Ultrasonic imaging equipment, display method and control method of ultrasonic probe

Abstract

The invention provides an ultrasonic imaging device, a display method and a control method of an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe comprises an array element, an array element rotating shaft and a rotating control, the array element is rotatably arranged around the array element rotating shaft, and the method comprises the following steps: receiving a rotating operation of a user on the rotating control; based on the rotation operation, the rotation speed and the rotation step number of the rotation control are obtained; according to the rotation speed of the rotation control, the rotation step length of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed is calculated, and the rotation step length represents the rotation angle mapped to the array element every time the rotation control rotates by one step; calculating a rotation angle of the array element according to the rotation step number and the rotation step length; and controlling the rotation angle of the array element. According to the control method of the ultrasonic probe, rotation of the ultrasonic probe can be controlled more efficiently.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ultrasound technology, specifically to an ultrasound imaging device, a display method, and a control method for an ultrasound probe. Background Technology

[0002] In recent years, 360° intracavitary ultrasound probes have been frequently used in clinical practice for the diagnosis of anorectal diseases. A 360° intracavitary ultrasound probe is a transrectal linear volume probe with excellent image resolution, allowing clear visualization of the various layers of tissue structure and lesion morphology of the anus and rectum, and precise location of lesions such as perianal abscesses and anal fistulas.

[0003] When using a 360° transrectal ultrasound probe to examine rectal diseases, doctors first search for the lesion location in 2D. The common procedure involves holding the probe and manually rotating it once inside the rectum, repeatedly observing the lesion's morphology when it's visible. After locating the lesion, the markings on the probe are used for initial localization. The following clinical challenges arise during this 2D scanning process:

[0004] (1) When the doctor manually rotates the probe, the position of the probe relative to the human body changes constantly, making it difficult to identify the position. At the same time, the cable is particularly easy to get tangled during the rotation of the probe, which is inconvenient for clinical doctors to operate.

[0005] (2) Many patients with perianal diseases often have poor tolerance. When manually rotating the probe for diagnosis, it will increase the patient's discomfort, and some patients are even in so much pain that they cannot undergo subsequent examinations.

[0006] (3) 360° rectal ultrasound probes are often quite heavy. Doctors have to examine a large number of patients every day, and often need to use both hands to operate multiple times. When acquiring 3D data, the probe also needs to be kept still, which is a great challenge for doctors. Summary of the Invention

[0007] According to a first aspect, one embodiment provides a method for controlling an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe including an array element, an array element rotation axis, and a rotation control, wherein the array element is rotatably configured about the array element rotation axis, the method comprising:

[0008] Receive user input for rotating the control;

[0009] Based on the rotation operation, the rotation speed and number of rotation steps of the rotation control are obtained;

[0010] Based on the rotation speed of the rotation control, the rotation step size of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed is calculated. The rotation step size represents the angle of rotation of the array element mapped to each rotation step of the rotation control.

[0011] The rotation angle of the array element is calculated based on the number of rotation steps and the rotation step size.

[0012] Control the array element to rotate by the rotation angle.

[0013] According to a second aspect, one embodiment provides a control method for an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe including an array element and an array element rotation axis, wherein the array element is rotatably configured around the array element rotation axis, with the array element rotation axis as the central axis, the N o'clock direction of the central axis is defined as a reference zero degree, N is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12, the method includes:

[0014] The display dial assembly includes a dial marker and a pointer marker. The M o'clock position of the dial marker represents a reference zero degree, where M is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12. The pointer marker is rotatably set around the center of the dial marker.

[0015] The pointer is rotated based on the user's rotation operation on the pointer;

[0016] Using the M o'clock direction as a reference, the target scanning angle of the array element is determined according to the scale on the dial marked by the pointer after rotation, wherein the target scanning angle is based on the reference zero degree.

[0017] Control the array element to rotate to the target scanning angle.

[0018] According to a third aspect, one embodiment provides a control method for an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe including an array element and an array element rotation axis, wherein the array element is rotatably configured around the array element rotation axis, with the array element rotation axis as the central axis, the N o'clock direction of the central axis is defined as a reference zero degree, N is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12, the method includes:

[0019] Receive user's setting operation for scanning angle, determine the target scanning angle of the array element, wherein the target scanning angle is based on the reference zero degree;

[0020] Control the array element to rotate to the target scanning angle.

[0021] According to the fourth aspect, one embodiment provides an imaging method for an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe including an array element and an array element rotation axis, wherein the array element is rotatably configured about the array element rotation axis, with the array element rotation axis as the central axis, the N o'clock direction of the central axis is defined as a reference zero degree, N is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12, the method includes:

[0022] The ultrasonic probe is activated in response to the activation operation of the ultrasonic probe, and the activated ultrasonic probe can emit ultrasonic waves to the object under test through the array elements;

[0023] The array element is controlled to rotate in response to a rotation operation. During the rotation:

[0024] The array elements are controlled to emit ultrasonic waves toward the object under test, and the echo signals of the ultrasonic waves are received. An ultrasonic image of the object under test is generated based on the echo signals.

[0025] The scanning angle of the array element is obtained with the reference zero degree as a reference, and the scanning angle of the array element is displayed.

[0026] According to a fifth aspect, one embodiment provides a display method for an ultrasonic imaging device, the ultrasonic imaging device including an ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic probe including an array element and an array element rotation axis, wherein the array element is rotatably disposed about the array element rotation axis, and the N o'clock direction of the central axis is defined as a reference zero degree with the array element rotation axis as the central axis, N being greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12, the method comprising:

[0027] The display dial assembly includes a dial marker and a pointer marker. The M o'clock position of the dial marker represents a reference zero degree, where M is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12. The pointer marker is rotatably set around the center of the dial marker.

[0028] Obtain the current scanning angle of the array element based on the reference zero degree;

[0029] Based on the current scanning angle of the array element, control the pointer to point to the corresponding scale on the dial.

[0030] According to a sixth aspect, one embodiment provides an ultrasound imaging device, comprising:

[0031] Ultrasonic probe, including array elements;

[0032] A transmitting circuit, which is used to excite the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves toward the object under test;

[0033] A receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to receive the echo of ultrasonic waves returned by the object under test, and to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal.

[0034] A processor, used to execute the methods described above.

[0035] According to a seventh aspect, one embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that can be executed by a processor to implement the above-described method.

[0036] Based on the ultrasound imaging device and ultrasound probe control method in the above embodiments, users do not need to manually rotate the ultrasound probe inside the patient's body. They only need to control the array elements to deflect at different angles and perform real-time imaging in a specific way to observe the tissue structure in the complete space surrounding the tissue site, which is more user-friendly for both doctors and patients.

[0037] According to the control method of the ultrasound imaging device and ultrasound probe in some of the above embodiments, the user can adjust more efficiently when controlling the array element to deflect. The faster the rotation speed of the rotation control, the larger the first rotation angle of the rotation control is mapped to the second rotation angle of the array element. In other words, the adjustment angle is adaptively changed according to the user's adjustment speed, which makes the control efficiency of the ultrasound probe higher and the user can scan the position to be viewed in a shorter time. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ultrasound imaging device according to one embodiment;

[0039] Figure 2 A flowchart illustrating a control method for an ultrasonic probe according to one embodiment;

[0040] Figure 3 A flowchart illustrating a control method for an ultrasonic probe according to another embodiment;

[0041] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of a dial assembly according to one embodiment;

[0042] Figure 5 A flowchart of a control method for an ultrasonic probe according to another embodiment;

[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the mapping relationship between rotational speed and gain coefficient in one embodiment.

[0044] 10. Dial markings;

[0045] 20. Pointer identifier. Detailed Implementation

[0046] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. Similar elements in different embodiments are referred to by associated similar element reference numerals. In the following embodiments, many details are described to facilitate a better understanding of this application. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that some features may be omitted in different situations, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, certain operations related to this application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid obscuring the core parts of this application with excessive description. For those skilled in the art, detailed description of these related operations is not necessary; they can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0047] Furthermore, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any suitable manner to form various embodiments. At the same time, the order of the steps or actions in the method description can be changed or adjusted in a manner obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various orders in the specification and drawings are only for the clear description of a particular embodiment and do not imply a necessary order, unless otherwise stated that a particular order must be followed.

[0048] The serial numbers assigned to components in this document, such as "first" and "second," are used only to distinguish the described objects and have no sequential or technical meaning. The terms "connection" and "linkage" used in this application, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (linkages).

[0049] In this application, the clockwise direction is defined as the positive direction and the counterclockwise direction is defined as the negative direction. Conversely, the angle in the positive direction is positive. It is understood that the definition of positive and negative directions is only an example. The clockwise direction can also be defined as the negative direction and the counterclockwise direction as the positive direction.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, the ultrasound imaging device 100 includes an ultrasound probe 110, a transmitting circuit 112, a receiving circuit 114, a processor 116, and a display 118. Further, the ultrasound imaging device may also include a transmit / receive selection switch 120 and a beamforming module 122. The transmitting circuit 112 and the receiving circuit 114 can be connected to the ultrasound probe 110 via the transmit / receive selection switch 120.

[0051] The ultrasonic probe 110 includes a sound head, which is a crucial part of the ultrasonic probe for emitting and receiving ultrasonic signals. Typically, the sound head includes a backing, a circuit board, a wafer, copper foil, and a matching layer. The circuit board covers the backing, the wafer is located on the circuit board, the copper foil covers the wafer, and the matching layer is located on the copper foil. The wafer is divided into multiple array elements, which can be arranged in a row to form a linear array, or arranged in a two-dimensional matrix to form a planar array, or multiple array elements can form a convex array. The array elements are used to emit ultrasonic waves according to an excitation electrical signal, or to convert received ultrasonic waves into electrical signals. Therefore, each array element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between electrical pulse signals and ultrasonic waves, thereby enabling the emission of ultrasonic waves to the tissue of the target area of ​​the object being tested, and can also be used to receive ultrasonic wave echoes reflected back from the tissue. During ultrasonic testing, the transmission and reception sequences can be used to control which array elements are used to emit ultrasonic waves and which are used to receive ultrasonic waves, or the array elements can be time-slotted to emit ultrasonic waves or receive ultrasonic wave echoes. The array elements involved in ultrasonic wave emission can be simultaneously excited by electrical signals, thereby emitting ultrasonic waves at the same time; or, the array elements involved in ultrasonic beam emission can also be excited by several electrical signals with a certain time interval, thereby continuously emitting ultrasonic waves with a certain time interval.

[0052] In this application, the ultrasonic probe 110 has an array element rotation axis, and the acoustic head is rotatably configured around the array element rotation axis, so that the array element can also be rotatably configured around the array element rotation axis. Therefore, in the following description, if the acoustic head is described as rotating, it means that the array element rotates around the array element rotation axis. For example, the ultrasonic probe may include a rotating shaft and a motor. The rotating shaft is parallel to the axial direction of the ultrasonic probe. Under the drive of the motor, the acoustic head can rotate around the rotating shaft. The motor can be a stepper motor or a non-stepper motor.

[0053] During ultrasound imaging, the transmitting circuit 112 sends a delayed-focused transmission pulse to the ultrasound probe 110 via the transmit / receive selection switch 120. Excited by the transmission pulse, the ultrasound probe 110 emits an ultrasonic beam towards the tissue of the target area of ​​the object being measured. After a certain delay, it receives the ultrasonic echo reflecting back from the tissue of the target area, carrying tissue information, and converts this ultrasonic echo back into an electrical signal. The object being measured can be a human, or an animal, such as a cat, dog, or rabbit. The receiving circuit 114 receives the electrical signal converted by the ultrasound probe 110, obtains the ultrasonic echo signal, and sends these ultrasonic echo signals to the beamforming module 122. The beamforming module 122 performs focusing delay, weighting, and channel summation on the ultrasonic echo signals, and then sends them to the processor 116. The processor 116 performs signal detection, signal enhancement, data conversion, and logarithmic compression on the ultrasonic echo signals to form an ultrasound image. The ultrasound image obtained by the processor 116 can be displayed on the display 118 or stored in the memory 124.

[0054] Optionally, the processor 116 can be implemented as software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof, and can use one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more general-purpose integrated circuits, one or more microprocessors, one or more programmable logic devices, or any combination of the foregoing circuits and / or devices, or other suitable circuits or devices. Furthermore, the processor 116 can control other components in the ultrasound imaging device 100 to perform the corresponding steps of the methods in the various embodiments of this specification.

[0055] The display 118 is connected to the processor 116. The display 118 can be a touch screen, an LCD screen, or a separate display independent of the ultrasound imaging device 100, such as an LCD screen or a television. Alternatively, the display 118 can be the screen of an electronic device such as a smartphone or tablet, and so on. There can be one or more displays 118. For example, the display 118 may include a main screen and a touch screen; the main screen is primarily used to display ultrasound images, and the touch screen is primarily used for human-computer interaction.

[0056] The display 118 can display the ultrasound images obtained by the processor 116. Furthermore, while displaying the ultrasound images, the display 118 can also provide a graphical user interface for human-machine interaction. One or more controlled objects can be set on the graphical interface, allowing the user to input operation commands using a human-machine interaction device to control these controlled objects and perform corresponding control operations. For example, icons can be displayed on the graphical interface, and the human-machine interaction device can be used to operate these icons to perform specific functions, such as drawing a region of interest bounding box on the ultrasound image.

[0057] Optionally, the ultrasound imaging device 100 may also include other human-machine interface devices besides the display 118, which are connected to the processor 116. For example, the processor 116 may be connected to the human-machine interface device via an external input / output port, which may be a wireless communication module, a wired communication module, or a combination of both. The external input / output port may also be implemented based on USB, bus protocols such as CAN, and / or wired network protocols.

[0058] The human-computer interaction device may include an input device for detecting user input information. This input information may be, for example, control commands for the timing of ultrasound transmission / reception, operational input commands for drawing points, lines, or boxes on an ultrasound image, or other types of commands. The input device may include one or a combination of several of the following: a keyboard, mouse, scroll wheel, trackball, mobile input device (e.g., a mobile device with a touchscreen, a mobile phone, etc.), a multi-function knob, etc. The human-computer interaction device may also include an output device such as a printer.

[0059] The ultrasound imaging device 100 may also include a memory 124 for storing instructions executed by the processor, storing received ultrasound echoes, storing ultrasound images, etc. The memory may be a flash memory card, solid-state memory, hard disk, etc. It may be volatile and / or non-volatile memory, removable memory and / or non-removable memory, etc.

[0060] It should be understood that Figure 1 The components included in the ultrasound imaging device 100 shown are merely illustrative and may include more or fewer components. This application is not limiting in this regard.

[0061] Based on the aforementioned ultrasound imaging equipment, such as Figure 2 As shown, some embodiments provide a method for controlling an ultrasonic probe, including:

[0062] Step A100: Receive the user's setting operation for the scanning angle and determine the target scanning angle of the array element. The target scanning angle is based on a reference zero degree. In this embodiment, the 12 o'clock direction of the central axis is defined as the reference zero degree, with the array element's rotation axis as the central axis. In other embodiments, any other o'clock position (not limited to integers) of the central axis can also be defined as the reference zero degree. Using the reference zero degree as a reference means that the scanning angle is represented by the angle between the reference zero degree and the reference zero degree. For example, a target scanning angle of 60 degrees means a 60° clockwise rotation from the reference zero degree; or, for example, a target scanning angle of -60 degrees means a 60° counterclockwise rotation from the reference zero degree.

[0063] In some embodiments, before step A100, the user needs to activate the probe first. For example, the user can activate the ultrasound probe through physical buttons on the control panel, buttons on the touch screen interface, buttons on the probe handle, etc., and perform 2D imaging in real time to observe the spatial tissue structure image corresponding to the current position of the probe.

[0064] In some embodiments, the rotation range of the sound head is ±360°, with the default initial position at the center 0° position (i.e., the 12 o'clock direction of the central axis). Users can rotate the sound head clockwise or counterclockwise for a full circle based on the initial position.

[0065] After activating the 360° intracavitary probe, users can continue to adjust the head swing angle using physical buttons on the control panel (such as knobs, trackballs, etc.), touchscreen interface buttons, and buttons on the probe handle. The following explains in detail how to set the scanning angle.

[0066] In some embodiments, the scanning angle input by the user is received and used as the target scanning angle. For example, the user can directly input the scanning angle through the touch screen interface of the ultrasound imaging device; for instance, inputting 60° will be used as the target scanning angle.

[0067] In some embodiments, users can determine the target scanning angle through dial interaction, specifically, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the steps include:

[0068] Step A101: Display the dial components, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the dial assembly includes a dial marker 10 and a pointer marker 20. The 12 o'clock position of the dial marker 10 represents a reference zero degree. The pointer marker 20 is rotatably disposed around the center of the dial marker 10. In this embodiment, the 12 o'clock position represents a reference zero degree; in other embodiments, other o'clock positions may also represent a reference zero degree. It is understood that the dial marker 10 includes visible or invisible scale markings.

[0069] Step A102: Rotate pointer 20 based on the user's rotation operation on pointer 20. The above rotation operation should be interpreted broadly. In some embodiments, the rotation operation can be the rotation of pointer 20, while in other embodiments, the rotation operation can be the user's selection operation on the scale on dial 10.

[0070] Step A103: Determine the target scanning angle of the array element based on the scale on the dial mark 10 that the pointer mark 20 points to after rotation. For example, if the pointer mark 20 is rotated to the 4 o'clock position, it means that the target scanning angle is 120 degrees.

[0071] In some embodiments, the user can adjust the position of the ultrasound head by controlling physical buttons on the control panel of the ultrasound imaging device.

[0072] Generally, the control panel of an ultrasound imaging device has physical buttons (such as knobs, trackballs, etc.), which users can use to determine the target scanning angle. Taking a knob as an example, the knob usually uses an encoder for parameter adjustment. Common encoders typically have 12 or 24 divisions, with each division representing a certain rotation angle. For example, one division represents 1°. If the current ultrasound head is at the reference zero-degree position, and the user turns the knob 24 times clockwise, the target scanning angle is 24°.

[0073] Step A200: Control the array element to rotate to the target scanning angle.

[0074] In some embodiments, the array elements are directly driven to rotate by a motor so that the array elements rotate to the target scanning angle. For example, when the current sound head is in the initial position, i.e. the reference zero degree position, when the target scanning angle is 60°, the sound head is controlled to rotate 60° clockwise.

[0075] It should be noted that for the same scale, the target scanning angle can be interpreted in two different ways. For example, for the four o'clock position, the target scanning angle can be considered as 120° or -240°. The difference lies in the fact that when the sound head is at the reference zero degree, if the target scanning angle is set to 120°, the sound head will rotate 120° clockwise from the reference zero degree to the four o'clock position. If the target scanning angle is set to -240°, the sound head will also rotate 240° counterclockwise from the reference zero degree to the four o'clock position. In some embodiments, the actual rotatable position of the sound head is ±360°, that is, the sound head can rotate one full clockwise rotation from the reference zero degree and then two full counterclockwise rotations. The angle of rotation of the sound head relative to the reference zero degree is defined as the rotation angle, which ranges from -360° to +360°. In this case, to improve the efficiency of the sound head oscillation, it is necessary to define the mapping relationship between the scale and the scanning angle. Specifically:

[0076] It is now stipulated that each mark of each dial marker 10 corresponds to at least two scanning angles. Except for the 12 o'clock position, the mark on the dial marker 10 that the pointer 20 points to after rotation corresponds to the following two angle values:

[0077] The first scanning angle θ1 = K*30; the second scanning angle θ2 = K*30 - 360. It should be noted that, in addition to θ1 and θ2, 12(0) o'clock also corresponds to θ3 = -360.

[0078] Obtain the current rotation angle α of the sound head. When the sound head points to the same mark, its rotation angle may be different. For example, if the sound head points to the 4 o'clock position, the current rotation angle may be 120° or -240°.

[0079] Calculate the absolute value of the first angle difference between the current rotation angle and the first scanning angle: |θ1-α|.

[0080] Calculate the absolute value of the second angle difference between the current rotation angle and the second scanning angle: |θ2-α|.

[0081] Compare the absolute values ​​of the first angle difference and the second angle difference. When the absolute value of the first angle difference is greater than the absolute value of the second angle difference, the first scanning angle is taken as the target scanning angle of the array element. When the absolute value of the first angle difference is less than the absolute value of the second angle difference, the second scanning angle is taken as the target scanning angle of the array element.

[0082] For example, when the reference zero degree is the 12 o'clock position, the current head rotates 30° forward from 0° (12 o'clock position) to the 1 o'clock position, with α being 30°. Then, the user rotates the pointer 20 to point to the 4 o'clock position. From the angle of the dial 10, the first scan angle is 120°, and the second scan angle is -240°. The absolute value of the difference between α and θ1 is 90°, and the absolute value of the difference between α and θ2 is 210°. Therefore, 120° is taken as the target scan angle. At this time, controlling the head to rotate 90° forward will rotate it to the 4 o'clock position. It can be understood that if -240° is taken as the target scan angle, the head needs to rotate -270° counterclockwise. The display shows that taking the first scan angle as the target scan angle can improve the rotation efficiency of the head.

[0083] In some embodiments, when the absolute value of the first angle difference and the absolute value of the second angle difference are equal, the angle between the first scanning angle and the second scanning angle that falls within (-180°, 180°) is taken as the target scanning angle.

[0084] In other embodiments, the rotation of the array elements can be controlled in other ways. For example, the handle of the ultrasound probe is provided with one or two push-button switches. When the user presses a push-button switch, the probe rotates clockwise or counterclockwise. For instance, there is a push-button switch on both the left and right sides of the handle. After pressing a push-button switch, the probe rotates at a certain angle per second. When the user presses the left push-button switch, the probe rotates counterclockwise; when the user presses the right push-button switch, the probe rotates clockwise. During the rotation, the probe can emit ultrasound waves in real time for real-time ultrasound imaging.

[0085] In some embodiments, after step A200, the target scanning angle may also be displayed. Specific methods for displaying the target scanning angle include, but are not limited to:

[0086] ① The target scanning angle of the array elements can be displayed numerically, with an accuracy of 0.5° or lower.

[0087] ② The target scanning angle can be displayed via a dial component, simply by rotating the pointer to point to the corresponding mark of the target scanning angle.

[0088] It is understandable that if the target scanning angle is set through dial interaction, the pointer 20 will naturally rotate to point to the corresponding scale of the target scanning angle after the setting is completed. However, when the target scanning angle is set in other ways, the pointer 20 can automatically point to the corresponding scale after the setting is completed.

[0089] ③ Display human body markers, probe markers, and array element markers. Change the position of the array element markers relative to the probe markers according to the target scanning angle of the array elements. The positional relationship between the human body markers and probe markers is used to characterize the positional relationship between the ultrasound probe and the object under test. For example, the array element markers are initially at the 12 o'clock position of the probe markers. After the target scanning angle is set to the 4 o'clock position, the array element markers will automatically rotate from the 12 o'clock position to the 4 o'clock position. In this way, the relationship between the ultrasound probe, array elements, and human body position can be intuitively determined.

[0090] Based on the aforementioned ultrasound imaging equipment, such as Figure 5 As shown, some embodiments provide a method for controlling an ultrasonic probe, including:

[0091] Step B100: Receive the user's rotation operation on the rotation control. For example, the rotation control is set to rotate in steps around a preset rotation center.

[0092] Step B200: Based on the rotation operation, obtain the rotation speed and number of rotation steps of the rotation control.

[0093] In some embodiments, the rotation control includes physical buttons, including but not limited to knobs and / or trackballs, with the center of the physical button being a preset rotation center. Generally, physical buttons (such as knobs, trackballs, etc.) on the ultrasonic machine panel typically use encoders for parameter adjustment. Common encoders usually have 12 or 24 divisions, and the number of divisions can be used to represent the number of rotation steps.

[0094] In other embodiments, the rotation control includes a display dial assembly, which includes a dial identifier 10 and a pointer identifier 20. The center of the dial identifier 10 is the rotation center, and the pointer identifier 20 can rotate in steps around the rotation center, for example, rotating one scale mark at a time.

[0095] Step B300: Based on the rotation speed of the rotation control, calculate the rotation step size of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed. The rotation step size represents the angle of rotation of the array element that is mapped to each rotation step of the rotation control. For example, in the above text, the user rotates one scale mark each time, and the corresponding angle of rotation of the array element is the rotation step size.

[0096] In some embodiments, a proportional coefficient corresponding to the rotation speed is determined based on a preset mapping relationship between rotation speed and proportional coefficient. Then, a preset reference step size is amplified or reduced using this proportional coefficient to obtain the rotation step size of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed. The reference step size can represent the angle of rotation of the array element per rotation step without any amplification or reduction. In some embodiments, the larger the rotation speed, the larger the proportional coefficient in the mapping relationship; therefore, the faster the user rotates the control, the larger the angle of rotation of the array element per rotation step. In other embodiments, the larger the rotation speed, the smaller the proportional coefficient; therefore, the faster the user rotates the control, the smaller the angle of rotation of the array element per rotation step. The following example, using a physical button as the rotation control, illustrates the application scenario where the larger the proportional coefficient, the larger the rotation speed.

[0097] When controlling the deflection of the sound head, adjusting it according to a fixed reference step size (e.g., a minimum of 0.5°) each time is inefficient. The inventors found that users prefer an adaptive adjustment angle based on the adjustment speed. For example, during adjustment, a 0.5° step size is maintained at low speeds, while at high speeds, the step size can be increased (greater than the reference step size of 0.5°, such as 5°). Therefore, an accelerated adjustment mechanism was added to achieve an adaptive step size adjustment method.

[0098] Adaptive step size adjustment can be achieved through velocity curve mapping. This involves mapping the step size angle based on the user-input velocity value, automatically calculating a step size adjustment coefficient (i.e., proportional coefficient), and applying it to the base step size. This velocity curve mapping method typically includes two types: linear mapping and nonlinear mapping.

[0099] Figure 6 The diagram illustrates one method of linear mapping. The curve represents the mapping relationship between a preset rotation speed and a proportional coefficient. In this mapping, as the rotation speed reaches a certain value, the larger the rotation speed, the larger the proportional coefficient. The speed V equals the reported number of physical button rotations (Counts) divided by the interval time T. V1, V2, Gain1 (the gain coefficient corresponding to V1), and Gain2 (the gain coefficient corresponding to V2) need to be configured in the configuration file and then read by the software. For example, V1 = 10, V2 = 30, Gain1 = 1, and Gain2 = 20 can be set. When the actual speed is between V1 and V2, the Gain value needs to be calculated according to the linear formula and rounded to the nearest integer.

[0100] Apart from Figure 6 Besides linear mapping, nonlinear mapping usually involves curve mapping. Commonly used curve mapping functions include S-curves, parabolas, hyperbolas, and irregular curves.

[0101] Step B400: Calculate the rotation angle of the array element based on the number of rotation steps and the rotation step length.

[0102] Continue with Figure 6 For example, the rotation angle of an array element can be expressed by the following formula:

[0103] Angle = Counts * Step * Gain.

[0104] Where Angle is the rotation angle of the array element, Counts is the number of grids, i.e. the number of rotation steps in the stepping process, Step is the preset base step size, or the step size without a scaling factor, Gain is the scaling factor, and Step*Gain represents the rotation step size.

[0105] Step B500: Control the rotation angle of the array element.

[0106] In this embodiment, the rotation direction of the rotation control is the same as the rotation direction of the sound head. For example, if the rotation control is rotated clockwise, the sound head will also rotate clockwise.

[0107] Following step B500, the current scanning angle of the array element can be displayed in various ways, similar to the previous embodiment. Specific display methods can be found in the above embodiments and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, in some embodiments, even without using the aforementioned method of controlling the rotation of the array element, the current scanning angle of the array element can still be displayed via a dial assembly. That is, the display dial assembly, based on the current scanning angle of the array element, controls the pointer to point to the corresponding scale on the dial. The current scanning angle of the array element can be obtained by setting a sensor in the ultrasonic probe and acquiring information such as the position angle of the acoustic head through the sensor.

[0108] Based on the ultrasound imaging device, display method, and ultrasound probe control method in the above embodiments, users do not need to manually rotate the ultrasound probe inside the patient's body. They can simply control the array elements to deflect at different angles and perform real-time imaging in a specific way to observe the tissue structure in the complete space surrounding the tissue site, which is more user-friendly for both doctors and patients.

[0109] According to the ultrasound imaging device, display method, and ultrasound probe control method in some of the above embodiments, the user can adjust the array element more efficiently when it is deflected. The faster the rotation speed of the rotation control, the larger the first rotation angle of the rotation control is mapped to the second rotation angle of the array element, which makes the control efficiency of the ultrasound probe higher and allows medical staff to scan the desired position in a shorter time.

[0110] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the functions of the various methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by hardware or by computer programs. When all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer programs, the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, which may include: read-only memory, random access memory, disk, optical disk, hard disk, etc., and the program is executed by a computer to achieve the above functions. For example, the program can be stored in the memory of a device, and when the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the above functions can be achieved. In addition, when all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by computer programs, the program can also be stored in a server, another computer, disk, optical disk, flash drive, or external hard drive, etc., and can be downloaded or copied to the memory of a local device, or the system of the local device can be updated. When the program in the memory is executed by the processor, all or part of the functions in the above embodiments can be achieved.

[0111] The above examples illustrate the present invention only to aid in understanding it and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Those skilled in the art can make various simple deductions, modifications, or substitutions based on the principles of this invention.

Claims

1. A method for controlling an ultrasonic probe, characterized in that, The ultrasonic probe includes an array element, an array element rotation axis, and a rotation control, wherein the array element is rotatably configured about the array element rotation axis, and the method includes: Receive user input for rotating the control; Based on the rotation operation, the rotation speed and number of rotation steps of the rotation control are obtained; Based on the rotation speed of the rotation control, the rotation step size of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed is calculated. The rotation step size represents the angle of rotation of the array element mapped to each rotation step of the rotation control. The rotation angle of the array element is calculated based on the number of rotation steps and the rotation step size. Control the array element to rotate by the rotation angle.

2. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The step of calculating the rotation step size of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed of the rotation control includes: Based on the preset mapping relationship between rotation speed and proportional coefficient, the proportional coefficient corresponding to the rotation speed is determined; The preset reference step size is amplified or reduced by the scaling factor corresponding to the rotation speed to obtain the rotation step size of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed.

3. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, In the mapping relationship, the greater the rotational speed, the larger the proportionality coefficient.

4. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, In the mapping relationship, the greater the rotational speed, the smaller the proportionality coefficient.

5. The method as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The mapping relationship is a linear mapping relationship and / or a non-linear mapping relationship.

6. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The rotation control includes physical buttons and / or a display dial assembly; The center of the physical button is a preset rotation center; The dial assembly includes a dial indicator and a pointer indicator, the center of which is the rotation center, and the pointer indicator can rotate stepwise around the rotation center.

7. The method as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The physical buttons include knobs and / or trackballs.

8. The method as described in claim 1, characterized in that, With the array element rotation axis as the central axis, and the N o'clock direction of the central axis defined as reference zero degree, where N is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12, after controlling the array element to rotate by the rotation angle, the method further includes: Obtain the current scanning angle of the array element based on the reference zero degree; Displays the scanning angle of the currently described array element.

9. The method as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The display of the current scanning angle of the array element includes: The scanning angle of the current array element is displayed numerically; and / or The current scanning angle of the array element is displayed on a dial component, wherein the dial component includes a dial indicator and a pointer indicator, the M o'clock position of the dial indicator represents a reference zero degree, M is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12, and the pointer indicator points to the corresponding scale on the dial indicator according to the scanning angle of the array element; and / or Display human body identifier, probe identifier, and array element identifier. Change the orientation of the array element identifier relative to the probe identifier according to the current scanning angle of the array element. The positional relationship between the human body identifier and the probe identifier is used to characterize the positional relationship between the ultrasound probe and the object under test.

10. A method for controlling an ultrasonic probe, characterized in that, The ultrasound probe includes an array element and an array element rotation axis, wherein the array element is rotatably configured around the array element rotation axis, and the N o'clock direction of the array element rotation axis is defined as the reference zero degree with the array element rotation axis as the central axis, where N is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12. The method includes: The display dial assembly includes a dial marker and a pointer marker. The M o'clock position of the dial marker represents a reference zero degree, where M is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12. The pointer marker is rotatably set around the center of the dial marker. The pointer is rotated based on the user's rotation operation on the pointer; Using the M o'clock direction as a reference, the target scanning angle of the array element is determined according to the scale on the dial marked by the pointer after rotation, wherein the target scanning angle is based on the reference zero degree. Control the array element to rotate to the target scanning angle.

11. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Using the reference zero degree as a benchmark, and with clockwise or counterclockwise direction as positive, the array element can rotate around its rotation axis from -360° to +360°. Determining the target scanning angle of the array element based on the scale on the dial indicated by the pointer after rotation includes: Obtain the current rotation angle of the array element; Calculate the absolute value of the first angle difference between the current rotation angle and the first scanning angle, where the first scanning angle = 30*K, and K is the scale mark on the dial mark that the pointer points to after rotation; Calculate the absolute value of the second angle difference between the current rotation angle and the second scanning angle, where the first scanning angle = 30*K-360; Compare the absolute values ​​of the first angle difference and the second angle difference; When the absolute value of the first angle difference is greater than the absolute value of the second angle difference, the first scanning angle is taken as the target scanning angle of the array element; When the absolute value of the first angle difference is less than the absolute value of the second angle difference, the second scanning angle is taken as the target scanning angle of the array element.

12. The method as described in claim 11, characterized in that, Also includes: When the absolute values ​​of the first angle difference and the second angle difference are equal, the angle between the first scanning angle and the second scanning angle that falls within (-180°, 180°) is taken as the target scanning angle.

13. The method as described in claim 10, characterized in that, Also includes: The target scanning angle of the array element is displayed numerically; and / or The display shows human body markers, probe markers, and array element markers. The orientation of the array element markers relative to the probe markers is changed according to the target scanning angle of the array elements. The positional relationship between the human body markers and the probe markers is used to characterize the positional relationship between the ultrasound probe and the object under test.

14. A method for controlling an ultrasonic probe, characterized in that, The ultrasound probe includes an array element and an array element rotation axis, wherein the array element is rotatably configured around the array element rotation axis, and the N o'clock direction of the array element rotation axis is defined as the reference zero degree with the array element rotation axis as the central axis, where N is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12. The method includes: Receive user's setting operation for scanning angle, determine the target scanning angle of the array element, wherein the target scanning angle is based on the reference zero degree; Control the array element to rotate to the target scanning angle.

15. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The process of receiving the user's setting operation for the scanning angle and determining the target scanning angle of the array element includes: Receive the scanning angle input by the user and use the user-input scanning angle as the target scanning angle.

16. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The process of receiving the user's setting operation for the scanning angle and determining the target scanning angle of the array element includes: The system receives user input to rotate a control, which is configured to rotate in steps around a preset rotation center. Based on the rotation operation, the target scanning angle of the array element is determined.

17. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, The rotation control includes physical buttons and / or a display dial assembly; The center of the physical button is the rotation center; The dial assembly includes a dial indicator and a pointer indicator, the center of which is the rotation center, and the pointer indicator is rotatably arranged around the rotation center.

18. The method as described in claim 14, characterized in that, Also includes: The target scanning angle is displayed numerically; and / or The target scanning angle is displayed on a dial component, wherein the dial component includes a dial marker and a pointer marker, the M o'clock position of the dial marker represents a reference zero degree, M is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12, and the pointer marker points to the corresponding scale on the dial marker according to the target scanning angle; and / or The display shows human body markers, probe markers, and array element markers. The orientation of the array element markers relative to the probe markers is changed according to the target scanning angle. The positional relationship between the human body markers and the probe markers is used to characterize the positional relationship between the ultrasound probe and the object under test.

19. An imaging method using an ultrasonic probe, characterized in that, The ultrasound probe includes an array element and an array element rotation axis, wherein the array element is rotatably configured around the array element rotation axis, and the N o'clock direction of the array element rotation axis is defined as the reference zero degree with the array element rotation axis as the central axis, where N is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12. The method includes: The ultrasonic probe is activated in response to the activation operation of the ultrasonic probe, and the activated ultrasonic probe can emit ultrasonic waves to the object under test through the array elements; The array element is controlled to rotate in response to a rotation operation. During the rotation: The array elements are controlled to emit ultrasonic waves toward the object under test, and the echo signals of the ultrasonic waves are received. An ultrasonic image of the object under test is generated based on the echo signals. The scanning angle of the array element is obtained with the reference zero degree as a reference, and the scanning angle of the array element is displayed.

20. The imaging method as described in claim 19, characterized in that, The response to the rotation operation of the array element controls the rotation of the array element, including: The system receives user input to rotate a control, which is configured to rotate in steps around a preset rotation center. Based on the rotation operation, the number of rotation steps and the rotation speed of the rotation control are determined; Based on the rotation speed of the rotation control, the rotation step size of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed is calculated. The rotation step size represents the angle of rotation of the array element mapped to each rotation step of the rotation control. The rotation angle of the array element is calculated based on the number of rotation steps and the rotation step size. Control the array element to rotate by the rotation angle.

21. The imaging method as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The step of calculating the rotation step size of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed of the rotation control includes: Based on the preset mapping relationship between rotation speed and proportional coefficient, the proportional coefficient corresponding to the rotation speed is determined; The preset reference step size is amplified or reduced by the scaling factor corresponding to the rotation speed to obtain the rotation step size of the array element corresponding to the rotation speed.

22. The method as described in claim 21, characterized in that, In the mapping relationship, the greater the rotational speed, the larger the proportionality coefficient.

23. The method as described in claim 21, characterized in that, In the mapping relationship, the greater the rotational speed, the smaller the proportionality coefficient.

24. The method as described in claim 21, characterized in that, The mapping relationship is a linear mapping relationship and / or a non-linear mapping relationship.

25. The method as described in claim 20, characterized in that, The rotation control includes physical buttons and / or a display dial assembly; The center of the physical button is a preset rotation center; The dial assembly includes a dial indicator and a pointer indicator, the center of which is the rotation center, and the pointer indicator can rotate stepwise around the rotation center.

26. The method as described in claim 25, characterized in that, The physical buttons include knobs and / or trackballs.

27. The imaging method as described in claim 19, characterized in that, The display of the scanning angle of the array element includes: The scanning angle of the array element is displayed numerically; and / or The scanning angle of the array element is displayed by a dial component, wherein the dial component includes a dial marker and a pointer marker, the M o'clock position of the dial marker represents a reference zero degree, M is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12, and the pointer marker points to the corresponding scale on the dial marker according to the scanning angle of the array element; and / or Display human body identifier, probe identifier, and array element identifier. Change the orientation of the array element identifier relative to the probe identifier according to the current scanning angle of the array element. The positional relationship between the human body identifier and the probe identifier is used to characterize the positional relationship between the ultrasound probe and the object under test.

28. A display method for an ultrasound imaging device, characterized in that, The ultrasonic imaging device includes an ultrasonic probe, which includes an array element and an array element rotation axis. The array element is rotatably arranged around the array element rotation axis. The N-point clock direction of the array element rotation axis is defined as a reference zero degree, with N greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12. The method includes: The display dial assembly includes a dial marker and a pointer marker. The M o'clock position of the dial marker represents a reference zero degree, where M is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 12. The pointer marker is rotatably set around the center of the dial marker. Obtain the current scanning angle of the array element based on the reference zero degree; Based on the current scanning angle of the array element, control the pointer to point to the corresponding scale on the dial.

29. An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that, include: An ultrasonic probe includes array elements, which are rotatably configured about the array element rotation axis of the ultrasonic probe. A transmitting circuit, which is used to excite the ultrasonic probe to emit ultrasonic waves toward the object under test; A receiving circuit is used to control the ultrasonic probe to receive the echo of ultrasonic waves returned by the object under test, and to obtain an ultrasonic echo signal. A processor for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1-28.

30. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The medium stores a computer program that can be executed by a processor to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-28.

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