KR-102962812-B1 - System and Method For Ultrasound Imaging

KR102962812B1KR 102962812 B1KR102962812 B1KR 102962812B1KR-102962812-B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic imaging system and method. An ultrasonic imaging system and method according to one embodiment of the present invention is characterized by determining a sample interval in which an ultrasonic signal reflected from an object can be received, separating the signal of the sample interval from the received ultrasonic signal, equalizing the amplitude of the separated ultrasonic signal to correct attenuation distortion caused by the ultrasonic barrier, and applying a sampling time delay per channel to smoothly connect the wavefronts of adjacent channels and signals to extract a signal to be imaged, thereby correcting aberration distortion caused by the ultrasonic barrier, so as to provide an accurate and high-resolution ultrasonic image of an object located beyond the ultrasonic barrier.

Inventors

권민우
이학주
김재현
박춘광
장봉균
김광섭
이재화
최해진

Assignees

한국기계연구원
재단법인 파동에너지 극한제어 연구단

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20230927
Priority Date: 20230309

Claims (14)

A channel section including a plurality of channels for transmitting and receiving ultrasound; A correction unit that corrects distortion caused by an ultrasonic barrier in an ultrasonic signal received by the above-mentioned channel unit; An imaging unit that visualizes an ultrasound signal into an ultrasound image; and A reference information providing unit that provides reference information necessary for correction to the correction unit; An ultrasonic imaging system comprising: a correction unit that determines a sample interval in which an ultrasonic signal reflected from an object can be received using the reference information; separates the signal of the sample interval from the ultrasonic signal received by the channel unit and then equalizes the amplitude of the separated ultrasonic signal to correct attenuation distortion caused by the ultrasonic barrier; and applies a sampling time delay per channel to extract a signal to be imaged and corrects aberration distortion caused by the ultrasonic barrier.
In paragraph 1, The above correction unit determines an initial sampling time delay set in which an ultrasonic signal reflected from the object is predicted to be received, sets a plurality of sampling time delay sets within a certain interval range from the determined initial sampling time delay set, selects a sampling time delay set capable of generating an image with a preset quality as an optimized sampling time delay set, and extracts the signal to be imaged according to the selected optimized sampling time delay set.
In paragraph 2, An ultrasound imaging system characterized by the correction unit determining the initial sampling time delay set so that signals with the strongest signal strength are extracted from the ultrasound signals received by the channel unit.
In any one of paragraphs 1 through 3, An ultrasound imaging system characterized by the above reference information including one or more of the following: ultrasound velocity at an ultrasound barrier, ultrasound velocity in a section other than the ultrasound barrier, thickness of the ultrasound barrier, distance to an object, size of an object, and distance between objects.
In paragraph 2, The above reference information includes a reference ultrasonic signal for a reference object whose shape is already known and which is captured together with the target object, or a reference image formed by imaging the above reference ultrasonic signal, wherein the above reference ultrasonic signal or reference image is acquired in a state without an ultrasonic barrier, and the correction unit determines the sample interval by considering the time difference between the interval in which a signal representing the above reference object is received in the received ultrasonic signal and the interval in which a signal representing the above reference object is received in the above reference ultrasonic signal, and the distance difference between the above reference object and the target object.
In paragraph 4, The above correction unit selects the optimized sampling time delay set based on image quality among a plurality of sampling time delay sets, and the optimized sampling time delay set based on image quality is a sampling time delay set capable of maximizing the brightness of an object, minimizing the size of the focal point, or generating an ultrasound image with a shape most similar to a known object shape, characterized by an ultrasound imaging system.
In paragraph 5, An ultrasound imaging system characterized by the correction unit selecting, among a plurality of sampling time delay sets, a sampling time delay set that minimizes the standard deviation or variance of intensity between the ultrasound image based on the corrected ultrasound signal and the pixels of the corresponding reference image as the optimized sampling time delay set.
A step of transmitting an ultrasonic signal toward an ultrasonic barrier; A step of receiving an ultrasonic signal distorted by the ultrasonic barrier; A step of providing reference information necessary for correction; A step of determining a sample interval in which an ultrasonic signal reflected from an object can be received using the above reference information, separating the signal of the sample interval from the received ultrasonic signal, and then equalizing the amplitude of the separated ultrasonic signal to correct attenuation distortion caused by the ultrasonic barrier; A step of extracting a signal to be imaged by applying a sampling time delay per channel and correcting aberration distortion caused by the ultrasonic barrier; and A step of visualizing the corrected ultrasound signal into an ultrasound image; Ultrasound imaging method including
In paragraph 8, The step of correcting the above-mentioned aberration distortion A step of determining an initial sampling time delay set in which an ultrasonic signal reflected from the above object is predicted to be received; A step of setting a plurality of sampling time delay sets within a certain interval range from the above initial sampling time delay set; A step of selecting a sampling time delay set capable of generating a video having a preset quality as an optimized sampling time delay set; and A step of extracting the signal to be visualized according to a selected optimized sampling time delay set; Ultrasound imaging method characterized by including
In Paragraph 9, An ultrasound imaging method characterized by the step of determining the initial sampling time delay set above, wherein the initial sampling time delay set is determined such that signals with the strongest signal strength are extracted.
In any one of paragraphs 8 through 10, An ultrasound imaging method characterized by the above reference information including one or more of the following: ultrasound velocity at an ultrasound barrier, ultrasound velocity in a section other than the ultrasound barrier, thickness of the ultrasound barrier, distance to an object, size of an object, and distance between objects.
In Paragraph 9, An ultrasound imaging method characterized by the step of providing the above reference information, which involves detecting a reference object whose shape is already known and which is captured together with the object, and providing as reference material a reference ultrasound signal for the object obtained in a state without an ultrasound barrier or a reference image in which the reference ultrasound signal is visualized.
In Paragraph 9, An ultrasound imaging method characterized in that the above-mentioned optimized sampling time delay set is a sampling time delay set capable of maximizing the brightness of the object, minimizing the size of the focal point, or generating an ultrasound image with a shape most similar to a known object shape.
In Paragraph 12, Ultrasound imaging method characterized by selecting a sampling time delay set as an optimized sampling time delay set such that the standard deviation or variance of intensity between the ultrasound image produced by the corrected ultrasound signal and the pixels of the corresponding reference image is minimized.

Description

System and Method For Ultrasound Imaging The present invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system and method. More specifically, the present invention relates to an ultrasound imaging system and method for imaging a distorted object beyond a barrier that scatters or refracts ultrasound with high resolution. Ultrasound imaging diagnostic technology is widely used for diagnosing organs without ultrasound barriers, such as the liver, breast, and thyroid, where bones or gases are absent. In contrast, ultrasound imaging is difficult to use for organs such as the brain, heart, lungs, stomach, and intestines that are surrounded by or adjacent to barriers that make ultrasound penetration difficult and cause disordered refraction and scattering of signals, such as the skull, ribs, and gases within the respiratory or digestive systems. In particular, since the brain is protected by the skull, clear images can only be obtained through the fissure known as the anterior fontanelle during the neonatal period, and in adults, obtaining brain ultrasound images is very difficult, so cerebral blood flow ultrasound is used only to a limited extent. Furthermore, when obtaining cardiac ultrasound images, ultrasound is transmitted and received through the rib cage, resulting in diagnosis with low resolution within a limited imaging range; in the case of the lungs, ultrasound imaging is impossible due to ribs and internal gas, and similarly, in the case of digestive organs such as the stomach and intestines, ultrasound imaging is impossible due to internal gas. As such, when ultrasound imaging is not possible, imaging diagnostic devices such as CT and MRI are used; however, these devices present a problem in that they cannot be used in emergency situations requiring rapid response or for critically ill patients requiring continuous monitoring, due to factors such as low mobility (CT, MRI), radiation hazards (CT), contrast agent toxicity (CT, MRI), and waiting times for appointments (MRI). Figure 1 is a block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a drawing showing an exemplary method of position adjustment by a position adjustment unit. Figure 4 is a flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a flowchart showing exemplary steps of the damping distortion correction step. Figure 6 is a flowchart showing exemplary steps of the aberration distortion correction step. Figure 7 is a flowchart of an ultrasound imaging method according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 shows the ultrasound signal and ultrasound image of a blood vessel mimic tube acquired without an ultrasound barrier. Figure 9 shows the ultrasound signal and ultrasound image of the blood vessel mimic tube acquired with an ultrasound barrier present for the blood vessel mimic tube of Figure 8. Figure 10 is an ultrasonic signal and an ultrasonic image corrected according to an embodiment of the present invention for the ultrasonic signal of Figure 9. Hereinafter, an ultrasound imaging system and method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the following description, only the parts necessary to understand the ultrasound imaging system and method according to the embodiments of the present invention are described, and the description of other parts may be omitted so as not to distract from the gist of the present invention. In addition, the terms and words used in the specification and claims described below should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention so as to most appropriately express the invention. Throughout the specification, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components. Furthermore, terms such as "…part," "…unit," and "module" as used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and this may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. In various embodiments, components having the same configuration are described using the same reference numerals, and are described in a representative manner in one embodiment, while in other embodiments, configurations different from one embodiment are described. A block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. As illustrated in FIG. 1, an ultrasound imaging system (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a channel unit (10),