Ultrasound imaging device and ultrasound image generation method for identifying degree of delivery progress of fetus
Inventors
LEE, Dongeun • Lee, Jinyoung • Oh, Minjeong • CHO, Geumjoon • Choi, Hyejin
Assignees
Korea University Research and Business Foundation • Samsung Medison Co Ltd
Interested in licensing this patent?
MTEC can help explore whether this patent might be available for licensing for your application.
Publication Number
US-12310785-B2
Publication Date
2025-05-27
Expiration Date
Abstract
The present disclosure discloses an ultrasound imaging device and a method of generating an ultrasound image. The ultrasound image generation method may include steps of transmitting an ultrasound signal to an object, receiving an ultrasound echo signal from the object, generating ultrasound image data on the basis of the received ultrasound echo signal, identifying a fetus's skull and an anatomical structure of a mother's body from the ultrasound image data, identifying a progression direction of the fetus's skull on the basis of a correspondence relationship between the fetus's skull and the anatomical structure of the mother's body, and displaying information on the progression direction of the fetus's skull.
Core Innovation
The disclosure relates to an ultrasound imaging device and a method of generating an ultrasound image in which an ultrasound signal is transmitted to an object including a fetus's skull and an anatomical structure of a mother's body, and an ultrasound echo signal is received from the object. Ultrasound image data are generated based on the received ultrasound echo signal, and the fetus's skull and the anatomical structure of the mother's body are identified from the ultrasound image data. An angle between the fetus's skull and the anatomical structure of the mother's body is then identified.
Based on the angle, a progression direction of the fetus's skull and a degree of delivery progress of the fetus are identified. The degree of delivery progress is identified as a first degree, a second degree, and a third degree based on clockwise and counterclockwise rotation of the skull by first, second, and third predetermined angles with respect to the anatomical structure of the mother's body. The first, second, and third degrees correspond to first, second, and third colors.
An ultrasound image is displayed with information on the progression direction of the fetus's skull and with a color corresponding to the identified degree of delivery progress of the fetus. The maternal anatomical structure is described as including the cartilage plate of the pubis symphysis, and identification can use ellipse corresponding to the fetus's skull and major axes to determine the angle between the fetus's skull and the anatomical structure. Additional visualization features can include markers for major axes, rotating the ultrasound image to a horizontal reference, and optionally displaying a virtual fetal model mapped to the delivery-progress degree.
Claims Coverage
The independent claims covered are clm-00001 and clm-00009, and they each include multiple inventive features. Across the independent claims, the core inventive features include angle identification between fetus skull and maternal anatomical structure, classification of delivery progress into first/second/third degrees from skull rotation directions and predetermined angles, and color-coded display of the delivery-progress degree together with skull progression direction.
Ultrasound image generation with skull-maternal angle identification
Transmitting an ultrasound signal to an object including a fetus's skull and an anatomical structure of a mother's body; receiving an ultrasound echo signal from the object; generating ultrasound image data on the basis of the received ultrasound echo signal; identifying the fetus's skull and the anatomical structure of the mother's body from the ultrasound image data; identifying an angle between the fetus's skull and the anatomical structure of the mother's body.
Delivery-progress degree classification from skull rotation relative to maternal anatomical structure
Identifying the degree of delivery progress of the fetus as a first degree, based on the skull being rotated in a clockwise direction by a first predetermined angle with respect to the anatomical structure of the mother's body; identifying the degree of delivery progress of the fetus as a second degree, based on the skull being rotated in a counterclockwise direction by a second predetermined angle with respect to the anatomical structure of the mother's body; identifying the degree of delivery progress of the fetus as a third degree, based on the skull being rotated in the counterclockwise direction by a third predetermined angle with respect to the anatomical structure of the mother's body; wherein the first degree corresponds to a first color, the second degree corresponds to a second color, and the third degree corresponds to a third color.
Color-corresponding display of skull progression direction and delivery progress
Displaying information on the progression direction of the fetus's skull and the ultrasound image, generated based on the ultrasound image data, with a color corresponding to the identified degree of delivery progress of the fetus.
Processor-and-display architecture for angle-based skull progression and color-coded delivery progress
An ultrasound probe configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to an object including a fetus's skull and anatomical structure of a mother's body and receive an ultrasound echo signal from the object; a processor configured to generate ultrasound image data on the basis of the received ultrasound echo signal, identify the fetus's skull and the anatomical structure of the mother's body from the ultrasound image data, identify an angle between the fetus's skull and the anatomical structure of the mother's body, and identify a progression direction of the fetus's skull and a degree of delivery progress of the fetus based on the angle; and a display configured to display information on the progression direction of the fetus's skull and an ultrasound image, generated based on the ultrasound image data, with a color corresponding to the identified degree of delivery progress of the fetus.
The independent claims focus on identifying an angle between the fetus's skull and a maternal anatomical structure, deriving a progression direction and a delivery-progress degree from that angle using clockwise/counterclockwise skull rotation relative to predetermined angles, and displaying the progression direction together with the ultrasound image using a color corresponding to the first/second/third delivery-progress degrees.
Stated Advantages
Color corresponding to the identified degree of delivery progress of the fetus is displayed with information on the progression direction of the fetus's skull.
Documented Applications
Identifying a progression direction of a fetus's skull and a degree of fetal delivery progress from ultrasound image data derived from ultrasound echo signals.
Visualization of fetal delivery progress using color coding corresponding to first/second/third degrees on displayed ultrasound information.
(Dependent/optional visualization) Displaying additional visualization features including markers for major axes and rotating the ultrasound image to a horizontal reference, and optionally displaying a virtual fetal model mapped to the delivery-progress degree.
Interested in licensing this patent?