Model-based control of a dynamic range of an ultrasound image

A method, comprising:

• retrieving a pre-determined noise level of an analog front end of receive circuitry of an ultrasound imaging system;
• configuring processing sub-systems of the ultrasound imaging system, wherein each of processing sub-systems includes multiple processing blocks including no identical and interchangeable processing blocks, and the configuring determines which of the processing blocks are employed and which of the processing blocks are bypassed for a scan;
• determining a noise level for each of the processing sub-systems comprising the employed processing blocks corresponding noise model, including determining an alternating current contribution of the noise level for linear systems of the processing sub-systems based on:
• G
• AC
• =
• ∑
• i
• =
• 0
• N
• -
• 1
• ⁢
• h
• i
• 2
• ,
• where hi are filter coefficients and N is a number of filter coefficients;
• determining a direct current contribution of the noise level for the linear systems of the processing sub-systems based on:
• GDC=Σi=0N-1hi;
• and
• determining a root-mean-square value of the noise level for a respective linear system of the linear systems as:
• νo=√{square root over (σo2+μo2)},
• where σo=GAC·σi and is a standard deviation of noise at the output of the respective linear system, μo=GDC·μi and is a mean value of the noise at the output of the respective linear system, σi is a standard deviation of noise at an input of the respective linear system, and μi is a mean value of the noise at the input of the respective linear system;
• and
• adaptively varying at least one of a gain and a dynamic range of an ultrasound image as a function of depth based on the noise levels of the processing sub-systems to visually present an electrical noise compensated image.

A non-transitory computer readable medium encoded with non-transitory computer executable instructions which when executed by a processor causes the processor to:

• retrieve a pre-determined noise level of an analog front end of receive circuitry of an ultrasound imaging system;
• configure processing sub-systems of the ultrasound imaging system, wherein each of processing sub-systems includes multiple processing blocks, and the configuring determines which of the processing blocks are employed and which of the processing blocks are bypassed for a scan;
• determine a noise level for each of the processing sub-systems comprising the employed processing blocks based on a corresponding noise model, wherein the processing sub-systems comprising the employed processing blocks include at least one linear subsystem and at least one non-linear subsystem, and a noise level of an output of the at least one non-linear processing system is determined based on:
• E
• ⁢
• {
• y
• q
• }
• =
• ∫
• a
• b
• ⁢
• (
• F
• ⁡
• (
• x
• )
• )
• q
• ⁢
• w
• ⁡
• (
• x
• )
• ⁢
• dx
• ∫
• a
• b
• ⁢
• w
• ⁡
• (
• x
• )
• ⁢
• dx
• ,
• wherein E{yq} is an expectation of a qth moment of an output value y, F(x) is a transfer function, and w(x) is a probability density function of a noise x at an input of a processing sub-system, wherein a mean of the output noise is μy=E{y1}, and a standard deviation of the output noise is σy=√{square root over (E{y2}−(E{y1})2)};
• and
• adaptively vary at least one of a gain and a dynamic range of an ultrasound image as a function of depth based on the noise levels of the processing sub-systems to visually present an electrical noise compensated image.