Image analysis – Applications – Biomedical applications
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-30
2002-08-27
Patel, Jayanti K. (Department: 2721)
Image analysis
Applications
Biomedical applications
C073S001820, C600S437000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06442289
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to ultrasonic diagnostic imaging systems and, in particular, to ultrasonic diagnostic imaging systems which produce ultrasonic images with an extended field of view.
Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging systems of the 1970s and 1980s were manufactured with what is known as B-arm scanning. In B-arm scanning systems an A line (single beam) transducer was mounted at the end of an articulated arm. The joints of the articulated arm contained sensors which continuously monitored the relative positions of the arm segments, enabling the spatial position of the transducer to be constantly tracked. As the transducer was scanned over the body of the patient, the relative spatial locations of consecutive A lines was computed from the articulated arm sensors, and the A lines were assembled in consecutive, side-by-side locations on an image display. The B arm system was thus capable of painting an ultrasonic image that could laterally extend for the maximum number of successive A lines that the system could store and display and over which the B arm could extend.
In recent years electronically scanned array transducers have been adapted for the same purpose. Since an electronically scanned array transducer automatically produces a two dimensional image, movement of the array transducer in the plane of the image will produce successive, spatially offset two dimensional images. Each new image in a new spatial location can be spatially registered with a previously acquired image with which it overlaps, then combined with the previous images to produce an extended image which is laterally extensive in the direction of motion of the array transducer. The extent of the extended field of view image is determined by the capacity of the ultrasound system to store and display multiple partially overlapping two dimensional images.
An important feature of such extended field of view (EFOV) imaging systems is the ability to quickly and simply register a newly acquired image with the previously assembled extended images. Many techniques are available for registering images by estimating the displacement of one image to another, including cross correlation searching, block matching algorithms, aligning for maximum brightness and others. The algorithms employed by these techniques may be first order, global transformations (translation and/or rotation) or higher order complex processes, based on the nature and magnitude of the displacements. But most of these techniques are highly computationally intensive, requiring extensive processing of a large amount of pixel data. Accordingly it would be desirable to utilize an efficient and reliable technique to register successive images for the production of an extended field of view ultrasonic display.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention, an extended field of view ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system is provided in which images are registered on the basis of significant features of the images. The matching of significant features of two images has been found to reliably and rapidly produce the displacement measures necessary to align the images. In a preferred embodiment each image is initially processed to produce a set of images of different levels of resolution, each highlighting image features of different levels of significance. Image pairs of corresponding resolution are then processed to measure the spatial displacement between the images, with images of different levels of resolution yielding measures which can be related to produce a highly refined displacement measure.
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Olsson Lars Jonas
Peterson Roy B.
Wissler Thomas Martin
Koninklijke Philips Electronics , N.V.
Patel Jayanti K.
Yorks, Jr. W. Brinton
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