Four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system and method

Abstract

The invention discloses a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system. The system comprises an ultrasonic host, a multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe arranged in a two-dimensional area array, and an ASIC chip integrated at the probe end. A transmitting drive circuit and a receiving circuit are arranged in the ASIC chip, and the ASIC chip is used for driving the probe to transmit ultrasonic beams in different directions and receiving reflection echo signals. The ASIC chip performs microchip beam forming preprocessing on the received signal, reduces the number of channels, and then transmits the processed signal to an ultrasonic host for beam forming so as to obtain a gray value and a coordinate value of each point in the beam direction; repeating the steps until a static three-dimensional image is obtained; and continuously and circularly executing the steps to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasonic image. According to the multi-channel probe, the ASIC chip is integrated at the probe end, driving and post-processing of the multi-channel probe can be achieved through fewer outgoing lines, follow-up imaging processing is carried out in the ultrasonic host processor, the processing data size is smaller, lead packaging is simple, and the data processing efficiency is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of medical imaging technology, and in particular to a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system and method. Background Art

[0002] Electrophysiological heart disease and structural heart disease are major human health problems. Electrophysiological heart disease is usually caused by irregular current transmission in the heart, leading to arrhythmia, while structural heart disease is caused by abnormal cardiac structure (such as myocardial hypertrophy), leading to decreased cardiac stroke volume and abnormal blood pressure. Minimally invasive catheter intervention is the safest and most effective treatment method currently recognized by most clinical cases of electrophysiological heart disease and structural heart disease. The ablation catheter (including microwave ablation, radiofrequency ablation, pulsed electric field ablation, and cryoballoon ablation) is inserted into the heart cavity through a peripheral vein to ablate the myocardium and endocardium, thereby eliminating diseased heart tissue and electrical conduction bundles. Real-time 4D cardiac ultrasound imaging during surgery can monitor the relative position of the catheter and the heart cavity in real time, image the anatomical structure of the rapidly moving heart, and monitor surgical complications (such as thrombosis and pericardial effusion) in real time, which has important clinical significance.

[0003] 4D cardiac ultrasound imaging includes transthoracic 4D ultrasound, transesophageal 4D ultrasound and intracardiac 4D ultrasound. Among them, intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) is the most advanced 4D intraoperative cardiac imaging technology in clinical practice. It performs real-time 4D high-definition imaging of the heart by inserting a miniature ultrasound probe into the cardiac cavity through the femoral vein. Generally, 4D phased array ICE is used clinically. Thousands of ultrasound array elements are integrated on the miniature probe. Each array element requires a separate lead and control, which is expensive for the probe and the host. In addition, thousands of leads cannot be led out through a thinner catheter, which poses a huge challenge to the size of the endoscope. The specific 4D phased array ICE usually uses a piezoelectric ceramic array ultrasound probe. To solve the lead problem, the ceramic transducer in the piezoelectric ceramic array ultrasound probe is integrated on an application-specific integrated circuit chip (ASIC). The ASIC chip performs data pre-processing to reduce the number of lead wires. However, in the current technology, ASIC processes data in a complex and slow manner. Summary of the invention

[0004] Based on this, it is necessary to propose a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system and method to address the above problems, so as to reduce the problems of multiple leads, multiple channels and large data volume in four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging, and further solve the problem of slow data processing in current technology.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system, the system comprising: an ultrasonic host, a multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe arranged in a two-dimensional array, and an ASIC chip integrated in the probe, wherein the ASIC chip comprises a transmitting drive circuit and a receiving circuit; the lead wire of the probe is connected to the ultrasonic host through a connector;

[0006] The transmitting driving circuit is used to drive each channel of the probe so that the probe transmits an ultrasonic beam in a specified direction, and the ultrasonic beam in the specified direction is used to scan a specified direction in a three-dimensional space;

[0007] Each channel of the probe is used to receive the reflected echo signal reflected back after the ultrasonic beam is scanned, and transmit the reflected echo signal to the receiving circuit; the receiving circuit is used to pre-process the reflected echo signal and reduce channel operation based on the microchip beam synthesis algorithm; the probe is also used to transmit the reflected echo signal after pre-processing and reducing channel operation to the ultrasound host through the connector;

[0008] The ultrasound host is used to perform a beam synthesis operation on the reflected echo signal based on a beam synthesis algorithm, thereby obtaining the grayscale values ​​of all points on the ultrasound beam; the ultrasound host is also used to calculate the coordinate value of each point on the ultrasound beam according to the echo time, spatial direction and sound speed;

[0009] Adjust the designated direction multiple times and repeat the above process, so that the ultrasound host obtains the grayscale value and coordinate value of all points on the ultrasound beam in all directions in the three-dimensional space, and converts the grayscale value and coordinate value into a Cartesian coordinate system to obtain a static three-dimensional image;

[0010] The above process is repeated so that the ultrasound host obtains a dynamic three-dimensional image composed of multiple static three-dimensional images; the ultrasound host is also used to render and slice the dynamic three-dimensional image on a display to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0011] Optionally, the multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe with a two-dimensional array arrangement includes a plurality of array elements, and the plurality of array elements are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix; each of the plurality of array elements includes a plurality of capacitive CMUT sensors connected in parallel; and each array element is integrated with the ASIC chip through a TSV process;

[0012] Each of the capacitive CMUT sensors includes two upper and lower electrodes and insulating silicon, and the insulating silicon forms a vacuum in the middle through a silicon wafer bonding process; in a transmitting mode, an alternating current is applied between the upper and lower electrodes of each of the capacitive CMUT sensors to form a mechanical oscillation; in a receiving mode, each of the capacitive CMUT sensors undergoes a mechanical oscillation under the action of an external sound field, which is converted into a voltage change;

[0013] The capacitive CMUT sensor is punched on a wafer by a silicon through-hole process, so as to connect the upper and lower electrodes of each array element to the bottom plate of the ASIC chip.

[0014] Optionally, the microchip beamforming algorithm includes delaying and adding the signals corresponding to each channel of the probe based on the reflected echo signal reflected after the ultrasonic beam is scanned, according to the direction of the ultrasonic beam, the transmission time difference and the reception time difference, to obtain M signals; wherein M is a natural number greater than zero, and M is equal to the number of leads of the probe and less than the number of channels of the probe;

[0015] The beamforming algorithm includes delaying and adding the M signals to obtain beamformed data.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging method, which is applied to a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system as described in any one of the first aspects above, and the method comprises:

[0017] The probe transmits an ultrasonic beam in a specified direction into a three-dimensional space, and obtains a reflected echo signal obtained after transmitting the ultrasonic beam;

[0018] The receiving circuit of the ASIC chip pre-processes the reflected echo signal based on the microchip beamforming algorithm and reduces the channel operation to obtain M signals; wherein M is a natural number greater than zero, and M is equal to the number of leads of the probe and less than the number of channels of the probe;

[0019] The ultrasound host performs a beam synthesis operation and a first calculation operation based on the M signals after the preprocessing and channel reduction operation to obtain a grayscale value and a coordinate value of each point on the ultrasound beam in the specified direction;

[0020] Repeat the above steps until the ultrasound host obtains the grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​of all points in all directions in the three-dimensional space, and converts the grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​of all points into a Cartesian coordinate system to obtain a static three-dimensional image;

[0021] The above steps are executed cyclically, so that the ultrasound host obtains a dynamic three-dimensional image composed of multiple static three-dimensional images; rendering and sectioning operations are performed on the display based on the dynamic three-dimensional image to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0022] Optionally, before the probe transmits an ultrasonic beam in a specified direction into the three-dimensional space, the method further includes: the transmitting driving circuit acquires different transmitting delays, and sequentially stimulates each channel of the probe based on the transmitting delays, thereby generating the ultrasonic beam in the specified direction;

[0023] The probe acquires a reflected echo signal obtained after the ultrasonic beam is emitted, specifically including: the emitted ultrasonic beam is reflected in a corresponding medium in the three-dimensional space to generate the reflected echo signal, and the probe acquires the reflected echo signal.

[0024] Optionally, the multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe with a two-dimensional array arrangement includes a plurality of transducer array elements arranged in a two-dimensional array; and the method for calculating the transmission delay includes:

[0025] The probe calculates the distance from any one of the transducer array elements in the two-dimensional array array according to the coordinates of the imaging focus point and the center point coordinates of the transducer array elements, and calculates the emission delay of the any one of the transducer array elements based on the distance.

[0026] The spatial direction of the ultrasonic beam is changed multiple times, and the coordinates of the imaging focus point are changed according to the spatial direction, and the above steps are repeated to obtain the transmission delay of all array elements.

[0027] Optionally, the plurality of transducer array elements arranged in a two-dimensional array are divided into M groups; the receiving circuit of the ASIC chip pre-processes the reflected echo signal based on a microchip beamforming algorithm and reduces channel operations to obtain M signals, specifically including:

[0028] The receiving circuit of the ASIC chip calculates the total delay of the reflected echo signal, and performs interpolation operations on the reflected echo signal based on the total delay to obtain M signals;

[0029] The step of calculating the total delay of the reflected echo signal and performing interpolation operations on the reflected echo signal based on the total delay to obtain M signals specifically includes: calculating a first distance from the imaging focus point to each array element in each group of array elements and a second distance from the imaging focus point to the central array element of each group, dividing the distance difference between the first distance and the second distance by the speed of sound to obtain a time difference, applying a corresponding delay to the signal of each array element based on the time difference, and then adding the signals to obtain M signals;

[0030] Wherein, M is a natural number greater than zero, and M is equal to the number of leads of the probe and less than the number of channels of the probe.

[0031] Optionally, the total delay includes the transmission delay and the reception delay.

[0032] Optionally, the ultrasound host performs a beamforming operation and a first calculation operation based on the M signals after the preprocessing and channel reduction operation to obtain a grayscale value and a coordinate value of each point on the ultrasound beam in a certain direction, specifically including:

[0033] The ultrasound host performs delayed addition on the M signals to obtain the sum data based on the emission direction of the ultrasound beam, the emission delay, and the reception delay, calculates the signal delay corresponding to each channel of the probe, and then performs delayed addition on the signals based on the signal delay;

[0034] An interpolation operation is performed based on the signal after delayed addition to obtain the grayscale value and coordinate value of each point on the ultrasonic beam in a certain direction.

[0035] Optionally, the interpolation operation and the operation of converting the grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​of all the points into a Cartesian coordinate system are performed in multiple threads in a GPU or a CPU.

[0036] The embodiments of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0037] The present invention provides a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system, which includes: an ultrasonic host, a multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe arranged in a two-dimensional array, and an ASIC chip integrated in the probe, wherein the ASIC chip includes a transmitting drive circuit and a receiving circuit; the lead wire of the probe is connected to the ultrasonic host through a connector. Specifically, the ASIC chip has a built-in transmitting drive circuit, which drives each channel of the probe to transmit ultrasonic beams in different spatial directions to scan any direction of the three-dimensional imaging space; after each channel of the probe receives the reflected echo signal reflected after the ultrasonic beam scanning, the signals received by these multiple channels are pre-processed by the microchip beam synthesis algorithm in the receiving circuit of the ASIC chip, and the channel is reduced, and then the signals are transmitted to the ultrasonic host through the lead wire of the probe through the connector for beam synthesis to obtain the grayscale value and coordinate value of each point in the beam direction; the above steps are repeated until the grayscale map of all points in all directions in the imaging space is obtained, and the grayscale map of all points constitutes a static three-dimensional image; the above steps are executed cyclically to obtain a dynamic three-dimensional image; rendering and sectioning are performed on the display based on the dynamic three-dimensional image to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasonic image. In the present invention, by integrating ASIC at the probe end, the driving and post-processing of the multi-channel probe can be realized with fewer lead wires, and subsequent imaging processing can be performed in the ultrasound host processor, so that the difficulty of packaging and lead processing is greatly reduced, and the miniaturization of the endoscope can be realized with fewer cables. At the same time, data processing is simple, the data volume is less, and the data processing efficiency is improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

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

[0039] in:

[0040] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the internal structure of a multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe with a two-dimensional array arrangement provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a bonding structure between an array element and an ASIC provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a four-dimensional ultrasound imaging system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0043] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a four-dimensional ultrasound imaging method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0044] Figure 5a A schematic diagram of a workflow for connecting an ASIC and an ultrasound host processor provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0045] Figure 5b A schematic diagram of a multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe with a two-dimensional array arrangement transmitting an ultrasonic beam provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0046] Figure 6 A flow chart of a method for preprocessing data using an ASIC chip provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0047] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of various examples of ultrasonic probes provided in the embodiments of the present application;

[0048] Figure 8 The figure shows the internal structure of a computer device in one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0049] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present application, ICE (Intracardiac Echocardiography) is intracardiac ultrasound, which means that a miniature transducer is installed at the tip of a cardiac catheter and then sent to the cardiac cavity through peripheral blood vessels (veins). The transducer emits sound waves to scan a specified direction in three-dimensional space, and then the received echoes are processed by a computer to form an ultrasound image. It can provide high-resolution real-time images of the intracardiac anatomical structure and other intracardiac catheters and equipment, and real-time monitoring of the hemodynamic status.

[0051] ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) is an application-specific integrated circuit chip. It is a proprietary application chip designed and manufactured for specific user requirements and specific electronic systems. Its computing power and efficiency can be customized according to algorithm requirements.

[0052] CMUT (Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducers) is a capacitive electrostatic transducer that uses micromechanical technology and capacitive sensing principles to achieve high-precision and high-sensitivity ultrasonic detection and measurement.

[0053] Flip Chip is flip-chip welding or flip-chip packaging, which is a type of chip packaging technology. It is to connect the contact points of the chip to the substrate, carrier, and circuit board. During the connection process, since the bumps of the chip are connected downwards, it is called flip-chip.

[0054] TSV (Through Silicon Via) is a silicon through-hole process, which is essentially one of the above-mentioned flip chip soldering. Specifically, it is done by making vertical conduction between chips and between wafers. TSV technology achieves vertical electrical interconnection of silicon through-holes by filling conductive materials such as copper, tungsten, and polysilicon.

[0055] Cardiac ultrasound imaging is an ultrasound image that is displayed after an ultrasound probe emits a beam for scanning, and obtains certain scanning results. As can be seen from the above, in the current technology, the ASIC in the probe processes data in a complex and slow manner. For this reason, the embodiment of the present application innovatively proposes a method for processing data in different parts, that is, the obtained data is first pre-processed by a microchip beam synthesis algorithm in the ASIC chip of the probe, and then the pre-processed data is transmitted to the ultrasound host for further imaging processing. This greatly reduces the burden of processing data and effectively improves the speed of processing data; at the same time, it can greatly reduce the number of probe leads, making miniaturized 4D ultrasound endoscopes possible. Before processing data in different parts, the embodiment of the present application also proposes a probe, which greatly reduces the production cost compared with the probe in the prior art, and uses fewer leads to connect the probe to the ultrasound host, thereby reducing the amount of data and processing data faster.

[0056] Based on the above, the embodiment of the present application will first introduce a multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe arranged in a two-dimensional array, then introduce a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system based on the ultrasonic probe, and finally propose a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging method based on the four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system including the ultrasonic probe. The embodiment of the present application solves the problems of high cost and high processing difficulty of the current probe, and further solves the problem of slow data processing in the initial four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging.

[0057] Embodiment 1:

[0058] At present, the 3D / 4D intracardiac ultrasound (ICE) used in clinical practice includes single-element and phased array. Among them, single-element ICE has the disadvantages of shallow penetration depth and slow 4D imaging. Therefore, phased array ICE is a relatively successful technology and product in clinical and commercial fields, with the advantages of large imaging depth and fast imaging speed. 4D phased array ICE usually uses piezoelectric ceramic array ultrasound probes to scan the imaging space by electronically deflecting plane waves. This method can achieve real-time and deep imaging. In this method, a large number of ultrasonic transducer units are usually arranged in a plane array to emit ultrasonic beams in all directions for rapid scanning of the 3D space; and endoscopic ultrasound imaging requires reducing the number of transducer connection harnesses to avoid the endoscope being too large to harm the human body. It is usually necessary to integrate a disposable application-specific integrated circuit chip (ASIC) at the front end of the catheter for imaging preprocessing, which leads to high R&D and cost of 4D phased array ICE based on piezoelectric ceramics, and high integration and processing difficulties.

[0059] In the embodiment of the present application, a multi-channel capacitive ultrasound probe with a two-dimensional array arrangement is proposed. The probe is based on a silicon chip, which includes a two-dimensionally arranged capacitive electrostatic transducer (CMUT) and an ASIC chip, and the two are bonded by the TSV process in the flip chip package, which greatly reduces the process difficulty and can achieve large-scale, low-cost mass production. It is expected to reduce the price of a single array ultrasound probe from hundreds of thousands of RMB to hundreds of RMB.

[0060] In one possible implementation, see Figure 1 , is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe with a two-dimensional array arrangement provided in an embodiment of the present application. The ultrasonic probe includes a plurality of array elements 101, which are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. Each array element 101 includes a plurality of capacitive CMUT sensors, which are connected in parallel and driven with the same driving signal to enhance the transmission signal, and at the same time, the signal amplitude is enhanced by parallel superposition of the signals. Please continue to refer to Figure 2 , is a schematic diagram of a bonding structure of an array element and an ASIC chip provided in an embodiment of the present application. The TSV process achieves high integration of the ASIC chip and the CMUT sensor by drilling holes on the wafer to connect the upper and lower electrodes of each array element 101 to the ASIC201 bottom plate. Assuming there are n ultrasonic array elements 101 in total, there are n connection points connected to the ASIC chip.

[0061] Specific, combined Figure 1 and Figure 2The multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe with a two-dimensional array arrangement includes an application-specific integrated circuit chip ASIC 201 and a transducer 100 with a two-dimensional array arrangement including a plurality of array elements. The transducer 100 includes a plurality of array elements 101, and the plurality of array elements 101 are randomly divided into M groups of array elements 102, each group of array elements 102 includes a plurality of array elements 101, wherein the number of array elements 101 included in each group of array elements 102 is random and may be the same or different. Each array element 101 includes a plurality of capacitive electrostatic transducers CMUT connected in parallel and driven by the same driving signal; the capacitive electrostatic transducers CMUT are bonded and connected to the application-specific integrated circuit chip ASIC 201 through flip-chip packaging technology; each capacitive electrostatic transducer CMUT includes upper and lower electrodes and insulating silicon, and the insulating silicon forms a vacuum in the middle through a silicon wafer bonding process; in the transmitting mode, an alternating current is applied between the upper and lower electrodes of each capacitive electrostatic transducer CMUT to form a mechanical oscillation; in the receiving mode, each capacitive electrostatic transducer CMUT undergoes mechanical oscillation under the action of an external sound field, which is converted into a voltage change; the capacitive electrostatic transducer CMUT is punched on a wafer through a silicon via process TSV to connect the upper and lower electrodes of each array element 101 to the bottom plate of the application-specific integrated circuit chip ASIC.

[0062] In the embodiment of the present application, it can be seen that a transducer 100 is bonded to an ASIC chip 201, wherein the ASIC chip includes two functions of excitation and receiving signals. In the transmitting mode, the ASIC chip implements selective voltage excitation for each array element; in the receiving mode, the ASIC chip receives analog signals of multiple channels and performs signal post-processing. Since the bonding process of the traditional ceramic probe and ASIC is complicated and the cost is extremely high, in the embodiment of the present application, the CMUT sensor is bonded to the ASIC chip through the TSV silicon via process. In addition, multiple CMUT sensors are connected in parallel to enhance the amplitude of the transmitting and excitation signals; and the four-dimensional ultrasonic probe integrated with the CMUT arranged in a two-dimensional array and the ASIC chip greatly reduces the difficulty of the process and the production cost. At the same time, compared with the existing commercial ceramic-based array ultrasonic transducer, this ultrasonic probe in the embodiment of the present invention can greatly reduce the equipment cost and process difficulty, thereby making the production of integrated large-scale 4D ultrasonic probes possible.

[0063] Embodiment 2:

[0064] Based on the above-mentioned two-dimensional array arrangement of multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probes, the present application embodiment proposes a four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system, see Figure 3, is a schematic diagram of the structure of a four-dimensional ultrasound imaging system provided in an embodiment of the present application. The system includes: an ultrasound host 310, a multi-channel capacitive ultrasound probe 320 arranged in a two-dimensional array, and an ASIC chip 321 integrated in the probe, the ASIC chip including a transmitting drive circuit 3211 and a receiving circuit 3212; the lead of the probe 320 is connected to the ultrasound host 310 through a connector 330. In the embodiment of the present application, the four-dimensional ultrasound imaging system sequentially performs five steps of transmitting, receiving, beam synthesis, image synthesis, and rendering display to display four-dimensional ultrasound imaging, specifically:

[0065] Transmitting step: the transmitting driving circuit 3211 is used to drive each channel of the probe so that the probe 320 transmits an ultrasonic beam in a specified direction. The ultrasonic beam in the specified direction is used to scan a certain direction in the three-dimensional space.

[0066] Receiving step: the multiple channels of the probe 320 are used to receive the reflected echo signals reflected after the ultrasonic beam is scanned; the receiving circuit 3212 is used to pre-process the reflected echo signals and reduce channel operations; the probe 320 is also used to transmit the reflected echo signals after pre-processing and reducing channel operations to the ultrasound host 310 through the connector 330.

[0067] The probe 320 includes multiple channels; after being emitted, the ultrasonic beam enters the tissue to be detected in the three-dimensional space and reflects back the reflected echo signal in the tissue. It can be understood that the receiving circuit 3212 of the ASIC chip pre-processes the reflected echo signal with the microchip beamforming algorithm and reduces the channel operation, so that the originally huge channel data can be led out through fewer lead channels, and then transmitted back to the ultrasound host 310 for subsequent processing.

[0068] Beamforming step: The ultrasound host 310 is used to perform beamforming operations on the signal based on the reflected echo signal after preprocessing and channel reduction operation, so as to obtain the grayscale values ​​of all points on the ultrasound beam in the specified direction; the ultrasound host 310 is also used to calculate the coordinate value of each point on the ultrasound beam in the specified direction according to the echo time, spatial direction and sound speed.

[0069] Image synthesis step: the direction of the transmitted ultrasonic beam is changed multiple times, and the aforementioned transmitting step, receiving step, and beam synthesis step are repeated to obtain the grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​of all points on the ultrasonic beam in different directions, which can be understood as scanning all directions in the three-dimensional space, and obtaining a static three-dimensional image based on these grayscale values ​​and coordinate values. Among them, one feasible method to obtain a static three-dimensional image based on these grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​is to convert these grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​into a Cartesian coordinate system to obtain the static three-dimensional image.

[0070] The beamforming operation includes calculating corresponding signals of multiple channels of the probe based on the reflected echo signal according to the direction of the ultrasonic beam, the transmission time difference and the reception time difference.

[0071] Rendering and displaying step: looping through the transmitting step, receiving step, beam synthesis step, and image synthesis step to obtain a dynamic three-dimensional image; rendering and sectioning the dynamic three-dimensional image on a display to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0072] It should be noted that the dynamic three-dimensional image here is essentially a four-dimensional ultrasound image. The dynamic three-dimensional image is rendered, sliced, and displayed on the display in the ultrasound host, and the result displayed is a four-dimensional ultrasound image. It should also be noted that the rendering and slice operations here refer to certain operations performed on the display so that the dynamic three-dimensional image can be displayed clearly and completely on the display, so the technology here is not limited to only rendering and slice, and all technologies that can achieve similar purposes can be used in the embodiments of this application.

[0073] In the embodiment of the present application, by integrating the ASIC chip at the probe end, the driving and post-processing of the multi-channel probe can be achieved with fewer lead wires, and subsequent imaging processing can be performed in the ultrasound host processor, making data processing simple, with less data volume, and improving data processing efficiency.

[0074] Embodiment three:

[0075] Based on the above four-dimensional ultrasound imaging system, the present application embodiment proposes a four-dimensional ultrasound imaging method. Figure 4 , is a flow chart of a four-dimensional ultrasound imaging method provided in an embodiment of the present application, specifically:

[0076] Step 401: A multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe arranged in a two-dimensional array transmits an ultrasonic beam in a specified direction into a three-dimensional space, and obtains a reflected echo signal obtained after the ultrasonic beam is transmitted.

[0077] Step 402: The receiving circuit of the ASIC chip performs microchip beamforming algorithm preprocessing on the reflected echo signal and reduces channel operations.

[0078] Step 403: The ultrasound host performs a beamforming operation and a first calculation operation based on the reflected echo signal after preprocessing and channel reduction operation to obtain the grayscale value and coordinate value of each point on the ultrasound beam in a certain direction.

[0079] Step 404, repeat the above steps until the ultrasound host obtains the grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​of all points in all directions in the three-dimensional space, and obtains a static three-dimensional image based on the grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​of all points.

[0080] Step 405, looping through the above steps, so that the ultrasound host obtains a dynamic three-dimensional image; and performing corresponding processing based on the dynamic three-dimensional image to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0081] It can be understood that, in step 402, it is assumed that the ultrasound probe includes 1024 array elements, the ASIC chip performs microchip beamforming algorithm preprocessing on the collected 1024 signals, and the number of lead wires M is 32. Therefore, the microchip beamforming algorithm can significantly reduce the difficulty of wire bonding and packaging, reduce the size of the wire harness and catheter, and reduce the number of host channels and the amount of data;

[0082] Combining the second embodiment with the third embodiment, the embodiment of the present application actually divides the synthesis of ultrasound images into two parts of calculation, wherein the specific imaging part, namely, step 403 to step 405, is based on the ultrasound host processor; and the early preprocessing of the data, namely, the preprocessing and channel reduction data obtained in steps 401 to 402, is based on the ASIC chip in the probe. This method of dividing the synthesis into the "front end (ASIC)" and the "back end (ultrasound host processor)" greatly reduces the amount of calculation for processing data, and similarly greatly improves the original calculation efficiency.

[0083] For details on the pre-processing of data in the ASIC chip in the probe, see Figure 5a , is a schematic diagram of a workflow of connecting an ASIC and an ultrasound host processor provided in an embodiment of the present application. When the ASIC chip obtains initial data, it first scans a certain three-dimensional space based on the probe. Please continue to refer to Figure 5b , is a schematic diagram of a multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe with a two-dimensional array arrangement transmitting ultrasonic beams provided in an embodiment of the present application. That is, in actual imaging, scanning a three-dimensional object requires emitting multiple ultrasonic beams in different directions, such as Figure 5a After scanning hundreds of lines, beam synthesis (i.e., image reconstruction) is performed to obtain a three-dimensional image. Subsequently, the next frame of 3D image is collected. In an embodiment of the present application, after a multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe arranged in a two-dimensional array emits an ultrasonic beam, information reflected back from the imaging space after the beam is scanned is received, i.e., the reflected echo signal here, and the reflected echo signal is further processed to obtain the final four-dimensional image.

[0084] Further, please combine Figure 5a , Figure 5b , continue reading Figure 6 , is a flow chart of a method for preprocessing data by an ASIC chip provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method comprising:

[0085] Step 601: Calculate the transmission delay based on the transducer and a number of array elements.

[0086] In the embodiment of the present application, the coordinates of the focus of the transducer and the coordinates of the center point of any one of the plurality of array elements are obtained, the distance from the any one of the array elements to the focus is calculated based on the coordinates of the center point and the coordinates of the focus, and the emission delay of the any one of the array elements is calculated based on the distance; the spatial direction of the ultrasonic beam is changed multiple times, and the coordinates of the focus are changed according to the spatial direction, and the above steps are repeated to obtain the emission delay in all the array elements. The acquisition of the center point coordinates is based on the sequence number of the array element.

[0087] Step 602: Based on the transmission delay, set the same preset waveform to sequentially excite each of a plurality of array elements, thereby realizing beam scanning in any direction in the imaging space.

[0088] In a feasible implementation, after calculating the transmission delay, it is necessary to start transmitting excitation to the imaging space, that is, transmitting an ultrasonic beam. Specifically, the ASIC chip excites each array element with the same preset waveform according to its transmission delay, and then excites all thousands of array elements in sequence, thereby realizing beam scanning in any direction in the imaging space.

[0089] Step 603: receiving the reflected echo signal obtained after the beam scanning, and performing corresponding processing on the reflected echo signal based on preprocessing and channel reduction operation, thereby obtaining M data.

[0090] Among them, the reflected ultrasonic beam is reflected in the corresponding medium in the three-dimensional space to generate a reflected echo signal. For example, when scanning the patient's head, a reflected echo signal is obtained by reflection in the human body medium. Furthermore, the above-mentioned preprocessing and channel reduction operation are as follows: the total delay of the reflected echo signal is calculated, and the reflected echo signals received by all array elements are subjected to a microchip beam synthesis algorithm and an interpolation operation based on the total delay to obtain M data. Among them, the interpolation operation is to perform a corresponding delay on the reflected echo signals received by all array elements and add them up. It should be noted that the total delay includes the aforementioned transmission delay and reception delay. The method for calculating the reception delay is the straight-line distance from each voxel to all array elements, divided by the speed of sound.

[0091] Furthermore, a plurality of transducer ultrasonic array elements arranged in a two-dimensional array are divided into M groups, a first distance from a focusing point to each array element in each group of array elements and a second distance from an imaging focusing point to a central array element in each group are calculated, and then a distance difference between the first distance and the second distance is obtained; a time difference is obtained by dividing the distance difference by the speed of sound; and a corresponding delay is applied to a signal of each array element in each group of array elements based on the time difference, and the delayed signals are added.

[0092] Wherein, M is a natural number greater than zero, and M is equal to the number of lead wires of the probe and less than the number of channels of the probe. Wherein, assuming that the ultrasound probe contains 1024 array elements and the number of lead wires is 32, the multiple by which the number of channels is reduced is 1024 divided by 32.

[0093] It can be understood that in step 603, after the channel reduction operation is performed on the initial reflected echo signal, the original hundreds or thousands of data are reduced to M data suitable for M leads of the probe, which greatly reduces the complexity of transmitting data, not only improves the speed of transmitting data, improves the speed and efficiency of overall data processing, but also makes the miniaturization of ultrasonic endoscopes possible and reduces the connection cost between the probe and the ultrasonic host.

[0094] Step 604: Transmit the M data to the ultrasound host processor.

[0095] In a feasible implementation, the probe is connected to the input end of the ultrasound host through M cables via a connector, and then the M data are transmitted to the ultrasound host processor for subsequent processing.

[0096] In the embodiment of the present application, a technical solution is implemented to group the signals received by all channels on the ASIC chip and perform delayed addition respectively to reduce the number of ultrasound lead-out cables, thereby significantly reducing the number of cables, thereby making miniaturized four-dimensional endoscopic ultrasound possible.

[0097] In the embodiment of the present application, the imaging step based on the data pre-processed by ASIC on the ultrasound host side is specifically: obtaining M data transmitted by ASIC and obtaining the coordinate value of each point in the direction at the same time. Among them, any random direction in the imaging space is any transmission beam direction. It should be noted that M is the number of groups of ultrasound array elements on the array transducer connected to ASIC. That is, Figure 1 and Figure 2 As stated in the figure, there are M groups of ultrasound array elements 102 on the transducer 100. Specifically, steps i to v are the process of the ultrasound host performing subsequent imaging processing on the data:

[0098] i. Obtain M data based on any direction of the imaging space transmitted by the ASIC chip, and obtain the coordinate value of each point in any direction of the imaging space, wherein M is the number of groups of ultrasonic array elements on the array transducer connected to the application-specific integrated circuit chip.

[0099] ii. Perform a first operation based on the coordinate value of each point in any direction and the M data to obtain a grayscale image of each point in any direction.

[0100] In a feasible implementation, the first operation refers to a summing operation and an interpolation operation performed in sequence. Specifically, the M data obtained are summed, and then an interpolation operation is performed according to the coordinate value of each point in the direction of the transmit beam, thereby obtaining a grayscale image of each point in the direction of the transmit beam. The interpolation calculation is usually large in amount, so it can be performed using multi-threaded parallel computing in a GPU or CPU, and no excessive restrictions are made here.

[0101] iii. Repeat the above steps until the grayscale images of all points in all directions in the imaging space are obtained, and the grayscale images of all points in all directions in the imaging space constitute a static three-dimensional image.

[0102] In an embodiment of the present application, the above steps are repeated, that is, different scanning beam directions are used, that is, steps i and ii are repeated to obtain M data and coordinate values ​​in different transmission beam directions and subsequent operations until the entire imaging space is scanned, and further grayscale images of all points in all directions in the imaging space are obtained. The grayscale images of all points in all directions in the imaging space constitute a static three-dimensional image.

[0103] iv. Repeat the above steps to obtain a dynamic three-dimensional image.

[0104] It can be understood that the above steps i to iii are executed cyclically so that a plurality of static three-dimensional images form a dynamic three-dimensional image to represent the three-dimensional characteristics of the imaging space.

[0105] v. Perform a second operation based on the dynamic three-dimensional image to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasound image.

[0106] In a feasible implementation, the second operation refers to rendering, display, sectioning, etc. Specifically, based on the dynamic three-dimensional image obtained in step iv, rendering and display are performed on the display of the ultrasound system, and a four-dimensional ultrasound image is further presented to the clinician. Among them, the rendering and display methods are prior arts and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0107] It is understandable that the aforementioned operations such as interpolation, 3D reconstruction, rendering, sectioning, and conversion of grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​to a Cartesian coordinate system are all performed in multiple threads in the GPU or CPU to improve computational efficiency.

[0108] In the embodiment of the present application, by acquiring M data transmitted in the application-specific integrated circuit chip, and the subsequent imaging steps are in the ultrasound host processor, the data processing in the application-specific integrated circuit chip ASIC and the ultrasound host is simple and regular, and the speed of data processing is further improved.

[0109] Furthermore, the embodiment of the present application divides ultrasound image synthesis (i.e., beamforming algorithm) into two parts, one on the ASIC chip and the other on the ultrasound host. That is, by grouping ultrasound array elements for preprocessing in the ASIC and then exporting the preprocessed signals to the ultrasound host processor for processing, the amount of post-processing data and the amount of calculation are significantly reduced. The efficiency of processing data for four-dimensional ultrasound imaging is greatly improved.

[0110] In one embodiment, an ultrasound host processor is provided. The ultrasound host processor stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the ultrasound host processor, the ultrasound host processor executes the method of any one of the method embodiments in the ultrasound host.

[0111] In one embodiment, an ASIC chip is provided. The chip stores a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the chip, the chip executes a method of any one of the method embodiments described above based on the ASIC chip.

[0112] It can be understood that the complete implementation steps based on the four-dimensional ultrasound imaging system and method in actual situations are as follows: a multi-channel capacitive ultrasound probe arranged in a two-dimensional array is connected to the back-end ultrasound host processor. The four-dimensional ultrasound imaging algorithm includes two parts, a microchip beamforming algorithm in the ASIC chip, and a beamforming algorithm at the back end of the ultrasound host. Among them, the microchip beamforming algorithm is on the ASIC chip; the back-end beamforming algorithm is on the ultrasound host. The ASIC chip is located at the probe head and is separated from the host.

[0113] First, the information preprocessing after ultrasonic array element grouping is performed based on the ASIC chip:

[0114] I. Calculate the transmission delay. In the transmission mode, the ASIC chip calculates the transmission delay based on the distance from each array element to the focus. Assuming that the serial number of a certain ultrasonic array element is (i, j), the coordinates of its center point are (i*d1, j*d2, 0). Assuming that the coordinate position of the focus is (Xf, Yf, Zf), the distance from each array element to the focus is Therefore, the transmission delay from the array element to the focus is Where c is the speed of sound, which is generally 1540m / s in tissues.

[0115] II. Transmit excitation: The ASIC chip excites each array element with the same preset waveform according to its transmit delay, and excites thousands of array elements in sequence, thereby achieving beam scanning in a certain direction in space.

[0116] III. Microchip beamforming algorithm. The array elements of the ultrasound probe are divided into M groups, each of which includes a number of array elements (the number of array elements in each group can be the same or different), respectively denoted as {T1, T2, …, TN}. Each time the excitation is performed, the total delay from each array element to the focus (i.e., the transmission delay + the reception delay) is calculated, and then the distance from the focus to the geometric center of the group of array elements is calculated. The difference between the two distances divided by the speed of sound is the delay, denoted as {τ1, τ2, …, τN}. The signals received by all array elements in each group are delayed accordingly and added, that is, according to the delay, two adjacent sampling values ​​are taken and linear interpolation is performed. A total of M data are obtained, which are led out to the input end of the ultrasound host through M cables.

[0117] Secondly, the pre-processed information is imaged based on the ultrasound host processor:

[0118] IV. In the ultrasound host processor, the M data are summed, and then the corresponding interpolation operation is performed according to the coordinate value of each point in the transmission beam direction to obtain the grayscale image of each point in the scanning direction. This interpolation calculation is usually large in amount and can be performed in parallel using multiple threads in the GPU or CPU.

[0119] V. Repeat steps II to IV above using different scanning beam directions until the entire imaging space is scanned, and a three-dimensional image is obtained. Then, the above steps are repeated to obtain a dynamic three-dimensional image. Subsequently, the dynamic three-dimensional image is rendered and displayed on the display of the ultrasound system, which is the four-dimensional ultrasound image presented to the clinician.

[0120] It should be understood that the above is merely an example provided according to the embodiment of the present application, and does not limit other related technologies based on the embodiment of the present application.

[0121] In a feasible implementation, the transducer used in the embodiment of the present application may be a two-dimensional array ultrasonic transducer, which may be arranged in a rectangular shape or a hemispherical shape, such as Figure 7 , which is a schematic diagram of examples of various ultrasound probes provided in the embodiments of the present application. The material thereof may be different materials such as PZT ceramics, CMUT or PMUT. At the same time, the four-dimensional ultrasound imaging system can be applied to endoscopic ultrasound imaging such as intracardiac ultrasound, esophageal ultrasound, vaginal ultrasound, gastrointestinal ultrasound, bronchial ultrasound, and can also be applied to in vitro probes such as transthoracic ultrasound probes. Furthermore, in the scheme of the embodiments of the present application, ADC analog-to-digital converters, gain and other units can also be added to the ASIC chip to improve the signal quality. It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application can also be used for diagnostic ultrasound probes, and can also be applied to therapeutic ultrasound probes such as focused ultrasound.

[0122] Figure 8FIG. 1 shows an internal structure diagram of a computer device in an embodiment. The computer device may be a terminal, a server, or a gateway. Figure 8 As shown, the computer device includes a processor, a memory and a network interface connected via a system bus. The memory includes a non-volatile storage medium and an internal memory. The non-volatile storage medium of the computer device stores an operating system and may also store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor may implement each step in the above method embodiment. The internal memory may also store a computer program. When the computer program is executed by the processor, the processor may implement each step in the above method embodiment. Those skilled in the art will understand that Figure 8 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.

[0123] 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 program can be stored in a non-volatile computer-readable storage medium. When the program is executed, it can include the processes of the embodiments of the above-mentioned methods. Among them, any reference to memory, storage, database or other media used in the embodiments provided in this application can include non-volatile and / or volatile memory. Non-volatile memory may include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory (RAM) or external cache memory. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms, such as static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDRSDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous link (Synchlink) DRAM (SLDRAM), memory bus (Rambus) direct RAM (RDRAM), direct memory bus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM), and memory bus dynamic RAM (RDRAM).

[0124] 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 specification.

[0125] The above-mentioned 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. A four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system, characterized in that: The system comprises: an ultrasound host, a multi-channel capacitive ultrasound probe arranged in a two-dimensional array, and an ASIC chip integrated in the probe, wherein the ASIC chip comprises a transmitting drive circuit and a receiving circuit; the lead wire of the probe is connected to the ultrasound host through a connector; The transmitting driving circuit is used to drive each channel of the probe so that the probe transmits an ultrasonic beam in a specified direction, and the ultrasonic beam in the specified direction is used to scan a specified direction in a three-dimensional space; Each channel of the probe is used to receive the reflected echo signal reflected back after the ultrasonic beam is scanned, and transmit the reflected echo signal to the receiving circuit; the receiving circuit is used to pre-process the reflected echo signal and reduce channel operation based on the microchip beam synthesis algorithm; the probe is also used to transmit the reflected echo signal after pre-processing and reducing channel operation to the ultrasound host through the connector; The ultrasound host is used to perform a beam synthesis operation on the reflected echo signal based on a beam synthesis algorithm, thereby obtaining the grayscale values ​​of all points on the ultrasound beam; the ultrasound host is also used to calculate the coordinate value of each point on the ultrasound beam according to the echo time, spatial direction and sound speed; Adjust the designated direction multiple times and repeat the above process, so that the ultrasound host obtains the grayscale value and coordinate value of all points on the ultrasound beam in all directions in the three-dimensional space, and converts the grayscale value and coordinate value into a Cartesian coordinate system to obtain a static three-dimensional image; The above process is repeated so that the ultrasound host obtains a dynamic three-dimensional image composed of multiple static three-dimensional images; the ultrasound host is also used to render and slice the dynamic three-dimensional image on a display to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasound image.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe with a two-dimensional array arrangement includes a plurality of array elements, and the plurality of array elements are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix; each of the plurality of array elements includes a plurality of capacitive CMUT sensors connected in parallel; each of the array elements is integrated with the ASIC chip through a TSV process; Each of the capacitive CMUT sensors includes two upper and lower electrodes and insulating silicon, and the insulating silicon forms a vacuum in the middle through a silicon wafer bonding process; in a transmitting mode, an alternating current is applied between the upper and lower electrodes of each of the capacitive CMUT sensors to form a mechanical oscillation; in a receiving mode, each of the capacitive CMUT sensors undergoes a mechanical oscillation under the action of an external sound field, which is converted into a voltage change; The capacitive CMUT sensor is punched on a wafer by a silicon through-hole process, so as to connect the upper and lower electrodes of each array element to the bottom plate of the ASIC chip.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that The microchip beamforming algorithm includes delaying and adding the signals corresponding to each channel of the probe based on the reflected echo signal reflected after the ultrasonic beam is scanned, according to the direction of the ultrasonic beam, the transmission time difference and the reception time difference, to obtain M signals; wherein M is a natural number greater than zero, and M is equal to the number of leads of the probe and less than the number of channels of the probe; The beamforming algorithm includes delaying and adding the M signals to obtain beamformed data.

4. A four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging method, characterized in that: The method is applied to the four-dimensional ultrasonic imaging system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and the method comprises: The probe transmits an ultrasonic beam in a specified direction into a three-dimensional space, and obtains a reflected echo signal obtained after transmitting the ultrasonic beam; The receiving circuit of the ASIC chip pre-processes the reflected echo signal based on the microchip beamforming algorithm and reduces the channel operation to obtain M signals; wherein M is a natural number greater than zero, and M is equal to the number of leads of the probe and less than the number of channels of the probe; The ultrasound host performs a beam synthesis operation and a first calculation operation based on the M signals after the preprocessing and channel reduction operation to obtain a grayscale value and a coordinate value of each point on the ultrasound beam in the specified direction; Repeat the above steps until the ultrasound host obtains the grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​of all points in all directions in the three-dimensional space, and converts the grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​of all points into a Cartesian coordinate system to obtain a static three-dimensional image; The above steps are executed cyclically, so that the ultrasound host obtains a dynamic three-dimensional image composed of multiple static three-dimensional images; rendering and sectioning operations are performed on the display based on the dynamic three-dimensional image to obtain a four-dimensional ultrasound image.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that Before the probe transmits an ultrasonic beam in a specified direction into the three-dimensional space, the method further includes: the transmitting driving circuit acquires different transmitting delays, and sequentially stimulates each channel of the probe based on the transmitting delays, thereby generating the ultrasonic beam in the specified direction; The probe acquires a reflected echo signal obtained after the ultrasonic beam is emitted, specifically including: the emitted ultrasonic beam is reflected in a corresponding medium in the three-dimensional space to generate the reflected echo signal, and the probe acquires the reflected echo signal.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The multi-channel capacitive ultrasonic probe arranged in a two-dimensional array includes a plurality of transducer array elements arranged in a two-dimensional array; the calculation method of the transmission delay includes: The probe calculates the distance from any one of the transducer array elements in the two-dimensional array array according to the coordinates of the imaging focus point and the center point coordinates of the transducer array elements, and calculates the emission delay of the any one of the transducer array elements based on the distance. The spatial direction of the ultrasonic beam is changed multiple times, and the coordinates of the imaging focus point are changed according to the spatial direction, and the above steps are repeated to obtain the transmission delay of all array elements.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The transducer array elements arranged in the two-dimensional array are divided into M groups; the receiving circuit of the ASIC chip pre-processes the reflected echo signal based on the microchip beamforming algorithm and reduces the channel operation to obtain M signals, specifically including: The receiving circuit of the ASIC chip calculates the total delay of the reflected echo signal, and performs interpolation operations on the reflected echo signal based on the total delay to obtain M signals; The step of calculating the total delay of the reflected echo signal and performing interpolation operations on the reflected echo signal based on the total delay to obtain M signals specifically includes: calculating a first distance from the imaging focus point to each array element in each group of array elements and a second distance from the imaging focus point to the central array element of each group, dividing the distance difference between the first distance and the second distance by the speed of sound to obtain a time difference, applying a corresponding delay to the signal of each array element based on the time difference, and then adding the signals to obtain M signals; Wherein, M is a natural number greater than zero, and M is equal to the number of leads of the probe and less than the number of channels of the probe.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The total delay includes the transmission delay and the reception delay.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The ultrasound host performs a beam synthesis operation and a first calculation operation based on the M signals after the preprocessing and channel reduction operation to obtain a grayscale value and a coordinate value of each point on the ultrasound beam in a certain direction, specifically including: The ultrasound host performs delayed addition on the M signals to obtain the sum data based on the emission direction of the ultrasound beam, the emission delay, and the reception delay, calculates the signal delay corresponding to each channel of the probe, and then performs delayed addition on the signals based on the signal delay; An interpolation operation is performed based on the signal after delayed addition to obtain the grayscale value and coordinate value of each point on the ultrasonic beam in a certain direction.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The interpolation operation and the operation of converting the grayscale values ​​and coordinate values ​​of all the points into a Cartesian coordinate system are performed in multiple threads in a GPU or a CPU.

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