# US 11,432,806 B2 · Information processing apparatus, information processing method, and storage medium

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- Number: US 11,432,806 B2
- Document ID: US11432806B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/735,498
- Filed: 2020-01-06
- Published: 2020-07-16
- Granted: 2022-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 2019-01-11
- Assignees: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Yoshitaka Baba; Kenichi Nagae; Yukio Furukawa; Kouichi Kato; Hiroshi Abe
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11432806B2

## CPC

- A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image}
- A61B 8/5269: {involving detection or reduction of artifacts}
- A61B 8/0833: {involving detecting or locating foreign bodies or organic structures}
- A61B 8/14: Echotomography
- A61B 8/5246: {combining images from the same or different imaging techniques, e.g. color Doppler and B-mode}
- A61B 8/54: {Control of the diagnostic device}
- G01S 7/52077: {with means for elimination of unwanted signals, e.g. noise or interference}
- G01S 15/8927: {using simultaneously or sequentially two or more subarrays or subapertures}
- G01S 15/8977: {using special techniques for image reconstruction, e.g. FFT, geometrical transformations, spatial deconvolution, time deconvolution}
- G06T 7/0014: {using an image reference approach}
- G06T 2207/30004: Biomedical image processing
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- 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
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

An information processing apparatus includes an image data acquisition unit and a template data acquisition unit. The image data acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of image data generated by performing a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations on a subject while changing an ultrasonic wave transmission and reception mode. The template data acquisition unit acquires a plurality of pieces of template data corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations, respectively. The similarity information acquisition unit acquires information indicating a similarity between an image value sequence of the plurality of pieces of image data at a target position and a template data sequence of the plurality of pieces of template data at the target position.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An information processing apparatus comprising:
a processor and a memory coupled to each other and to perform operations including:
acquiring a plurality of pieces of image data generated by performing a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations on a subject, while changing an ultrasonic wave transmission and reception mode, acquiring a plurality of pieces of template data corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations, respectively, and
acquiring information indicating a similarity between an image value sequence of the plurality of pieces of image data at a target position and a template data sequence of the plurality of pieces of template data at the target position,
wherein acquiring information includes calculating, as the acquired information indicating the similarity between the image value sequence and the template data sequence, a correlation based on the following expression (1):
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where coordinates of the target position are represented by (X, Y, Z), a number of each of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations is represented by i (i=1 to N), information indicating the correlation is represented by R, an image value included in the image value sequence is represented by P, and template data included in the template data sequence is represented by α.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of template data is template data in which a spatial sensitivity distribution of a subject information acquisition apparatus configured to execute the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations is reflected.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of template data is an estimated value indicating an image value of image data to be generated in a case where an ultrasonic scattering substance is present at the target position in each of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein acquiring the plurality of pieces of template data includes assigning coordinates to predetermined template data based on relative position information indicating a relative position between the target position and array configured to receive an ultrasonic echo signal in the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein acquiring the plurality of pieces of template data includes acquiring relative position information indicating a relative position between the target position and an array configured to receive an ultrasonic echo signal in the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations and by reading out template data corresponding to the relative position information from a storage.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an image value included in the image value sequence and template data included in the template data sequence are each associated with a common ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operation.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display controller configured to cause a display to display an image based on the acquired information indicating the similarity between the image value sequence and the template data sequence.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein acquiring the plurality of pieces of image data includes generating combined image data by combining the plurality of pieces of image data, and generating weighted combined image data by weighting the combined image data by using the acquired information indicating the similarity between the image value sequence and the template data sequence.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a display controller configured to cause a display unit to display an image based on the weighted combined image data.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a display controller,
wherein acquiring the plurality of pieces of image data includes generating combined image data by combining the plurality of pieces of image data, and
wherein the display controller is configured to cause a display to selectively display combined image data corresponding to a position where the similarity between the image value sequence and the template data sequence satisfies a predetermined condition.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of image data is image data generated so as to vary an ultrasonic wave transmission position or an ultrasonic wave reception position in each of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of pieces of template data includes template data generated by changing a size of a scattering substance with respect to an ultrasonic wave.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, in the ultrasonic wave transmission and reception mode, the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations are different in one of an ultrasonic wave transmission beam focusing mode, an ultrasonic wave reception beam focusing mode, and an ultrasonic wave transmission direction.

### Claim 14

A method for an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:
acquiring a plurality of pieces of image data generated by performing a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations on a subject, while changing an ultrasonic wave transmission and reception mode;
acquiring a plurality of pieces of template data corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations, respectively; and
acquiring information indicating a similarity between an image value sequence of the plurality of pieces of image data at a target position and a template data sequence of the plurality of pieces of template data at the target position,
wherein acquiring information includes calculating, as the acquired information indicating the similarity between the image value sequence and the template data sequence, a correlation based on the following expression (1):
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where coordinates of the target position are represented by (X, Y, Z), a number of each of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations is represented by i (i=1 to N), information indicating the correlation is represented by R, an image value included in the image value sequence is represented by P, and template data included in the template data sequence is represented by a.

### Claim 15

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program to cause a computer to perform a method for an information processing apparatus, the method comprising:
acquiring a plurality of pieces of image data generated by performing a plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations on a subject, while changing an ultrasonic wave transmission and reception mode;
acquiring a plurality of pieces of template data corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations, respectively; and
acquiring information indicating a similarity between an image value sequence of the plurality of pieces of image data at a target position and a template data sequence of the plurality of pieces of template data at the target position,
wherein acquiring information includes calculating, as the acquired information indicating the similarity between the image value sequence and the template data sequence, a correlation based on the following expression (1):
R
⁡
(
X
,
Y
,
Z
)
=
∑
i
=
1
N
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(
P
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where coordinates of the target position are represented by (X, Y, Z), a number of each of the plurality of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception operations is represented by i (i=1 to N), information indicating the correlation is represented by R, an image value included in the image value sequence is represented by P, and template data included in the template data sequence is represented by α.