Samsung Medison Co., Ltd.

Medison Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute

Korea Telecommunication Authority

Dong Kuk Shin

Jong Sik Kim

Mok Kun Jeong

Sung-Jin Choi

Sang Shik Park

Sung H Hong

Won-chul Bang

Min Woo Lee

Hyoung Jin Kim

Youngtaek Oh

Soo-young Oh

Eun Ho Yang

Kwang Ju Lee

Jungwoo Chang

Jiwon Ryu

Jayeon Jeong

Sung Jae Kwon

Jong-Sik Kim

Kunwoo Kim

Kyong Joon Lee

Bong Koo Seo

Joon Seok Hong

Moon Young Kim

Dal Kwon Ko

Hyun Soo Park

Hyun-Joo Seol

Sae Kyung Choi

Dong-Wook Kwak

Hyo Keun Lim

Han Sung Hwang

Dong Ki Ahn

Jong Ho Joo

Woo Kyoung Jeong

Hyoung Ki Lee

Sung Hoo Hong

Hye Jung Kim

Disclosed herein is an ultrasound imaging apparatus capable of setting a region of interest having a shape corresponding to a shape of the cervix canal in an elasticity image of the cervix and displaying the region of interest, and a control method thereof. The ultrasound imaging apparatus includes a display unit configured to display an ultrasound elasticity image and a controller configured to select a point included in a path corresponding to the cervix canal in the elasticity image of the cervix displayed on the display unit, configured to set a region of interest having a shape corresponding to a shape of at least one portion of the cervix canal based on the selected point, and configured to display the region of interest on the display unit.

Ultrasound imaging apparatus and controlling method for the same

There are provided an image processing apparatus for registering medical images having different modalities and a method for controlling the same. A reference location is designated in advance, a pre-designated cross-sectional image of an object is used, a corresponding location is extracted, and then image registration is performed. The image processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment includes a communication unit configured to receive a first medical image and a second medical image having a different modality from the first medical image of an object from a first medical apparatus and a second medical apparatus, respectively; and an image processing unit configured to extract a pre-designated cross-sectional image from the second medical image, extract a location corresponding to a reference location of the object from the extracted cross-sectional image, and perform registration of the second medical image and the first medical image corresponding to the extracted cross-sectional image.

Method and apparatus for registration of medical images

Disclosed is an ultrasound apparatus and method for controlling the same, whereby once a feature point for re-registration is selected on one of registered ultrasound image and external image, a cursor is displayed on the other image at a point corresponding to the selected feature point. The ultrasonic apparatus includes a controller for using a difference in coordinates between a first feature point of an ultrasound image and a second feature point of an external image with respect to a reference coordinate system, to register the ultrasound image and the external image; a display for displaying the registered ultrasound image and external image; and an input unit for receiving a command to select third and fourth feature points for re-registration, wherein the controller is configured to, once the third feature point of one of the ultrasound image and the external image is selected, control the display to display a cursor for selection of the fourth feature point at a position corresponding to the third feature point on the other one of the ultrasound image and the external image by means of the difference.

Ultrasonic apparatus and method for controlling the same

Disclosed herein are a medical imaging apparatus and a method of providing medical images which may more accurately quantify elasticity of tissues. The medical imaging apparatus includes a display unit displaying an elastic image in which different colors are mapped according to strain values of tissues within an object, and a controller, when a target area containing lesion tissues and a reference area containing normal tissues are set in the elastic image, calculating a representative target area value representing strain values of the target area and a representative reference area value representing strain values of the reference area, and displaying a color reference area, expressing distribution of the representative reference area value in the reference area in color, through the display unit.

Medical imaging apparatus and method of providing medical images

Embodiments for forming a color map necessary for forming an elastic image in an ultrasound system. A transmission/reception (Tx/Rx) unit transmits ultrasound signals to a target object and receives ultrasound echo signals reflected from the target object to thereby obtain receive signals. The receive signals include first receive signals obtained before applying a stress to the target object and second receive signals obtained after applying a stress to the target object. An ultrasound data forming unit forms first and second ultrasound data based on the first and second receive signals, respectively. A processing unit computes strains by using the first and second ultrasound data and form a histogram based on the computed strains. The processing unit further clusters the histogram for separation into a plurality of clusters and forms a color map including a plurality of color map regions corresponding to the respective clusters.

Formation of a color map for an elastic image

Embodiments for forming a strain image by compensating for displacement in a later direction in an ultrasound system are disclosed. In one embodiment, an ultrasound system includes: an ultrasound data acquisition unit configured to acquire first ultrasound data where compression is not applied to a target object and second ultrasound data where compression is applied to the target object; and a processing unit configured to compensate for displacements in axial and lateral directions in the second ultrasound data based on the first ultrasound data and second ultrasound data, the processing unit being further configured to form a strain image based on the first ultrasound data and the axial and lateral displacement compensated second ultrasound data.

Ultrasound strain imaging based on lateral displacement compensation

Embodiments for processing ultrasound images based on a motion degree of an ultrasound probe in an ultrasound system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the ultrasound system includes: an ultrasound acquisition unit including an ultrasound probe for transmitting ultrasound signals to a target object and receiving echo signals, the ultrasound acquisition unit being configured to form a plurality of ultrasound data based on the echo signals; and a processing unit coupled to the ultrasound acquisition unit and configured to form first to Nultrasound images by using the plurality of ultrasound data, wherein N is a positive integer greater than 1, the processing unit being further configured to estimate a motion degree of an ultrasound probe and process the Nultrasound image based on the motion degree.

Ultrasound image processing based on motion degree of ultrasound probe

A processor is configured to perform an image process upon an ultrasound image to thereby detect a center of a blood vessel from the ultrasound image. The processor is configured to set the center of the blood vessel as an optimal focal point position. The processor is configured to calculate a plurality of steering angles, a plurality of transmit (Tx) frequencies and a plurality of sound speeds. The processor is further configured to form a plurality of ultrasound images corresponding to each of the steering angles, the Tx frequencies and the sound speeds based on the ultrasound data, detect a signal to noise ratio (SNR), a number of edge points of the blood vessel and a contrast difference between pixels for each of the second ultrasound images to thereby detect an optimal steering angle, an optimal Tx frequency and an optimal sound speed.

Setting an optimal image parameter in an ultrasound system

Embodiments for providing enhanced ultrasound images without lowering a frame rate in an ultrasound system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the ultrasound system includes: an ultrasound data acquisition unit configured to transmit ultrasound beams to a target object along predetermined plural scan line groups of scan lines in an alternative and sequential manner, receive ultrasound echoes reflected from the target object, and provide a plurality of ultrasound frame data, said predetermined plural scan line groups being respectively associated with predetermined steering angles and each of the plurality of ultrasound frame data being produced in response to the transmission of the ultrasound beam along the respective scan line groups; and a processor configured to sequentially form ultrasound images based on the ultrasound frame data and compound the ultrasound images in an interleaving way to form compound images.

Ultrasound image enhancement in an ultrasound system

Embodiments for correcting a dropout in a strain image in an ultrasound system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a processing unit sets a first window on each of pre-compression ultrasound frame data and post-compression second ultrasound frame data, move the first window in a predetermined direction and compute a correlation between the pre-compression ultrasound frame data and the post-compression ultrasound frame data within the first window to obtain a displacement corresponding to a value of each pixel of target ultrasound frame data. The processing unit sets one of pixels of the target ultrasound frame data as a reference pixel, sets a second window to encompass predetermined numbers of pixels positioned around the reference pixel, checks whether a displacement computation error corresponding to a dropout occur based on the pixel values within the second window and resets, when the dropout occurs, the value of the reference pixel.

Dropout correction in ultrasound strain imaging

A processing unit is configured perform an image process upon an ultrasound image to thereby detect a center of a blood vessel from the ultrasound image. The processing unit is configured to set the center of the blood vessel as an optimal focal point position. The processing unit is configured to calculate a plurality of steering angles, a plurality of transmit (Tx) frequencies and a plurality of sound speeds. The processing unit is further configured to form a plurality of ultrasound images corresponding to each of the steering angles, the Tx frequencies and the sound speeds based on the ultrasound data, detect a signal to noise ratio (SNR), a number of edge points of the blood vessel and a contrast difference between pixels for each of the second ultrasound images to thereby detect an optimal steering angle, an optimal Tx frequency and an optimal sound speed.

The present invention relates to an ultrasound system for providing ultrasound images in a duplex mode. The ultrasound system comprises a transmission/reception unit for alternately transmitting a first ultrasound beam and a second ultrasound beam to a target object. The first and second ultrasound beams are transmitted for first and second time durations, respectively. The ultrasound system further comprises an image processing unit for forming a first diagnostic mode image based on echoes of the first ultrasound beam and a second diagnostic mode image containing a gap corresponding to the first time duration based on echoes of the second ultrasound beam. The image processing unit is further configured to perform gap filling based on edge points of the second diagnostic mode image to form a second diagnostic image with the gap removed.

Ultrasound system and method of providing ultrasound images

This invention provides a digital auto-phase-controlled retiming circuit which automatically locates the retiming clock phase in the center of input data eye pattern by detesting the phase difference between retiming clock and data and tracking adoptively the mutual phase variation in a case that the mutual phase difference between data and retiming clock is uncertain and changes according to time in digital transmission and/or digital signal processing systems.

Digital auto-phase-controlled retiming circuit

Growing community of inventors

Seoul, South Korea

Dong Kuk Shin