Ultrasound energy projection method, apparatus, and electronic device

Abstract

The application provides an ultrasonic energy projection method, device and electronic equipment. An ultrasonic probe is used to collect an ultrasonic image containing a lesion site. A region extraction instruction is received, and a region of interest is extracted from the ultrasonic image according to the region extraction instruction. At least one focus point is generated in the region of interest. The region of interest and all the focus points in the region of interest are displayed through a display interface. When a set ultrasonic emission energy parameter is received, ultrasonic energy is sequentially projected to each focus point in a preset projection sequence. The method can extract the region of interest from the ultrasonic image according to the region extraction instruction, automatically generate the focus points in the region of interest, and visually display the focus points. Then, the ultrasonic energy is projected to the focus points. The method does not need to move mechanical structures, move patients or ultrasonic probes, and the like, and realizes flexible adjustment of the focus position.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ultrasonic technology, and in particular to an ultrasonic energy projection method, apparatus, and electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Existing focused ultrasound therapy devices often use fixed-focus transducers, meaning the relationship between the energy projection position and the ultrasound image is completely fixed. The transducer's focus is also fixed. If the current focused position is not the lesion to be treated, the doctor needs to adjust the focus to the lesion in the ultrasound image. This usually requires moving the mechanical structure, the patient, or the treatment probe—significant movements that are very inconvenient. Furthermore, the coupling between the probe and the patient's skin must be considered during movement. Degassed water coupling is commonly used, requiring large equipment for preparing the degassed water and monitoring its oxygen content. Finally, the location of the cavitation effect caused by the actual energy projection is not monitored, compromising accurate energy delivery. In summary, there is a lack of effective solutions for flexibly adjusting the transducer's focusing position. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to provide an ultrasonic energy projection method, device, and electronic device to flexibly adjust the focusing position of the transducer.

[0004] This invention provides an ultrasound energy projection method, comprising: acquiring an ultrasound image containing a lesion site using an ultrasound probe; receiving a region extraction command and extracting a region of interest (ROI) from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction command; wherein the region extraction command carries region range information corresponding to the ROI; the ROI is a region containing at least a portion of the lesion site; generating at least one focal point within the ROI; displaying the ROI and all focal points within the ROI through a display interface; and, upon receiving a set ultrasound emission energy parameter, projecting ultrasound energy sequentially to each focal point according to a preset projection order.

[0005] Furthermore, the steps of receiving a region extraction instruction and extracting a region of interest from an ultrasound image according to the region extraction instruction include: displaying an ultrasound image through a display interface; responding to a region selection operation on the ultrasound image displayed on the display interface, generating a region extraction instruction based on the region range information corresponding to the region selection operation, so as to extract the region of interest from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction instruction.

[0006] Furthermore, the ultrasound images are either 2D or 3D ultrasound images.

[0007] Furthermore, upon receiving the set ultrasonic emission energy parameters, the step of projecting ultrasonic energy sequentially to each focal point according to a preset projection sequence includes: receiving the set ultrasonic emission energy parameters; determining the element emission energy corresponding to each ultrasonic emission element on the ultrasonic probe based on the ultrasonic emission energy parameters; selecting the first focal point from all focal points as the current focal point; calculating the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic emission element on the ultrasonic probe based on the position information of the current focal point; controlling each ultrasonic emission element to project ultrasonic energy to the current focal point according to its corresponding delay time information and element emission energy; selecting the next focal point as the new current focal point according to the preset projection sequence, and repeating the step of calculating the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic emission element on the ultrasonic probe based on the position information of the current focal point until ultrasonic energy is projected to each focal point.

[0008] Furthermore, after controlling each ultrasonic transmitting element to project ultrasonic energy to the current focal point according to its corresponding delay time information and the element's emission energy, the method also includes: receiving the cavitation signal generated at the actual focal point through the listening element on the ultrasonic probe; calculating the position of the actual focal point based on the time difference information of the received cavitation signal and the intensity information of the cavitation signal; and displaying the position of the actual focal point through the display interface.

[0009] Furthermore, the method also includes: comparing the position of the actual focal point with the position of the current focal point to obtain a comparison result; if the comparison result indicates that there is a deviation between the position of the actual focal point and the position of the current focal point, calculating the deviation result based on the position of the actual focal point and the position of the current focal point; adjusting the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic transmitting element according to the deviation result until the position of the actual focal point is consistent with the position of the current focal point.

[0010] Furthermore, the number of monitoring array elements is at least three groups; the at least three groups of monitoring array elements are arranged in a specified arrangement; wherein, the specified arrangement includes at least one of the following: Archimedes spiral arrangement; circular arrangement; when the number of monitoring array elements is three groups, the three groups of monitoring array elements are arranged in an array with a 120-degree angle; when the number of monitoring array elements is four groups, the four groups of monitoring array elements are arranged in an array with a 90-degree angle.

[0011] This invention provides an ultrasound energy projection device, comprising: an acquisition module for acquiring ultrasound images containing lesions via an ultrasound probe; an extraction module for receiving a region extraction command and extracting a region of interest (ROI) from the ultrasound image according to the command; wherein the region extraction command carries region range information corresponding to the ROI; the ROI is a region containing at least a portion of the lesion; a generation module for generating at least one focal point within the ROI; a display module for displaying the ROI and all focal points within the ROI via a display interface; and a projection module for projecting ultrasound energy sequentially to each focal point according to a preset projection order after receiving preset ultrasound emission energy parameters.

[0012] The present invention provides an electronic device, including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory stores machine-executable instructions that can be executed by the processor, and the processor executes the machine-executable instructions to implement the ultrasonic energy projection method described above.

[0013] The present invention provides a machine-readable storage medium storing machine-executable instructions, which, when called and executed by a processor, cause the processor to implement any of the above-mentioned ultrasonic energy projection methods.

[0014] The ultrasonic energy projection method, apparatus, and electronic device provided by this invention acquire ultrasonic images containing lesion sites using an ultrasonic probe; receive a region extraction command, and extract a region of interest (ROI) from the ultrasonic image according to the region extraction command; wherein the region extraction command carries the region range information corresponding to the ROI; the ROI is a region containing at least a portion of the lesion site; at least one focal point is generated within the ROI; the ROI and all focal points within the ROI are displayed through a display interface; upon receiving the set ultrasonic emission energy parameters, ultrasonic energy is projected sequentially to each focal point according to a preset projection order; this method can extract the ROI from the ultrasonic image according to the region extraction command, automatically generate focal points within it, and visualize the results, and then project ultrasonic energy onto the focal points. This method does not require moving mechanical structures, patients, or ultrasonic probes, and achieves flexible adjustment of the focal position. Attached Figure Description

[0015] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0016] Figure 1 A flowchart of an ultrasonic energy projection method provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 A flowchart of another ultrasonic energy projection method provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an ultrasonic energy projection device provided in an embodiment of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0017] The technical solution of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0018] The focusing of ultrasound is difficult to observe directly with imaging equipment. Existing focused ultrasound energy therapy devices often use transducers with a fixed focal point. The relationship between the energy projection position and the ultrasound image is completely fixed, with the focal point represented by a fixed point. The actual energy delivery location cannot be visually represented in the ultrasound image; changes can only be observed through changes in the ultrasound image after tissue changes have occurred.

[0019] Because the transducer's focal point is fixed, if a doctor needs to adjust the focal point to the lesion in the ultrasound image, it requires the use of mechanical structures, moving the patient, or treating the probe. These movements are very large and inconvenient. At the same time, the coupling between the probe and the patient's skin must be considered during the movement. Therefore, degassed water coupling is often used, which requires large equipment to prepare degassed water and to monitor the oxygen content of the degassed water. As a result, degassed water is also inconvenient to use.

[0020] Because the actual energy delivery location cannot be directly shown in the ultrasound image, the energy may have been delivered in reality, but the doctor may not have perceived it as delivered. Increasing the dosage can then lead to excessive energy delivery, causing tissue denaturation. Once tissue denaturation is visible on ultrasound, it's often too late. Furthermore, due to heat conduction, even if energy delivery is immediately stopped, heat will still dissipate outwards, causing additional tissue denaturation and potentially resulting in further damage.

[0021] In summary, existing technologies lack effective solutions for flexibly adjusting the focusing position of transducers. Therefore, this invention provides an ultrasonic energy projection method, apparatus, and electronic device, which can be applied to applications requiring controlled ultrasonic energy projection.

[0022] To facilitate understanding of this embodiment, an ultrasonic energy projection method disclosed in this embodiment of the invention will first be introduced, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the method includes the following steps: Step S102: Acquire ultrasound images containing the lesion site using an ultrasound probe; The aforementioned lesion site can be understood as the specific location in the human body where a disease or abnormality occurs. In actual implementation, an ultrasound image can be acquired by an ultrasound probe. This ultrasound image usually needs to include the lesion site, which may be located at any position in the ultrasound image. Preferably, the lesion site can be located in the center of the ultrasound image.

[0023] Step S104: Receive a region extraction instruction, and extract the region of interest from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction instruction; wherein, the region extraction instruction carries the region range information corresponding to the region of interest; the region of interest is: a region containing at least a part of the lesion site; The aforementioned region extraction command can be a command issued based on user operation or an automatically generated command. For example, the ultrasound image can be displayed on a screen, and the user can select a region by operating on the screen. Based on the user's operation, the aforementioned region extraction command can be issued. When the region extraction command is automatically generated, it can specifically be an image segmentation command, that is, the region of interest can be extracted from the ultrasound image through image segmentation. The aforementioned region of interest can include a part of the lesion area or the entire lesion area. The aforementioned region range information usually includes information such as the boundary, size, shape, and location of the region of interest. In actual implementation, the aforementioned region extraction command can be received, and the region of interest can be extracted from the ultrasound image based on the region range information of the region of interest carried in the region extraction command.

[0024] Step S106: Generate at least one focal point within the region of interest; The aforementioned focal point can be understood as a tiny region where energy is highly concentrated. In actual implementation, one or more focal points can be automatically generated within the region of interest based on its shape and size. For example, if the region of interest is rectangular, multiple rows and columns of focal points can be generated within that rectangular region. Alternatively, if the region of interest is very small, only one focal point can be generated within that region of interest.

[0025] In practical implementation, the generated at least one focal point can cover only the region of interest (ROI), or it can simultaneously cover the ROI and adjacent tissues within a preset area surrounding the ROI. The area and / or volume covered by a single focal point can vary with the spatial position of the focal point and the ultrasound probe. This variation pattern can be obtained by scanning the ultrasound probe with a hydrophone and can be pre-stored. Furthermore, users can control the computer software to ensure that each focal point overlaps (achieved by setting an overlap ratio), is tangent to, or is separated from its adjacent focal points by a certain distance when planning the focal point arrangement within the ROI, by inputting a focal point adjacency coefficient.

[0026] Step S108: Display the region of interest and all focal points within the region of interest through the display interface; The aforementioned display interface can be the interface of the terminal device operated by the user, etc. In actual implementation, the display interface can be fused with the real-time acquired ultrasound images to display the region of interest, as well as all the focal points generated within the region of interest, thereby achieving visualization of the focal points in the planning stage. Users can intuitively see the size, shape, and location of the region of interest, as well as the focal points within it, through the display interface. The display style of the region of interest can be set according to actual needs, such as being dotted, highlighted, etc. For example, for focal points with different projected ultrasound energies (mainly sound pressure or sound power), different color codes can be used during display.

[0027] Step S110: After receiving the set ultrasonic emission energy parameters, ultrasonic energy is projected onto each focal point in sequence according to the preset projection order.

[0028] The aforementioned ultrasonic emission energy parameters typically include the total acoustic energy emitted per second by the ultrasonic transducer, the duration of each ultrasonic energy emission, and the interval between two adjacent emissions. The preset projection sequence can be set according to actual needs. For example, if multiple focal points are arranged in multiple rows and columns, they can be projected sequentially from top to bottom or from left to right. In actual implementation, after receiving the ultrasonic emission energy parameters input by the user, ultrasonic energy can be projected onto each focal point sequentially according to the preset projection sequence. It should be noted that the ultrasonic probe can remain stationary during the process of projecting ultrasonic energy onto each focal point.

[0029] The aforementioned ultrasound energy projection method acquires ultrasound images containing lesions using an ultrasound probe; receives a region extraction command and extracts a region of interest (ROI) from the ultrasound image according to the command; the region extraction command carries information about the region range corresponding to the ROI; the ROI is defined as a region containing at least a portion of the lesion; at least one focal point is generated within the ROI; the ROI and all focal points within the ROI are displayed on a display interface; upon receiving the set ultrasound emission energy parameters, ultrasound energy is projected onto each focal point sequentially according to a preset projection order. This method can extract the ROI from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction command, automatically generate focal points within it, and visualize the data, then project ultrasound energy onto the focal points. This method does not require moving mechanical structures, patients, or ultrasound probes, thus enabling flexible adjustment of the focal position.

[0030] This invention also provides another ultrasonic energy projection method, which is implemented based on the method described in the above embodiments. This method includes the following steps: Step 1: Acquire ultrasound images of the lesion area using an ultrasound probe; In practice, the ultrasound images described above can be 2D or 3D ultrasound images. The 2D ultrasound image is a planar image with only length and width information. The 3D ultrasound image is a three-dimensional image reconstructed by computer based on the 2D image, and has length, width, and depth information.

[0031] Step 2: Display the ultrasound image through the display interface; Step 3: Respond to the region selection operation of the ultrasound image displayed on the display interface, generate a region extraction instruction based on the region range information corresponding to the region selection operation, and extract the region of interest from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction instruction; wherein, the region extraction instruction carries the region range information corresponding to the region of interest; the region of interest is: a region containing at least a part of the lesion site; The aforementioned region selection operation can be a user's finger sliding operation on the display interface, or a mouse clicking or sliding operation on the display interface. In actual implementation, the aforementioned ultrasound image can be displayed on the display interface. The user performs the region selection operation on the display interface with their finger or mouse, and generates a region extraction command based on the corresponding region range information to extract the region of interest corresponding to the region range information in the ultrasound image displayed on the display interface.

[0032] Step 4: Generate at least one focal point within the region of interest; Step 5: Display the region of interest and all focal points within the region of interest through the display interface; Step 6: Receive the set ultrasonic emission energy parameters, and determine the emission energy of each ultrasonic emission element on the ultrasonic probe according to the ultrasonic emission energy parameters. In practical implementation, an ultrasound probe typically has multiple ultrasound emission elements arranged on it. In one embodiment, to obtain a sharper focus and reduce damage to surrounding normal tissue, the emission energy of ultrasound emission elements at the edges is usually reduced, while the emission energy of ultrasound emission elements at the center is increased. In another embodiment, the input voltage of each ultrasound emission element can be automatically adjusted by software based on the performance differences of each element to ensure that the emission energy of each element remains consistent. Therefore, upon receiving the ultrasound emission energy parameters input by the user, the corresponding emission energy can be allocated to each ultrasound emission element on the ultrasound probe according to a preset energy allocation method.

[0033] Step 7: Select the first focal point from all focal points as the current focal point, and calculate the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic transmitting element on the ultrasonic probe based on the position information of the current focal point. Step 8: Control each ultrasonic transmitting element to project ultrasonic energy toward the current focal point according to its corresponding delay time information and element emission energy; The aforementioned first focal point can be any one of all focal points. For example, if all focal points are arranged in a multi-row, multi-column format, the focal point of the first row and the first column can be used as the first focal point. The aforementioned position information can include the position coordinates of the current focal point on the ultrasound image. In actual implementation, since the position of each ultrasound transmitting element is different, a corresponding delay time can be calculated for each ultrasound transmitting element based on the position information of the current focal point to ensure that the sound waves emitted by each ultrasound transmitting element can reach the position of the current focal point simultaneously. Each ultrasound transmitting element can then project ultrasound energy to the current focal point according to its corresponding delay time information and the element's emission energy. In addition, in some applications, such as brain nerve stimulation, images such as CT scans are usually acquired first. Then, using the acquired CT images and image fusion technology, skull compensation is added on top of the originally calculated delay time information.

[0034] Step nine: Receive the cavitation signal generated at the actual focal point through the listening array element on the ultrasonic probe; The aforementioned actual focal point can be understood as the actual location where focusing occurs; the aforementioned cavitation signal can be understood as the cavitation RF (Radio Frequency) signal converted from the sound waves generated by the cavitation effect. The cavitation effect refers to the phenomenon where, when ultra-high intensity ultrasound is focused at the focal point, it causes tiny bubbles in tissues or body fluids to vibrate violently, expand, and collapse, generating strong sound waves. This effect is called cavitation. In practical implementation, the ultrasound probe includes not only the aforementioned ultrasound transmitting array element that emits sound waves but also a listening array element. This listening array element can be used to monitor the cavitation signal generated at the actual focal point. The number and arrangement of the listening units can be set according to actual needs. Preferably, the number of listening array elements is at least three groups, and each group of listening array elements can include one or more listening array elements. At least three groups of listening array elements... The elements are arranged according to a specified arrangement, which includes at least one of the following: an Archimedean spiral arrangement; a circular arrangement; when the number of monitoring elements is three groups, the three groups of monitoring elements are arranged in an array with an angle of 120 degrees; when the number of monitoring elements is four groups, the four groups of monitoring elements are arranged in an array with an angle of 90 degrees. For example, in one embodiment, the angle between each pair of adjacent monitoring elements can be 120 degrees; in another embodiment, it can be an array of three monitoring elements with an angle of 120 degrees combined with an Archimedean spiral arrangement; it can also be an array of four monitoring elements with an angle of 90 degrees combined with a circular arrangement, etc.

[0035] Step 10: Calculate the position of the actual focal point based on the time difference information of the received cavitation signal and the intensity information of the cavitation signal; The aforementioned time difference information can be understood as the difference between the time when the cavitation effect occurs at the actual focal point and the time when the monitoring array element detects the cavitation signal. In actual implementation, the position of the actual focal point can be obtained by performing inverse calculation based on the time difference information and intensity information using a preset image reconstruction algorithm. For specific calculation methods, please refer to relevant technologies, which will not be elaborated here. The position of the actual focal point may be the same as or different from the position of the current focal point. Ideally, the position of the actual focal point should be consistent with the position of the current focal point.

[0036] Step 11: Display the actual focal point position on the display interface.

[0037] The actual focal point can be displayed on the display interface, thus visualizing the actual focal point.

[0038] Step 12: Compare the actual focal point position with the current focal point position to obtain the comparison result; In actual implementation, the coordinate information of the actual focal point can be compared with the coordinate information of the current focal point. The comparison result is whether the coordinate information of the actual focal point is the same as or different from the coordinate information of the current focal point. If the coordinate information is the same, it can be considered that the position of the actual focal point is consistent with the position of the current focal point. If the coordinate information is different, it can be considered that the position of the actual focal point is different from the position of the current focal point.

[0039] Step 13: If the comparison result indicates a deviation between the actual focal point position and the current focal point position, calculate the deviation result based on the actual focal point position and the current focal point position. Step fourteen: Adjust the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic transmitting element according to the deviation results until the position of the actual focal point is consistent with the position of the current focal point.

[0040] In actual implementation, the deviation result can be determined based on the coordinate information of the actual focal point and the coordinate information of the current focal point. Considering that the delay time of each ultrasonic transmitting element is the key to the formation of the focal point, the delay time information of each ultrasonic transmitting element can be adjusted and updated according to the deviation result until the ultrasonic energy is projected onto the current focal point according to the adjusted delay time information of each ultrasonic transmitting element, so that the position of the actual focal point is consistent with the position of the current focal point.

[0041] Step 15: Following the preset projection sequence, select the next focal point as the new current focal point, and repeat the step of calculating the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic transmitting element on the ultrasonic probe based on the position information of the current focal point, until the ultrasonic energy is projected to each focal point.

[0042] In practice, the above steps can be followed to project ultrasonic energy onto each subsequent focal point until ultrasonic energy is projected onto each focal point.

[0043] In practical applications, ultrasonic energy is projected onto a focal point by ultrasonic transmitting elements. The cavitation signal generated at each focal point is monitored by listening elements. Typically, the cavitation dose at each focal point and the time required for calculation are calculated. If the time interval between the ultrasonic energy projection is shorter than the required time, a decoupling structure can be designed to store the monitored cavitation signals in chronological order into a queue, using a last-in-first-out (LIFO) approach. Only the last data in the queue is processed at a time, and the cavitation dose is calculated. For data that has not yet been calculated, the area under the peak of the relevant characteristic frequency band can be obtained using FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) (for example, the characteristic frequency band corresponding to steady-state cavitation is 0.5f0, and the characteristic frequency band corresponding to transient cavitation is usually a high-frequency band). The area under the peak of the characteristic frequency band can be compared between the calculated and uncalculated data to calculate an estimated adjustment factor. This estimated adjustment factor is multiplied by the cavitation dose with the time proximity of the calculated data to obtain the cavitation dose corresponding to the uncalculated data. It should be noted that this method is suitable for use when the projected sound pressure / sound power at the two focal points is similar.

[0044] In the above-mentioned interaction process, AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) technologies can also be used to achieve better interaction effects.

[0045] For ease of understanding, see Figure 2 The flowchart of another ultrasound energy projection method illustrates that, firstly, a B-mode ultrasound image (corresponding to the ultrasound image mentioned above) is acquired through positioning ultrasound. This B-mode ultrasound image can be a 2D ultrasound image or a 3D ultrasound image. The user selects the area to be projected or a single projection point (corresponding to the region of interest mentioned above) on the 2D / 3D ultrasound image, and the focal point is automatically planned and visualized during the planning stage. For each focal point, after the user inputs the ultrasound emission energy parameters, the emission energy of each ultrasound emission element can be calculated, and the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasound emission element can be automatically configured. Each ultrasound emission element is controlled to project ultrasound energy to the focal point according to its corresponding delay time information and emission energy. With the ultrasound probe stationary, each focal point in the region of interest is electronically scanned according to a preset projection sequence. The cavitation signal generated at the actual focal point is received by the listening element on the ultrasound probe. The position of the actual focal point is calculated through a preset image reconstruction algorithm, and the position of the actual focal point is visualized and evaluated.

[0046] The aforementioned ultrasonic energy projection method enables users to "point and shoot" on the ultrasonic machine, meeting the need for visualization. Firstly, in the planning phase, users can directly select the point or area they want to project ultrasonic energy onto the ultrasound image. With the selected area, the system automatically calculates and visualizes the number of focal points required for projection. Secondly, in the evaluation phase, passive cavitation imaging technology visualizes the focal points, showing their spatial location and the relative intensity of cavitation.

[0047] This invention provides an ultrasonic energy projection device, such as... Figure 3 As shown, the device includes: an acquisition module 30, used to acquire ultrasound images containing lesions using an ultrasound probe; an extraction module 31, used to receive a region extraction command and extract a region of interest from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction command; wherein the region extraction command carries region range information corresponding to the region of interest; the region of interest is: a region containing at least a portion of the lesion; a generation module 32, used to generate at least one focal point within the region of interest; a display module 33, used to display the region of interest and all focal points within the region of interest through a display interface; and a projection module 34, used to project ultrasound energy sequentially to each focal point according to a preset projection order after receiving a set ultrasound emission energy parameter.

[0048] The aforementioned ultrasound energy projection device can extract the region of interest from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction command, automatically generate a focal point within it, and visualize it. Then, ultrasound energy is projected onto the focal point. This method does not require moving the mechanical structure, the patient, or the ultrasound probe, and achieves flexible adjustment of the focal position.

[0049] Furthermore, the extraction module is also configured to: display the ultrasound image through a display interface; respond to a region selection operation on the ultrasound image displayed on the display interface, generate a region extraction instruction based on the region range information corresponding to the region selection operation, and extract the region of interest from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction instruction.

[0050] Furthermore, the ultrasound image is a 2D ultrasound image or a 3D ultrasound image.

[0051] Furthermore, the projection module is also used to: receive set ultrasonic emission energy parameters; determine the element emission energy corresponding to each ultrasonic emission element on the ultrasonic probe according to the ultrasonic emission energy parameters; select a first focal point from all focal points as the current focal point; calculate the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic emission element on the ultrasonic probe according to the position information of the current focal point; control each ultrasonic emission element to project ultrasonic energy to the current focal point according to its corresponding delay time information and element emission energy; select the next focal point as the new current focal point according to a preset projection order, and repeat the step of calculating the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic emission element on the ultrasonic probe according to the position information of the current focal point until the ultrasonic energy is projected to each focal point.

[0052] Furthermore, the projection module is also used to: receive cavitation signals generated at the actual focal point through the listening array elements on the ultrasonic probe; calculate the position of the actual focal point based on the time difference information of the received cavitation signals and the intensity information of the cavitation signals; and display the position of the actual focal point through the display interface.

[0053] Furthermore, the projection module is also used to: compare the position of the actual focal point with the position of the current focal point to obtain a comparison result; if the comparison result indicates that there is a deviation between the position of the actual focal point and the position of the current focal point, calculate the deviation result based on the position of the actual focal point and the position of the current focal point; and adjust the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic transmitting element according to the deviation result until the position of the actual focal point is consistent with the position of the current focal point.

[0054] Furthermore, the number of monitoring array elements is at least three groups; the at least three groups of monitoring array elements are arranged in a specified arrangement; wherein, the specified arrangement includes at least one of the following: Archimedes spiral arrangement; circular arrangement; when the number of monitoring array elements is three groups, the three groups of monitoring array elements are arranged in an array with a 120-degree angle; when the number of monitoring array elements is four groups, the four groups of monitoring array elements are arranged in an array with a 90-degree angle.

[0055] The ultrasonic energy projection device provided in this embodiment of the invention has the same implementation principle and technical effect as the aforementioned ultrasonic energy projection method embodiment. For the sake of brevity, any parts not mentioned in the ultrasonic energy projection device embodiment can be referred to the corresponding content in the aforementioned ultrasonic energy projection method embodiment.

[0056] This invention also provides an electronic device, see [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 4As shown, the electronic device includes a processor 130 and a memory 131. The memory 131 stores machine-executable instructions that can be executed by the processor 130. The processor 130 executes the machine-executable instructions to implement the above-described ultrasonic energy projection method.

[0057] Furthermore, Figure 4 The electronic device shown also includes a bus 132 and a communication interface 133, with the processor 130, the communication interface 133 and the memory 131 connected via the bus 132.

[0058] The memory 131 may include high-speed random access memory (RAM) and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. Communication between this system network element and at least one other network element is achieved through at least one communication interface 133 (which can be wired or wireless), such as the Internet, wide area network, local area network, metropolitan area network, etc. The bus 132 may be an ISA bus, PCI bus, or EISA bus, etc. The bus can be divided into address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of representation, Figure 4 The symbol is represented by a single double-headed arrow, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0059] Processor 130 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the hardware of processor 130 or by instructions in software form. Processor 130 may be a general-purpose processor, including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Network Processor (NP), etc.; it may also be a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed in the embodiments of this invention. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in the embodiments of this invention can be directly manifested as execution by a hardware decoding processor, or execution by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can reside in a mature storage medium in the art, such as random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, or registers. This storage medium is located in memory 131, and processor 130 reads the information in memory 131 and, in conjunction with its hardware, completes the steps of the method described in the foregoing embodiments.

[0060] This invention also provides a machine-readable storage medium storing machine-executable instructions. When these machine-executable instructions are called and executed by a processor, they cause the processor to implement the above-described ultrasonic energy projection method. For specific implementation details, please refer to the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0061] The computer program product of the ultrasonic energy projection method, device and electronic device provided in the embodiments of the present invention includes a computer-readable storage medium storing program code. The instructions included in the program code can be used to execute the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. For specific implementation, please refer to the method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0062] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this invention, essentially, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0063] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic energy projection device, characterized in that, The device includes: The acquisition module is used to acquire ultrasound images containing lesion sites through an ultrasound probe; An extraction module is configured to receive a region extraction instruction and extract a region of interest from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction instruction; wherein the region extraction instruction carries region range information corresponding to the region of interest; the region of interest is: a region containing at least a portion of the lesion site; The generation module is used to generate multiple focal points within the region of interest; The display module is used to display the region of interest and all focal points within the region of interest through a display interface; The projection module is used to project ultrasonic energy sequentially to each of the focal points according to a preset projection order after receiving the set ultrasonic emission energy parameters. The projection module is also used for: Receive the set ultrasonic emission energy parameters, and determine the emission energy of each ultrasonic emission element on the ultrasonic probe according to the ultrasonic emission energy parameters; Select the first focal point from all the focal points as the current focal point, and calculate the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic transmitting element on the ultrasonic probe based on the position information of the current focal point. Each ultrasonic transmitting element is controlled to project ultrasonic energy toward the current focal point according to its corresponding delay time information and element emission energy. According to the preset projection order, the next focal point is selected as the new current focal point, and the step of calculating the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic transmitting element on the ultrasonic probe based on the position information of the current focal point is repeated until the ultrasonic energy is projected to each focal point. The projection module is further configured to: after controlling each ultrasonic transmitting array element to project ultrasonic energy to the current focal point according to its corresponding delay time information and array element emission energy, receive the cavitation signal generated at the actual focal point through the listening array element on the ultrasonic probe. The position of the actual focal point is calculated based on the time difference information of the received cavitation signal and the intensity information of the cavitation signal; The actual focal point position is displayed through the display interface; The projection module is also used for: The position of the actual focal point is compared with the position of the current focal point to obtain the comparison result; If the comparison result indicates that there is a deviation between the position of the actual focal point and the position of the current focal point, the deviation result is calculated based on the position of the actual focal point and the position of the current focal point; Based on the deviation results, adjust the delay time information corresponding to each ultrasonic transmitting element until the position of the actual focal point is consistent with the position of the current focal point.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasonic probe has multiple ultrasonic emission array elements arranged on it. The projection module is also used to: reduce the element emission energy of the ultrasonic transmitting array element located at the edge and enhance the element emission energy of the ultrasonic transmitting array element located at the center; or, adjust the input voltage of each ultrasonic transmitting array element according to the performance difference of each ultrasonic transmitting array element to ensure that the element emission energy corresponding to each ultrasonic transmitting array element remains consistent.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The extraction module is also used for: The ultrasound image is displayed through a display interface; In response to a region selection operation on the ultrasound image displayed on the display interface, a region extraction instruction is generated based on the region range information corresponding to the region selection operation, so as to extract the region of interest from the ultrasound image according to the region extraction instruction.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultrasound image is a 2D ultrasound image or a 3D ultrasound image.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, The number of monitoring array elements is at least three groups; the at least three groups of monitoring array elements are arranged in a specified arrangement; wherein, the specified arrangement includes at least one of the following: Archimedes spiral arrangement; circular arrangement; when the number of monitoring array elements is three groups, the three groups of monitoring array elements are arranged in an array with a 120-degree angle; when the number of monitoring array elements is four groups, the four groups of monitoring array elements are arranged in an array with a 90-degree angle.

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