Device and method for marking blood vessels on skin surface

Abstract

A device for marking a blood vessel on a skin surface, comprising: a volumetric ultrasound probe; the marking assembly comprises a marking unit, the marking unit is arranged on a side plane close to the volume ultrasonic probe, and the marking unit can mark on the skin surface; a processor configured to: acquire, by the volumetric ultrasound probe, ultrasound data, including blood vessels, under the skin surface; generating a real-time ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic data; determining blood vessel distribution information in the side plane where the marking unit is located based on the ultrasonic image; and controlling the marking unit to generate a mark on the skin surface on the basis of the blood vessel distribution information under the skin surface opposite to the marking unit, so that the mark is consistent with the blood vessel distribution under the mark. The invention further provides a corresponding method.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the field of ultrasonic detection, and more particularly, to a device and method for marking a blood vessel on a skin surface. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the medical field, it is often necessary to determine the blood vessels of a patient for diagnosis or treatment. For example, before a blood vessel-related operation such as fistula surgery and hemodialysis, it is necessary to mark the position of the blood vessel on the skin of the patient (which can be referred to as "marking" or "skin marking" in this specification). Skin marking can help doctors check the direction and path of the blood vessel and check whether some parts of the blood vessel have obvious stenosis, which can help doctors plan and diagnose.

[0003] Ultrasonic imaging technology is a real-time and non-destructive imaging technology, which is suitable for imaging the blood vessels under the skin surface to assist blood vessel marking. Generally, the user obtains an ultrasonic image of the skin surface using an ultrasonic probe, identifies the position of the blood vessel in the image, and then marks the skin surface using a marking device. The inventors have found that due to the structure of the ultrasonic probe itself, the position of the blood vessel and the position of the mark do not completely correspond in the height direction. Specifically, the ultrasonic probe usually includes an ultrasonic transducer and a shell surrounding the ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic transducer is used to obtain an ultrasonic image of the tissue below it, and the presence of the shell makes it difficult for the marking device to be placed close to the transducer, i.e., there is a gap between the marking device and the transducer. This results in the ultrasonic image plane obtained by the transducer and the mark made by the marking device not being able to coincide. This causes a certain degree of error in blood vessel marking.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a device and method that can quickly, accurately and automatically mark the blood vessels on the skin. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application aims to overcome the above and / or other problems in the prior art. The device and method for ultrasonic-guided marking of blood vessels on a skin surface provided by the present application can automatically detect the position of the blood vessel and simultaneously draw the corresponding skin mark in real time, thereby improving operational efficiency. More importantly, the device and method of the present application can eliminate the inconsistency between the ultrasonic image and the skin mark as much as possible, thereby improving the marking accuracy.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the present application, there is provided a device for marking blood vessels on a skin surface, which can include a volumetric ultrasound probe, a marking assembly and a processor. The marking assembly includes a marking unit arranged in a side plane close to the volumetric ultrasound probe, which is capable of marking on the skin surface. The processor is configured to: acquire ultrasound data including blood vessels under the skin surface by the volumetric ultrasound probe; generate real-time ultrasound images based on the ultrasound data; determine blood vessel distribution information in the side plane where the marking unit is located based on the ultrasound images; and control the marking unit to generate marks on the skin surface based on the blood vessel distribution information under the skin surface opposite to the marking unit, so that the marks are consistent with the blood vessel distribution directly below the marks.

[0007] According to a second aspect of the present application, there is provided a method for marking blood vessels on a skin surface, which can include the following steps: acquiring ultrasound data including blood vessels under the skin surface by a volumetric ultrasound probe, wherein a marking unit of a marking assembly is arranged in a side plane close to the volumetric ultrasound probe; generating real-time ultrasound images based on the ultrasound data; determining blood vessel distribution information in the side plane where the marking unit is located based on the ultrasound images; and controlling the marking unit to generate marks on the skin surface based on the blood vessel distribution information under the skin surface opposite to the marking unit, so that the marks are consistent with the blood vessel distribution directly below the marks.

[0008] Optionally, as the volumetric ultrasound probe moves along the skin surface, the blood vessel distribution information can be determined in real time and the marking unit can be controlled to generate marks on the skin surface about the blood vessel distribution, so that marks are continuously generated along the desired skin surface.

[0009] Optionally, the marking assembly can further include a coupling agent removing part arranged between the marking unit and the volumetric ultrasound probe, which is used to remove coupling agent at a position on the skin surface to be marked before the marking unit marks, so as to eliminate potential adverse effects of coupling agent on the skin on the marking effect.

[0010] Optionally, the ultrasound images can be volumetric ultrasound images, and determining the blood vessel distribution information in the side plane where the marking unit is located based on the ultrasound images can include: reconstructing the volumetric ultrasound images based on the side plane, so that the plane of the reconstructed images coincides with the side plane; and performing image recognition on the reconstructed images to acquire the blood vessel distribution information in the reconstructed images.

[0011] Optionally, the ultrasound data can be two-dimensional ultrasound data acquired by the processor controlling deflection of the transducers of the volume ultrasound probe towards the one side plane. The ultrasound image can be a two-dimensional ultrasound image, and the intersection line of the two-dimensional ultrasound image and the one side plane comprises the blood vessel distribution information, whereby the blood vessel distribution directly below the marking generation area of the marking unit is obtained.

[0012] Optionally, the marking assembly can further comprise a driving device connected to the marking unit, the driving device driving the marking unit to move in the one side plane, thereby enabling the marking unit to mark at a plurality of locations on the skin surface. Thereby, the marking unit can quickly complete marking even in the case that there are a plurality of blood vessels in the one side plane.

[0013] Optionally, the marking assembly can comprise a plurality of marking units arranged side by side, the plurality of marking units being located in the one side plane, and based on the blood vessel distribution information, at least one of the plurality of marking units is selected to generate a mark on the skin surface.

[0014] Optionally, the apparatus can comprise an ultrasound imaging apparatus, wherein the processor is integrated in the ultrasound imaging apparatus, or the processor is arranged in a distributed manner.

[0015] Other features and aspects of the present application will become more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0016] The present application can be better understood with reference to the following examples of embodiments described in connection with the drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 a schematic block diagram of an apparatus for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application is shown;

[0018] Fig. 2(a) and Fig. 2(b) show a schematic front view and a side view, respectively, of one embodiment of an apparatus for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application;

[0019] Fig. 3(a) and Fig. 3(b) show a schematic front view and a side view, respectively, of another embodiment of an apparatus for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application;

[0020] Fig. 4(a) and Fig. 4(b) show a schematic front view and a side view, respectively, of yet another embodiment of an apparatus for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application;

[0021] Figure 5(a) shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of acquiring blood vessel distribution information using a device for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application;

[0022] Figure 6 (b) shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of acquiring blood vessel distribution information using a device for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application;

[0023] Figure 7 (c) shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of marking blood vessels on an upper arm using a device for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application; and

[0024] Figure 8 (a) to Figure 8 (c) shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of marking blood vessels on an upper arm using a device for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application; and

[0025] Figure 9 is a flowchart of a method for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The present application will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which specific embodiments thereof are shown. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present application. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the present application can be practiced without the specific details given herein. In other instances, well-known methods have not been described in detail in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present application.

[0027] Unless otherwise defined, technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. The terminology used in the description herein and the claims section is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present application. As used in this description and the claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," "including" and the like can be used herein to

[0028] According to embodiments of the present application, there is provided a device for marking blood vessels on a skin surface.

[0029] Referring to Figure 1 wherein a schematic block diagram of a device 100 for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application is shown. As Figure 1As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus 100 can include a volumetric ultrasound probe 110, a marking assembly 120, and a processor 130.

[0030] The volumetric ultrasound probe 110 can be a 3D ultrasound probe or a 4D ultrasound probe, such as any commercially available 3D ultrasound probe or 4D ultrasound probe. A conventional 2D ultrasound probe can only acquire ultrasound data in the plane directly below the probe, while a 3D / 4D ultrasound probe can acquire ultrasound data from a 3D scanning range, i.e., the scanning range is no longer limited to a 2D region aligned by the probe, thereby providing more flexible scanning region selection and more intuitive and stereoscopic imaging.

[0031] The marking assembly 120 can include a marking unit 122 for applying a mark on the skin surface to indicate the blood vessel distribution underneath the skin surface at that location. The marking unit 122 can be disposed proximate to the volumetric ultrasound probe 110 and in one side plane of the volumetric ultrasound probe 110. Preferably, the side plane can be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the volumetric ultrasound probe 110 (e.g., axis A-A' shown in FIG. 2). In some embodiments, the side plane can be at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the volumetric ultrasound probe 110. The marking assembly 120 can be coupled to the volumetric ultrasound probe 110 in any suitable manner.

[0032] The processor 130 is configured to coordinate the various components to achieve the detection and marking of the blood vessel distribution. Specifically, the processor 130 can acquire, via the volumetric ultrasound probe 110, ultrasound data of the blood vessels underneath the skin surface, which ultrasound data encompasses the ultrasound data of the blood vessels in the side plane where the marking unit 122 is located. The processor 130 can generate, based on the ultrasound data, a real-time ultrasound image, which can include an image of the blood vessels. The processor 130 can determine, based on the ultrasound image, the blood vessel distribution information in the side plane where the marking unit 122 is located in real time. Based on the blood vessel distribution information underneath the skin surface directly below the marking unit 122, the marking unit 122 can be controlled to generate a mark on the skin surface such that the mark is consistent with the blood vessel distribution directly below the mark.

[0033] In this way, the apparatus 100 can achieve the automatic marking of the blood vessels by real-time ultrasound detection of the blood vessels and simultaneous marking of the location of the detected blood vessels on the skin surface. The use of the apparatus 100 can enable the rapid and accurate mapping of the skin markings to be achieved. Specifically, in the above-described embodiments, the use of the volumetric ultrasound probe 110 can enable more ultrasound data underneath the skin surface to be acquired, thereby enabling a larger range of ultrasound imaging. Further, the processor can selectively acquire the data directly below the marking unit from the above-described ultrasound data, learn the blood vessel distribution information therein, thereby eliminating the inconsistency between the marking unit and the blood vessel image, and ensuring that the blood vessel information directly below the skin marking is accurate.

[0034] It should be noted that although the processor 130 is shown in Figure 1 FIG. 1 as being within the volumetric ultrasound probe 110, the positioning of the processor 130 is not limited thereto. In fact, the processor 130 can be provided in any suitable manner in communication (wired or wireless) with the components such as the volumetric ultrasound probe 110 and the marking assembly 120 to achieve the functions described above. For example, in one embodiment, the processor 130 can be positioned within the marking assembly 120. In another embodiment, the processor 130 can be attached externally to the volumetric ultrasound probe 110 and the marking assembly 120. In some embodiments, the processor 130 can be a plurality of processors arranged in a distributed manner, for example, the processor 130 can be collectively constituted by a plurality of sub-processors / sub-controllers arranged in one or more locations.

[0035] The processor 130 can use artificial intelligence algorithms to assist its operations, including but not limited to generating real-time ultrasound images based on ultrasound data, generating real-time blood vessel distribution information based on ultrasound images, and controlling the marking unit to generate markings based on the blood vessel distribution information. In one embodiment, the processor 130 can utilize a deep learning segmentation model to perform real-time segmentation on ultrasound images to help determine the blood vessel distribution in the images. In another embodiment, the processor 130 can utilize artificial intelligence algorithms to intelligently control the operation of the marking unit 122. Using artificial intelligence algorithms can help improve the operational efficiency of the processor 130, but it should be understood that this is not necessary to achieve the functions of the present application, and any image segmentation, recognition, etc. technology in the prior art can be used to identify blood vessels in ultrasound images, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0036] Optionally, if the device 100 is scanned along the skin surface, as the volumetric ultrasound probe 110 travels along the skin surface, the processor 130 can control the volumetric ultrasound probe 110 to continuously detect the blood vessel distribution under the skin surface and control the marking unit 122 to generate markings corresponding thereto on the skin surface in real time according to the determined blood vessel distribution. In this way, real-time automatic marking of the blood vessel distribution under the skin area traveled by the device 100 can be achieved.

[0037] FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) respectively show a schematic front view and a side view of a specific embodiment of a device 200 for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application. Referring to FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b), the device 200 can include a volumetric ultrasound probe 210, a marking assembly 220, and a processor 230. The volumetric ultrasound probe 210, the marking assembly 220, and the processor 230 can respectively correspond to the volumetric ultrasound probe 110, the marking assembly 120, and the processor 130 of FIG. 1. Figure 1The volume ultrasound probe 110, the marking assembly 120 and the processor 130 are shown. As shown in Fig. 2(b), the device 200 can scan the distribution of blood vessels 20 under the skin by the volume ultrasound probe 210, and then apply marks on the skin surface 10 by the marking unit 222 to reflect the distribution of blood vessels 20 just underneath the skin surface 10.

[0038] Various variations of the device 200 will be further described below in connection with Figs. 3-4.

[0039] During the ultrasound detection, there can be tiny gaps between the ultrasound probe and the skin surface, and the air in these tiny gaps will hinder the transmission of ultrasound waves, reducing the quality of ultrasound images. Therefore, a coupling agent is usually applied on the skin surface during the ultrasound examination to fill in these tiny gaps. However, the coupling agent on the skin surface can affect the marking effect of the marking unit 222. Therefore, in some embodiments, the marking assembly 220 can further include a coupling agent removing part 224 for the coupling agent on the skin surface where the marks are to be applied.

[0040] As shown in Figs. 3(a) and 3(b), the coupling agent removing part 224 can be disposed between the marking unit 222 and the volume ultrasound probe 210. As the device 200 moves in the direction of travel P, the skin surface 10 at any position on the travel path will be scanned by the volume ultrasound probe 210 in turn, the coupling agent is removed by the coupling agent removing part 224, and then the marks are applied by the marking unit 222. In this way, the volume ultrasound probe 210 can provide high-quality ultrasound data with coupling agent, while the marking unit 222 can apply skin marks without the influence of the coupling agent. Although the coupling agent removing part 224 is shown in Fig. 3 as being attached to the volume ultrasound probe 210 via a coupling member, it should be understood that the coupling agent removing part 224 can be disposed between the marking unit 222 and the volume ultrasound probe 210 in any suitable manner as desired. For example, the coupling agent removing part 224 can be attached to the marking unit 222 to remove the coupling agent on the travel path of the marking unit 222. The coupling agent removing part 224 can have any design suitable for scraping off the coupling agent, such as a sponge block or a scraper, etc. Of course, the coupling agent removing part 224 can also be designed to remove the coupling agent in any other suitable manner and is encompassed by the present application.

[0041] Optionally, in embodiments where the marking unit 222 applies markings using ink or toner, the marking assembly 220 requires an ink source. In some embodiments, the marking assembly 220 may have an internal ink source. As an alternative embodiment, the device 200 may include an ink cartridge 226 connected to the marking unit 222 for supplying ink or toner to the marking unit 222. As shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the ink cartridge 226 may be attached to the volumetric ultrasound probe 210, but in other embodiments, the ink cartridge 226 may also be attached to the marking assembly 220, or configured in any other suitable manner. In some embodiments, a single ink cartridge 226 may be used to supply one or more marking units 222. In other embodiments, multiple ink cartridges 226 may be used to supply one or more marking units 222. In embodiments where the marking unit 222 does not require an ink source, the device 200 may not include the ink cartridge 226.

[0042] The following will combine Figures 5 to 6 Two example implementations of the device 200 for acquiring vascular distribution information are further described.

[0043] In one implementation, such as Figure 5 As shown, a volumetric ultrasound image of the three-dimensional detection area 510 can first be acquired using a volumetric ultrasound probe 210. Specifically, this volumetric ultrasound image can be generated by a mechanical or electronic volumetric ultrasound probe (e.g., a mechanical or electronic 3D / 4D probe). As previously described, a marker unit 222 is disposed in the side plane of the volumetric ultrasound probe 210; in other words, the marker unit 222 is offset from the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 in the lateral direction. The volumetric ultrasound image can be reconstructed based on this side plane, so that the plane containing the reconstructed image coincides with the side plane. In other words, an ultrasound image of the overlapping region 520 of the side plane and the three-dimensional detection area 510 is reconstructed from the volumetric ultrasound image. Then, the processor 230 performs image recognition on the reconstructed image to obtain vascular distribution information within the reconstructed image. As described above, since the plane containing the reconstructed image coincides with the side plane containing the marker unit 222, the vascular distribution within the reconstructed image can accurately reflect the vascular distribution within the side plane containing the marker unit 222. The marking unit 222 can apply marks to the skin surface based on the projection of the blood vessel distribution onto the skin surface in the side plane, and the resulting marks will correspond to the blood vessel distribution directly below it. The above embodiment utilizes the large three-dimensional detection area unique to 3D / 4D ultrasound probes (compared to traditional 2D ultrasound probes) to obtain high-quality ultrasound images below the marking unit 222, which is offset from the probe, thereby obtaining the corresponding blood vessel distribution information. The device 200 can be moved along the direction of blood vessel extension to continuously mark blood vessels. Preferably, the device 200 can be oriented such that the side plane is perpendicular to or substantially perpendicular to the direction of travel of the device 200.

[0044] In some embodiments, the blood vessel distribution can also be detected using a 2D scanning mode of the volumetric ultrasound probe 210. As shown in FIG. 6A, first, the scan head of the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 can be caused to perform a 2D ultrasound scan at a scan angle perpendicular to the skin surface to determine the depth of the blood vessel 20. Since the lateral offset between the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 and the marking unit 222 is not large, the blood vessel depth under the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 can be considered to be equal to the blood vessel depth under the marking unit 222. Then, a second scan angle a can be calculated according to the offset d between the marking unit 222 and the volumetric ultrasound probe 210, such that the 2D scan plane 610 of the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 at the second scan angle a intersects the side plane 620 where the marking unit 222 is located at the blood vessel 20 (as shown in FIG. 6B). Without changing the external orientation of the volumetric ultrasound probe 210, the processor 230 can control the transducers within the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 to adjust the scan angle of the scan head to the second scan angle a to acquire a 2D ultrasound image of the plane 610. Based on the determined depth of the blood vessel 20 and the angle a, the region in the ultrasound image that intersects the side plane 620 where the marking unit 222 is located can be extracted. The blood vessel distribution information in this region reflects the blood vessel distribution directly under the marking region 630 of the marking unit 222. Figure 6 Figure 6

[0045] It should be noted that the above two embodiments are merely illustrative and not limiting. In embodiments according to the present application, any other suitable way can be used to acquire the blood vessel distribution under the marking region of the marking unit 222.

[0046] An example embodiment of how the device 200 generates the marking will be further described below with reference to FIGS. 7A and 7B. Figures 7 to 8

[0047] In one embodiment, the device 200 can include one marking unit 222 that can be connected to a driving device 228 (see FIG. 7A). In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7B, the driving device 228 can drive the marking unit 222 to deflect around a rotation axis within the side plane where the marking unit 222 is located, so that the marking unit 222 can cover a larger marking region. Preferably, the device 200 can be oriented such that the side plane is substantially perpendicular to the travel direction of the device 200 (i.e., the direction in which the blood vessel to be measured extends). In variant embodiments, the driving device 228 can move the marking unit 222 in other ways, such as translation or extension, etc. As one example, the driving device 228 can be a high-speed stepper motor. Figure 7 Figure 7

[0048] ​​​​​According to the detected position of the blood vessel 20, the processor 230 can control the driving device 228 to move the marking unit 222 to apply a mark on the skin surface 10. For example, Figure 7 The ultrasound image shown in the lower part can be a reconstructed image acquired in coincidence with the side plane on which the marking unit 222 is located, as described with reference to Figure 5 Fig. 2B, showing a blood vessel 20. As shown in Figure 7 the two dashed lines respectively extend vertically upward along the leftmost and rightmost edges of the blood vessel 20 to intersect the skin surface 10, the two resulting intersection points 701 and 702 are the positions at which marks are to be applied. According to the reconstructed image and the positions of the intersection points 701 and 702, the processor 230 can control the driving device 228 to move the marking unit 222 and apply marks at the intersection points 701 and 702. Still taking Figure 7 as an example, if the marking unit 222 can apply a mark at a position where its extension line intersects the skin surface 10 (for example, using a spray pen as the marking unit 222), the angle a of the spray pen with the skin surface can be calculated by the following formula:

[0049]

[0050] where h is the vertical distance between the rotation axis of the marking unit 222 and the skin surface, 1 is the horizontal distance from the right reference position (for example, the right edge of the reconstructed image) of the marking assembly 220 to the rotation axis of the marking unit 222, and L is the horizontal distance from the right reference position to the mark application position 701. In this way, the processor 230 can calculate the angle a for each intersection point respectively, and control the marking unit 222 to move to the corresponding angle a to apply a mark, so that marks indicating the distribution of the underlying blood vessels can be quickly and accurately applied at multiple positions on the skin surface.

[0051] Although Figure 7 only one marking unit 222 is shown in Fig. 2A, it should be understood that in some embodiments, two or more marking units can also be provided as needed, and the above design is equally applicable to the assembly 220 having more than one marking unit. For example, Figure 8 (a) to Figure 8 (c) show specific embodiments of marking the upper arm blood vessel distribution using an assembly 220 having two marking units 222a and 222b. As shown in Figure 8 (a), the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 detects a blood vessel 20, both edges of which are closer to the left marking unit 222a. At this time, the controller 230 can control the driving device 228a to move the marking unit 222a to mark both edges of the blood vessel 20. As the assembly 220 moves along the travel direction P, as shown in Figure 8(b) as shown, the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 detects two blood vessels 20a and 20b, where the two edges of the blood vessel 20a are closer to the left marker unit 222a, and the two edges of the blood vessel 20b are closer to the right marker unit 222b. At this time, the controller 230 can control the driving device 228a to move the marker unit 222a to mark the two edges of the blood vessel 20a, and control the driving device 228b to move the marker unit 222b to mark the two edges of the blood vessel 20b at the same time. As the device 220 continues to move along the direction of travel P, as shown in Figure 8 (c) as shown, the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 detects one blood vessel 20, where the left edge of the blood vessel 20 is closer to the marker unit 222a, and the right edge is closer to the marker unit 222b. At this time, the controller 230 can control the driving device 228a to move the marker unit 222a to mark the left edge of the blood vessel 20, while controlling the driving device 228b to move the marker unit 222b to mark the right edge of the blood vessel 20. Compared with the embodiment with only a single marker unit, using multiple marker units can cover a larger marking area, and multiple edges of the same / different blood vessels can be marked at the same time, thereby greatly improving the marking application efficiency. In the embodiment with two or more marker units, each marker unit can be controlled according to the distribution of the position to be marked and the distribution of the marker units, thereby further improving the marking application efficiency. In some embodiments, an artificial intelligence algorithm can be used to control the movement and marking application of each marker unit.

[0052] Optionally, the marking assembly 220 can include multiple marker units 222 arranged side by side, which can be located in the same side plane, and each marker unit 222 can apply a mark downward or in a given direction. The multiple marker units 222 can be arranged densely enough so that the marking application area is sufficiently covered, and thus the marking assembly 220 can not need a driving device. Based on the blood vessel distribution information, the processor 230 can select one or more of the multiple marker units 222 for generating marks on the skin surface. Alternatively, two or even more rows of marker units can be arranged as needed to improve the marking effect.

[0053] Optionally, the device 220 can further include an ultrasound imaging device for displaying the ultrasound images collected by the volumetric ultrasound probe 210 in real time. The processor 230 can be integrated in the ultrasound imaging device. Alternatively, the processor 230 can also be arranged in a distributed manner. For example, the processor 230 can be implemented as sub-processors / controllers distributed in various components, such as a sub-controller for controlling the operation of the marking assembly 220, a sub-processor for processing the ultrasound data of the volumetric ultrasound probe 210, and a sub-processor for analyzing the blood vessel distribution, and the like, which are locally or remotely cooperated to realize the functions of the processor 230.

[0054] According to embodiments of the present application, a method for marking blood vessels on a skin surface is also correspondingly provided.

[0055] Referring to Figure 9 A method 900 for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application is shown, wherein the method 900 can include steps 910-940.

[0056] In step 910, ultrasound data including blood vessels under a skin surface is acquired by a volume ultrasound probe, wherein a marking unit of a marking assembly is disposed in a side plane close to the volume ultrasound probe.

[0057] In step 920, real-time ultrasound images are generated based on the ultrasound data.

[0058] In step 930, blood vessel distribution information in the side plane where the marking unit is located is determined based on the ultrasound images.

[0059] In step 940, based on the blood vessel distribution information under the skin surface opposite to the marking unit, the marking unit is controlled to generate a mark on the skin surface so that the mark is consistent with the blood vessel distribution directly below the mark.

[0060] It should be noted that the numbering of the above steps is only for the convenience of explanation, and is not intended to limit the execution order of the method. Those skilled in the art can execute the above steps in any suitable order and repeatedly as needed.

[0061] The above marking method 900 corresponds to the device for marking blood vessels on a skin surface according to the present application. The techniques in the device for marking blood vessels on a skin surface of any embodiment of the present application are equally applicable to the above marking method 900.

[0062] In the method for marking blood vessels of some embodiments, as the volume ultrasound probe moves along the skin surface, the blood vessel distribution information can be determined in real time and the marking unit can be controlled to generate marks on the skin surface with respect to the blood vessel distribution, so that marks are continuously generated along the desired skin surface.

[0063] In the method for marking blood vessels of some embodiments, the marking assembly can further include a coupling agent removing part disposed between the marking unit and the volume ultrasound probe, for removing coupling agent at a position on the skin surface to be marked before the marking unit marks, so as to eliminate the potential adverse effects of the coupling agent on the skin on the marking effect.

[0064] In the method for marking blood vessels in some embodiments, the ultrasound image can be a volume ultrasound image, and determining the blood vessel distribution information in the one side plane where the marking unit is located based on the ultrasound image can include: reconstructing the volume ultrasound image based on the one side plane, so that the plane where the reconstructed image is located coincides with the one side plane; and performing image recognition on the reconstructed image to obtain the blood vessel distribution information in the reconstructed image.

[0065] In the method for marking blood vessels in some embodiments, the ultrasound data can be two-dimensional ultrasound data, which is obtained by deflecting the transducer of the volume ultrasound probe towards the one side plane under the control of the processor. The ultrasound image can be a two-dimensional ultrasound image, and the intersection line between the two-dimensional ultrasound image and the one side plane includes the blood vessel distribution information, thereby obtaining the blood vessel distribution directly below the marking generation area of the marking unit.

[0066] In the method for marking blood vessels in some embodiments, the marking assembly can further include a driving device connected to the marking unit, which drives the marking unit to move in the one side plane, so that the marking unit can mark at multiple positions on the skin surface. In this way, even in the case where there are multiple blood vessels in the one side plane, the marking unit can quickly complete the marking.

[0067] In the method for marking blood vessels in some embodiments, the marking assembly can include multiple marking units arranged side by side, which are located in the one side plane, and at least one of the multiple marking units is selected to generate a mark on the skin surface based on the blood vessel distribution information.

[0068] The various aspects of the present application are described above by way of some exemplary embodiments. However, it should be understood that various modifications can be made to the above-described exemplary embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. For example, if the described techniques are performed in a different order and / or if the components in the described systems, architectures, devices or circuits are combined in a different manner and / or are replaced or supplemented by additional components or their equivalents, appropriate results can also be achieved, and these modified other embodiments also fall within the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A device for marking blood vessels on the surface of skin, comprising: Volumetric ultrasound probe; A marking assembly includes a marking unit disposed on a side plane close to the volumetric ultrasound probe, the marking unit being capable of marking the skin surface; Processor, the processor being configured to: Ultrasound data, including blood vessels, are acquired beneath the skin surface using the volumetric ultrasound probe. Real-time ultrasound images are generated based on the ultrasound data; Based on the ultrasound image, determine the blood vessel distribution information within the plane on the side where the marker unit is located; as well as Based on the blood vessel distribution information below the skin surface directly opposite the marking unit, the marking unit is controlled to generate a mark on the skin surface so that the mark and the blood vessel distribution directly below the mark are consistent.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The processor is further configured to: As the volumetric ultrasound probe moves along the skin surface, it determines the blood vessel distribution information in real time and then controls the marking unit to generate markings about the blood vessel distribution on the skin surface.

3. The apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The marking assembly further includes a coupling agent removal section disposed between the marking unit and the volumetric ultrasound probe, for removing coupling agent from the skin surface at the location to be marked before the marking unit performs marking.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasound image is a volumetric ultrasound image. Determining the blood vessel distribution information within the plane on one side where the marker unit is located based on the ultrasound image includes: The volumetric ultrasound image is reconstructed based on the said one-sided plane, so that the plane containing the reconstructed image coincides with the said one-sided plane; and Image recognition is performed on the reconstructed image to obtain information on the distribution of blood vessels within the reconstructed image.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasound data is two-dimensional ultrasound data, which is acquired by the processor controlling the transducer of the volumetric ultrasound probe to deflect toward the plane on one side; the ultrasound image is a two-dimensional ultrasound image, and the intersection line between the two-dimensional ultrasound image and the plane on one side includes the vascular distribution information.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The marking assembly also includes a driving device connected to the marking unit, which drives the marking unit to move on the plane on one side, thereby enabling the marking unit to mark at multiple locations on the skin surface.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The marking component includes multiple marking units arranged side by side, the multiple marking units being located in the plane on one side.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The device includes an ultrasound imaging device, wherein the processor is integrated into the ultrasound imaging device, or the processor is configured as a distributed plurality of processors.

9. A method for marking blood vessels on the surface of skin, comprising the following steps: Ultrasound data, including blood vessels, are acquired under the skin surface using a volumetric ultrasound probe, wherein a marking unit of a marking component is provided in a plane close to the volumetric ultrasound probe. Real-time ultrasound images are generated based on the ultrasound data; Based on the ultrasound image, determine the blood vessel distribution information within the plane on the side where the marker unit is located; as well as Based on the blood vessel distribution information below the skin surface directly opposite the marking unit, the marking unit is controlled to generate a mark on the skin surface so that the mark and the blood vessel distribution directly below the mark are consistent.

10. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, As the volumetric ultrasound probe moves along the skin surface, the processor determines the blood vessel distribution information in real time and then controls the marking unit to generate markings about the blood vessel distribution on the skin surface.

11. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The marking assembly further includes a coupling agent removal section disposed between the marking unit and the volumetric ultrasound probe. The coupling agent removal section removes the coupling agent from the skin surface at the location to be marked before the marking unit performs the marking.

12. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The ultrasound image is a volumetric ultrasound image. Determining the blood vessel distribution information within the plane on one side where the marker unit is located based on the ultrasound image includes: The processor reconstructs the volumetric ultrasound image based on the one-sided plane, such that the plane containing the reconstructed image coincides with the one-sided plane; and The processor performs image recognition on the reconstructed image to obtain information on the distribution of blood vessels within the reconstructed image.

13. The method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The ultrasound data is two-dimensional ultrasound data, which is acquired by deflecting the transducer of the volumetric ultrasound probe toward the plane on one side; the ultrasound image is a two-dimensional ultrasound image, and the intersection line between the two-dimensional ultrasound image and the plane on one side includes the vascular distribution information.

14. The method as described in claims 9-13, characterized in that, The marking assembly further includes a driving device connected to the marking unit, which drives the marking unit to move on the lateral plane to mark at multiple locations on the skin surface.

15. The method as described in claims 9-13, characterized in that, The marking component includes multiple marking units arranged side by side, located in the plane of one side, and at least one of the multiple marking units is selected to generate a mark on the skin surface based on the blood vessel distribution information.

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