CN113951935A

CN113951935A - Automatic ultrasonic inspection system for cavity channel and control method

Info

Publication number: CN113951935A
Application number: CN202111245941.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 史轶伦; 史策; 李灏; 陈文波
Original assignee: Beijing Zhiyu Medical Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Zhiyu Medical Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2021-10-26
Filing date: 2021-10-26
Publication date: 2022-01-21
Also published as: WO2023072146A1

Abstract

The application discloses a system and a control method for ultrasonic automatic inspection through a cavity channel, which comprises the following steps: the ultrasonic imaging device comprises an ultrasonic probe, a first ultrasonic imaging device and a second ultrasonic imaging device, wherein the ultrasonic probe can enter a body through a cavity and generate a first ultrasonic image sequence and a second ultrasonic image sequence; a motion control device comprising a robotic arm connected to the ultrasound probe; the processor is connected to the ultrasonic imaging device and the motion control device, and acquires the first ultrasonic image sequence and the second ultrasonic image sequence, processes the first ultrasonic image sequence and the second ultrasonic image sequence and generates a control signal; and the motion control device receives the control signal, and drives the ultrasonic probe to move based on the control signal to complete the automatic inspection process. The method and the device can realize automation and fine control of the ultrasonic inspection process.

Description

Automatic ultrasonic inspection system for cavity channel and control method

Technical Field

The present application relates to medical equipment, and more particularly, to a system for ultrasound automatic examination through a lumen channel, a method for controlling the same, a computer-readable storage medium, and an electronic apparatus.

Background

The application of ultrasonic diagnostic instruments in clinical diagnosis is quite popular, and makes great contribution to doctors to accurately know the illness state of patients and making medical treatment plans. For example, for intravaginal examination (e.g., for examining the uterus, ovary, etc.), intrarectal examination (e.g., for detecting rectal wall cancer, prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, etc.), and intraluminal detection.

Conventional ultrasound systems are commonly used in large medical facilities (e.g., hospitals) and are operated by medical professionals, such as ultrasound technicians, who have experience with these systems. Ultrasound technicians often receive years of practical training to learn how to properly use ultrasound imaging systems. For example, an ultrasound technician may learn how to properly position an ultrasound device on a subject to capture ultrasound images in various anatomical views (anatomical views). Additionally, the ultrasound technician may learn how to read the captured ultrasound images to infer medical information about the patient. However, the operation of the ultrasonic technician is limited by the experience and technical level of the technician, and it is difficult to ensure the stability and convenience of the inspection and to widely popularize and apply the ultrasonic inspection.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides an automatic ultrasonic inspection system and a control method thereof, and the automatic ultrasonic inspection system can realize automatic inspection under a cavity environment.

The embodiment of the application provides a system for automatically inspecting ultrasonic through a cavity, which comprises:

the ultrasonic imaging device comprises an ultrasonic probe which can enter a body through a cavity and generate a first ultrasonic image sequence and a second ultrasonic image sequence;

a motion control device comprising a robotic arm connected to the ultrasound probe;

the processor is connected to the ultrasonic imaging device and the motion control device, and acquires the first ultrasonic image sequence and the second ultrasonic image sequence, processes the first ultrasonic image sequence and the second ultrasonic image sequence and generates a control signal;

and the motion control device receives the control signal, and drives the ultrasonic probe to move based on the control signal to complete the automatic inspection process.

Preferably, the system for automatically inspecting transluminal ultrasound proposed by the present application, wherein the first ultrasound image sequence is an ultrasound tomographic image sequence, and the second ultrasound image sequence is an ultrasound sagittal image sequence.

Preferably, during the movement of the ultrasound probe, the ultrasound imaging apparatus continuously acquires the first ultrasound image sequence and the second ultrasound image sequence according to a set step length.

Preferably, the processor extracts image contour information in the first and/or second ultrasound image sequence for determining whether the ultrasound probe has reached an end position.

Preferably, when the ultrasonic probe reaches the end position, the processor generates a first control instruction to control the ultrasonic probe to stop moving.

Preferably, after the ultrasonic probe reaches the end position, the processor generates a second control instruction to control the ultrasonic probe to exit the cavity.

Preferably, the processor may further generate third control instructions to control the ultrasound probe to move to a corresponding position within the lumen and to pause the movement.

Preferably, the processor generates the third control instruction based on an input of an input device, or the processor generates the third control instruction based on a result of recognition of the first or second ultrasound image sequence.

Preferably, the imaging parameters of the ultrasound imaging device are adjustable when the ultrasound probe pauses in motion.

Preferably, the ultrasound imaging apparatus further comprises a sheath within which the ultrasound probe slides.

The application also provides a control method of the ultrasonic automatic inspection system through the cavity, which comprises the following steps:

in the process of the movement of the ultrasonic probe, a first ultrasonic image sequence and a second ultrasonic image sequence are obtained according to a preset step length;

extracting image contour information in the first ultrasonic image sequence and/or the second ultrasonic image sequence;

judging whether the ultrasonic probe reaches the end point position or not according to the extracted image contour information;

and when the ultrasonic probe reaches the end position, controlling the ultrasonic probe to stop moving.

According to the control method of the ultrasonic automatic inspection system provided by the application, the step of recording the starting position of the movement of the ultrasonic probe is preferably further included.

Preferably, after the ultrasonic probe stops moving, the method further comprises the step of controlling the ultrasonic probe to exit the cavity.

Preferably, the method further comprises the step of controlling the ultrasonic probe to move to a corresponding position in the cavity and suspending the movement during the process that the ultrasonic probe exits the cavity.

Preferably, when the ultrasonic probe moves to a corresponding position in the cavity and stops moving, the method further comprises the step of adjusting ultrasonic imaging parameters.

The present application also proposes a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored, which program, when being executed by a processor, is adapted to carry out the method according to any one of the embodiments of the present application.

The present application further proposes an electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, the processor implementing the method according to any of the embodiments of the present application when executing the computer program.

The embodiment of the application adopts at least one technical scheme which can achieve the following beneficial effects:

the ultrasonic probe can complete the motion process of automatic inspection based on the control signal provided by the processor under the control of the motion control device; the system can judge the motion position of the ultrasonic probe based on the ultrasonic image sequence acquired in the motion process of the ultrasonic probe and control the motion of the ultrasonic probe according to the motion position. On the basis of the system and the method provided by the application, the motion process of the ultrasonic probe can be controlled in real time, furthermore, in the motion process of the ultrasonic probe, a pause position can be selected according to imaging requirements, ultrasonic imaging with higher precision is carried out on peripheral tissues of the pause position, and automation and fine control of the ultrasonic inspection process are realized.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application and not to limit the application. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an ultrasonic automated inspection system of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the connections between various devices included in the automated ultrasound inspection system;

FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a control method of the ultrasound automated inspection system of the present application;

FIG. 3B is a detailed flow chart of a control method of the ultrasonic automatic inspection system of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a sequence of tomographic images acquired by an ultrasound probe during movement within a lumen;

FIG. 5A is an example of an ultrasound probe acquiring an ultrasound tomographic image of a target tissue during movement;

FIG. 5B is another example of an ultrasound probe acquiring an ultrasound tomographic image of a target tissue during movement;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of acquiring an ultrasound sagittal plane image sequence during the movement of an ultrasound probe in a cavity;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view of a sliding window of an ultrasound sagittal plane image sequence;

FIGS. 8A-8E are schematic diagrams illustrating the principle of detecting the end position based on a sequence of ultrasound sagittal plane images.

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of an embodiment of an ultrasound probe in the present application.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the technical solutions of the present application will be described in detail and completely with reference to the following specific embodiments of the present application and the accompanying drawings. It should be apparent that the described embodiments are only some of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

Unlike the ultrasonic inspection system in the prior art, the embodiment provided by the application can control the ultrasonic probe for ultrasonic inspection to automatically move in the cavity, so as to complete the ultrasonic automatic inspection of the cavity. The embodiments provided herein primarily describe the procedure of performing automated ultrasonic examination of prostate tissue via the rectal tract as an example of the natural orifice of the human body, however, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the system and control method of the present invention are equally applicable to automated ultrasonic examination of other orifices (e.g., digestive tract, urinary tract, reproductive tract, nasal cavity, external auditory tract, nasolacrimal duct, etc.).

The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 1, the present application describes an ultrasonic automated inspection system including an ultrasonic imaging device, a motion control device, and a processor. The ultrasonic imaging device and the motion control device are connected with the processor to transmit image data and control signals. The motion control device is connected with the ultrasonic imaging device to control the motion of the ultrasonic probe in the ultrasonic imaging device.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the motion control device of the automated ultrasound inspection system described herein may include at least one robotic arm having one end connected to an ultrasound imaging probe of an ultrasound imaging device and another end connected to a stationary base. The motion control device comprises a control unit, and the mechanical arm can receive a control signal of the control unit and move to drive the ultrasonic imaging probe to move in the cavity.

Since the body cavities and ducts are all elongated channels, such as rectum, the ultrasonic probe used in the ultrasonic imaging apparatus described in the present application is an elongated structure, and fig. 9 provides an embodiment of an ultrasonic probe used in the present application, as shown in the figure, the ultrasonic probe body 103 is an elongated structure with certain rigidity, the end of the probe body 103 is coupled with the front end of the mechanical arm, the front end of the probe body 103 is provided with the first ultrasonic probe 101 and the second ultrasonic probe 102, and both the first ultrasonic probe 101 and the second ultrasonic probe 102 are installed in the installation groove provided by the ultrasonic probe body 103. Through the combined use of the first ultrasonic probe 101 and the second ultrasonic probe 102, a plurality of ultrasonic imaging images can be acquired, and the omnidirectional image acquisition of the target tissue to be inspected is realized.

The first ultrasonic probe 101 is used to acquire an ultrasonic tomographic image of a target tissue while the ultrasonic probe body 103 is advanced along the lumen. The second ultrasound probe 102 is used to acquire an ultrasound sagittal image of the target tissue. The first ultrasonic probe 101 and the second ultrasonic probe 102 are different types of probes, and by way of example, the first ultrasonic probe 101 is a convex array ultrasonic probe and the second ultrasonic probe 102 is a linear array ultrasonic probe. It is understood that the first ultrasonic probe 101 and the second ultrasonic probe 102 may also be the same type of ultrasonic probe, for example, both linear array ultrasonic probes. It is only necessary to set the first ultrasonic probe as a probe capable of acquiring a tomographic image of the target tissue and the second ultrasonic probe as a probe capable of acquiring a sagittal plane image of the target tissue.

The first ultrasonic probe 101 and the second ultrasonic probe 102 are started simultaneously, ultrasonic images can be continuously acquired according to preset step length in the process that the ultrasonic probes move along the cavity, ultrasonic tomography images are acquired at each step length position through the first ultrasonic probe to form ultrasonic tomography image sequences S1, S2 and S3 … … Sn, ultrasonic sagittal plane images are acquired at each step length position through the second ultrasonic probe to form ultrasonic sagittal plane image sequences T1, T2 and T3 … … Tn.

The first ultrasonic probe for acquiring an ultrasonic tomographic image may be a ring-shaped probe provided to the ultrasonic probe body to ensure image information acquisition of a full field of view. The first ultrasonic probe can also be a convex array probe or a linear array probe or other known probes, and when the probe is adopted, the first ultrasonic probe can be rotated on the premise of keeping the axis of the main body of the ultrasonic probe immovable so as to ensure that the scanning visual field of the probe can cover all target tissues.

Based on the ultrasonic tomographic image sequences S1, S2, S3 … … Sn, three-dimensional reconstruction of an ultrasonic image can be realized, and the reconstructed three-dimensional image can be displayed in real time by a display device. And analyzing based on the ultrasonic tomography image sequence and/or the ultrasonic sagittal plane image sequence, and calculating to obtain data for judging the motion process of the ultrasonic probe. Meanwhile, the data are more accurately calculated by analyzing the ultrasonic tomography image sequence and the ultrasonic sagittal plane image sequence, and more accurate judgment and control of the motion process of the ultrasonic probe are facilitated.

Preferably, the ultrasound imaging apparatus further comprises a sheath, which may be disposable in order to ensure the safety of the medical environment, and which is used at each ultrasound automatic examination and discarded after the examination. The sheath used in the embodiments of the present application has a degree of stiffness to ensure that the sheath can be pre-inserted into the rectum and held in a relatively stable position. The sheath is an axially extending elongated shell-like member shaped to substantially match the shape of the ultrasound probe. Before inserting the elongated ultrasound probe body into the rectum, a sheath may be inserted into the lumen and then the ultrasound probe is slid along the inner wall of the sheath. In this way, the sheath provides a more stable environment for ultrasound probe motion, facilitating accurate calculation and control of ultrasound probe motion data. Preferably, the sheath can be filled with a coupling agent to isolate air, so as to improve the accuracy of the ultrasonic probe inspection, and in the case of filling the coupling agent, the coupling agent also provides a lubricating effect for the ultrasonic probe, so that the friction force between the ultrasonic probe and the surrounding environment in the insertion process can be reduced, the insertion process of the ultrasonic probe is smoother, and the motion control of the ultrasonic probe is more accurate.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 2, the ultrasound automated inspection system described herein includes a processor coupled to an ultrasound imaging device and capable of acquiring ultrasound image data acquired by the first ultrasound probe and the second ultrasound probe from the ultrasound imaging device, including a sequence of ultrasound tomographic images and a sequence of ultrasound sagittal images. The processor performs processing and analysis including contour extraction and the like on the acquired ultrasonic image data, namely an ultrasonic tomography image sequence and an ultrasonic sagittal plane image sequence, and generates a control signal according to the processing and analysis result. The processor is also connected with the motion control device to send a control signal to a control unit of the motion control device, and the motion process of the mechanical arm and the ultrasonic probe is controlled through the control unit.

Preferably, the processor is further connected with a display device, the display device is used for displaying an ultrasonic image acquired in the movement process of the ultrasonic probe in real time, displaying a three-dimensional image obtained by reconstruction and marking the extracted tissue contour information, and the display device can also display related parameters in the operation process of the ultrasonic imaging device, so that an operator including a doctor or a technician can master the parameters and data of the ultrasonic examination in real time.

Preferably, the processor is further connected with an input device, the input device can be various known devices such as a touch screen, a keyboard, a mouse and the like, which can input information to the processor, an operator including a doctor or a technician can select an image of a specific position and a specific frame in the acquired ultrasonic image sequence or on the reconstructed three-dimensional image conveniently through the input device, the processor can determine the position information of the image according to the image selected by the operator, and a control signal is generated to drive the ultrasonic imaging probe to move to the position corresponding to the image. After moving to this position, the operator can further adjust the imaging parameters of the ultrasound imaging apparatus via the input device to facilitate a more detailed view.

The motion control device can be a known mechanical arm and a control unit thereof, and the mechanical arm can perform translational motion at least along the straight line of the cavity or the sheath under the driving of the control unit. Preferably, the robotic arm may have multiple joints to achieve more complex motions.

When the ultrasonic automatic inspection system is used for an ultrasonic automatic inspection scene, the mechanical arm is a driving arm, but the device in the system can also be used for a manual inspection scene, and the mechanical arm can also be a driven arm. The robotic arm is connected to a fixed base that secures the probe adapter and drive module to the fixed base attachment mechanisms, such as 6-axis, 7-axis robotic arms, fixed supports, etc., while providing a reference position for the probe adapter and drive module.

Fig. 3A provides a control method of the ultrasonic automatic inspection system, and fig. 3B is a detailed flow chart of the control method. The control method of the ultrasonic automatic inspection system described in the present application is described in detail below with reference to fig. 3A and 3B.

Before the automatic examination begins, a mechanical arm in the motion control device is fixedly coupled with the tail end of the ultrasonic imaging probe body, the mechanical arm is driven, and the ultrasonic imaging probe is moved to the position near the entrance of a cavity of a patient to be examined. And axially aligning the body of the ultrasound imaging probe with the lumen to be examined or a sheath inserted into the lumen.

And starting an ultrasonic imaging device to obtain an ultrasonic image, wherein the time is recorded as an initial time T1, the position of the ultrasonic probe in the cavity is recorded as an initial position p1, the image obtained by the convex array probe of the ultrasonic imaging probe is an ultrasonic tomography image S1, the image obtained by the linear array probe of the ultrasonic imaging probe is an ultrasonic sagittal plane image T1, and the time or position data and the image data are associated.

The motion control device drives the mechanical arm to drive the ultrasonic probe to advance along the cavity or the sheath, and the ultrasonic probe acquires ultrasonic image data according to a preset step length in the advancing process. The predetermined step size is closely related to the accuracy required for the inspection, and may be set according to time or distance. The present embodiment provides for automated ultrasound examination in the rectum, preferably with a predetermined step size set to a distance of 1mm, and ultrasound image data acquired and recorded once per 1mm of movement of the ultrasound probe.

Acquiring and recording ultrasonic image data according to a preset step length distance in the movement process of the ultrasonic probe, wherein an ultrasonic tomography image S2 and an ultrasonic sagittal plane image T2 are acquired and obtained at a position p 2; at a position p3, acquiring an ultrasonic tomography image S3 and an ultrasonic sagittal plane image T3; … … and the like, and acquiring an ultrasonic tomography image Sn and an ultrasonic sagittal plane image Tn at the position pn. The ultrasound image sequence data acquired by the above process can be represented as { p1, S1, T1}, { p2, S2, T2}, { p3, S3, T3}, … … { pn, Sn, Tn }, and is stored.

In some embodiments, the step size can also be set according to time, and during the movement of the ultrasonic probe, the ultrasonic image data is acquired and recorded according to the time of the preset step size: at the time T2, acquiring an ultrasonic tomography image S2 and an ultrasonic sagittal plane image T2; at the time T3, acquiring an ultrasonic tomography image S3 and an ultrasonic sagittal plane image T3; … … and so on, at the time Tn, acquiring an ultrasonic tomography image Sn and an ultrasonic sagittal plane image Tn. The sequence of ultrasound images acquired by the above process can be represented as { T1, S1, T1}, { T2, S2, T2}, { T3, S3, T3}, … … { Tn, Sn, Tn }, and the above ultrasound image sequence data is stored.

In the above manner, during the movement of the ultrasonic probe along the lumen or sheath, the ultrasonic tomographic image sequence and the ultrasonic sagittal plane image sequence are acquired according to the predetermined step length, and the ultrasonic imaging apparatus transmits the acquired ultrasonic image sequence to the processor in real time.

During the progress of the ultrasound probe along the lumen, the processor performs processing and analysis including contour extraction and the like on each frame of image data in the received ultrasound image sequence. Judging whether the ultrasonic probe moves to the end point position or not according to the processing and analyzing result, if not, not sending an instruction, continuing to advance along the cavity channel according to the original path, and continuing to obtain an ultrasonic image according to the preset step length; if so, generating a first control instruction, wherein the first control instruction instructs the ultrasonic probe to stop the forward movement. The processing and analysis is preferably in real-time to facilitate making decisions and generating motion control commands based on the image analysis results in a timely manner.

As shown in fig. 4, the ultrasonic probe stops the forward movement according to the first control instruction, at which time the ultrasonic probe stops at the end position. The advancing process of the ultrasonic probe along the cavity is completed, through the whole advancing process, the ultrasonic probe acquires all ultrasonic image data sequences including all regions of the target tissue, and at the moment, the processor can perform three-dimensional reconstruction based on the acquired ultrasonic image data sequences to form an integral three-dimensional image of the target tissue.

At a certain time after the ultrasonic probe stops moving (the time can be set according to requirements and can be approximately equal to the time required by the processor to complete three-dimensional reconstruction and display), the processor generates a second control instruction, and the second control instruction instructs the ultrasonic probe to change the moving direction and start to retreat along the cavity channel.

During the process that the ultrasonic probe retreats along the cavity channel, the processor can also generate a third control instruction, the third control instruction instructs the ultrasonic probe to move to the designated pause position p ', and the ultrasonic probe stops moving for a certain time after moving to the pause position p' according to the third control instruction. During the time that the ultrasound probe is stopped at the pause position p ', the operator may modify or adjust the ultrasound imaging parameters, may select the ultrasound imaging mode at the pause position p', may modify the display information, or perform other operations. The pause time of the ultrasound probe at the pause position p' can be set according to the required operation time. After a pause, the ultrasonic probe continues to retract along the cavity until the ultrasonic probe returns to the initial position p 1.

The pause position p' may be determined based on input parameters of the input device. For example, after the ultrasound probe has completed the advancing process, the operator can see the entire ultrasound image sequence and/or the reconstructed three-dimensional ultrasound image through the display device, and the operator may think that the operator needs to observe the ultrasound image sequence or a certain portion of the three-dimensional ultrasound image with emphasis, and the operator may select the image S 'or T' of the interested location through selection of a touch screen, selection of a mouse, or other similar manners. As previously mentioned, the ultrasound image sequence is stored in the processor in a position-dependent manner, for example in the format: { p1, S1, T1}, { p2, S2, T2}, { p3, S3, T3}, … … { pn, Sn, Tn }, by looking up the ultrasound image sequence storage data, a location p ' corresponding to an image S ' or T ' of a location of interest can be determined.

The pause position p' may also be determined based on automatic analysis markers on the image. For example, for the processing and analysis result of each frame of image data in the ultrasound image sequence, such as when there are situations of contour extraction difficulty, unclear target tissue, suspicious object, etc. during image processing, the frame of image is marked as the image S ' or T ' of the interested position, and by searching the stored data of the ultrasound image sequence, the position p ' corresponding to the image S ' or T ' of the interested position can be determined.

Fig. 4, and fig. 5A-5B are schematic diagrams illustrating a principle of performing contour extraction on a slice tomographic image of a prostate and determining an end position of an ultrasonic probe movement according to a contour extraction result when an automatic ultrasonic examination is performed transrectally according to an embodiment. As shown in fig. 4, the ultrasonic probe is driven by a motion actuator (e.g., a mechanical arm) to advance along the lumen, and from a motion start position p1 to a motion end position pn, the tomographic images acquired according to a predetermined step length are S1, S2, S3, and … … Sn. The ultrasonic tomography image of the motion starting position p1 is shown in fig. 5A, the target tissue of the part does not enter the visual field, and a clear image contour cannot be extracted. The ultrasound tomographic image acquired at the position p2 may be similar to fig. 5A, and a clear image contour cannot be extracted. In the process of proceeding, the image sequence S1, S2, S3, … … Sn will undergo the above-mentioned change process from the point that the contour of the tomographic image cannot be extracted, to the point that a smaller contour is extracted, to the point that a larger contour is extracted (as shown in fig. 5B), and then a smaller contour is extracted until the contour cannot be extracted. And judging whether the image is a process position slice image or not according to whether the prostate outline can be accurately positioned in the ultrasonic tomography image by means of segmentation. And when the extracted contour undergoes the change process until the contour cannot be extracted, judging the position as an end point position pn and generating a first control instruction for stopping the advance of the ultrasonic probe. In order to reduce the noise interference and ensure the stability of the system, according to one embodiment, after the segmentation information of the target detection object is continuously detected in the plurality of slice images, when the segmentation information of the target detection object is not continuously detected in the plurality of slice images, the end point position pn is determined, and a first control instruction for stopping the advance of the ultrasonic probe is generated.

Fig. 6-8E are schematic diagrams illustrating the outline extraction of an ultrasound sagittal plane image of the prostate and the determination of the end point position of the ultrasound probe motion based on the outline extraction results, according to an embodiment, in the transrectal automated ultrasound examination. As illustrated in fig. 6, the ultrasound probe undergoes four stages in the advancement process: position T1, the prostate of the target test object has not entered the sagittal ultrasound field of view; position T2, the target test object enters the sagittal plane ultrasound field of view; thereafter, at the T … … Tn location, the target analytes were all present in the sagittal ultrasound field of view.

The whole contour information or the whole information of the main structure of the target detection object can be better obtained by means of the sagittal plane image, and the whole situation can be seen in real time. As shown in FIG. 6, the prostate contours can be segmented at both the T2 position and the Tn position, but only the Tn position can be used as the end position. Therefore, it is unreliable to determine whether the end position is reached based on whether the contour can be divided, and therefore, it is necessary to provide another determination method.

According to an embodiment, the end position determination based on a sagittal plane image sequence is provided as follows:

referring to fig. 7, a rectangular frame in the XY coordinate system in the figure is a schematic illustration of a sliding window of an area for ultrasonic imaging, an ultrasonic probe moves along a negative direction of an X axis in the figure, that is, the sliding window slides along the negative direction of the X axis, a shaded part in the figure is a target detection object image in a sagittal ultrasonic imaging field of view, the length of a rectangular side of the sliding window along the X direction is defined as a window width L, the window width L can be set according to the precision requirement, and the higher the precision is, the smaller the window width L is; the length of the rectangular side of the sliding window along the y direction is defined as a window height H, and the window height H only needs to be set to be large enough to cover the whole height of the target detection object, or the window height H is the same as the height of the whole sagittal plane image.

And defining a region where the sliding window and the target detection object image are overlapped as w, wherein the w region is used as a judgment part for judging whether the target detection object completely enters an ultrasonic detection region, and when the w region is changed from nothing to nothing through the target object segmentation image, the sliding view field can be judged to completely detect the target detection object once in the process of the ultrasonic probe moving along the negative direction of the X axis.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the cross line is the contour region of the prostate in the sagittal plane, and the dark region on the left side of the cross line region is the bladder.

As shown in fig. 8B, the white region is a prostate region segmented by an image algorithm.

As shown in fig. 8C-8E, the schematic diagram of the detection process is shown, the ultrasound image is an image covering all the area around the prostate, and assuming that the gray sliding window is the detection area of the linear array ultrasound probe for acquiring the sagittal ultrasound image, the end point position of the ultrasound probe motion can be determined through the w area. In fig. 8C, the prostate contour is not segmented within the sliding window, which is now near the initial position; as can be seen in fig. 8D, the window slides and w is 1. In FIG. 8E it can be seen that the window slides out and w is 0. By the above mode, the whole flow of the detection of the starting position and the ending position is completed.

According to an embodiment, the automatic ultrasonic inspection system acquires an ultrasonic tomography image sequence and an ultrasonic sagittal plane image sequence simultaneously, and under the condition of poor ultrasonic image information, in order to improve the accuracy of judgment, the judgment condition of the movement end point position of the ultrasonic probe is set as: determining the motion endpoint of the ultrasonic probe according to the contour extraction result of the ultrasonic tomography image frame corresponding to each step length position and the contour extraction result of the ultrasonic sagittal plane image frame; and only when the two judgment conditions are simultaneously met, the processor processes the terminal position and sends out a first control instruction according to the terminal position.

According to another embodiment, the automatic ultrasonic inspection system acquires the ultrasonic tomography image sequence and the ultrasonic sagittal plane image sequence simultaneously, and in some cases, for example, in the case that the damage to the sensitive area is caused by the command of stopping the movement later, the judgment condition of the movement end point position of the ultrasonic probe is set as follows: determining the motion endpoint of the ultrasonic probe according to the contour extraction result of the ultrasonic tomography image frame corresponding to each step length position and the contour extraction result of the ultrasonic sagittal plane image frame; when one of the two judgment conditions is satisfied, the processor processes the terminal position and sends out a first control instruction according to the terminal position.

According to the ultrasonic automatic inspection system, the ultrasonic probe slides in the cavity and finishes detection, and when the ultrasonic automatic inspection system reaches a position in the process, the ultrasonic automatic inspection system acquires an image and synchronously records the movement position information of the movement mechanism at the position, and the sliding position is used as an index to form query data, so that the image information of the movement position can be conveniently and quickly searched through the index in the follow-up process.

In the ultrasonic automatic inspection system and the control method provided by the application, the ultrasonic probe can complete the motion process of automatic inspection based on the control signal provided by the processor under the control of the motion control device; the system can judge the motion position of the ultrasonic probe based on the ultrasonic image sequence acquired in the motion process of the ultrasonic probe and control the motion of the ultrasonic probe according to the motion position.

On the basis of the system and the method provided by the application, the motion process of the ultrasonic probe can be controlled in real time, furthermore, in the motion process of the ultrasonic probe, a pause position can be selected according to imaging requirements, ultrasonic imaging with higher precision is carried out on peripheral tissues of the pause position, and automation and fine control of the ultrasonic inspection process are realized.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, embodiments of the present invention may be provided as a method, system, or computer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, the present invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including, but not limited to, disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, and the like) having computer-usable program code embodied therein.

The present application therefore also proposes a computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method according to any one of the embodiments of the present application.

Further, the present application also proposes an electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, wherein the processor executes the computer program to implement the method according to any of the embodiments of the present application.

The present invention is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each flow and/or block of the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, and combinations of flows and/or blocks in the flow diagrams and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce an article of manufacture including instruction means which implement the function specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart flow or flows and/or block diagram block or blocks.

In a typical configuration, a computing device includes one or more processors (CPUs), input/output interfaces, network interfaces, and memory. The memory may include forms of volatile memory in a computer readable medium, Random Access Memory (RAM) and/or non-volatile memory, such as Read Only Memory (ROM) or flash memory (flash RAM). Memory is an example of a computer-readable medium.

It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising an … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.

The above description is only an example of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may occur to those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present application should be included in the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims

1. A transluminal ultrasound automated inspection system, comprising:

2. The transluminal automated ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, wherein the first sequence of ultrasound images is a sequence of ultrasound tomographic images and the second sequence of ultrasound images is a sequence of ultrasound sagittal plane images.

3. The transluminal automated ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, wherein the ultrasound imaging device continuously acquires the first sequence of ultrasound images and the second sequence of ultrasound images in a set step size during the movement of the ultrasound probe.

4. The transluminal automated ultrasound inspection system of claim 2, wherein the processor extracts image contour information in the first and/or second sequence of ultrasound images for determining whether the ultrasound probe has reached an end position.

5. The automated transluminal inspection system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the processor generates a first control instruction to stop movement of the ultrasound probe when the ultrasound probe reaches an end position.

6. The automated transluminal inspection system according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the processor generates a second control instruction to control the ultrasound probe to exit the channel after the ultrasound probe reaches the end position.

7. The transluminal automated ultrasound inspection system of claim 6, wherein the processor is further operable to generate third control instructions to control movement of the ultrasound probe to a corresponding position within the lumen and to halt movement.

8. The transluminal automated ultrasound inspection system of claim 7, wherein the processor generates the third control instruction based on input from an input device or the processor generates the third control instruction based on the identification of the first or second sequence of ultrasound images.

9. The translumenal automated ultrasound inspection system of claim 1, the ultrasound imaging apparatus further comprising a sheath within which the ultrasound probe slides.

10. A method of controlling a transluminal ultrasound automated inspection system, comprising the steps of:

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of controlling the ultrasound probe to exit the lumen after the ultrasound probe has stopped moving.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of controlling the movement of the ultrasound probe to a corresponding position within the lumen and pausing the movement during the ultrasound probe exits the lumen.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, on which a computer program is stored which, when being executed by a processor, carries out the method according to any one of claims 10-12.

14. An electronic device comprising a memory, a processor and a computer program stored on the memory and executable on the processor, characterized in that the processor implements the method according to any of claims 10-12 when executing the computer program.