Image correction method and device, computer equipment and storage medium

Abstract

The invention relates to an image correction method and device, computer equipment and a storage medium. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring region images corresponding to a plurality of different regions in an ultrasonic image; determining delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beam forming process; performing delay correction on the corresponding regional image by using each piece of delay error information; and determining a corrected ultrasonic image according to each regional image after delay correction. By adopting the method, the quality of the ultrasonic image can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of ultrasonic imaging technology, and in particular to an image correction method, device, computer equipment and storage medium. Background Art

[0002] In the process of ultrasonic imaging, ultrasonic waves are mainly emitted through multiple ultrasonic channels, and beam synthesis is performed on the echo information of the returned multiple ultrasonic channels to obtain an ultrasonic image.

[0003] In the related art, before beam synthesis, it is necessary to calculate the delay information of each ultrasonic channel based on the geometric distance and sound speed of multiple ultrasonic channels, and then realign the echo signals from multiple ultrasonic channels based on the delay information, and then perform beam synthesis on these aligned echo signals to obtain an ultrasonic image.

[0004] However, the ultrasound images obtained by the ultrasound imaging method in the related art have poor quality. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to provide an image correction method, device, computer equipment and storage medium to improve the quality of ultrasound images in response to the above technical problems.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides an image correction method, comprising:

[0007] Acquire regional images corresponding to multiple different regions in the ultrasound image;

[0008] Determine the delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the actual delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beamforming process;

[0009] Using each delay error information to perform delay correction on the corresponding regional image;

[0010] The corrected ultrasound image is determined based on the images of each region after delay correction.

[0011] In one embodiment, the delay error information corresponding to each regional image is determined according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beamforming process, including:

[0012] For any regional image, initial delay information of the reference point is obtained from initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process;

[0013] The delay error between the actual delay information of the reference point and the initial delay information is calculated, and the delay error is used as the delay error information corresponding to the regional image.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the real delay information is a real delay curve;

[0015] The initial delay information of the reference point is obtained from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process, including:

[0016] The lowest point of the actual delay curve of the reference point is taken as the target position of the reference point;

[0017] The initial delay information at the target position is obtained from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process.

[0018] In one embodiment, the method further comprises:

[0019] For any regional image, based on the correlation between multiple ultrasound channels of the ultrasound device, the real delay curve of the reference point is obtained;

[0020] The real delay curve of the reference point is used as the real delay information of the reference point in the regional image.

[0021] In one embodiment, delay correction is performed on the corresponding regional image using each delay error information, including:

[0022] Using each delay error information, delay correction is performed on all pixels in the corresponding regional image;

[0023] The pixels of each regional image are beamformed using the corrected time delay to obtain a corrected regional image.

[0024] In one embodiment, delay correction is performed on all pixels in the corresponding regional image using each delay error information, including:

[0025] For any regional image, based on the delay error corresponding to the regional image, delay correction is performed on all pixels in the regional image to obtain corrected pixels in the regional image.

[0026] In one embodiment, acquiring regional images corresponding to a plurality of different regions in an ultrasound image includes:

[0027] Pre-beamforming the echo signals of multiple ultrasound channels of the ultrasound device to obtain an ultrasound image obtained by beamforming;

[0028] The ultrasonic image obtained by beam synthesis is segmented to obtain regional images of multiple image regions in the ultrasonic image obtained by beam synthesis.

[0029] In a second aspect, the present application also provides an image correction device, comprising:

[0030] An acquisition module, used for acquiring regional images corresponding to multiple different regions in an ultrasound image;

[0031] An information determination module, used to determine the delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beamforming process;

[0032] A correction module, used for performing delay correction on the corresponding regional image using each delay error information;

[0033] The image determination module is used to determine the corrected ultrasound image according to the images of each region after delay correction.

[0034] In a third aspect, the present application further provides a computer device, including a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, and when the processor executes the computer program, the content of any one embodiment of the image correction method in the first aspect above is implemented.

[0035] In a fourth aspect, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the content of any one embodiment of the image correction method in the first aspect above.

[0036] In a fifth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product, comprising a computer program, which, when executed by a processor, implements the content of any one embodiment of the image correction method in the first aspect above.

[0037] The above-mentioned image correction method, device, computer equipment and storage medium obtain regional images corresponding to multiple different regions in the ultrasound image obtained by beam synthesis; determine the delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beam synthesis process; perform delay correction on the corresponding regional image using each delay error information; and determine the corrected ultrasound image according to each regional image after delay correction. For a beam synthesized ultrasound image of poor quality, by obtaining multiple regional images in the ultrasound image, and according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information in the beam synthesis process, the delay error information of each regional image can be accurately obtained, so that each regional image is corrected in a targeted manner based on the multiple delay error information, that is, the correction is performed from a more refined angle, which improves the accuracy of the correction process and makes the quality of the corrected ultrasound image higher. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or related technologies, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application or related technical descriptions will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0039] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of channel signals to be superimposed in one embodiment;

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of channel signals to be superimposed in one embodiment;

[0041] Figure 3 A diagram showing an application environment of an image correction method in an embodiment;

[0042] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ultrasonic imaging process in one embodiment;

[0043] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a transmitter waveform generator in one embodiment;

[0044] Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of an image correction method in one embodiment;

[0045] Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of an image correction method in one embodiment;

[0046] Figure 8 is a schematic flow chart of an image correction method in one embodiment;

[0047] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a delay curve in one embodiment;

[0048] Fig.10 is a schematic flow chart of an image correction method in one embodiment;

[0049] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of a minimum quantization signal in one embodiment;

[0050] Fig.12 is a schematic flow chart of an image correction method in one embodiment;

[0051] Fig.13 is a schematic flow chart of an image correction method in one embodiment;

[0052] Fig.14 is a schematic diagram of image segmentation in one embodiment;

[0053] Fig.15is a schematic flow chart of an image correction method in one embodiment;

[0054] Fig.16 is a schematic flow chart of an image correction method in one embodiment;

[0055] Fig.17 is a structural block diagram of an image correction device in one embodiment;

[0056] Fig.18 FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the internal structure of a computer device in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application more clearly understood, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not used to limit the present application.

[0058] Before introducing the technical solution of the present application in detail, a brief description of the background technology of the present application is first given.

[0059] Beamforming is a key technology used in many sensor array systems, such as radar, sonar, medical ultrasound imaging systems, and audio array systems. Beamforming refers to focusing the transmit energy to a focal position during transmit beamforming and focusing the receive signal to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the received signal. The focus of the receive signal is achieved by realigning the signals from multiple receive channels and then coherently summing them. Signal alignment can be achieved by delaying, phase rotating, or using different weights for different channels.

[0060] Taking beamforming in ultrasonic imaging as an example, in the ultrasonic imaging process, ultrasonic waves are mainly emitted through multiple ultrasonic channels, and beamforming is performed on the echo information of the returned multiple ultrasonic channels to obtain an ultrasonic image.

[0061] In the related art, before beamforming, it is necessary to calculate the delay information of each ultrasound channel based on the geometric distance and sound speed of multiple ultrasound channels, and then realign the echo signals from the multiple ultrasound channels based on the delay information, and then perform beamforming on these aligned echo signals to obtain an ultrasound image. However, the ultrasound image quality obtained by the ultrasound imaging method of the related art is poor.

[0062] The geometric distance of multiple ultrasound channels refers to the distance from the transmitted wave to the pixel point and the distance from the reflected wave to the array element. Then, the delay information Delay of each ultrasound channel can be expressed as:

[0063] Delay=(D_Tx+D_Rx) / c

[0064] Where D_Tx represents the distance from the transmitted wave to the pixel point; D_x represents the distance from the reflected wave to the array element; and c represents the speed of sound.

[0065] During the delay correction process, the delay value may have errors due to various reasons. For example, the delay error may be caused by inconsistency of array elements, inconsistency of channels, error in estimation of sound speed, refraction or scattering, etc.

[0066] Figure 1 The schematic diagram of the signals of each channel to be superimposed. The two contours on the left side of the figure represent the delay curves, and the right side represents the actual pulses received by each channel. Figure 1 It can be seen that the delay curve is consistent with the relative time of the pulses actually received by each channel. Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the signals of each channel to be superimposed. The two contours on the left side of the figure represent the delay curves, and the right side represents the actual pulses received by each channel. Figure 2 It can be seen that the delay curve is inconsistent with the relative time of the pulses actually received by each channel. The superposition of multiple pulses will not be enhanced, but may be weakened.

[0067] In view of the above problems, the present application provides an image correction method, device, computer equipment and storage medium, which can improve the quality of ultrasound images. Of course, the technical solution provided in the embodiments of the present application is not limited to solving the above problems, but also has other technical effects, which can be specifically referred to in the following embodiments. The technical solution of the present application is described in detail below.

[0068] The image correction method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to Figure 3 In the application environment shown. The application environment includes a computer device 101 and an ultrasound device 102, wherein the computer device can be a server, a personal computer, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a smart mobile phone, etc. The computer device may include a processor, a memory, and a network interface connected via a system bus or wirelessly. Among them, the processor of the computer device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer device may include a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system, a computer program, and a database. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The database of the computer device is used to store data in the image correction process. The network interface of the computer device is used to communicate with an external terminal through a network connection, and the computer program is executed by the processor to implement an image correction method.

[0069] Figure 4Figure 1 is a block diagram of the ultrasound imaging process. The ultrasound device includes an array transducer that transmits an ultrasound beam to the imaging area of ​​the target object. The output of the transmitter is connected to the T / R switch, which is connected to the transducer. The high-voltage signal stimulates the transducer element to produce ultrasound through the T / R switch, a process known as the inverse piezoelectric effect. The ultrasound waves are reflected back due to the difference in acoustic impedance between different tissues. Due to the piezoelectric properties of the transducer element, the reflected acoustic energy is converted into electrical energy. The echo signal from the transducer element passes through the T / R switch and is amplified and filtered by the RX analog signal chain. During transmission, the T / R switch can also prevent the high-voltage signal from entering the RX analog signal chain. The received signal is then sent to the computer device, which processes the received signal to complete the image correction process.

[0070] Figure 5 The schematic diagram of the transmitter waveform generator is shown in the figure. As can be seen from the figure, the transmit waveform generator generates a digital waveform from the transmit waveform table and converts the digital waveform into an analog signal, which is then amplified by a high-voltage linear amplifier. Alternatively, a high-voltage pulse generator (pulser) directly generates a transmit signal through a digital waveform. The transmit waveform can embed the designed phase shift information or a simple pulse sequence with one or more pulses.

[0071] Data acquisition will digitize the signal and save it to a raw data memory. This memory can be any type of memory, including but not limited to Double Data Rate Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory (DDR) memory or Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) block memory. Raw data refers to the signal directly from the analog-to-digital converter (ADC) of multiple ultrasound channels. Among them, raw data or signals can also be called Radio Frequency (RF) data or RF signals.

[0072] In an exemplary embodiment, Figure 6 As shown, an image correction method is provided, which is applied to Figure 3 The computer device in the example is used to illustrate, including the following steps 101 to 104. Among them:

[0073] S101, acquiring regional images corresponding to a plurality of different regions in an ultrasound image.

[0074] In an embodiment of the present application, if the echo signals of multiple channels received after ultrasonic emission are stored in a signal memory, the computer device can obtain the echo signals of multiple channels from the signal memory according to the identification information. And the echo signals of multiple channels are beamformed using a beamforming algorithm to obtain an ultrasonic image. Among them, the beamforming algorithm includes but is not limited to coherent plane wave compounding imaging (CPWC), divergent wave (DW), synthetic aperture imaging (SAI), focused imaging (FI), delay and sum beamforming (DAS), multi-line acquisition beamforming (MLA), and retrospective transmit beamforming (RTB). Alternatively, if the beamformed ultrasonic image is stored in an image memory, the computer device can obtain the ultrasonic image obtained by beamforming from the image memory according to the identification information.

[0075] Furthermore, after acquiring the ultrasound image obtained by beam synthesis, the computer device can divide the ultrasound image into multiple different regions according to a preset division rule, and each region corresponds to a regional image. The preset division rule can be divided according to the depth information, grayscale information, etc. of the pixel points. Alternatively, the computer device can also input the ultrasound image obtained by beam synthesis into a preset target detection model, detect the target object in the ultrasound image through the target detection model, and divide each target object into a regional image, and divide the non-target object into a regional image.

[0076] S102, determining the delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beamforming process.

[0077] The real delay information of the reference point in the regional image refers to the time when each channel actually receives the same reflected wave at the reference point in the regional image. The reference point can be any point in the regional image. The initial delay information of the beamforming process refers to the delay information determined by only considering the delay between multiple channels. The quality of the ultrasound image obtained based on the initial delay information is poor.

[0078] In an embodiment of the present application, the computer device can use the beamforming algorithm mentioned in S101 to analyze the predefined sound speed of different tissues to obtain the initial delay information of the ultrasound image during the beamforming process. For example, for soft tissue, the predefined sound speed is 1540 meters per second. It should be noted that the initial delay information of the ultrasound image during the beamforming process is a collection of initial delay information of each pixel in the ultrasound image.

[0079] After obtaining the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image, for each regional image, the real delay information of the reference point is the real delay curve of the reference point, then the computer device can obtain the lowest point of the real delay curve of the reference point, and use the lowest point as the target position of the reference point. And obtain the initial delay curve of the reference point at the target position, calculate the error between the initial delay curve and the real delay curve, and use the difference as the delay error information corresponding to the regional image. In this way, the delay error information corresponding to each regional image can be obtained.

[0080] Optionally, the computer device can also input the actual delay curve of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process into a preset error determination model, and use the error determination model to analyze the actual delay curve and the initial delay curve to obtain the delay error information corresponding to each regional image.

[0081] S103, performing delay correction on the corresponding regional image using each delay error information.

[0082] Delay correction refers to the process of compensating for signal delays caused by various factors during signal measurement or signal transmission by ultrasonic equipment.

[0083] In the embodiment of the present application, after the delay error information of each regional image is obtained, for any regional image, delay correction is performed on each pixel in the regional image according to the delay error information corresponding to the regional image to obtain a regional image after delay correction. In the above manner, delay correction can be performed on each regional image to obtain multiple regional images after delay correction.

[0084] S104, determining a corrected ultrasound image according to the images of each region after delay correction.

[0085] In the embodiment of the present application, after acquiring multiple delayed corrected regional images, the computer device can stitch the multiple delayed corrected regional images according to their positions in the ultrasound image to obtain a stitched image, and use the stitched image as the corrected ultrasound image.

[0086] In the above-mentioned image correction method, regional images corresponding to multiple different regions in the ultrasound image obtained by beam synthesis are obtained; the delay error information corresponding to each regional image is determined according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beam synthesis process; the delay correction is performed on the corresponding regional image using each delay error information; and the corrected ultrasound image is determined according to each regional image after the delay correction. For a beam synthesized ultrasound image of poor quality, by obtaining multiple regional images in the ultrasound image, and according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information in the beam synthesis process, the delay error information of each regional image can be accurately obtained, so that each regional image can be corrected in a targeted manner based on the multiple delay error information, that is, the correction is performed from a more refined angle, which improves the accuracy of the correction process and makes the quality of the corrected ultrasound image higher.

[0087] The delay error information corresponding to each regional image in the delay correction process is very important. Therefore, in one embodiment, Figure 7 As shown, the specific content of determining the delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beamforming process is introduced, and the specific content includes the following steps:

[0088] S201 , for any regional image, obtaining initial delay information of a reference point from initial delay information of an ultrasound image in a beamforming process.

[0089] Since the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process is a collection of the initial delay information of each pixel in the ultrasound image, the computer device can analyze the real delay information of the reference point in the image of the region and obtain the target position of the reference point from the real delay information. Specifically, assuming that the real delay information is a real delay curve, the lowest point of the real delay curve of the reference point can be used as the target position of the reference point.

[0090] Furthermore, after obtaining the target position of the reference point, the computer device can search for the initial delay information at the target position from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process according to the target position of the reference point, and use the initial delay information at the target position as the initial delay information of the reference point.

[0091] S202, calculating the delay error between the actual delay information of the reference point and the initial delay information, and using the delay error as the delay error information corresponding to the regional image.

[0092] In the embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the initial delay information of the reference point in the regional image, the computer device can calculate the difference between the initial delay information and the real delay information, and use the difference as the delay error information corresponding to the regional image. In other words, the delay error information is determined based on the delay error information of the real reference point.

[0093] In the above-mentioned image correction method, for any regional image, the initial delay information of the reference point is obtained from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process; the delay error between the actual delay information of the reference point and the initial delay information is calculated, and the delay error is used as the delay error information corresponding to the regional image. Starting from each small regional image, the method can accurately find the initial delay information of the reference point from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process, and use the error between the initial delay information of the reference point and the actual delay information to accurately calculate the delay error information corresponding to each regional image.

[0094] Assuming that the real delay information is a real delay curve, then, in one embodiment, Figure 8 As shown, the specific content of obtaining the initial delay information of the reference point from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process is introduced, and the specific content includes:

[0095] S301, taking the lowest point of the real delay curve of the reference point as the target position of the reference point.

[0096] In an embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the real delay curve, the computer device may smooth and filter the real delay curve before determining the target position to obtain a parabola opening upward. For example, the smoothing algorithm may be, but is not limited to, a Savitzky-Golay smoothing algorithm, a sliding average algorithm, a Loess smoothing algorithm, etc. Then obtain the target position corresponding to the lowest point on the parabola. Furthermore, the lowest point on the parabola is the real position of the reference point, and the computer device may use the lowest point of the real delay curve of the reference point as the target position of the reference point.

[0097] Fig. 9 The schematic diagram of the delay curve shows that curve 1 is the initial delay curve of the reference point, and curve 2 is the real delay curve of the reference point. It can be seen from the figure that there is a delay error between the initial delay curve and the real delay curve. Curve 1 and curve 2 are both parabolas that open upward. The lowest point of curve 1 is the initial position of the reference point, and the lowest point of curve 2 is the real position of the reference point, that is, the target position of the reference point.

[0098] S302, acquiring initial delay information at a target position from initial delay information of an ultrasound image in a beamforming process.

[0099] In the embodiment of the present application, the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process includes the initial delay information and the corresponding position of each pixel in the ultrasound image. Then, after obtaining the target position of the reference point, the computer device can determine the position that matches the target position from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process based on the target position of the reference point, and use the initial delay information at the matching position as the initial delay information at the target position.

[0100] In the above-mentioned image correction method, the lowest point of the real delay curve of the reference point is used as the target position of the reference point; the initial delay information at the target position is obtained from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process. This method takes the real delay information as an example of a delay curve. Since the position where the delay error occurs is generally at the lowest point of the delay curve, the target position corresponding to the lowest point can be obtained, and based on the target position of the reference point, the initial delay information at the target position can be accurately obtained from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process.

[0101] Next, the process of obtaining the real time delay information of the reference point in the regional image is described in detail. Fig.10 As shown, the specific content includes the following steps:

[0102] S401, acquiring real delay information of a reference point based on the correlation between multiple ultrasound channels of an ultrasound device.

[0103] Among them, the correlation between multiple ultrasound channels in an ultrasound device refers to the similarity between signals from different ultrasound channels in the ultrasound device. During ultrasound imaging, each ultrasound channel is responsible for transmitting and receiving ultrasound waves, and the correlation between these ultrasound channels can be evaluated by calculating the correlation coefficients of signals from different channels.

[0104] In the embodiment of the present application, the computer device can determine the phase delay error between each ultrasound channel according to the correlation between multiple ultrasound channels of the ultrasound device, and use the phase delay error between each ultrasound channel as the real delay information of the reference point.

[0105] Optionally, the computer device may convert the echo data of multiple ultrasound channels into a minimum quantized signal (MQS), and then calculate the correlation between the multiple ultrasound channels, thereby greatly reducing the amount of cross-correlation calculation. Fig.11This is a schematic diagram of a minimum quantization signal. The middle signal in the figure is a 1-bit MQS signal, which can be obtained by zero-crossing detection. A value greater than 0 is 1, and a value less than or equal to 0 is 0. After conversion to an MQS signal, any channel can be selected as a reference channel. A certain length of data in the reference channel is selected as the matching window. The matching window is the length of the signal used to participate in the calculation. The length of the matching window is determined by the wavelength of the received signal. For example, the length of the matching window can be twice the wavelength of the center frequency signal. Optionally, upsampling is performed before correction to improve phase accuracy. It should be noted that an excessively long matching window leads to an increase in the amount of calculation.

[0106] Alternatively, the computer device can also analyze the echo data of multiple ultrasound channels using a method based on the signal cross-correlation function to calculate the correlation between the multiple ultrasound channels. Alternatively, the computer device can combine the echo data of multiple ultrasound channels into a matrix, and analyze the matrix using the principal component analysis method to obtain eigenvectors and eigenvalues. Then, by analyzing the relationship between the eigenvectors and the size of the eigenvalues, the correlation between the multiple ultrasound channels is determined. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the method for obtaining the correlation between the multiple ultrasound channels of the ultrasound device.

[0107] Next, the phase difference of each channel relative to the reference channel matching window is calculated through the pattern matching algorithm. There is no need to search the entire channel data. A search window can be defined and calculated within the search window range. The center of the search window is the sampling point corresponding to the original delay of beam synthesis. Among them, the search window is mainly used to limit the search range. The size of the search window is related to the relative size of the delay error. A larger search window can be used in shallow depths. As the depth increases, the delay error caused by the system has been corrected in shallow depths, so the size of the search window can be appropriately reduced.

[0108] Using the matching window and the search window, the phase difference of each channel relative to the reference channel when the correlation is highest is calculated by the cross-correlation algorithm, and this is used as the delay error.

[0109] Optionally, the phase error between the system and the probe can be initially corrected by plane wave in the initialization phase. That is, each channel emits a pulse completely synchronously, and the reflected signal of the probe and the skin surface are aligned by MQS to generate the delay correction curve of the initial system. After the initial correction, the subsequent delay error is only caused by acoustic factors.

[0110] S402: Using the real delay curve of the reference point as the real delay information of the reference point in the regional image.

[0111] In an embodiment of the present application, after obtaining the real delay information of the reference point, the computer device may use the real delay curve of the reference point as the real delay information of the reference point in the regional image.

[0112] In the above-mentioned image correction method, for any regional image, based on the correlation between multiple ultrasound channels of the ultrasound device, the real delay curve of the reference point is obtained; and the real delay curve of the reference point is used as the real delay information of the reference point in the regional image. This method utilizes the correlation between multiple ultrasound channels to accurately analyze the real delay information of the reference point, thereby accurately obtaining the real delay information of the reference point in the regional image.

[0113] Next, the process of performing delay correction on the corresponding regional image using each delay error information is described in detail through an embodiment. Fig.12 As shown, the specific content includes the following steps:

[0114] S601, performing delay correction on all pixels in the corresponding regional image using each delay error information.

[0115] In an embodiment of the present application, for the correction process of any regional image, the computer device can use the delay error information of the regional image to perform delay correction on each pixel in the regional image to obtain a corrected pixel.

[0116] In one embodiment, for any regional image, delay correction is performed on all pixels in the regional image based on the delay error corresponding to the regional image to obtain corrected pixels in the regional image.

[0117] In the embodiment of the present application, in order to improve the efficiency of delay correction, a delay error can be used to perform a uniform delay correction on pixels in a regional image. Therefore, the computer device can use the delay error corresponding to the regional image to simultaneously correct all pixels in the regional image to obtain the corrected pixels in the regional image.

[0118] S602, beamforming is performed on pixels of each regional image using the corrected time delay to obtain a corrected regional image.

[0119] In the embodiment of the present application, for any regional image, the computer device can use the corrected delay value to re-beamsynthesize the regional image and use the beamsynthesized image as the corrected regional image.

[0120] In the above-mentioned image correction method, each delay error information is used to perform delay correction on all pixels in the corresponding regional image; the pixels of each regional image are beamformed using the corrected delay to obtain a corrected regional image. For any regional image, based on the delay error corresponding to the regional image, all pixels in the regional image are delay corrected to obtain the corrected pixels in the regional image. This method can re-beamform the pixels of each regional image in a targeted manner through the corrected delay value corresponding to each regional image, so that each corrected regional image can be accurately obtained.

[0121] In one embodiment, Fig.13 As shown, the specific content of obtaining the regional images corresponding to the multiple different regions in the ultrasound image includes the following steps:

[0122] S701, performing pre-beamforming on echo signals of multiple ultrasound channels of an ultrasound device to obtain an ultrasound image obtained by beamforming.

[0123] In an embodiment of the present application, after acquiring echo signals of multiple ultrasound channels of an ultrasound device, a computer device may perform pre-beamsynthesis on the echo information of the multiple ultrasound channels using a beamsynthesis algorithm to obtain a beamsynthesized ultrasound image.

[0124] S702, segmenting the ultrasonic image obtained by beamforming to obtain regional images of multiple image regions in the ultrasonic image obtained by beamforming.

[0125] In the embodiment of the present application, the computer device can segment the ultrasound image according to the depth value (pixel value in the z direction) of each pixel point in the ultrasound image, divide the areas with similar depth values ​​into the same image area, and obtain regional images of multiple image areas. It should be noted that the depth values ​​of different regional images vary greatly.

[0126] Fig.14 This is a schematic diagram of image segmentation. The figure shows the horizontal and vertical segmentation of the ultrasound image. The fineness of the segmentation can be adjusted. The finer the segmentation, the higher the segmentation accuracy and the more regional images obtained. The sparser the segmentation, the less computational effort can be made, but the accuracy of subsequent image correction will be reduced. If the ultrasound image is relatively uniform, it means that the depth values ​​of the pixels in the ultrasound image are relatively uniform, so there is no need for overly fine segmentation.

[0127] In the above-mentioned image correction method, the echo signals of multiple ultrasonic channels of the ultrasonic device are pre-beamformed to obtain an ultrasonic image obtained by beamformation; the ultrasonic image obtained by beamformation is segmented to obtain regional images of multiple image regions in the ultrasonic image obtained by beamformation. This method images the echo signals of multiple ultrasonic channels in the beamformation process to obtain an ultrasonic image with a delay error, and then divides the ultrasonic image into multiple regional images by regional segmentation, so as to facilitate more targeted delay verification in the subsequent process. The accuracy of delay verification can be improved by dividing the regions.

[0128] As a specific embodiment of the present application, the image correction process is described in detail below. In one embodiment, Fig.15 As shown, the image correction method includes:

[0129] S801, performing pre-beamforming on echo signals of multiple ultrasound channels of an ultrasound device to obtain an ultrasound image obtained by beamforming;

[0130] S802, segmenting the ultrasound image obtained by beamforming to obtain regional images of multiple image regions in the ultrasound image obtained by beamforming;

[0131] S803, for any regional image, taking the lowest point of the real delay curve of the reference point as the target position of the reference point;

[0132] S804, acquiring initial delay information at the target position from initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process;

[0133] S805, calculating the delay error between the actual delay information of the reference point and the initial delay information, and using the delay error as the delay error information corresponding to the regional image;

[0134] S806, for any regional image, based on the delay error corresponding to the regional image, performing delay correction on all pixels in the regional image to obtain corrected pixels in the regional image;

[0135] S807, performing beam synthesis on pixels of each regional image using the corrected time delay to obtain a corrected regional image;

[0136] S808, determining a corrected ultrasound image according to the images of each region after delay correction.

[0137] In the above embodiment, during the delay correction process, the correction of each regional image is completed simultaneously. Optionally, the correction process of multiple regional images can also be completed iteratively. Fig.16The present invention is a flow chart of an image correction method, which includes: S11: acquiring channel data (echo signals of multiple ultrasound channels); S12: pre-beamforming the channel data to obtain an ultrasound image; S13: segmenting the ultrasound image to obtain multiple sub-images (regional images corresponding to multiple different regions); S14: selecting a reference point (initial reference point) from each sub-image; S15: correcting the delay of the reference point to obtain a real delay curve of the reference point; S16: recalculating the delay of a new reference point (real reference point); S17: correcting the delay of the new reference point to obtain a delay error; S18: beamforming the sub-image according to the delay error; S19: for the next sub-region, selecting a new reference point for correction based on the delay error of the previous region, and then executing steps S14-S18, that is, a deeper region can be beamformed based on the delay error of the previous region; when all imaging regions are traversed, the process ends.

[0138] It should be understood that, although the steps in the flowcharts involved in the above embodiments are displayed in sequence according to the indication of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in sequence according to the order indicated by the arrows. Unless there is a clear explanation in this article, the execution of these steps is not strictly limited in order, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a part of the steps in the flowcharts involved in the above embodiments may include multiple steps or multiple stages, and these steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and the execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily carried out in sequence, but can be executed in turn or alternately with other steps or at least a part of the steps or stages in other steps.

[0139] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present application also provides an image correction device for implementing the above-mentioned image correction method. The implementation solution provided by the device to solve the problem is similar to the implementation solution recorded in the above-mentioned method, so the specific limitations in one or more image correction device embodiments provided below can refer to the limitations of the image correction method above, and will not be repeated here.

[0140] In an exemplary embodiment, Fig.17 As shown, an image correction device is provided, comprising: an acquisition module 11, an information determination module 12, a correction module 13 and an image determination module 14, wherein:

[0141] An acquisition module 11 is used to acquire regional images corresponding to multiple different regions in an ultrasound image;

[0142] An information determination module 12, configured to determine the delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the actual delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beamforming process;

[0143] A correction module 13, used for performing delay correction on the corresponding regional image using each delay error information;

[0144] The image determination module 14 is used to determine the corrected ultrasound image according to the delay-corrected images of each region.

[0145] In an exemplary embodiment, the information determination module includes: an acquisition unit and a calculation unit, wherein:

[0146] An acquisition unit, used for acquiring, for any regional image, initial delay information of a reference point from initial delay information of an ultrasonic image in a beamforming process;

[0147] The calculation unit is used to calculate the delay error between the real delay information of the reference point and the initial delay information, and use the delay error as the delay error information corresponding to the regional image.

[0148] In an exemplary embodiment, the acquisition unit is further configured to use the lowest point of the real delay curve of the reference point as the target position of the reference point; and acquire the initial delay information at the target position from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image during the beamforming process.

[0149] In an exemplary embodiment, the image correction device further includes: a curve acquisition module and a region information determination module, wherein:

[0150] A curve acquisition module, used for acquiring a real delay curve of a reference point based on the correlation between multiple ultrasound channels of an ultrasound device for any regional image;

[0151] The regional information determination module is used to use the real delay curve of the reference point as the real delay information of the reference point in the regional image.

[0152] In an exemplary embodiment, the correction module comprises: a correction unit and a synthesis unit, wherein:

[0153] A correction unit, used for performing delay correction on all pixels in the corresponding regional image using each delay error information;

[0154] The synthesis unit is used to perform beam synthesis on pixels of each regional image by using the corrected time delay to obtain a corrected regional image.

[0155] In an exemplary embodiment, the correction unit is further configured to perform delay correction on all pixels in any regional image based on the delay error corresponding to the regional image to obtain corrected pixels in the regional image.

[0156] In an exemplary embodiment, the acquisition module includes: a pre-synthesis unit and a segmentation unit, wherein:

[0157] A pre-synthesis unit, used for performing pre-beam synthesis on echo signals of multiple ultrasound channels of the ultrasound device to obtain an ultrasound image obtained by beam synthesis;

[0158] The segmentation unit is used to segment the ultrasonic image obtained by beam synthesis to obtain regional images of multiple image regions in the ultrasonic image obtained by beam synthesis.

[0159] Each module in the above-mentioned image correction device can be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware or a combination thereof. Each module can be embedded in or independent of a processor in a computer device in the form of hardware, or can be stored in a memory in a computer device in the form of software, so that the processor can call and execute the operations corresponding to each module above.

[0160] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer device is provided. The computer device may be a server, and its internal structure diagram may be as shown in FIG. Fig.18 As shown. The computer device includes a processor, a memory, an input / output interface (Input / Output, referred to as I / O) and a communication interface. The processor, the memory and the input / output interface are connected through a system bus, and the communication interface is connected to the system bus through the input / output interface. The processor of the computer device is used to provide computing and control capabilities. The memory of the computer device includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium stores an operating system, a computer program and a database. The internal memory provides an environment for the operation of the operating system and the computer program in the non-volatile storage medium. The database of the computer device is used to store image correction data. The input / output interface of the computer device is used to exchange information between the processor and an external device. The communication interface of the computer device is used to communicate with an external terminal through a network connection. When the computer program is executed by the processor, an image correction method is implemented.

[0161] Those skilled in the art will understand that Fig.18 The structure shown in the figure is only a block diagram of a part of the structure related to the solution of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the computer device to which the solution of the present application is applied. The specific computer device may include more or fewer components than those shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or have a different arrangement of components.

[0162] In an exemplary embodiment, a computer device is provided, including a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and when the processor executes the computer program, the content of any one embodiment of the above-mentioned image correction method is implemented.

[0163] In one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, on which a computer program is stored. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the content of any embodiment of the above-mentioned image correction method is implemented.

[0164] In one embodiment, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program, which implements the content of any one of the embodiments of the above-mentioned image correction method when executed by a processor.

[0165] It should be noted that the user information (including but not limited to user device information, user personal information, etc.) and data (including but not limited to data used for analysis, stored data, displayed data, etc.) involved in this application are all information and data authorized by the user or fully authorized by all parties, and the collection, use and processing of relevant data must comply with relevant regulations.

[0166] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods can be completed by instructing the relevant hardware through a computer program, and the computer program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to the memory, database or other medium used in the embodiments provided in the present application can include at least one of non-volatile memory and volatile memory. Non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), magnetic tape, floppy disk, flash memory, optical memory, high-density embedded non-volatile memory, resistive random access memory (ReRAM), magnetic random access memory (MRAM), ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM), phase change memory (PCM), graphene memory, etc. Volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory, etc. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM can be in various forms, such as static random access memory (SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM). The database involved in each embodiment provided in this application may include at least one of a relational database and a non-relational database. Non-relational databases may include distributed databases based on blockchains, etc., but are not limited to this. The processor involved in each embodiment provided in this application may be a general-purpose processor, a central processing unit, a graphics processor, a digital signal processor, a programmable logic device, a data processing logic device based on quantum computing, an artificial intelligence (AI) processor, etc., but are not limited to this.

[0167] The technical features of the above embodiments may be combined arbitrarily. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this application.

[0168] The above embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of the present application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. An image correction method, characterized in that: The method comprises: Acquire regional images corresponding to multiple different regions in the ultrasound image; Determine the delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beamforming process; Performing delay correction on the corresponding regional image using each of the delay error information; The corrected ultrasound image is determined based on the images of each region after delay correction.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Determining the delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beamforming process includes: For any regional image, obtaining the initial delay information of the reference point from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process; A delay error between the actual delay information of the reference point and the initial delay information is calculated, and the delay error is used as the delay error information corresponding to the regional image.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The real delay information is a real delay curve; The acquiring the initial delay information of the reference point from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process includes: Taking the lowest point of the real delay curve of the reference point as the target position of the reference point; The initial delay information at the target position is acquired from the initial delay information of the ultrasound image in the beamforming process.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The method further comprises: For any regional image, based on the correlation between multiple ultrasound channels of the ultrasound device, a real delay curve of the reference point is obtained; The real delay curve of the reference point is used as the real delay information of the reference point in the regional image.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The delay correction of the corresponding regional image using each of the delay error information includes: Performing delay correction on all pixels in the corresponding regional image using each of the delay error information; The pixels of each regional image are beamformed using the corrected time delay to obtain the corrected regional image.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The delay correction of all pixels in the corresponding regional image using each of the delay error information includes: For any regional image, delay correction is performed on all pixels in the regional image based on the delay error corresponding to the regional image to obtain corrected pixels in the regional image.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The acquiring of regional images corresponding to a plurality of different regions in the ultrasound image comprises: Performing pre-beamforming on echo signals of multiple ultrasound channels of an ultrasound device to obtain an ultrasound image obtained by the beamforming; The ultrasonic image obtained by the beam synthesis is segmented to obtain regional images of multiple image regions in the ultrasonic image obtained by the beam synthesis.

8. An image correction device, characterized in that: The device comprises: An acquisition module, used for acquiring regional images corresponding to multiple different regions in an ultrasound image; An information determination module, used to determine the delay error information corresponding to each regional image according to the real delay information of the reference point in each regional image and the initial delay information of the ultrasonic image in the beamforming process; A correction module, used for performing delay correction on the corresponding regional image using each of the delay error information; The image determination module is used to determine the corrected ultrasound image according to the images of each region after delay correction.

9. A computer device comprising a memory and a processor, wherein the memory stores a computer program, wherein: When the processor executes the computer program, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

10. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 are implemented.

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