US 11,231,431 B2Granted

Ultrasound imaging device and imaging method thereof

AssigneeShenzhen Mindray Bio-Medical Electronics Co., Ltd.

InventorsZhiwei Shi, Ziyan Zhu, Lei Zhu

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Abstract

A 3D ultrasound imaging device including an ultrasound probe assembly and echo analyzer. The ultrasound probe assembly includes a housing and an acoustic window abutted against the housing to form a sealed chamber, wherein the surface of the acoustic window contacts with the breast of the human body to be examined; an ultrasound transducer moves at a first speed back and forth within the sealed chamber and performs high-speed pre-scanning through the acoustic window to obtain initial ultrasound signals; the echo analyzer analyzes the initial ultrasound signals to determine a quality of a ultrasound image acquired by the high speed pre-scanning; and the ultrasound transducer then moves at a second speed to perform another scan to acquire new ultrasound signals. A 3D ultrasound imaging method is also disclosed.

Claims34

Dependent claims

An ultrasound imaging method using an ultrasound probe assembly including a housing, an acoustic window disposed at a bottom portion of the housing, and an ultrasound transducer disposed above the acoustic window and being movable across the acoustic window to scan a target object, at least a part of a lower surface of the acoustic window contacting with the target object, the ultrasound imaging method comprising:

pre-scanning the target object by moving the ultrasound transducer above the acoustic window at a first speed to obtain first ultrasound echo signals;
determining, based on the first ultrasound echo signals, a degree of contact between the acoustic window and the target object;
displaying an indication of the degree of contact between the acoustic window and the target object, wherein the indication comprises a two-dimensional graphical representation of an entire scanning plane of the acoustic window traversed by the ultrasound transducer, wherein the two-dimensional graphical representation is divided into at least one contact area and at least one noncontact area, wherein the at least one contact area corresponds to at least one region of the acoustic window having a higher degree of contact with the target object, and the at least one noncontact area corresponds to at least one region of the acoustic window having a lower degree of contact with the target object;
and
in response to a decision by a user to enter a data collection stage after observing the indication of the degree of contact:
re-scanning the target object by moving the ultrasound transducer above the acoustic window at a second speed to obtain second ultrasound echo signals, wherein the second speed is slower than the first speed;
acquiring an ultrasound image of the target object according to the second ultrasound echo signals;
and
displaying the ultrasound image.

6 more elements

An ultrasound imaging device, comprising:

an ultrasound probe assembly comprising:
a housing;
an acoustic window disposed at a bottom portion of the housing and at least a part of a lower surface of the acoustic window contacts with a target object by an angle and a position;
an ultrasound transducer disposed above the acoustic window and configured to scan the target object;
an ultrasound transducer driving mechanism which is connected with the ultrasound transducer and drives the ultrasound transducer at a first speed to perform a first scanning to the target object to obtain first ultrasound echo signals;
a signal processor which:
receives and analyzes the first ultrasound echo signals,
determines, based on the first ultrasound echo signals, a degree of contact between the acoustic window and the target object, and
a display screen that displays an indication of the degree of contact between the acoustic window and the target object, wherein the indication comprises a two-dimensional graphical representation of an entire scanning plane of the acoustic window scanned by the ultrasound transducer, wherein the two-dimensional graphical representation is divided into at least one contact area and at least one noncontact area, wherein the at least one contact area corresponds to at least one two-dimensional region of the acoustic window having a higher degree of contact with the target object, and the at least one noncontact area corresponds to at least one two-dimensional region of the acoustic window having a lower degree of contact with the target object;
the ultrasound transducer driving mechanism further configured, in response to a decision by a user after observing the indication of the degree of contact on the display screen, re-scan the target object by moving the ultrasound transducer at a second speed to obtain second ultrasound echo signals, wherein the second speed is slower than the first speed
the signal processor further configured to receive the second ultrasound echo signals and generate an ultrasound image based on the second ultrasound echo signals;
and
the display screen further configured to display the ultrasound image.

10 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 15/198,457Filed 30 Jun 2016 · continuation
Priority: CN 201310746549.030 Dec 2013
Published: US 2016/0302759 A120 Oct 2016
Granted: 25 Jan 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification17 codes

G01N 35/021
Using a plurality of sample containers moved by a conveyor system past one or more treatment or analysis stations: having a flexible chain, e.g.…
A61B 8/0825
Clinical applications: for diagnosis of the breast, e.g. mammography
A61B 8/13
Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves: tomography
A61B 8/14
Tomography: echotomography