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Patent

Image compounding based on image information

08 Dec 2014-
TL;DR: In this paper, a pixel processor for beamforming with respect to a pixel from among the pixels, and for assessing the amount of local information content of respective ones of the images.
Abstract: An image compounding apparatus acquires, via ultrasound, pixel-based images (126-130) of a region of interest for, by compounding, forming a composite image of the region. The image includes composite pixels (191) that spatially correspond respectively to pixels of the images. Further included is a pixel processor for beamforming with respect to a pixel from among the pixels, and for assessing, with respect to the composite pixel and from the data acquired (146), amounts of local information content of respective ones of the images. The processor determines, based on the assessment, weights for respective application, in the forming, to the pixels, of the images, that spatially correspond to the composite pixel. In some embodiments, the assessing commences operating on the data no later than upon the beamforming. In some embodiments, brightness values are assigned to the spatially corresponding pixels; and, in spatial correspondence, the maximum and the mean values are determined. They are then utilized in weighting the compounding.
Citations
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Patent
14 Feb 2020
TL;DR: In this paper, a method for generating a compound ultrasound image using beamforming channel data is presented. But the method requires the acquisition of the plurality of images and the assessment of the image metric are performed in parallel.
Abstract: The invention provides a method for generating a compound ultrasound image. The method includes acquiring and beamforming channel data. Using the beamformed channel data a plurality of images, each image comprising a plurality of pixels, of a region of interest are obtained and an image information metric, wherein the image metric is associated with a pixel of the plurality of pixels, is assessed. The acquiring of the plurality of images and the assessment of the image metric are performed in parallel. For each image of the plurality of images: a per-pixel weighting for each pixel of the plurality of pixels based on the assessment of the image information metric is determined and applied to each pixel of the plurality of pixels. Finally a compound ultrasound image is generated based on the plurality of weighted pixels of the plurality of images.
Patent
09 Oct 2018
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed an ultrasonic CT imaging method based on space coherence, which includes the following steps of first collecting data to obtain original echo data; secondly, preprocessing the data; thirdly, meshing an imaging area; fourthly, conducting DMAS calculation treatment based on the space coherency for each meshed imaging point to obtain initial imaging signals of the meshed image points; and finally, conducting data post-processing to finally obtain an ultrasound CT image.
Abstract: The invention discloses an ultrasonic CT imaging method based on space coherence. The method includes the following steps of firstly, collecting data to obtain original echo data; secondly, preprocessing the data; thirdly, meshing an imaging area; fourthly, conducting DMAS calculation treatment based on the space coherence for each meshed imaging point to obtain initial imaging signals of the meshed imaging points; fifthly, conducting data postprocessing to finally obtain an ultrasonic CT image. On the basis of the formation characteristics of virtual receiving signals in a filtering delay multiplication and superposition algorithm, by calculating the space coherence of any two signals of the virtual receiving signals in the filtering delay multiplication and superposition algorithm and weighting the virtual received signals, compared with the prior art, the problems of a zero-phase filtering delay multiplication and superposition algorithm applied in the ultrasonic CT reflection imaging field can be effectively solved, and a high-contrast high-noise-ratio and low-sidelobe-level ultrasonic CT image can be reestablished.
References
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Journal ArticleDOI
Jean-Luc Robert1, Mathias Fink
TL;DR: It is shown that the FDORT method works well in the presence of strong interfering scatterers, and it is possible to extract Green's functions from the speckle signal using this method.
Abstract: The FDORT method (French acronym for decomposition of the time reversal operator using focused beams) is a time reversal based method that can detect point scatterers in a heterogeneous medium and extract their Green’s function. It is particularly useful when focusing in a heterogeneous medium. This paper generalizes the theory of the FDORT method to random media (speckle), and shows that it is possible to extract Green’s functions from the speckle signal using this method. Therefore it is possible to achieve a good focusing even if no point scatterers are present. Moreover, a link is made between FDORT and the Van Cittert–Zernike theorem. It is deduced from this interpretation that the normalized first eigenvalue of the focused time reversal operator is a well-known focusing criterion. The concept of an equivalent virtual object is introduced that allows the random problem to be replaced by an equivalent deterministic problem and leads to an intuitive understanding of FDORT in speckle. Applications to aberration correction are presented. The reduction of the variance of the Green’s function estimate is discussed. Finally, it is shown that the method works well in the presence of strong interfering scatterers.

62 citations

Book ChapterDOI
26 Oct 2005
TL;DR: A new method for compounding 3D ultrasound scans acquired from different views that uses multiscale information about ocal structure definition and orientation to weight the contributions of the images and provides a significant improvement in image quality when compared to traditional compounding methods.
Abstract: The recent availability of real-time three-dimensional echocardiography offers a convenient, low-cost alternative for detection and diagnosis of heart pathologies. However, a complete description of the heart can be obtained only by combining the information provided by different acoustic windows. We present a new method for compounding 3D ultrasound scans acquired from different views. The method uses multiscale information about local structure definition and orientation to weight the contributions of the images. We propose to use image phase to obtain these image characteristics while keeping invariance to image contrast. The monogenic signal provides a convenient, integrated approach for this purpose. We have evaluated our algorithm on synthetic images and heart scans from volunteers, showing it provides a significant improvement in image quality when compared to traditional compounding methods.

55 citations

Patent
Ismayil M. Guracar1, Bimba Rao1
05 Jun 2007
TL;DR: In this paper, clinical markers are adaptively identified in steered spatial compounding ultrasound imaging and the use or determination of the clinical marker information adapts to the amount of motion detected.
Abstract: Clinical markers are adaptively identified in steered spatial compounding ultrasound imaging. Motion is detected. The use or determination of the clinical marker information adapts to the amount of motion. If sufficient motion is detected, the contribution of clinical marker information may be reduced, the weighting of the clinical marker information relative to the steered compound information is reduced, the acquisition sequence is adjusted for component frames of data, or combinations thereof.

35 citations

PatentDOI
TL;DR: In this article, an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system transmits a plurality of focused beams normal to the plane of a transducer aperture and receives multiple receive lines in response to each transmitted beam.
Abstract: An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system transmits a plurality of focused beams normal to the plane of a transducer aperture and receives multiple receive lines in response to each transmitted beam. Sub-apertures of the transducer aperture are defined by apodization and signals of the sub-apertures are aligned and combined to produce signals exhibiting the effect of transmit steering at different angles with respect to the sub-apertures. The steered signals are detected and the detected signals relating to common points in an image field are combined. The combined detected signals are used to produce an ultrasound image with reduced speckle.

29 citations

Patent
30 Jul 2008
TL;DR: In this article, the volume of multiple acoustic windows for the infant head is aligned and combined, and the combination provides a dataset better representing the entire region of interest, and adaptive weights for the compounding may be used in situations other than an infant head scan.
Abstract: Information is compounded in medical diagnostic ultrasound. Volumes from multiple acoustic windows for the infant head are aligned and combined. The combination provides a dataset better representing the entire region of interest. Additionally or alternatively, weighted combination of ultrasound data sets is provided. The weights adapt as a function of proximity to the transducer (e.g., near field verses far field), noise level, or other data quality parameters. In the infant head example, the adaptive weights may provide a composite data set better representing the infant head. Adaptive weights for the compounding may be used in situations other than an infant head scan.

22 citations