Systems and methods for improving ultrasound image quality by applying weighting factors
Inventors
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MAUI ImagingMAUI Imaging develops ultrasound-based medical imaging solutions designed to overcome the limitations of traditional ultrasound, particularly in visualizing anatomy beyond bone, air, and metal barriers. Founded in 2006, the company has pioneered Computed Echo Tomography (CET) to enable diagnostic imaging in settings where conventional CT or MRI are impractical. With over 160 patents granted and FDA clearance for its K3900 system, MAUI Imaging targets applications in trauma medicine, critical care, neurosurgery, and interventional radiology, aiming to enhance timely diagnostics and interventions in both civilian and military environments.
MAUI Imaging develops ultrasound-based medical imaging solutions designed to overcome the limitations of traditional ultrasound, particularly in visualizing anatomy beyond bone, air, and metal barriers. Founded in 2006, the company has pioneered Computed Echo Tomography (CET) to enable diagnostic imaging in settings where conventional CT or MRI are impractical. With over 160 patents granted and FDA clearance for its K3900 system, MAUI Imaging targets applications in trauma medicine, critical care, neurosurgery, and interventional radiology, aiming to enhance timely diagnostics and interventions in both civilian and military environments.
Publication Number
US-11172911-B2
Publication Date
2021-11-16
Expiration Date
Abstract
Systems and methods for improving the quality of ultrasound images made up of a combination of multiple sub-images include giving more weight to sub-image information that is more likely to improve a combined image quality. Weighting factor information may be determined from the geometry (e.g., angle or path length) of a location of one or more specific transducer elements relative to a specific point within a region of interest or a region of an image. In some embodiments, any given pixel (or other discrete region of an image) may be formed by combining received echo data in a manner that gives more weight to data that is likely to improve image quality, and/or discounting or ignoring data that is likely to detract from image quality (e.g., by introducing noise or by increasing point spread).
Core Innovation
The invention relates to ultrasound imaging that forms multiple image layers from echoes generated by unfocused ultrasound point source pulses transmitted from different transmit apertures into a region of interest. A controller forms a first image layer from received echoes of a first point source pulse and a second image layer from received echoes of a second point source pulse.
For at least one pixel of the first image layer, the controller applies a weighting factor based on relative locations of the first transmit aperture, the first receive aperture, and a point represented by the at least one pixel. The weighting factor is applied by multiplying the weighting factor by a pixel intensity value of the at least one pixel to obtain a modified first image layer.
The modified first image layer is combined with the second image layer to form a combined image that is displayed on a display device. In related refinements, the weighting factor is based on one or more relative geometry quantities such as angles and/or total path length, and can also be based on evaluating a point-spread-function.
Claims Coverage
The document provides four independent claims (clm-00001, clm-00008, clm-00014). Across them, inventive features focus on forming multiple image layers from unfocused point source pulses transmitted from different transmit apertures, determining and applying geometry-based pixel weighting to a first image layer, and combining the modified first image layer with another image layer to produce a displayed combined image; several dependent refinements constrain weighting computation by angles, mathematical function types, point-spread-function evaluation, or total path length.
Geometry-based pixel weighting for a modified first image layer
A controller configured to form a first image layer from received echoes of the first point source pulse, apply a weighting factor to at least one pixel of the first image layer based on relative locations of the first transmit aperture, the first receive aperture, and a point represented by the at least one pixel, obtain a modified first image layer by multiplying the weighting factor by a pixel intensity value of the at least one pixel, and combine the modified first image layer with the second image layer to form a combined image
Pixel identification for likely image-quality reduction and down-weighting in combined image formation
A controller configured to form a first image layer from received echoes of the first point source pulse and a second image layer from received echoes of the second point source pulse, identify at least one pixel of the first image layer as likely to reduce an image quality of the combined image based on relative locations of the first transmit aperture, the first receive aperture, and a point represented by the at least one pixel, obtain a modified first image layer by applying a weighting factor to the at least one pixel decreasing a value of the at least one pixel, and combine the modified first image layer with the second image layer to form a combined image
Method of forming an ultrasound image with weighting-based combination of image layers
A method of forming an ultrasound image comprising transmitting a first unfocused ultrasound point source pulse into a region of interest from a first transmit aperture and receiving echoes of the first point source pulse at a first receive aperture to form a first image layer; transmitting a second unfocused ultrasound point source pulse into a region of interest from a second transmit aperture and receiving echoes of the second point source pulse at the first receive aperture to form a second image layer; determining a value of a weighting factor for a pixel of the first image layer based on relative locations of the first transmit aperture, the first receive aperture, and a point represented by the pixel of the first image layer; applying the weighting factor to the pixel of the first image layer to obtain a modified first image layer by multiplying the weighting factor by a pixel intensity value of the pixel; combining the modified first image layer with the second image layer to form a combined image; and displaying the combined image on a display
Across clm-00001, clm-00008, and clm-00014, the core claimed inventive subject matter is combining a modified first image layer with a second image layer formed from echoes of a second unfocused point source pulse, where modification is achieved by applying a weighting factor to at least one pixel based on relative locations between transmit aperture, receive aperture, and a pixel-represented point.
Stated Advantages
Not explicitly described in patent.
Documented Applications
Not explicitly described in patent.
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