation mark indicates a region of interest in the ultrasound image, and the region of interest comprises a lesion region; by adjusting the indicating direction of the annotation mark according to the pressing time length of the preset button, the annotation efficiency and accuracy of the ultrasound image are improved.

[0024] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are only exemplary and explanatory, and cannot limit the disclosure of the embodiments of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced as follows. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present application, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0026] Figure 1 is a flowchart of an annotation method of an ultrasound image provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0027] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of an ultrasound imaging device in an embodiment;

[0028] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of displaying an annotation mark on a display interface in an embodiment;

[0029] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a preset key being adjacent to a trackball in an embodiment;

[0030] Figure 5 is a flowchart of an annotation method of an ultrasound body position map provided by the embodiments of the present application;

[0031] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound probe mark in an embodiment;

[0032] Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of an image processing device provided by the embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are some embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0034] The flowcharts shown in the drawings are only exemplary and do not necessarily include all the contents and operations / steps, and do not necessarily be executed in the described order. For example, some operations / steps can be decomposed, combined or partially merged, so that the actual execution order can be changed according to the actual situation.

[0035] Some embodiments of the present application will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments and features can be combined with each other in the case of no conflict.

[0036] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a flowchart of an ultrasound image annotation method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied in an ultrasound imaging device or an image processing device, for annotating a region of interest in an ultrasound image. The image processing device includes, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, and a server. For ease of illustration, the embodiment of the present application mainly takes the case of applying the annotation method in an ultrasound imaging device.

[0037] Figure 2 is a structural block diagram of an ultrasound imaging device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The ultrasound imaging device 10 can include a probe 100, a transmitting circuit 101, a transmitting / receiving selection switch 102, a receiving circuit 103, a beam synthesis circuit 104, a processor 105, and a display 106. The transmitting circuit 101 can excite the probe 100 to transmit ultrasound waves to a target tissue; the receiving circuit 103 can control the probe 100 to receive ultrasound echoes returned from the target tissue, thereby obtaining an ultrasound echo signal; the ultrasound echo signal is sent to the processor 105 after being processed by the beam synthesis circuit 104. The processor 105 can process the ultrasound echo signal to obtain an ultrasound image or other data of the target tissue. The ultrasound image obtained by the processor 105 can be stored in a memory 107. These ultrasound images can be displayed on the display 106.

[0038] For example, the ultrasound imaging device includes one or more processors 105, which work individually or jointly to execute the steps of the image annotation method of the embodiments of the present application.

[0039] The processor 105 can be configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory 107, and when the computer program is executed, the steps of any one of the image annotation methods provided by the embodiments of the present application are implemented.

[0040] As Figure 1 shown, the ultrasound image annotation method of the embodiments of the present application includes steps S110 to S140.

[0041] S110, display an ultrasound image through a display interface of a display device.

[0042] In some embodiments, when performing an ultrasound examination, the transmitting circuitry excites the probe to transmit ultrasound waves to a target tissue, the receiving circuitry controls the probe to receive ultrasound echoes to obtain an ultrasound echo signal, processes the ultrasound echo signal to obtain an ultrasound image of the target tissue, and the current obtained ultrasound image can be displayed in real time or a stored ultrasound image can be displayed.

[0043] In some embodiments, an ultrasound image obtained from a device other than the ultrasound imaging device, such as a server or a terminal device such as a mobile phone, can be displayed. For example, in a consultation or teaching scenario, the ultrasound imaging device or the image processing device can obtain an ultrasound image from the server or the terminal device such as a mobile phone and display the ultrasound image on the display interface.

[0044] S120, displaying an annotation mark on the display interface.

[0045] In some embodiments, the annotation mark comprises at least one of a graphical mark, a textual mark, and an animated mark. For example, the annotation mark can indicate a direction, such as the graphical mark or the animated mark comprising an arrow, a finger graphic, or the like, and is not limited thereto; and / or the annotation mark has a positive direction, such as the textual mark having a positive direction, such as the top of a Chinese character facing upward as the positive direction.

[0046] In some embodiments, the annotation mark indicates a region of interest in the ultrasound image, which can include, but is not limited to, a boundary of a target tissue, a specific position on a target tissue, and the like. For example, a user can mark one or more arrows to point to an abnormality or a structure according to his or her annotation habit.

[0047] For example, when an ultrasound physician is examining an abnormality or teaching, the annotation mark can be added to the ultrasound image to indicate a region of interest, and then the image with the annotation mark added can be saved so that the region of interest in the image can be clearly known when the image is viewed later.

[0048] In some embodiments, the displaying of the annotation mark on the display interface comprises displaying the annotation mark on the display interface according to a user annotation operation.

[0049] For example, when a user discovers a region of interest in the ultrasound image, the user can trigger the display interface to display the annotation mark through an annotation operation. For example, the annotation operation comprises triggering a preset physical button and / or a preset virtual button of the display interface, such as displaying the annotation mark on the display interface when a preset shortcut key is triggered.

[0050] For example, the display interface can display a cursor, and display the annotation identifier at the position of the cursor when the annotation operation is detected. Of course, the present application is not limited thereto, and the annotation identifier can be displayed at a preset position of the display interface, such as a midpoint or a frame, when the annotation operation is detected.

[0051] In some embodiments, the displaying of the annotation identifier on the display interface comprises: displaying the annotation identifier on the display interface when it is determined that the region of interest exists in the ultrasound image.

[0052] For example, the ultrasound imaging device or the image processing device can automatically identify the region of interest in the ultrasound image, such as by a deep neural network model. When the region of interest in the ultrasound image is identified, the annotation identifier can be displayed. For example, the annotation identifier can be displayed at the position of the identified region of interest.

[0053] The annotation identifier displayed in the step S120 may, in some cases, deviate from the actual position and / or direction that needs to be annotated, such as Figure 3 As shown, the position and / or direction of the annotation identifier need to be adjusted according to the operation of the user, so that the adjusted annotation identifier can more accurately indicate the region of interest.

[0054] The present inventors have found that there are mainly the following ways to set the position and direction of an arrow in the related art: 1. Adjusting the angle of the arrow by a trackball. In this way, due to the operation mode of subconsciously moving the trackball by hand, the trackball is often moved in the opposite direction for a short period of time before starting to move, thereby causing the arrow to also rotate in the opposite direction, forming the impression that the trackball cannot accurately control the direction of the arrow. 2. The trackball controls both the movement position and the rotation of the arrow. In this way, the arrow direction is reset according to the displacement direction of the arrow every time the trackball controls the movement position of the arrow, making it difficult for the user to accurately and quickly set the arrow to the desired position and direction. Or when the trackball is moved slightly, it cannot be determined whether the arrow movement position is controlled or the arrow rotation direction is controlled. 3. Switching the trackball to control the movement position or the rotation direction of the arrow by a key, which increases the operation steps of key switching and is not efficient enough. 4. Adjusting the rotation direction of the arrow by a knob. However, the height of the knob is usually high, and it is usually arranged at a position far from the trackball, which is inconvenient for the user to operate. For example, the user cannot quickly perform blind operation on the knob while operating the trackball, which reduces the operation efficiency.

[0055] The present inventors have improved the annotation method of the ultrasound image to improve the annotation efficiency and accuracy of the ultrasound image.

[0056] S130, in response to the rotation operation of the trackball, adjusting the annotation position of the annotation mark on the ultrasound image according to the rotation operation of the trackball.

[0057] For example, the operation information includes rotation information of the trackball in the up-down direction and / or the left-right direction, the annotation mark is adjusted to move up and down on the ultrasound image according to the rotation information of the trackball in the up-down direction, and / or the annotation mark is adjusted to move left and right on the ultrasound image according to the rotation information of the trackball in the left-right direction, so as to adjust the annotation position of the annotation mark on the ultrasound image.

[0058] S140, in response to the pressing operation of the preset button, adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark according to the pressing time length of the preset button, so that the annotation mark indicates a region of interest in the ultrasound image, and the region of interest includes a lesion region.

[0059] Specifically, the preset button is a press button. The height of the press button is relatively low, and the press button can be arranged near the trackball, so that the user can adjust the indication direction of the annotation mark through the preset button.

[0060] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 4 , the preset buttons A1 and A1 are arranged adjacent to the trackball B. The trackball and the surrounding area are the core control area during the examination of the ultrasound doctor, and the most frequent operation in each scene is concentrated. By adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark through the preset button arranged adjacent to the trackball, the user can conveniently operate the preset button to adjust the indication direction of the annotation mark.

[0061] For example, the preset button and the trackball are on the same human-computer interaction device. Optionally, as shown in Figure 4 , the preset buttons are arranged in a ring shape outside the trackball, but are not limited thereto. For example, the preset buttons are arranged on the left side and / or the right side of the trackball.

[0062] In some embodiments, when the pressing time length of the preset button is less than or equal to a preset time length threshold, the rotation angle of the indication direction of the annotation mark is a first preset rotation angle. For example, when a single click operation (or referred to as a short press operation) of the preset button is detected, it is determined that the rotation angle of the indication direction of the annotation mark is the first preset rotation angle. For example, the first preset rotation angle is less than or equal to 30°, such as 15° or 20.

[0063] For example, when the pressing duration of each pressing operation of the preset button is less than or equal to a preset duration threshold, such as a single click operation, the annotation mark is adjusted to rotate by a first preset rotation angle. For example, a single click operation rotates the annotation mark by 15°, and two single click operations rotate the annotation mark by 30°.

[0064] For example, when the pressing duration of each of the two consecutive pressing operations of the preset button is less than or equal to a preset duration threshold, and the time interval between the two consecutive pressing operations is less than or equal to an interval threshold, the rotation angle of the indicating direction of the annotation mark is a second preset rotation angle. For example, when the preset button is double-clicked, the annotation mark is adjusted to rotate by the second preset rotation angle.

[0065] Optionally, the second preset rotation angle is not equal to the first preset rotation angle. For example, the second preset rotation angle is greater than the first preset rotation angle, or the second preset rotation angle is less than the first preset rotation angle. For example, the second preset rotation angle is 90° when the preset button is double-clicked, or the second preset rotation angle is twice the first preset rotation angle. However, the second preset rotation angle is not limited to the above examples. For example, the second preset rotation angle can also be equal to the first preset rotation angle.

[0066] In some embodiments, when the indicating direction of the annotation mark is adjusted according to the pressing duration of the preset button, when the rotation angle of the indicating direction of the annotation mark is less than or equal to a preset angle, the rotation angle of the indicating direction of the annotation mark is positively correlated with the pressing duration of the preset button. For example, when the rotation angle of the indicating direction of the annotation mark is less than or equal to 180° or 360°, the longer the pressing duration of the preset button, the greater the rotation angle of the annotation mark.

[0067] For example, the adjusting of the indicating direction of the annotation mark according to the pressing duration of the preset button includes: when the pressing duration of the preset button is greater than a preset duration threshold, continuously adjusting the indicating direction of the annotation mark; and when the preset button is detected to be released, stopping the adjustment of the indicating direction of the annotation mark. For example, when a long pressing operation of the preset button is detected, the indicating direction of the annotation mark is continuously adjusted. The indicating direction of the annotation mark can also be displayed in real time according to the adjustment, so that the preset button can be released when the indicating direction of the annotation mark reaches a desired direction. When the preset button is detected to be released by a user, the adjustment of the indicating direction of the annotation mark is stopped.

[0068] For example, the step of adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark continuously comprises: continuously adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark when detecting that the preset key is pressed; and stopping adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark when detecting that the preset key is released. For example, the indication direction of the annotation mark is continuously adjusted during the time period from when the preset key is pressed to when the preset key is released.

[0069] For example, the step of adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark continuously can be a preset value, or can be set by a user to adjust the sensitivity of the indication direction adjustment.

[0070] For example, the indication direction of the annotation mark can be adjusted at a constant speed, or can be accelerated or decelerated. For example, when the preset key is just pressed, the indication direction of the annotation mark is adjusted at a faster speed, and as the pressing time lengthens, the adjustment speed of the indication direction of the annotation mark can be reduced.

[0071] For example, the number and length of the pressing operation of the preset key can be used to conveniently and accurately adjust the angle of the annotation mark. For example, the angle of the annotation mark is adjusted by a first preset rotation angle according to a short pressing operation of the preset key, and the angle of the annotation mark is continuously adjusted according to a long pressing operation of the preset key, which has higher flexibility.

[0072] In some embodiments, the step of adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark according to the pressing time length of the preset key when detecting the pressing operation of the preset key comprises: adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise according to the pressing time length of the preset key when detecting the pressing operation of the preset key. For example, there can be only one preset key for adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark to rotate clockwise, such as rotating 45° or 90° each time a short pressing operation is performed.

[0073] For example, the preset key is provided with an identification part for identifying whether the preset key adjusts the indication direction of the annotation mark to rotate counterclockwise or clockwise, which facilitates the user to more intuitively understand the function and rotation direction of the preset key.

[0074] For example, the identification part comprises an identification part such as a convex part, a silk-printed part, etc. for providing tactile feedback, but is not limited thereto.

[0075] For example, the preset key can be used to adjust the indicating direction of the annotation mark to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise according to the triggering operation of the switch key or the setting of the user.

[0076] Optionally, the number of preset keys is multiple. For example, as shown in Figure 4 the preset keys include a first preset key A1 and a second preset key A2. Of course, the preset keys are not limited to this, for example, different preset keys can be used to control the annotation mark to rotate different first preset rotation angles.

[0077] For example, when the pressing operation of the preset key is detected, the indicating direction of the annotation mark is adjusted to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise according to the pressing duration of the preset key, which includes: when the pressing operation of the first preset key is detected, the indicating direction of the annotation mark is adjusted to rotate counterclockwise according to the pressing duration of the preset key; and when the pressing operation of the second preset key is detected, the indicating direction of the annotation mark is adjusted to rotate clockwise according to the pressing duration of the preset key. At least two different preset keys are used to adjust the annotation mark to rotate counterclockwise and clockwise respectively, which can be more convenient and fast to adjust to the required angle.

[0078] For example, as shown in Figure 4 , the first preset key A1 is located on the left side of the second preset key A2, which can be more in line with the operation habits and intuitive feelings of the user. Optionally, the center of the trackball B is located on the middle line of the first preset key A1 and the second preset key A2. The user can identify the direction of the first preset key A1 and the second preset key A2, and then operate the corresponding preset key to adjust the annotation mark to rotate counterclockwise or clockwise without moving the line of sight to the first preset key A1 and the second preset key A2, thereby realizing blind operation and improving the work efficiency of annotation.

[0079] For example, as shown in Figure 4 , the first preset key A1 is provided with a first identification part, and the first identification part is used to identify that the first preset key A1 adjusts the indicating direction of the annotation mark to rotate counterclockwise; and the second preset key A2 is provided with a second identification part, and the second identification part is used to identify that the second preset key A2 adjusts the indicating direction of the annotation mark to rotate clockwise. This facilitates the user to more intuitively understand the function and rotation direction of the preset key.

[0080] For example, the first identification part and the second identification part include identification parts for providing tactile feedback, such as protruding parts, silk screen parts, etc. Of course, the identification parts are not limited to this.

[0081] In some embodiments, when a pressing operation on the preset button is detected, the indication direction of the annotation mark is adjusted according to the pressing duration of the preset button; and when a rotating operation on the preset knob is detected, the indication direction of the annotation mark is adjusted according to the rotating angle of the preset knob; the user can flexibly adjust the indication direction of the annotation mark.

[0082] In some embodiments, the method further comprises: covering the annotation mark on the ultrasound image according to the annotation completion operation of the user, to obtain an annotated ultrasound image.

[0083] For example, when a determination button triggered by the user is detected, such as a physical determination button or a virtual determination button of a display interface, the annotation mark is covered on the ultrasound image to obtain an annotated ultrasound image. For example, refer to Figure 4 , the determination button is arranged adjacent to the trackball, for example, the determination button and the trackball are on the same human-computer interaction device. For example, the human-computer interaction device can be a human-computer interaction device on the ultrasound imaging device, or can be a human-computer interaction device capable of detachable or communicable connection with the ultrasound imaging device.

[0084] The ultrasound image annotation method provided by the embodiment of the present application comprises: displaying an annotation mark on the display interface; when a rotating operation on the trackball is detected, adjusting the annotation position of the annotation mark on the ultrasound image according to the rotating operation on the trackball; when a pressing operation on a preset button is detected, adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark according to the pressing duration of the preset button, so that the annotation mark indicates a region of interest in the ultrasound image, and the region of interest includes a lesion region; by adjusting the indication direction of the annotation mark according to the pressing duration of the preset button, the annotation efficiency and accuracy of the ultrasound image are improved, and the process is more convenient and efficient.

[0085] For example, refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 is a flowchart of an ultrasound body position map annotation method provided by another embodiment of the present application. The method can be applied in an ultrasound imaging device or an image processing device, and is used for annotating a region of interest in an ultrasound image. The image processing device includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, and a server. For ease of illustration, the embodiment of the present application mainly takes the annotation method applied in an ultrasound imaging device as an example for illustration.

[0086] As shown in Figure 5 , the ultrasound body position map annotation method provided by the embodiment of the present application comprises steps S210 to S230.

[0087] The ultrasound body position map comprises a schematic diagram of a target examination site and an ultrasound probe mark, wherein the ultrasound probe mark is used to indicate the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe when an ultrasound image of the target examination site is acquired. In the ultrasound body position map of a target section of the target examination site, the ultrasound probe mark is used to indicate the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe when an ultrasound image of the target section of the target examination site is acquired.

[0088] S210, display an ultrasound body position map through a display interface of a display device, wherein the ultrasound body position map comprises a schematic diagram of a target examination site and an ultrasound probe mark.

[0089] For example, referring to Figure 6 The ultrasound body position map comprises a schematic diagram of a lung, and the target examination site corresponding to the ultrasound body position map is the lung. Of course, the target examination site is not limited to this, and can also include any one of a heart, a stomach, a liver, etc.

[0090] For example, the schematic diagram of the target examination site is displayed through a display interface of a display device, and the ultrasound probe mark is displayed on the display interface according to a user's annotation operation; or the ultrasound probe mark can be displayed on the display interface when a user selects one of the section marks to determine a target section of the target examination site, and of course, the schematic diagram of the target examination site and the ultrasound probe mark can also be displayed when a pre-stored ultrasound body position map is displayed.

[0091] S220, when a rotation operation of a trackball is detected, adjust an annotation position of the ultrasound probe mark on the ultrasound body position map according to the rotation operation of the trackball.

[0092] S230, when a pressing operation of a preset button is detected, adjust an indication direction of the ultrasound probe mark according to a pressing time length of the preset button, so that the ultrasound probe mark indicates the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe when an ultrasound image of the target examination site is acquired.

[0093] For example, as Figure 6 shown, the ultrasound probe mark indicates the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe when an ultrasound image of the lung is acquired.

[0094] In some embodiments, the preset button is arranged adjacent to the trackball. For example, the preset button and the trackball are on the same human-computer interaction device.

[0095] In some embodiments, when the pressing time length of the preset button is less than or equal to a preset time length threshold, the rotation angle of the indication direction of the ultrasound probe mark is a third preset rotation angle.

[0096] For example, when the ultrasound probe mark is used to indicate the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe when acquiring a transverse plane ultrasound image or a longitudinal plane ultrasound image, the third preset rotation angle is 90°.

[0097] The transverse plane and the longitudinal plane are particularly common scanning methods in ultrasound examination, whether for larger organs or lesions. However, there is often a problem that the user manually controls the ultrasound probe mark rotation is not accurate enough, for example, once the initial position and angle of the ultrasound probe mark are changed after rotation, the initial position and angle are not clear; and if multiple steps of adjustment need to be made through the knob, the efficiency is also relatively low. The embodiments of the present application can be more efficient and convenient when the ultrasound probe mark is used to indicate the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe when acquiring a transverse plane ultrasound image or a longitudinal plane ultrasound image, and the indication direction of the ultrasound probe mark is adjusted by 90° according to the short pressing operation of the preset key. For example, when the doctor scans to a certain plane, and the next plane is in a direction perpendicular to the scanned plane, after activating the ultrasound body position diagram, only one pressing of the preset key around the trackball is needed to accurately rotate 90°, which is extremely fast and improves the work efficiency of the doctor.

[0098] For example, when the pressing time of the two consecutive pressing operations of the preset key is less than or equal to a preset time threshold, and the time interval between the two consecutive pressing operations is less than or equal to an interval threshold, the rotation angle of the indication direction of the annotation mark is a fourth preset rotation angle. For example, when the preset key is double-clicked, the annotation mark is adjusted to rotate by the fourth preset rotation angle.

[0099] Optionally, the fourth preset rotation angle is not equal to the third preset rotation angle, for example, the fourth preset rotation angle is greater than the third preset rotation angle, or is less than the third preset rotation angle. For example, the fourth preset rotation angle when the preset key is double-clicked is 120°, or is twice the third preset rotation angle, of course, it is not limited thereto, for example, the fourth preset rotation angle can also be equal to the third preset rotation angle.

[0100] In some embodiments, when the indication direction of the ultrasound probe mark is adjusted according to the pressing time of the preset key, in the case that the rotation angle of the indication direction of the ultrasound probe mark is less than or equal to a preset angle, the rotation angle of the indication direction of the ultrasound probe mark is positively correlated with the pressing time of the preset key. For example, when the rotation angle of the indication direction of the ultrasound probe mark is less than or equal to 180° or 360°, the longer the pressing time of the preset key, the greater the rotation angle of the ultrasound probe mark.

[0101] For example, the adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier according to the pressing time length of the preset button comprises: continuously adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier when the pressing time length of the preset button is greater than a preset time length threshold; and stopping adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier when it is detected that the preset button is released.

[0102] For example, the adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier according to the pressing time length of the preset button comprises: continuously adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier when it is detected that the preset button is pressed; and stopping adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier when it is detected that the preset button is released.

[0103] For example, when continuously adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier, the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier can be adjusted at a constant speed, or can be accelerated or decelerated. For example, when it is detected that the preset button is just pressed, the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier is adjusted at a faster speed, and as the pressing time length is prolonged, the adjusting speed of the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier can be reduced.

[0104] In some embodiments, the adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier according to the pressing time length of the preset button when it is detected that the pressing operation on the preset button is performed comprises: adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise according to the pressing time length of the preset button when it is detected that the pressing operation on the preset button is performed. For example, there can be only one preset button for adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier to rotate clockwise, such as rotating 45° or 90° each time.

[0105] For example, the preset button is provided with an identifier for identifying that the preset button adjusts the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier to rotate counterclockwise or clockwise. This facilitates the user to more intuitively understand the function and rotation direction of the preset button.

[0106] For example, the identifier comprises an identifier such as a convex part, a silk-printed part, etc. for providing tactile feedback, but is not limited thereto.

[0107] For example, the preset button can be determined to be used for adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe identifier to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise according to the triggering operation of the switching button or according to the user's setting, i.e. the preset button can be switched to be used for adjusting the indicating direction to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise.

[0108] In some embodiments, the preset keys include a first preset key and a second preset key, and the adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe marker according to the pressing time length of the preset key when detecting the pressing operation on the preset key includes: adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe marker to rotate counterclockwise according to the pressing time length of the first preset key when detecting the pressing operation on the first preset key; and adjusting the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe marker to rotate clockwise according to the pressing time length of the second preset key when detecting the pressing operation on the second preset key.

[0109] For example, the first preset key is located on the left side of the second preset key.

[0110] For example, the first preset key is provided with a first identification part, and the first identification part is used to identify that the first preset key adjusts the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe marker to rotate counterclockwise; and the second preset key is provided with a second identification part, and the second identification part is used to identify that the second preset key adjusts the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe marker to rotate clockwise.

[0111] For example, the first identification part and the second identification part include identification parts for providing tactile feedback.

[0112] Optionally, the method further includes: according to the annotation completion operation of the user, storing the ultrasound body position map according to the annotation position and the indicating direction of the ultrasound probe marker.

[0113] The specific principles and implementation manners of the ultrasound body position map annotation method provided by the embodiments of the present application are similar to those of the ultrasound image annotation method of the foregoing embodiments, and will not be described here.

[0114] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of an ultrasound imaging device 10 in an embodiment.

[0115] As shown in Figure 2 , the ultrasound imaging device 10 at least includes a probe 100; a transmitting circuit 101 that excites the probe 100 to send ultrasound waves to target tissue; a receiving circuit 103 that controls the probe 100 to receive ultrasound echoes to obtain an ultrasound echo signal; and a display 103 that provides a display interface.

[0116] The ultrasound imaging device 10 processes the ultrasound echo signal to obtain an ultrasound image of the target tissue. For example, please refer to Figure 2The ultrasound imaging device 10 further comprises a processor 105. The ultrasound echo signals are sent to the processor 105 after being processed by the beamforming circuit 104 in the ultrasound imaging device 10. The processor 105 can process the ultrasound echo signals to obtain an ultrasound image of the target tissue.

[0117] The ultrasound imaging device 10 is further configured to perform the steps of the aforementioned image annotation method,

[0118] For example, the ultrasound imaging device comprises one or more processors 105, which work individually or jointly to perform the steps of the image annotation method.

[0119] The processor 105 can be configured to execute a computer program stored in the memory 107 and implement the steps of any of the image annotation methods provided in the embodiments of the present application when the computer program is executed.

[0120] The specific principles and implementation manners of the ultrasound imaging device provided in the embodiments of the present application are similar to those of the aforementioned image annotation method or the aforementioned ultrasound body position map annotation method, and thus will not be described herein again.

[0121] The specific principles and implementation manners of the ultrasound imaging device provided in the embodiments of the present application are similar to those of the aforementioned image annotation method or the aforementioned ultrasound body position map annotation method, and thus will not be described herein again. Figure 7 Figure 7 is a schematic block diagram of the image processing device 20 in an embodiment. The image processing device includes but is not limited to at least one of the following: a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, and a server.

[0122] As shown in Figure 7 , the image processing device 20 comprises a human-computer interaction apparatus 21 and a processor 22.

[0123] The human-computer interaction apparatus 21 comprises a trackball and a preset button.

[0124] The processor 22 is configured to implement the steps of the aforementioned ultrasound image annotation method and / or the steps of the aforementioned ultrasound body position map annotation method.

[0125] In some embodiments, the human-computer interaction apparatus 21 is integrally arranged with the processor 22, or is detachably connected or communicatively connected with the processor 22, for example, is detachably connected with a host computer in which the processor 22 is arranged or can perform wireless communication, such as Bluetooth communication.

[0126] In some embodiments, the image processing device 20 further comprises a display apparatus or can be connected with a display apparatus.

[0127] The specific principles and implementation manners of the image processing device provided in the embodiments of the present application are similar to those of the aforementioned image annotation method or the aforementioned ultrasound body position map annotation method, and thus will not be described herein again. ​

[0128] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. The computer program is executed by a processor to make the processor realize the steps of the image annotation method provided by the above embodiment.

[0129] The computer readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the ultrasound imaging device, such as a hard disk or a memory of the ultrasound imaging device. The computer readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the ultrasound imaging device, such as a plug-in hard disk, a smart media card (SMC), a secure digital (SD) card, a flash card, etc.

[0130] It should be understood that the terms used in the present application are merely for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0131] It should also be understood that the term "and / or" used in the present application and the appended claims means any combination of one or more of the associated listed terms and all possible combinations, and includes these combinations.

[0132] The above merely describes specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed by the present application, and these modifications or replacements should be covered by the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for annotating ultrasound images, characterized in that, include: Ultrasound images are displayed through the display interface of the display device; The display interface displays annotation markers; When a rotation operation on the trackball is detected, the annotation position of the annotation marker on the ultrasound image is adjusted according to the rotation operation on the trackball; When a press operation on a preset button is detected, the direction of the annotation mark is adjusted according to the duration of the press operation, so that the annotation mark indicates the region of interest in the ultrasound image, the region of interest including the lesion area.

2. The annotation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The preset button and the trackball are on the same human-computer interaction device, and the preset button and the trackball are arranged adjacent to each other.

3. The annotation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of displaying annotation markers on the display interface includes: Based on the user's annotation action, display the annotation identifier on the display interface; and / or When the region of interest is determined to exist in the ultrasound image, the annotation identifier is displayed on the display interface.

4. The annotation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The annotation identifiers include at least one of the following: graphic identifiers, text identifiers, and animation identifiers.

5. The annotation method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of adjusting the direction of the annotation indicator based on the duration of the press of the preset key when a press operation is detected includes: When a press operation on a preset button is detected, the direction of the annotation mark is adjusted to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise according to the duration of the press operation on the preset button.

6. The annotation method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The preset button is provided with an indicator part, which is used to indicate whether the preset button is rotated counterclockwise or clockwise to adjust the direction of the annotation mark.

7. The annotation method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The marking section includes marking sections for providing tactile feedback.

8. The annotation method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, When adjusting the direction of the annotation mark according to the pressing duration of the preset button, if the rotation angle of the direction of the annotation mark is less than or equal to the preset angle, the rotation angle of the direction of the annotation mark is positively correlated with the pressing duration of the preset button.

9. The annotation method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, When the pressing duration of the preset button is less than or equal to the preset duration threshold, the rotation angle of the indicated direction of the annotation is the first preset rotation angle. and / or When the duration of pressing the preset button twice in a row is less than or equal to the preset duration threshold, and the time interval between the two consecutive pressing operations is less than or equal to the interval threshold, the rotation angle of the indicated direction of the annotation is the second preset rotation angle.

10. The annotation method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The step of adjusting the direction of the annotation marker according to the press duration of the preset button includes: When the press duration of the preset button exceeds a preset duration threshold, the direction of the annotation indicator is continuously adjusted; and When the preset button is detected to be released, the direction of the annotation mark is stopped from being adjusted.

11. The annotation method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The step of adjusting the direction of the annotation marker according to the press duration of the preset button includes: When the preset key is detected to be pressed, the direction of the annotation indicator is continuously adjusted; and When the preset button is detected to be released, the direction of the annotation mark is stopped from being adjusted.

12. The annotation method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: The operation is completed based on the user's annotations, and the annotation identifiers are overlaid on the ultrasound image to obtain an annotated ultrasound image.

13. A method for annotating ultrasound positional images, characterized in that, include: An ultrasound image is displayed on the display interface of the display device. The ultrasound image includes a schematic diagram of the target examination site and an ultrasound probe label. When a rotation operation on the trackball is detected, the annotation position of the ultrasound probe label on the ultrasound position diagram is adjusted according to the rotation operation on the trackball. When a press operation on a preset button is detected, the direction of the ultrasound probe indicator is adjusted according to the duration of the press, so that the ultrasound probe indicator indicates the position and orientation of the ultrasound probe when acquiring an ultrasound image of the target examination site.

14. The annotation method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The preset button and the trackball are on the same human-computer interaction device, and the preset button and the trackball are arranged adjacent to each other.

15. The annotation method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The preset button is provided with an indicator, which is used to indicate whether the preset button is rotated counterclockwise or clockwise to adjust the direction of the ultrasound probe indicator.

16. The annotation method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The marking section includes marking sections for providing tactile feedback.

17. The annotation method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, When adjusting the direction of the ultrasound probe indicator according to the pressing duration of the preset button, if the rotation angle of the direction of the ultrasound probe indicator is less than or equal to the preset angle, the rotation angle of the direction of the ultrasound probe indicator is positively correlated with the pressing duration of the preset button.

18. The annotation method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, When the pressing duration of the preset button is less than or equal to the preset duration threshold, the rotation angle of the indicated direction of the ultrasound probe is the third preset rotation angle. and / or When the duration of pressing the preset button twice in a row is less than or equal to the preset duration threshold, and the time interval between the two consecutive pressing operations is less than or equal to the interval threshold, the rotation angle of the indicated direction of the annotation is the fourth preset rotation angle.

19. The annotation method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, The step of adjusting the pointing direction of the ultrasound probe indicator according to the pressing duration of the preset button includes: When the duration of pressing the preset button exceeds a preset duration threshold, the direction of the ultrasound probe indicator is continuously adjusted; and When the preset button is detected to be released, the adjustment of the indication direction of the ultrasound probe mark stops.

20. The annotation method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, The step of adjusting the pointing direction of the ultrasound probe indicator according to the pressing duration of the preset button includes: When the preset button is detected to be pressed, the direction of the ultrasound probe indicator is continuously adjusted; and When the preset button is detected to be released, the adjustment of the indication direction of the ultrasound probe mark stops.

21. The annotation method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, The method further includes: The operation is completed based on the user's annotations, and the ultrasound position diagram is stored according to the annotation position and indication direction of the ultrasound probe.

22. An ultrasound imaging system, characterized in that, The ultrasound imaging system includes: Ultrasonic probe; The transmitting / receiving circuit is used to excite the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves toward the target examination site and to receive the echo of the ultrasonic waves to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal. Human-computer interaction device, the human-computer interaction device including a trackball and preset buttons; Processor, used to implement: The steps of the ultrasound image annotation method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12; and / or The steps of the method for annotating ultrasound body position diagrams as described in any one of claims 13 to 21.

23. An image processing device, characterized in that, The image processing device includes: Human-computer interaction device, the human-computer interaction device including a trackball and preset buttons; Processor, used to implement: The steps of the ultrasound image annotation method as described in any one of claims 1 to 12; and / or The steps of the method for annotating ultrasound body position diagrams as described in any one of claims 13 to 21.

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