# US 10,441,249 B2 · Ultrasound diagnosis apparatus and method of operating the same

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,441,249 B2
- Document ID: US10441249B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 14/744,446
- Filed: 2015-06-19
- Published: 2016-06-30
- Granted: 2019-10-15
- Earliest claimed: 2014-12-31
- Assignees: Samsung Medison Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Medison Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Han-eol Kim
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10441249B2

## CPC

- A61B 8/483: {involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data}
- A61B 8/463: {characterised by displaying multiple images or images and diagnostic data on one display}
- A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image}
- A61B 8/523: {for generating planar views from image data in a user selectable plane not corresponding to the acquisition plane}
- G16H 40/63: for local operation
- A61B 8/085: {for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules}
- A61B 8/12: in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters
- A61B 8/4405: {Device being mounted on a trolley}
- A61B 8/4472: {Wireless probes}
- A61B 8/466: {adapted to display 3D data}
- G01S 7/52073: {Production of cursor lines, markers or indicia by electronic means}
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G16H: HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS, i.e. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR THE HANDLING OR PROCESSING OF MEDICAL OR HEALTHCARE DATA
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES

## Abstract

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus includes: an ultrasound probe; a display; an image processor; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the image processor, perform operations. The operations includes acquiring ultrasound data about an object; generating an ultrasound image, based on the acquired ultrasound data; generating a first marker for a first object of interest (OOI) which is not included in the generated ultrasound image; displaying the generated ultrasound image and a map image representing a viewing point corresponding to the ultrasound image, a viewing direction, a region that a virtual ray reaches, and a position of the first OOI; and marking the first marker to correspond to the position of the first OOI on the ultrasound image and the map image.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An ultrasound diagnosis apparatus comprising:
an ultrasound probe;
a display;
an image processor; and
a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the image processor, cause the image processor to perform operations comprising:
acquiring ultrasound data about an object representing a part of a human or animal from the ultrasound probe;
generating a first ultrasound image in a first viewing direction with a first viewing point and a map image corresponding to the first ultrasound image, based on the acquired ultrasound data;
detecting objects of interest (OOIs) representing at least one of an organ, a polyp, or a lump in the object, based on the acquired ultrasound data;
determining a first object of interest (OOI) which is not included in the first ultrasound image among the OOIs, based on the first ultrasound image;
controlling the display to display the map image representing a relationship between a first region that a virtual ray reaches based on the first viewing direction with the first viewing point and a position of the first OOI; and
controlling the display to display a first marker corresponding to the position of the first OOI outside or inside of the first ultrasound image, based on the relationship between the first region that the virtual ray reaches and the position of the first OOI;
adjusting at least one of the first viewing point or the first viewing direction to be a second viewing point or a second viewing direction, respectively, based on the relationship, so that the position of the first OOI is included in an area that the virtual ray reaches; and
controlling the display to display a second ultrasound image based on the at least one of the second viewing point or the second viewing direction, and to display a second marker corresponding to the position of the first OOI on the second ultrasound image,
wherein, when the position of the first OOI is not included in the area that the virtual ray reaches, the controlling the display to display the first marker includes:
controlling the display to display the first marker in a border region among outer border regions of the first ultrasound image, based on the relationship.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound data is three-dimensional (3D) volume data, and each of the first and second ultrasound images is a 3D ultrasound image which is generated by volume-rendering the 3D volume data.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first marker comprises at least one selected from a text, an image, and a moving image which represent the first OOI.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor determines a color or a size of the first marker, based on the position of the first OOI.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 4, wherein the image processor determines the size of the first marker, based on a distance between the first viewing point and a point indicating the position of the first OOI.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein,
the image processor generates a third marker corresponding to a second OOI which is included in the second ultrasound image, and the display marks the third marker on the second ultrasound image for the third marker corresponding to a position of the second OOI.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 6, wherein the display marks the third marker in a color or size different from the first marker.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein when the first OOI is located in a second region that is in front of a region corresponding to the first ultrasound image with respect to the first viewing direction, the image processor controls the display to mark the first marker on the first ultrasound image.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound diagnosis apparatus of claim 1, wherein the image processor controls the display to mark the first marker on the border region of the first ultrasound image when the first OOI is located in at least one selected from a left region, a right region, an upper region, and a lower region of a region corresponding to the first ultrasound image with respect to the first viewing direction.

### Claim 10

A method of operating an ultrasound diagnosis apparatus, the method comprising:
acquiring, by an image processor, ultrasound data about an object representing a part of a human or animal;
generating, by the image processor, a first ultrasound image in a first viewing direction with a first viewing point and a map image corresponding to the first ultrasound image, based on the ultrasound data;
detecting, by the image processor, objects of interest (OOIs) representing at least one of an organ, a polyp, or a lump in the object, based on the acquired ultrasound data;
determining, by the image processor, a first object of interest (OOI) which is not included in the first ultrasound image among the OOIs based on the first ultrasound image;
controlling, by the image processor, a display to display the first map image representing a relationship between a first region that a virtual ray reaches based on the first viewing direction with the first viewing point and a position of the first OOI; and
controlling, by the image processor, the display to display a first marker corresponding to the position of the first OOI outside or inside of the first ultrasound image, based on the relationship between the first region that the virtual ray reaches and the position of the first OOI;
adjusting by the image processor, at least one of the first viewing point or the first viewing direction to be a second viewing point or a second viewing direction, respectively, based on the relationship, so that the position of the first OOI is included in an area that the virtual ray reaches; and
controlling, by the image processor, the display to display a second ultrasound image based on the at least one of the second viewing point or the second viewing direction, and to display a second marker corresponding to the position of the first OOI on the second ultrasound image,
wherein, when the position of the first OOI is not included in the area that the virtual ray reaches, the controlling the display to display the first marker comprises
controlling the display to display the first marker in a first border region among outer border regions of the first ultrasound image, based on the relationship.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the ultrasound data is three-dimensional (3D) volume data, and each of the first and second ultrasound images is a 3D ultrasound image which is generated by volume-rendering the 3D volume data.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the first marker comprises at least one selected from a text, an image, and a moving image which represent the first OOI.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the generating of the first marker comprises determining a color or a size of the first marker, based on the position of the first OOI.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The method of claim 13, wherein the generating of the first marker comprises determining the size of the first marker, based on a distance between the first viewing point and a point indicating the position of the first OOI.

### Claim 15 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, further comprising:
generating a third marker corresponding to a second OOI which is included in the second ultrasound image, and marking the third marker on the second ultrasound image for the third marker corresponding to a position of the second OOI.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The method of claim 15, wherein the marking the third marker comprises marking the third marker in a color or size different from the first marker.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the controlling the display to display the first marker comprises marking the first marker on the first ultrasound image when the first OOI is located in a second region that is in front of a region corresponding to the first ultrasound image with respect to the first viewing direction.

### Claim 18 (depends on 10)

The method of claim 10, wherein the controlling the display to display the first marker comprises marking the first marker on a border region of the first ultrasound image when the first OOI is located in at least one selected from a left region, a right region, an upper region, and a lower region of a region corresponding to the first ultrasound image with respect to the first viewing direction.