AU2011100599A4 - Improved Interface - Google Patents

Abstract

A user interface for a hand held ultrasound scanning device which is task based allowing a user to navigate the interface from the perspective of the medical task that the user wishes to perform. This is in contrast to prior art 5 ultrasound device interfaces which require a user to navigate from the perspective of the ultrasound scan task which they wish to perform. I-& Ot

Description

1 TITLE Improved Interface TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a user interface for a hand held ultrasound 5 device. BACKGROUND ART The history of medical ultrasound has been a history of steadily increasing utility and steadily broadening applications. It has become increasingly to be relied upon by medical staff and its use to be desired in an increasing number 10 of situations. Ultrasound scanning machines have progressively shrunk in size and increased in functionality. The progress of electronics and information technology has made the control of such machines a much more significant problem. The received signal is 15 digitised immediately at the transducer output. This enables a wide range of complex digital signal processing techniques to be applied, which would have been prohibitively difficult to apply in analogue componentry. The user or manufacturer controls these functions by computer program control. The number and range of these controls accessible to a user is considerable. A 20 quite rich and complex user interface is required to manage the range of options. These machines also provide many convenient features beyond the mere receipt and display of ultrasound scan images. A full computer user interface is provided, enabling patient data to be added and associated with scans. Scans 25 can be stored for later retrieval, or transmitted over computer networks. Text and graphic annotations can be added to scans. The latest ultrasound devices are fully portable, comprising only a control unit which may be hand held and a probe unit which contains the ultrasound transmission and reception electronics.

2 This has greatly extended the usefulness of ultrasound, especially bringing it into the emergency ward and to assist in such routine procedures as line insertion. However, in order to implement the complex user interface, a keyboard and a 5 computer style screen are provided. The need to provide this style of physical user interface is a major contributor to the size and cost of ultrasound units, and represents a requirement which is difficult to further minimise. The small size of the latest ultrasound units has also brought the units into the point-of-care sphere, outside of hospital settings. Ultrasound is no longer the 10 exclusive preserve of radiologists and other such specialist practitioners. Ultrasound is proving useful in the hands of primary care physicians, emergency ward doctors and para-professionals such as nurses and paramedics. A barrier to use outside specialist fields is the rich and complex user interface 15 itself, which requires considerable training to master and the functionality of which is difficult for an occasional user to retain. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, an embodiment of the 20 present invention is disclosed. DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In one form of this invention although this may not necessarily be the only or indeed the broadest form of this there is proposed a user interface for a hand held ultrasound scanning device which is task based allowing a user to 25 navigate the interface from the perspective of the medical task that the user wishes to perform. This is in contrast to prior art ultrasound device interfaces which require a user to navigate from the perspective of the ultrasound scan task which they wish to perform. The interface is able to be implemented on a device without a physical 30 keyboard 3 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a view of a hand-held ultrasound scanning device including a preferred embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1A is an illustration of the secure STARTUP screen of the interface of 5 the invention. Figure 2 is an illustration of the SECURITY screen of the interface of the invention. Figure 3 is an illustration of the normal STARTUP screen of the interface of the invention. 10 Figure 4 is an illustration of the USER DEFINED/FAVORITES screen of the interface of the invention. Figure 5 is an illustration of a region/task selection screen of the interface of the invention. Figure 6 is an illustration of a region/task options screen, for the abdomen, of 15 the interface of the invention. Figure 7 is an illustration of a region/task options screen, for foreign body detection, of the interface of the invention. Figure 8 is an illustration of the SCANREADY screen of the interface of the invention. 20 Figure 10 is an illustration of a region/task options screen, for the thorax, of the interface of the invention. Figure 10 is an illustration of a region/task options screen, for the vascular system, of the interface of the invention. Figure 11 is an illustration of a region/task options screen, for the detection of 25 fluid, of the interface of the invention. Figure 12 is an illustration of a region/task options screen, for the musculoskeletal structures, of the interface of the invention. Figure 13 is an illustration of a region/task options screen, for obstetrical scans, of the interface of the invention. 30 Figure 14 is an illustration of REVIEW screen of the interface of the invention.

4 Figure 15 is an illustration of a patient details entry screen of the interface of the invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Referring now to Fig 1, there is illustrated a hand held ultrasound scanning 5 device according to an embodiment of the invention. There is a hand held ultrasonic probe unit 10, a display and processing unit (DPU) 11 with a display screen 16 and a cable 12 connecting the probe unit to the DPU 11. The DPU includes a thumbwheel 18, which is able to be rotated up and down and to be pressed inward to the body of the DPU. These movements provide control 10 signals for the user interface. There is also provided a further interface control button, the back button 17. The probe unit 10 includes an ultrasonic transducer 13 adapted to transmit pulsed ultrasonic signals into a target body 14 and to receive returned echoes from the target body 14. 15 In this embodiment, the transducer is adapted to transmit and receive in only a single direction at a fixed orientation to the probe unit, producing data for a single scanline 15. In further embodiments the transducer may comprise an array of transmitting and receiving elements. 20 Scanline data is passed to signal processing circuitry, which may be located in either or both of the DPU and the probe unit. The scan line data is processed to produce an ultrasound image which is able to be displayed and stored by the DPU. In the prior art, ultrasound scan machines are provided with a variety of 25 controls for controlling many aspects of the scan process. The sonographer, as an expert in the use of the particular machine, assesses the best values for setting these many controls. Parameters which may be controlled are related to the performance of the machine. These include such things as near field gain, far field gain, overall gain, scan depth, and image contrast.

5 Once the scan image is displayed, the expert user may use a keypad to apply and position callipers onto the image in order to measure imaged features. What callipers to apply, when and where, is a choice for the expert user. The operator may also use a provided keyboard to type in text annotations for 5 the image, indicating what organ or part of the body of the scanned patient is imaged therein. The keyboard may also be used to add details of the identity of the patient to be recorded with the scan image. These processes, designed for the specialist sonographers, focus on the 10 ultrasound scan as the ultimate output. With the advent of small, hand held ultrasound devices for use at the point of care, this focus, and the machine interfaces driven by this focus, becomes less useful. The operator of these devices is generally not a specialist sonographer. The 15 operator will be a medical or paramedical practitioner who is focusing on a particular medical question or task. The outcome is not the scan, but the resolution of the medical question, or completion of the task. The DPU 11 is programmed to provide a task based interface, allowing a user to control the acquisition of a scan and the review of the resultant image from a 20 viewpoint based on the medical task the user is undertaking. At any time, the interface displays a menu of a small number of medical tasks which may be performed. Movement of the scrollwheel highlights each task in turn. Selection of a task is made by depressing the scrollwheel. The display screen 16 may also be a touchscreen, allowing direct selection of a 25 task with a finger or stylus. The interface controls the device to operate one of two modes, image acquisition (Scan) and image review (Review). At Power On the device defaults into image acquisition mode with STARTUP screen as shown in Figure 1 displayed. The options available are to perform an 30 immediate scan 101, or to enter a secure mode 102, in which the user is identified to the device.

6 Selecting secure mode brings up the screen of Figure 2, which has a password data entry facility 201. The password is entered by use of a soft keyboard, or a hardware keypad in embodiments where a keypad is provided. The entry of a password is only required to gain entry to functions which are 5 defined as protected. This will usually include any functions relating to the access or storage of data which is identifiably associated with a particular patient. The choice of what, if any, functions are password protected may be fixed in firmware, or may be user selectable. When a password is entered, access is given to the screen of Figure 3. Where 10 no functions are defined as requiring protection, this will be the screen seen on startup. The screen of Figure 3 gives access to a series of menu item selection buttons. The IMMEDIATE SCAN button 301 when selected jumps directly to the SCAN screen with a preloaded set of default settings. This is provided for the case 15 when an urgent scan is required, where the user does not wish to waste time setting up the device. The values for the scan parameters are selected to be the most generally useful values. As such, it may also be used for general scanning where these default values are optimum or nearly so. The FAVORITES button 302 gives access to the USER DEFINED/ 20 FAVORITES screen as shown in Figure 4. The FAVORITES screen displays a list of available predefined sequences 401 and user defined sequences 402. When any of these is selected, that sequence will commence. Sequences are the basic building blocks of the task based paradigm of the interface of the invention. Sequences define the settings 25 and scan methodology the device will employ for a given task. The SELECT SCAN TYPE button 303 gives access to the main task based interface. Selection of this option displays the screen of Figure 5. The IMMEDIATE SCAN button 301 and the USER DEFINED/FAVORITES button 302 are repeated here. 30 There is also a Tutorial Selection button 502. When selected, a tutorial selection screen displays a list of available audiovisual tutorials stored in the 7 device. When any of these is selected, the selected tutorial will play on the device. The medical tasks available are presented as a series of menu items 501 for each region of the body or medical scanning task to be performed. 5 Selection of the body region/task options from the menu may activate a sequence, or may present a further menu of medical tasks for sub regions of the body, particular organs or sub-tasks. In the illustrated embodiment, selection of the ABDOMEN menu item 503 displays the screen of Figure 6. This is a body region selection and the name of 10 the body region appears as a screen title 601. There is then a list of available medical tasks 602 for that region of the body. At its simplest, selection of a task 602 activates a sequence which loads a single set of scan settings and allows a single scan to be performed. An example of this is the menu item 603 ABDOMEN (Heavy). This sets the 15 device parameters appropriately for a scan of the abdomen, with the maximum possible depth of scan, to account for the additional fat depth in obese patients. The user then moves the device over the abdomen of a patient to scan the abdomen until a required image is achieved. The sequence to be activated is selected by the operator based on the medical 20 task to be performed, not by the direct selection of ultrasound scan parameters. An example of this is foreign body location selected by menu option 504. This selection displays the screen of Figure 7. This presents a menu of task based options 701. This allows selection of the task to be performed - it allows for the selection of options for scanning for a shallow foreign body 702, a deep foreign 25 body 703, or a medical insert such as an implenon 704. Selection of an option causes the device to be set to scan at an appropriate depth with an appropriate gain. The user then moves the device, scanning continually, until the foreign body is located, or no foreign body is found to be present. 30 For some tasks more complex sequences may be required. These sequences may consist of several sequential scans with different settings for each, with an 8 accompanying sequence of instruction screens; each scan may have several measurements associated with it and the sequence as a whole may perform several calculations based on those measurements. An example of this is bladder volume measurement, selected from Bladder 5 Volume Proc option 604. In this case, the device scan parameters are set appropriately for a large scan depth, looking for a relatively high contrast anechoic area. This is the fluid filled bladder. The user is then instructed to place the device appropriately on the patient and to perform a scan. Calipers are then provided on screen, and the user is instructed to position these at the 10 extreme points of the bladder shown on the scan image. The user is then instructed to perform a further scan orthogonal to the first, and again to position a set of calipers on this second scan image. The device then uses the positions of the calipers to determine the dimensions of the bladder, and applies a mathematical formula to determine the volume of 15 the bladder. This is then reported to the user. Various modifications and partial automations of this procedure are possible. The predefined sequences are held in firmware, and can only be changed by firmware update procedures. User defined sequences, accessed through the screen of Figure 4, are also 20 stored in non-volatile memory, but may be set up and changed by the user through the user interface. These user defined sequences can be recorded step by step on the device, or can be a modification of an existing sequence, or can be downloaded from a computer or other remote data source. 25 This facility may be used to record favourite inbuilt sequences for fast access or to create modified versions of inbuilt sequences which have had one or more settings (e.g. gain or depth) modified by the operator. When a particular sequence is highlighted (prior to selection) the Help panel at the base of the screen displays a synopsis of its settings, e.g. "6 cm max depth, 30 high gain", "15 cm depth, med gain, high contrast".

9 When the selection of the scan type is complete, the screen of figure 8, called the SCANREADY screen is displayed. The SCANREADY screen annotation 801 is also loaded with the name of the selected procedure; this can then be modified by the user if required. 5 The preloaded scan settings are detailed at the base of the screen, in the display box 802. The lists are scrolled by rolling the scroll wheel; selection is by depressing the scroll wheel. Pressing the BACK button in any submenu returns the page to the top menu. 10 Type faces used are as large as practical (10 lines per screen). Selection of buttons and list options is either via the scroll wheel or the screen stylus. In the SCANREADY screen, a TUTE button 803 is visible whenever a tutorial on that sequence is stored in the device. Selecting this button will play the 15 tutorial on the device. The default annotation text 801 for the selected scan is loaded from the settings. This text can be modified by the user if they so wish. Settings for a particular scan consist of: Scan Mode, for example M Mode or B mode 20 Near Gain, which may also be termed brightness Scan Depth Image Contrast Default settings of Calipers Image annotation text 25 Other settings may be set as appropriate for the capability of the device and the task to be performed. If the sequence results in a calculated or measured numerical output, this is displayed prominently over the last step of the sequence.

10 The scanned images, settings, measurements and calculations associated with the performance of a particular sequence may optionally be stored for subsequent recall or download to a computer or other remote storage. During a scan within a sequence, the operator can modify the default settings 5 of that scan by using the thumbwheel to change the settings. Optionally, the modified sequence can be stored by the operator for future recall, under another name than the original sequence. This name, associated with the modified sequence, will then appear in the USERDEFINED/FAVORITES screen. 10 If default calipers are presented on the screen and they are not moved prior to performing the next scan the operator will be queried explicitly as to whether they wish to leave them unset. If a caliper is in its default position and is not moved then subsequent calculations that would use its setting will not be carried out. Instead a warning 15 message will be present to indicate non-valid data. In this event, the operator can continue with the sequence but return to make the measurements from the end of sequence screen. At the end of each scan in the sequence the operator is asked whether they accept it or want to repeat it. 20 At the end of a sequence the operator is asked if they wish to step back over the recorded images to review the images. The operator is given the option of modifying measurements taken with calipers. The operator is further offered the option of accepting the results or deleting them. The device then again displays the SCANREADY screen appropriate to the 25 sequence in use, retaining any modified settings. At this point the Tag button 805 may be used to add a voice or text annotation to the image. The Caliper button 806 may be used to add further calipers or modify existing ones. 30 The Zoom button 807 and the Pan button 808 may be used to more closely examine particular areas of the image.

11 Reselection of the sequence from the menu, or selection of another sequence, will cause the modified settings to be lost. When an inbuilt sequence is exited, all the settings associated with it revert back to their original values. These can only be changed via a firmware update 5 process, involving download from an external data source. On exit from the sequence, if any of the preselected settings have been modified, the operator is given the option to save the modified sequence. A name is suggested that consists of the name of the original sequence plus a unique suffix. This suggested name can be overwritten by the operator. 10 Figures 9-13 illustrate exemplary body region/task selection screens for an embodiment. It will be clear to one skilled in the medical arts that other or further selections are possible. Referring again to figure 3, the Review mode may be accessed by clicking the Review button 303. 15 This mode can also be accessed from scan mode screens by selecting the Review button, for example as the button 804 in figure 8. Selecting Review mode brings up the screen of figure 14, called REVIEWLIST. This displays a list 1409 of all scans recorded by the device. Each scan is identified by patient name then date/time. 20 Ordering of the list is selected by three buttons at the bottom left of the screen, List by name 1401, List by date/time 1402, Reverse the order of the current list 1403. Focus on each line of the scans in the list is effected by rolling the Scroll Wheel. Clicking on the scroll wheel displays the image referenced by the line 25 with current focus. Alternatively the IMAGE button 1406 on the screen can be clicked to display the associated image. Scan mode may be re-entered at any time by clicking the SCAN button 1407. Patient details entry may be accessed from this screen by selecting the Patient button 1405. This may also be accessed from the Startup screen of Figure 3 by 30 selection of the Patient button 305.

12 Selection of the Patient button will bring up the screen of Figure 15. This allows for the entry, review or amendment of patient details. The New Patient button 1501 allows entry of a new patient with all details initially blank. The Patient List button 1502 displays a list of all currently entered patient names, to allow easy 5 selection. Entry of the data for the patient details is by an on-screen or soft keyboard, or in other embodiments, by an integrated keyboard. Although the invention has been herein shown and described in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognised 10 that departures can be made within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details described herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the appended claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent devices and apparatus. 15

Claims (5)

1. A user interface for a hand held ultrasound scan device wherein a user wishing to undertake a medical task is presented with a menu of available medical tasks each of which have associated with them a scanning regime, 5 the user selects a medical task from said menu by use of a user control input; said selection causing the associated scanning regime to be put into operation, including causing at least one scanning parameter for the device to be set to a predetermined value appropriate to the scanning regime associated with the selected medical task, the device then operating to 10 produce a resultant scan.

2. The interface of claim 1 wherein the interface is navigable without the use of a keyboard.

3. The interface of claim 1 wherein the parameter to be set is one or more of ultrasound scanning mode, near gain, scan depth, and image contrast. 15

4. The interface of claim 1 wherein the selection causes the setting of text for an annotation describing the medical task or the scanning regime, the annotation to be associated with the resultant scan.

5. The interface of claim 1 wherein the scanning regime is a sequence of device actions including any or all of making a first setting of a value for at 20 least one scan parameter, instructing a user to perform a first specified scan, making a second or subsequent setting of a value for at least one scan parameter, instructing a user to perform a second or subsequent specified scan, making measurements of features in resultant scan images, performing calculations based on measurements in resultant scan images, 25 displaying results of said calculations to a user.