Adaptive clutter filtering in ultrasound color imaging
AssigneeSiemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.
InventorJihan Kim
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
For adaptive clutter filtering in color imaging by an ultrasound scanner, artificial intelligence discriminates between types of signals and their corresponding locations. This discrimination may be based on scan data from the beamformer and/or estimates of flow or motion. The wall filter adapts or is programmed to use different frequency response location-by-location based on the discrimination.
Claims20
A method for adaptive clutter filtering in color imaging by an ultrasound scanner, the method comprising:
- scanning, by the ultrasound scanner, a patient;
- discriminating, by a machine-learned model, a first region from a second region by first and second types of signals represented in scan data from the scanning;
- applying a first wall filter for the first region of the first type of signal and a second wall filter for the second region of the second type of signal, the first wall filter different than the second wall filter;
- and
- color imaging, by the ultrasound scanner, using estimates resulting from the applying of the first and second wall filters.
A method for adaptive clutter filtering in color imaging by an ultrasound scanner, the method comprising:
- generating a discrimination map discriminating sample locations into multiple categories, the discrimination map generated by an artificial intelligence;
- adapting clutter filtering based on the discrimination map;
- and
- color flow imaging using the clutter filtering as adapted.
An ultrasound system for color imaging, the ultrasound system comprising:
- a transducer and beamformer for scanning a scan region;
- a programmable wall filter;
- an image processor configured to segment, by application of a machine-learned segmentation model, the scan region into at least two classes and adapt settings of the programmable wall filter based on the at least two classes such that different locations of the scan region use different ones of the settings;
- a Doppler estimator configured to estimate, from data filtered by the programmable wall filter based on the settings, color values in the scan region;
- and
- a display configured to display an image using the color values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.