# US 2026/0294381 A1 · Liver capsule depth and angle detection

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- Number: US 2026/0294381 A1
- Document ID: US20260294381A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 19/474,782
- Filed: 2024-04-03
- Published: 2026-10-01
- Earliest claimed: 2023-04-12
- Assignees: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Applicants: Koninklijke Philips N.V.
- Inventors: Man Minh Nguyen; Elizabeth Herbst; Hua Xie
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20260294381A1

## CPC

- A61B 8/085: {for locating body or organic structures, e.g. tumours, calculi, blood vessels, nodules}
- A61B 8/4483: {characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer}
- A61B 8/461: {Displaying means of special interest}
- A61B 8/469: {for selection of a region of interest}
- A61B 8/5223: {for extracting a diagnostic or physiological parameter from medical diagnostic data (for algorithms to analyse biomedical images G06T7/0012)}
- A61B 8/5269: {involving detection or reduction of artifacts}
- A61B 8/54: {Control of the diagnostic device}
- G06T 7/0012: {Biomedical image inspection}
- G06T 7/73: using feature-based methods
- G06T 2200/24: involving graphical user interfaces [GUIs]
- G06T 2207/10132: Ultrasound image
- G06T 2207/30056: Liver; Hepatic
- A61B: DIAGNOSIS; SURGERY; IDENTIFICATION (usefulness limited to only animals A61D)
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL

## Abstract

An ultrasound system (100) includes a memory (151) that stores instructions; and a processor (152) that executes the instructions. When executed by the processor (152), the instructions cause the ultrasound system (100) to: obtain ultrasound images from a transducer array (113) of an ultrasound probe (110); detect, based on the ultrasound images, a depth of a liver capsule relative to the transducer array (113) and an angle of the transducer array (113) relative to the liver capsule; and generate feedback based on the depth and the angle.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An ultrasound system comprising:
a memory that stores instructions; and
a processor that executes the instructions, wherein, when executed by the processor the instructions cause the ultrasound system to:
obtain ultrasound images from a transducer array of an ultrasound probe;
detect, based on the ultrasound images, a depth of a liver capsule relative to the transducer array and an angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule; and
generate feedback based on the depth and the angle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound system of claim 1, further comprising:
the ultrasound probe including the transducer array; and
a display (180) configured to display the feedback generated based on the depth and angle.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The ultrasound system of claim 2, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound system to:
display the liver capsule in ultrasound images on the display; and
mark the liver capsule in the ultrasound images displayed on the display.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound system to:
filter image data of the ultrasound images to remove speckle variability;
generate first derivatives of the filtered image data to identify changes in signal intensities relative to depth;
apply a threshold to the first derivatives of the filtered image data to identify possible liver capsule boundaries;
for each image line, identify a last point which passes the threshold inside a search window as representing the liver capsule;
eliminate outliers of possible capsule boundary points; and
draw the liver capsule using linear fitting.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The ultrasound system of claim 2, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound system to:
determine whether a user interface has been activated; and
detect the depth and the angle based on determining that the user interface has been activated.

### Claim 6 (depends on 2)

The ultrasound system of claim 2, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound system to:
compare the angle to a threshold, wherein the feedback comprises the depth, the angle, and a warning when the angle is greater than the threshold.

### Claim 7 (depends on 2)

The ultrasound system of claim 2, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound system to:
adjust a threshold used to detect the liver capsule based on user input.

### Claim 8 (depends on 2)

The ultrasound system of claim 2, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound system to:
measure a thickness of the liver capsule; and
compare a measurement of the thickness of the liver capsule to a threshold.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the memory and the processor are implemented in an ultrasound base.

### Claim 10

An ultrasound probe comprising:
a transducer array;
a memory that stores instructions; and
a processor that executes the instructions, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the ultrasound probe to:
obtain ultrasound images from the transducer array;
detect, based on the ultrasound images, a depth of a liver capsule relative to the transducer array and an angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule; and
generate feedback based on the depth and the angle.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The ultrasound probe of claim 10, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions cause the ultrasound probe to:
output the feedback for display on a display.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The ultrasound probe of claim 11, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound probe to:
accept input from a user interface; and mark the liver capsule in the ultrasound images for display on the display.

### Claim 13 (depends on 10)

The ultrasound probe of claim 10, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound probe to:
filter image data of the ultrasound images to remove speckle variability;
generate first derivatives of the filtered image data to identify changes in signal intensities relative to depth;
apply a threshold to the first derivatives of the filtered image data to identify possible liver capsule boundaries;
for each image line, identify a last point which passes the threshold inside a search window as representing the liver capsule;
eliminate outliers of possible capsule boundary points; and
draw the liver capsule using linear fitting.

### Claim 14 (depends on 11)

The ultrasound probe of claim 11, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound probe to:
determine whether a user interface has been activated; and
detect the depth and the angle based on determining that the user interface has been activated.

### Claim 15 (depends on 11)

The ultrasound probe of claim 11, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound probe to:
compare the angle to a threshold, wherein the feedback comprises the depth, the angle, and a warning when the angle is greater than the threshold.

### Claim 16 (depends on 11)

The ultrasound probe of claim 11, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound probe to:
adjust a threshold used to detect the liver capsule based on user input.

### Claim 17 (depends on 11)

The ultrasound probe of claim 11, wherein, when executed by the processor, the instructions further cause the ultrasound probe to:
measure a thickness of the liver capsule; and
compare a measurement of the thickness of the liver capsule to a threshold.

### Claim 18

A method of operating an ultrasound probe comprising a transducer array, a memory that stores instructions, and a processor that executes the instructions, the method comprising:
when the instructions are executed by the processor, obtaining ultrasound images from the transducer array;
detecting, based on the ultrasound images, a depth of a liver capsule relative to the transducer array and an angle of the transducer array relative to the liver capsule; and
generating feedback based on the depth and the angle.