WO2023077267A1

WO2023077267A1 - Achilles tendon examination method and ultrasound imaging device

Info

Publication number: WO2023077267A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/128179
Authority: WO
Inventors: 李天舒; 张立国; 王胜昔
Original assignee: 深圳迈瑞动物医疗科技股份有限公司
Priority date: 2021-11-02
Filing date: 2021-11-02
Publication date: 2023-05-11
Also published as: WO2023078269A1; CN117479891A

Abstract

An Achilles tendon examination method and an ultrasound imaging device. The method comprises: acquiring first ultrasound image data of the Achilles tendon of a left leg of a target object and second ultrasound image data of the Achilles tendon of the corresponding right leg, wherein the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data are each obtained by means of a probe (10) scanning the corresponding Achilles tendon according to a preset image scanning method, and each comprise ultrasound images of the cross sections of a plurality of positions of the Achilles tendon; and matching the first ultrasound image data with the second ultrasound image data, so as to obtain ultrasound image groups of the plurality of positions, wherein the ultrasound image group of one position comprises: the ultrasound image of the cross section of the Achilles tendon of the left leg at the position and the ultrasound image of the cross section of the Achilles tendon of the right leg at the position. The usage of the same method to scan the Achilles tendons of left and right legs facilitates subsequent accurate matching of ultrasound image groups, and by means of automatic matching, the efficiency of Achilles tendon examination is improved.

Description

An inspection method and ultrasonic imaging equipment for Achilles tendon

technical field

The invention relates to the medical field, in particular to an inspection method for the Achilles tendon and an ultrasonic imaging device.

Background technique

The Achilles tendon and leg bones are the most injured horses. For horses with Achilles tendon injuries, regular reexamination of the Achilles tendon is required after treatment, so as to determine whether the recovery can continue training or retire.

The Achilles tendon of the horse is usually examined by B-ultrasound. The Achilles tendon on the healthy side (the healthy side) and the affected side (the diseased side) of the horse are inspected separately, and the Achilles tendon is inspected at different positions, and the Achilles tendon is measured. The area of different positions of the tendon is used to calculate the stenosis ratio, and the data of the affected side is compared with the data of the healthy side to judge the recovery of the Achilles tendon.

In the examination of the Achilles tendon of a horse, the veterinarian first scans and saves pictures of 5-7 or more different parts of the Achilles tendon on a horse's leg, and then on the other side of the horse's leg, the same Then scan and save the images of the Achilles tendon. After all the inspection parts are scanned and saved, the inspection images of the same Achilles tendon on the left and right legs are put together to measure the area of the Achilles tendon and calculate the area stenosis ratio. . At present, the measurement of the area of the Achilles tendon mainly relies on doctors to manually mark on the image, and then calculate the area according to the range marked by the doctor. Doctors are required to scan multiple parts, perform multiple manual identifications to match the left and right images of the same part, and manually mark the area of the Achilles tendon for calculations, which is frequent, time-consuming, and error-prone.

technical problem

The present invention mainly provides an inspection method of Achilles tendon and ultrasonic imaging equipment, aiming at improving the efficiency of Achilles tendon inspection.

technical solution

One embodiment provides an ultrasonic imaging device, comprising:

probe;

A transmitting circuit, used to excite the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object;

a receiving circuit, configured to receive, through the probe, ultrasonic echoes returned from the target object to obtain ultrasonic echo signals;

Processor for:

Obtain the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the horse, and the second ultrasonic image data of the corresponding Achilles tendon of the right leg; the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data are scanned by the probe according to the preset Obtained by manually scanning the corresponding Achilles tendon; the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data both include ultrasound images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

Matching the first ultrasonic image data with the second ultrasonic image data to match ultrasonic image groups at multiple positions; wherein, the ultrasonic image group at one position includes: a cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the left Achilles tendon at this position , and a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the right Achilles tendon at this location.

One embodiment provides an ultrasonic imaging device, comprising:

probe;

A human-computer interaction device for outputting visual information and receiving user input;

Processor for:

Receive an instruction for starting the Achilles tendon inspection through the human-computer interaction device, and enter the Achilles tendon inspection mode in response to the instruction; the human-computer interaction device is provided with a left leg key and a right leg key;

After the left leg key is triggered, scan the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target object through the probe; after receiving the image storage instruction through the human-computer interaction device, save the first image of the Achilles tendon of the left leg obtained by scanning. - ultrasound image data;

After the right leg key is triggered, scan the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the target object through the probe; after receiving the image storage instruction through the human-computer interaction device, save the first image of the Achilles tendon of the right leg obtained by scanning. Two ultrasound image data; the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data both include ultrasound images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

An instruction for starting automatic calculation is received by the human-computer interaction device, and in response to the instruction, according to the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data, the display interface of the human-computer interaction device displays The difference amount of the ultrasonic image group of at least one position; wherein, the ultrasonic image group of a position comprises: the cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the Achilles tendon of the left leg at the position, and the transverse ultrasonic image of the Achilles tendon of the right leg at the position; the ultrasonic image The group difference amount is used to characterize the size difference of the Achilles tendon region of the two ultrasound images in the ultrasound image group.

One embodiment provides an ultrasonic imaging device, comprising:

probe;

Processor for:

Obtain the third ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, and the fourth ultrasonic image data detected when the affected leg is healthy; Obtained by scanning the Achilles tendon with the set scanning technique; the third ultrasonic image data and the fourth ultrasonic image data both include ultrasonic images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

Matching the third ultrasonic image data with the fourth ultrasonic image data to match ultrasonic image groups at multiple positions; wherein, the ultrasonic image group at one position includes: a cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the current Achilles tendon at this position, And a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the Achilles tendon in a healthy position.

One embodiment provides an ultrasonic imaging device, comprising:

probe;

Processor for:

Obtain the third ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, and the fourth ultrasonic image data detected when the affected leg is healthy; the third ultrasonic image data and the fourth ultrasonic image data both include the Achilles tendon Ultrasound images of cross-sections at a position;

An instruction for starting automatic calculation is received by the human-computer interaction device, and in response to the instruction, according to the third ultrasound image data and the fourth ultrasound image data, the display interface of the human-computer interaction device displays The difference amount of the ultrasonic image group of at least one position; wherein, the ultrasonic image group of a position includes: the cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the current Achilles tendon at the position, and the transverse ultrasonic image of the Achilles tendon when the position is healthy; the ultrasonic image group The difference amount of is used to characterize the size difference of the Achilles tendon region of the two ultrasound images in the ultrasound image set.

One embodiment provides a kind of inspection method of Achilles tendon, comprising:

Obtain the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target object and the second ultrasonic image data of the corresponding Achilles tendon of the right leg; Obtained by scanning the corresponding Achilles tendon with graphic techniques; the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data both include ultrasonic images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

receiving an instruction to initiate an Achilles tendon inspection, and in response to the instruction, entering an Achilles tendon inspection mode;

After the left leg button of the human-computer interaction device is triggered, scan the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target subject through the probe; after receiving the image storage instruction, save the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg obtained by scanning;

After the right leg button of the human-computer interaction device is triggered, scan the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the target object through the probe; after receiving the image storage instruction, save the second ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the right leg obtained by scanning ; Both the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data include ultrasonic images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

Receiving an instruction for starting automatic calculation, in response to the instruction, displaying the difference amount of the ultrasound image group of at least one location according to the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data; wherein, the ultrasound image of a location The image group includes: the cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the left Achilles tendon at this position, and the transverse ultrasonic image of the right Achilles tendon at this position; the difference between the ultrasonic image groups is used to characterize the two ultrasonic images in the ultrasonic image group Image the size difference of the Achilles tendon region.

Receiving an instruction for starting automatic calculation, in response to the instruction, displaying the difference amount of the ultrasound image group of at least one location according to the third ultrasound image data and the fourth ultrasound image data; wherein, the ultrasound image of a location The image group includes: the current cross-sectional ultrasound image of the Achilles tendon at this position, and the cross-sectional ultrasound image of the Achilles tendon when the position is healthy; the difference amount of the ultrasound image group is used to characterize the two ultrasound images in the ultrasound image group The size difference of the Achilles tendon region.

An embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium, on which a program is stored, and the program can be executed by a processor to implement the above method.

Beneficial effect

According to an inspection method of the Achilles tendon and the ultrasonic imaging device of the above-mentioned embodiment, the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target object and the second ultrasonic image data of the corresponding Achilles tendon of the right leg are obtained; the first ultrasonic image Both the data and the second ultrasound image data are obtained by scanning the corresponding Achilles tendon with the probe according to the preset scanning technique, and both include ultrasound images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon; the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data The data are matched, and the ultrasonic image groups of multiple positions are matched; the ultrasonic image group of a position includes: the transverse ultrasonic image of the left Achilles tendon at this position, and the transverse ultrasonic image of the right Achilles tendon at this position. Using the same technique to scan the left and right Achilles tendons facilitates subsequent accurate matching of ultrasound image groups, and the automatic matching method improves the efficiency of Achilles tendon inspection.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is the structural block diagram of an embodiment of the ultrasonic imaging equipment provided by the present invention;

Fig. 2 is the flowchart of an embodiment of the inspection method of Achilles tendon provided by the present invention;

Fig. 3 is the flowchart of another embodiment of the inspection method of Achilles tendon provided by the present invention;

Fig. 4 is in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the flowchart of step 2 one embodiment;

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of another embodiment of step 2 in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3;

6 is a schematic diagram of the Achilles tendon region displayed on the display in the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention;

Fig. 7 is the flow chart of another embodiment of the inspection method of Achilles tendon provided by the present invention;

Fig. 8 is a flow chart of another embodiment of the Achilles tendon inspection method provided by the present invention;

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the operation interface in the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a display interface displaying ultrasonic image groups and their differences in the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention

The present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Wherein, similar elements in different implementations adopt associated similar element numbers. In the following implementation manners, many details are described for better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art can readily recognize that some of the features can be omitted in different situations, or can be replaced by other elements, materials, and methods. In some cases, some operations related to the application are not shown or described in the description, this is to avoid the core part of the application being overwhelmed by too many descriptions, and for those skilled in the art, it is necessary to describe these operations in detail Relevant operations are not necessary, and they can fully understand the relevant operations according to the description in the specification and general technical knowledge in the field.

In addition, the characteristics, operations or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any appropriate manner to form various embodiments. At the same time, the steps or actions in the method description can also be exchanged or adjusted in a manner obvious to those skilled in the art. Therefore, various sequences in the specification and drawings are only for clearly describing a certain embodiment, and do not mean a necessary sequence, unless otherwise stated that a certain sequence must be followed.

The serial numbers assigned to components in this document, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the described objects, and do not have any sequence or technical meaning. The "connection" and "connection" mentioned in this application include direct and indirect connection (connection) unless otherwise specified.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the ultrasonic imaging device provided by the present invention includes a probe (ie an ultrasonic probe) 10 , a transmitting circuit 30 , a receiving circuit 40 , a processor 20 , a human-computer interaction device 70 and a memory 80 .

The ultrasonic probe 10 includes a transducer (not shown in the figure) composed of a plurality of array elements arranged in an array. The array element is used to transmit ultrasonic waves according to the excitation electrical signal, or convert the received ultrasonic waves into electrical signals. Therefore, each array element can be used to realize the mutual conversion between electric pulse signal and ultrasonic wave, so as to transmit ultrasonic wave to the biological tissue of the target object, and can also be used to receive the echo of ultrasonic wave reflected by the tissue.

The transmitting circuit 30 is used to excite the ultrasonic probe 10 to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object according to the control of the processor 20 .

The receiving circuit 40 is used for receiving the ultrasonic echoes returned from the target object through the ultrasonic probe 10 to obtain ultrasonic echo signals, and may also process the ultrasonic echo signals. Receive circuitry 40 may include one or more amplifiers, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and the like.

The human-computer interaction device 70 is used for performing human-computer interaction, such as outputting visualized information and receiving user input. It can use a keyboard, operation buttons, mouse, trackball, touch pad, etc. to receive user input, and can also use a touch screen integrated with a display; it can use a display to output visual information.

The memory 80 is used to store various types of data.

The ultrasound imaging device may further include a beam forming module 50 and an IQ demodulation module 60 .

The beamforming module 50 is connected to the receiving circuit 40 with signals, and is used to perform beamforming processing such as corresponding delay and weighted summation on the echo signals. Since the distances from the ultrasonic receiving points in the tissue under test to the receiving array elements are different, therefore, The channel data of the same receiving point output by different receiving array elements has a delay difference, which needs to be delayed to align the phases, and the different channel data of the same receiving point are weighted and summed to obtain the ultrasonic image data after beamforming. The ultrasound image data output by the beamforming module 50 is also referred to as radio frequency data (RF data). The beamforming module 50 outputs the radio frequency data to the IQ demodulation module 60 . In some embodiments, the beamforming module 50 may also output the radio frequency data to the memory 80 for buffering or saving, or directly output the radio frequency data to the processor 20 for image processing.

The beamforming module 50 may implement the above functions in hardware, firmware or software. The beamforming module 50 may be integrated in the processor 20, or may be set separately, which is not limited in the present invention.

The IQ demodulation module 60 removes the signal carrier through IQ demodulation, extracts the organizational structure information contained in the signal, and performs filtering to remove noise. The signal obtained at this time is called a baseband signal (IQ data pair). The IQ demodulation module 60 outputs the IQ data pair to the processor 20 for image processing. In some embodiments, the IQ demodulation module 60 also outputs the IQ data pairs to the memory 80 for buffering or saving, so that the processor 20 can read the data from the memory 80 for subsequent image processing.

The IQ demodulation module 60 may also use hardware, firmware or software to perform the above functions. Likewise, the IQ demodulation module 60 may be integrated in the processor 20, or may be set separately, which is not limited in the present invention.

Processor 20 is for a central controller circuit (CPU), one or more microprocessors, a graphics controller circuit (GPU), or any other electronic component configured to process input data according to specific logical Instructions or predetermined instructions perform control on peripheral electronic components, or perform data reading and/or storage on memory 80, and may also process input data by executing programs in memory 80, such as collecting data according to one or more operating modes. The ultrasonic data performs one or more processing operations, the processing operations include but are not limited to adjusting or limiting the form of the ultrasonic waves emitted by the ultrasonic probe 10, generating various image frames for display on the display of the subsequent human-computer interaction device 70, or adjusting or Define content and form displayed on the display, or adjust display settings for one or more images displayed on the display (eg, ultrasound images, interface components, locating regions of interest).

Acquired ultrasound data may be processed by processor 20 in real time during a scan as echo signals are received, or may be temporarily stored on memory 80 and processed in near real time in on-line or off-line operation.

In this embodiment, the processor 20 controls the operation of the transmitting circuit 30 and the receiving circuit 40, for example, controls the transmitting circuit 30 and the receiving circuit 40 to work alternately or simultaneously. The processor 20 can also determine the appropriate working mode according to the user's selection or the setting of the program, form a transmission sequence corresponding to the current working mode, and send the transmission sequence to the transmission circuit 30, so that the transmission circuit 30 adopts the appropriate transmission sequence control The ultrasonic probe 10 emits ultrasonic waves.

The processor 20 is also used to process the ultrasound data to generate a grayscale image with varying signal intensity within the scanning range, which reflects the internal anatomical structure of the tissue, which is called a B image. The processor 20 may output the B image to the display of the human-computer interaction device 70 for display.

The invention mainly improves the inspection method of the Achilles tendon of the target object, so as to improve the automation degree of the inspection, thereby improving the inspection efficiency. Therefore, the processor 20 is also used to acquire the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target subject and the corresponding second ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the right leg; wherein, the first ultrasonic image data is scanned by the probe 10 The Achilles tendon of the left leg of the subject is obtained, and the first ultrasonic image data includes ultrasonic images of cross-sections of multiple positions of the Achilles tendon of the left leg; the second ultrasonic image data is obtained by scanning the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the subject with the probe 10, and the second ultrasonic The imaging data consisted of ultrasound images of transverse sections of the right Achilles tendon at multiple locations. The processor 20 is also used to match the first ultrasonic image data with the second ultrasonic image data, and match the ultrasonic image groups of multiple positions; wherein, the ultrasonic image group of one position includes: the transverse section of the left Achilles tendon at this position Ultrasound image, and a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the right Achilles tendon at this location. It can be seen that the user only needs to scan the left and right Achilles tendons of the target object, and the ultrasonic imaging equipment can automatically match the cross-sectional ultrasonic images of the same position of the left and right Achilles tendons without manual identification by the user, which saves the user's workload and improves Improve the efficiency of Achilles tendon inspection.

The method for inspecting the Achilles tendon by the ultrasonic imaging equipment may be more than this, and some embodiments will be described in detail below.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the method for inspecting the Achilles tendon of the target object by the ultrasonic imaging device specifically includes the following steps:

Step 1. The processor 20 acquires the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target subject and the corresponding second ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the right leg. Ultrasonic image data can be obtained from other devices, or can be obtained by scanning the Achilles tendon of the target object with the ultrasonic imaging device, and this embodiment will take the latter as an example for illustration. In this embodiment, both the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data are obtained by scanning the corresponding Achilles tendon with the probe 10 according to the preset scanning technique; both the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data include the Achilles tendon Ultrasound images of cross-sections at multiple locations. The Achilles tendons of the left and right legs use the same scanning technique, which is conducive to subsequent data matching. The target object may be a human or an animal. In this embodiment, the target object is a horse as an example, and the ultrasonic imaging device may be a veterinary ultrasonic imaging device.

Specifically, the input device is provided with a smart Achilles tendon key, which can be a physical key or a virtual key on the display interface ("Smart key" as shown in Figure 9). Tendon” key). The user triggers (for example, presses, touches or cursor clicks, etc.) the smart Achilles tendon key, and then sends an instruction for starting the Achilles tendon inspection. The processor 20 receives the instruction for starting the Achilles tendon inspection through the input device , in response to the instruction, enter the Achilles tendon inspection mode. The user presses the smart Achilles tendon button again to exit the Achilles tendon inspection mode.

The input device is also provided with a left leg key (as shown in Figure 9 "Lt Foot" key) and the right leg key ("Rt" as shown in Figure 9 Foot” key). The left leg key is used to determine the ultrasonic image data obtained from the scan as the ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg (that is, the first ultrasonic image data), and the right leg key is used to determine the ultrasonic image data obtained from the scan It is determined to be the ultrasound image data of the Achilles tendon of the right leg (ie, the second ultrasound image data).

After entering the Achilles tendon inspection mode, you can scan the left and right Achilles tendons. The user can trigger the left leg button. After the left leg button is triggered, the image will be unfrozen. The user operates the probe to scan the image according to the preset scanning method, and the processor 20 scans the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target object through the probe accordingly, that is Transmit ultrasound, receive and process ultrasound echo signals, and obtain ultrasound image data (such as buffering one or more frames of ultrasound images) and freeze them. The user operates the input device to issue an image storage instruction, and the processor 20 saves the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg obtained by scanning after receiving the image storage instruction through the input device.

Similarly, the user can trigger the right leg button. After the right leg button is triggered, the image will be unfrozen. The user operates the probe to scan the image according to the preset scanning method, and the processor 20 correspondingly scans the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the target object through the probe. Scanning, that is, transmitting ultrasound, receiving and processing ultrasound echo signals, obtaining ultrasound image data (such as buffering one or more frames of ultrasound images) and freezing them. The user operates the input device to issue an image storage instruction, and the processor 20 saves the second ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the right leg obtained by scanning after receiving the image storage instruction through the input device. Both the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data include ultrasound images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon.

Among them, there may be various preset scanning methods, which are convenient for subsequent matching. Two are listed below for illustration.

One scanning method is: the probe is moved along one end of the Achilles tendon to the other end for continuous scanning. For example, the user puts the probe against one end of the Achilles tendon, operates the input device of the human-computer interaction device 70 to make the processor 20 activate the probe 10, and the probe 10 starts to emit ultrasonic waves and receive ultrasonic echoes, and the user places the probe 10 along one end of the Achilles tendon Moving to the other end, it can be moved at a constant speed, which is conducive to subsequent matching; during the movement of the probe 10, the processor 20 processes the ultrasonic echo data in real time, generates a real-time ultrasonic image and displays it on the display of the human-computer interaction device 70; After 10 moves to the other end of the Achilles tendon, the user operates the input device to cause the processor 20 to freeze the image. The process of activating the probe 10 to freeze the image is one scan. The scanning technique in this example covers the entire Achilles tendon in one scan, which is a continuous scan, and the obtained ultrasound image data is continuous in time. This continuous ultrasound image data is the data after the ultrasound echoes are processed by beamforming during the continuous scanning period (when the probe moves from one end of the Achilles tendon to the other end). For example, it can be a piece of radio frequency data or a piece of IQ data pair. It can also be a piece of ultrasound video, and this embodiment will take the latter as an example for illustration, that is, in this embodiment, a piece of ultrasound video is obtained by continuous scanning, which includes multiple consecutive frames of ultrasound images. Using this scanning method, the veterinarian scans the image at a uniform speed along the Achilles tendon with the probe on one leg of the horse, and the processor 20 identifies, calculates, and saves the ultrasonic image data of the entire Achilles tendon (such as the first ultrasound image data), do the same scan on the Achilles tendon on the other side of the horse, and obtain the ultrasound image data of the other Achilles tendon (such as the second ultrasound image data). The reason why the ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left and right legs is collected is to judge the injury and recovery of the Achilles tendon by comparing the ultrasonic images of the same position of the left and right legs. Therefore, the left and right legs can be the left foreleg and the right foreleg, or the left and right hind legs, so that they are comparable.

Another scan method is: the probe scans multiple preset Achilles tendon positions in a preset order (such as from top to bottom or from bottom to top, etc.). The scanning method in the previous example is continuous scanning, and the scanning method in this example is multi-point scanning or multiple scanning. For example, a plurality of preset positions of the Achilles tendon include two ends of the Achilles tendon, and the user sticks the probe to one end of the Achilles tendon, and operates the input device of the human-computer interaction device 70 so that the processor 20 activates the probe 10, and the probe 10 starts to emit ultrasonic waves And receive the ultrasonic echo to obtain the ultrasonic image data of the end of the Achilles tendon, and the user operates the input device to make the processor 20 freeze the image. Then move the probe 10 to the next Achilles tendon position (for example, move the probe down 2 cm or up 2 cm), continue to activate the probe 10, obtain the ultrasound image data of the Achilles tendon position, and then freeze the image. Subsequent scans of the Achilles tendon position are performed by analogy until all preset Achilles tendon positions are scanned, and the ultrasonic image data of all preset Achilles tendon positions constitute the first ultrasonic image data or the second ultrasonic image data. Similarly, in this example, the type of ultrasound image data can be radio frequency data, IQ data pairs, or ultrasound images. This example uses the latter as an example for illustration, that is, the ultrasound image data in this example includes various preset Ultrasound images of the position of the Achilles tendon. Every time a preset position of the Achilles tendon is scanned, the processor 20 generates an ultrasonic image according to the ultrasonic echo and displays it on the display. Using this scanning method, the veterinarian scans multiple preset Achilles tendon positions along the Achilles tendon from the beginning to the end with the probe on one leg of the horse, and the processor 20 identifies, calculates, and saves the ultrasonic images of each Achilles tendon position Data (such as the first ultrasound image data), the same scan is performed on the Achilles tendon on the other side of the horse to obtain the ultrasound image data of the other Achilles tendon (such as the second ultrasound image data).

After the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data are obtained, the subsequent steps may be executed automatically, or may be executed under the trigger of the user, and this embodiment is described by taking the latter as an example. The input device is also provided with an automatic calculation key. When the user triggers the automatic calculation key, an instruction for starting the automatic calculation is issued. The processor 20 receives the instruction for starting the automatic calculation through the input device, and executes subsequent steps in response to the instruction.

Step 2, the processor 20 matches the first ultrasound image data with the second ultrasound image data, and matches ultrasound image groups at multiple positions; wherein, the ultrasound image group at one position includes: a cross-section of the left Achilles tendon at this position Ultrasound image, and a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the right Achilles tendon at this location. There are many matching methods, and it is enough to match the ultrasound images of the same Achilles tendon on the left and right legs. Several matching methods are given below for illustration.

The first matching method, this matching method is related to the scanning technique in the previous step, that is, the preset scanning technique is required to be: the probe 10 moves along one end of the Achilles tendon to the other end at a constant speed for continuous scanning. As shown in Figure 4, the matching method includes the following steps:

Step 21, the processor 20 determines the position of the Achilles tendon corresponding to the multiple ultrasound images according to the time sequence of the multiple ultrasound images in the first ultrasound image data. The processor 20 determines the position of the Achilles tendon corresponding to the multiple ultrasound images according to the time sequence of the multiple ultrasound images in the second ultrasound image data. Since the ultrasonic images of both ends of the Achilles tendon (the first obtained ultrasonic image and the last obtained ultrasonic image) are known, and the probe 10 moves at a constant speed during continuous scanning, each ultrasonic image of the ultrasonic image data There is a one-to-one correspondence between the time and the position of the Achilles tendon. The processor 20 can associate the time when generating the ultrasound image, or can use the number of frames to correspond to the time. Taking the latter as an example, assuming that the ultrasound image data has a total of 1000 frames of ultrasound images, The frame numbers of the 1000 frames of images are sorted according to the generation time, so the position of the Achilles tendon corresponding to the 500th frame of ultrasound image is the middle of the Achilles tendon, and the 333rd frame of ultrasound image corresponds to the 1/3 position of the Achilles tendon. Equally dividing the number of frames of the 1000 frames of images is to equally divide the Achilles tendon, so the position of the Achilles tendon corresponding to each ultrasound image can be obtained.

In step 22, the processor 20 matches the ultrasound images at the same position in the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data to obtain an ultrasound image group. For example, the processor 20 sequentially samples the first ultrasound image data using a preset sampling method (such as equal sampling) to obtain multiple ultrasound images, and also adopts the preset sampling method to sequentially sample the second ultrasound image data to obtain multiple ultrasound images. The plurality of ultrasonic images obtained by sequentially sampling the first ultrasonic image data and the plurality of ultrasonic images obtained by sequentially sampling the second ultrasonic image data are matched one by one to obtain ultrasonic image groups of multiple positions. For example, match the ultrasound images of the top of the Achilles tendon of the left and right legs into the ultrasound image group of the top of the Achilles tendon, match the ultrasound images of the upper 1/3 of the Achilles tendon of the left and right legs into the ultrasound image group of the upper 1/3 of the Achilles tendon, and match the ultrasound images of the upper 1/3 of the Achilles tendon in the left and right The ultrasound images in the middle of the Achilles tendon were matched to the ultrasound image group in the middle of the Achilles tendon, and the ultrasound images in the lower 1/3 of the left and right legs were matched to the ultrasound image group in the lower 1/3 of the Achilles tendon. The ultrasound image of the base of the tendon was matched to the set of ultrasound images of the base of the Achilles tendon, etc.

Using this matching method, combined with the user's scanning technique, can conveniently and quickly match the ultrasound images of the left and right legs at the same position.

The second matching method requires other devices, for example, a sensor for detecting the height of the probe, such as a laser distance measuring sensor, is provided on the probe 10 . The first ultrasonic image data is obtained by scanning the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the horse under the triggering of the probe 10 at multiple preset probe heights respectively; the second ultrasonic image data is obtained by the triggering of the probe 10 at multiple preset probe heights respectively Next, scan the horse's right leg to get off the Achilles tendon. In other words, the scan in step 1 can be triggered by a sensor. The veterinarian moves the probe along one end of the Achilles tendon to the other. Automatically save the image, and obtain the ultrasonic image corresponding to the position of the Achilles tendon at the probe height. It can be seen that the veterinarian only needs to move the probe from one end of the Achilles tendon to the other end, the operation is very simple, the degree of automation is high, and the efficiency is improved. Of course, the sensor can also only prompt the veterinarian after reaching the preset probe height, and the veterinarian manually activates the probe, saves the image, etc.

Scanning the Achilles tendon is to scan the cross-section of the Achilles tendon to obtain an ultrasound image. Since the ultrasonic images are acquired triggered by known probe heights, the height of the cross-section to which each ultrasonic image belongs in the ultrasonic image data is known. Furthermore, the processor 20 matches the first ultrasonic image data with the ultrasonic images of the transverse section at the same height in the second ultrasonic image data to obtain an ultrasonic image group.

The third matching method also requires other devices, for example, a sensor for detecting the height of the probe, such as a laser distance measuring sensor, is provided on the probe 10 . As shown in Figure 5, the matching method includes the following steps:

Step 21', the processor 20 obtains the first height data detected by the sensor on the probe during the process of the probe 10 scanning the Achilles tendon of the horse's left leg to obtain the first ultrasonic image data; the height collected by the sensor at the same time is taken as the time The height of the cross-section of the ultrasonic image collected by the probe; in other words, the processor 20 generates a frame of ultrasonic image according to the ultrasonic echo data, and associates the height detected by the sensor at the same time with the frame of ultrasonic image, and the associated frame of ultrasonic image The height is the height at which the probe scans to obtain the frame of ultrasound image, that is, the height of the cross section of the Achilles tendon to which the frame of ultrasound image belongs. The processor 20 acquires the second height data detected by the sensor on the probe during the process of the probe 10 scanning the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the horse to obtain the second ultrasonic image data; The height of the cross section the image belongs to.

In step 22 ′, the processor 20 matches the ultrasonic images of the transverse section at the same height in the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data to obtain an ultrasonic image group. Compared with the second method, this method requires a larger amount of data processing. The height sensor is used to determine the position (height) of the Achilles tendon corresponding to the ultrasound image, with higher accuracy.

After obtaining multiple ultrasound image groups of Achilles tendon positions, there are many ways to process them, some of which are introduced below.

A kind of is " automatic " type, as shown in Figure 2, described method also comprises the following steps:

Step 3, the processor 20 acquires the Achilles tendon region in the two ultrasound images of the ultrasound image group at the same position.

Processor 20 may automatically identify the Achilles tendon region in two ultrasound images of a set of ultrasound images of the same location. For example, the processor 20 respectively inputs two ultrasound images of the ultrasound image group at the same position into a pre-trained deep learning model or a machine learning model to respectively obtain the Achilles tendon region in the two ultrasound images of the ultrasound image group, of course , in some embodiments, image recognition technology may also be used to determine the Achilles tendon area.

The processor 20 may also display the ultrasonic image group at the same position through the display, may only display the ultrasonic image group at one position, or may display the ultrasonic image group at multiple positions. It is also possible to mark the left and right attributes of the ultrasound image when displaying the two ultrasound images of the ultrasound image group (that is, to mark whether the ultrasound image is of the left leg or the right leg, as shown in LF and RF in Figure 10); The Achilles tendon region is marked on the ultrasound image. The processor 20 receives the Achilles tendon region marked by the user in one ultrasound image of the ultrasound image group at the same position through the input device, and determines it as the Achilles tendon region of the ultrasound image; The region of the Achilles tendon marked in the image was identified as the region of the Achilles tendon for this ultrasound image.

Whether it is the Achilles tendon region automatically identified by the processor 20 or the Achilles tendon region manually marked by the user, it can be further processed to facilitate subsequent calculation of the difference. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the processor 20 takes the longest line segment between any two points on the boundary of the Achilles tendon region (shown by the dotted line in the figure) as the long axis a to connect the two points on the boundary of the Achilles tendon region and The line segment where the vertical line of the major axis coincides is the minor axis b, and the ellipse (shown by the solid line in the figure) determined by the major axis a and the minor axis b is used as the final Achilles tendon area.

In some embodiments, whether it is the automatically identified Achilles tendon region, the Achilles tendon region manually marked by the user, or the elliptical Achilles tendon region obtained by further processing (the above-mentioned final Achilles tendon region), the user can also adjust it. That is, the processor marks the boundary of the Achilles tendon region in the ultrasonic image group displayed on the monitor, in other words, the boundary of the Achilles tendon region is marked (shown by the dotted line in FIG. 10 ). Processor 20 receives the user's operation of adjusting the boundary of the Achilles tendon region through the input device, adjusts the boundary of the Achilles tendon region according to the operation and updates the display; for example, the input device is provided with an edit key, and the edit key is used to start the adjustment of the Achilles tendon region mark ; The processor 20 is also used for: after the edit key is triggered, receive the user's operation of adjusting the boundary mark of the Achilles tendon area through the input device, adjust the boundary of the Achilles tendon area according to the operation and update the display, and use the latest Achilles tendon area in subsequent steps The calculation is performed on the Achilles tendon area, such as subsequent update of the difference amount according to the adjusted boundary of the Achilles tendon area.

Step 4, the processor 20 obtains and outputs a difference amount representing the size difference between the two Achilles tendon regions according to the Achilles tendon regions in the two ultrasound images in the same position. In a healthy horse Achilles tendon, the difference between the left and right Achilles tendon at the same height is very small. If the difference is too large, it means that one side of the Achilles tendon is injured or has not recovered. Difference quantities can include the difference in area of two Achilles regions, the normalized difference in area of two Achilles regions, the difference in perimeter of two Achilles regions, and the normalized difference in perimeter of two Achilles regions at least one of the values. If the latest Achilles tendon area is the above-mentioned elliptical Achilles tendon area, the processor 20 can calculate the area of the Achilles tendon area, the perimeter of the Achilles tendon area, etc. according to the major and minor axes of the ellipse, and then calculate the above-mentioned difference. If the latest Achilles tendon area is not a standard ellipse, the processor 20 can count the total number of pixels in the Achilles tendon area, multiply the actual area represented by each pixel to obtain the area of the Achilles tendon area, and can count the total number of pixels on the Achilles tendon area boundary, Then multiply by the length or width of the corresponding pixel to obtain the circumference of the Achilles tendon region, and then calculate the above difference. Of course, the two Achilles tendon regions can also be superimposed first to obtain the difference region, and the area difference and/or the circumference difference are obtained according to the difference region. The normalized difference of the areas of the two Achilles tendon areas, where the normalization method can adopt the existing method, for example, the normalized difference is: the absolute value of the area difference of the two Achilles tendon areas divided by the larger Achilles tendon The area of the region, that is, the normalized difference of the areas of the two Achilles tendon regions is the narrow ratio of the areas of the two Achilles tendon regions. Similarly, for the normalized difference of the perimeters of the two Achilles tendon regions, the normalization method can use the existing method, such as the normalized difference: the absolute value of the difference between the two Achilles tendon region perimeters divided by Take the circumference of the large Achilles tendon area.

The difference is output by the processor 20. For example, the difference is displayed on the monitor, and the veterinarian can understand the difference between the Achilles tendon of the left and right legs by seeing the difference, and then know the injury or recovery of the affected leg. When displaying the amount of difference, the corresponding Achilles tendon position can also be displayed. If the difference is the difference between the areas of the two Achilles tendons or the normalized difference between the areas of the two Achilles tendons, then when displaying the difference, the areas of the two Achilles tendons can also be displayed. If the difference amount is the difference of the circumferences of the two Achilles tendon regions or the normalized difference of the circumferences of the two Achilles tendon regions, when displaying the difference amount, the circumferences of the two Achilles tendon regions can also be displayed.

After matching multiple ultrasonic image groups in the above steps, the corresponding positions of multiple Achilles tendons and their differences are displayed for reference by veterinarians. For example, a schematic diagram of a horse's leg is displayed on the display interface of the display, and the position of the Achilles tendon and its corresponding difference are marked on the schematic diagram. The different Achilles tendon positions and their differences can be displayed simultaneously or separately. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10 , the ultrasonic images of the left and right Achilles tendons of the ultrasonic image group at the same position, the area or circumference of the Achilles tendon region on the ultrasonic images, and the corresponding difference are displayed together. The input device is also provided with multiple position selection keys, one position selection key corresponds to one Achilles tendon position. Take the seven position selection keys 1A-3C in FIG. 9 as an example, 1A and 3C correspond to the two ends of the Achilles tendon, and 1B-3B correspond to the positions of the five equal points of the Achilles tendon. The processor 20 displays the ultrasonic image group corresponding to the position of the Achilles tendon and the difference between the ultrasonic image groups on the display interface of the display according to the currently triggered position selection key. That is, it is very convenient for the user to click the position selection button if he wants to see the ultrasonic image or the difference of the position of the Achilles tendon.

The input device is also provided with an overview key (such as the “All” key in FIG. 9 ). After the overview key is triggered, the processor 20 displays the preset ultrasonic image groups of multiple positions and the differences of the ultrasonic image groups on the display interface of the display, that is, displays the preset ultrasonic image groups of all positions and their differences .

The input device is also provided with a reacquisition key (such as the "reacquisition" key in Fig. 9). The reacquire key is used to start the function of reacquiring ultrasound image data. If the first ultrasonic image data or the second ultrasonic image data do not meet the requirements, the user can reacquire the first ultrasonic image data by pressing the reacquire button and the left leg button, and the user can reacquire the second ultrasonic image data by pressing the reacquire button and the right leg button. Ultrasound image data. Specifically, after the re-acquisition key is triggered, if the current left leg key is also in the triggered state, the processor 20 re-scans the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target object through the probe; after receiving the image storage instruction through the input device, Save the first ultrasound image data obtained by re-scanning and delete the original first ultrasound image data. The specific process is the same as the process of obtaining the first ultrasound image data for the first time, see the previous description. After the ultrasound image data is reacquired, the difference amount can be recalculated. The input device is also provided with a recalculation key (such as the "recalculation" key in Fig. 9). After the recalculation key is triggered, the processor 20 updates and displays the ultrasonic image group and its difference in at least one position on the display interface of the display according to the first ultrasonic image data and the original second ultrasonic image data obtained from the re-scanning.

After the reacquisition key is triggered, if the current right leg key is also in the triggered state, the probe will re-scan the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the target object; after receiving the image storage command through the input device, save the re-scanned result The second ultrasonic image data is deleted and the original second ultrasonic image data is deleted. The specific process is the same as the process of obtaining the second ultrasonic image data for the first time, see the previous description. After the recalculation key is triggered, the processor 20 updates and displays the ultrasonic image group of at least one position and its difference on the display interface of the display according to the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data obtained from the re-scan.

At present, the examination of the Achilles tendon of the equine is completely manual, and the ultrasound imaging equipment only provides the function of scanning and obtaining ultrasound images. The veterinarian needs to scan multiple positions of the Achilles tendon of the horse to obtain an ultrasound image of its cross section, and both legs need to be scanned, which takes a long time. The veterinarian usually can only operate between the legs of the horse or on the side. The longer the operation time, the more irritable the horse is, and the greater the probability of being injured by the horse's legs. The ultrasonic imaging equipment provided by the invention allows the veterinarian to only need to Focus on scanning the picture, even only need to scan from one end of the Achilles tendon to the other end, the operation time is very short, and the result (difference amount) will be automatically output later, with a high degree of automation, which not only improves the inspection efficiency of the Achilles tendon of the horse, but also improves the Safety in veterinary work.

The present invention can also support the inspection of the Achilles tendon of the limbs, that is, execute the method shown in Figure 2 twice in succession to obtain the difference of multiple Achilles tendon positions of the front leg and the difference of multiple Achilles tendon positions of the back leg, and display these differences , the veterinarian checks the condition of the Achilles tendon of the horse's limbs at one time, which is more efficient.

The processor 20 also stores the multiple Achilles tendon positions and their differences in the memory 80, and provides a corresponding display interface for the veterinarian to view later. For example, the input device is also provided with a historical data key, and the veterinarian activates the historical data key to issue an instruction for viewing the historical difference. The processor 20 responds to the instruction for viewing the historical difference, and obtains the difference obtained in different periods of the same Achilles tendon position of the current horse; draws the first difference curve according to the difference obtained in different periods of the same Achilles tendon position and outputs it, and also can be output to the display to display the first difference curve. The first difference amount curve reflects the change of the difference amount obtained at different periods of the same Achilles tendon position, which is convenient for doctors to comprehensively evaluate the recovery of the equine Achilles tendon.

The input device is also provided with a current data key, and the processor 20 is also used for drawing the difference of different positions of the same Achilles tendon into a second difference curve and displaying it through the display after the current data key is triggered, the second difference curve It reflects the change of the difference in different positions of the same Achilles tendon, which is for the doctor's reference.

The above-mentioned left leg key, right leg key, automatic calculation key, reacquisition key, recalculation key, edit key, position selection key, overview key, current data key and historical data key can be physical keys or virtual keys , this embodiment takes the latter as an example for description. In this embodiment, after the smart Achilles tendon key is triggered, the display will display the operation interface, as shown in Figure 9, including the above-mentioned left leg key, right leg key, automatic calculation key, reacquisition key, recalculation key, edit key, position selection key, overview key, current data key, historical data key and other virtual keys, the user can execute the functions described in steps 2-4 above by performing corresponding operations on the operation interface. The human-computer interaction device may include a main display and a sub-display. The main display can display the ultrasonic image group and its difference, as shown in FIG. 10 , and the sub-display can display an operation interface, so that better human-computer interaction can be performed.

In the method shown in FIG. 2 , the difference amount can be obtained automatically after step 2. Of course, in some embodiments, the difference amount can also be manually calculated or evaluated by a veterinarian. As shown in Figure 3, after step 2, a kind of inspection method of Achilles tendon also includes the following steps:

Step 3', the processor 20 outputs the ultrasonic image group at the same position. For example, the processor 20 outputs the ultrasonic image group at the same position to the display for display, and may also mark the left and right attributes of the ultrasonic image (that is, mark whether the ultrasonic image is of the left leg or the right leg) when displaying two ultrasonic images of the ultrasonic image group . Veterinarians can measure, compare, and calculate the Achilles tendon difference at the same Achilles tendon position after seeing the ultrasound image of the left leg and the right leg at the same Achilles tendon position, so as to judge the Achilles tendon condition of the affected leg. Of course, the Achilles tendon region can also be automatically identified and displayed by the ultrasonic imaging device, see step 3 of the embodiment in FIG. 2 , which will not be repeated here.

The examination of the Achilles tendon in the above-mentioned embodiments is mainly based on the difference between the left and right legs. In some embodiments, the veterinarian may regularly perform ultrasound examinations on the Achilles tendon of the horse, thereby accumulating ultrasound image data of the Achilles tendon in various periods, and can use different images of the Achilles tendon on the same leg. The difference in ultrasound images of different periods can be used as the basis for judgment. Specifically shown in Figure 7 and Figure 8, including the following steps:

Step 6. The processor 20 acquires the third ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target subject (for example, a horse) and the fourth ultrasonic image data detected when the affected leg is healthy; the third ultrasonic image data and the fourth ultrasonic image The data are all obtained by scanning the Achilles tendon with the probe according to the preset scanning technique; both the third ultrasound image data and the fourth ultrasound image data include ultrasound images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon. The specific process is the same as step 1 in the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

Similarly, after obtaining the third ultrasound image data and the fourth ultrasound image data, the subsequent steps can be performed automatically, or under the trigger of the user, for example, the processor 20 receives an instruction for starting automatic calculation through the input device , in response to the instruction, the subsequent steps 7, 8 and 9 are performed.

Step 7, the processor 20 matches the third ultrasound image data with the fourth ultrasound image data to match ultrasound image groups at multiple positions; wherein, the ultrasound image group at one position includes: the cross-sectional ultrasound of the current Achilles tendon at this position image, and a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the Achilles tendon in a healthy position. Similarly, this step is the same as step 2 of the above-mentioned embodiment, only need to replace the first ultrasonic image data with the third ultrasonic image data, and replace the second ultrasonic image data with the fourth ultrasonic image data, so I won’t repeat them here .

Similarly, after step 7, the ultrasonic image group can be processed in two ways: "automatic" (see Figure 7) and "manual" (see Figure 8). In the "automatic" mode, the following steps are also included after step 7:

Step 8, the processor 20 acquires the Achilles tendon region in the two ultrasound images of the ultrasound image group at the same position. Similarly, this step is the same as the above step 3, the only difference is that when displaying the two ultrasound images of the ultrasound image group, what the processor 20 marks is the attribute of the health of the ultrasound image (that is, whether the ultrasound image is currently collected or not). collected when healthy), so I won’t repeat them here.

Step 9: The processor 20 obtains and outputs a difference amount representing the size difference between the two Achilles tendon regions according to the Achilles tendon regions in the two ultrasound images in the same position. This step is the same as step 4 above, and will not be repeated here.

In the "manual" mode, the following steps are also included after step 7:

Step 8', the processor 20 outputs the ultrasonic image group at the same position. This step is the same as the above-mentioned step 3', and will not be repeated here.

Those skilled in the art can understand that all or part of the functions of the various methods in the foregoing implementation manners can be realized by means of hardware, or by means of computer programs. When all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are implemented by means of a computer program, the program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and the storage medium can include: read-only memory, random access memory, magnetic disk, optical disk, hard disk, etc., through The computer executes the program to realize the above-mentioned functions. For example, the program is stored in the memory of the device, and when the processor executes the program in the memory, all or part of the above-mentioned functions can be realized. In addition, when all or part of the functions in the above embodiments are realized by means of a computer program, the program can also be stored in a storage medium such as a server, another computer, a magnetic disk, an optical disk, a flash disk, or a mobile hard disk, and saved by downloading or copying. To the memory of the local device, or to update the version of the system of the local device, when the processor executes the program in the memory, all or part of the functions in the above embodiments can be realized.

This document is described with reference to various exemplary embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments without departing from the scope herein. For example, the various operational steps, as well as the components used to perform the operational steps, may be implemented in different ways depending on the particular application or considering any number of cost functions associated with the operation of the system (e.g., one or more steps may be deleted, modified or incorporated into other steps).

In addition, the principles herein may be embodied in a computer program product on a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code preloaded thereon, as understood by those skilled in the art. Any tangible, non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be used, including magnetic storage devices (hard disks, floppy disks, etc.), optical storage devices (CD-ROM, DVD, Blu Ray discs, etc.), flash memory and/or the like . These computer program instructions can be loaded into a general purpose computer, special purpose computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to form a machine, so that these instructions executed on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus can generate an apparatus for realizing specified functions. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory which can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a particular manner such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory form a Manufactures, including implementing devices for implementing specified functions. Computer program instructions can also be loaded on a computer or other programmable data processing device, thereby performing a series of operational steps on the computer or other programmable device to produce a computer-implemented process, so that the computer or other programmable device Instructions may provide steps for performing specified functions.

While the principles herein have been shown in various embodiments, many modifications in structure, arrangement, proportions, elements, materials and components, particularly suited to particular circumstances and operational requirements may be made without departing from the principles and scope of this disclosure use. The above modifications and other changes or amendments are intended to be included within the scope of this document.

The foregoing detailed description has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be embraced within its scope. Also, advantages, other advantages and solutions to problems have been described above with respect to various embodiments. However, neither benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, nor any elements that lead to these, or make the solutions more definite, should be construed as critical, required, or necessary. As used herein, the term "comprises" and any other variants thereof are non-exclusive, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements includes not only those elements, but also elements not expressly listed or not part of the process. , method, system, article or other element of a device. Additionally, the term "coupled" and any other variations thereof, as used herein, refers to a physical connection, an electrical connection, a magnetic connection, an optical connection, a communicative connection, a functional connection, and/or any other connection.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined from the following claims.

Claims

An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that it comprises:

probe;

A transmitting circuit, used to excite the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object;

a receiving circuit, configured to receive, through the probe, ultrasonic echoes returned from the target object to obtain ultrasonic echo signals;

Processor for:

Obtain the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target object and the second ultrasonic image data of the corresponding Achilles tendon of the right leg; Obtained by scanning the corresponding Achilles tendon with graphic techniques; the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data both include ultrasonic images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

Matching the first ultrasonic image data with the second ultrasonic image data to match ultrasonic image groups at multiple positions; wherein, the ultrasonic image group at one position includes: a cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the left Achilles tendon at this position , and a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the right Achilles tendon at this location.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is also used for:

outputting said set of ultrasound images at the same location; and/or,

identifying the Achilles tendon region in two ultrasound images of said set of ultrasound images at the same location;

According to the Achilles tendon regions in the two ultrasound images in the ultrasound image group at the same position, a difference amount representing the size difference between the two Achilles tendon regions is obtained and output.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 1, further comprising a display and an input device; the processor is also used for:

displaying the set of ultrasound images at the same location via the display;

receiving the Achilles tendon region marked by the user in two ultrasound images of the ultrasound image group at the same location through the input device;

Obtaining, according to the Achilles tendon regions of the two ultrasound images in the group of ultrasound images at the same position, a difference amount for characterizing the size difference of the two Achilles tendon regions;

The difference amount is displayed by the display.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the difference comprises the difference of the area of the two Achilles tendon regions, the normalized difference of the areas of the two Achilles tendon regions, the circumference of the two Achilles tendon regions At least one of the difference of , and the normalized difference of the perimeters of the two Achilles tendon regions.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the preset scanning technique includes:

The probe is moved along the Achilles tendon from one end to the other for continuous scanning; or,

The probe scans multiple preset positions of the Achilles tendon in a preset sequence.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the preset scanning technique includes: moving the probe along one end of the Achilles tendon to the other end at a constant speed for continuous scanning; The processor matches the first ultrasonic image data with the second ultrasonic image data to match ultrasonic image groups at multiple positions, including:

Determine the position of the Achilles tendon corresponding to the multiple ultrasound images according to the time sequence of the multiple ultrasound images in the first ultrasound image data; determine the multiple ultrasound images according to the time sequence of the multiple ultrasound images in the second ultrasound image data The location of the Achilles tendon corresponding to each ultrasound image;

The first ultrasonic image data is matched with the ultrasonic images at the same position in the second ultrasonic image data to obtain an ultrasonic image group.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 5, wherein the probe is provided with a sensor for detecting the height of the probe; the processor matches the first ultrasonic image data with the second ultrasonic image data , matching ultrasound image groups at multiple locations, including:

The first ultrasonic image data is obtained by the probe scanning the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target subject under the trigger of multiple preset probe heights; the second ultrasonic image data is obtained by the probe at multiple preset probe heights respectively. Under the trigger of the preset probe height, the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the target object is scanned; The first height data detected by the sensor; the height collected by the sensor at the same time is taken as the height of the cross-section of the ultrasonic image collected by the probe at that time; the second ultrasonic image data is obtained by acquiring the right leg Achilles tendon of the target object scanned by the probe In the process, the second height data detected by the sensor on the probe; the height collected by the sensor at the same moment is used as the height of the cross section of the ultrasonic image collected by the probe at this moment;

The first ultrasonic image data is matched with the ultrasonic images of the transverse section at the same height in the second ultrasonic image data to obtain an ultrasonic image group.
The ultrasound imaging device of claim 2, wherein the processor identifies the Achilles tendon region in two ultrasound images of the set of ultrasound images at the same location, comprising:

Input the two ultrasound images of the ultrasound image group at the same position into the pre-trained deep learning model or machine learning model respectively, and obtain the Achilles tendon area in the two ultrasound images of the ultrasound image group respectively.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 8, wherein the processor further comprises:

Take the longest line segment of any two points on the boundary of the Achilles tendon region as the major axis, and take the line segment that connects the two points on the boundary of the Achilles tendon region and coincides with the vertical line of the major axis as the short axis. The major and minor axes define the ellipse as the final Achilles tendon region.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 8 or 9, further comprising a display and an input device for receiving an input from a user; the processor outputs the group of ultrasonic images at the same position, comprising: a display displaying the set of ultrasound images at the same location; the processor is further configured to:

In the displayed set of ultrasound images, the boundaries of the Achilles tendon region are marked;

An operation of adjusting the boundary of the Achilles tendon region by the user is received through the input device, and the boundary of the Achilles tendon region is adjusted according to the operation and the display is updated.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 2, wherein the processor is also used for:

Responding to the instruction for viewing the historical difference, obtain the difference obtained at the same Achilles tendon position of the current target object in different periods;

According to the difference obtained in different periods of the same Achilles tendon position, the difference curve is drawn and output.
An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that it comprises:

probe;

A transmitting circuit, used to excite the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object;

a receiving circuit, configured to receive, through the probe, ultrasonic echoes returned from the target object to obtain ultrasonic echo signals;

A human-computer interaction device for outputting visual information and receiving user input;

Processor for:

Receive an instruction for starting the Achilles tendon inspection through the human-computer interaction device, and enter the Achilles tendon inspection mode in response to the instruction; the human-computer interaction device is provided with a left leg key and a right leg key;

After the left leg key is triggered, scan the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target object through the probe; after receiving the image storage instruction through the human-computer interaction device, save the first image of the Achilles tendon of the left leg obtained by scanning. - ultrasound image data;

After the right leg key is triggered, scan the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the target object through the probe; after receiving the image storage instruction through the human-computer interaction device, save the first image of the Achilles tendon of the right leg obtained by scanning. Two ultrasound image data; the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data both include ultrasound images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

An instruction for starting automatic calculation is received by the human-computer interaction device, and in response to the instruction, according to the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data, the display interface of the human-computer interaction device displays The difference amount of the ultrasonic image group of at least one position; wherein, the ultrasonic image group of a position comprises: the cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the Achilles tendon of the left leg at the position, and the transverse ultrasonic image of the Achilles tendon of the right leg at the position; the ultrasonic image The group difference amount is used to characterize the size difference of the Achilles tendon region of the two ultrasound images in the ultrasound image group.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 12, wherein the human-computer interaction device is also provided with a reacquisition key; the processor is also used for:

After the re-acquisition key is triggered, if the current left leg key is also in the triggered state, re-scan the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target object through the probe; receive the image storage instruction through the human-computer interaction device After that, save the first ultrasound image data obtained by re-scanning and delete the original first ultrasound image data;

After the re-acquisition key is triggered, if the current right leg key is also in the triggered state, re-scan the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the target object through the probe; receive the image storage instruction through the human-computer interaction device Afterwards, save the second ultrasound image data obtained by re-scanning and delete the original second ultrasound image data.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 13, wherein the human-computer interaction device is also provided with a recalculation key; the processor is also used for:

After the recalculation key is triggered, according to the first ultrasonic image data obtained by re-scanning and the original second ultrasonic image data, the display interface of the human-computer interaction device updates and displays the difference between the ultrasonic image groups of at least one position amount; or,

After the recalculation key is triggered, according to the original first ultrasound image data and the re-scanned second ultrasound image data, the display interface of the human-computer interaction device updates and displays the difference between the ultrasound image groups of at least one position quantity.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 12 or 14, wherein the processor displays at least The amount of difference in sets of ultrasound images for a location, including:

matching the first ultrasound image data with the second ultrasound image data to match ultrasound image groups at multiple positions;

Obtaining the difference amount according to the Achilles tendon region of the two ultrasound images in the ultrasound image group at the same position;

The difference amount of the ultrasonic image group at at least one position is displayed on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to: display the ultrasonic image group of at least one position on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 16, characterized in that, in the ultrasonic image group displayed on the display interface, the boundary of the Achilles tendon region of the two ultrasonic images is provided with a mark; the human-computer interaction device is provided with an edit key , the editing key is used to enable the adjustment of the Achilles tendon area mark; the processor is also used to: after the editing key is triggered, receive the adjustment of the boundary mark of the Achilles tendon area by the user through the human-computer interaction device According to the operation, the boundary of the Achilles tendon region is adjusted and the display is updated, and the difference amount is further updated according to the adjusted boundary of the Achilles tendon region.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 16, wherein the human-computer interaction device is also provided with a plurality of position selection keys, and one position selection key corresponds to an Achilles tendon position; The display interface of the computer interaction device displays the ultrasonic image group at at least one position and the difference amount of the ultrasonic image group, including:

According to the currently triggered position selection key, the ultrasonic image group corresponding to the position of the Achilles tendon corresponding to the currently triggered position selection key and the difference between the ultrasonic image groups are displayed on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 16, wherein the human-computer interaction device is also provided with an overview key; the processor displays at least one ultrasonic image group at one position on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device and The amount of difference in the set of ultrasound images, including:

After the overview key is triggered, the preset ultrasonic image groups at multiple positions and the differences of the ultrasonic image groups are displayed on the display interface of the human-computer interaction device.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 12, wherein,

The difference includes the difference between the areas of the two Achilles tendons or the normalized difference between the areas of the two Achilles tendons; the area of the zone; or,

The difference includes the difference between the perimeters of the two Achilles tendon regions or the normalized difference between the two Achilles tendon regions; while the display interface displays the difference between the ultrasonic image groups, it also displays two Circumference of the Achilles tendon area.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 12, wherein the human-computer interaction device is also provided with a historical data key, and the processor is also used for: after the historical data key is pressed, through the The human-computer interaction device displays the first difference amount curve, and the first difference amount curve reflects the variation of the difference amount obtained at the same Achilles tendon position in different periods.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to claim 12, wherein the human-computer interaction device is provided with a current data key, and the processor is further configured to: after the current data key is pressed, The computer interaction device displays the second difference amount curve, and the second difference amount curve reflects the variation of the difference amount at different positions of the same Achilles tendon.
An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that it comprises:

probe;

A transmitting circuit, used to excite the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object;

a receiving circuit, configured to receive, through the probe, ultrasonic echoes returned from the target object to obtain ultrasonic echo signals;

Processor for:

Obtain the third ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, and the fourth ultrasonic image data detected when the affected leg is healthy; Obtained by scanning the Achilles tendon with the set scanning technique; the third ultrasonic image data and the fourth ultrasonic image data both include ultrasonic images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

Matching the third ultrasonic image data with the fourth ultrasonic image data to match ultrasonic image groups at multiple positions; wherein, the ultrasonic image group at one position includes: a cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the current Achilles tendon at this position, And a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the Achilles tendon in a healthy position.
An ultrasonic imaging device, characterized in that it comprises:

probe;

A transmitting circuit, used to excite the probe to transmit ultrasonic waves to the target object;

a receiving circuit, configured to receive, through the probe, ultrasonic echoes returned from the target object to obtain ultrasonic echo signals;

A human-computer interaction device for outputting visual information and receiving user input;

Processor for:

Obtain the third ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, and the fourth ultrasonic image data detected when the affected leg is healthy; the third ultrasonic image data and the fourth ultrasonic image data both include the Achilles tendon Ultrasound images of cross-sections at a position;

An instruction for starting automatic calculation is received by the human-computer interaction device, and in response to the instruction, according to the third ultrasound image data and the fourth ultrasound image data, the display interface of the human-computer interaction device displays The difference amount of the ultrasonic image group of at least one position; wherein, the ultrasonic image group of a position includes: the cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the current Achilles tendon at the position, and the transverse ultrasonic image of the Achilles tendon when the position is healthy; the ultrasonic image group The difference amount of is used to characterize the size difference of the Achilles tendon region of the two ultrasound images in the ultrasound image set.
The ultrasonic imaging device according to any one of claims 1-24, wherein the target object is a horse.
A kind of inspection method of Achilles tendon, is characterized in that, comprises:

Obtain the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target object and the second ultrasonic image data of the corresponding Achilles tendon of the right leg; Obtained by scanning the corresponding Achilles tendon with graphic techniques; the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data both include ultrasonic images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

Matching the first ultrasonic image data with the second ultrasonic image data to match ultrasonic image groups at multiple positions; wherein, the ultrasonic image group at one position includes: a cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the left Achilles tendon at this position , and a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the right Achilles tendon at this location.
The method of claim 26, further comprising:

outputting said set of ultrasound images at the same location; and/or,

identifying the Achilles tendon region in two ultrasound images of said set of ultrasound images at the same location;

According to the Achilles tendon regions in the two ultrasound images in the ultrasound image group at the same position, a difference amount representing the size difference between the two Achilles tendon regions is obtained and output.
The method according to claim 26 or 27, characterized in that, the preset scanning method comprises:

The probe is moved along the Achilles tendon from one end to the other for continuous scanning; or,

The probe scans multiple preset positions of the Achilles tendon in a preset sequence.
The method according to any one of claims 26 or 27, characterized in that the preset scanning technique comprises: moving the probe along one end of the Achilles tendon to the other end at a constant speed for continuous scanning; The first ultrasonic image data is matched with the second ultrasonic image data, and ultrasonic image groups of multiple positions are matched, including:

Determine the position of the Achilles tendon corresponding to the multiple ultrasound images according to the time sequence of the multiple ultrasound images in the first ultrasound image data; determine the multiple ultrasound images according to the time sequence of the multiple ultrasound images in the second ultrasound image data The location of the Achilles tendon corresponding to each ultrasound image;

The first ultrasonic image data is matched with the ultrasonic images at the same position in the second ultrasonic image data to obtain an ultrasonic image group.
The method according to claim 28, wherein the probe is provided with a sensor for detecting the height of the probe; the matching of the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data results in multiple Ultrasound image set of locations, including:

The first ultrasonic image data is obtained by the probe scanning the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target subject under the trigger of multiple preset probe heights; the second ultrasonic image data is obtained by the probe at multiple preset probe heights respectively. Under the trigger of the preset probe height, the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the target object is scanned; The first height data detected by the sensor; the height collected by the sensor at the same time is taken as the height of the cross-section of the ultrasonic image collected by the probe at that time; the second ultrasonic image data is obtained by acquiring the right leg Achilles tendon of the target object scanned by the probe In the process, the second height data detected by the sensor on the probe; the height collected by the sensor at the same moment is used as the height of the cross section of the ultrasonic image collected by the probe at this moment;

The first ultrasonic image data is matched with the ultrasonic images of the transverse section at the same height in the second ultrasonic image data to obtain an ultrasonic image group.
A kind of inspection method of Achilles tendon, is characterized in that, comprises:

receiving an instruction to initiate an Achilles tendon inspection, and in response to the instruction, entering an Achilles tendon inspection mode;

After the left leg button of the human-computer interaction device is triggered, scan the Achilles tendon of the left leg of the target subject through the probe; after receiving the image storage instruction, save the first ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the left leg obtained by scanning;

After the right leg button of the human-computer interaction device is triggered, scan the Achilles tendon of the right leg of the target object through the probe; after receiving the image storage instruction, save the second ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the right leg obtained by scanning ; Both the first ultrasonic image data and the second ultrasonic image data include ultrasonic images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

Receiving an instruction for starting automatic calculation, in response to the instruction, displaying the difference amount of the ultrasound image group of at least one location according to the first ultrasound image data and the second ultrasound image data; wherein, the ultrasound image of a location The image group includes: the cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the left Achilles tendon at this position, and the transverse ultrasonic image of the right Achilles tendon at this position; the difference between the ultrasonic image groups is used to characterize the two ultrasonic images in the ultrasonic image group Image the size difference of the Achilles tendon region.
The method according to claim 31, further comprising: displaying the ultrasonic image group of at least one position; the human-computer interaction device is also provided with an overview key and a plurality of position selection keys; displaying the ultrasonic image of at least one position groups and the amount of difference between the groups of ultrasound images, including:

According to the currently triggered position selection key, display the ultrasound image group corresponding to the Achilles tendon position of the currently triggered position selection key and the difference between the ultrasound image groups;

After the overview key is triggered, preset ultrasonic image groups of multiple positions and differences of the ultrasonic image groups are displayed.
A kind of inspection method of Achilles tendon, is characterized in that, comprises:

Obtain the third ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, and the fourth ultrasonic image data detected when the affected leg is healthy; Obtained by scanning the Achilles tendon with the set scanning technique; the third ultrasonic image data and the fourth ultrasonic image data both include ultrasonic images of cross-sections at multiple positions of the Achilles tendon;

Matching the third ultrasonic image data with the fourth ultrasonic image data to match ultrasonic image groups at multiple positions; wherein, the ultrasonic image group at one position includes: a cross-sectional ultrasonic image of the current Achilles tendon at this position, And a cross-sectional ultrasound image of the Achilles tendon in a healthy position.
An inspection method for Achilles tendon, characterized in that it comprises:

Obtain the third ultrasonic image data of the Achilles tendon of the affected leg of the target object, and the fourth ultrasonic image data detected when the affected leg is healthy; the third ultrasonic image data and the fourth ultrasonic image data both include the Achilles tendon Ultrasound images of cross-sections at a position;

Receiving an instruction for starting automatic calculation, in response to the instruction, displaying the difference amount of the ultrasound image group of at least one location according to the third ultrasound image data and the fourth ultrasound image data; wherein, the ultrasound image of a location The image group includes: the current cross-sectional ultrasound image of the Achilles tendon at this position, and the cross-sectional ultrasound image of the Achilles tendon when the position is healthy; the difference amount of the ultrasound image group is used to characterize the two ultrasound images in the ultrasound image group The size difference of the Achilles tendon region.
A computer-readable storage medium, wherein a program is stored on the medium, and the program can be executed by a processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 26-34.