General Electric Company

Ge Medical Systems Global Technology Company, LLC

Ge Diasonics Israel, Ltd.

Evgeny Drapkin

Peter Lysyansky

Igor Katsman

Menachen Halmann

An imaging system and method for determining sensor position and orientation with respect to an object having a known three dimensional structure is disclosed. The sensor acquires an image of the known structure. Position and orientation of the sensor is determined by processing the image with formulas corresponding to the known structure. One embodiment of the present invention comprises an ultrasound training system and method for determining the position and orientation of an ultrasound probe with respect to a known three dimensional structure embodied in an ultrasound phantom. The ultrasound probe acquires a cross sectional or partial volume image of the ultrasound phantom. The image is processed to obtain a number of geometrical image parameters. Position and orientation of the ultrasound probe are calculated from the image parameters using formulas based on the known three dimensional structure. The determination of probe position and orientation may be enhanced using image de-correlation techniques.

Image based probe position and orientation detection

An ultrasound system comprises a front end subsystem and a back end subsystem. The back end subsystem processes data samples representative of the echo signals from the front end subsystem. The back end subsystem includes at least one microprocessor with registers that simultaneously store at least two data samples. The microprocessor performs parallel common arithmetic or logic instructions upon at least two ultrasound data samples in one register. The microprocessor may be configured to scan convert polar data samples to Cartesian pixel values. During scan conversion, one register simultaneously stores multiple polar data samples and another register simultaneously stores coefficients associated with the polar data samples. The microprocessor multiplies corresponding data samples and coefficients, and sums the product of the parallel multiplication operations in order to produce a Cartesian data sample associated with a pixel to be displayed on an image arranged in a Cartesian coordinate pattern. The microprocessor may be configured to perform parallel arithmetic instructions to carry out auto-correlation operations, such as during Color Doppler signal processing. To do so, the registers store simultaneously multiple data samples representative of echo signals received from the same physical point from several transmissions. The registers each store the same data samples except that the data samples are shifted in the registers with respect to one another. During the parallel common arithmetic instructions, the microprocessor multiplies the data samples within the first and second registers and sums the products of the multiplication operations as part of an autocorrelation operation. The microprocessor may be reconfigured to perform blending operations two-dimensional greyscale images (B-mode) and Color Doppler images for a region of interest.

Ultrasound system performing simultaneous parallel computer instructions

A method and apparatus for providing a virtual volumetric ultrasound phantom to construct an ultrasound training system from any ultrasound system (hereafter 'the ultrasound training system'). The ultrasound system and method retrieve and display previously stored ultrasound data to simulate an ultrasound scanning session. A real ultrasound system acquires an image of an ultrasound phantom. The ultrasound image comprises ultrasound echo data for an image/scan plane representing a cross-section or partial volume of the ultrasound phantom. The ultrasound image is analyzed to identify image attributes that are unique for each image/scan plane. A portion of the previously stored data that corresponds to the image attributes is retrieved and displayed. In one embodiment, actual position and orientation of the acquired image/scan plane with respect to a known structure within the ultrasound phantom are determined by processing the image/scan plane to obtain a number of geometrical image parameters. Position and orientation of the image/scan plane are calculated from the image parameters using formulas based on a known three dimensional structure within the phantom. The determination of actual image/scan plane position and orientation may be enhanced using image de-correlation techniques. Retrieval of the stored data may be based upon the calculated position and orientation or on the obtained image parameters. In another embodiment of the present invention, relative changes in image/scan plane position and orientation with respect to an initial reference position and orientation are determined by processing successive acquired ultrasound images using image de-correlation techniques. In another embodiment of the present invention, the identity of each pixel or voxel within the image/scan plane is determined and a set of corresponding pixels or voxels of stored data are retrieved for display.

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Haifa, Israel

Evgeny Drapkin