Real-time graphics on cine playback in ultrasound imaging

Abstract

A method and an apparatus for displaying the graphics associated with cine images during cine replay in an ultrasound imaging system. A graphics frame array for storing flagged graphics data is incorporated in the timeline/graphics display memory. Each entry in the graphics frame array has a flag word which indicates whether the graphics data in the identified image frame has changed relative to the graphics data in the preceding image frame. There is one entry in the array for each frame that can be contained in cine memory. During cine capture, any change in graphics sent to the display will also be captured in the graphics frame array for the currently active frame. During cine replay, when a specific cine image frame is on the screen, its corresponding graphics data is taken from the graphics frame array and also sent to the screen. If the flag indicates that other graphics data from the image frame to be replayed is contained in the graphics frame array entry for a preceding frame, the program will travel backwards in the graphics frame array until it finds all graphics data that was present on the screen at the time of cine image capture.