# US 11,908,110 B2 · Ultrasound imaging system with improved dynamic range control > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,908,110 B2 - Document ID: US11908110B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/262,921 - Filed: 2019-07-19 - Published: 2021-08-12 - Granted: 2024-02-20 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-24 - Assignees: Koninklijke Philips N.V. - Applicants: Koninklijke Philips N.V. - Inventors: Francois Guy Gerard Marie Vignon; David Wesley Clark; Darwin Philip Adams; David Prater; Aditya Periyapatna Nagendra; Kirthi Radhakrishnan; Roy Allan Sivley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11908110B2 ## CPC - G06T 5/92: based on global image properties - G01S 7/52071: {Multicolour displays; using colour coding; Optimising colour or information content in displays, e.g. parametric imaging} - G01S 7/52077: {with means for elimination of unwanted signals, e.g. noise or interference} - G01S 7/52084: {related to particular user interfaces (special user input means for ultrasonic medical diagnostic devices A61B8/467)} - G01S 15/8906: {Short-range imaging systems; Acoustic microscope systems using pulse-echo techniques} - G06T 5/20: using local operators - G06T 5/50: using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction - G06T 5/70: Denoising; Smoothing - A61B 8/5207: {involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image} - G06T 2200/24: involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs] - G06T 2207/10132: Ultrasound image - G06T 2207/20092: Interactive image processing based on input by user - G06T 2207/30048: Heart; Cardiac - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL - 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 - A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D) ## Abstract An ultrasound imaging system has an improved dynamic range control which enables a user to reduce image haze with substantially no effect on bright tissue in the image and without increasing speckle variance. A dynamic range processor processes an input image to produce an approximation image which is a spatially low pass filtered version of the input image. The dynamic range of the approximation image is compressed, and image detail, unaffected by the compression, is added back to produce a dynamically compressed image for display. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An ultrasound imaging system with image dynamic range control comprising: a transducer array probe; a beamformer coupled to the probe; an image processor coupled to the beamformer and configured to produce ultrasound images; a dynamic range processor, coupled to the image processor, and adapted produce an approximation image in response to an input image, to apply dynamic range compression to the approximation image, and to add image detail to the dynamic range compressed approximation image; and a display, coupled to the dynamic range processor, and adapted to display a dynamic range compressed approximation image with added image detail. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the approximation image further comprises a spatial low pass form of the input image. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the dynamic range processor is further adapted to one or more of converting a low range of image values of the approximation to a black value or converting a high range of image values of the approximation image to a white value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the image detail further comprises the difference between the input image and the approximation image. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 3, wherein the ultrasound imaging system further comprises a user control coupled to the dynamic range processor. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 5, wherein the user control is further adapted to define the low range of input values to be converted to a black value. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 6, wherein the user control is further adapted to simultaneously define the high range of input values to be converted to a white value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 5, wherein the user control is further adapted to define the high range of input values to be converted to a white value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 2, wherein the dynamic range processor is further adapted to produce an approximation image value from a plurality of input image values. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 9, wherein the dynamic range processor is further adapted to spatially low pass filter an input image value with spatially adjacent image input values. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, wherein the image detail added to the dynamic range compressed approximation image further comprises speckle dynamic range information. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 11, wherein the image detail added to the dynamic range compressed approximation image further comprises image detail weighted by a speckle dynamic range term. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 12, further comprising a user interface control, coupled to the dynamic range processor, and adapted to enable user variation of the speckle dynamic range term. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 1, further comprising a user control adapted to weight the image detail to be added to the dynamic range compressed approximation image. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The ultrasound imaging system of claim 14, wherein the user control is further adapted to smooth the image produced by the display.