Dematerialized, multi-user system for the acquisition, generation and processing of ultrasound images

System for the acquisition, generation and processing of diagnostic images which system includes:

• at least one target scanning unit equipped with a communication unit to transmit the corresponding data to one or more processing unit(s) that are each also equipped with a communication unit;
• a plurality of displays and/or user interface terminals provided in the proximity of the examination sites and each provided with a communication unit for transmitting to and receiving data from one or more of said processing unit(s) and/or from one or more of said scanning unit;
• a communication network which connects the communication unit of each of the one or more said scanning unit, of the displays and user interface terminals and of said one or more processing unit(s);
• the one or more said scanning unit and said displays and/or user interface terminals each being identified by a corresponding ID and;
• the said one or more processing unit(s) being designed to perform each at least part of the processing steps of the transmission and reception signals for the acquisition, generation and processing of images from said reception data,
• the said processing unit(s) comprising a processing hardware comprising at least one processor, at least one memory, at least one communication unit for transmission and reception, at least an input port and an output port for data and/or commands, said processing unit(s) being uploaded with at least one program in which the instructions to execute are encoded, making the said processing unit(s) capable of executing at least one or more processing steps for transmission and reception of signals for the acquisition, generation and processing of images from said reception data;
• and in which each processing step and/or a group of two or more processing steps are in the form of containers including the application that contains the instructions for the execution of the processing step(s) of the processing unit(s) and the application execution environment with its settings comprising file system, libraries and connections of application programming interface (API) interface necessary for the execution of the application, and a management program that constitutes the container engine for the containers is loaded in the processing unit(s) and executed by processing unit(s);
• wherein the containers share a host operating system configured as a real operating system instead of a virtual operating system;
• and
• wherein the container engine is configured as an engine abstraction module operating between the containers and the real operating system to execute the said application in respective ones of the containers independently of the real operating system and the said processing hardware to allow transfer of one of said containers and the corresponding application to another of said processing unit(s) regardless of type of hardware and/or operating system employed by the another of said processing units(s).

Multi-user system for the acquisition, generation and processing of diagnostic images, which

• system includes:
• a plurality of ultrasound probes configured to scan patients in predetermined examination sites and equipped with a communication unit to transmit the corresponding data to one or more processing units also equipped with a communication unit;
• a plurality of displays and/or user interface terminals provided in the proximity of the examination sites or even in remote locations and provided with a communication unit for transmitting to and receiving data from at least one of said one or more processing units and/or from one or more of said probes;
• at least one communication network which connects the communication units of the probes, displays and user interface terminals and said one or more processing units together;
• said probes and said displays and/or user interface terminals each being identified by a corresponding ID;
• said one or more processing units each comprising a processing hardware comprising at least one processor, at least one memory, at least one communication unit for transmission and reception, at least one input port and one output port for data and/or commands, at least being loaded into each of said one or more processing units a program in which the instructions to execute are coded to make said one or more processing units capable of performing at least one or more processing steps to carry out each at least part of the processing steps of the transmission and reception signals for the acquisition, generation and processing of images from the said received data,
• wherein each processing step and/or a group of two or more processing steps are in the form of containers comprising the application that contains the instructions for the execution of the processing step or steps of said one or more processing units and the environment execution of the application with the relative settings, the libraries and the application programming interface (API) interface connections necessary for the execution of the application, and a management program that constitutes a container engine for the containers is loaded in said one or more processing units and executed by said one or more processing units;
• wherein a distributed structure of the processing units is provided, comprising at least two of the said processing units which are each integrated, respectively, in the probe, said processing units being communicating between them;
• and the processing steps of the reception signals of the probe or probes being divided on the said processing units in such a way that one or more of the said processing units carries out only a part of the processing steps;
• wherein the containers share a host operating system configured as a real operating system instead of a virtual operating system;
• and
• wherein the container engine is configured as an engine abstraction module operating between the containers and the real operating system to execute the said application in respective ones of the containers independently of the real operating system and the said processing hardware to allow transfer of one of said containers and the corresponding application to another of the processing units regardless of type of hardware and/or operating system employed by the another of said processing units.