Method for quality assessment of ultrasound images and ultrasound device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for evaluating the quality of an ultrasound image and an ultrasound device. The method is used to improve the accuracy of ultrasound image quality. The method includes: determining the shear wave vibration velocity of the shear wave in the ultrasound imaging process by obtaining the shear wave echo signal of the measured tissue; obtaining the phase velocity value of the shear wave at multiple angular frequencies for each position point based on the time data and multiple angular frequencies of each position point in the directionally filtered vibration velocity obtained by directionally filtering the vibration velocity based on the vibration velocity and the mask image; for any position point, obtaining the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the tissue at the position point by using the phase velocity value of the shear wave at multiple angular frequencies of the vibration velocity at the position point; obtaining a target phase velocity matrix based on the viscosity value, the elasticity value of each position point, and the phase velocity value of the shear wave at multiple angular frequencies of the vibration velocity at each position point; and obtaining an ultrasound image quality evaluation map by using the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain vibration velocity matrix.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of image processing, in particular to an ultrasound image quality evaluation method and an ultrasound device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Biological soft tissues are mainly composed of collagen fibers, elastic fibers, and amino polysaccharides. Common biological soft tissues include skin, muscle, ligament, blood vessel, heart, liver, and kidney. Generally, biological soft tissues can be considered as viscoelastic materials in mechanics. The elastic characteristics of human soft tissues have been recognized in disease diagnosis. However, the viscous characteristics of human tissues are often ignored in disease diagnosis.

[0003] At present, in many ultrasound imaging systems on the market, many machines only display the elastic characteristics of soft tissues. The elastic characteristics and the viscous characteristics of soft tissues are not displayed together, that is, only the elastic characteristics of soft tissues are used to obtain an ultrasound image quality evaluation graph. The ultrasound image quality evaluation graph is used to evaluate the quality of an ultrasound image. However, the accuracy of the ultrasound image quality evaluated only by the elastic characteristics is low, which reduces the accuracy of clinical diagnosis. SUMMARY

[0004] In the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, an ultrasound image quality evaluation method and an ultrasound device are provided to improve the accuracy of ultrasound image quality and improve the accuracy of clinical diagnosis.

[0005] A first aspect of the present disclosure provides an ultrasound image quality evaluation method, the method comprising:

[0006] In response to an ultrasound image quality evaluation request sent by a user, a shear wave vibration speed is determined by using a shear wave echo signal of a measured tissue obtained in an ultrasound imaging process, wherein the vibration speed is a three-dimensional data signal composed of depth, channel number, and time;

[0007] The vibration speed is directionally filtered based on the vibration speed and a preset mask image, to obtain a directionally filtered vibration speed;

[0008] Phase speed values of shear waves at a plurality of angular frequencies are obtained from time data of each position point in the directionally filtered vibration speed and a plurality of preset angular frequencies, wherein each position point is composed of depth and channel number in the directionally filtered vibration speed, and the time data of each position point is the time corresponding to the position point in the directionally filtered vibration speed;

[0009] For any one position point, the shear wave phase velocity value of the vibration speed of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies is used to obtain the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point.

[0010] Based on the viscosity value, the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position points, and the shear wave phase velocity value of the vibration speed of the position points at the plurality of angular frequencies, a target phase velocity matrix is obtained.

[0011] The target phase velocity matrix and a beam domain vibration speed matrix are used to obtain an ultrasound image quality evaluation map, wherein the beam domain vibration matrix is obtained based on the vibration speed of the shear wave.

[0012] In the embodiment, the shear wave echo signal in the ultrasound imaging process is obtained, the vibration speed of the shear wave is determined, the vibration speed is directionally filtered based on the vibration speed and a preset mask image, the directionally filtered vibration speed is obtained, the shear wave phase velocity value of the vibration speed of each position point at the plurality of angular frequencies is obtained according to the time data of each position point in the directionally filtered vibration speed and the plurality of angular frequencies, the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the tissue corresponding to each position point are obtained by using the shear wave phase velocity value of the vibration speed of each position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, the target phase velocity matrix is obtained based on the viscosity value, the elasticity value corresponding to each position point and the shear wave phase velocity value of the vibration speed of each position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, and the ultrasound image quality evaluation map is obtained by using the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain vibration speed matrix. Thus, the ultrasound image quality evaluation map is used to evaluate the ultrasound image quality by using the two dimensions of the viscosity and the elasticity of the tissue, the accuracy of the ultrasound image quality evaluation is improved, and the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis is further improved.

[0013] In one embodiment, the vibration speed of the shear wave is determined by using the obtained shear wave echo signal of the measured tissue in the ultrasound imaging process, and the vibration speed of the shear wave is determined by using the shear wave echo signal.

[0014] The shear wave echo signal is demodulated to obtain a plurality of co-directional components and a plurality of orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at each time and each depth, wherein the number of the co-directional components is the same as the number of the orthogonal components.

[0015] The vibration speed of the shear wave is obtained by using the plurality of co-directional components and the plurality of orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at the time and the depth.

[0016] In one embodiment, the obtaining the shear wave velocity using the co-directional component and the quadrature component of the shear wave echo signal at each time and each depth comprises:

[0017] The shear wave velocity is obtained by:

[0018]

[0019] wherein u(n) is the shear wave velocity at time n, Q(m, n) is the quadrature component of the ultrasound echo signal at depth m and time n, I(m, n+1) is the co-directional component of the ultrasound echo signal at depth m and time n+1, I(m, n) is the co-directional component of the ultrasound echo signal at depth m and time n, Q(m, n+1) is the quadrature component of the ultrasound echo signal at depth m and time n+1, M is the maximum depth of the ultrasound echo signal, N is the maximum time corresponding to the ultrasound echo signal, f c is the center frequency of the ultrasound echo signal, and c is the sound speed in the measured tissue.

[0020] In one embodiment, the directionally filtering the shear wave velocity based on the shear wave velocity and a preset mask image comprises:

[0021] For any shear wave velocity data corresponding to a depth in the shear wave velocity, performing Fourier transform on the shear wave velocity data to obtain a frequency spectrum matrix of the shear wave velocity data, wherein the shear wave velocity data is a channel number and a time corresponding to the depth in the shear wave velocity; and

[0022] Multiplying the frequency spectrum matrix of the shear wave velocity data and an image matrix corresponding to a preset mask image to obtain a first intermediate matrix; and

[0023] Performing inverse Fourier transform on the first intermediate matrix to obtain directionally filtered shear wave velocity data corresponding to the depth.

[0024] Obtaining the directionally filtered shear wave velocity based on the directionally filtered shear wave velocity data corresponding to each depth.

[0025] In one embodiment, the obtaining the shear wave velocity using the co-directional component and the quadrature component of the shear wave echo signal at each time and each depth comprises:

[0026] The time data of the position point is subjected to Fourier transform at a plurality of angular frequencies to obtain phases of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies respectively; and

[0027] The time data of a target position point corresponding to the position point is subjected to Fourier transform at the plurality of angular frequencies to obtain phases of the seismic velocity of the target position point at the plurality of angular frequencies respectively, wherein the target position point is a position point having a distance of a specified channel number from the position point in a specified direction; and

[0028] The phase of the seismic velocity of the position point at an angular frequency and the phase of the seismic velocity of the target position point at the angular frequency are obtained to obtain a phase difference of the seismic velocity of the position point at the angular frequency; and

[0029] The phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies is obtained according to the phase difference of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, the plurality of angular frequencies and the specified channel number.

[0030] In one embodiment, the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies is obtained according to the phase difference of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, the plurality of angular frequencies and the specified channel number, comprising:

[0031] The specified channel number is multiplied by an angular frequency to obtain a first intermediate value; and

[0032] The first intermediate value is divided by the phase difference of the seismic velocity of the position point at the angular frequency to obtain the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity of the position point at the angular frequency.

[0033] In one embodiment, the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point are obtained by using the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, comprising:

[0034] The following steps are performed for the seismic velocity of any position point:

[0035] For any angular frequency of the plurality of angular frequencies, a velocity equation corresponding to the angular frequency is obtained based on the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity at the angular frequency and the angular frequency, wherein the velocity equation is a monomial quadratic equation with unknowns being the viscosity value and the elasticity value;

[0036] According to the speed equation corresponding to each of the plurality of angular frequencies, the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point are obtained.

[0037] In one embodiment, based on the viscosity value, the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point, and the phase velocity value of the shear wave at the plurality of angular frequencies, a target phase velocity matrix is obtained, including:

[0038] For any one position point, based on the fitting residual variance of the position point, the phase velocity value of the shear wave at the plurality of angular frequencies, and the average phase velocity value corresponding to the plurality of angular frequencies, the target phase velocity is obtained, wherein the fitting residual variance of any one position point is obtained based on the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point.

[0039] Using the target phase velocity of each position point, the target phase velocity matrix is obtained.

[0040] In one embodiment, using the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain seismic velocity matrix, an ultrasound image quality evaluation map is obtained, including:

[0041] Using the pre-set weights of the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain seismic velocity matrix, the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain seismic velocity matrix are weighted and summed to obtain an intermediate velocity matrix.

[0042] The intermediate velocity matrix is normalized to obtain a normalized intermediate velocity matrix.

[0043] Based on the normalized intermediate velocity matrix, the ultrasound image quality evaluation map is obtained.

[0044] The second aspect of the present disclosure provides an ultrasound device, including a memory and a processor, including a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory are connected through a bus;

[0045] The memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to execute the following operations based on the computer program:

[0046] In response to a user sending an ultrasound image quality evaluation request, the shear wave vibration velocity is determined by obtaining the shear wave echo signal of the measured tissue in the ultrasound imaging process, wherein the vibration velocity is a three-dimensional data signal composed of depth, channel number and time.

[0047] Based on the vibration velocity and the preset mask image, the vibration velocity is directionally filtered to obtain a directionally filtered vibration velocity.

[0048] According to the time data of each position point in the direction filtered vibration velocity and a plurality of preset angular frequencies, a phase velocity value of a shear wave of the vibration velocity of each position point at the plurality of angular frequencies is obtained, wherein any one position point is composed of a depth and a channel in the direction filtered vibration velocity, and the time data of any one position point is time corresponding to the position point in the direction filtered vibration velocity;

[0049] For any one position point, a viscosity value and an elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point are obtained by using the phase velocity value of a shear wave of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies;

[0050] Based on the viscosity values and elasticity values of the measured tissue at the plurality of position points and the phase velocity values of a shear wave of the vibration velocity of the plurality of position points at the plurality of angular frequencies, a target phase velocity matrix is obtained.

[0051] An ultrasound image quality evaluation map is obtained by using the target phase velocity matrix and a beam domain vibration velocity matrix, wherein the beam domain vibration matrix is obtained based on the vibration velocity of the shear wave.

[0052] In one embodiment, the processor performs the determination of the vibration velocity of the shear wave by obtaining the shear wave echo signal of the measured tissue in the ultrasonic imaging process, and is specifically configured to:

[0053] The shear wave echo signal is demodulated to obtain a plurality of co-directional components and a plurality of orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at each time and each depth, wherein the number of co-directional components is the same as the number of forward components;

[0054] The vibration velocity of the shear wave is obtained by using the plurality of co-directional components and the plurality of orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at the plurality of times and the plurality of depths.

[0055] In one embodiment, the processor performs the determination of the vibration velocity of the shear wave by using the plurality of co-directional components and the plurality of orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at the plurality of times and the plurality of depths, and is specifically configured to:

[0056] The vibration velocity of the shear wave is obtained by:

[0057]

[0058] Wherein, u(n) is the shear wave vibration velocity at time n, Q(m, n) is the corresponding quadrature component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n, I(m, n+1) is the corresponding co-directional component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n+1, I(m, n) is the corresponding co-directional component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n, Q(m, n+1) is the corresponding quadrature component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n+1, M is the maximum depth of the ultrasonic echo signal, N is the maximum time corresponding to the ultrasonic echo signal, f c is the center frequency of the ultrasonic echo signal, and c is the sound speed in the measured tissue.

[0059] In one embodiment, the processor performs direction filtering on the vibration velocity based on the vibration velocity and a preset mask image to obtain a direction-filtered vibration velocity, and is specifically configured to:

[0060] For vibration velocity data corresponding to any one depth in the vibration velocity, the vibration velocity data is subjected to Fourier transform to obtain a frequency spectrum matrix of the vibration velocity data, wherein the vibration velocity data is a channel number and a time corresponding to the depth in the vibration velocity; and

[0061] A first intermediate matrix is obtained by multiplying the frequency spectrum matrix of the vibration velocity data and an image matrix corresponding to a preset mask image; and

[0062] The first intermediate matrix is subjected to inverse Fourier transform to obtain direction-filtered vibration velocity data corresponding to the depth.

[0063] The direction-filtered vibration velocity is obtained based on the direction-filtered vibration velocity data corresponding to each depth.

[0064] In one embodiment, the processor performs the obtaining of the shear wave phase velocity value of the vibration velocity of each position point at the plurality of angular frequencies based on the time data of each position point in the direction-filtered vibration velocity and a plurality of preset angular frequencies, and is specifically configured to:

[0065] For time data of any one position point, the time data is subjected to Fourier transform at a plurality of angular frequencies to obtain phases of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, respectively; and

[0066] The time data of a target position point corresponding to the position point is subjected to Fourier transform at the plurality of angular frequencies to obtain phases of the vibration velocity of the target position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, respectively, wherein the target position point is a position point having a distance of a specified channel number from the position point in a specified direction; and

[0067] For any one of the angular frequencies, a phase difference of the vibration velocity of the position point at the angular frequency is obtained according to a phase of the vibration velocity of the position point at the angular frequency and a phase of the vibration velocity of the target position point at the angular frequency; and

[0068] According to the phase differences of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, the plurality of angular frequencies and the specified number of channels, a phase velocity value of a shear wave of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies is obtained.

[0069] In one embodiment, the processor performing the obtaining of the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies according to the phase differences of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, the plurality of angular frequencies and the specified number of channels is specifically configured to:

[0070] For any one of the angular frequencies, a first intermediate value is obtained by multiplying the specified number of channels and the angular frequency; and

[0071] The phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity of the position point at the angular frequency is obtained by dividing the first intermediate value by the phase difference of the vibration velocity of the position point at the angular frequency.

[0072] In one embodiment, the processor performing the obtaining of the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point according to the phase velocity values of the shear wave of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies is specifically configured to:

[0073] For the vibration velocity of any one of the position points, the following steps are performed:

[0074] For any one of the plurality of angular frequencies, a velocity equation corresponding to the angular frequency is obtained based on the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity at the angular frequency and the angular frequency, wherein the velocity equation is a monomial quadratic equation with the viscosity value and the elasticity value as unknowns;

[0075] According to the velocity equations corresponding to the plurality of angular frequencies respectively, the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point are obtained.

[0076] In one embodiment, the processor performing the obtaining of the target phase velocity matrix based on the viscosity values, the elasticity values of the measured tissue at the position points and the phase velocity values of the shear wave of the vibration velocity of the position points at the plurality of angular frequencies is specifically configured to:

[0077] For any one position point, the target phase velocity is obtained based on a fitting residual variance of the position point, phase velocity values of shear waves of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies respectively, and average phase velocity values corresponding to the plurality of angular frequencies respectively, wherein the fitting residual variance of any one position point is obtained based on a viscosity value and an elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point.

[0078] The target phase velocity matrix is obtained by using the target phase velocities of the position points.

[0079] In one embodiment, the processor performs the obtaining of the ultrasound image quality evaluation map by using the target phase velocity matrix and a beam domain shear velocity matrix, and is specifically configured to:

[0080] The target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain shear velocity matrix are weighted and summed by using preset weights of the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain shear velocity matrix respectively, to obtain an intermediate velocity matrix.

[0081] The intermediate velocity matrix is normalized to obtain a normalized intermediate velocity matrix.

[0082] The ultrasound image quality evaluation map is obtained based on the normalized intermediate velocity matrix.

[0083] According to a third aspect provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, a computer storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program for executing the method according to the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0084] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings needed in the embodiment description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can be obtained by those skilled in the art without creative labor.

[0085] Figure 1 An application scenario diagram according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0086] Figure 2 One of the flow diagrams of the ultrasound image quality evaluation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0087] Figure 3 A flow diagram of determining shear wave velocity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0088] Figure 4A flowchart of determining a direction filtered shear wave velocity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0089] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a mask image according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0090] Figure 6 A flowchart of determining a phase velocity value of a shear wave of a shear wave velocity at a plurality of angular frequencies according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0091] Figure 7 A flowchart of determining a viscosity value and an elasticity value of a tissue corresponding to a position point according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0092] Figure 8 A flowchart of determining a target phase velocity matrix according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0093] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of an image of a beam domain shear wave velocity according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0094] Figure 10 A schematic diagram of a beam domain shear wave matrix according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0095] Figure 11 A schematic diagram of an ultrasound image quality evaluation map according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0096] Figure 12 A flowchart of a quality evaluation method of an ultrasound image according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0097] Figure 13 An ultrasound image quality evaluation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0098] Figure 14 A schematic diagram of an ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0099] In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described clearly and completely below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all the embodiments of the present disclosure. Based on the embodiments in the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0100] In this disclosure, the term "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: A alone, A and B simultaneously, and B alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0101] The application scenarios described in this disclosure are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that with the emergence of new application scenarios, the technical solutions provided in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems. In the description of this disclosure, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more.

[0102] In existing technologies, many ultrasound imaging systems on the market only display the elastic characteristics of soft tissues. They do not simultaneously display both elastic and viscous characteristics; that is, they obtain ultrasound image quality assessment maps solely based on the elastic characteristics of soft tissues. The purpose of ultrasound image quality assessment maps is to evaluate the quality of ultrasound images. However, the accuracy of ultrasound image quality assessment based solely on elasticity is low, which can reduce the accuracy of clinical diagnosis.

[0103] Therefore, this disclosure provides a method for quality assessment of ultrasound images. It determines the vibration velocity of the shear wave by acquiring the shear wave echo signal during ultrasound imaging. Then, based on the vibration velocity and a preset mask image, the vibration velocity is directionally filtered to obtain the directionally filtered vibration velocity. Based on the time data of each location point in the directionally filtered vibration velocity and multiple preset angular frequencies, the phase velocity values ​​of the shear wave at each location point at multiple angular frequencies are obtained. Using the phase velocity values ​​of the shear wave at each location point at the multiple angular frequencies, the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of the tissue corresponding to each location point are obtained. Based on the viscosity and elasticity values ​​corresponding to each location point and the phase velocity values ​​of the shear wave at the multiple angular frequencies, a target phase velocity matrix is ​​obtained. Using the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain vibration velocity matrix, an ultrasound image quality assessment map is obtained. Thus, in this embodiment, the ultrasound image quality is assessed using an ultrasound image quality assessment map determined by the tissue's viscosity and elasticity characteristics, improving the accuracy of ultrasound image quality assessment and further enhancing the accuracy of clinical diagnosis. The solution of this disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0104] like Figure 1 As shown, an application scenario for a quality assessment method of ultrasound images is presented, which includes an ultrasound device 110 and a terminal device 120.

[0105] In a possible application scenario, the ultrasound device 110 determines the vibration velocity of the shear wave by using the shear wave echo signal obtained in the ultrasound imaging process in response to the ultrasound image quality evaluation request sent by the user, wherein the vibration velocity is a three-dimensional data signal composed of depth, channel number and time; then the ultrasound device 110 performs directional filtering on the vibration velocity based on the vibration velocity and a preset mask image, to obtain a vibration velocity after directional filtering; and obtains the phase velocity value of the shear wave of each position point at the plurality of angular frequencies according to the time data of each position point in the vibration velocity after directional filtering and a plurality of preset angular frequencies, wherein any one position point is determined by the depth and the channel number in the vibration velocity after directional filtering, and the time data of any one position point is the time corresponding to the position point in the vibration velocity after directional filtering; for any one position point, the ultrasound device 110 obtains the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the tissue corresponding to the position point by using the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies; and obtains a target phase velocity matrix based on the viscosity value, the elasticity value corresponding to each position point and the phase velocity value of the shear wave of each position point at the plurality of angular frequencies; finally, the ultrasound device 110 obtains an ultrasound image quality evaluation image by using the target phase velocity matrix and a beam domain vibration velocity matrix, and sends the ultrasound image quality evaluation image to the terminal device 110 for display. The beam domain vibration matrix is obtained based on the vibration velocity of the shear wave.

[0106] wherein, Figure 1 The ultrasound device 110 and the terminal device 120 can exchange information through a communication network. The communication network can adopt a wireless communication mode or a wired communication mode.

[0107] For example, the ultrasound device 110 can access the network through a cellular mobile communication technology and communicate with the terminal device 120. The cellular mobile communication technology can include, for example, a 5th Generation Mobile Networks (5G) technology.

[0108] Optionally, the ultrasound device 110 can access the network through a short-range wireless communication mode and communicate with the terminal device 120. The short-range wireless communication mode can include, for example, a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) technology.

[0109] In the description of the present application, only a single ultrasound device 110 and a single terminal device 120 are described in detail, but those skilled in the art should understand that the ultrasound device 110 and the terminal device 120 shown are intended to represent the operation of the ultrasound device 110 and the terminal device 120 involved in the technical solution of the present application. It is not implied that there is a limitation on the number, type or location of the ultrasound device 110 and the terminal device 120. It should be noted that if additional modules are added to the illustrated environment or individual modules are removed therefrom, the underlying concept of the example embodiments of the present application will not change.

[0110] It should be noted that the quality evaluation method of the ultrasound image proposed in the present application is not only applicable to the application scenarios shown Figure 1 but also applicable to any device that has a quality evaluation of an ultrasound image.

[0111] The quality evaluation method of the ultrasound image of the example embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the above-described application scenarios and with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the above-described application scenarios are only shown to facilitate understanding of the method and principles of the present application, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited in this respect.

[0112] As shown in Figure 2 , a flowchart of the quality evaluation method of the ultrasound image of the present disclosure can include the following steps:

[0113] Step 201: In response to a user's request for quality evaluation of an ultrasound image, the shear wave vibration speed is determined by acquiring the shear wave echo signal of the measured tissue in the ultrasound imaging process, wherein the vibration speed is a three-dimensional data signal composed of depth, channel number and time;

[0114] In the embodiments of the present application, the measured tissue is the biological soft tissue described in the background art, which can be skin, muscle, ligament, blood vessel, heart, liver and kidney, etc.

[0115] In the shear wave viscoelasticity imaging system based on ultrasound in the embodiments of the present application, the ultrasonic transducer in the ultrasound device generates acoustic radiation force in the local region inside the measured tissue by emitting focused ultrasound, or external mechanical vibration to produce vibration on the soft tissue, and then excites the measured tissue to vibrate to produce shear waves. When the shear wave is excited, the propagation of the shear wave can be detected by the ultrasonic pulse echo method. The shear wave echo signal is acquired. The way of acquiring the shear wave echo signal in the embodiments of the present application is only used for illustration and does not limit the way of acquiring the shear wave echo signal. The specific acquisition method can be set according to the actual situation.

[0116] Next, a specific way of determining the vibration velocity of the shear wave by the acquired shear wave echo signal of the measured tissue in the ultrasonic imaging process in step 201 is described as follows, as shown in the flow diagram for determining the vibration velocity of the shear wave, which can include the following steps: Figure 3

[0117] Step 301: demodulating the shear wave echo signal to obtain a plurality of co-directional components and a plurality of orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at each time and each depth, wherein the number of co-directional components is the same as that of the forward components;

[0118] In the embodiment of the present application, the co-directional components and the forward components obtained by demodulating the shear wave echo signal are the way in the prior art, and the demodulation way is not limited herein in the embodiment of the present application. The specific demodulation way can be set according to the actual situation.

[0119] Step 302: obtaining the vibration velocity of the shear wave by using the plurality of co-directional components and the plurality of orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at each time and each depth. The vibration velocity of the shear wave can be obtained by formula (1):

[0120]

[0121] Wherein, u(n) is the vibration velocity of the shear wave at time n, Q(m, n) is the corresponding orthogonal component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n, I(m, n+1) is the corresponding co-directional component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n+1, I(m, n) is the corresponding co-directional component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n, Q(m, n+1) is the corresponding orthogonal component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n+1, M is the maximum depth of the ultrasonic echo signal, N is the maximum time corresponding to the ultrasonic echo signal, f c is the center frequency of the ultrasonic echo signal, and c is the sound velocity in the measured tissue.

[0122] It should be noted that the maximum depth of the ultrasonic echo signal, the maximum time corresponding to the ultrasonic echo signal, the center frequency of the ultrasonic echo signal, and the sound velocity in the measured tissue in the embodiment of the present application can be directly obtained in the ultrasonic imaging process.

[0123] Step 202: directionally filtering the vibration velocity based on the vibration velocity and a preset mask image to obtain a directionally filtered vibration velocity;

[0124] Next, the determination of the directionally filtered vibration velocity in step 202 is described as follows, Figure 4 as shown in the flow diagram for determining the directionally filtered vibration velocity, which can include the following steps:​

[0125] Step 401: For the vibration velocity data corresponding to any depth in the vibration velocity data, perform Fourier transform on the vibration velocity data to obtain the spectrum matrix of the vibration velocity data, wherein the vibration velocity data is the number of channels and time corresponding to the depth in the vibration velocity;

[0126] The vibration velocity in this embodiment is three-dimensional data, namely, data in three dimensions: depth, number of channels, and time. Therefore, any one dimension has a corresponding value in the other two dimensions.

[0127] It should be noted that the Fourier transform in this application embodiment is a method in the prior art, and the method of performing Fourier transform on each data in this application embodiment will not be described again here.

[0128] Step 402: Multiply the spectrum matrix of the vibration velocity data with the image matrix corresponding to the preset mask image to obtain the first intermediate matrix;

[0129] like Figure 5 The diagram shows a schematic of the mask images. Image a illustrates the waveform propagation from right to left, while image b illustrates the waveform propagation from left to right. The specific mask image used can be determined based on the actual propagation direction of the shear wave. This application does not limit the specific mask image used.

[0130] Step 403: Perform an inverse Fourier transform on the first intermediate matrix to obtain the vibration velocity data after directional filtering corresponding to the depth;

[0131] The inverse Fourier transform and Fourier transform methods in the embodiments of this application are corresponding and belong to the prior art. The embodiments of this application will not be described in detail here.

[0132] Step 404: Based on the directionally filtered vibration velocity data corresponding to each depth, obtain the directionally filtered vibration velocity.

[0133] In one embodiment, step 404 may be specifically implemented as: determining the vibration velocity data after directional filtering for each depth and the corresponding direction of each depth as the vibration velocity after directional filtering.

[0134] Step 203: Based on the time data of each position point in the directionally filtered vibration velocity and the preset multiple angular frequencies, obtain the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity at each position point at the multiple angular frequencies, wherein any position point is composed of the depth and the number of channels in the directionally filtered vibration velocity, and the time data of any position point is the time corresponding to the position point in the directionally filtered vibration velocity.

[0135] Any one depth and any one channel in the embodiments of the present application form a corresponding position point.

[0136] As shown in FIG. 3, a flowchart for determining the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity of each position point at the plurality of angular frequencies in step 203 can include the following steps: Figure 6

[0137] Step 601: Fourier transform the time data of any one position point at a plurality of angular frequencies to obtain the phase of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, respectively.

[0138] Step 602: Fourier transform the time data of the target position point corresponding to the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies to obtain the phase of the vibration velocity of the target position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, respectively, wherein the target position point is a position point with a specified channel number of distance from the position point in a specified direction.

[0139] It should be noted that the specified channel number in the embodiments of the present application can be 5, and the specific specified channel number can be set according to actual conditions, and the present application does not limit the specified channel number.

[0140] Step 603: For any one angular frequency, subtract the phase of the vibration velocity of the target position point at the angular frequency from the phase of the vibration velocity of the position point at the angular frequency to obtain the phase difference of the vibration velocity of the position point at the angular frequency.

[0141] In one embodiment, step 603 can be specifically implemented as: subtracting the phase of the vibration velocity of the target position point at the angular frequency from the phase of the vibration velocity of the position point at the angular frequency to obtain the phase difference of the vibration velocity of the position point at the angular frequency.

[0142] Step 604: Obtain the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies according to the phase difference of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, the plurality of angular frequencies, and the specified channel number.

[0143] ​In one embodiment, step 604 can be specifically implemented as follows: for any angular frequency, multiply the specified number of channels by the angular frequency to obtain a first intermediate value; and divide the first intermediate value by the phase difference of the vibration velocity at the location point at the angular frequency to obtain the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity at the location point at the angular frequency. The phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity at the location point at the angular frequency can be obtained using formula (2):

[0144]

[0145] Where, c(ω) s The vibration velocity at position point ω at angular frequency ω s The phase velocity value of the shear wave under the given conditions, ω s Where ω is the angular frequency, and Δr is the specified number of channels. The vibration velocity at the location point at the angular frequency ω s The phase difference below.

[0146] Step 204: For any given location, use the phase velocity values ​​of the shear waves at the multiple angular frequencies to obtain the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of the tested tissue at that location.

[0147] like Figure 7 The diagram illustrates the process for determining the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of a tested tissue at a specific location, including the following steps:

[0148] Step 701: For the vibration velocity at any given location, perform the following steps: For any angular frequency among the plurality of angular frequencies, based on the phase velocity value of the shear wave at the given angular frequency and the angular frequency, obtain the velocity equation corresponding to the given angular frequency, wherein the velocity equation is a quadratic equation in one variable with the unknowns being the viscosity value and the elastic value; wherein, formula (3) is the velocity equation for the angular frequency:

[0149]

[0150] Where, c(ω) s The vibration velocity at angular frequency ω s The phase velocity value of the shear wave under the given conditions, ω s ρ is the angular frequency, μ1 is the pre-set medium density, μ1 is the elastic value, and μ2 is the viscosity value.

[0151] Step 702: Based on the velocity equations corresponding to the multiple angular frequencies, obtain the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of the material at the location point.

[0152] In one embodiment, step 702 can be implemented as: solving each velocity equation corresponding to the plurality of angular frequencies respectively by using a nonlinear least squares fitting algorithm to obtain the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the tissue organized at the position points.

[0153] The nonlinear least squares fitting algorithm used in the embodiments of the present application is the Isqcurvefit function, but the embodiments of the present application do not limit the nonlinear least squares fitting algorithm here, and the least squares fitting algorithm in the embodiments of the present application can be set according to actual conditions.

[0154] Step 205: obtaining a target phase velocity matrix based on the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position points and the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity at the position points at the plurality of angular frequencies respectively.

[0155] Next, the specific way of determining the target phase velocity matrix is introduced, as shown in Figure 8 The flowchart for determining the target phase velocity matrix can include the following steps:

[0156] Step 801: for any one position point, obtaining the target phase velocity based on the fitting residual variance of the position point, the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity at the position points at the plurality of angular frequencies respectively and the average phase velocity value corresponding to the plurality of angular frequencies; wherein the fitting residual variance of any one position point is obtained based on the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the position point; wherein the target phase velocity can be obtained by formula (4):

[0157]

[0158] Wherein R is the target phase velocity, r is the fitting residual variance matrix, c(ω s ) is the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity at the angular frequency ω s is the average phase velocity matrix, and q is the number of the plurality of angular frequencies.

[0159] The fitting residual variance corresponding to any one position point in the embodiments of the present application is obtained by the following way: for any one position point, determining the square of the difference between the viscosity value of the position point and the initial viscosity value as a first intermediate value, and determining the square of the difference between the elasticity value of the position point and the initial elasticity value as a second intermediate value, and adding the first intermediate value and the second intermediate value to obtain the fitting residual variance corresponding to the position point.

[0160] ​It should be noted that the initial viscosity value and initial elastic value in the embodiments of this application can be preset, or they can be estimated by the velocity equations corresponding to the multiple angular frequencies at the position points. The specific method can be set according to the actual situation. The embodiments of this application do not limit the method of determining the initial viscosity value and initial elastic value.

[0161] Step 802: Obtain the target phase velocity matrix using the target phase velocity at each location point.

[0162] In the embodiments of this application, the positions of each target phase velocity in the target phase velocity matrix are sorted according to the position of each position point in the vibration velocity of the shear wave.

[0163] Step 206: Using the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain vibration velocity matrix, an ultrasound image quality assessment map is obtained, wherein the beam domain vibration matrix is ​​obtained based on the vibration velocity of the shear wave.

[0164] In one embodiment, the beam domain vibration velocity matrix is ​​obtained in the following manner:

[0165] The vibration velocity of the shear wave is compensated by the propagation distance of the shear wave to obtain the compensated vibration velocity. The time data corresponding to each position point is then subjected to Fourier transform to obtain the vibration velocity in the beam domain corresponding to that position point. The beam domain vibration matrix is ​​obtained based on the maximum value of the vibration velocity in the beam domain corresponding to each position point. The compensated vibration velocity can be obtained using formula (5):

[0166]

[0167] Where, μ(n) ′ Let μ(n) be the vibration velocity of the shear wave after compensation at time n, and r be the vibration velocity of the shear wave at time n. n Let n be the propagation distance of the shear wave at time n.

[0168] It should be noted that the propagation distance of the shear wave at each time point in the embodiments of this application can be directly obtained.

[0169] For example, such as Figure 9 The image shown is a beam domain vibration velocity image obtained by performing a Fourier transform on the time data corresponding to any location point to the frequency beam domain. Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the beam domain vibration matrix obtained from the maximum vibration velocity of the beam domain corresponding to each location point.

[0170] In one embodiment, step 206 can be implemented as: weighting and summing the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain shear velocity matrix by using preset weights of the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain shear velocity matrix to obtain an intermediate velocity matrix; normalizing the intermediate velocity matrix to obtain a normalized intermediate velocity matrix; and obtaining the ultrasound image quality evaluation map based on the normalized intermediate velocity matrix. The intermediate velocity matrix can be obtained by formula (6):

[0171] D3 = Q1 x D1 + Q2 x D2 …… (6);

[0172] wherein D3 is the intermediate velocity matrix, D1 is the target phase velocity matrix, D2 is the beam domain shear velocity matrix, Q1 is the weight of the target phase velocity matrix, and Q2 is the weight of the beam domain shear velocity matrix.

[0173] The normalization method for the intermediate velocity matrix in the embodiments of the present application is to divide each parameter in the intermediate velocity matrix by the parameter with the largest value to obtain the normalized intermediate velocity matrix. Then, parameters greater than a specified threshold in the normalized intermediate velocity matrix are set to 1, and parameters less than the specified threshold are set to 0.

[0174] Since the positions of the parameters in the normalized intermediate velocity matrix in the embodiments of the present application correspond to the position points, for any position point, if the parameter corresponding to the position point is 0, the pixel value of the pixel point of the position point is set to 0, and if the parameter corresponding to the position point is 1, the pixel value of the pixel point of the position point is 255, to obtain the ultrasound image quality evaluation map. As shown in FIG. 6, it is a schematic diagram of an ultrasound image quality evaluation map. Figure 11

[0175] In order to further understand the technical solutions of the present disclosure, the following will be described in detail in combination with the accompanying drawings. Figure 12 may include the following steps:

[0176] Step 1201: In response to the ultrasound image quality evaluation request sent by the user, the shear wave echo signal of the measured tissue in the ultrasound imaging process is demodulated to obtain a plurality of co-directional components and a plurality of orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at each time and each depth, wherein the number of co-directional components is the same as the number of forward components;

[0177] Step 1202: The shear wave echo signal at each time and each depth is used to obtain the shear wave vibration velocity.

[0178] ​Step 1203: performing Fourier transform on the seismic velocity data corresponding to any one depth in the seismic velocity to obtain a frequency spectrum matrix of the seismic velocity data, wherein the seismic velocity data is a channel number corresponding to the depth and a time in the seismic velocity;

[0179] Step 1204: multiplying the frequency spectrum matrix of the seismic velocity data and an image matrix corresponding to a preset mask image to obtain a first intermediate matrix;

[0180] Step 1205: performing inverse Fourier transform on the first intermediate matrix to obtain directionally filtered seismic velocity data corresponding to the depth;

[0181] Step 1206: obtaining the directionally filtered seismic velocity based on the directionally filtered seismic velocity data corresponding to each depth;

[0182] Step 1207: obtaining a phase velocity value of a shear wave of the seismic velocity of each position point at a plurality of angular frequencies according to time data of each position point in the directionally filtered seismic velocity and a plurality of preset angular frequencies, wherein any one position point is determined by a depth and a channel number in the directionally filtered seismic velocity, and the time data of any one position point is a time corresponding to the position point in the directionally filtered seismic velocity;

[0183] Step 1208: obtaining a viscosity value and an elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point by using the phase velocity values of the shear wave of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, respectively, for any one position point;

[0184] Step 1209: obtaining a target phase velocity based on a fitting residual variance of any one position point, the phase velocity values of the shear wave of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, respectively, and average phase velocity values corresponding to the plurality of angular frequencies, respectively, wherein the fitting residual variance of any one position point is obtained based on the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point;

[0185] Step 1210: obtaining a target phase velocity matrix by using the target phase velocities of each position point;

[0186] Step 1211: performing weighted summation on the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain seismic velocity matrix by using preset weights of the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain seismic velocity matrix, respectively, to obtain an intermediate velocity matrix;

[0187] Step 1212: performing normalization processing on the intermediate velocity matrix to obtain a normalized intermediate velocity matrix.

[0188] Step 1213: obtaining the ultrasound image quality evaluation map based on the normalized intermediate velocity matrix.

[0189] Based on the same disclosed concept, the ultrasound image quality evaluation method as described above can also be implemented by an ultrasound image quality evaluation device. The ultrasound image quality evaluation device has similar effects to the aforementioned method, and will not be described here again.

[0190] Figure 13 A structural schematic diagram of an ultrasound image quality evaluation device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0191] As shown in Figure 13 , the ultrasound image quality evaluation device 1300 of the present disclosure can include a shear wave vibration velocity determination module 1310, a direction filtering module 1320, a phase velocity value determination module 1330, a viscoelastic value determination module 1340, a target phase velocity matrix determination module 1350, and an ultrasound image quality evaluation map determination module 1360.

[0192] The shear wave vibration velocity determination module 1310 is configured to, in response to a user-sent ultrasound image quality evaluation request, determine a shear wave vibration velocity by using the acquired shear wave echo signal of the measured tissue in the ultrasound imaging process, wherein the vibration velocity is a three-dimensional data signal composed of depth, channel number, and time.

[0193] The direction filtering module 1320 is configured to perform direction filtering on the vibration velocity based on the vibration velocity and a preset mask image, to obtain a direction-filtered vibration velocity.

[0194] The phase velocity value determination module 1330 is configured to obtain, according to the time data of each position point in the direction-filtered vibration velocity and a plurality of preset angular frequencies, the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity of each position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, wherein any one position point is composed of depth and channel number in the direction-filtered vibration velocity, and the time data of any one position point is the time corresponding to the position point in the direction-filtered vibration velocity.

[0195] The viscoelastic value determination module 1340 is configured to, for any one position point, obtain the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position point by using the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies.

[0196] The target phase velocity matrix determination module 1350 is configured to obtain a target phase velocity matrix based on the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the measured tissue at the position points and the phase velocity values of the shear wave at the plurality of angular frequencies at the position points.

[0197] The ultrasound image quality evaluation map determination module 1360 is configured to obtain an ultrasound image quality evaluation map based on the target phase velocity matrix and a beam domain vibration velocity matrix, where the beam domain vibration velocity matrix is obtained based on the vibration velocity of the shear wave.

[0198] In an embodiment, the shear wave vibration velocity determination module 1310 is specifically configured to:

[0199] demodulate the shear wave echo signal to obtain a plurality of same-direction components and a plurality of quadrature components of the shear wave echo signal at each time and each depth, where the number of the same-direction components is the same as the number of the quadrature components;

[0200] obtain the vibration velocity of the shear wave based on the plurality of same-direction components and the plurality of quadrature components of the shear wave echo signal at the each time and the each depth.

[0201] In an embodiment, the shear wave vibration velocity determination module 1310 is specifically configured to:

[0202] obtain the vibration velocity of the shear wave by:

[0203]

[0204] where u(n) is the vibration velocity of the shear wave at time n, Q(m, n) is the quadrature component of the ultrasound echo signal at depth m and time n, I(m, n+1) is the same-direction component of the ultrasound echo signal at depth m and time n+1, I(m, n) is the same-direction component of the ultrasound echo signal at depth m and time n, Q(m, n+1) is the quadrature component of the ultrasound echo signal at depth m and time n+1, M is the maximum depth of the ultrasound echo signal, N is the maximum time corresponding to the ultrasound echo signal, f c is the center frequency of the ultrasound echo signal, and c is the sound speed in the measured tissue.

[0205] In an embodiment, the directional filtering module 1320 is specifically configured to:

[0206] The seismic velocity data corresponding to any one depth in the seismic velocity is subjected to Fourier transform to obtain a spectrum matrix of the seismic velocity data, wherein the seismic velocity data is a channel number and a time corresponding to the depth in the seismic velocity; and

[0207] A first intermediate matrix is obtained by multiplying the spectrum matrix of the seismic velocity data and an image matrix corresponding to a preset mask image; and

[0208] The first intermediate matrix is subjected to inverse Fourier transform to obtain direction-filtered seismic velocity data corresponding to the depth.

[0209] The direction-filtered seismic velocity is obtained based on the direction-filtered seismic velocity data corresponding to each depth.

[0210] In one embodiment, the phase velocity value determination module 1330 is specifically configured to:

[0211] The time data of any one position point is subjected to Fourier transform at a plurality of angular frequencies to obtain phases of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies; and

[0212] The time data of a target position point corresponding to the position point is subjected to Fourier transform at the plurality of angular frequencies to obtain phases of the seismic velocity of the target position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, wherein the target position point is a position point having a distance of a specified channel number from the position point in a specified direction; and

[0213] The phase of the seismic velocity of the position point at the angular frequency and the phase of the seismic velocity of the target position point at the angular frequency are obtained for any one angular frequency to obtain a phase difference of the seismic velocity of the position point at the angular frequency; and

[0214] The phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies is obtained according to the phase difference of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies, the plurality of angular frequencies and the specified channel number.

[0215] In one embodiment, the phase velocity value determination module 1330 is specifically configured to:

[0216] The specified channel number is multiplied by any one angular frequency to obtain a first intermediate value; and

[0217] The first intermediate value is divided by the phase difference of the seismic velocity of the position point at the angular frequency to obtain the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity of the position point at the angular frequency.

[0218] In an embodiment, the viscoelasticity value determination module 1340 is specifically configured to:

[0219] For the seismic velocity of any one position point, the following steps are performed:

[0220] For any one of the plurality of angular frequencies, based on the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the seismic velocity at the angular frequency and the angular frequency, a velocity equation corresponding to the angular frequency is obtained, wherein the velocity equation is a quadratic equation with the unknowns being the viscosity value and the elasticity value;

[0221] According to the velocity equations corresponding to the plurality of angular frequencies respectively, the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the tissue at the position point are obtained.

[0222] In an embodiment, the target phase velocity matrix determination module 1350 is specifically configured to:

[0223] For any one position point, based on the fitting residual variance of the position point, the phase velocity values of the seismic velocity of the position point at the plurality of angular frequencies respectively, and the average phase velocity values corresponding to the plurality of angular frequencies respectively, the target phase velocity is obtained, wherein the fitting residual variance of any one position point is obtained based on the viscosity value and the elasticity value of the tissue at the position point;

[0224] The target phase velocity matrix is obtained by using the target phase velocities of the position points.

[0225] In an embodiment, the ultrasound image quality evaluation map determination module 1360 is specifically configured to:

[0226] The target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain seismic velocity matrix are weighted and summed by using the weights of the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain seismic velocity matrix respectively, to obtain an intermediate velocity matrix;

[0227] The intermediate velocity matrix is normalized to obtain a normalized intermediate velocity matrix;

[0228] The ultrasound image quality evaluation map is obtained based on the normalized intermediate velocity matrix.

[0229] After introducing an ultrasound image quality evaluation method and device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, next, an ultrasound device according to another example embodiment of the present disclosure is introduced.

[0230] Those skilled in the art can understand that various aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented as a system, a method or a program product. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure can be embodied as a whole hardware implementation, a whole software implementation (including firmware, microcode, etc.), or an implementation combining software and hardware aspects, which can be collectively referred to as "circuitry", "module" or "system" herein.

[0231] In some possible implementation, the ultrasound device according to the present disclosure can include at least one processor and at least one computer storage medium. The computer storage medium stores program codes which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform the steps in the quality evaluation method of the ultrasound image according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described above in the specification. For example, the processor can perform steps 201-206 as shown in Figure 2 .

[0232] As shown in Figure 14 , the ultrasound device provided in the present application is shown in the schematic diagram. The ultrasound device 1400 includes a processor 1402, a communication interface 1403, and a memory 1401. Optionally, the ultrasound device 1400 can also include a communication line 1404. The communication interface 1403, the processor 1402 and the memory 1401 can be connected to each other through the communication line 1404; the communication line 1404 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus, etc. The communication line 1404 can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For the sake of representation, Figure 14 , only one thick line is used in the figure, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0233] The processor 1402 can be a CPU, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits for controlling the execution of programs of the present application.

[0234] The communication interface 1403 uses any transceiver-like device for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as an Ethernet, a radio access network (RAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wired access network, etc.

[0235] The memory 1401 can be a ROM, or other type of static storage device that can store static information and instructions; a RAM, or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and instructions; a EEPROM, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage; a magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory can exist independently, and be connected to the processor through the communication line 1404. The memory can also be integrated with the processor.

[0236] The memory 1401 is configured to store computer-executable instructions for implementing the solutions of the present application, and the processor 1402 is configured to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 1401. Thus, the processor 1402 can implement the method for evaluating the quality of an ultrasound image according to the embodiments of the present application.

[0237] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as application program codes, which are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0238] In some possible implementation manners, each aspect of the method for evaluating the quality of an ultrasound image provided by the present disclosure can also be implemented in the form of a program product, which includes program codes for causing a computer device to perform the steps of the method for evaluating the quality of an ultrasound image according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure described above in the specification when the program product is run on the computer device.

[0239] The program product can adopt any combination of one or more readable media. The readable medium can be a readable signal medium or a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium may, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, device or apparatus, or any combination of the above. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable disc, a hard disk, a random access computer memory (RAM), a read-only computer memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only computer memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical computer storage device, a magnetic computer storage device, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0240] The quality assessment program product of the ultrasound image of the embodiments of the present disclosure can employ a portable compact disc read-only computer storage medium (CD-ROM) and include program codes, and can be executed on an ultrasound apparatus. However, the program product of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and in the present document, the readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0241] The readable signal medium can include a data signal transported, propagated or transmitted, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination of the above. The readable signal medium can also be any readable medium that can be used to carry, propagate or transmit the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

[0242] The program code contained on the readable medium can be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to wireless, wired, optical fiber cable, RF, and the like, or any suitable combination of the above.

[0243] The program code for carrying out operations of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Java, C++, and the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages. The program code can execute entirely on the user's ultrasound apparatus, partly on the user's apparatus, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's ultrasound apparatus and partly on a remote ultrasound apparatus or entirely on the remote ultrasound apparatus or server. In the latter scenario, the remote ultrasound apparatus can be connected to the user's ultrasound apparatus through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection can be made to an external ultrasound apparatus (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). The program code can be embodied in a computer readable medium, which can be any medium that can be read and / or written by a machine, including magnetic and optical read / write CDs, DVDs, RAM, ROM, and the like.

[0244] It should be noted that although several modules of an apparatus are mentioned in the above detailed description, such division is merely exemplary and not mandatory. In fact, features and functions of two or more modules described above can be embodied in one module according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Conversely, features and functions of one module described above can be further divided into multiple modules.

[0245] Moreover, although the operations of the method(s) herein can be described in a particular, sequential order, this order is not meant to be a limitation and

[0246] Those of skill in the art would understand that embodiments of the present disclosure can be provided as a method, a system, or a computer program product. Accordingly, the present disclosure can take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present disclosure can take the form of a computer program product on one or more computer readable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk memory, CD-ROMs, optical, and the like) embodying computer readable program code.

[0247] The present disclosure is described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the disclosure. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0248] These computer program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the flowchart Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0249] These computer program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, the programmable data processing apparatus, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks. Figure 1 one or more functions specified in the flowchart block or blocks.

[0250] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, it is intended that the present disclosure cover the modifications and variations of this disclosure provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for quality assessment of ultrasound images, characterized in that, The method includes: In response to a user's request for ultrasound image quality assessment, the vibration velocity of the shear wave is determined by acquiring the shear wave echo signal of the tissue under test during ultrasound imaging. The vibration velocity is a three-dimensional data signal composed of depth, number of channels, and time. The vibration velocity is directionally filtered based on the vibration velocity and a preset mask image to obtain the directionally filtered vibration velocity. Based on the time data of each position point in the directionally filtered vibration velocity and the preset multiple angular frequencies, the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity at each position point at the multiple angular frequencies is obtained. Here, any position point is composed of the depth and the number of channels in the directionally filtered vibration velocity, and the time data of any position point is the time corresponding to the position point in the directionally filtered vibration velocity. For any given location, the viscosity and elasticity of the tested tissue at that location are obtained by using the phase velocity values ​​of the shear waves at the multiple angular frequencies, based on the vibration velocity at that location. Based on the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of the tested tissue at each location point, and the phase velocity values ​​of the shear waves at each location point at multiple angular frequencies, a target phase velocity matrix is ​​obtained. Using the pre-set weights of the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain vibration velocity matrix, the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain vibration velocity matrix are weighted and summed to obtain the intermediate velocity matrix; The intermediate velocity matrix is ​​normalized to obtain the normalized intermediate velocity matrix; Based on the normalized intermediate velocity matrix, an ultrasound image quality assessment map is obtained. The beam domain vibration velocity matrix is ​​obtained as follows: the vibration velocity of the shear wave is compensated using the propagation distance of the shear wave to obtain the compensated vibration velocity; the time data corresponding to each location point is subjected to Fourier transform to obtain the vibration velocity of the beam domain corresponding to the location point; and the beam domain vibration velocity matrix is ​​obtained based on the maximum value of the vibration velocity of the beam domain corresponding to each location point.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determination of the vibration velocity of the shear wave by acquiring the shear wave echo signal of the tested tissue during ultrasound imaging includes: The shear wave echo signal is demodulated to obtain multiple in-direction components and multiple orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at various times and depths, wherein the number of in-direction components is the same as the number of orthogonal components. The vibration velocity of the shear wave is obtained by using multiple in-direction components and multiple orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at each time and at each depth.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method of obtaining the vibration velocity of the shear wave by utilizing multiple in-directional and multiple orthogonal components of the shear wave echo signal at various times and depths includes: The vibration velocity of the shear wave is obtained in the following way: ； in, Let n be the vibration velocity of the shear wave at time n. These are the orthogonal components of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n. This represents the in-phase component of the ultrasonic echo signal at a depth of m and a time of n+1. Let be the in-phase component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n. Let M be the orthogonal component of the ultrasonic echo signal at depth m and time n+1, where M is the maximum depth of the ultrasonic echo signal. This represents the moment when the ultrasonic echo signal reaches its maximum. The center frequency of the ultrasonic echo signal. The velocity of sound in the tissue being measured.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of performing directional filtering on the vibration velocity based on the vibration velocity and a preset mask image to obtain the directionally filtered vibration velocity includes: For any depth corresponding to the vibration velocity data, perform a Fourier transform on the vibration velocity data to obtain the spectrum matrix of the vibration velocity data, wherein the vibration velocity data consists of the number of channels and time corresponding to the depth in the vibration velocity data; and, The first intermediate matrix is ​​obtained by multiplying the spectral matrix of the vibration velocity data with the image matrix corresponding to the preset mask image; and... Perform an inverse Fourier transform on the first intermediate matrix to obtain the vibration velocity data after directional filtering corresponding to the depth; The directionally filtered vibration velocity is obtained based on the vibration velocity data corresponding to each depth.

5. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the phase velocity value of the shear wave at each location point based on the time data of each location point in the directionally filtered vibration velocity and the preset multiple angular frequencies includes: For any given location point's time data, perform Fourier transforms on the time data at multiple angular frequencies to obtain the phase of the vibration velocity at that location point at each of the multiple angular frequencies; and... The time data of the target location point corresponding to the stated location point are subjected to Fourier transform at the multiple angular frequencies to obtain the phase of the vibration velocity of the target location point at each of the multiple angular frequencies. The target location point is a location point located at a distance of a specified number of channels from the stated location point in a specified direction. For any given angular frequency, the phase difference of the vibration velocity at the given location point at that angular frequency is obtained by combining the phase of the vibration velocity at the target location point at that angular frequency with the phase of the vibration velocity at that angular frequency; and... Based on the phase difference of the vibration velocity at the location point at the multiple angular frequencies, the multiple angular frequencies, and the specified number of channels, the phase velocity values ​​of the shear wave at the multiple angular frequencies at the location point are obtained.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the phase velocity values ​​of the shear wave at the multiple angular frequencies based on the phase difference of the vibration velocity at the location point at the multiple angular frequencies, the multiple angular frequencies, and the specified number of channels includes: For any given angular frequency, multiply the specified number of channels by the angular frequency to obtain a first intermediate value; and, Divide the first intermediate value by the phase difference between the vibration velocity at the location point and the phase difference at the angular frequency to obtain the phase velocity value of the shear wave at the location point at the angular frequency.

7. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method of obtaining the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of the tested tissue at the specified location by utilizing the phase velocity values ​​of the shear waves at multiple angular frequencies based on the vibration velocity at the specified location includes: For the vibration velocity at any given location, perform the following steps: For any one of the plurality of angular frequencies, based on the phase velocity value of the shear wave at the angular frequency and the angular frequency, a velocity equation corresponding to the angular frequency is obtained, wherein the velocity equation is a quadratic equation in one variable with the viscosity value and the elastic value as unknowns. Based on the velocity equations corresponding to the multiple angular frequencies, the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of the tested tissue at the specified location are obtained.

8. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The target phase velocity matrix is ​​obtained based on the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of the tested tissue at various locations, as well as the phase velocity values ​​of the shear waves at multiple angular frequencies at each location. This includes: For any given location, the target phase velocity is obtained based on the fitting residual variance of the location, the phase velocity values ​​of the shear waves at the multiple angular frequencies, and the average phase velocity values ​​corresponding to the multiple angular frequencies. The fitting residual variance of any given location is obtained based on the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of the tested tissue at that location. The target phase velocity matrix is ​​obtained by using the target phase velocity at each location point.

9. An ultrasonic device, characterized in that, It includes a memory and a processor, wherein the processor and the memory are connected via a bus; The memory stores a computer program, and the processor is configured to perform the following operations based on the computer program: In response to a user's request for ultrasound image quality assessment, the vibration velocity of the shear wave is determined by acquiring the shear wave echo signal of the tissue under test during ultrasound imaging. The vibration velocity is a three-dimensional data signal composed of depth, number of channels, and time. The vibration velocity is directionally filtered based on the vibration velocity and a preset mask image to obtain the directionally filtered vibration velocity. Based on the time data of each position point in the directionally filtered vibration velocity and the preset multiple angular frequencies, the phase velocity value of the shear wave of the vibration velocity at each position point at the multiple angular frequencies is obtained. Here, any position point is composed of the depth and the number of channels in the directionally filtered vibration velocity, and the time data of any position point is the time corresponding to the position point in the directionally filtered vibration velocity. For any given location, the viscosity and elasticity of the tested tissue at that location are obtained by using the phase velocity values ​​of the shear waves at the multiple angular frequencies, based on the vibration velocity at that location. Based on the viscosity and elasticity values ​​of the tested tissue at each location point, and the phase velocity values ​​of the shear waves at each location point at multiple angular frequencies, a target phase velocity matrix is ​​obtained. Using the pre-set weights of the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain vibration velocity matrix, the target phase velocity matrix and the beam domain vibration velocity matrix are weighted and summed to obtain the intermediate velocity matrix; The intermediate velocity matrix is ​​normalized to obtain the normalized intermediate velocity matrix; Based on the normalized intermediate velocity matrix, an ultrasound image quality assessment map is obtained. The beam domain vibration velocity matrix is ​​obtained as follows: the vibration velocity of the shear wave is compensated using the propagation distance of the shear wave to obtain the compensated vibration velocity; the time data corresponding to each location point is subjected to Fourier transform to obtain the vibration velocity of the beam domain corresponding to the location point; and the beam domain vibration velocity matrix is ​​obtained based on the maximum value of the vibration velocity of the beam domain corresponding to each location point.

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