U.S. patent application number 16/799801 was filed with the patent office on 2021-08-26 for method and system for displaying an ultrasound image in response to screen size.
The applicant listed for this patent is Clarius Mobile Health Corp.. Invention is credited to Kris Dickie, Trevor Stephen Hansen, Benjamin Eric Kerby, Laurent Pelissier.
Application Number | 20210264564 16/799801 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005764818 |
Filed Date | 2021-08-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210264564 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Dickie; Kris ; et
al. |
August 26, 2021 |
METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DISPLAYING AN ULTRASOUND IMAGE IN RESPONSE TO
SCREEN SIZE
Abstract
Ultrasound images are adjusted according to the size of the
display area available to display them, so that image detail is
displayed with a large enough physical size to discern comfortably.
A translation ratio is determined for translating the physical
distance traversed by the ultrasound signals of an ultrasound
images to a corresponding physical distance on a screen of the
display device. If the ratio is not below a threshold, the image is
displayed in full. If the ratio is below the threshold, the image
is cropped, optionally scaled, and displayed in the available area.
Scaling and cropping may be based on window size and threshold
window size. The parameters of the ultrasound scan may be
controlled based on the scaling, cropping, or available screen
size. User interface features may be displayed on the screen
depending on how much area is available when the image is
displayed.
Inventors: |
Dickie; Kris; (Vancouver,
CA) ; Hansen; Trevor Stephen; (North Vancouver,
CA) ; Kerby; Benjamin Eric; (Richmond, CA) ;
Pelissier; Laurent; (North Vancouver, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Clarius Mobile Health Corp. |
Burnaby |
|
CA |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005764818 |
Appl. No.: |
16/799801 |
Filed: |
February 24, 2020 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61B 8/565 20130101;
A61B 8/465 20130101; G06T 3/40 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06T 3/40 20060101
G06T003/40; A61B 8/00 20060101 A61B008/00 |
Claims
1. A method for adapting display of an ultrasound image on a
display device, the ultrasound image being generated from
ultrasound signals transmitted and received by an ultrasound
scanner, the method comprising: determining a physical distance
traversed by the ultrasound signals to generate the ultrasound
image; determining a translation ratio for translating the physical
distance traversed by the ultrasound signals to a corresponding
physical distance on a screen of the display device, were the
ultrasound image be fitted to an available physical area of the
screen of the display device; if the determined translation ratio
is less than a minimum threshold translation ratio, generating a
test ultrasound image at the minimum threshold translation ratio,
performing a cropping operation on the test ultrasound image to
generate a cropped test ultrasound image, and determining if the
cropped test ultrasound image fits the available physical area of
the screen of the display device; if the cropped test ultrasound
image does not fit the available physical area of the screen of the
display device, scaling the cropped test ultrasound image generated
from the cropping operation so that the scaled and cropped test
ultrasound image is fitted to the available physical area of the
screen of the display device; and displaying the scaled and cropped
test ultrasound image within the available physical area of the
screen of the display device.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: if the cropped test
ultrasound image fits the available physical area of the screen of
the display device for displaying the ultrasound image, displaying
the cropped test ultrasound image in the available physical area of
the screen of the display device.
3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cropping operation
comprises: cropping the test ultrasound image at a first crop
ratio; if the test ultrasound image cropped at the first crop ratio
fits the available physical area of the screen of the display
device for displaying the ultrasound image, displaying the test
ultrasound image cropped at the first crop ratio in the available
physical area of the screen of the display device; if the test
ultrasound image cropped at the first crop ratio does not fit the
available physical area of the screen of the display device, then,
prior to the scaling: further cropping the test ultrasound image
cropped at the first crop ratio, to generate the test ultrasound
image cropped at a second crop ratio; if the test ultrasound image
cropped at the second crop ratio fits the available physical area
of the screen of the display device for displaying the ultrasound
image, displaying the test ultrasound image cropped at the second
crop ratio in the available physical area of the screen of the
display device; if the test ultrasound image cropped at the second
crop ratio does not fit the available physical area of the screen
of the display device for displaying the ultrasound image,
providing the test ultrasound image cropped at the second crop
ratio as the cropped test ultrasound image for the displaying step
subsequent to the scaling step.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cropping operation
comprises: repeatedly: cropping the test ultrasound image at a test
crop ratio, determining whether the test ultrasound image cropped
at the test crop ratio fits the available physical area of the
screen of the display device for displaying the ultrasound image,
and if the test ultrasound image cropped at the test crop ratio
fits the available physical area of the screen of the display
device for displaying the ultrasound image, displaying the test
ultrasound image cropped at the test crop ratio in the available
physical area of the screen of the display device, for successively
smaller test crop ratios, until a crop ratio limit is met; if the
test ultrasound image cropped at the crop ratio limit does not fit
the available physical area of the screen of the display device,
providing the test ultrasound image cropped at the crop ratio limit
as the cropped test ultrasound image generated from the cropping
operation.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cropping operation
comprises cropping the test ultrasound image on at least one side
edge of the test ultrasound image.
6. The method of according to claim 1, wherein the cropping
operation comprises cropping the test ultrasound image on a top
edge of the test ultrasound image.
7. The method of according to claim 1, wherein when scaling the
cropped test ultrasound image, the method further comprises scaling
the cropped test ultrasound image generated from the cropping
operation so that a vertical dimension of the scaled and cropped
test ultrasound image substantially matches a vertical dimension of
the available physical area of the screen of the display
device.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein when scaling the
cropped test ultrasound image, an aspect ratio of the scaled and
cropped test ultrasound image matches an aspect ratio of the
ultrasound image.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein if the determined
translation ratio is greater than the minimum threshold translation
ratio, the method further comprises: determining whether the
determined translation ratio exceeds a maximum threshold
translation ratio; if the determined translation ratio exceeds the
maximum threshold translation ratio, scaling the ultrasound image
so that the scaled ultrasound image has the maximum threshold
translation ratio; and displaying the scaled ultrasound image
having the maximum threshold translation ratio in the available
physical area of the screen of the display device.
10. A computer readable medium comprising computer readable
instructions which, when executed by a processor of a display
device that is communicably coupled to an ultrasound scanner,
configure the display device to: determine a physical distance
traversed by ultrasound signals that are transmitted and received
by the ultrasound scanner to generate an ultrasound image;
determine a translation ratio for translating the physical distance
traversed by the ultrasound signals to a corresponding physical
distance on a screen of the display device, were the ultrasound
image be fitted to an available physical area of the screen of the
display device; if the determined translation ratio is less than a
minimum threshold translation ratio, generate a test ultrasound
image at the minimum threshold translation ratio, perform a
cropping operation on the test ultrasound image to generate a
cropped test ultrasound image, and determine if the cropped test
ultrasound image fits the available physical area of the screen of
the display device; if the cropped test ultrasound image does not
fit the available physical area of the screen of the display
device, scale the cropped test ultrasound image generated from the
cropping operation so that the scaled and cropped test ultrasound
image is fitted to the available physical area of the screen of the
display device; and display the scaled and cropped test ultrasound
image within the available physical area of the screen of the
display device.
11. The computer readable medium according to claim 10, wherein if
the determined translation ratio is greater than the minimum
threshold translation ratio, the processor further configures the
display device to: determine whether the determined translation
ratio exceeds a maximum threshold translation ratio; if the
determined translation ratio exceeds the maximum threshold
translation ratio, scale the ultrasound image so that the scaled
ultrasound image has the maximum threshold translation ratio; and
display the scaled ultrasound image having the maximum threshold
translation ratio in the available physical area of the screen of
the display device.
12. An ultrasound scanning system comprising: an ultrasound scanner
configured to transmit and receive ultrasound signals to generate
an ultrasound image; a display device communicably coupled to the
ultrasound scanner, the display device being configured to:
determine a physical distance traversed by the ultrasound signals
to generate the ultrasound image; determine a translation ratio for
translating the physical distance traversed by the ultrasound
signals to a corresponding physical distance on a screen of the
display device, were the ultrasound image be fitted to an available
physical area of the screen of the display device; if the
determined translation ratio is less than a minimum threshold
translation ratio, generate a test ultrasound image at the minimum
threshold translation ratio, perform a cropping operation on the
test ultrasound image to generate a cropped test ultrasound image,
and determine if the cropped test ultrasound image fits the
available physical area of the screen of the display device; if the
cropped test ultrasound image does not fit the available physical
area of the screen of the display device, scale the cropped test
ultrasound image generated from the cropping operation so that the
scaled and cropped test ultrasound image is fitted to the available
physical area of the screen of the display device; and display the
scaled and cropped test ultrasound image within the available
physical area of the screen of the display device.
13. The ultrasound scanning system according to claim 12, wherein:
if the cropped test ultrasound image fits the available physical
area of the screen of the display device for displaying the
ultrasound image, the display device is further configured to
display the cropped test ultrasound image in the available physical
area of the screen of the display device.
14. The ultrasound scanning system according to claim 12, wherein
when performing the cropping operation, the display device is
further configured to: crop the test ultrasound image at a first
crop ratio; if the test ultrasound image cropped at the first crop
ratio fits the available physical area of the screen of the display
device for displaying the ultrasound image, display the test
ultrasound image cropped at the first crop ratio in the available
physical area of the screen of the display device; if the test
ultrasound image cropped at the first crop ratio does not fit the
available physical area of the screen of the display device, then,
prior to the scaling: further crop the test ultrasound image
cropped at the first crop ratio, to generate the test ultrasound
image cropped at a second crop ratio; if the test ultrasound image
cropped at the second crop ratio fits the available physical area
of the screen of the display device for displaying the ultrasound
image, display the test ultrasound image cropped at the second crop
ratio in the available physical area of the screen of the display
device; if the test ultrasound image cropped at the second crop
ratio does not fit the available physical area of the screen of the
display device for displaying the ultrasound image, provide the
test ultrasound image cropped at the second crop ratio as the
cropped test ultrasound image for the displaying step subsequent to
the scaling step.
15. The ultrasound scanning system according to claim 12, wherein
when performing the cropping operation, the display device is
further configured to: repeatedly: crop the test ultrasound image
at a test crop ratio, determine whether the test ultrasound image
cropped at the test crop ratio fits the available physical area of
the screen of the display device for displaying the ultrasound
image, and if the test ultrasound image cropped at the test crop
ratio fits the available physical area of the screen of the display
device for displaying the ultrasound image, display the test
ultrasound image cropped at the test crop ratio in the available
physical area of the screen of the display device, for successively
smaller test crop ratios, until a crop ratio limit is met; if the
test ultrasound image cropped at the crop ratio limit does not fit
the available physical area of the screen of the display device,
provide the test ultrasound image cropped at the crop ratio limit
as the cropped test ultrasound image generated from the cropping
operation.
16. The ultrasound scanning system according to claim 12, wherein
when performing the cropping operation, the display device is
further configured to crop the test ultrasound image on at least
one side edge of the test ultrasound image.
17. The ultrasound scanning system according to claim 12, wherein
when performing the cropping operation, the display device is
further configured to crop the test ultrasound image on a top edge
of the test ultrasound image.
18. The ultrasound scanning system according to claim 12, wherein
when scaling the cropped test ultrasound image, the display device
is further configured to scale the cropped test ultrasound image
generated from the cropping operation so that a vertical dimension
of the scaled and cropped test ultrasound image substantially
matches a vertical dimension of the available physical area of the
screen of the display device.
19. The ultrasound scanning system according to claim 12, wherein
when scaling the cropped test ultrasound image, an aspect ratio of
the scaled and cropped test ultrasound image matches an aspect
ratio of the ultrasound image.
20. The ultrasound scanning system according to claim 12, wherein
if the determined translation ratio is greater than the minimum
threshold translation ratio, the display device is further
configured to: determine whether the determined translation ratio
exceeds a maximum threshold translation ratio; if the determined
translation ratio exceeds the maximum threshold translation ratio,
scale the ultrasound image so that the scaled ultrasound image has
the maximum threshold translation ratio; and display the scaled
ultrasound image having the maximum threshold translation ratio in
the available physical area of the screen of the display device.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This disclosure relates to displaying ultrasound images. In
particular, it relates to systems and methods for adapting the
display of an ultrasound image to the size of an application window
displayed on a screen.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Ultrasound is a useful, non-invasive imaging technique
capable of producing real time images of internal structures within
tissue. Ultrasound imaging has an advantage over X-ray imaging in
that ultrasound imaging does not involve ionizing radiation.
[0003] Some mobile ultrasound scanners such as app-based ultrasound
scanners require an add-on device with a screen that may act as
both as a display and a control device. Examples of these add-on
devices are mobile phones, tablets, laptops, and/or desktop
computers. The screen size on these add-on devices can vary
greatly. For example, the screen can sometimes be small (e.g., on a
smartphone), which means that the displayed ultrasound image is
correspondingly small and potentially difficult to read. On the
other hand, the screen size can also be relatively large (e.g., on
a tablet), such that if the ultrasound image is made to fit the
larger screen, the ultrasound image may appear pixelated and also
potentially difficult to read.
[0004] There is therefore a need for a way to display an ultrasound
image that is suited to the size of the screen, and more
particularly to the size of an application window displayed on the
screen, such that the user does not need to manually scale the
ultrasound image.
[0005] The above background information is provided to reveal
information believed by the applicant to be of possible relevance
to the present invention. No admission is necessarily intended, nor
should be construed, that any of the preceding information
constitutes prior art against the present invention. The
embodiments discussed herein may address and/or ameliorate one or
more of the aforementioned drawbacks identified above. The
foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related
thereto are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other
limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of
skill in the art upon a reading of the specification and a study of
the drawings herein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0006] The following drawings illustrate embodiments of the
invention and should not be construed as restricting the scope of
the invention in any way.
[0007] FIG. 1 is a flowchart representing a first process according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0008] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a system according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a flowchart representing a second process
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0010] FIGS. 4-8 are schematic diagrams of a display device with
varying screen sizes displaying an ultrasound image, according to
various embodiments of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 9 is a flowchart representing a third process according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating the various
steps in the third process when displaying a shallow ultrasound
image on a screen in the portrait orientation, according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0013] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating the various
steps in the third process when displaying a curvilinear ultrasound
image on a screen in the portrait orientation, according to an
embodiment of the present invention.
[0014] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating the various
steps in the third process when displaying to a curvilinear
ultrasound image on a screen in the landscape orientation,
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A. Glossary
[0015] The term "application window" may refer to the area on a
display screen that is available for displaying an ultrasound image
by an application running on the device that hosts the screen.
[0016] The term "complete ultrasound image" refers to a full
ultrasound image without any cropping, or in some cases with minor
cosmetic cropping.
[0017] The term "depth" when relating to an ultrasound image refers
to a measure of how far into the structure being scanned (e.g.,
tissue or a phantom) a given ultrasound image shows.
[0018] The term "module" can refer to any component in this
invention and to any or all of the features of the invention
without limitation. A module may be a software, firmware or
hardware module, and may be located, for example, in the scanner or
a display device.
[0019] The term "network" can include both a mobile network and
data network without limiting the term's meaning, and includes the
use of wireless (e.g. 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G, WiFi.TM., WiMAX.TM., Wireless
USB (Universal Serial Bus), Zigbee.TM., Bluetooth.TM. and
satellite), and/or hard wired connections such as local, internet,
ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line), DSL (Digital
Subscriber Line), cable modem, T1, T3, fiber-optic, dial-up modem,
television cable, and may include connections to flash memory data
cards and/or USB memory sticks where appropriate. A network could
also mean dedicated connections between computing devices and
electronic components, such as buses for intra-chip
communications.
[0020] The term "operator" may refer to the person that is
operating an ultrasound scanner (e.g., a clinician, medical
personnel, a sonographer, ultrasound student, ultrasonographer
and/or ultrasound technician).
[0021] The term "processor" can refer to any electronic circuit or
group of circuits that perform calculations, and may include, for
example, single or multicore processors, multiple processors, an
ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and dedicated
circuits implemented, for example, on a reconfigurable device such
as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array). A processor may perform
the steps in the flowcharts and sequence diagrams, whether they are
explicitly described as being executed by the processor or whether
the execution thereby is implicit due to the steps being described
as performed by code or a module. The processor, if comprised of
multiple processors, may be located together or geographically
separate from each other. The term includes virtual processors and
machine instances as in cloud computing or local virtualization,
which are ultimately grounded in physical processors.
[0022] The term "scan conversion" refers to the construction of an
ultrasound media, such as a still image or a video, from lines of
ultrasound scan data representing echoes of ultrasound signals.
Scan conversion may involve converting beams and/or vectors of
acoustic scan data which are in polar (R-theta) coordinates to
cartesian (X-Y) coordinates.
[0023] The term "system" when used herein, and not otherwise
qualified, refers to a system for adapting display of an ultrasound
image to a screen or in an application window displayed on the
screen, the system being the subject of the present invention.
[0024] The term "ultrasound media" herein refers to an ultrasound
video or a still ultrasound image. A frame of an ultrasound video
may be referred to as a "still". An ultrasound video may be live or
pre-recorded, or may be computer generated, e.g. for training
purposes.
B. Exemplary Embodiments
[0025] Referring to FIG. 1, a first exemplary process is shown for
displaying an ultrasound image (or any other ultrasound media) in
an application window displayed on a screen, in which the way the
ultrasound image is displayed depends on the size of the
application window. In some examples, the display device in which
the screen is present is only capable of displaying a single
application window at a time, and hence the size and shape of the
screen are the same as for the single application window. In other
embodiments, the display device is capable of displaying multiple
application windows at the same time, and hence the application
window for the display of ultrasound images may be smaller than the
size of the screen. In some cases, the application window may have
a decorative border displayed around it or within it; in either of
these cases the application window may be considered to be the area
within the border.
[0026] In step 10, it is determined by the display device whether
the depth d of the ultrasound image is greater than a threshold
depth D. If the depth of the ultrasound image is less than the
threshold depth D (the `N` branch at step 10), then the ultrasound
image may be scaled, in step 12, so that the width of the
ultrasound image matches the width w of the application window.
Then, in step 14, the complete ultrasound image may be displayed in
the application window. Optionally, instead of scaling the width of
the ultrasound image to match the full width w of the application
window, the ultrasound image may be scaled so that its width is
smaller than the width w of the application window.
[0027] In some embodiments, before displaying the complete
ultrasound image, it may be cropped for cosmetic purposes while
still generally maintaining substantially the full amount of image
data available in the ultrasound image. If this cosmetic cropping
occurs, the resulting image may still be referred to as a complete
ultrasound image.
[0028] Referring still to FIG. 1, if the depth of the ultrasound
image is greater than the threshold depth D (the `Y` branch at step
10), then the display device may determine the size of the
application window available for displaying the ultrasound image.
The size of the application window may be represented by different
criteria. For example, these criteria may include one or more of: a
number of pixels along a long edge of the application window, a
number of pixels along a short edge of the application window, a
total number of pixels of the application window, an aspect ratio,
an orientation, a physical length of the application window, a
physical width of the application window, a physical area of the
application window, and/or any other representation that directly
or indirectly allows for determination of the size of the
application window.
[0029] The size of the application window may be determined by
determining a single parameter of the application window, and it
may suffice to determine only the width or only the height of the
window, for example. For example, a vertical dimension of the
application window may be determined, when the application window
is in a portrait orientation. If the aspect ratio of the
application window is known, or within a certain tolerable range,
then determination of the vertical dimension may be sufficient to
determine the size of the application window.
[0030] Once the size of the application window is determined, it
can be categorized as `large` or `small` for the purposes of the
example embodiment of FIG. 1. The various criteria noted above to
determine application window size can, either individually or in
combination, be used in this categorization. In some embodiments,
for a given criteria, there may be a threshold value which
separates the large screen sizes from the small screen sizes. For
example, if the criteria used for determining application window
size is a physical length of the application window (e.g., a
threshold length of the screen set between 15-25 cm), then a
threshold length above a given length may be considered large and
an application window size below the threshold length may be
considered small.
[0031] In step 16, if it is determined that the size of the
application window is large, then the ultrasound scanner may be
instructed to acquire the ultrasound scan data using a first set of
scanning parameters (step 18). This first set of parameters may be
configured to generate an image that has extra detail that can be
seen on the large application window size. In step 20, the complete
ultrasound image may then be displayed in the large application
window.
[0032] If, in step 16, it is determined that the size of the
application window is small (e.g., that at least one of the
criteria than define the size of the window is below a threshold
value), then the ultrasound scanner may be configured to acquire
the ultrasound scan data using a second set of scanning parameters
(step 22). The second set of parameters may generally acquire
images that have less detail, since a smaller application window
size may have less ability to display the full amount of detail
that can potentially be viewable on a large application window
size. In step 24, a cropped ultrasound image may then be displayed
in the application window.
[0033] As shown in the method of FIG. 1, different acts are taken
to adjust for the size of the application window that the
ultrasound image is being displayed in. For example, in one
instance, a first set of scan parameters may be used for acquiring
ultrasound images that are to be displayed on a large application
window size (step 18), whereas a second set of scan parameters
(different from the first set) may be may be used to acquire
ultrasound images that are to be displayed on a small window size
(step 22). In another instance, the complete ultrasound image is
displayed on a large application window size, whereas a cropped
image is displayed on a small application window size.
[0034] With respect to the different sets of scan parameters, since
the ultrasound images may be displayed at different sizes on the
different sized application windows, it may be more efficient to
acquire less scan data for the ultrasound images to be displayed on
the physically smaller application window. This is because the
higher resolution scan data may not contribute to the viewable
quality of the displayed ultrasound image on the smaller
application window size, and would therefore be redundant.
[0035] As an example, the first set of scanning parameters (used in
act 18) may include more scan lines and/or a higher frame rate than
the second set of scanning parameters (used in act 22).
Additionally or alternatively, the first set of scanning parameters
(used in act 18) may involve passing the acquired ultrasound scan
data through an enhanced smoothing filter, whereas the second set
of scanning parameters (used in act 22) may involve passing the
acquired ultrasound scan data through a regular smoothing filter.
Additionally or alternatively, the first set of scanning parameters
(used in act 18) may involve passing the acquired ultrasound scan
data through an enhanced speckle reduction process, whereas the
second set of scanning parameters (used in act 22) may involve
passing the acquired ultrasound scan data through a regular speckle
reduction process.
[0036] In a further example, the pixel sampling rate may
additionally or alternatively be modified when switching between
the first set of scan parameters and the second set of scan
parameters. For example, the first set of scanning parameters (used
in act 18) may involve a higher pixel sampling rate to cover the
larger number of pixels along the axial direction on a larger
application window size, whereas the second set of scanning
parameters (used in act 22) may use a lower pixel sampling rate to
cover the fewer number of pixels along the axial direction on a
smaller application window size (presuming a larger screen has a
corresponding higher pixel density). For example, if the pixel
sampling rate is one hundred `100` samples per centimeter of imaged
tissue in the first set of scan parameters, the pixel sampling rate
may take fifty `50` samples per centimeter of imaged tissue in the
second set of scan parameters (or another number that is
proportionately smaller based on the proportionate reduction in the
screen size).
[0037] Another reason to reduce the pixel sampling rate for a less
pixel-dense screen is to avoid aliasing artifacts. For example,
acquiring an image at a pixel sampling rate that would be used for
a large (typically higher pixel density) screen and then
downscaling the image may produce an image that has aliasing
artifacts. However, acquiring an image at a lower pixel sampling
rate, and then upscaling the image may produce an image that has
fewer aliasing artifacts.
[0038] With respect to whether a complete ultrasound image or a
cropped ultrasound image is displayed, a large application window
size may have more physical display space to show the full breadth
of the ultrasound signal data that is acquired (act 20 in FIG. 1).
For example, in a sector or a curvilinear image, the complete
ultrasound image may be generated from a number of radial
ultrasound signal lines, and each of these lines may contain image
data at the user-configured imaging depth. On a large application
window size, there may be sufficient physical space to display
imaging data at the user-configured imaging depth from every
scanline--including the leftmost and rightmost radial ultrasound
scanlines.
[0039] However, to display the same complete ultrasound image on a
small application window, it would typically be necessary to scale
the complete ultrasound image down considerably. This may be
undesirable because details in the scaled-down image would be
difficult to view. Instead, act 24 may display a cropped ultrasound
image when it is determined that the application window is small.
The cropping at act 24 may take different forms. In an example
embodiment, one or both sides of the ultrasound image may be
cropped and the height of the ultrasound image can be scaled so
that it corresponds to the vertical dimension of the application
window. In this situation, the full depth of the ultrasound image
may be displayed in the central portion of the ultrasound image,
but the leftmost and rightmost edges of the display may not be
viewable. For a sector or a curvilinear image, this may mean that
image data deeper into the tissue generated from the leftmost
and/or rightmost transducer elements are not viewable. However, the
loss of ability to view this data may be acceptable because typical
ultrasound scanning technique focuses on the central portion of the
probe, and the full depth of the image data acquired from the
center portion transducer elements are viewable. Indeed, because
certain portions (e.g., the left or right most portions of the
image) of the ultrasound image are cropped away so as not to be
viewable, the remaining viewable portion of the image can be scaled
up so that the center portion of the image can appear larger on the
small application window size. This, in turn, may make certain
details in the center portion of the image more easily viewable on
the small application window size.
[0040] Referring still to FIG. 1, it is notable that the complete
ultrasound image may be displayed in both acts 14 and 20. While the
display of the complete ultrasound image in act 20 is in response
to a determination that an application window size is large, no
such determination is made when the complete ultrasound image is
displayed in act 14. Thus, in certain instances, when act 14 is
performed to display the complete ultrasound image (e.g., without
cropping), the complete ultrasound image may potentially be
displayed on a small application window. However, this would only
happen if the imaging depth is shallower than a certain threshold
depth D. At these shallower depths (e.g., at 1-4 centimeters), the
tissue volume scanned may be much smaller than when the amount of
tissue volume is scanned at deeper depths. If images obtained at
these shallower depths were cropped, the cropping may have a
disproportionately large effect on the amount of remaining
meaningful content that is viewable. As such, in the embodiment of
FIG. 1, it may be desirable to show the complete ultrasound image
without any cropping at depths less than a certain threshold D,
even on a small application window size. For example, this may
allow an operator to view the full width of the shallow ultrasound
data they desired to see. In some embodiments the threshold depth D
may configured to be between 1-10 centimeters.
[0041] In some embodiments, whether the complete ultrasound image
is displayed in steps 14 and 20, or whether a cropped ultrasound
image is displayed in step 24, the operator of the scanner may
still optionally zoom in and out of the image displayed in the
application window.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary system 30 is shown for
adapting display of an ultrasound image on a display device based
on the size of the application window available for the display of
the ultrasound image. The system 30 may include an ultrasound
scanner 31 (hereinafter "scanner" for brevity) with a processor 32,
which may be connected to a non-transitory computer readable memory
34 storing computer readable instructions 36 which, when executed
by the processor 32, may cause the scanner 31 to provide one or
more of the functions of the system 30. Such functions may include,
for example, the acquisition of ultrasound data, the processing of
ultrasound data, the transmission of ultrasound data to a display
device 50, and the detection of operator inputs to the scanner
31.
[0043] The computer readable memory 34 may also store computer
readable data 38. Computer readable data 38 may be used by the
processor 32 in conjunction with the computer readable instructions
36 to provide the functions of the system 30. Computer readable
data 38 may include, for example, configuration settings for the
scanner 31, such as preset scan parameters that instruct the
processor 32 how to collect and process the ultrasound data. Such a
preset scan parameter may be selected, for example, depending on
the size of the application window available on the screen 52 of
the display device 50. In various embodiments, configuration
settings may include any other data that is specific to the way
that the scanner 31 operates.
[0044] The scanner 31 may include a communications module 40
connected to the processor 32. In the illustrated example
embodiment, the communications module 40 may wirelessly transmit
signals to and receives signals from the display device 50 along
wireless communication link 44. The protocol used for
communications between the scanner 31 and the display device 50 may
be WiFi.TM. or Bluetooth.TM., for example, or any other suitable
two-way radio communications protocol. The scanner 31 may operate
as a WiFi.TM. hotspot, for example. Communication link 44 may use
any suitable wireless network connection. While the illustrated
example embodiment includes a wireless communication link 44
between the display device 50 and the scanner 31, in some
embodiments, the connection between the scanner 31 and the display
device 50 may be wired (e.g., via a USB-C, lightning, or other
wired connection).
[0045] The display device 50 may be, for example, a laptop
computer, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a smart phone, a
smart watch, smart glasses (e.g., spectacles with a built-in
display), a television, a bespoke display or any other display
device that is capable of being connected to the scanner 31. The
display device 50 may host a screen 52 and include a processor 54.
The processor 54 may be connected to a non-transitory computer
readable memory 56 storing computer readable instructions 58 which,
when executed by the processor 54, cause the display device 50 to
provide one or more of the functions of the system 30. Such
functions may be, for example, the receiving of ultrasound data
that may or may not be pre-processed, scan conversion of ultrasound
data that is received into an ultrasound media, the control of the
scanner 31 via user input received at the display device 50, the
display of an ultrasound image on the screen 52 (e.g., within an
application window on the screen 52), and the adapting of the
displayed ultrasound image for suitable display within the
application window as described herein.
[0046] The computer readable memory 56 may also store computer
readable data 60 which may be used by the processor 54 in
conjunction with computer readable instructions 58 to provide the
functions of the system 30. Computer readable data 60 may include,
for example, settings for the scanner 31, such as preset scan
parameters for acquiring ultrasound data depending on the size of
the screen 52 or application window on the screen 52, and/or
settings for a user interface displayed on the screen 52. Settings
may also include any other data that is specific to the way that
the scanner 31 operates or that the display device 50 operates.
[0047] It can therefore be understood that the computer readable
instructions and data used for controlling the system 30 may be
located either in the computer readable memory 34 of the scanner
31, the computer readable memory 56 of the display device 50,
and/or both the computer readable memories 34, 56.
[0048] The display device 50 may also include a communications
module 62 connected to the processor 54. In the illustrated example
embodiment, the communications module 62 wirelessly transmits
signals to and receives signals from the scanner 31 on wireless
communication link 44.
[0049] However, as noted, the communication link between display
device 50 and the scanner 31 may be wired in some embodiments.
[0050] Referring still to FIG. 2, it is notable that different
types of display devices 50 may have different sized screens 52.
Generally, the embodiments described herein relate to methods of
adapting the display of an ultrasound image to screens of different
sizes.
[0051] Referring to FIG. 3, shown there is a process performed by
the system 30 for determining how to acquire and display an
ultrasound image based on the characteristics of the application
window, according to another embodiment. In describing the method
of FIG. 3, reference will simultaneously be made to FIGS. 4-8,
which show example display devices of various sizes. These various
example display devices will be identified using the reference
numerals 50a, 50b, 50c, 50d, and 50e; and their corresponding
different-sized screens will be identified using 52a, 52b, 52c,
52d, and 52e respectively. The discussions below relate generally
to example scenarios where the size of the screen 52 varies, and
situations where the application window fills the entirety of the
screens 52; however, analogous discussions are also applicable to
application windows that only fill a portion of the screen 52.
[0052] In step 130, the system 30 may determine whether the
application window, when in the portrait mode, has a height h
(e.g., vertical dimension) that is greater than a threshold height
H1. The height may be determined directly, for example, by
determining a physical dimension in millimeters. For example, the
physical dimension in millimeters of a screen may be can value that
can be determined from an operating system (e.g., either iOS.TM. or
Android.TM. operating systems) application programming interface
(API). Additionally or alternately, the height h may be determined
indirectly, for example by determining the number of pixels, the
width of the application window, or any other indicator of the size
of the application window, and then translating that indicator into
the height of the physical height of the application window.
[0053] If the height of the application window is greater than the
threshold H1 (the `Y` branch of act 130) then, in step 132, the
display device 50 may request the scanner 31 to acquire the
ultrasound data using a first set of scan parameters. Similar to
the first set of scan parameters discussed in relation to FIG. 1
above that are used to acquire ultrasound image data for the large
application window size, the first set of scan parameters here are
configured to be sufficiently robust to generate an ultrasound
image that is suitable for display a relatively large application
window size. For example, the first set of scan parameters may have
a relatively high frame rate (e.g., to reduce potential flicker of
the ultrasound image feed) and/or a relatively high number of scan
lines (e.g., to reduce the likelihood of the ultrasound image feed
appearing pixelated).
[0054] In response, in step 134, the scanner may perform the scan
using the first set of parameters. In some embodiments, the first
set of parameters may include a first formula or an indication of a
first formula with which to process the scan data. For example, the
formula may be a formula for smoothing the scan data and/or
reducing speckle. In step 136, the scanner 31 may process the scan
data with the first formula. In step 140, the scanner 31 may then
send the processed scan data to the display device 50.
[0055] In step 142, the display device 50 may optionally scale the
ultrasound image so that its width is equal to the width w of the
application window. In step 144, the display device 50 may then
display the complete ultrasound image in the application window.
The displayed ultrasound image may correspond, for example, to the
complete ultrasound image 76 displayed on the large screen 52a of
FIG. 4.
[0056] Referring simultaneously to FIG. 4, a display device 50a
with screen 52a is shown. The screen 52a may be considered to be
large because it has a vertical dimension h that is greater than
the threshold dimension H1. Pursuant to act 144 in the method of
FIG. 3, the ultrasound image 76 may thus be displayed as a complete
ultrasound image. Also, pursuant to act 142 in the method of FIG.
3, the complete ultrasound image 76 is scaled so that its width is
equal to the width w of the screen 52a.
[0057] Since the screen 52a is larger than height threshold HI, it
is likely a relatively tall display. As such, even after scaling
the ultrasound image so that it fits the width of the screen 52a,
there may be residual vertical blank space (either above or below)
the ultrasound image 76. As shown in FIG. 4, the application window
on the screen 52a may thus also contain user interface buttons 74
with the ultrasound image 76. The user interface buttons may, for
example, be for freezing the ultrasound image 76, changing the mode
of operation of the scanner 31, adjusting the gain of the scanner
31, and/or adjusting the depth of the ultrasound image 76.
[0058] In the discussion above, it was noted that act 142 in the
method of FIG. 3 is optional so that the ultrasound image may not
necessarily be scaled to the window width w. This is because for
screens that are considerably larger than the screen 52a, scaling
the image to fit the window width w may result in an ultrasound
image that appears overly stretched and/or pixelated. Thus, in
certain instances, this scaling may not be performed. Instead, the
system 30 may be configured so that when the screen width is
greater than the threshold width W, the width of the complete
ultrasound image is scaled to the threshold width W and no wider.
This threshold width may be determined in a manner that allows for
sufficient detail of the ultrasound image to be readily discerned
by an operator, but not so wide that it becomes the ultrasound
image 76 would appear pixelated. For example, in various
embodiments, the threshold width W may be between 20-25
centimeters.
[0059] Referring back to FIG. 3, if the height of the application
window as determined in step 130 is not greater than the threshold
height H1 (the `N` branch of act 130), then the system 30 may
determine whether the height of the application window is above a
height threshold H2 that is smaller than H1 (act 150). If the
height of the application window is greater than H2 (the `Y` branch
of act 150), then, in step 152 the display device 50 may request
the scanner 31 to acquire the ultrasound image data using a second
set of scan parameters. As discussed above in relation to FIG. 1
when ultrasound images are acquired for small application window
sizes, this second set of scan parameters may have a lower density
of ultrasound image data so as to avoid expending resources on
acquiring and/or processing ultrasound image data that may have not
have a visibly discernible difference on the ultrasound images when
they are displayed on this intermediate-sized display that has a
height in between H1 and H2. In various embodiments, this second
set of scan parameters may have a lower frame rate and/or a lower
number of scan lines relative to the first set of scan parameters
used in act 134.
[0060] At act 154, the scanner 31 may perform the scan using the
second set of parameters. In various embodiments, the second set of
parameters may include a second formula or an indication of a
second formula with which to process the scan data. For example,
this may be a formula for smoothing the scan data or reducing
speckle. In some embodiments, this second formula may be different
from the first formula used in act 136. In some embodiments, the
second formula may be the same formula used in the act 136, but
parameterized differently to account for the smaller application
window size. For example, the smoothing filter and/or the speckle
reduction algorithm may be configured to operate in a coarser way
since the more granular smoothing and/or speckle reduction
operations may not be viewable on the smaller screen. At act 156,
the scanner 31 may proceed to process the scan data with the second
formula. At act 160, the scanner 31 may then send the processed
scan data to the display device 50.
[0061] At step 162, the display device 50 may scale the ultrasound
image so that its height is equal to the threshold height H2.
Notably, this may happen for all application window heights that
are generally in between the height thresholds H1 and H2. In
effect, the threshold H2 becomes a maximize vertical height for how
an ultrasound image would be displayed.
[0062] At step 164, the display device 50 may then optionally crop
one or both of the left and right sides of the ultrasound image so
that it fits in the application window. For some application window
sizes and ultrasound image sizes, the sides of the ultrasound image
may not need to be cropped, and hence step 164 is optional as it
may not be performed. In step 166, the display device 50 may then
display the ultrasound image, which may be cropped, in the
application window.
[0063] FIGS. 5 and 6 show two different example situations where
the height h of the application window falls between H1 and H2.
FIGS. 5 and 6 are discussed below in relation to the `Y` branch of
act 150 in FIG. 3.
[0064] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 3 and 5, a display device
50b with an application window that fills screen 52b is shown. The
screen 52b has a vertical dimension h that is equal to the
threshold dimension H1. As such, the height h of screen 52b would
not be considered greater than threshold H1 at act 130, but it
would be considered greater than threshold H2 of FIG. 3 so as to
trigger the `Y` branch at act 150. On this screen 52b, the
ultrasound image 76 may then be scaled vertically so that it
matches the threshold height H2 at act 162. In the illustrated
embodiment, since the screen 52b is wide enough to fit the full
width of the ultrasound image 76, the optional cropping of act 164
need not be performed prior to the display of the ultrasound image
at act 166. In the example embodiment of FIG. 5, the ultrasound
image scaled to the maximum vertical threshold H2. Since the height
h of the screen 52b is still higher than H2, the screen is still
large enough to also display and a set of user interface buttons
74.
[0065] Referring now simultaneously to FIGS. 3 and 6, a display
device 50c with an application window that fills screen 52c is
shown. The screen 52c has an intermediate vertical dimension h that
is below the threshold dimension H1 and greater than the threshold
dimension H2 so that when the method of FIG. 3 is executed, the `Y`
branch of act 152 would be triggered. On the screen 52c, the height
of the ultrasound image 76 is scaled to equal the threshold height
H2 at act 162. However, in this embodiment, the width w of the
screen 52c is not wide enough to fit the full width of the
ultrasound image 76 after it has been scaled to the height
threshold H2. As such, the left and right sides of the ultrasound
image 76 are cropped at act 164 prior it is displayed at act
166.
[0066] By cropping the sides of the ultrasound image, the image is
effectively zoomed-in in the more important detail in the center of
the image 76. This makes the center portion of the ultrasound image
76 more comfortably visible to the operator of the scanner 31 than
would be if the complete ultrasound image were to be displayed on
the same screen 52c in the same portrait orientation (in which
case, the same detail in the center portion of the ultrasound image
76 would appear smaller). The screen 52c may not be large enough to
display both the ultrasound image 76 and a set of user interface
buttons such as those on screen 52a and 52b shown on FIGS. 4 and 5
respectively. In the illustrated example, no user interface
controls are shown in the available area 98. However, in some
embodiments, the user interface controls 74 of FIGS. 4 and 5 could
be made smaller in appearance. While this may potentially make the
controls 74 more difficult to use, it will allow the user interface
controls 74 to be retained and still be accessed.
[0067] Referring back to FIG. 3, if the height of the application
window as determined in step 150 is not greater than the threshold
height H2 (the `N` branch of act 150), then, in step 170 the
display device 50 may request the scanner 31 to acquire the
ultrasound data using the second set of parameters. As illustrated,
the same second set of scan parameters as is used in the `Y` branch
of act 150 is used as in the `N` branch. This may facilitate ease
of implementation so that there are only two set of scan
parameters: e.g., for large and small application window sizes
(e.g., when the application window height is above and below height
threshold H1 respectively).
[0068] However, in some embodiments, act 170 may involve scanning
with a third set of scan parameters that have even lower
information density than the second set of scan parameters. Since
the screen height in the `N` branch of act 150 is even shorter than
the height threshold H2, such potential third set of scan
parameters can be further optimized to further reduce the acquired
information since the acquired information will be even more
difficult to view on the even smaller application window size that
is less than height threshold H2. For example, this third set of
scan parameters may have even fewer scan lines and/or a an even
lower pixel sampling rate than the second set of scan
parameters.
[0069] At act 172, the scanner 31 may perform the scan using the
set of scan parameters that the display device 50 instructed it to
use. In step 174, the scanner 31 may proceed to process the scan
data with a formula. As illustrated in FIG. 3, this is the same
second formula used in act 156 (e.g., the same configuration of the
first formula used in act 136, as noted above). However, in some
embodiments, this may be a third formula, or the same formula used
in act 136 but parameterized in a third way to account for the even
smaller application window size. For example, the smoothing filter
and/or the speckle reduction algorithm may be configured to operate
in a way that is even coarser, since finer smoothing or speckle
reduction may not be viewable on the smaller screen. The scanner 31
may then send the processed scan data to the display device 50 (act
176).
[0070] In step 180, the display device 50 may scale the ultrasound
image so that its height is equal to the height h of the
application window. In this instance, since the application window
height h not greater than the lower height threshold H2, it is
likely that that the application window is quite small. As such, to
maximize viewing of the ultrasound image on the relatively small
screen, the ultrasound image can be scaled so that its height
matches the height of the window.
[0071] Since the vertical dimension h of the application window is
small, in portrait mode, it is likely the width of the application
window is also small. Scaling the ultrasound image height to match
the window height h may then result in the entire width of the
ultrasound image not fitting into the available width of the
application window for displaying the ultrasound image.
[0072] In step 182, the display device 50 may then crop one or both
of the left and right sides of the ultrasound image so that a
center portion of the ultrasound image can be viewable in the
application window while its full height has been scaled to match
the application window height h. The display device 50 may then
display the cropped ultrasound image in the application window.
[0073] FIGS. 7 and 8 show two different example situations where
the height h of the application window is not greater than
threshold H2. FIGS. 7 and 8 are discussed below in relation to the
`N` branch of act 150 in FIG. 3.
[0074] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 3 and 7, a display device
50d with an application window that fills screen 52d is shown. The
screen 52d has a vertical dimension h that is equal to the
threshold dimension H2. As such, the height h of screen 52d would
not be considered greater than threshold H2 at act 150, and the `N`
branch at act 150 would be triggered. On this screen 52d, the
ultrasound image 76 may then be scaled vertically so that it
matches the application window height h at act 180. In the
illustrated embodiment, scaling the image to fit the height h of
the application window on screen 52d means the full width of the
ultrasound image 76 cannot fit the screen 52d. Thus, at act 182,
the ultrasound image 76 may be cropped. By cropping the sides of
the ultrasound image, the image is effectively zoomed in on the
center portion of the ultrasound image, which typically shows the
more important detail desired to be viewed by the operator. The
cropping thus allows this portion of the ultrasound image to be
more comfortably visible to the operator of the scanner 31 than
would be if the full width of the complete ultrasound image were to
be displayed on the same screen 52d in the same portrait
orientation.
[0075] Notably, scaling the ultrasound image 76 to the full height
h of the screen 52d maximizes viewability of the ultrasound image
76 on the relatively small screen 52d, but it may also not leave
room to display any of the user interface controls such as those
that appear on screens 52a and 52b shown in FIGS. 4 and 5
respectively. Thus, in these embodiments, the user input that would
have been received via those user interface controls may instead be
accessible by double-tapping on the screen 52d, for example, where
the screen 52d is a touchscreen; or via input (e.g., buttons)
available on the scanner 31 itself.
[0076] Referring now simultaneously to FIGS. 3 and 8, a display
device 50e with an application window that fills screen 52e is
shown. The screen 52e has a small vertical dimension h that is
below the threshold dimension H2, so that the `N` branch at act 150
would be triggered. Thus, similar to the embodiment of FIG. 7, the
height of the ultrasound image 76 is scaled to equal the threshold
height h of the application window at act 180. Also similar to the
embodiment of FIG. 7, scaling the image to fit the height h of the
application window on screen 52e means the full width of the
ultrasound image 76 cannot fit the screen 52e. Thus, at act 182,
the sides of the ultrasound image 76 may be similarly cropped so
that the center portion of the ultrasound image can be more easily
viewed by the operator. Since the screen 52e is even smaller that
the screen 52d, there is the same lack of space for displaying user
interface controls as was the case for the example of FIG. 7. As
such, user interface input may be provided in the alternate ways
noted above.
[0077] Considering the various example application window sizes
shown in FIGS. 4-8 together, the method of FIG. 3 can be considered
a way of optimizing quality of the displayed ultrasound image with
respect to application window size (and in certain cases, screen
size). As the application window size is reduced in size from
screen 52a (FIG. 4) to screen 52b (FIG. 5), the scale of the
ultrasound image is reduced accordingly, with its width being
scaled to the width w of the screen. As the screen is further
reduced in size from screen 52b to screen 52c (FIG. 6), the scale
of the ultrasound image 76 can remain the same, with an image
height equal to H2, but its sides become increasingly cropped. As
the screen is again reduced in size from screen 52c to screen 52d
(FIG. 7), the scale of the ultrasound image 76 can again remain the
same, with an image height equal to H2, but the sides of the image
are further cropped. As the screen is even further reduced in size
from screen 52d to screen 52e (FIG. 8), the scale of the ultrasound
image can be further reduced so as to retain the full height of the
image displayed on the screen, and also so as not to crop too much
of the more important detail that is found in the center of the
ultrasound image.
[0078] Referring to FIG. 9, shown there is a method of adapting
display of an ultrasound image on a display device, according to
another embodiment of the present disclosure. In step 190, a
physical scan distance is determined. This distance can be any
distance traversed by an ultrasound signal to generate the
ultrasound image. For example, it can be the full depth of an
ultrasound scan or any portion thereof. Note that the ultrasound
signals may traverse a physical distance twice (e.g., once in each
direction), and it is the measure of the physical distance that is
determined rather than the total round-trip path of the ultrasound
signals.
[0079] In step 192, the available screen area may be determined,
including the dimensions of the available screen area. This
information may be determined from available operating system API
calls, in a manner similar to how the height h is determined with
respect to the method of FIG. 3 above.
[0080] In step 194, a translation ratio is determined. The
translation ratio may be an indication of the physical size of the
ultrasound image (were it to be displayed) in comparison to the
actual physical depth of the ultrasound scan. To determine the
translation ratio, it would first be determined what the size of
the ultrasound image would be were it to be displayed as a complete
ultrasound image on the available area of the screen (e.g., the
complete ultrasound image would be fitted to the available display
area). Then, a physical distance on that displayed ultrasound image
would be divided by the corresponding physical distance traversed
by the ultrasound signal. For example, on a given screen, 1 cm on a
complete ultrasound image (when fitted to the display) may
correspond to 2 cm of imaged tissue. This would then provide a
translation ratio of 0.5, for example.
[0081] In step 196, the determined translation ratio is compared to
a minimum threshold translation ratio. If the determined
translation ratio is not below the minimum threshold translation
ratio (the `N` branch at act 196), the appearance of imaged
structures on the screen may be considered large enough, and the
ultrasound image may be displayed in full in step 198. If, however,
the determined translation ratio is below the minimum threshold
translation ratio (the `Y` branch at act 196), the appearance of
imaged structures on the screen may be considered too small for the
detail of those structures to be seen clearly by an operator of the
ultrasound scanner. In this case, the ultrasound image may need to
be further processed so that such detail may appear at a greater
magnification. In various embodiments, the minimum threshold ratio
may be between 0.25-1.
[0082] In step 200, a test ultrasound image may be created at the
minimum threshold translation ratio. That is, a test ultrasound
image may be created which has a size that, if displayed, would
have a translation ratio that is equal to the minimum threshold
translation ratio. In step 202, a cropping operation may be
performed on the test ultrasound image. In various embodiments, the
cropping operation may involve the removal of: one or both sides of
the test ultrasound image by a predefined number of pixels or a
predefined percentage of the width of the test ultrasound image; a
top of the test ultrasound image by a predefined number of pixels
or a predefined percentage of the height of the test ultrasound
image; a bottom of the test ultrasound image by a predefined number
of pixels or a predefined percentage of the height of the test
ultrasound image; a combination of two or more of the foregoing; or
using any other suitable rule.
[0083] In some embodiments, the cropping operation may involve
cropping the test ultrasound image at various crop ratios (a crop
ratio being a ratio of the area of the post-cropped image relative
to the pre-cropped image), and testing whether a cropping a given
crop ratio results in an image that fits the available area of the
screen. For example, in some embodiments, after cropping the test
ultrasound image at a first crop ratio, the cropped image can be
tested to determine if it fits the available physical area of the
screen. If so, it can be displayed without scaling. If not, the
test ultrasound image can be further cropped at a second crop
ratio, and that cropped image can be tested to determine if it fits
the available physical area of the screen. If so, the test
ultrasound image cropped at the second crop ratio can be displayed
in the available physical area of the screen. If not, the test
ultrasound image cropped at the second crop ratio can be returned
from the cropping operation for the determination made at act
204.
[0084] Additionally or alternatively, the cropping operation may
repeat a number of acts for successively smaller crop ratios. For
example, the cropping operation may involve repeatedly: cropping
the test ultrasound image at a test crop ratio, determining whether
the test ultrasound image cropped at the test crop ratio fits the
available physical area of the screen of the display device for
displaying the ultrasound image, and if the test ultrasound image
cropped at the test crop ratio fits the available physical area of
the screen of the display device for displaying the ultrasound
image, displaying the test ultrasound image cropped at the test
crop ratio in the available physical area of the screen of the
display device. These successive operations may be performed until
a crop ratio limit is met. If the test ultrasound image cropped at
the crop ratio limit does not fit the available physical area of
the screen of the display device, the test ultrasound image cropped
at the crop ratio limit may be provided as the cropped test
ultrasound image generated from the cropping operation, and used
for the determination made at act 204.
[0085] The crop ratio limit may be considered the minimum crop
ratio that may be permitted before it can be considered that too
much of the imaged tissue has been removed from the ultrasound
image. Having a crop ratio limit may prevent overcropping an image
to the point where what remains is no longer relevant for the
operator to view. Examples of the crop ratio limit may vary for
different types of ultrasound images, and are discussed with
respect to the examples below.
[0086] Referring still to FIG. 9, at step 204, it is determined
whether the cropped test ultrasound image fits within the available
area of the screen in the current orientation of the screen. If the
cropped test ultrasound image fits within the available area of the
screen (the `Y` branch of step 204), then, in step 206, the cropped
test ultrasound image may be displayed. Notably, the cropped test
ultrasound image would have a translation ratio that is at the
minimum threshold translation ratio, which is larger than that the
translation ratio would have been had the image been fitted to
display the complete ultrasound image. While certain aspects of the
image have been cropped, this allows the remaining visible portion
of the ultrasound image (usually a center portion of the image) to
appear larger in a manner that allows details within the imaged
tissue to be more easily discernible to the operator.
[0087] If the cropped test ultrasound image does not within the
available area of the screen (the `N` branch at act 204), then, in
step 208, the cropped test ultrasound image may be scaled to reduce
it in size until it fits within the available area of the screen.
After scaling, the scaled and cropped test ultrasound image may
then be displayed in step 206.
[0088] Scaling the cropped test ultrasound image may involve
scaling the cropped test ultrasound image generated from the
cropping operation so that a vertical dimension of the scaled and
cropped test ultrasound image substantially matches a vertical
dimension of the available physical area of the display of the
display device. When scaling the cropped test ultrasound image, the
aspect ratio of the scaled and cropped test ultrasound image may be
maintained the same as the aspect ratio of the ultrasound
image.
[0089] As noted, in some embodiments, steps in FIG. 9 may be
repeated. For example, the cropping may be done in one or more
stages, with the cropped test image at each stage being tested to
determine whether it fits within the available screen area.
[0090] FIGS. 10-12 below provide a number of example scenarios for
how the method of FIG. 9 may be performed on different types of
ultrasound images, and different types of screen
sizes/orientations. In discussing FIGS. 10-12 below, reference will
simultaneously be made to the method of FIG. 9.
[0091] Referring simultaneously to FIGS. 9 and 10, shown there is a
pictorial illustration of the method of FIG. 9 for an example
embodiment where a relatively superficial image is acquired using a
linear scanner that produces a generally rectangular ultrasound
image, and this image is displayed on a screen in portrait
orientation. The translation ratio is first determined by
determining the size of the ultrasound image 176a as if it were
displayed in full on a given available screen area 152a (acts
190-194 of FIG. 9). As noted above, the translation ratio may be a
physical distance on the screen occupied by a portion of the
complete version of the ultrasound image (were it to be fitted to
the available screen area 152a) divided by the corresponding
physical distance of the scanned tissue.
[0092] In step 196, the translation ratio may be compared to a
minimum translation ratio. If the determined translation ratio is
not less than the minimum translation ratio (the `N` branch at act
196--e.g., the available screen area is sufficiently large to
display the imaged tissue in sufficient detail), the complete
ultrasound image 176b may be displayed in full on the available
screen area 152b.
[0093] While the example of FIG. 10 shows the ultrasound image 176b
extended to occupy the full available width of the available screen
area 152b, in some embodiments where the available display area
152b is particularly large, the complete ultrasound image 176b may
be displayed without extending the image to the full width and/or
height of the available screen area. In these embodiments, a
maximum threshold translation ratio may be provided, so that if the
complete ultrasound image 176b is to be displayed, it should have a
translation ratio no larger than the maximum translation ratio. For
example, this may result in blank space being provided adjacent to
(e.g., to the left and/or right of) the ultrasound image 176b.
[0094] In situations where the available display area 152b is
particularly large, extending the complete ultrasound image 176b to
fill the available space may overly stretch the appearance of the
ultrasound image 176b so that it appears pixelated. Having a
maximum threshold translation ratio at which an ultrasound image
176b may be displayed may prevent this from occurring. In various
example embodiments, for example, the maximum threshold translation
ratio may be set to between 1-3.
[0095] Referring still to FIG. 10, if the translation ratio is
below the minimum translation ratio (the `Y` branch at act 196), a
cropping operation may be performed on an ultrasound image which is
translated to have the minimum threshold ratio (acts 200-202 of
FIG. 9). As noted above, in some embodiments, during the cropping
operation, such ultrasound image may be cropped at successively
smaller crop ratios until a crop ratio limit is met. The cropping
operation may generate cropped test ultrasound image 176c. In the
illustrated example of FIG. 10, the sides 122, 124 of image 176c
may be removed during the cropping operation.
[0096] Generally, for ultrasound images displayed on screens that
are in portrait orientation, the limiting dimension of the screen
is the width of the screen area. As a result, cropping may
generally be done on one or more sides of the image to allow for
the appearance of the ultrasound image to be magnified along the
width dimension.
[0097] In step 204, it is determined whether the cropped test
ultrasound image 176c fits the available area of a given screen. If
it does (the `Y` branch at act 204), e.g., if it fits in available
screen area 152c, then the cropped test ultrasound image 176c may
be displayed in the screen area 152c without scaling.
[0098] If the cropped test ultrasound image 176c does not fit (the
`N` branch at act 204), e.g., if it does not fit in available
screen area 152d, then the cropped test ultrasound image is scaled
and displayed as ultrasound image 176d. The `N` branch of act 204
may usually be executed for smaller available screen areas 176d
compared to other available screen areas.
[0099] When displaying images acquired using a linear image, it is
atypical to perform any cropping. However, as discussed with
respect to FIG. 10, the present embodiments may perform certain
cropping (e.g., on the left and right sides of an ultrasound image)
to try to maintain a higher translation ratio and show the details
in the center portion of the image at greater magnification. This
may be desirable, for example, when the linear image is generated
in the context of an interventional procedure where the ultrasound
image is being used to highlight a needle being inserted into
tissue. For example, as compared to an image acquired without the
present embodiments, the present embodiments may provide an image
with a higher translation ratio that makes it easier for an
ultrasound operator to more easily visualize the inserted needle.
At the same time, the present embodiments do not simply keep
cropping for successively smaller screens, in a manner that would
crop out important aspects of the ultrasound image 176b. By
cropping only up to a crop ratio limit and then scaling the cropped
image from there to generate an image that can be displayed, the
present embodiments provide an optimal balance between the
desirability of having as high a translation ratio for the
displayed image on the one hand (to make it as easy as possible to
see detail in the ultrasound image) with the risk that
over-cropping might actually remove parts of the image that is
desired to be viewed by the operator.
[0100] Referring to FIG. 11, shown there is a pictorial
illustration of the method of FIG. 9 for an example embodiment
where a curvilinear image is displayed on a screen in portrait
orientation. The translation ratio is first determined by
determining the size of the ultrasound image 276a as if it were
displayed in full on a given available screen area 252a (acts
190-194 of FIG. 9). As noted above, the translation ratio may be a
physical distance on the screen occupied by a portion of the
complete version of the ultrasound image (were it to be fitted to
the available screen area 252a) divided by the corresponding
physical distance of the scanned tissue.
[0101] In step 196, the translation ratio may be compared to a
minimum translation ratio. If the determined translation ratio is
not less than the minimum translation ratio (the `N` branch at act
196--e.g., the available screen area is sufficiently large to
display the imaged tissue in sufficient detail), the ultrasound
image 276b may be displayed in full on the available screen area
252b. As with the illustration in FIG. 10, the ultrasound image
276a has a width that matches the width of the available screen
area 252b. However, in some embodiments where the available screen
area 252b is particularly large, the width of the ultrasound image
276b may be configured to be of a size that, when displayed, has a
translation ratio no larger than a maximum translation ratio.
[0102] Referring still to FIG. 11, if the translation ratio is
below the minimum translation ratio (the `Y` branch at act 196), a
cropped test ultrasound image 276c having the minimum threshold
translation ratio may be generated from the cropping operation
(acts 200-202 of FIG. 9). In the illustrated example of FIG. 11,
the sides 222, 224 of image 276c may be removed during the cropping
operation. As noted above with respect to FIG. 10, the cropped test
ultrasound image 276c may be generated from a cropping operation
that repeatedly crops the ultrasound image at successively smaller
crop ratios up to a crop ratio limit.
[0103] In various embodiments, the crop ratio limit may differ for
different types of ultrasound images (e.g., linear, sector, or
curvilinear images as may be generated from transducers having
different transducer geometries). For example, when cropping the
left and right sides of an image, the portion of the ultrasound
scan data that is removed may be higher for a linear image (where
the entire length of the scan line data in the axial direction for
the edge transducer elements are removed) than for a sector image
or a curvilinear image (where only the deeper image data is removed
while the shallower image data closer to the scan head is
preserved). This can be seen comparing the portions of the
curvilinear ultrasound image 222, 224 that are removed in FIG. 11
versus the portions of the linear ultrasound image 122, 124 which
are removed in FIG. 10. Thus, since cropping may remove a higher
proportionate amount of image data for a linear image than for a
sector or curvilinear image, the crop ratio limit may be more
constrained for linear images. Put another way, a linear image may
not be as tolerable to cropping as curvilinear and sector images
are. As such, in some embodiments, the crop ratio limit may be
smaller for sector and/or curvilinear images (e.g., it may tolerate
more cropping) since cropping may not remove as much relevant image
data. For example, in various embodiments, a crop ratio limit may
be between 85-95% for a linear image, and 75-85% for a sector
and/or curvilinear image.
[0104] The discussion above with respect to cropping generally
relates to cropping an image after scan conversion has been
performed so as to fit image data that is in cartesian coordinates
into a rectangular display. However, in various embodiments,
cropping may additionally or alternatively be performed on pre-scan
converted image data (e.g., to remove scan lines generated from the
edges of the transducer). For example, for sector and curvilinear
images, this data may still be in polar coordinate form when
cropping is performed to remove the edgemost scanlines
altogether.
[0105] Referring still to FIG. 11, at act 204, it is determined
whether the cropped test ultrasound image 276c fits the available
area of the screen. If it does (the `Y` branch at act 204), e.g.,
if it fits in available screen area 252c, then the cropped test
ultrasound image 276c may be displayed in the screen area 252c
without scaling. If the cropped test ultrasound image 276c does not
fit (the `N` branch at act 204), e.g., if it does not fit in
available screen area in available screen area 252d, then it is
scaled and displayed as ultrasound image 276d. As was the case
above in relation to the example of FIG. 10, the `N` branch of act
204 may usually be executed for smaller available screen areas 252d
compared to other available screen areas.
[0106] FIG. 11 illustrates how the method of FIG. 9 may be provide
desirable results for a curvilinear image. A similar discussion may
be applicable for sector a sector image. As with the example of
FIG. 10, in FIG. 11, the present embodiments may perform certain
cropping (e.g., on the left and right sides of an ultrasound image)
to try to maintain a higher translation ratio and show the details
in the center portion of the image at greater magnification. Since
it is typical for the operator to center the transducer over the
tissue desired to be viewed (e.g., whether the imaged tissue is of
a fetus, cardiac function, or other internal organ), the cropping
may allow the imaged tissue in the middle portion of the image to
be more easily discerned.
[0107] At the same time, the present embodiments do not simply keep
cropping for successively smaller screens, in a manner that would
crop out important aspects of the ultrasound image 276b. By
cropping only up to a crop ratio limit and then scaling the cropped
image from there to generate an image that can be displayed, the
present embodiments provide an optimal balance between the
desirability of having as high a translation ratio for the
displayed image on the one hand (to make it as easy as possible to
see detail in the ultrasound image) with the risk that
over-cropping might actually remove parts of the image that is
desired to be viewed by the operator.
[0108] Referring now simultaneously to FIGS. 9 and 12, shown there
is a pictorial illustration of the method of FIG. 9 for an example
embodiment where a curvilinear image is displayed on a screen in
landscape orientation. The translation ratio is first determined by
determining the size of the ultrasound image 376a as if it were
displayed in full on a given available screen area 352a (acts
190-194 of FIG. 9). As noted above, the translation ratio may be a
physical distance on the screen occupied by a portion of the
complete version of the ultrasound image (were it to be fitted to
the available screen area 352a) divided by the corresponding
physical distance of the scanned tissue.
[0109] In step 196, the translation ratio may be compared to a
minimum translation ratio. If the determined translation ratio is
not less than the minimum translation ratio (the `N` branch at act
196--e.g., the available screen area is sufficiently large to
display the imaged tissue in sufficient detail), the ultrasound
image 376b may be displayed in full on the available screen area
352b.
[0110] Unlike the examples in FIGS. 10 and 11 above which displayed
ultrasound images on a screen in portrait orientation, since the
screen is in landscape orientation in FIG. 12, the limiting
dimension of the screen is the height of available screen area as
opposed to the width. As such, when displaying the complete
ultrasound image 376b, the height of the ultrasound image 376b may
be configured to match the available height of the available screen
area 352b. To have the ultrasound image 376b maintain the same
aspect ratio as ultrasound image 376a, there may be blank space
provided to the left and right of the ultrasound image 376b.
[0111] As with the examples discussed above in relation to FIGS. 10
and 11, for particularly large screens, the height of the
ultrasound image 376b may be configured to be of a size that, when
displayed, has a translation ratio no larger than a maximum
translation ratio. In these cases, there may also be blank space
above and/or below the complete ultrasound image 376b.
[0112] Referring still to FIG. 12, if the translation ratio is
below the minimum translation ratio (the `Y` branch at act 196), a
cropped test ultrasound image 376c having the minimum threshold
translation ratio may be generated from the cropping operation
(acts 200-202 of FIG. 9). In the illustrated example of FIG. 12,
the top and bottom edges 322, 324 of image 376c may be removed. As
noted above with respect to FIG. 10, the cropped test ultrasound
image 376c may be generated from a cropping operation that
repeatedly crops the ultrasound image at successively smaller crop
ratios up to a crop ratio limit.
[0113] In the examples of FIGS. 10 and 11, cropping was generally
performed on the sides of the ultrasound image when the ultrasound
image is being displayed on a screen in portrait orientation.
However, in the example embodiment of FIG. 12, the ultrasound image
is being displayed in landscape orientation so that the limiting
dimension of the screen is the height of the screen. In this
scenario, it may be desirable to crop the top and/or bottom of the
ultrasound image so that the vertical dimension of the ultrasound
image can be shown in greater magnification.
[0114] At act 204, it is determined whether the cropped test
ultrasound image 376c fits the available area of the screen. If it
does (the `Y` branch at act 204), e.g., if it fits in available
screen area 352c, then the cropped test ultrasound image 376c may
be displayed in the screen area 352c without scaling. If the
cropped test ultrasound image 376c does not fit (the `N` branch at
act 204), e.g., if it does not fit in available screen area in
available screen area 252d, then it is scaled and displayed as
ultrasound image 376d. As was the case above in relation to the
examples of FIGS. 10 and 11, the `N` branch of act 204 may usually
be executed for smaller available screen areas 352d compared to
other available screen areas.
[0115] FIG. 12 illustrates how the method of FIG. 9 may again
provide desirable results for a curvilinear image when it is
displayed in portrait orientation. A similar discussion may be
applicable for sector a sector image. As with the examples of FIGS.
10 and 11 above, the present embodiments may perform certain
cropping to try to maintain a higher translation ratio and show the
details in the center portion of the image at greater
magnification. However, since the screen is positioned in a
landscape orientation, the limiting dimension of the screen is the
height of the screen. As such, it is certain top and/or bottom
portions 322, 324 of the ultrasound image 376c that may be removed.
This may allow the vertically-center portion of the ultrasound
image 376c to be shown in a way where imaged tissue therein may be
more easily discernible.
[0116] Again, having a crop ratio limit may reduce the possibility
that there is excessive cropping that would crop out important
aspects of the ultrasound image 376b. By cropping only up to a crop
ratio limit and then scaling the cropped image from there to
generate an image that can be displayed, the present embodiments
are applicable also to display of an ultrasound image in landscape
orientation, so as to provide an optimal balance between the
desirability of having as high a translation ratio for the
displayed image on the one hand (to make it as easy as possible to
see detail in the ultrasound image) with the risk that
over-cropping might actually remove parts of the image that is
desired to be viewed by the operator.
[0117] While the foregoing description has been given largely in
terms of ultrasound images, it is also applicable to ultrasound
media in general.
[0118] In some embodiments, the same ultrasound scanning parameters
may be used for all application window sizes or, as discussed
above, different sets of scan parameters may be used depending on
the application window and/or screen size.
[0119] Embodiments of the invention may be implemented using
specifically designed hardware, configurable hardware, programmable
data processors configured by the provision of software (which may
optionally include `firmware`) capable of executing on the data
processors, special purpose computers or data processors that are
specifically programmed, configured, or constructed to perform one
or more steps in a method as explained in detail herein and/or
combinations of two or more of these. Examples of specifically
designed hardware are: logic circuits, application-specific
integrated circuits ("ASICs"), large scale integrated circuits
("LSIs"), very large scale integrated circuits ("VLSIs") and the
like. Examples of configurable hardware are: one or more
programmable logic devices such as programmable array logic
("PALs"), programmable logic arrays ("PLAs") and field programmable
gate arrays ("FPGAs"). Examples of programmable data processors
are: microprocessors, digital signal processors ("DSPs"), embedded
processors, graphics processors, math co-processors, general
purpose computers, server computers, cloud computers, main
computers, computer workstations, and the like. For example, one or
more data processors in a control circuit for a device may
implement methods as described herein by executing software
instructions in a program memory accessible to the processors.
[0120] While processes or blocks are presented in a given order,
alternative examples may perform routines having steps, or employ
systems having blocks, in a different order, and some processes or
blocks may be deleted, moved, added, subdivided, combined, and/or
modified to provide alternative or subcombinations. Each of these
processes or blocks may be implemented in a variety of different
ways. Also, while processes or blocks are at times shown as being
performed in series, these processes or blocks may instead be
performed in parallel, or may be performed at different times.
[0121] The embodiments may also be provided in the form of a
program product. The program product may include any non-transitory
medium which carries a set of computer-readable instructions which,
when executed by a data processor, cause the data processor to
execute a method of the invention. Program products according to
the invention may be in any of a wide variety of forms. The program
product may include, for example, non-transitory media such as
magnetic data storage media including floppy diskettes, hard disk
drives, optical data storage media including CD ROMs, DVDs,
electronic data storage media including ROMs, flash RAM, EPROMs,
hardwired or preprogrammed chips (e.g., EEPROM semiconductor
chips), nanotechnology memory, or the like. The computer-readable
signals on the program product may optionally be compressed or
encrypted.
[0122] Where a component (e.g. software, processor, support
assembly, valve device, circuit, etc.) is referred to above, unless
otherwise indicated, reference to that component (including a
reference to a "means") should be interpreted as including as
equivalents of that component any component which performs the
function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally
equivalent), including components which are not structurally
equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function
in the illustrated exemplary embodiments of the invention.
[0123] Specific examples of systems, methods and apparatus have
been described herein for purposes of illustration. These are only
examples. The technology provided herein can be applied to systems
other than the example systems described above. Many alterations,
modifications, additions, omissions and permutations are possible
within the practice of this invention. This invention includes
variations on described embodiments that would be apparent to the
skilled addressee, including variations obtained by: replacing
features, elements and/or acts with equivalent features, elements
and/or acts; mixing and matching of features, elements and/or acts
from different embodiments; combining features, elements and/or
acts from embodiments as described herein with features, elements
and/or acts of other technology; and/or omitting combining
features, elements and/or acts from described embodiments. In some
embodiments, the components of the systems and apparatuses may be
integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems
and apparatuses disclosed herein may be performed by more, fewer,
or other components and the methods described may include more,
fewer, or other steps. In other instances, well known elements have
not been shown or described in detail and repetitions of steps and
features have been omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the
invention. Screen shots may show more or less than the examples
given herein. Accordingly, the specification is to be regarded in
an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, sense.
[0124] It is therefore intended that the appended claims and claims
hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such
modifications, permutations, additions, omissions and
sub-combinations as may reasonably be inferred. The scope of the
claims should not be limited by the embodiments set forth in the
examples but should be given the broadest interpretation consistent
with the description as a whole.
C. Interpretation of terms
[0125] Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout
the description and the claims, the following applies:
[0126] In general, unless otherwise indicated, singular elements
may be in the plural and vice versa with no loss of generality. The
use of the masculine can refer to masculine, feminine or both.
[0127] The terms "comprise", "comprising" and the like are to be
construed in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or
exhaustive sense, that is to say, in the sense of "including, but
not limited to".
[0128] The terms "connected", "coupled", or any variant thereof,
means any connection or coupling, either direct or indirect,
between two or more elements; the coupling or connection between
the elements can be physical, logical, or a combination
thereof.
[0129] The words "herein," "above," "below" and words of similar
import, when used in this application, refer to this application as
a whole and not to any particular portions of this application.
[0130] The word "or" in reference to a list of two or more items
covers all of the following interpretations of the word: any of the
items in the list, all of the items in the list and any combination
of the items in the list.
[0131] Words that indicate directions such as "vertical",
"transverse", "horizontal", "upward", "downward", "forward",
"backward", "inward", "outward", "vertical", "transverse", "left",
"right", "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "below", "above",
"under", and the like, used in this description and any
accompanying claims (where present) depend on the specific
orientation of the apparatus described and illustrated. The subject
matter described herein may assume various alternative
orientations. Accordingly, these directional terms are not strictly
defined and should not be interpreted narrowly.
[0132] The term "corresponds" in relation to the display of an
ultrasound image in an application window means that a particular
dimension of the displayed ultrasound image is equal, to within a
tolerance of 10% or an equivalent number of pixels, to a specified
dimension of the application window.
[0133] To aid the Patent Office and any readers of any patent
issued on this application in interpreting the claims appended
hereto, applicant wishes to note that they do not intend any of the
appended claims or claim elements to invoke 35 U.S.C. 112(f) unless
the words "means for" or "step for" are explicitly used in the
particular claim.
D. Claim Support
[0134] Disclosed herein is a method for displaying an ultrasound
image comprising: determining, by a processor, a vertical dimension
of an application window displayed on a screen to which an
ultrasound scanner is connected, when the application window is in
portrait mode; comparing, by the processor, the vertical dimension
to a first threshold dimension; when the vertical dimension is
greater than the first threshold dimension, displaying a complete
ultrasound image in the application window, the complete ultrasound
image scaled so that a full width of the displayed complete
ultrasound image corresponds to a width of the application window;
and when the vertical dimension is less than the first threshold
dimension, displaying a cropped ultrasound image in the application
window scaled so that a full height of the cropped ultrasound image
is displayed and at least one side edge of the complete ultrasound
image is not displayed.
[0135] In some embodiments, the complete ultrasound image is
generated from a plurality of radial ultrasound signal lines, and
each of the plurality of radial ultrasound signal lines comprises
image data at an imaging depth, and wherein the full width of the
displayed complete ultrasound image comprises image data at the
imaging depth for the leftmost and rightmost radial ultrasound
signal lines of the plurality of radial ultrasound signal
lines.
[0136] In some embodiments, the method includes, prior to the
comparing, by the processor, the vertical dimension to the first
threshold dimension, determining whether the imaging depth of the
ultrasound image is greater than a threshold imaging depth; wherein
when the imaging depth of the ultrasound image is greater than the
threshold imaging depth, performing the comparing and subsequent
steps; and when the imaging depth of the ultrasound image is
determined to be less than the threshold imaging depth, scaling the
complete ultrasound image so that the full width of the complete
ultrasound image corresponds to the width of the application
window, and displaying the scaled complete ultrasound image.
[0137] In some embodiments, the method includes, when the vertical
dimension is less than the first threshold dimension: comparing, by
the processor, the vertical dimension to a second threshold
dimension different from the first threshold dimension; when the
vertical dimension is less than the second threshold dimension,
displaying the cropped ultrasound image on the application window
scaled so that a full height of the cropped ultrasound image
corresponds to the vertical dimension and at least one side edge of
the complete ultrasound image is not displayed; and when the
vertical dimension is greater than the second threshold dimension,
scaling the displayed ultrasound image so that the full height of
the displayed ultrasound image corresponds to the second threshold
dimension.
[0138] In some embodiments, the complete ultrasound image displayed
in the application window corresponds to the width of the
application window only if the width of the application window is
below a threshold width; and when the width of the application
window is above the threshold width, the complete ultrasound image
is scaled and displayed so that the width of the displayed
ultrasound image corresponds to the threshold width.
[0139] In some embodiments, the method includes instructing, by the
processor, the ultrasound scanner to acquire ultrasound scan data,
wherein: the ultrasound scan data is acquired using a first set of
parameters when the vertical dimension of the application window
displayed on the screen is greater than the first threshold
dimension; and the ultrasound scan data is acquired using a second
set of parameters when the vertical dimension of the application
window displayed on the screen is less than the first threshold
dimension.
[0140] In some embodiments, the first set of parameters comprises a
first number of ultrasound signal scan lines and the second set of
parameters comprises a second number of ultrasound signal scan
lines, and the first number of ultrasound scan lines is different
from the second number of ultrasound signal scan lines.
[0141] In some embodiments, the first set of parameters comprises a
first frame rate and the second set of parameters comprises a
second frame rate, and the first frame rate is different from the
second frame rate.
[0142] In some embodiments, the method includes instructing, by the
processor, the ultrasound scanner to acquire ultrasound scan data,
wherein: the ultrasound scan data is processed through an enhanced
smoothing filter when the vertical dimension of the application
window displayed on the screen is greater than the first threshold
dimension; and the ultrasound scan data is processed through a
regular smoothing filter when the vertical dimension of the
application window displayed on the screen is less than the first
threshold dimension.
[0143] In some embodiments, the method includes instructing, by the
processor, the ultrasound scanner to acquire ultrasound scan data,
wherein: the ultrasound scan data is processed through an enhanced
speckle reduction process when the vertical dimension of the
application window displayed on the screen is greater than the
first threshold dimension; and the ultrasound scan data is
processed through a regular speckle reduction process when the
vertical dimension of the application window displayed on the
screen is less than the first threshold dimension.
[0144] In some embodiments, the method includes, when the vertical
dimension is greater than the threshold dimension and where the
display of the complete ultrasound image scaled so that a full
width of the displayed complete ultrasound image corresponds to a
width of the application window results in unoccupied space in the
application window, displaying additional information or user
interface controls in the unoccupied space of the application
window.
[0145] In some embodiments, the method includes displaying in the
application window: a first graphical user interface when the
vertical dimension of the application window displayed on the
screen is greater than the first threshold dimension; and a second
graphical user interface when the vertical dimension of the
application window displayed on the screen is less than the first
threshold dimension.
[0146] In some embodiments, the method includes determining that
the application window is in landscape mode and, in response
thereto, scaling the ultrasound image so that the complete
ultrasound image is displayed.
[0147] Also disclosed herein is a computer readable medium
comprising computer readable instructions, which, when executed by
a processor cause a display device to: determine a vertical
dimension of an application window displayed on a screen to which
an ultrasound scanner is connected, when the application window is
in portrait mode; compare the vertical dimension to a first
threshold dimension; when the vertical dimension is greater than
the threshold dimension, display a complete ultrasound image on the
application window, the complete ultrasound image scaled so that a
full width of the displayed complete ultrasound image corresponds
to a width of the application window; and when the vertical
dimension is less than the first threshold dimension, display a
cropped ultrasound image in the application window scaled so that a
full height of the cropped ultrasound image is displayed and at
least one side edge of the complete ultrasound image is not
displayed.
[0148] In some embodiments, the complete ultrasound image is
generated from a plurality of radial ultrasound signal lines, and
each of the plurality of radial ultrasound signal lines comprises
image data at an imaging depth, and wherein the full width of the
displayed complete ultrasound image comprises image data at the
imaging depth for the leftmost and rightmost radial ultrasound
signal lines of the plurality of radial ultrasound signal
lines.
[0149] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the display device to: prior
to the comparing of the vertical dimension to the first threshold
dimension, determine whether the imaging depth of the ultrasound
image is greater than a threshold imaging depth; wherein when the
imaging depth of the ultrasound image is greater than the threshold
imaging depth, perform the comparing and subsequent steps; and when
the imaging depth of the ultrasound image is determined to be less
than the threshold imaging depth, scale the complete ultrasound
image so that the full width of the complete ultrasound image
corresponds to the width of the application window, and display the
scaled complete ultrasound image.
[0150] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause, when the vertical dimension
is less than the first threshold dimension, the display device to:
compare the vertical dimension to a second threshold dimension
different from the first threshold dimension; when the vertical
dimension is less than the second threshold dimension, display the
cropped ultrasound image on the application window scaled so that a
full height of the cropped ultrasound image corresponds to the
vertical dimension and at least one side edge of the complete
ultrasound image is not displayed; and when the vertical dimension
is greater than the second threshold dimension, scale the displayed
ultrasound image so that the full height of the displayed
ultrasound image corresponds to the second threshold dimension.
[0151] In some embodiments, the complete ultrasound image displayed
in the application window corresponds to the width of the
application window only if the width of the application window is
below a threshold width; and when the width of the application
window is above the threshold width, the complete ultrasound image
is scaled and displayed so that the width of the displayed
ultrasound image corresponds to the threshold width.
[0152] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the ultrasound scanner to
acquire ultrasound scan data, wherein: the ultrasound scan data is
acquired using a first set of parameters when the vertical
dimension of the application window displayed on the screen is
greater than the first threshold dimension; and the ultrasound scan
data is acquired using a second set of parameters when the vertical
dimension of the application window displayed on the screen is less
than the first threshold dimension.
[0153] In some embodiments, the first set of parameters comprises a
first number of ultrasound signal scan lines and the second set of
parameters comprises a second number of ultrasound signal scan
lines, and the first number of ultrasound scan lines is different
from the second number of ultrasound signal scan lines.
[0154] In some embodiments, the first set of parameters comprises a
first frame rate and the second set of parameters comprises a
second frame rate, and the first frame rate is different from the
second frame rate.
[0155] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the ultrasound scanner to
acquire ultrasound scan data, wherein: the ultrasound scan data is
processed through an enhanced smoothing filter when the vertical
dimension of the application window displayed on the screen is
greater than the first threshold dimension; and the ultrasound scan
data is processed through a regular smoothing filter when the
vertical dimension of the application window displayed on the
screen is less than the first threshold dimension.
[0156] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the ultrasound scanner to
acquire ultrasound scan data, wherein: the ultrasound scan data is
processed through an enhanced speckle reduction process when the
vertical dimension of the application window displayed on the
screen is greater than the first threshold dimension; and the
ultrasound scan data is processed through a regular speckle
reduction process when the vertical dimension of the application
window displayed on the screen is less than the first threshold
dimension.
[0157] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause, when the vertical dimension
is greater than the threshold dimension and where the display of
the complete ultrasound image scaled so that a full width of the
displayed complete ultrasound image corresponds to a width of the
application window results in unoccupied space in the application
window, the display device to display additional information or
user interface controls in the unoccupied space of the application
window.
[0158] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the display device to display
in the application window: a first graphical user interface when
the vertical dimension of the application window displayed on the
screen is greater than the first threshold dimension; and a second
graphical user interface when the vertical dimension of the
application window displayed on the screen is less than the first
threshold dimension.
[0159] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the display device to
determine that the application window is in landscape mode and, in
response thereto, scale the ultrasound image so that the complete
ultrasound image is displayed.
[0160] Further disclosed herein is an ultrasound scanning system
comprising: an ultrasound scanner; a display device connected to
the ultrasound scanner; and a computer readable medium in the
display device comprising computer readable instructions, which,
when executed by a processor cause the display device to: determine
a vertical dimension of an application window displayed on a screen
to which an ultrasound scanner is connected, when the application
window is in portrait mode; compare the vertical dimension to a
first threshold dimension; when the vertical dimension is greater
than the threshold dimension, display a complete ultrasound image
on the application window, the complete ultrasound image scaled so
that a full width of the displayed complete ultrasound image
corresponds to a width of the application window; and when the
vertical dimension is less than the first threshold dimension,
display a cropped ultrasound image in the application window scaled
so that a full height of the cropped ultrasound image is displayed
and at least one side edge of the complete ultrasound image is not
displayed.
[0161] In some embodiments, the complete ultrasound image is
generated from a plurality of radial ultrasound signal lines, and
each of the plurality of radial ultrasound signal lines comprises
image data at an imaging depth, and wherein the full width of the
displayed complete ultrasound image comprises image data at the
imaging depth for the leftmost and rightmost radial ultrasound
signal lines of the plurality of radial ultrasound signal
lines.
[0162] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the display device to: prior
to the comparing of the vertical dimension to the first threshold
dimension, determine whether the imaging depth of the ultrasound
image is greater than a threshold imaging depth; wherein when the
imaging depth of the ultrasound image is greater than the threshold
imaging depth, perform the comparing and subsequent steps; and when
the imaging depth of the ultrasound image is determined to be less
than the threshold imaging depth, scale the complete ultrasound
image so that the full width of the complete ultrasound image
corresponds to the width of the application window, and display the
scaled complete ultrasound image.
[0163] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause, when the vertical dimension
is less than the first threshold dimension, the display device to:
compare the vertical dimension to a second threshold dimension
different from the first threshold dimension; when the vertical
dimension is less than the second threshold dimension, display the
cropped ultrasound image on the application window scaled so that a
full height of the cropped ultrasound image corresponds to the
vertical dimension and at least one side edge of the complete
ultrasound image is not displayed; and when the vertical dimension
is greater than the second threshold dimension, scale the displayed
ultrasound image so that the full height of the displayed
ultrasound image corresponds to the second threshold dimension.
[0164] In some embodiments, the complete ultrasound image displayed
in the application window corresponds to the width of the
application window only if the width of the application window is
below a threshold width; and when the width of the application
window is above the threshold width, the complete ultrasound image
is scaled and displayed so that the width of the displayed
ultrasound image corresponds to the threshold width.
[0165] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the ultrasound scanner to
acquire ultrasound scan data, wherein: the ultrasound scan data is
acquired using a first set of parameters when the vertical
dimension of the application window displayed on the screen is
greater than the first threshold dimension; and the ultrasound scan
data is acquired using a second set of parameters when the vertical
dimension of the application window displayed on the screen is less
than the first threshold dimension.
[0166] In some embodiments, the first set of parameters comprises a
first number of ultrasound signal scan lines and the second set of
parameters comprises a second number of ultrasound signal scan
lines, and the first number of ultrasound scan lines is different
from the second number of ultrasound signal scan lines.
[0167] In some embodiments, the first set of parameters comprises a
first frame rate and the second set of parameters comprises a
second frame rate, and the first frame rate is different from the
second frame rate.
[0168] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the ultrasound scanner to
acquire ultrasound scan data, wherein: the ultrasound scan data is
processed through an enhanced smoothing filter when the vertical
dimension of the application window displayed on the screen is
greater than the first threshold dimension; and the ultrasound scan
data is processed through a regular smoothing filter when the
vertical dimension of the application window displayed on the
screen is less than the first threshold dimension.
[0169] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the ultrasound scanner to
acquire ultrasound scan data, wherein: the ultrasound scan data is
processed through an enhanced speckle reduction process when the
vertical dimension of the application window displayed on the
screen is greater than the first threshold dimension; and the
ultrasound scan data is processed through a regular speckle
reduction process when the vertical dimension of the application
window displayed on the screen is less than the first threshold
dimension.
[0170] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause, when the vertical dimension
is greater than the threshold dimension and where the display of
the complete ultrasound image scaled so that a full width of the
displayed complete ultrasound image corresponds to a width of the
application window results in unoccupied space in the application
window, the display device to display additional information or
user interface controls in the unoccupied space of the application
window.
[0171] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the display device to display
in the application window: a first graphical user interface when
the vertical dimension of the application window displayed on the
screen is greater than the first threshold dimension; and a second
graphical user interface when the vertical dimension of the
application window displayed on the screen is less than the first
threshold dimension.
[0172] In some embodiments, the computer readable instructions,
when executed by the processor, cause the display device to
determine that the application window is in landscape mode and, in
response thereto, scale the ultrasound image so that the complete
ultrasound image is displayed.
[0173] Also disclosed is a method for adapting display of an
ultrasound image on a display device, the ultrasound image being
generated from ultrasound signals transmitted and received by an
ultrasound scanner, the method comprising: determining a physical
distance traversed by the ultrasound signals to generate the
ultrasound image; determining a translation ratio for translating
the physical distance traversed by the ultrasound signals to a
corresponding physical distance on a screen of the display device,
were the ultrasound image be fitted to an available physical area
of the screen of the display device; if the determined translation
ratio is less than a minimum threshold translation ratio,
generating a test ultrasound image at the minimum threshold
translation ratio, performing a cropping operation on the test
ultrasound image to generate a cropped test ultrasound image, and
determining if the cropped test ultrasound image fits the available
physical area of the screen of the display device; if the cropped
test ultrasound image does not fit the available physical area of
the screen of the display device, scaling the cropped test
ultrasound image generated from the cropping operation so that the
scaled and cropped test ultrasound image is fitted to the available
physical area of the screen of the display device; and displaying
the scaled and cropped test ultrasound image within the available
physical area of the screen of the display device.
[0174] In some embodiments, if the cropped test ultrasound image
fits the available physical area of the screen of the display
device for displaying the ultrasound image, displaying the cropped
test ultrasound image in the available physical area of the screen
of the display device.
[0175] In some embodiments, the cropping operation comprises:
cropping the test ultrasound image at a first crop ratio; if the
test ultrasound image cropped at the first crop ratio fits the
available physical area of the screen of the display device for
displaying the ultrasound image, displaying the test ultrasound
image cropped at the first crop ratio in the available physical
area of the screen of the display device; if the test ultrasound
image cropped at the first crop ratio does not fit the available
physical area of the screen of the display device, then, prior to
the scaling: further cropping the test ultrasound image cropped at
the first crop ratio, to generate the test ultrasound image cropped
at a second crop ratio; if the test ultrasound image cropped at the
second crop ratio fits the available physical area of the screen of
the display device for displaying the ultrasound image, displaying
the test ultrasound image cropped at the second crop ratio in the
available physical area of the screen of the display device; if the
test ultrasound image cropped at the second crop ratio does not fit
the available physical area of the screen of the display device for
displaying the ultrasound image, providing the test ultrasound
image cropped at the second crop ratio as the cropped test
ultrasound image for the displaying step subsequent to the scaling
step.
[0176] In some embodiments, the method according to claim 1,
wherein the cropping operation comprises: repeatedly: cropping the
test ultrasound image at a test crop ratio, determining whether the
test ultrasound image cropped at the test crop ratio fits the
available physical area of the screen of the display device for
displaying the ultrasound image, and if the test ultrasound image
cropped at the test crop ratio fits the available physical area of
the screen of the display device for displaying the ultrasound
image, displaying the test ultrasound image cropped at the test
crop ratio in the available physical area of the screen of the
display device, for successively smaller test crop ratios, until a
crop ratio limit is met; if the test ultrasound image cropped at
the crop ratio limit does not fit the available physical area of
the screen of the display device, providing the test ultrasound
image cropped at the crop ratio limit as the cropped test
ultrasound image generated from the cropping operation.
[0177] In some embodiments, the cropping operation comprises
cropping the test ultrasound image on at least one side edge of the
test ultrasound image.
[0178] In some embodiments, the cropping operation comprises
cropping the test ultrasound image on a top edge of the test
ultrasound image.
[0179] In some embodiments, when scaling the cropped test
ultrasound image, the method further comprises scaling the cropped
test ultrasound image generated from the cropping operation so that
a vertical dimension of the scaled and cropped test ultrasound
image substantially matches a vertical dimension of the available
physical area of the screen of the display device.
[0180] In some embodiments, when scaling the cropped test
ultrasound image, an aspect ratio of the scaled and cropped test
ultrasound image matches an aspect ratio of the ultrasound
image.
[0181] In some embodiments, if the determined translation ratio is
greater than the minimum threshold translation ratio, the method
further comprises: determining whether the determined translation
ratio exceeds a maximum threshold translation ratio; if the
determined translation ratio exceeds the maximum threshold
translation ratio, scaling the ultrasound image so that the scaled
ultrasound image has the maximum threshold translation ratio; and
displaying the scaled ultrasound image having the maximum threshold
translation ratio in the available physical area of the screen of
the display device.
[0182] Also disclosed is a computer readable medium comprising
computer readable instructions which, when executed by a processor
of a display device that is communicably coupled to an ultrasound
scanner, configure the display device to: determine a physical
distance traversed by ultrasound signals that are transmitted and
received by the ultrasound scanner to generate an ultrasound image;
determine a translation ratio for translating the physical distance
traversed by the ultrasound signals to a corresponding physical
distance on a screen of the display device, were the ultrasound
image be fitted to an available physical area of the screen of the
display device; if the determined translation ratio is less than a
minimum threshold translation ratio, generate a test ultrasound
image at the minimum threshold translation ratio, perform a
cropping operation on the test ultrasound image to generate a
cropped test ultrasound image, and determine if the cropped test
ultrasound image fits the available physical area of the screen of
the display device; if the cropped test ultrasound image does not
fit the available physical area of the screen of the display
device, scale the cropped test ultrasound image generated from the
cropping operation so that the scaled and cropped test ultrasound
image is fitted to the available physical area of the screen of the
display device; and display the scaled and cropped test ultrasound
image within the available physical area of the screen of the
display device.
[0183] In some embodiments, if the cropped test ultrasound image
fits the available physical area of the screen of the display
device for displaying the ultrasound image, the processor
configures the display device to display the cropped test
ultrasound image in the available physical area of the screen of
the display device.
[0184] In some embodiments, when performing the cropping operation,
the processor further configures the display device to: crop the
test ultrasound image at a first crop ratio; if the test ultrasound
image cropped at the first crop ratio fits the available physical
area of the screen of the display device for displaying the
ultrasound image, display the test ultrasound image cropped at the
first crop ratio in the available physical area of the screen of
the display device; if the test ultrasound image cropped at the
first crop ratio does not fit the available physical area of the
screen of the display device, then, prior to the scaling: further
crop the test ultrasound image cropped at the first crop ratio, to
generate the test ultrasound image cropped at a second crop ratio;
if the test ultrasound image cropped at the second crop ratio fits
the available physical area of the screen of the display device for
displaying the ultrasound image, display the test ultrasound image
cropped at the second crop ratio in the available physical area of
the screen of the display device; if the test ultrasound image
cropped at the second crop ratio does not fit the available
physical area of the screen of the display device for displaying
the ultrasound image, provide the test ultrasound image cropped at
the second crop ratio as the cropped test ultrasound image for the
displaying step subsequent to the scaling step.
[0185] In some embodiments, when performing the cropping operation,
the processor further configures the display device to: repeatedly:
crop the test ultrasound image at a test crop ratio, determine
whether the test ultrasound image cropped at the test crop ratio
fits the available physical area of the screen of the display
device for displaying the ultrasound image, and if the test
ultrasound image cropped at the test crop ratio fits the available
physical area of the screen of the display device for displaying
the ultrasound image, display the test ultrasound image cropped at
the test crop ratio in the available physical area of the screen of
the display device, for successively smaller test crop ratios,
until a crop ratio limit is met; if the test ultrasound image
cropped at the crop ratio limit does not fit the available physical
area of the screen of the display device, provide the test
ultrasound image cropped at the crop ratio limit as the cropped
test ultrasound image generated from the cropping operation.
[0186] In some embodiments, when performing the cropping operation,
the processor further configures the display device to crop the
test ultrasound image on at least one side edge of the test
ultrasound image.
[0187] In some embodiments, when performing the cropping operation,
the processor further configures the display device to crop the
test ultrasound image on a top edge of the test ultrasound
image.
[0188] In some embodiments, when scaling the cropped test
ultrasound image, the processor configures the display device to
scale the cropped test ultrasound image generated from the cropping
operation so that a vertical dimension of the scaled and cropped
test ultrasound image substantially matches a vertical dimension of
the available physical area of the screen of the display
device.
[0189] In some embodiments, when scaling the cropped test
ultrasound image, an aspect ratio of the scaled and cropped test
ultrasound image matches an aspect ratio of the ultrasound
image.
[0190] In some embodiments, if the determined translation ratio is
greater than the minimum threshold translation ratio, the processor
further configures the display device to: determine whether the
determined translation ratio exceeds a maximum threshold
translation ratio; if the determined translation ratio exceeds the
maximum threshold translation ratio, scale the ultrasound image so
that the scaled ultrasound image has the maximum threshold
translation ratio; and display the scaled ultrasound image having
the maximum threshold translation ratio in the available physical
area of the screen of the display device.
[0191] Also disclosed herein is an ultrasound scanning system
comprising: an ultrasound scanner configured to transmit and
receive ultrasound signals to generate an ultrasound image; a
display device communicably coupled to the ultrasound scanner, the
display device being configured to: determine a physical distance
traversed by the ultrasound signals to generate the ultrasound
image; determine a translation ratio for translating the physical
distance traversed by the ultrasound signals to a corresponding
physical distance on a screen of the display device, were the
ultrasound image be fitted to an available physical area of the
screen of the display device; if the determined translation ratio
is less than a minimum threshold translation ratio, generate a test
ultrasound image at the minimum threshold translation ratio,
perform a cropping operation on the test ultrasound image to
generate a cropped test ultrasound image, and determine if the
cropped test ultrasound image fits the available physical area of
the screen of the display device; if the cropped test ultrasound
image does not fit the available physical area of the screen of the
display device, scale the cropped test ultrasound image generated
from the cropping operation so that the scaled and cropped test
ultrasound image is fitted to the available physical area of the
screen of the display device; and display the scaled and cropped
test ultrasound image within the available physical area of the
screen of the display device.
[0192] In some embodiments, if the cropped test ultrasound image
fits the available physical area of the screen of the display
device for displaying the ultrasound image, the display device is
further configured to display the cropped test ultrasound image in
the available physical area of the screen of the display
device.
[0193] In some embodiments, when performing the cropping operation,
the display device is further configured to: crop the test
ultrasound image at a first crop ratio; if the test ultrasound
image cropped at the first crop ratio fits the available physical
area of the screen of the display device for displaying the
ultrasound image, display the test ultrasound image cropped at the
first crop ratio in the available physical area of the screen of
the display device; if the test ultrasound image cropped at the
first crop ratio does not fit the available physical area of the
screen of the display device, then, prior to the scaling: further
crop the test ultrasound image cropped at the first crop ratio, to
generate the test ultrasound image cropped at a second crop ratio;
if the test ultrasound image cropped at the second crop ratio fits
the available physical area of the screen of the display device for
displaying the ultrasound image, display the test ultrasound image
cropped at the second crop ratio in the available physical area of
the screen of the display device; if the test ultrasound image
cropped at the second crop ratio does not fit the available
physical area of the screen of the display device for displaying
the ultrasound image, provide the test ultrasound image cropped at
the second crop ratio as the cropped test ultrasound image for the
displaying step subsequent to the scaling step.
[0194] In some embodiments, when performing the cropping operation,
the display device is further configured to: repeatedly: crop the
test ultrasound image at a test crop ratio, determine whether the
test ultrasound image cropped at the test crop ratio fits the
available physical area of the screen of the display device for
displaying the ultrasound image, and if the test ultrasound image
cropped at the test crop ratio fits the available physical area of
the screen of the display device for displaying the ultrasound
image, display the test ultrasound image cropped at the test crop
ratio in the available physical area of the screen of the display
device, for successively smaller test crop ratios, until a crop
ratio limit is met; if the test ultrasound image cropped at the
crop ratio limit does not fit the available physical area of the
screen of the display device, provide the test ultrasound image
cropped at the crop ratio limit as the cropped test ultrasound
image generated from the cropping operation.
[0195] In some embodiments, when performing the cropping operation,
the display device is further configured to crop the test
ultrasound image on at least one side edge of the test ultrasound
image.
[0196] In some embodiments, when performing the cropping operation,
the display device is further configured to crop the test
ultrasound image on a top edge of the test ultrasound image.
[0197] In some embodiments, when scaling the cropped test
ultrasound image, the display device is further configured to scale
the cropped test ultrasound image generated from the cropping
operation so that a vertical dimension of the scaled and cropped
test ultrasound image substantially matches a vertical dimension of
the available physical area of the screen of the display
device.
[0198] In some embodiments, when scaling the cropped test
ultrasound image, an aspect ratio of the scaled and cropped test
ultrasound image matches an aspect ratio of the ultrasound
image.
[0199] In some embodiments, if the determined translation ratio is
greater than the minimum threshold translation ratio, the display
device is further configured to: determine whether the determined
translation ratio exceeds a maximum threshold translation ratio; if
the determined translation ratio exceeds the maximum threshold
translation ratio, scale the ultrasound image so that the scaled
ultrasound image has the maximum threshold translation ratio; and
display the scaled ultrasound image having the maximum threshold
translation ratio in the available physical area of the screen of
the display device.
* * * * *