Method and apparatus for performing frame interpolation in an ultrasound imaging system

An ultrasound imaging system for producing color flow images of a tissue sample, comprising:

• a monitor on which the color flow images are displayed at a vertical sync rate;
• a transmitter that produces ultrasonic driving signals;
• a transducer coupled to the transmitter that converts the ultrasonic driving signals into ultrasonic sound waves that are directed into the tissue sample and creates ultrasonic echo signals from echoes produced by the tissue;
• a receiver coupled to the transducer that receives the ultrasonic echo signals and produces data used to display a first and a second color flow image;
• a memory coupled to the receiver that stores the data used to display at least the first and second color flow image;
• and
• an image processing circuit that reads the data stored for the first and second color flow images and produces one or more interpolated images that are displayed on the monitor between the first and second color flow images wherein the number of interpolated images displayed is dependent on a number of vertical sync signals that occur between the time when the data for the first and second color flow images are produced.

A method of displaying color flow images in an ultrasound system, comprising the steps of:

• generating one or more driving signals;
• supplying the driving signals to a transducer that converts the driving signals into ultrasonic waves;
• directing the ultrasonic waves into a tissue sample under examination;
• detecting ultrasonic echoes reflected from the tissue sample, converting the ultrasonic echoes to received ultrasonic signals, and supplying the received ultrasonic signals to a receiver that produces gray scale data, velocity data, power data and variance data required to produce a color flow image;
• compressing the velocity, power and variance data produced by the receiver;
• storing the gray scale data and the compressed velocity, power and variance data required to produce at least a first and a second color flow image in a memory circuit;
• interpolating the gray scale data and the compressed data stored for the first and second color flow image to produce one or more interpolated images;
• and
• displaying the first and second color flow images and a number of the one or more interpolated images between the first and second color flow images.

A method of displaying color flow images in an ultrasound system, comprising the steps of:

• generating one or more driving signals;
• supplying the driving signals to a transducer that converts the driving signals into ultrasonic waves;
• directing the ultrasonic waves into a tissue sample under examination;
• detecting ultrasonic echoes reflected from the tissue sample, converting the ultrasonic echoes to received ultrasonic signals, and supplying the received ultrasonic signals to a receiver that produces data required to produce a color flow image;
• storing the data required to produce at least a first and a second color flow image in a memory circuit;
• interpolating the data stored for the first and second color flow image to produce one or more interpolated images by scaling the data stored for the first and second color flow images with a pair of piece-wise functions that include a first segment having a substantially unity value, a second segment having a substantially zero value and a third segment that varies smoothly between the first and second segments;
• and
• displaying the first and second color flow images and a number of the one or more interpolated images between the first and second color flow images.