US-12616453-B2 - System configured to adjust setting of ultrasound image, method of controlling the system, and probe included in the system

US12616453B2US 12616453 B2US12616453 B2US 12616453B2US-12616453-B2

Abstract

Provided are an ultrasound imaging system, a method of controlling the ultrasound imaging system, and a probe included in the ultrasound imaging system. The ultrasound imaging system includes a first transducer array and a second transducer array having different specifications, a display configured to display an ultrasound image, an input interface configured to receive a user input related to a setting value of the ultrasound image, and a processor. The processor is configured to identify the setting value of the ultrasound image included in the user input, set an activation transducer array used to generate the ultrasound image among the first transducer array and the second transducer array, based on the setting value, receive the ultrasound data through the activation transducer array, and control the display to display the ultrasound image by using the ultrasound data.

Inventors

Jinho SUNG
Sungjae Lee

Assignees

SAMSUNG MEDISON CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date: 20260505
Application Date: 20240405
Priority Date: 20231228

Claims (18)

1 . An ultrasound imaging system comprising: a first transducer array and a second transducer array, wherein the first transducer array and the second transducer array differ in at least one of a shape, a transmission parameter or a reception parameter; a display configured to display an ultrasound image, based on ultrasound data received through at least one of the first transducer array and the second transducer array; an input interface configured to receive a user input related to a setting value of the ultrasound image, the setting value related to displaying the ultrasound image; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: identify the setting value of the ultrasound image included in the user input; set an activation transducer array used to generate the ultrasound image among the first transducer array and the second transducer array, based on the setting value, wherein the setting value comprises at least one of a magnification ratio of the ultrasound image and a location of a region of interest of the ultrasound image; receive the ultrasound data through the activation transducer array; and control the display to display the ultrasound image by using the ultrasound data, wherein the first transducer array and the second transducer array have central axes parallel to each other and transmit transmission signals in same directions, and wherein the processor is further configured to automatically change the activation transducer array by analyzing image performance changed by user manipulation.
2 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the setting value further includes a depth of the ultrasound image.
3 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 2 , wherein the processor is further configured to, when the magnification ratio is equal to or greater than a minimum change value and less than a first threshold value, change a transmission/reception frequency of the activation transducer array, and, when the magnification ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, change the activation transducer array from the first transducer array to the second transducer array or from the second transducer array to the first transducer array.
4 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: change the activation transducer array from the first transducer array to the second transducer array or from the second transducer array to the first transducer array, based on the setting value; and automatically adjust the transmission parameter and the reception parameter such that a degree of change in the ultrasound image is maintained within a threshold range before and after the activation transducer array is changed.
5 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the transmission parameter includes at least one of a transmission waveform, a transmission frequency, and the number of transmissions, and the reception parameter includes at least one of a reception waveform, a reception frequency, a gain, and a dynamic range.
6 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 4 , wherein the processor sets the transmission parameter and the reception parameter by using at least one of a correlation coefficient between a reference image and the ultrasound image, a bias value indicating error of the ultrasound image, and artificial intelligence that analyzes the ultrasound image, having the ultrasound image as input, and having the transmission parameter and the reception parameter as output, before and after the activation transducer array is changed.
7 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the processor controls the display to display a guidance window indicating that a function of setting the activation transducer array has been executed.
8 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , wherein the first transducer array has a first structure among a plurality of structures, the second transducer array has a second structure among the plurality of structures, and the plurality of structures include a lead zirconate titanate (PZT)-based piezoelectric structure, a single crystal-based piezoelectric structure, a polymer-based piezoelectric structure, a structure using a piezoelectric composite, a capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (cMUT) structure using micro-electromagnetic system (MEMS) technology, and a piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) structure using MEMS technology.
9 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising: a first beamformer connected to the first transducer array; a second beamformer connected to the second transducer array; and a switching module configured to receive the ultrasound data by transmitting a setting signal to at least one of the first beamformer and the second beamformer.
10 . The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1 , further comprising: a switching module configured to receive the ultrasound data by transmitting a setting signal to at least one of the first transducer array and the second transducer array; and a beamformer configured to transmit the setting signal from the processor to the switching module and transmit the ultrasound data from the switching module to the processor.
11 . A method of controlling an ultrasound imaging system, the method comprising: receiving a user input related to a setting value of an ultrasound image, the setting value related to displaying the ultrasound image; identifying the setting value of the ultrasound image included in the user input; setting an activation transducer array used to generate the ultrasound image among a first transducer array and a second transducer array, based on the setting value, wherein the setting value comprises at least one of a magnification ratio of the ultrasound image and a location of a region of interest of the ultrasound image; receiving ultrasound data through the activation transducer array; and displaying the ultrasound image by using the ultrasound data, wherein the first transducer array and the second transducer array have central axes parallel to each other and transmit transmission signals in same directions, and differ in at least one of a shape, a transmission parameter or a reception parameter, and wherein the processor is further configured to automatically change the activation transducer array by analyzing image performance changed by user manipulation.
12 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the setting value further includes a depth of the ultrasound image.
13 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the setting of the activation transducer array comprises: when the magnification ratio is equal to or greater than a minimum change value and less than a first threshold value, changing a transmission/reception frequency of the activation transducer array; and when the magnification ratio is equal to or greater than the first threshold value, changing the activation transducer array from the first transducer array to the second transducer array or from the second transducer array to the first transducer array.
14 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the setting of the activation transducer array comprises: changing the activation transducer array from the first transducer array to the second transducer array or from the second transducer array to the first transducer array, based on the setting value; and automatically adjusting the transmission parameter and the reception parameter such that a degree of change in the ultrasound image is maintained within a threshold range before and after the activation transducer array is changed.
15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the transmission parameter includes at least one of a transmission waveform, a transmission frequency, and the number of transmissions, and the reception parameter includes at least one of a reception waveform, a reception frequency, a gain, a dynamic range, the number of scan lines, multiple beams, and synthesis.
16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the setting of the transmission parameter and the reception parameter by using at least one of a correlation coefficient between a reference image and the ultrasound image, a bias value indicating error of the ultrasound image, and artificial intelligence that analyzes the ultrasound image, having the ultrasound image as input, and having the transmission parameter and the reception parameter as output, before and after the activation transducer array is changed.
17 . The method of claim 11 , wherein the setting of the activation transducer array comprises displaying a guidance window indicating that a function of setting the activation transducer array has been executed.
18 . A probe comprising: a first transducer array; a second transducer array which differs from the first transducer array in at least one of a shape, a transmission parameter or a reception parameter; and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive a setting signal from an ultrasound imaging apparatus that displays an ultrasound image; identify a setting value of the ultrasound image included in the setting signal, the setting value related to displaying the ultrasound image; set an activation transducer array used to generate the ultrasound image among the first transducer array and the second transducer array, based on the setting value, wherein the setting value comprises at least one of a magnification ratio of the ultrasound image and a location of a region of interest of the ultrasound image; receive ultrasound data through the activation transducer array; and transmit the ultrasound data to the ultrasound imaging apparatus, wherein the first transducer array and the second transducer array have central axes parallel to each other and transmit transmission signals in same directions, and wherein the processor is further configured to automatically change the activation transducer array by analyzing image performance changed by user manipulation.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application is based on and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0195382, filed on Dec. 28, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND 1. Field The disclosure relates to an ultrasound imaging system, a method of controlling the ultrasound imaging system, and a probe included in the ultrasound imaging system. 2. Description of the Related Art Recently, in the medical field, various medical imaging apparatuses for imaging information about biological tissue of the human body, for the purpose of early diagnosis of various diseases or surgical operations, are being widely used. Representative examples of such medical imaging apparatuses may include an ultrasound imaging apparatus, a computed tomography (CT) apparatus, and a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) apparatus. Ultrasound imaging apparatuses transmit an ultrasound signal generated by a transducer of a probe to an object and receives information regarding a signal reflected by the object, thereby non-invasively obtaining at least one image of a part (e.g., a soft tissue or a blood stream) inside the object. Ultrasound imaging apparatuses may be used for medical purposes, such as observation of the inside of an object, detection of foreign substances inside the object, and diagnosis of damage thereof. Such ultrasound imaging apparatuses have various advantages, including stability, real-time display, and safety because there is no exposure to radiation, compared to X-ray imaging apparatuses, and thus, the ultrasound imaging apparatuses are commonly used together with other imaging apparatuses. A probe may include a plurality of transducers or a multi-purpose transducer (e.g., a 2D matrix transducer) in order to realize various purposes of an ultrasound imaging apparatus and ensure versatility. The probe may provide a linear array ultrasound image, a convex array ultrasound image, or a phased array ultrasound image to suit a user's purpose. The probe may first set a basic image and then receive a user input for improving image performance. For example, the probe may first set the type of transducer to be activated and then receive a zoom input. The zoom input received by the probe may not affect the type of set transducer. Accordingly, settings for a basic image may be maintained even when the probe receives a user input. SUMMARY Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments of the disclosure. An ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment includes a first transducer array and a second transducer array having different specifications, a display configured to display an ultrasound image, based on ultrasound data received through at least one of the first transducer array and the second transducer array, an input interface configured to receive a user input related to a setting value of the ultrasound image, and a processor. The processor is configured to identify the setting value of the ultrasound image included in the user input, set an activation transducer array used to generate the ultrasound image among the first transducer array and the second transducer array, based on the setting value, receive the ultrasound data through the activation transducer array, and control the display to display the ultrasound image by using the ultrasound data. A method of controlling an ultrasound imaging system, according to an embodiment, includes receiving a user input related to a setting value of an ultrasound image, identifying the setting value of the ultrasound image included in the user input, setting an activation transducer array used to generate the ultrasound image among a first transducer array and a second transducer array having different specifications, based on the setting value, receiving ultrasound data through the activation transducer array, and displaying the ultrasound image by using the ultrasound data. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS This disclosure may be readily understood by reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, in which reference numerals refer to structural elements. The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain embodiments of the disclosure will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams of an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment; FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D are views illustrating an ultrasound imaging apparatus according to an embodiment; FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an ultrasound imaging system according to an embodiment; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of controlling an ultrasound imaging system, according to an embodiment; FIG. 5 il