Ultrasonic image generation method and system

Abstract

The invention provides an ultrasonic image generation method and system. The generation method comprises the steps that a plurality of original ultrasonic echo signals of a target object are acquired, and different original ultrasonic echo signals are obtained based on original receiving surfaces corresponding to different transmitting surfaces; acquiring a plurality of different to-be-processed receiving surfaces corresponding to the original receiving surface, and acquiring a plurality of to-be-processed ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signals based on the to-be-processed receiving surfaces; generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed; and obtaining a three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object based on the two-dimensional ultrasonic image. The effective information of the three-dimensional ultrasonic image can be increased, the definition and details of the image are remarkably improved, the calculation amount in the whole three-dimensional ultrasonic image reconstruction process is reduced, the imaging rate is improved, and therefore the four-dimensional ultrasonic image is obtained based on the rapid and continuous three-dimensional ultrasonic image.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of image processing technology, and in particular to a method and system for generating an ultrasonic image. Background Art

[0002] Two important indicators of four-dimensional ultrasound imaging are imaging rate and imaging resolution. Existing four-dimensional ultrasound imaging usually uses reconstruction based on 2D (two-dimensional) images or reconstruction based on 3D (three-dimensional) images. Among them, the method based on 2D reconstruction is based on the interpolation of several 2D images into a 3D image. Since the reconstruction time of 2D images is fast, it has certain advantages in imaging rate. However, since the correlation of each 2D plane cannot be considered in the interpolation process of 2D images, the reconstructed 3D image is seriously degraded and the image resolution is low; the method based on 3D reconstruction is based on all the transmission-reception data, and a 3D image is generated through algorithm calculation. Since the algorithm fully considers the correlation of echo signals at various positions in space, the imaging resolution is relatively high. However, since one transmission surface corresponds to only one receiving data, the calculation amount of 3D reconstruction is several times or even dozens of times that of 2D reconstruction, resulting in a low imaging rate and unable to meet the needs of four-dimensional ultrasound imaging. Summary of the invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present disclosure is to overcome the defect in the prior art that three-dimensional ultrasonic images cannot take into account both imaging rate and imaging resolution, and to provide a method and system for generating ultrasonic images.

[0004] The present invention solves the above technical problems through the following technical solutions:

[0005] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for generating an ultrasound image is provided, the method comprising:

[0006] Acquire multiple original ultrasonic echo signals of the target object, wherein different original ultrasonic echo signals are obtained based on original receiving surfaces corresponding to different transmitting surfaces, the transmitting surface represents the coverage formed by transmitting ultrasonic waves along a preset transmitting direction, and the original receiving surface represents the coverage formed by receiving the ultrasonic waves reflected by the target object along the preset transmitting direction;

[0007] Acquire a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface, and acquire a plurality of ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal based on the receiving surfaces to be processed;

[0008] generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed;

[0009] A three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target object is obtained based on the two-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0010] Preferably, the step of acquiring a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface, and acquiring a plurality of ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal based on the receiving surfaces to be processed comprises:

[0011] Determine, based on the configuration parameters, a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface;

[0012] The original ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to the original receiving surface is processed by using a beamforming algorithm to obtain the to-be-processed ultrasonic echo signal of each of the to-be-processed receiving surfaces corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal.

[0013] Preferably, the step of determining a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each of the original receiving surfaces based on the configuration parameters comprises:

[0014] Determine a first number of the transmitting surfaces and a second number of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each of the transmitting surfaces based on the configuration parameters;

[0015] The receiving surface to be processed includes a plurality of different virtual receiving surfaces arranged in sequence along both sides of the corresponding original receiving surface.

[0016] Preferably, the determining, based on the configuration parameters, a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each of the original receiving surfaces further comprises:

[0017] Determine the angle between each virtual receiving surface and the corresponding original receiving surface according to the elevation angle of the original receiving surface and the second number of the receiving surfaces to be processed; wherein the elevation angle represents the angle between adjacent original receiving surfaces;

[0018] Arrange in sequence along both sides of the original receiving surface based on the included angle to obtain a plurality of virtual receiving surfaces;

[0019] and / or,

[0020] The step of determining the first number of the transmitting surfaces and the second number of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each of the transmitting surfaces based on the configuration parameters comprises:

[0021] In response to a volume of the target object being larger than a preset volume, adjusting the configuration parameter to increase the first number and / or the second number of the emitting surfaces;

[0022] In response to a beating frequency of the target object being greater than a preset frequency, the configuration parameter is adjusted to reduce the first number and / or the second number of the emitting surfaces.

[0023] Preferably, the step of generating the two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed comprises:

[0024] In response to the overlap of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to different original receiving surfaces, respectively acquiring the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed corresponding to each of the receiving surfaces to be processed at the overlapping position;

[0025] Using a preset superposition algorithm to perform superposition processing on the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed at the overlapping position to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed after superposition processing;

[0026] generating the two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to the overlapping position according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed after the superposition processing;

[0027] or,

[0028] The step of generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed comprises:

[0029] In response to the target receiving surface to be processed not overlapping with other receiving surfaces to be processed, a target ultrasonic echo signal to be processed corresponding to the target receiving surface to be processed is acquired to generate the two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target receiving surface to be processed.

[0030] Preferably, the step of using a preset superposition algorithm to perform superposition processing on the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed at the overlapping positions to obtain the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed after superposition processing comprises:

[0031] Based on the weight values ​​corresponding to the different ultrasonic echo signals to be processed at the overlapping positions, the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed are subjected to coherent superposition processing or incoherent superposition processing to obtain the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed after superposition processing;

[0032] The weight value corresponding to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed is obtained based on the angle between the receiving surface to be processed at the overlapping position and the corresponding original receiving surface.

[0033] Preferably, before the step of obtaining the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object based on the two-dimensional ultrasonic image, the generating method further comprises:

[0034] In response to the overlap of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to different original receiving surfaces, respectively acquiring the two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to each of the receiving surfaces to be processed at the overlapping position;

[0035] The two-dimensional ultrasonic image at the overlapping position is overlapped by using an incoherent overlap algorithm to obtain the updated two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to the overlapping position.

[0036] Preferably, the step of obtaining the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object based on the two-dimensional ultrasonic image comprises:

[0037] The two-dimensional ultrasonic image is processed by using a filtering algorithm and a three-dimensional interpolation algorithm to generate the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object.

[0038] Preferably, the generating method further comprises:

[0039] The three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object at different acquisition times is acquired to generate a four-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object.

[0040] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a system for generating an ultrasound image, the system comprising a first acquisition module, a second acquisition module, a processing module and a generation module;

[0041] The first acquisition module is used to acquire multiple original ultrasonic echo signals of the target object, wherein different original ultrasonic echo signals are obtained based on original receiving surfaces corresponding to different transmitting surfaces, the transmitting surface represents the coverage formed by transmitting ultrasonic waves along a preset transmitting direction, and the original receiving surface represents the coverage formed by receiving the ultrasonic waves reflected by the target object along the preset transmitting direction;

[0042] The second acquisition module is used to acquire a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface, and acquire a plurality of ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal based on the receiving surfaces to be processed;

[0043] The processing module is used to generate a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed;

[0044] The generating module is used to obtain a three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target object based on the two-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0045] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, comprising a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and used to run on the processor, wherein when the processor executes the computer program, the method for generating an ultrasound image described in the first aspect of the present disclosure is implemented.

[0046] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for generating an ultrasound image described in the first aspect of the present disclosure is implemented.

[0047] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, wherein when the computer program is executed by a processor, the method for generating an ultrasound image according to the first aspect of the present disclosure is implemented.

[0048] On the basis of being in accordance with the common sense in the art, the above-mentioned preferred conditions can be arbitrarily combined to obtain the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0049] The positive progress of the present disclosure is that by performing beam synthesis calculation outside the original receiving surface, the corresponding ultrasound images of each transmitting surface under multiple receiving surfaces at different angles are obtained to generate a three-dimensional ultrasound image, which not only increases the effective information of the three-dimensional ultrasound image, significantly improves the clarity and details of the image, but also does not need to increase the transmitting surface, reduces the amount of calculation in the entire three-dimensional ultrasound image reconstruction process, and improves the imaging rate, thereby obtaining a four-dimensional ultrasound image based on fast and continuous three-dimensional ultrasound images. And it is equipped with adjustable parameters, so that users can perform adaptive configuration according to different scenarios, quickly adapt to different clinical needs, and provide doctors with more valuable image information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0050] Figure 1 is a first flow chart of the method for generating an ultrasound image disclosed in the present invention;

[0051] Figure 2 is a first schematic diagram of the transmitting surface and the receiving surface of the present disclosure;

[0052] Figure 3 is a second schematic diagram of the transmitting surface and the receiving surface of the present disclosure;

[0053] Figure 4 is a second flow chart of the method for generating an ultrasound image disclosed herein;

[0054] Figure 5 It is a module schematic diagram of the system for generating ultrasound images disclosed in the present invention;

[0055] Figure 6 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device disclosed in the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0056] The present disclosure is further described below by way of examples, but the present disclosure is not limited to the scope of the examples.

[0057] Prefixes such as "first" and "second" are used in the embodiments of the present disclosure only to distinguish different description objects, and have no limiting effect on the position, order, priority, quantity or content of the described objects. The use of prefixes such as ordinal numbers to distinguish description objects in the embodiments of the present disclosure does not constitute a limitation on the described objects. For the statement of the described objects, please refer to the description in the context of the claims or embodiments, and no unnecessary limitation should be constituted due to the use of such prefixes. In addition, in the description of the present embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the meaning of "plurality" is two or more.

[0058] In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the collection, storage, use, processing, transmission, provision and disclosure of user personal information involved are in compliance with the provisions of relevant laws and regulations and do not violate public order and good morals.

[0059] Example 1

[0060] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for generating an ultrasound image is provided. Figure 1 As shown, the generation method includes:

[0061] S1. Acquire multiple original ultrasonic echo signals of the target object, wherein different original ultrasonic echo signals are obtained based on original receiving surfaces corresponding to different transmitting surfaces, the transmitting surface represents the coverage formed by transmitting ultrasonic waves along a preset transmitting direction, and the original receiving surface represents the coverage formed by receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by the target object along the preset transmitting direction;

[0062] S2, acquiring a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface, and acquiring a plurality of ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal based on the receiving surfaces to be processed;

[0063] S3, generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed;

[0064] S4. Obtain a three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target object based on the two-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0065] Specifically, the ultrasonic probe includes multiple ultrasonic arrays, each of which includes multiple array elements that can emit and receive ultrasonic waves. When the ultrasonic array is controlled to emit ultrasonic waves outward, each array element in the ultrasonic array emits ultrasonic waves along a preset transmission path to form a transmission surface with a certain coverage range. The echo signal generated by the ultrasonic wave reflected by the target object is returned along the preset transmission path and received by the ultrasonic probe to form an original receiving surface with a certain coverage range, wherein the transmission surface coincides with the original receiving surface.

[0066] In step S1 , different ultrasonic arrays in the ultrasonic probe may be controlled to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object, and ultrasonic echo signals reflected from the target object may be received to obtain a plurality of original ultrasonic echo signals of the target object.

[0067] Since the distances from the same point on the target object to different array elements are different, there are delay differences in the ultrasonic echo signals of the same point on the target object output by different array elements. Therefore, in order to achieve rapid generation of three-dimensional ultrasonic images, reduce the amount of calculation, and at the same time ensure the imaging quality of three-dimensional ultrasonic images, step S2 uses a software algorithm to perform delay calculation processing at different receiving angles on the received original ultrasonic echo signals to obtain multiple ultrasonic echo signals to be processed, wherein different receiving angles correspond to different receiving surfaces to be processed, and the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to different receiving angles can be obtained by deflecting the original receiving surface at different angles. For an original receiving surface, deflecting the same angles on both sides of the original receiving surface will also obtain different receiving surfaces to be processed.

[0068] Therefore, after transmitting an ultrasonic pulse, multiple ultrasonic echo signals to be processed at different deflection angles can be obtained. Without the need to add additional transmitting surfaces, one transmitting surface can correspond to multiple receiving surfaces, thereby collecting and synthesizing data from multiple receiving surfaces, increasing the richness of the data.

[0069] It should be noted that, when the deflection angle between the receiving surface to be processed and the original receiving surface is 0, the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed of the receiving surface to be processed is the original ultrasonic echo signal.

[0070] After obtaining multiple ultrasonic echo signals to be processed, each ultrasonic echo signal to be processed can be converted, amplified, filtered, etc. to obtain a processed ultrasonic echo signal through step S3, and a corresponding two-dimensional ultrasonic image can be reconstructed based on the processed ultrasonic echo signal. Step S4 can reconstruct the target object based on multiple two-dimensional ultrasonic images in different orientations. For example, three-dimensional scanning conversion and interpolation processing can be performed on multiple two-dimensional ultrasonic images in different orientations to quickly obtain a three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object.

[0071] In a specific implementation, the generation method further includes: S5, acquiring three-dimensional ultrasound images of the target object at different acquisition times, and generating a four-dimensional ultrasound image of the target object.

[0072] Specifically, by cyclically executing steps S1-S4, three-dimensional ultrasound images at different acquisition times can be obtained, and then a four-dimensional ultrasound image of the target object can be generated.

[0073] This specific implementation method performs beam synthesis calculations outside the original receiving surface to obtain the two-dimensional ultrasound images corresponding to each transmitting surface under multiple receiving surfaces with different angles to generate a three-dimensional ultrasound image, which not only increases the effective information of the three-dimensional ultrasound image, but also significantly improves the clarity and details of the image. Compared with the existing 3D reconstruction algorithm, under the condition of the same receiving surface, the number of transmitting surfaces is reduced, thereby reducing the amount of calculation in the entire three-dimensional ultrasound image reconstruction process, and improving the imaging rate, so as to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasound image based on fast and continuous three-dimensional ultrasound images.

[0074] In a specific implementation, step S2 includes:

[0075] S21, determining a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface based on the configuration parameters;

[0076] S22, using a beamforming algorithm to process the original ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to the original receiving surface to obtain a to-be-processed ultrasonic echo signal of the original ultrasonic echo signal at each to-be-processed receiving surface corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal.

[0077] Specifically, in order to enable the user to flexibly adjust the receiving surface to be processed corresponding to the transmitting surface according to different clinical application scenarios, the configuration parameters that can be adjusted by the user are set to determine a number of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to different original receiving surfaces according to the configuration parameters. Among them, the user adjusts the number of receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each transmitting surface, the angle between each receiving surface to be processed and the original receiving surface, etc. through the configuration parameters, so as to quickly adapt to different clinical needs without increasing costs and complexity.

[0078] After determining the different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each original receiving surface, the delay calculation of the original ultrasonic echo signal at different deflection angles can be calculated by the beamforming algorithm to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed corresponding to each receiving surface to be processed.

[0079] In a specific implementation, step S21 includes:

[0080] S211, determining a first number of transmitting surfaces and a second number of receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each transmitting surface based on configuration parameters;

[0081] The receiving surface to be processed includes a plurality of different virtual receiving surfaces arranged in sequence along both sides of the corresponding original receiving surface;

[0082] Preferably, step S211 includes: S2111, in response to the volume of the target object being greater than a preset volume, adjusting the configuration parameters to increase the first number and / or the second number of emitting surfaces; S2112, in response to the beating frequency of the target object being greater than a preset frequency, adjusting the configuration parameters to reduce the first number and / or the second number of emitting surfaces;

[0083] S212, determining the angle between each virtual receiving surface and the corresponding original receiving surface according to the elevation angle of the original receiving surface and the second number of receiving surfaces to be processed; wherein the elevation angle represents the angle between adjacent original receiving surfaces;

[0084] S2122. Arrange in sequence along both sides of the original receiving surface based on the included angle to obtain a plurality of virtual receiving surfaces.

[0085] Specifically, the receiving surface to be processed corresponding to each original receiving surface may include only different virtual receiving surfaces, or may include original receiving surfaces and different virtual receiving surfaces, wherein the virtual receiving surface represents the receiving surface formed by deflecting the corresponding original receiving surface at different angles (the angle is not 0).

[0086] like Figure 2-3 As shown, A, B, C, and D are four different emitting surfaces, A1, A2, and A3 are receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the emitting surface A, and B1, B2, and B3 are receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the emitting surface B, wherein A2 corresponds to the original receiving surface A, and B2 corresponds to the original receiving surface B. A1 and A3 are different virtual receiving surfaces corresponding to the original receiving surface A, and B1 and B3 are different virtual receiving surfaces corresponding to the original receiving surface B. That is, the receiving surface to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface A includes the original receiving surface A and the virtual receiving surfaces A1 and A3, and the receiving surface to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface B includes the original receiving surface B and the virtual receiving surfaces B1 and B3.

[0087] The spatial positions of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each transmitting surface are jointly determined by the elevation angle α of the transmitting surface and the number N of receiving surfaces to be processed, and the elevation angle is obtained according to the field of view angle β and the number M of transmitting surfaces, where M and N are both positive integers, and ∠COA=∠AOB=∠BOD=α.

[0088] The field of view angle β of the ultrasound probe determines the field of view that the ultrasound probe can cover. The field of view angle β is the 3D field of view angle, which represents the angle of the entire 3D image in the elevation direction. It is determined by the maximum angle formed by the emitting surface. The angle of the elevation angle α of each emitting surface is For example, β=90°, M=21, then α=4.5°.

[0089] After obtaining the elevation angle α of each transmitting surface, the distribution angle θ of the receiving surface to be processed corresponding to each transmitting surface can be obtained according to the elevation angle α and the number N of receiving surfaces to be processed, and then the angle between each receiving surface to be processed and the original receiving surface is obtained. According to the calculated angle, several different virtual receiving surfaces are arranged in sequence along both sides of the original receiving surface to obtain the receiving surface to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface. 1 OA 3 =∠B 1 OB 3 =θ, θ can be obtained by or We obtain, for example, α = 4.5°, N = 3, by Calculated θ = 3°, or, by The calculated value is θ=4.5°.

[0090] Since the larger the angle between the receiving surface to be processed and the original receiving surface, the greater the deviation between the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed calculated according to the original ultrasonic echo signal and the actual ultrasonic echo signal, the less accurate the generated two-dimensional ultrasonic image, therefore, the receiving surfaces to be processed can be arranged in sequence within the range of θ along both sides of the corresponding original receiving surface to obtain N receiving surfaces to be processed that form different angles with the original receiving surface. For example, taking N=3, θ=3° as an example, the first receiving surface to be processed can be set at a position of 1.5° to the left of the original receiving surface, the second receiving surface to be processed coincides with the original receiving surface, and the third receiving surface to be processed is set at a position of 1.5° to the right of the original receiving surface. If the original receiving surface is 0°, the angles of the three receiving surfaces to be processed relative to the original receiving surface are -1.5°, 0°, and 1.5°, respectively.

[0091] The user can adjust the first number of transmitting surfaces and the second number of receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each transmitting surface by configuring parameters to meet different three-dimensional image generation requirements. Taking the target object as the heart as an example, when the volume (shape) of the heart is large, in order to achieve all-round acquisition of the heart, it is necessary to increase the field angle β of the ultrasound probe, and the corresponding number of transmitting surfaces M should also be increased accordingly to ensure the quality of imaging. At the same time, in order to improve the clarity of the three-dimensional ultrasound image and increase the details of the three-dimensional ultrasound image, the number of receiving surfaces to be processed N corresponding to each transmitting surface can be increased; when the beating frequency of the heart is faster, in order to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasound image of the heart, it is necessary to ensure the generation rate of each three-dimensional ultrasound image. Therefore, the number of transmitting surfaces M can be reduced, and the number of receiving surfaces to be processed N corresponding to each transmitting surface can be reduced at the same time to reduce the reconstruction calculation amount of the three-dimensional ultrasound image and improve the generation rate of the three-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0092] In a specific implementation, step S3 includes:

[0093] S31, in response to the overlap of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to different original receiving surfaces, respectively acquiring the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed corresponding to each receiving surface to be processed at the overlapping position;

[0094] S32, using a preset superposition algorithm to perform superposition processing on the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed at the overlapping positions to obtain superposition-processed ultrasonic echo signals to be processed;

[0095] S33, generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to the overlapping position according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed after the superposition processing;

[0096] S34. In response to the target to-be-processed receiving surface not overlapping with other to-be-processed receiving surfaces, a target to-be-processed ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to the target to-be-processed receiving surface is acquired to generate a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target to-be-processed receiving surface.

[0097] Specifically, in order to improve the contrast and clarity of the image, when the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to different original receiving surfaces overlap, a superposition algorithm can be preset to perform superposition processing on the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the overlapping receiving surfaces to be processed, so as to obtain the superimposed ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the overlapping positions, and then generate the corresponding two-dimensional ultrasonic image according to the superimposed ultrasonic echo signals to be processed. When a receiving surface to be processed does not overlap with other receiving surfaces to be processed, the corresponding two-dimensional ultrasonic image is directly generated according to the ultrasonic echo signals corresponding to the receiving surface to be processed.

[0098] For example, the position of the emitting surface A is 0°, and the position of the emitting surface B is 4.5°. When θ=4.5° and N=3, the three receiving surfaces A to be processed corresponding to the emitting surface A are 1 -A 3 The positions are -2.25°, 0°, and 2.25° respectively. The three receiving surfaces B to be processed corresponding to the transmitting surface B 1 -B 3 The positions are 2.25°, 4.5°, and 6.25° respectively. For the position of 2.25°, there is an overlapping receiving surface A to be processed. 3 and B 1 , so we can 3 The corresponding ultrasonic echo signal to be processed and B 1 The corresponding ultrasonic echo signals to be processed are superimposed to obtain the superimposed ultrasonic echo signals to be processed at the 2.25° position, and a two-dimensional ultrasonic image at the 2.25° position is generated according to the superimposed ultrasonic echo signals to be processed; however, there are no overlapping receiving surfaces to be processed at the positions of -2.25°, 0°, 4.5°, and 6.25°, so the receiving surfaces to be processed are respectively obtained according to A 1 , A 2 , B 2 , B3 The corresponding ultrasonic echo signals to be processed generate corresponding two-dimensional ultrasonic images, thereby five two-dimensional ultrasonic images in different orientations can be obtained through two transmitting surfaces, providing more image details for generating three-dimensional ultrasonic images.

[0099] In a specific implementation, step S32 includes: based on the weight values ​​corresponding to different ultrasonic echo signals to be processed at the overlapping positions, performing coherent superposition processing or incoherent superposition processing on the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed to obtain ultrasonic echo signals to be processed after superposition processing;

[0100] The weight value corresponding to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed is obtained based on the angle between the receiving surface to be processed and the corresponding original receiving surface at the overlapping position.

[0101] Specifically, the preset superposition algorithm can be a coherent superposition algorithm or an incoherent superposition algorithm (for example, STB (Synthetic Transmit Beam), which can be set by the user according to the actual needs of the ultrasound image. For M transmitting surfaces, and each transmitting surface corresponds to N receiving surfaces to be processed, when the STB algorithm is used, K receiving surfaces can be obtained in the end. Through the flexible use of coherent superposition algorithm and incoherent superposition algorithm, the clarity and details of the image can be significantly improved.

[0102] Taking into account that the larger the angle between the receiving surface to be processed and the original receiving surface, the greater the deviation between the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed calculated according to the original ultrasonic echo signal and the actual ultrasonic echo signal, in order to further improve the contrast and clarity of the image, the weight value can be set according to the angle between different ultrasonic echo signals to be processed and the corresponding original receiving surface, wherein the smaller the angle between the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed and the corresponding original receiving surface, the larger the set weight value, and conversely, the larger the angle, the smaller the set weight value, and then the different ultrasonic echo signals to be processed are superimposed according to the weight values ​​corresponding to the different ultrasonic echo signals to be processed to obtain the superimposed ultrasonic echo signal to be processed.

[0103] For example, the position of the first emitting surface is 0°, the position of the second emitting surface is 2°, the positions of the four receiving surfaces A1-A4 to be processed corresponding to the first emitting surface are -1.5, -0.5, 0.5, and 1.5, respectively, and the positions of the four receiving surfaces B1-B4 to be processed corresponding to the second emitting surface are 0.5, 1.5, 2.5, and 3.5, respectively. That is, the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the first emitting surface and the second emitting surface only include the virtual receiving surfaces A1-A4 and B1-B4, and do not include the first original receiving surface and the second original receiving surface. For the overlapping receiving surfaces A3 and B1 to be processed at the position of 0.5°, since the angle between A3 and the first emitting surface is 0.5°, and the angle between B1 and the second emitting surface is 1.5°, the weight of the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed of A3 can be set to be large, while the weight of the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed of B1 can be set to be small. Similarly, for the overlapping receiving surfaces A4 and B2 to be processed at the position of 1.5°, the weight of the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed of A4 can be set to be small, while the weight of the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed of B2 can be set to be large.

[0104] Of course, it is also possible to set the different to-be-processed ultrasonic echo signals at the overlapping positions to be evenly superimposed, which is not limited in the present embodiment.

[0105] In another specific implementation, before step S4, the generation method further includes:

[0106] In response to the overlap of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to different original receiving surfaces, respectively acquiring a two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to each receiving surface to be processed at the overlapping position;

[0107] The two-dimensional ultrasonic images at the overlapping positions are superimposed by using an incoherent superposition algorithm to obtain an updated two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to the overlapping positions.

[0108] Specifically, when executing step S3, whether there are overlapping receiving surfaces to be processed is not considered. Instead, a corresponding two-dimensional ultrasonic image is directly generated according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed corresponding to each receiving surface to be processed, so as to obtain multiple two-dimensional ultrasonic images in different orientations. Then, before generating a three-dimensional ultrasonic image according to the two-dimensional ultrasonic image in step S4, the two-dimensional ultrasonic images corresponding to different receiving surfaces to be processed at the overlapping positions are subjected to incoherent superposition processing to obtain an updated two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to the overlapping positions. The two-dimensional ultrasonic images corresponding to the receiving surfaces to be processed that do not overlap do not need to be updated, and then a three-dimensional ultrasonic image is generated according to the updated two-dimensional ultrasonic image and the two-dimensional ultrasonic image that does not need to be updated, so as to further improve the image contrast and clarity.

[0109] In a specific implementation, step S4 includes:

[0110] The two-dimensional ultrasonic image is processed by using a filtering algorithm and a three-dimensional interpolation algorithm to generate a three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object.

[0111] Specifically, in order to eliminate noise and improve data fidelity and obtain high-quality three-dimensional ultrasound images, a 2D filtering algorithm can be used to filter the two-dimensional ultrasound image, and a 3D filtering algorithm and a three-dimensional interpolation algorithm can be used to convert multiple two-dimensional ultrasound images in different orientations to generate a high-resolution three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target object. Among them, the 2D filtering algorithm and the 3D filtering algorithm can be any one of a Gaussian filtering algorithm, a median filtering algorithm, a hole filling algorithm, etc., and the three-dimensional interpolation algorithm can be any one of a Bicubic Interpolation algorithm and a Trilinear Interpolation algorithm, etc.

[0112] In order to further accelerate the three-dimensional interpolation and scan conversion of the three-dimensional ultrasound image, the parallel processing capability of the GPU can be used to parallelly process the acquisition of the ultrasound echo signal to be processed and the generation of the ultrasound image.

[0113] In a specific example, if Figure 4 As shown, according to the configuration parameters, the number of transmitting surfaces is determined to be M, and the number of receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each transmitting surface is N. In the first stage, starting from the first receiving surface to be processed (n=1) of the first transmitting surface (m=1), the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to each receiving surface to be processed under the first transmitting surface are obtained in sequence through n=n+1 until n=N, and it is determined that the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to all the receiving surfaces to be processed under the first transmitting surface are obtained, and the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to each receiving surface to be processed under the second transmitting surface are obtained through m=m+1, until m=M, it is determined that the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to each receiving surface to be processed corresponding to all transmitting surfaces are obtained. In the second stage, the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the N*M receiving surfaces to be processed are processed by coherent superposition processing or incoherent superposition processing to obtain the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the K receiving surfaces, and the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the K receiving surfaces are filtered and interpolated to generate a three-dimensional ultrasonic image, and the above steps are repeated to collect three-dimensional ultrasonic images at different collection times, and then a four-dimensional ultrasonic image is generated.

[0114] Among them, the first stage and the second stage can be processed in parallel to ensure the seamless connection and high-speed execution of each step, so as to quickly and continuously generate three-dimensional ultrasound images and obtain real-time four-dimensional ultrasound images.

[0115] This embodiment performs beam synthesis calculation outside the original receiving surface to obtain the corresponding ultrasound images of each transmitting surface under multiple receiving surfaces at different angles to generate a three-dimensional ultrasound image, which not only increases the effective information of the three-dimensional ultrasound image and significantly improves the clarity and details of the image, but also does not require additional transmitting surfaces, reduces the amount of calculation in the entire three-dimensional ultrasound image reconstruction process, and improves the imaging rate, thereby obtaining a four-dimensional ultrasound image based on fast and continuous three-dimensional ultrasound images. It is also equipped with adjustable parameters, so that users can perform adaptive configuration according to different scenarios, quickly adapt to different clinical needs, and provide doctors with more valuable image information.

[0116] Example 2

[0117] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a system for generating an ultrasound image is provided. Figure 5 As shown, the generation system includes a first acquisition module 100, a second acquisition module 200, a processing module 300 and a generation module 400;

[0118] The first acquisition module 100 is used to acquire multiple original ultrasonic echo signals of the target object, wherein different original ultrasonic echo signals are obtained based on original receiving surfaces corresponding to different transmitting surfaces, the transmitting surface represents the coverage formed by transmitting ultrasonic waves along a preset transmitting direction, and the original receiving surface represents the coverage formed by receiving ultrasonic waves reflected by the target object along the preset transmitting direction;

[0119] The second acquisition module 200 is used to acquire a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface, and acquire a plurality of ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal based on the receiving surface to be processed;

[0120] The processing module 300 is used to generate a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed;

[0121] The generating module 400 is used to obtain a three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target object based on the two-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0122] As for the system embodiment, since it basically corresponds to the method embodiment, the relevant parts can refer to the partial description of the method embodiment. The system embodiment described above is only illustrative, wherein the units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, and the components as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed on multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the disclosed solution.

[0123] This embodiment performs beam synthesis calculations outside the original receiving surface to obtain the corresponding ultrasound images of each transmitting surface under multiple receiving surfaces at different angles to generate a three-dimensional ultrasound image. This not only increases the effective information of the three-dimensional ultrasound image and significantly improves the clarity and details of the image, but also does not require additional transmitting surfaces, reduces the amount of calculation in the entire three-dimensional ultrasound image reconstruction process, and increases the imaging rate, thereby obtaining a four-dimensional ultrasound image based on fast and continuous three-dimensional ultrasound images. It is also equipped with adjustable parameters, so that users can perform adaptive configuration according to different scenarios, quickly adapt to different clinical needs, and provide doctors with more valuable image information.

[0124] Example 3

[0125] Figure 6 This is a structural schematic diagram of an electronic device shown in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device includes a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and used to run on the processor, and when the processor executes the computer program, the method for generating an ultrasound image described in any of the above embodiments is implemented. Figure 6 The electronic device 30 shown is only an example and should not bring any limitation to the functions and scope of use of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0126] like Figure 6 As shown, the electronic device 30 may be in the form of a general-purpose computing device, for example, it may be a server device. The components of the electronic device 30 may include but are not limited to: at least one processor 31, at least one memory 32, and a processor that connects different system components (including the memory 32 and the processor). The bus 33 of the processor 31).

[0127] The bus 33 includes a data bus, an address bus, and a control bus.

[0128] The memory 32 may include a volatile memory, such as a random access memory (RAM) 321 and / or a cache memory 322 , and may further include a read-only memory (ROM) 323 .

[0129] The memory 32 may also include a program tool 325 (or utility) having a set (at least one) of program modules 324, such program modules 324 including but not limited to: an operating system, one or more application programs, other program modules and program data, each of which or some combination may include an implementation of a network environment.

[0130] The processor 31 executes various functional applications and data processing by running the computer program stored in the memory 32, such as the method for generating an ultrasound image provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0131] The electronic device 30 may also communicate with one or more external devices 34 (e.g., keyboards, pointing devices, etc.). Such communication may be performed via an input / output (I / O) interface 35. Furthermore, the electronic device 30 may also communicate with one or more networks (e.g., local area networks (LANs), wide area networks (WANs), and / or public networks, such as the Internet) via a network adapter 36. As shown, the network adapter 36 communicates with other modules of the electronic device 30 via a bus 33. It should be understood that, although not shown in the figure, other hardware and / or software modules may be used in conjunction with the electronic device 30, including but not limited to: microcode, device drivers, redundant processors, external disk drive arrays, RAID (disk array) systems, tape drives, and data backup storage systems, etc.

[0132] It should be noted that although several units / modules or sub-units / modules of the electronic device are mentioned in the above detailed description, this division is merely exemplary and not mandatory. In fact, according to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the features and functions of two or more units / modules described above can be embodied in one unit / module. Conversely, the features and functions of one unit / module described above can be further divided into multiple units / modules to be embodied.

[0133] Example 4

[0134] The embodiments of the present disclosure further provide a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, and when the program is executed by a processor, the method for generating an ultrasound image provided by any of the above embodiments is implemented.

[0135] The readable storage medium may include but is not limited to: a portable disk, a hard disk, a random access memory, a read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device or any suitable combination of the above.

[0136] Example 5

[0137] The embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a computer program product, including a computer program, which implements any of the above-mentioned methods for generating an ultrasound image when executed by a processor.

[0138] Among them, the program code for executing the computer program product of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, and the program code can be executed completely on the user device, partially on the user device, as an independent software package, partially on the user device and partially on a remote device, or completely on the remote device.

[0139] Although the specific embodiments of the present disclosure are described above, those skilled in the art should understand that this is only an example, and the protection scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims. Those skilled in the art may make various changes or modifications to these embodiments without departing from the principles and essence of the present disclosure, but these changes and modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for generating an ultrasonic image, characterized in that: The generation method comprises: Acquire multiple original ultrasonic echo signals of the target object, wherein different original ultrasonic echo signals are obtained based on original receiving surfaces corresponding to different transmitting surfaces; Acquire a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface, and acquire a plurality of ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal based on the receiving surfaces to be processed; generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed; A three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target object is obtained based on the two-dimensional ultrasound image.

2. The generation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step of acquiring a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface, and acquiring a plurality of ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal based on the receiving surfaces to be processed comprises: Determine, based on the configuration parameters, a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface; The original ultrasonic echo signal corresponding to the original receiving surface is processed by using a beamforming algorithm to obtain the to-be-processed ultrasonic echo signal of each to-be-processed receiving surface corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal.

3. The generation method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of determining a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each of the original receiving surfaces based on the configuration parameters comprises: Determine a first number of the transmitting surfaces and a second number of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each of the transmitting surfaces based on the configuration parameters; The receiving surface to be processed includes a plurality of different virtual receiving surfaces arranged in sequence along both sides of the corresponding original receiving surface.

4. The generation method according to claim 3, characterized in that: The determining, based on the configuration parameters, a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each of the original receiving surfaces further comprises: Determine the angle between each virtual receiving surface and the corresponding original receiving surface according to the elevation angle of the original receiving surface and the second number of the receiving surfaces to be processed; wherein the elevation angle represents the angle between adjacent original receiving surfaces; Arrange in sequence along both sides of the original receiving surface based on the included angle to obtain a plurality of virtual receiving surfaces; and / or, The step of determining the first number of the transmitting surfaces and the second number of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to each of the transmitting surfaces based on the configuration parameters comprises: In response to a volume of the target object being larger than a preset volume, adjusting the configuration parameter to increase the first number and / or the second number of the emitting surfaces; In response to a beating frequency of the target object being greater than a preset frequency, the configuration parameter is adjusted to reduce the first number and / or the second number of the emitting surfaces.

5. The generation method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The step of generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed comprises: In response to the overlap of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to different original receiving surfaces, respectively acquiring the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed corresponding to each of the receiving surfaces to be processed at the overlapping position; Using a preset superposition algorithm to perform superposition processing on the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed at the overlapping position to obtain the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed after superposition processing; generating the two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to the overlapping position according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed after the superposition processing; or, The step of generating a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed comprises: In response to the target receiving surface to be processed not overlapping with other receiving surfaces to be processed, a target ultrasonic echo signal to be processed corresponding to the target receiving surface to be processed is acquired to generate the two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target receiving surface to be processed.

6. The generation method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step of using a preset superposition algorithm to perform superposition processing on the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed at the overlapping positions to obtain the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed after superposition processing comprises: Based on the weight values ​​corresponding to the different ultrasonic echo signals to be processed at the overlapping positions, the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed are subjected to coherent superposition processing or incoherent superposition processing to obtain the ultrasonic echo signals to be processed after superposition processing; The weight value corresponding to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed is obtained based on the angle between the receiving surface to be processed at the overlapping position and the corresponding original receiving surface.

7. The generation method according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before the step of obtaining the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object based on the two-dimensional ultrasonic image, the generating method further includes: In response to the overlap of the receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to different original receiving surfaces, respectively acquiring the two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to each of the receiving surfaces to be processed at the overlapping position; The two-dimensional ultrasonic image at the overlapping position is overlapped by using an incoherent overlap algorithm to obtain the updated two-dimensional ultrasonic image corresponding to the overlapping position.

8. The generation method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The step of obtaining the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object based on the two-dimensional ultrasonic image comprises: The two-dimensional ultrasonic image is processed by using a filtering algorithm and a three-dimensional interpolation algorithm to generate the three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object.

9. The generation method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The generating method further comprises: The three-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object at different acquisition times is acquired to generate a four-dimensional ultrasonic image of the target object.

10. A system for generating an ultrasound image, characterized in that: The generation system includes a first acquisition module, a second acquisition module, a processing module and a generation module; The first acquisition module is used to acquire a plurality of original ultrasonic echo signals of the target object, wherein different original ultrasonic echo signals are obtained based on original receiving surfaces corresponding to different transmitting surfaces; The second acquisition module is used to acquire a plurality of different receiving surfaces to be processed corresponding to the original receiving surface, and acquire a plurality of ultrasonic echo signals to be processed corresponding to the original ultrasonic echo signal based on the receiving surfaces to be processed; The processing module is used to generate a two-dimensional ultrasonic image of the receiving surface to be processed according to the ultrasonic echo signal to be processed; The generating module is used to obtain a three-dimensional ultrasound image of the target object based on the two-dimensional ultrasound image.

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