US20060116578A1 - User interface for handheld imaging devices - Google Patents

Abstract

A Graphical User Interface (GUI) for an ultrasound system. The ultrasound system has operational modes and the GUI has corresponding icons, tabs, and menu items image and information fields. The User Interface (UI) provides several types of graphical elements with intelligent behavior, such as being context sensitive and adaptive, called active objects, for example, tabs, menus, icons, windows of user interaction and data display and an alphanumeric keyboard. In addition the UI may also be voice activated. The UI further provides for a touchscreen for direct selection of displayed active objects. In an embodiment, the UI is for a medical ultrasound handheld imaging instrument. The UI provides a limited set of hard and soft keys with adaptive functionality that can be used with only one hand and potentially with only one thumb.

Description

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
• This is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/697,148 filed Oct. 29, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. ______, and entitled “User Interface for Handheld Imaging Devices” which is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/081,542 filed Feb. 20, 2002 and entitled “User Interface for Handheld Imaging Devices,” now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/860,209 filed May 18, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,569,102, and entitled “Miniaturized Ultrasound Apparatus and Method,” which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/378,175 filed Aug. 20, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,073, and entitled “Miniaturized Ultrasound Apparatus and Method.”
• This application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/872,541 filed May 31, 2001 and entitled “System and Method for Phase Inversion Ultrasonic Imaging”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/039,910 filed Oct. 20, 2001 and entitled “System and Method for Coupling Ultrasound Generating Elements to Circuitry”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/147,576 filed Aug. 31, 2001, now design Pat. No. D469,539 and entitled “Handheld Ultrasonic Display Device”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/147,660 filed Aug. 31, 2001, now U.S. design Pat. No. D469,877 and entitled “Handheld Ultrasonic Display Device with Cover”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/148,421 filed Sep. 19, 2001, now U.S. design Pat. No. D467,002 and entitled “Handheld Ultrasonic Transducer with Curved Bulb Grip”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/148,532 filed Sep. 19, 2001, now U.S. design Pat. No. D462,446 and entitled “Handheld Ultrasonic Transducer with Bulb Grip”; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 29/149,730 filed Oct. 15, 2001, now U.S. design Pat. No. D461,814 and entitled “Docking Station.”
• All of the aforementioned applications are commonly assigned and are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
• 1. Field of the Invention
• The present invention relates to user interfaces in general and more specifically to a user interface for an ultrasound imaging device and to a handheld ultrasound imaging device.
• 2. Description of the Related Art
• Ultrasonic imaging is a frequently used method of analysis for examining a wide range of materials. Ultrasonic imaging is especially common in medicine because of its relatively non-invasive nature, low cost and fast response times. Typically, ultrasonic imaging is accomplished by generating and directing ultrasonic sound waves (an ultrasonic beam or signal) into a medium under investigation using a set of ultrasound generating transducers and then observing reflections generated at the boundaries of dissimilar materials, such as tissues within a patient, also using a set of ultrasound receiving transducers. A single transducer, however, may be used rather than an array of transducers. The receiving and generating transducers may be arranged in arrays and the same transducer may be used for both receiving and generating ultrasonic signals. The reflections are converted to electrical signals by the receiving transducers and then processed, using techniques known in the art, to determine the locations of echo sources. The resulting data is displayed using a display device, such as a monitor.
• Typically, the ultrasonic signal transmitted into the medium under investigation is generated by applying continuous or pulsed electronic signals to an ultrasound generating transducer. The transmitted ultrasonic signal is most commonly in the range of 40 kHz to 30 MHz. The ultrasonic signal propagates through the medium under investigation and reflects off interfaces, such as boundaries, between adjacent tissue layers. Scattering of the ultrasonic signal is the deflection of the ultrasonic signal in random directions. Attenuation of the ultrasonic signal occurs when some of the ultrasonic signal is lost while the signal travels. Reflection of the ultrasonic signal is the bouncing off of the ultrasonic signal from an object and changing its direction of travel. Transmission of the ultrasonic signal is the passing of the ultrasonic signal through a medium. As it travels, the ultrasonic signal is scattered, attenuated, reflected, and/or transmitted. The portions of the reflected ultrasonic signals that return to the transducers are detected as echoes. The detecting transducers convert the echo signals into electronic signals and, after amplification and digitization, furnish these ultrasonic signals to a beam former. The beam former calculates locations of echo sources and typically includes simple filters and signal averagers. After beam forming, the calculated positional information is used to generate two-dimensional data that can be presented as an image.
• As an ultrasonic signal propagates through a medium under investigation, additional harmonic frequency components are generated. These components are analyzed and associated with the visualization of boundaries or image contrast agents designed to re-radiate ultrasonic signals at specific harmonic frequencies. Unwanted reflections within the ultrasound device can cause noise and the appearance of artifacts (i.e., image features that result from the imaging system and not from the medium under investigation) in the image. Artifacts may obscure the underlying image of the medium under investigation.
• The ultrasonic signal intensity as a function of position may oscillate rather than fall off monotonically as a function of distance from the center of the beam that forms the ultrasonic signal. These oscillations in ultrasonic signal intensity are often called “side lobes.” In the prior art, the term “apodisation” refers to the process of affecting the distribution of ultrasonic signal intensity to reduce side lobes. In the remainder of this specification, however, the term “apodisation” is used to refer to tailoring the distribution of ultrasonic signal intensity for a desired beam characteristic such as having a Guassian or sinc function (without the side lobes) distribution of ultrasonic signal intensity.
• Steering refers to changing the direction of an ultrasonic signal. Aperture refers to the size of the transducer or group of transducers being used to transmit or receive an ultrasonic signal.
• The prior art process of producing, receiving and analyzing an ultrasonic signal (or beam) is called beam forming. The production of ultrasonic signals optionally includes apodisation, steering, focusing and aperture control. Using a prior art data analysis technique, each ultrasonic signal is used to generate a one-dimensional set of echolocation data. In a typical implementation, a plurality of ultrasonic beams is used to scan a multi-dimensional volume. Imaging, in general, and ultrasound imaging, in particular, are utilized in many medical procedures in order to detect a patient's condition. For example, ultrasonic imaging is commonly used to detect and monitor the growth and health of fetuses or to detect and assist in the diagnosis of liver and kidney pathology.
• Many medical ultrasound imaging systems have been designed, manufactured and successfully used, each varying in presentation, complexity, and ergonomics. In some cases, the user interfaces are cumbersome to operate. Even more cumbersome are those user interfaces requiring two hands to operate or transport resulting in encumbrance of using the system for real-time examinations. Other examples of difficulties that arise in the case of a handheld device are navigation and selection of the user interface items using one hand or one thumb. It may be desirable, in handheld ultrasound devices, the user interface allow for quick and efficient interaction supported by intelligent user interface behavior, context sensitivity, data dependent optimization and the ability to self-adapt to user behavior.
• Further, as medical services tend to be expensive, the easier a medical professional can operate the user interface, the more patients the medical professional can serve and the less the medical professional will need to charge for their services.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• The present user interface may include an intelligent and/or dynamic graphical user interface together with a set of tactile controls. The user interface provides several types of graphical elements with intelligent behavior. For example, the graphical element may be a context sensitive and adaptive element such as an active object. Active objects of the present user interface may be tabs, menus, icons, windows for user interaction and data display and/or an alphanumeric keyboard, for example. In addition the user interface may be voice activated. The user interface may include a touch screen for direct selection of displayed active objects. In an embodiment, the functions of the ultrasound system are organized into operational modes that allow for a menu structure that is intuitive to the user so that the user spends less time looking for features and more time using the ultrasound system in comparison to a menu structure that is not intuitive to the user.
• In an embodiment, the ultrasound system is a handheld device. A limited set of hard and soft keys with adaptive functionality allow for one hand, and potentially one thumb operation. Elements are considered “active” when they have their own information processing capabilities, for example, each icon, tab or selection may have a response that is a function of input, context, and/or history. Elements are considered “intelligent” when the interactions between elements, the user, and the device are auto-adaptive (i.e., auto-adaptive interactions are automatically optimized depending on a number of parameters, including system state, and/or user habits, for example). In order to accommodate holding and controlling the device at the same time with one hand, the user interface maybe designed for one-hand, one-thumb operation and makes use of several intelligent (adaptive and context sensitive) and/or active elements (e.g., windows, soft buttons, tabs, menus, toolbars, and icons). For example, the buttons may be placed on the handle of the handheld ultrasound system so they can be operated using the thumb of the hand holding the display portion of the handheld ultrasound system. The number and functions of the buttons indicated in this invention are for exemplification purposes and shall not constitute a limitation of the invention. Some buttons have fixed functionality (hard buttons); i.e., they always activate the same system function independent of the operation mode such as a button for freezing and unfreezing an image or a button for automatically optimizing display parameters. In an embodiment, other buttons are used to position a cursor on the graphical user interface up, down, left, and right. A select button may be used to activate an object to which a cursor is pointing to or to perform a certain system function in accordance with the cursor's position. In an embodiment, one or more buttons may switch functionality depending on the system state of ultrasound system and/or may be programmable, such as a print/save and/or a back/escape button. In an embodiment the buttons may be placed on a handle of a display screen so that they can be activated while holding the display screen. The buttons may be designed for use with a specific finger (e.g., the thumb) or with a specific set of fingers. The buttons should not be significantly smaller than the width of the finger (e.g., the thumb) for which they are designed to be used. The buttons should also not be too much wider than the intended finger or fingers for which they are designed so as not to unduly limit number of buttons on the handle. For example, the buttons may be 0.25 to 2.5 cm wide. The buttons may be arranged in a circular or elliptical pattern so that they are easily accessible. In an embodiment buttons may have the functions that are most frequently used.
• The imaging device of the invention may provide for a microphone (and/or an input for an external microphone) and a loudspeaker (and/or an output for external loudspeakers). The user can train the device to recognize a set of words or combinations of words. Each recognizable unit (word or word combination) can be assigned to a device command, performing a specific function or a sequence of functions, so that the user has the option of operating part of or all of the ultrasound system by voice, thereby requiring less use of hands to operate.
• In an embodiment, an auto-optimize button is provided. Whenever the user presses this button, the system settings are automatically optimized in accordance with several parameters including the system state, the image content, and the type of application.
• In an embodiment, the screen of the ultrasound device may be shared by several elements each of which may be active and/or intelligent, which may facilitate one-hand, one-thumb controlled imaging. For example, the tabs on the top left hand side of the screen representation can be selected by using the left/right buttons. The entries on one tab can be selected by using the up/down buttons. The icons on the toolbar on the bottom right-hand side of the screen can be selected by using the left/right buttons. A select/back button may be provided having multiple functions including that of the enter button on a keyboard. The image window is itself an active element. Changing input focus (i.e., the region sensitive to input) from the tab on the left hand side to the image on the right hand side can be achieved by using a combination of left/right or select/back buttons. All the text fields on the right hand side image window, e.g., the “Patient Name” or the “Date and Time” fields, are active elements. These active elements can be selected using the left/right or select/back buttons, for example, and once selected, show active and/or intelligent behavior. For example, selecting the “Date and Time” field may automatically fill the “Date and Time” field with the date and time. Similarly, selecting the “Patient Name” can open the database interface and retrieve the corresponding patient record.
• In an embodiment, one-handed, potentially one-thumb alphanumeric data entry (e.g., patient name and/or other patient information) may be achieved by displaying a “virtual” keyboard. The user can select any alphanumeric key on the keyboard by using the left/right and up/down buttons. Using these buttons will have the same effect as depressing a keyboard key.
• Other screens may also be configured to optimize one-hand and/or one-thumb operations. The database interface is configured such that database fields are selectable using the left/right and up/down buttons. The file navigation interface has a hierarchical structure that provides for up/down navigation at the same level in the hierarchy and left/right navigation to move between hierarchy levels. The same concept applies to all hierarchically structured active elements.
• In order to support the user in learning and operating the system, context sensitive help is provided. This context sensitive help may relate to explaining the functional capabilities of the system or to the interpretation of image data, for example.
• In an embodiment, the user interface provides for random access to any of the active elements through a touchscreen. In the one-handed embodiment, the user can utilize the thumb or any other finger to “touch” and activate any of the screen elements. In addition, a stylus, or another pointing device, can be used in a two-handed operation mode.
• In an embodiment, in order to minimize the time for setting up and configuring the system the user interface may provide for application and/or user dependent presets, which are optimized based on several factors (e.g., user behavior, image quality, etc.). In an embodiment, several active elements are introduced in accordance with this invention in order to minimize user interaction for achieving predefined goals. For example, the icon “Full Screen Image” allows the user to directly switch to an imaging mode where the image occupies the full screen. The “Full Screen Image” display mode introduced in this invention is preferred because it shows the user a bigger image, where the details are easier to distinguish.
• Regarding the ultrasound imaging system of the invention, broad beam technologies refer to systems and methods that include or take advantage of techniques for generating ultrasound and analyzing detected echoes. Broad beam technologies use multidimensional spatial information obtainable from a single ultrasonic pulse.
• Area forming is the process of producing, receiving, and analyzing an ultrasonic beam, that optionally includes apodisation, steering, focusing, and aperture control, where a two-dimensional set of echolocation data can be generated using only one ultrasonic beam. Nonetheless, more than one ultrasonic beam may still be used with the area forming even though only one is necessary. Area forming is a process separate and distinct from beam forming. Area forming may yield an area of information one transmit and/or receive cycle, in contrast to beam forming that typically only processes a line of information per transmit and/or receive cycle. Alternatively, beam forming can be used instead of area forming electronics throughout this application.
• Volume forming is the process of producing, receiving, and analyzing an ultrasonic beam, that optionally includes apodisation, steering, focusing, and aperture control, where a three dimensional set of echolocation data can be generated using only one ultrasonic beam. Nonetheless, multiple ultrasonic beams may be used although not necessary. Volume forming is a superset of area forming.
• Multidimensional forming is the process of producing, receiving, and analyzing an ultrasonic beam that optionally includes apodisation, steering, focusing, and aperture control. Using multidimentional forming a two or more dimensional set of spatial echolocation data can be generated with only one ultrasonic beam. Nonetheless, multiple ultrasonic beams may be used although not necessary. Multidimensional forming optionally includes non-spatial dimensions such as time and velocity.
• The Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the present invention can be used with a system that makes use of broad beam technologies.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an ultrasound system according to an embodiment of the invention;
• FIG. 2 shows a diagram of the contents of the memory of the ultrasound system ofFIG. 1;
• FIG. 3 shows the main operational modes of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 4 shows the system configuration mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 5 shows the patient information mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 6 shows the mode selection mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 7 shows the B-mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 8 shows the color flow mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 9 shows the power Doppler mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 10 shows the Pulsed Wave (PW) Doppler mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 11 shows the Continuous Wave (CW) Doppler mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 12 shows the M-mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 13 shows the freeze mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 14 shows the measure mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 15 shows the measure and annotate mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 16 shows the calculation mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 17 shows the reporting mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 18 shows the system services mode of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 19 shows an overview of an embodiment of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 20 shows an operation mode of an embodiment of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 21 shows buttons on the display and control unit of the ultrasound system;
• FIG. 22 shows an example of a menu tree according to the invention;
• FIG. 23 shows an embodiment of a main display screen;
• FIG. 24 shows an embodiment of the main display screen;
• FIG. 25 shows a view having a color flow control panel;
• FIG. 26 A shows a view having a PW Doppler control panel;
• FIG. 26 B shows a view having a CW Doppler control panel;
• FIG. 26 C shows a view having maps tab selected;
• FIG. 27 is an example of a new patient view of the Graphical User Interface (GUI);
• FIG. 28 is an example of the new patient view partially hidden by a virtual keyboard;
• FIG. 29 is a page of a selected patient's report;
• FIG. 30 shows a view for selecting a new patient;
• FIG. 31 A shows a view of the tools panel;
• FIG. 31 B shows a view having the measure menu item selected;
• FIG. 31 C shows an embodiment with video-like controls;
• FIG. 32 shows an example of a full screen image;
• FIG. 33 shows an example of a view including an annotation control panel;
• FIG. 34 shows an example of a view including an annotation list for an OB/GYN; and
• FIG. 35 shows a view of a handheld ultrasound system having a windows based operating system.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• The following description focuses on the presently preferred embodiment of this invention, which is typically operative in end-user ultrasound medical imaging. The present invention, however, is not limited to any particular application or any particular environment. Instead, those skilled in the art will find that the system and methods of the present invention may be advantageously applied to a variety of systems such as portable systems that may include a mobile telephone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and/or a portable computer. Therefore, the description that follows of the exemplary embodiments is for purposes of illustration and not limitation.
• In this specification the word “system” is to be understood as generic to including one element or device and to include multiple elements and/or devices. Also, in this specification the word “mode” is to be understood as generic to functions of, operations performed by, operations performed on, and/or settings of the entire ultrasound system or of any part of the ultrasound system.
• FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of anultrasound system100 according to an embodiment of the invention includingoutput system102,input system104,memory system106,processor system108,transducer system110,communications system112, and input/output device114.
• Output system102 may include any one of, some of, any combination of, or all of a monitor system, a handheld display system, a printer system, a speaker system, a connection or interface system to a sound system, an interface system to peripheral devices (e.g., Infrared Data Association (IrDA) or Universal Serial Bus (USB)) and/or a connection and/or interface system to a computer system, intranet, and/or internet, or the like.Input system104 may include any one of, some of, any combination of, or all of a keyboard system, a mouse system, a track ball system, a track pad system, buttons on a handheld system, a scanner system, a microphone system, a connection to a sound system, and/or a connection and/or interface system to a computer system, intranet, and/or internet (e.g., IrDA, USB) or the like.Memory system106 may include, for example, any one of, some of, any combination of, or all of a long term storage system, such as a hard drive; a short term storage system, such as random access memory; a removable storage system, such as a floppy drive or a removable drive; and/or flash memory.Processor system108 may include any one of, some of, any combination of, or all of multiple parallel processors, a single processor, a system of processors having one or more central processors and/or one or more specialized processors dedicated to specific tasks. Also,processor system108 may include one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) in addition to or in place of one or more Central Processing Units (CPUs) and/or may have one or more digital signal processing programs that run on one or more CPU.Transducer system110 may include any one of, some of, any combination of, or all of one or more transducers, linear arrays of transducers, and/or two-dimensional arrays of transducers, for example. The elements of the transducer arrays may be referred to as pixels, and in this specification will be referred to as transducer pixels. The term display pixel will be used to refer to pixels on a display screen. A different group of transducer pixels may be chosen from the same array to obtain an image of a different aperture and/or different perspective.Transducer system110 may also include acoustical systems for guiding and/or focusing the ultrasound beam, for example.Transducer system110 may include antireflection layers and/or filters for filtering out noise, for example.Processor system108 may include one or more specialized processors for controllingtransducer system110 and/or processing signals and/or data received bytransducer system110. An example of the construction atransducer system110 is shown in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/039,910, “System and Method for Coupling Ultrasound Generating Elements to Circuitry” filed Oct. 20, 2001 and cited above.
• Communications system112 communicativelylinks output system102,input system104,memory system106,processor system108,transducer system110, and/or input/output system114 to each other.Communications system112 may include any one of, some of, any combination of, or all of electrical cables, fiber optic cables, and/or means of sending signals through air or water (e.g. wireless communications), or the like. Some examples of means of sending signals through air and/or water include systems for transmitting electromagnetic waves such as infrared and/or radio waves and/or systems for sending sound waves.
• Input/output system114 may include devices that have the dual function as input and output devices. For example, input/output system114 may include one or more touch sensitive screens, which display an image and therefore are an output device and accept input when the screens are pressed by a finger or stylus, for example. The touch sensitive screens may be sensitive to heat and/or pressure. One or more of the input/output devices may be sensitive to a voltage or current produced by a stylus, for example. Input/output system114 is optional, and may be used in addition to or in place ofoutput system102 and/orinput device104.
• FIG. 2 shows a diagram of the contents of thememory system106 of theultrasound system100 ofFIG. 1, which includesoperating system202,master program204,applications206, and Graphical User Interface (GUI)208.
• Operating system202 provides the programming framework formaster program204,applications206, andGUI208 to run.Master program204 callsapplications206 andGUI208 and decides when each application ofapplications206 will run.Applications206 may be programs or objects that are separate frommaster program204. Alternatively, any one of, some of, any combination of, or all ofapplications206 may be subroutines or lines of code withinmaster program204 rather than separate programs. One or more ofapplications206 may control or perform signal processing fortransducer system110. One or more ofapplications206 may process data and/or signals received bytransducer system110.GUI208 provides guidance to a user as to how and when to enter input that controlsmaster program204. Alternatively, any part of or all ofmaster program204,applications206, and/orGUI208 may be hardwired intoprocessor system108 rather than resident inmemory system106.
• FIG. 3 shows the mainoperational modes300 of theultrasound system100, which may include a system on/offmode302, asystem configuration mode304, apatient information mode306, an imagemode selection mode308, animage acquisition mode310,tools mode320, which may further include a measure and annotatemode312, areporting mode314, anarchiving mode316, and asystem services mode318.
• System on/offmode302 turns on and shuts off the system, and determines the sequence in which various parts of the system are shutdown. In addition to or in place of the on/off buttons, a shutdown icon or tab may be provided on any one of, any combination of, or all of the views of theGUI208.
• System configuration mode304 allows the user to preset system parameters. The preset system parameters may be set only once by the user upon receiving theultrasound system100 or may be set as needed.System configuration mode304 includes a power on stage during which the system may automatically configure itself. During the power onstage ultrasound system100 may determine the battery status and/or transducer status when powering up andultrasound system100 may configure itself according to the battery and/or transducer status. In an embodiment, different options may be presented to the user depending upon the status of the battery and the status of the transducer. For example, if the battery is very low, the screen may display a message that the battery is low and not allow access to other functions until the battery is recharged. Once the power up is completed the system is ready for data acquisition.System configuration mode304 may include presets (user preferences for default settings) that determine the configuration ofultrasound system100 after power up and/or for a given imaging selection.Ultrasound system100 may have several sets of presets that are used for different users or different types of users. The user may have the option to archive the image's acoustic data, transducer pixel data, and/or display pixel data, and/or to determine the format and file naming convention in which the data is stored, for example. The user may be able to specify the system's language and time formats. The user may be able to specify transducer defaults, such as the type of transducer in use and the central frequency. For example, a transducer default may be that the type of transducer used is a phased array that has a central frequency of 3.0 MHz. The user may be able to set screen defaults such as brightness, contrast, color, arrangement of tiles and the data acquisition mode (e.g., B-mode) theultrasound system100 is in at power up.System configuration mode304 is discussed further in conjunction withFIG. 4, below.
• Patient information mode306 includes entering and modifying data identifying and/or describing a patient, which may include filling in data fields. The data fields may be text boxes. In an embodiment, patient data shall be saved with each study.Patient information mode306 may include allowing a user to view all or a subset of the data about a patient. After the study is complete, the data fields may be amended.Patient information mode306 is discussed further in conjunction withFIG. 5, below.
• During imagemode selection mode308,ultrasound system100 may be placed in one of several acquisition modes, such as B-mode, M-mode, color flow mode, Continuous Wave (CW) Doppler mode, and/or Pulsed Wave (PW) Doppler mode. In B-mode the ultrasound data is displayed as a grayscale image map (e.g., 256 gray shades). The transducer pixel intensities and therefore the display pixel intensities correspond to the ultrasound strength. The location of each transducer and display pixel corresponds to the depth of the signal. During color flow Doppler mode color codes may be used to display velocity information from multiple color sample lines, which may then be processed via autocorrelation, for example. Imagemode selection mode308 is discussed further in conjunction withFIG. 6, below.
• Image acquisition mode310 gathers data to form images. The mode of the data acquisition may be set during the operational mode of imagemode selection mode308. Alternatively, the mode for image acquisition mode may be set separately and independently from the image mode selected via imagemode selection mode308. In an embodiment, the data can be viewed while being acquired. In an embodiment, the screen may be frozen using a stop/start toggle, for example, while acquiring data. Duringimage acquisition mode310 various imaging parameters can be adjusted, such as depth, gain, and zoom. The image may be displayed in various display formats depending on the imaging mode. For example, if the imaging mode is PW Doppler, the user may be allowed to display color flow image only, spectral only, or both. In an embodiment, ofimage acquisition mode308, the data can be viewed without a control panel present. The window showing the data can be expanded to cover the entire screen.
• Measure and annotatemode312 includes performing measurements on and adding annotations to an image. Measure and annotatemode312 is discussed inFIGS. 15 and 16, below.
• Reporting mode314 allows the user to print images, measurements, and calculations to a printer or a file and may allow the user to organize, categorize, and/or tabulate reports and/or data such as that gathered using measure and annotatemode312. Reports can be generated in tabular or graphical form.Reporting mode314 is discussed below in conjunction withFIG. 17.
• Archiving mode316 allows for the storage of large amounts of data and/or files such as images and/or sound files. The format of the stored data can be chosen.Archiving mode316 may include functions for exporting data and/or images.Archiving mode316 may allow the images and/or data to be searched, viewed, and/or stored on theultrasound system100 or another system.
• System services mode318 includes performing system diagnostics, getting the battery status, providing help, and/or controlling data transfer. Among other things, system services may include all monitoring functions available to the system.
• FIG. 4 shows thesystem configuration mode304 of theultrasound system100, which includesapplication type mode402, assignpresets mode404, system defaultsmode406, defineannotation dictionary mode408,touchscreen calibration mode410,printer setup mode412,battery function mode414,language mode416, date andtime mode418, andaudio setup mode420.
• Application type mode402 determines the mode of operation that theultrasound system100 is in at any given time and/or upon startup. The mode of operation at startup may be made to depend upon which user logs in, if there are multiple users. For example, the same ultrasound system may be used by a nurse, technician, cardiologist, Obstetrician/Gynecologist (OB/GYN) and/or a radiologist. Depending upon which logs in, a different set of functions and applications appears on the screen at startup.Application type mode402 may also control changing applications during operations.
• Assignpresets mode404 allows the user to specify her or his specific presets. For example, thesame ultrasound system100 may be used by multiple cardiologists, each having her or his own preferences for how to view and/or annotate the data. Assignpresets mode404 may allow each user to assign her or his individual presets.
• System defaultsmode406 may include archival options such as the format or formats in which an image is automatically saved. For example, the user may be able to choose the default coordinate systems for graphs such as units of electrical current, units of electrical charge, and/or polar coordinates. Images may be 640×480 display pixels, and may be data formatted as Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) or Microsoft Bit Map (BMP), for example. The system defaults may also control the form of compression for the stored image. An Infrared (IR) connection or other form of propagating a signal through air or through a cable may be used to transmit a screen-captured image to a printer. System defaultsmode406 may also include the format of the date. The system user may be given the option to select the date formats, such as mm-dd-yyyy or dd-mm-yyyy. The user may be allowed to set the system date and time and the format in which the time is displayed, such as English, European, or military time. The user may be able to specify the default frequency for one or more transducer types. The user may be able to specify a default screen brightness level and the screen layout. The user may be able to select the location and colors of tool bars, the control areas and/or the image areas on the display. Alternatively, a separate default mode for the user to set transducer defaults may be provided.
• Defineannotation dictionary mode408 may allow the user to enter a spelling dictionary to be used to check spelling while making annotations. Optionally, defineannotation dictionary408 may also allow the user to access a thesaurus for choosing the wording of annotations. Defineannotation dictionary408 may also allow the user to establish a dictionary (e.g., a list) of common annotations or common types of annotations to choose from that can be added to an image or build a thesaurus of annotations that can be substituted one for another. The annotation dictionary (associated with define annotain dictionary mode408) and/or thesaurus may include icons and text such as units, Greek letters, mathematical or medical symbols, and/or medical or ultrasound terms.
• Touchscreen calibration mode410 is optional and may be left out in embodiments ofultrasound system100 not having a touchscreen. Touchscreen calibration may allow the user to establish positioning or reference coordinates, which may be established with the use of a stylus or by entering the coordinates into a dialogue box, for example.Touchscreen calibration mode410 may additionally or alternatively allow the user to change the sensitivity of the touchscreen and/or which parts of the touchscreen respond to touch. The user may be able to change the sensitivity so that different parts of the screen have different sensitivities. Also, for example, the user may be able to change the size of the interactive touchscreen portion.
• Printer setup mode412 may allow the user to choose the type of printer, the location of the printer, the type of paper, the orientation of the image on the paper, how many and the tiling of the images in the view or frame of a page about to be printed, whether to print to paper or to a file, the margins and/or the fonts, for example.
• Thebattery function mode414 may include an estimate of how much longer the battery will last using the current system settings. In an embodiment, the user may usebattery function mode414, for example, understand how keeping a particular feature active affects the battery lifetime. In an embodiment, the user could usebattery function mode414 to simply monitor how much battery life remains.
• Language mode416 allows the user to choose the language (e.g., Japanese) in whichultrasound system100 will display information. In an embodiment, the user can choose a code or an interactive code language, such as graffiti.
• Date andtime mode418 allows the user to set the date and time. An example of a user selectable setting is setting theultrasound system100's clock to automatically switch to daylight savings. The format of the time discussed in conjunction with system defaultsmode406 may be adjustable through date andtime mode418 in addition to or instead of being adjustable through system defaultsmode406.
• Audio setup mode420 may allow the user to set the volume during recording and broadcasting. The user may also be able to choose which features will be voice enabled.Audio setup mode420 may also provide training sessions to train theultrasound system100 to recognize the user's voice or to recognize specific commands.
• Although not shownsystem configuration mode304 may include a Region of Interest (ROI) defaults mode that allows the user to select the default size, shape and position of the ROI. In an embodiment, the user may be able to select a type of feature that the ROI will automatically include. A mode may also be included for choosing the startup screen. Alternatively, ROI defaults and setting the startup screen may be part of system defaultsmode406. Any one of, any combination of, or all of the system configuration parameters may be part of one or more presets or defaults and adjustable using assignpresents mode404 and/or system defaultsmode406.
• FIG. 5 shows thepatient information mode306 of theultrasound system100, which includes defaultpatient information mode502, create newpatient mode504, editpatient mode506,search mode508, and deletepatient mode510.
• Defaultpatient information mode502 displays the information associated with a default patient. The default patient may be the patient that was being tested last or whose medical information was being reviewed last, for example. When entering the patients name theultrasound system100 may guess at who the patient is based on parameters such as the frequency the patient's information was viewed in the past and/or the letters of the patient's name that were entered. As more letters are entered,ultrasound system100 may update its guess as to which patient should be displayed. The user may have a choice as to the basis of choosing the default patient.
• Create newpatient mode504 sets up space in memory identified with a new patient. An example of such a space is a new folder for the new patient. The new folder may be created or downloaded automatically by another system associated with a hospital or doctor's office, for example. Continuing with the example, the automatic file download or creation may occur upon an entry to the other system, a determination that an ultrasound scan should be performed, and/or the next time after the entry that theultrasound system100 is connected to the other system. The user could determine when and how frequently the other system is checked for new patients. The number of patient files stored inultrasound system100 may be significantly smaller than the total number of patients in the other system so as not to burdenultrasound system100 with storing the other system's entire database of patients. After examining one group of patients create newpatient mode504 may create a new group of patients that have not been examined yet or that needs further testing.
• Edit patient mode506 may allow the user to edit patient information. It may be possible to edit any patient information entered during create newpatient mode504. In an embodiment, immediately after a new patient folder is opened in the create newpatient mode504,ultrasound system100 switches to editpatient mode506 where the information about the new patient is entered.
• Search mode508 allows the current database of patients to be searched. The search may be performed by searching for a string of search terms connected together by logical operators. The terms may include keywords and the user may be capable of limiting the search for one or more of the keywords to specific fields, such as patient name or attending physician. The string of search terms may include smaller strings of search terms that are searched in a specific field.
• Deletepatient mode510 may allow for the deletion of a patient from theultrasound system100. Deletepatient mode510 may allow for the deletion of the information associated with one or multiple patients simultaneously. So as not burdenultrasound system100 with storing another system's entire database of patients, after downloading the patient information of a first group of examined patients, deletepatient mode510 may delete the patient information of that group so that another group of patient information files can be downloaded toultrasound system100.
• FIG. 6 shows the imagemode selection mode308 of theultrasound system100, which may include any one of, some of, any combination of, or all of B-mode602,color flow mode604,power Doppler mode606,PW Doppler mode608, Continuous Wave (CW)Doppler mode610, M-mode612,freeze mode614, andfull screen mode618.
• Although not shown other modes that may be included in imagemode selection mode308 are B-flow mode, color Doppler mode, color M-mode, A-mode, and tissue harmonics mode, for example. PW Doppler can be mixed with nearly any mode while CW Doppler is usually used alone but can also be combined with other modes within imagemode selection mode308. Combinations of modes are possible, for example, some possible mode combinations that may be included inultrasound system100 are B-mode and color-PW Doppler, B-mode and color M-mode, and/or and B-flow mode.
• B-mode602 produces a two-dimensional array of points, each point varies in brightness according to an echo's strength. Generally the strength of the echo corresponds to the location of the source of the echo. Consequently, the image produced is similar to a photographic or x-ray image. B-mode602 is discussed further inFIG. 7, below.
• Color flow mode604 uses color to display velocity and/or flow. The flow may be determined using the Doppler effect in combination with a Doppler mode of operation or by plotting the changes in position of objects that are being carried by the flowing material.Color flow mode604 is further discussed inFIG. 8, below.
• The Doppler effect is used to determine flow information in thepower Doppler mode606,PW Doppler mode608, andCW Doppler mode610. Different velocities correspond to different changes in the frequency of the sound. The shift between the transmitted and received signal is measured. The lack of any shift indicates that the object is stationary. A positive shift indicates flow in one direction and negative flow indicates flow in the other direction.
• Power Doppler mode606 displays the strength of the Doppler shifted echoes as pulses on a graph having the strength of the shift on one axis and time on another. The strength of the Doppler shifted echoes could be measured in several ways, such as the amplitudes power, intensity, or energy of the signal.Power Doppler mode606 may show how strong of a reflection occurs at each point measured.Power Doppler mode606 is discussed inFIG. 9, below.
• PW Doppler mode608 uses ultrasound pulses rather than a continuous wave.PW Doppler mode608 is also called the spectral Doppler mode.PW Doppler mode608 studies a sampled set of the flow velocity at a point or finite region giving the spectrum of velocities at that region. A set of transducer elements sends pulses and the same or a different set of ultrasound transducer elements listens for the pulses after they are modified (e.g., reflected) by a medium under investigation. The motion monitored by PW Doppler is sampled rather than continuously monitored because of the use of the pulses.PW Doppler mode608 is further discussed inFIG. 10, below.
• CW Doppler mode610 uses a continuous ultrasound wave to produce the Doppler shift in frequency to study the average velocity along a line. Some transducers in the array are dedicated to transmitting the ultrasound signal continuously, while others are dedicated to receiving the ultrasound signal continuously.CW Doppler mode610 is further discussed inFIG. 11, below.
• Thecolor flow mode604 can be combined with any of thepower Doppler mode606,PW Doppler mode608 and/orCW Doppler mode610, color coding the velocities, for example.
• M-mode612 studies a strip or a line along a medium under investigation rather than giving a two-dimensional image plotted as echo penetration depth versus time. This mode is used for studying motion. Stationary structures appear as straight lines. M-mode612 is further discussed inFIG. 12, below.
• Color M-mode has the color flow mode overlaid on the M-mode.
• Color Doppler mode shows the B-mode either moving or frozen at the same time as the Doppler mode. A ROI showing the flow information is placed above the Doppler image.
• B-flow mode represents the flow as motion just as flow would appear in an anatomically correct image. The flow appears as changes in the speckled pattern. The B-flow mode may be facilitated by using broad beam technology, because by gathering the data with a broad beam rather than a pencil beam and/or by processing the flow data and the B-mode data simultaneously fewer transmit receive cycles are necessary to obtain an image than would be used by beam forming technology. Consequently, the motion of the vessel containing the flow is removed or reduced when compared to a prior art beam forming method.
• The modes that could be included in imagemode selection mode308 are not limited to those shown, discussed, or depicted. For example, although not shown a tissue harmonics mode could also be included in imagemode selection mode308. A tissue harmonics mode is a two-dimensional gray scale image that measures nonlinearities in tissue. One way of accomplishing this gray scale imaging is by looking at the first order harmonics rather than the fundamental harmonic. Tissue harmonics mode can be useful in determining the nature of an interface, such as a tissue interface, for example. Other modes could include looking at second and higher order harmonics in a two-dimensional gray scale plot.
• Another imaging mode that may be incorporated in some embodiments ofultrasound system100 is A-mode, which is a plot of echo amplitude versus depth into the medium under investigation. This mode is sometimes used in ophthalmology.
• Freeze mode614 allows the image to be held frozen (e.g., by pressing a stop/start toggle) during data acquisition so that the image can be annotated and measurements can be taken on the image.Freeze mode614 may be capable of displaying a split screen in which half of the screen is frozen and the other half shows the data being acquired or a cinema (cine) loop.Freeze mode614 will be discussed further in conjunction withFIG. 13, below.
• Full screen mode618 allows the user to view the image without viewing a control panel or tool bar. The image may appear with some annotations to allow the user to know the settings being used and/or some patient information and/or history. Alternatively, the image may be viewable without any annotations or the annotations may appear as a default but can be removed after the data is acquired and/or the image is expanded to the full screen.
• FIGS. 7-13 have several modes in common, which will be described together immediately afterFIG. 13.
• FIG. 7 shows the B-mode602 of theultrasound system100, which includesminimal modes738 havinggain mode702 anddepth mode704 andfactory defaults740 includingminimal modes738,tissue harmonics mode706,frequency mode708,zoom mode710, up/downinvert mode712, and left/right invert mode714. B-mode602 ofFIG. 7 also includesfar gain mode716, neargain mode718,maps mode720,dynamic range mode722,acoustic output mode724,auto optimize mode725, and image presets742 having Depth Gain Compensation (DGC) offsetmode726,edge enhancement mode728, line spacing and frame rate mode730, image compounding mode732, aperture mode734, andpersistence mode736.
• Depth mode704 is used to determine the depth of the field of view of the ultrasound image and/or to determine the depth at which the data is to be gathered. Lower frequencies are used for deeper imaging, while higher frequencies are used for more shallow imaging.
• Tissue harmonics mode706 was explained in conjunction withFIG. 6. In an embodiment, whenultrasound system100 is intissue harmonics mode706 all of the modes available under B-mode602 are available. Althoughtissue harmonics mode706 is illustrated as a mode of the B-mode602,tissue harmonics mode706 or any one B-mode602's modes could be its own mode of operation.
• Frequency mode708 allows the user to set the frequency of the ultrasound pulse being transmitted from the transducer array.Zoom mode710 allows the user to get an exploded view of a region of interest.Maps mode720 allows the user to set the gray scale, which may be a linear, logarithmic, or another nonlinear function.
• Up/downinvert mode712 and left/right invert mode714 can be used to accommodate viewing a display screen from a different orientation. Up/downinvert mode712 allows the user to flip the image region and/or theentire GUI208 about a horizontal line at the center of the screen thereby switching top and bottom, while left/right invert mode714 allows the user to flip the image and/or the entire GUI about a vertical line at the center of the image thereby switching right and left and creating a mirror image. Alternatively, up/downinvert mode712 may rotate the image until it is upside down while left/right invert may rotate the image until the top of the image is to the right of the screen or the left of the screen.
• Far gain mode716 allows the user to alter the gain in a region of the image far from the location of the transducer in the image, while neargain mode718 allows the user to alter the gain in a region of the image near to the location of the transducer in the image. The gain within the regions in between automatically adjusts so that the gain varies smoothly across the image.
• Dynamic range mode722,acoustic output mode724, andauto optimize mode725 are discussed below.
• DGC (also referred to as Time Gain Correction (TGC))mode726 is used to compensate for attenuation of the signal due to the depth the signal traveled into the medium under investigation so that the image has a uniform brightness.DGC mode726 is similar to the combination offar gain mode716 and neargain mode718, except thatDGC mode726 divides the whole field of view in multiple zones (e.g., six) or continuously varies the gain according to a function of depth rather than dividing the field of view in two zones (far and near). The user may be allowed to adjust the amount of gain and/or how the gain varies usingDGC mode726. Alternatively,DGC mode726 may be a digital gain correction mode, which controls the offset for the gain rather than a multiplicative increase of the gain. In an embodiment, B-mode may include both a digital gain correction mode and a dynamic gain correction mode.
• Edge enhancement mode728 is described below.
• Line spacing and frame rate mode730 controls the spacing between lines on the display screen, which controls the resolution and also controls the time between frames.
• Image compounding mode732 combines multiple images into one image. For example, the images may be taken at different frequencies to get different depths. Image compounding mode732 is dependent on the type of imaging mode. Image compounding mode732 may be dependent also on the transducer type because different transducer types tend to be used for different types of imaging. For example, in B-mode602 the user is likely to want to change the frequency to image different depths, while with a linear array transducer the user may want to form a compound image made up of images formed from different groups of transducer pixels. Image compounding from different positions using B-mode imaging may involve determining how the images from different positions overlap one another, such as by finding common elements on both images and matching them.
• Aperture mode734 determines the magnitude or intensity of the transmit profile. A flat aperture has an equal intensity for all transducer pixels. Aperture mode734 is useful in apodisation or in shaping the ultrasound beam to be more Gaussian. Aperture mode734 may also include a determination of which transducer pixels on a two-dimensional array are to be used for imaging and/or a determination of the shape of the transmit profile.
• Persistence mode736,minimal modes738, factory defaults740, and image presets742 are discussed below.
• FIG. 8 shows thecolor flow mode604 of theultrasound system100, havingminimal modes836 includingROI mode802,gain mode804, andscale mode806, andfactory defaults838 includingminimal modes836,ROI size mode808,steer mode810,invert mode812, and mapsmode814.Color flow mode604 also includesbaseline mode816,acoustic output mode818,auto optimize mode819, and image presets842 includingdynamic range mode820,packet size mode822,threshold mode824,edge enhancement mode826,frequency mode828, line spacing andframe rate mode830,persistence mode832, andflash suppression mode834.
• ROI mode802,gain mode804, andscale mode806 are discussed below.
• DuringROI size mode808 the user can choose the size of the ROI. Duringsteer mode810 the user can change the direction of the ultrasound beam.Invert mode812 inverts the color coding changing the low frequency (or long wavelength) colors to high frequency (or short wavelength) colors and high frequency (or short wavelength) colors to low frequency (or long wavelength) colors so as to change the direction of flow.
• Maps mode814,baseline mode816,acoustic output mode818,auto optimize mode819,dynamic range mode820,packet size mode822,threshold mode824,edge enhancement mode826,frequency mode828, line spacing andframe rate mode830,persistence mode832, andflash suppression mode826,minimal modes836, factory defaults838, and image presets840 are discussed below.
• FIG. 9 shows thepower Doppler mode606 of theultrasound system100, havingminimal modes934 includingROI mode902,gain mode904, andscale mode906 andfactory defaults936 includingminimal modes934,ROI size mode908,steer mode910, and mapsmode912, which are discussed below.Power Doppler mode606 also hasbaseline mode914,acoustic output mode916,auto optimize mode917, and image presets938 includingdynamic range mode918,packet size mode920,threshold mode922,edge enhancement mode924,frequency mode926, line spacing andframe rate mode928,persistence mode930, andflash suppression mode932, which are also discussed below.
• FIG. 10 shows thePW Doppler mode608 of theultrasound system100, havingminimal modes1030 includingcursor mode1002,scale mode1004, and gainmode1006 andfactory defaults1032 includingminimal modes1030,display format mode1008,gate position mode1010,baseline mode1012,spectral invert mode1014,auto optimize mode1016, and update on/offmode1018.PW Doppler mode608 ofFIG. 10 also includesgate size mode1020,sweep speed mode1022, andimage presets1034 havingdynamic range mode1024,filter mode1026,audio settings mode1027, andedge enhancement mode1028.
• Cursor mode1002,scale mode1004,gain mode1006,display format mode1008 are discussed below.
• Gate position mode1010 determines the position andgate size mode1020 determines the size of the gate (i.e., window) of thePW Doppler mode608. To elaborate, thePW Doppler mode608 has a line along which the PW Doppler data is measured. Along that line the position that thePW Doppler mode608 measurement is taken can be varied and the size of the region from which the data is gathered can also be varied. The gate size is the size of the region from which the data is gathered, and the gate position is the position from which the data is gathered.
• Baseline mode1012 will be described below.
• Spectral invert mode1014 inverts the spectrum so as to invert the direction of flow.
• Auto optimize mode1016 and update on/offmode1018 are discussed below.
• Seep Speed mode1022,dynamic range mode1024, andfilter mode1026 are discussed below.
• Audio settings mode1027 allows the user to hear the Doppler spectrum rather than just see it. When using headphones, the flow direction can be indicated by the ear to which the sound is sent. The user may be able adjust the function that maps the velocity to the sound by changing the volume or the gain associated with the sound, for example.
• Edge enhancement mode1028,minimal modes1030,factory defaults1032, andimage presets1034 are discussed below.
• FIG. 11 shows theCW Doppler mode610 of theultrasound system100, havingminimal modes1124 includingcursor mode1102,scale mode1104, and gainmode1106 andfactory defaults1126 includingminimal modes1124,display format mode1108,baseline mode1110,sweep speed mode1112, and image presets includingauto optimize mode1114, update on/offmode1116,dynamic range mode1118,filter mode1120, andedge enhancement mode1122.
• Cursor mode1102,scale mode1104,gain mode1106,display format mode1108,baseline mode1110,sweep speed mode1112,auto optimize mode1114, update on/offmode1116,dynamic range mode1118,filter mode1120, andedge enhancement mode1122,minimal modes1124,factory defaults1126, andimage presets1128 are discussed below.
• FIG. 12 shows the M-mode612 of theultrasound system100, havingminimal modes1214 includingcursor mode1202 andgain mode1204. M-mode6112 also includesfactory defaults1216 havingminimal modes1214,display format mode1206, and sweepspeed mode1208. M-Mode612 ofFIG. 12 also includesauto optimize mode1209 and image presets havingdynamic range mode1210, andedge enhancement mode1212. All of the modes ofFIG. 12 are discussed below.
• FIG. 13 shows thefreeze mode614 of theultrasound system100, havingcine mode1302, annotatemode1304,measure mode1306,zoom ROI mode1308, and gainmode1310.
• Cine mode1302 allows the user to view a group of images as a motion picture. The motion picture can be stopped and started using a start/stop toggle or a freeze/unfreeze icon, for example. The user can also control whether the group of images under the cine control ofcine mode1302 is being viewed backwards or forwards, whether the set of images should automatically be viewed over again after reaching the last image, how many times the set of images should be viewed and the speeds with which the images are displayed (i.e., the time between the displaying two images), for example.Cine mode1302 may also or alternatively allow individual frames to be viewed a single frame at a time, and may have controls available to the user for stepping forward or backward one frame at a time. In an embodiment,cine mode1302 may have options for skipping one or more frames each time it steps forward or backward. In an embodiment, the frames may be viewed while skipping one or more individually selected frames or groups of frames. In an embodiment, the frames may be viewed while skipping one or more frames at fixed intervals.
• In an embodiment, the display screen may present video recorder or Video Conference Recorder (VCR)-like controls, which are described further in connection withFIG. 31 C, below. In an embodiment, the icons used for the cine controls suggest their respective functions to the user. For example, arrows pointing left may suggest playing the images in reverse chronological order or backwards, while arrows pointing right may be used for playing the images in chronological order or forwards.
• Duringannotate mode1304 the user may perform annotations on a frozen image. The user may be given the option to place any number of annotations anywhere on the image and may be free to choose the type of annotation and its text. In an embodiment the annotations may be of a text type and/or image type, for example. Some annotations may automatically appear on an image, where the annotations are specific to the type of image or type of data collected. There may be annotation text boxes that automatically appear on the image for the user to fill in, such as one for the patients name or weight.Annotate mode1304 may include a feature that allows the user to attach a voice message to an image, for example.
• Measure mode1306 allows measurements to be taken on the frozen image.Measure mode1306 is further discussed below in conjunction withFIG. 14.
• Zoom ROI mode1308 may allow a user to select a Region Of Interest (ROI) and zoom in and out, magnifying the ROI. In some cases the ROI may be automatically selected or a product of the data acquisition process. The user may be able to perform measurements (usingmeasure mode1306, for example) and add annotations (usingannotate mode1304, for example) within the ROI whether or not it is enlarged while in thezoom ROI mode1308.
• Gain mode1310 is discussed below.
• As noted above,FIGS. 7-13 have modes and other features that are common to multiple display modes including gain modes, maps modes, acoustic output modes, scale modes, dynamic range modes, edge enhancement modes, line spacing and frame rate modes, frequency modes, filter modes, packet size modes, threshold modes, persistence modes, flash suppression modes, cursor modes, auto optimize modes, minimal modes, defaults, and presets.
• Gain modes702,804,904,1006,1106, and1310 ofFIGS. 7-11 and13, respectively, are essentially the same, and allow the gain to be adjusted, thereby changing the intensity of all or part of the image and/or data. In addition to being able to adjust the overall gain, the gain of different regions of the image may be different and individually adjusted. The user may be able to choose from one or more predetermined functions and/or input one or more user defined functions that describe how the gain should vary throughout the image. The specific predefined functions describing the gain and/or the modes available for adjusting the gain that are most convenient to use may differ for different modes of operation. Consequently, which predefined functions or modes of adjusting the gain that are made most readily available or that are made available to the user may differ for different operational modes. Adjusting the gain can aid in removing edge distortions, for example. The gain settings of the different modes are set independently from one another. The gain can be automatically optimized by pressing a button or icon, for example. Alternatively,ultrasound system100 can monitor the image being displayed and automatically update the gain optimization.
• Maps modes720,814, and912 ofFIGS. 7-9 allow the user to set the mapping of the display pixel values to the acquired measured signal values. In the case ofmaps mode720 the mapping is a gray scale, while in the case ofmaps modes814 and912 the mapping is a color assignment. Themaps modes720,814, and912 may allow a gray scale or color scale to be adjusted according to a function, such as a sigmoidal function. Themaps modes720,814, and912 are described further in conjunction withFIG. 26 C.
• Acoustic output modes724,818, and916 ofFIGS. 7-9 determine the amount of energy in and/or the frequency of the acoustic beam or pulse, which the user may control.
• Dynamic range modes722,820,918,1024,1118, and1210 ofFIGS. 7-12 are similar to compression and allow the user to choose the range of the brightnesses included in the gray scale or the range of colors used in the color assignments. In an embodiment there may be a minimum and/or maximum brightness threshold in which data and/or display pixels that would otherwise be dimmer than the threshold may be displayed unlit. In an embodiment, there may be a minimum and maximum threshold for frequency and/or wavelength in which colors of frequencies and/or wavelengths outside of the these thresholds may be displayed unlit. The compression may be nonlinear such as a logarithmic or another function. A logarithmic scale can bring out the details of the dim display pixels while also allowing the user to see the brighter display pixels. Thus using a logarithmic scale allows a larger range of transducer pixel values to be displayed on with the same range of display pixel values than were a linear scale used. In an embodiment,dynamic range modes820,918,1024,1118, and1210 ofFIGS. 8-12 can only be adjusted through the system defaults mode406 (FIG. 4), whiledynamic range mode722 can be adjusted during B-mode602. In an embodiment,dynamic range mode722 can also only be adjusted during the system defaultsmode406. Alternatively, any one of, any combination of, or all ofdynamic range modes720,820,918,1024,1118, and1210 ofFIGS. 8-12 can be adjusted during their respective mode of operation and/or during system defaultsmode406.
• Auto optimizemodes725,819,917,1016,1114, and1209 ofFIGS. 7-12 automatically optimize the display to make it easier to read. Auto optimize may include optimizing any one of, all of, or any combination of the gain, contrast, compression maps, adjusting the position of the image on the screen, edge enhancement, persistence, flash suppression, and/or baseline shift, for example. The optimization is activated by the user pushing a button and/or selecting a menu item and/or icon. The user may choose settings to determine how the optimization is performed. The display image may be monitored and either automatically update the settings to optimize the image or alert the user that an optimization may improve the viewing. An example of an auto optimization for a map may be that a gray scale is automatically selected for the display pixels such that the highest signal values of the transducer pixels are displayed using highest display pixel values. Another example of an auto optimization is automatically setting the dynamic range the display pixel values to span the range of transducer pixel signal values between an average maximum value and a minimum value, thereby filtering out noise and high intensity artifacts.
• Edge enhancement modes728,826,924,1028,1122, and1212 ofFIGS. 7-12 filter out noise at the edge of the image.Edge enhancement modes728,826,924,1028,1122, and1212 may include different temporal and/or other filters.Edge enhancement modes728,826,924,1028,1122, and1212 may show the first derivative of the image to aid in finding the edges of the image, and then perform filtering along the edge to bring out various details.Edge enhancement modes728,826,924,1028,1122, and1212 may include a filter that smoothes spikes in the data at the edges by, for example, averaging each point along or near the edge with neighboring points or removing points with values over a given threshold. In an embodiment, when the image exceeds the available display area or as a by product of performing Fourier transforms on the image data (which is typically not periodic) and of the periodicity of Fourier transforms, the image “spills” over and overlays its own opposite edge. This “spilling” creates noise or a misaligned image. Edge enhancement mode may be used to eliminate or reduce noise or misalignment.
• Line spacing andframe rate modes730,830 and928 ofFIGS. 7-9 control the resolution by controlling the number of lines displayed on theultrasound system100's screen. Line spacing andframe rate modes730,830 and928 may allow adjustments to the frame rate or adjusting the frame rate may be its own mode.
• Persistence modes736,832 and930 ofFIGS. 7-9 determine a weighting factor of the previous image to the new image information while viewing data. An image having a 1/10th persistence could be composed of a weighted average consisting of 9/10th the image just displayed and 1/10th the new image. Alternatively, persistence could be defined to be an equally weighted average of the last several images. For a 1/10th persistence each image is an average of the previous 10 sets of image information. A 1/10th persistence means that it takes roughly 10 new images to remove the first image.Persistence modes736,832, and930 have the effect of filtering out high frequency changes. In an embodiment, the weighting factors associated with the persistence is adjusted automatically and/or dynamically. The user may be able set the weighting factors and/or parameters related to criteria for automatically choosing the weighting factors.
• InFIGS. 7-12 the various modes may be grouped into boxes labeledminimal modes738,836,934,1030,1124, and1214, factory defaults740,838,936,1032,1126, and1216, and image presets742,840,938,1034,1128, and1218. However, none of, any one of, some of, or all of the modes ofultrasound system100 could be grouped in any of these boxes. In an embodiment, modes in the boxesminimal modes738,836,934,1030,1124, and/or1214 are the minimal modes that are presented to the user at anytime during the imaging mode ofFIGS. 7-12, respectively. For example, in an embodiment, when in B-mode602 (FIG. 7)gain mode702 anddepth mode704 in the boxminimal modes738 are always made available for the user to select. In an embodiment, modes in theboxes factory defaults740,838,936,1032,1126, and/or1216 may be set with initial default values by the manufacturer. Similarly, in an embodiment, modes in the boxes image presets742,840,938,1034,1128, and1218 may be preset and/or adjustable only during assign presets mode404 (FIG. 4).
• ROI modes802 and902 allow the user to choose a region of interest in which to perform a color flow study or a power Doppler study.
• Scale modes806,906,1004, and1104 ofFIGS. 8-11 allow the user to select the scale for representing Doppler information, such as velocity, power, and/or variance. Setting the lower limit of the scale is directly related to the selection of a “wall filter.” The “wall filter” is a high pass filter, which filters out the slow motion of the blood vessel wall. The high pass filtering can be implemented by Fourier transforming or otherwise spectrum analyzing the data and locating the low frequency spike that corresponds to the slow motion of the blood vessel walls. The low frequency spike can then be removed. For example, all data below a cutoff frequency could be removed from the image, and the low frequency spike could be used to determine the cutoff frequency. In an alternative embodiment, the contribution to the data from the slow motion of the blood vessel could be removed by subtracting the expected contribution of the slow motion blood vessel from the data. In an embodiment, the slow motion may be extracted and viewed separately from the faster moving phenomenon. Optionally, each point on the image may be displayed in a different color according the velocity of the part of the medium under investigation represented. Any given user may be accustomed to, or have preference for, a different color map velocity scale (i.e., a different mapping associating each velocity with a particular color).Scale modes806,906,1004, and1104 may allow the user to determine the color map velocity scale, which the user can adjust during this mode.
• Baseline modes816,914, and1012 allow the user to adjust where the baseline of a plot is located. If the baseline is too high up on the screen, the top of the plot will (“wrap around” or “fold” to the bottom of the plot or will) be cut off and may appear at the bottom of the plot. In another embodiment, when the baseline is too high the top of the signal may be cut without appearing at the bottom of the plot.Baseline mode816,914, and1012 may allow the user to adjust the position of the baseline on the plot by, for example, dragging and dropping the baseline using the cursor.
• Packet size modes822 and920 ofFIGS. 8 and 9 determine the number of pulses per cycle (i.e., flow count samples) emitted by the transducer, which are used to measure the velocity of the flow. Each point of the medium under investigation may have a different velocity. The collection of velocity vectors describing the flow within the medium under investigation form a vector field (i.e., a velocity field). Packet size is the count of flow samples used to determine the velocity field of the flow. The higher the count, the better the estimation of the flow's velocity field, but the slower the frame rate. The user may be allowed to adjust the flow count samples to control the accuracy and/or resolution of the velocity flow measurement.
• Threshold modes824 and922 ofFIGS. 8 and 9 are used to determine the various thresholds and/or flow threshold, which is a multi-parameter criterion used to indicate the presence or the absence of color flow. Typical parameters of the flow threshold are velocity, uncertainty or variance of the velocity, intensity, and evolution in time (i.e., the difference between display or transducer pixel values of two successive frames for the same display or transducer pixel).Threshold modes824 and922 ofFIGS. 8 and 9 may set the thresholds for not displaying a display pixel because the display pixel or its corresponding transducer pixels are too dim or too uncertain. For example, when a signal is received, if its voltage or velocity is below a threshold, its uncertainty or variance is greater than a threshold, the amount of change in its transducer or display pixels is greater than a certain threshold, or its width (i.e., its energy) is below a threshold, then the signal is not displayed. Alternatively rather than having separate thresholds for each parameter such as voltage, velocity, energy, variance, and/or evolution in time a single threshold could be used for a function of any combination of or all of the parameters of the threshold criteria. These thresholds or others may be used in masks associated with filters offilter modes1026 and1120, described below or other filters.
• Frequency modes708,828 and926 ofFIGS. 8 and 9 are used for selecting the frequency of the transducer.Frequency modes828 and926 are used for color data acquisition. The transducer frequency may depend upon the characteristics of the transducer selected (the system may allow the user to change transducers) and the depth into the medium under investigation desired for imaging. Lower frequencies are used for imaging deeper into the medium under investigation. Conversely, higher frequencies are used for imaging to a shallow depth in the medium under investigation.Frequency modes828 and926 may be independent fromfrequency mode708.Frequency mode708 may allow for selecting the frequency used for acquiring B-mode images independently of the frequency used infrequency modes828. Alternatively, the frequency chosen byfrequency mode708 may be linked to the frequency used infrequency modes828 and926. The frequency of one of these modes may be automatically altered to be the same as or a function of the frequency of one or both of the other two frequency modes. Similarly,frequency modes828 and926 may be independent or linked to one another.
• Flash suppression modes834 and932 filter out high frequency noise, which has a tendency of causing a flash to be displayed. The flash suppression could be accomplished with a low pass filter having a high cutoff frequency so as to pass most of the frequency spectrum. In an embodiment,flash suppression modes834 and932 can only be adjusted through the system defaults mode406 (FIG. 4). Alternatively,flash suppression modes834 and932 can also be adjusted during their respective imaging modes.
• Cursor modes1002,1102, and1202 determine the cursor used to indicate the region on a B-mode image that a set of data from a point (e.g., PW Doppler and CW Doppler data) or strip is being taken. For example, the cursor may be used to outline and thereby create an ROI or to size an ROI. The cursor may be used to draw an additional line along which Doppler data is taken. The portion of the line that is within the ROI may be the portion of the line used for collecting the Doppler data. Alternatively, positioning the cursor over a point of the ultrasound image, and then clicking on that point may cause theultrasound system100 to gather and/or display Doppler data at the corresponding point of the medium under investigation. The cursor may be used to position and/or select annotations, graphs, the axis of a graph, and/or to change the range of the scale of an axis.Cursor modes1002,1102, and1202 may be used in combination with measure and annotatemode312, discussed further below (FIG. 15) and/or with freeze mode614 (FIGS. 6, 13 and14), to define the ROI or trace or in combination with annotate mode1304 (FIG. 13), for example. An example of a trace and ROI are illustrated inFIG. 26 A and is discussed below. The cursor may differ according to the mode.
• In addition to cursor's positioning and selecting functions, the cursor is an active GUI object used to communicate a message to the user through the cursor shape and color, for example. An example of a cursor shape is that of an arrow. If the cursor shape is an arrow, then when the location of the cursor is a valid location, e.g., within an ROI, its color may be green. Outside the ROI the cursor color may be red. Other cursor shapes may be used for other types of messages. For example,
• a) an hour glass may be used to tell the user that the system is busy,
• b) a question mark may be used to indicate that a help function is available for a particular area of the screen or screen object,
• c) a stop sign may be used to indicate that by selecting that position the user can cancel an ongoing operation.
• This list is not a limitation of the invention. Other cursor shapes and colors may be used to communicate context dependent availability of functions and messages.
• Display format modes1008,1108, and1206 allow the user to arrange the determine which plots are displayed duringPW Doppler mode608,CW Doppler mode610, and M-mode612, respectively, and where on the screen each plot should appear.Display format modes1008,1108, and1206 may also allow the user to format the individual plots and to choose the type of plot used to show the data.
• Update on/offmodes1018 and1116 automatically refresh and/or update their respective images when update on/offmodes1018 and1116 are on, but do not when update on/offmodes1018 and1116 are off. In an embodiment update on/offmodes1018 and1116 only affect their respective imaging modes (i.e., update on/offmode1010 affects only PW Doppler mode imaging update on/offmode1116 affects only B-mode or CW Doppler imaging). In another embodiment update on/offmodes1018 and1116 affect any one of, any combination of or all of the imaging modes individually or as one or more groups of modes. In an embodiment, update on/offmodes1018 and1116 may turn on and/or off a simultaneous updating of the B-Mode image while Doppler information is being processed. Although updating the B-mode imaging may aid in visualizing and/or understanding the region of interest where the PW Doppler or CW Doppler information is collected, it also decreases the speed of PW or CW processing. Consequently, update on/offmode1018 and1116 may allow the user to choose between the added Doppler information or faster processing of CW or PW information.
• Sweep speed modes1022,1112, and1208 controls the speed at which the signal sweeps across the screen and/or the speed of scanning the medium under investigation.
• Filter modes1026 and1120 allow the user to apply various filters either during data acquisition and/or while viewing the data. For example, filters that smooth the data, high pass, low pass, and notch filters may be used to filter out noise or data that is not of interest.Filter modes1026 and1120 may also allow the application of and/or the setting of filters of an edge enhancement mode such asedge enhancement modes728,826,924,1028,1122, and1212.
• One form of filter that may be provided infilter modes1026 and1120 is a series of three masks. The first mask filters out any display pixel elements associated with one or more parameters (e.g., energy, velocity, voltage, and/or one over the variance) below a certain threshold. For example, a 1 is assigned to the display pixels that are above the threshold, and a 0 to display pixels below the threshold. The second mask is the first mask after smoothing (e.g., averaging the product of each display pixel value and its 1 or 0 with that of its nearest neighbor display pixels). The third mask is the second mask with all elements having values below a certain threshold removed. The difference between the first mask and the third mask gives the high frequency elements that changed values as a result of the extra smoothing and masking in producing the third mask. For example, a 1 is assigned to the display pixels that are above the threshold and not removed, and a 0 to display pixels below the threshold that were removed. Then the raw velocity values are assigned to those display pixels that are in both the first and third mask, while a smoothed velocity value is assigned to those display pixels that were in the first mask, but not the third mask. The smoothed velocity value associated with a display pixel may be the average of the raw velocity value of that pixel and the velocity values of the nearest neighbor display pixels, for example.
• Using these three filters it is possible to produce a more accurate image of a region having both high frequency spectral components (e.g., blood flow) and low frequency spectral components (e.g. organ or blood vessel movement). The user may be presented with options to choose the thresholds associated with these masks in thefilter modes1026 and1120 and/or in thethreshold modes824 and922 and/or whether or not to use such a filtering technique. In an embodiment,filter modes1026 and1120 can only be adjusted through the system defaults mode406 (FIG. 4). Alternatively,filter modes1026 and1120 can also be adjusted during their respective imaging modes.
• FIG. 14 shows themeasure mode1306 of theultrasound system100, having a setcalipers mode1402, aset area mode1404, aset trace mode1406, and a display measuredresults mode1408.
• Theset calipers mode1402 may include several different types of calipers for performing measurements of distance, velocity, frequency, and time, for example. Also, setarea mode1404 may include defining areas of different set shapes such as circles, ellipses, squares, rectangles, triangles, and/or polygons that the user may choose from. Setarea mode1404 may include tools for defining arbitrary areas such as with a real or virtual stylus or by using combinations of arcs, curvilinear lines, and straight lines. Settrace mode1406 allows the user to determine an arbitrary trace along which a measurement might be made. Display measuredresults mode1408 allows the user to display the results of one or more calculations in tabular and/or graphical format and/or as annotations on an image, for example. The user may be able to customize the tabular format or graphical format as desired.
• FIG. 15 shows the measure and annotatemode312 of theultrasound system100, having ameasure mode1502 for taking measurements on an image, acalculation mode1504 for calculating various parameters that can be derived from the data such as those used for diagnosing a patient, and anannotate mode1506 for recording user input information.
• Measure mode1502 performs the measurements described above in connection withFIGS. 13 and 14 regarding measurement done on a frozen image. The difference between the measurements and annotations ofFIGS. 13 and 14 and that ofFIG. 15 is the path taken to get there, and that the measurements ofFIGS. 13 and 14 may be taken during data acquisition. InFIGS. 13 and 14, the user first decided to freeze the image by entering freeze mode614 (possibly while taking data) and then afterwards decided to take measurements on it. In contrast, inFIG. 15 the user first decided to take measurements in measure and annotatemode312 on images already acquired. For example, after the images were acquired, possibly by a technician, the images may have been stored away without being further analyzed by a physician. Then, at a later time, the stored images may be displayed on the screen for analysis by the physician. The physician may use themeasure mode1502 to measure distances between or sizes of objects, for example.
• Calculation mode1504 will be further described in connection withFIG. 16.Annotation mode1506 is the same asannotate mode1304 describe in conjunction withFIG. 13.
• FIG. 16 shows thecalculation mode1504 of theultrasound system100, havingdistance calculations mode1602,depth calculation mode1604,circumference calculation mode1606,area calculation mode1608,cardiac calculation mode1610,OB calculations1612, andGYN calculations1614.
• Distance calculations mode1602,depth calculation mode1604,circumference calculation mode1606, andarea calculation mode1608 are used for calculating the distance, depth, circumference, and area, respectively, of a medium under investigation.Cardiac calculation mode1610,OB calculation mode1612, andGYN calculation mode1614 are used for making calculations commonly made for cardiac, obstetric, and gynecologic examinations, respectively. The user may choose from a predetermined list of calculations to perform. Some calculations may be preformed automatically upon entering the specific type of calculation mode.Calculation mode1504 is not limited to the specific set of calculation modes listed. Any combination of, any one of, all of and/or other specialized calculation modes may be included in thecalculation mode1504.
• FIG. 17 shows thereporting mode314 of theultrasound system100, having print image/data mode1702 andreporting mode1704.
• Print image/data mode1702 may cause an image and/or a set of data to be printed to a file and/or printer. The image and/or data may be downloaded to the printer and/or a server via a cable, and/or acoustical and/or electromagnetic waves traveling through air, for example.Reporting mode1704 may automatically generate a completed insurance form or other type of report.Reporting mode1704 may allow the user to choose the form of the report and may have word processing capabilities, which may be specialized for producing forms.
• FIG. 18 shows asystem services mode318 of theultrasound system100, havingbattery function mode1802, gethelp mode1804, anddiagnostic mode1806.
• Battery function mode1802 may be the same asbattery function mode414, which may be accessible by either first enteringsystem configuration mode304 or by enteringsystem services mode318.
• Theget help mode1804 generally provides the user with information aboutultrasound system100. Theget help mode1804 may be context sensitive. Gethelp mode1804 may include producing call out balloons that indicate the function of a given icon, tab, and/or menu item. The user may also be able to access general help about usingultrasound system100 that is not dependent upon the context. Gethelp mode1804 may allow the user to keyword search and/or display pages and/or sections from a user's manual, for example. In an embodiment, gethelp mode1804 provides an index to the user's manual. Gethelp mode1804 may be capable of interactively stepping the user through a procedure as the procedure is being performed. After each step the user performs, gethelp mode1804 may provide the next step in the procedure automatically.
• Diagnostic mode1806 performs diagnostics on the system and/or any one of, any combination of, or all of the components ofultrasound system100 individually or collectively. For example,diagnostic mode1806 may indicate if a component such as thetransducer system110 is disconnected or malfunctioning. In an embodiment,diagnostic mode1806 may provide information about the capacity of the various components associated with configuration ofultrasound system100 in use, such as how much memory is available or how many images can be stored.Diagnostic mode1806 may perform signal analysis to determine whether thetransducer system110 is or other components are properly functioning.Diagnostic mode1806 may have the capability to determine whether thetransducer system110 is operating at an appropriate frequency.
• FIG. 19 shows anembodiment1900 of theultrasound system100 havingmonitor1902,keyboard1904,mouse1906,computing system1908,transducer system1910 andcables1912.Monitor1902 hasscreen1914, which may be touch sensitive or may be just for viewing.
• Transducer system1910 includes an imaging ultrasound scan head having an array of transducer pixel elements used to transmit ultrasound signals for data acquisition.Transducer system1910 converts electrical signals into acoustic signals and acoustic singals into electric signals, for the purpose of transmitting and receiving the ultrasound information.
• Computing system1908 may be responsible for setting up, processing, storing, and annotating information gathered from thetransducer system1910. The function ofcomputing system1908 may include image reconstruction, color flow estimation, and Doppler computations, for example.Computing system1908 may include laptop computer, a Personal Computer (PC) or be capable of performing many of or all of the functions associated with a PC or laptop computer.Computing system1908 may have an interface for transferring data to and/or from another system.
• Computing system1908 and/ortransducer system1910 processes the data collected and converts it into a format to be displayed onscreen1914 ofmonitor1902.Computing system1908 and/ortransducer system1910 is responsible for collecting and digitizing ultrasound data.Computing system1908 and/ortransducer system1910 also produces the signals to control and/or drive the transducers of the transducer array oftransducer system1910.
• The user interactions withcomputing system1908 and/ortransducer system1910 may be through buttons and/or keys ofkeyboard1904,mouse1906, and/or touch sensitive control areas onscreen1914.
• In an embodiment,screen1914 may contain a representation ofmouse1906, buttons and/or keys ofkeyboards1904, and/or of other buttons and/or control elements that can be activated by touchingscreen1914. The buttons and/or keys represented onscreen1914 may additionally or alternatively be activated by usingmouse1906 or direction keys and an enter key ofkey board1904 to navigate a cursor and/or an indication of a selection. Having a representation ofmouse1906, buttons, and/or keys onscreen1914 may be useful for navigatingGUI208 and/or the ultrasound image when the image is presented on an external video monitor.Screen1914 displaysGUI208, which may have views of fixed formats and/or may give the user the option to retile or rearrange the windows of theGUI208 onscreen1914 in any fashion desired.
• The keys and/or buttons ofkeyboard1904,GUI208 and/or the cursor ofmouse1906 may be intelligent and interactive and may change their function according to the context, history, and/or state ofembodiment1900.
• Transducer system1910,computer system1908, and/or monitor1902 may be battery-operated.
• Embodiment1900 may have one or more on/off switches and/or one or more microphones as one or more separate stand alone units and/or incorporated in any one, any combination of, or all of,computing system1908,transducer system1910, monitor1902,keyboard1904, and/ormouse1906. The microphone may be used for voice activation of all of or any part ofGUI208 to controlembodiment1900.
• Ifmonitor1902 is not touch sensitive, then monitor1902 part of output system102 (FIG. 1). Ifmonitor1902 is touch sensitive, then monitor1902 is part of input/output system114 (FIG. 1).Keyboard1904 andmouse1906 are part of input system104 (FIG. 1), and are used to input text and/or select menu items, icons, virtual tabs and/or virtual buttons, for example.Computing system1908 includesprocessing system108 and memory system106 (FIG. 1).Transducer system1910 is part oftransducer system110, and is used for transmitting ultrasound signals to a medium under investigation such as a human body.
• Cables1912 are an embodiment ofcommunications system112.Cables1912 communicativelylink transducer system1910,keyboard1904, monitor1902,computing system1908, andmouse1906.Cables1912 may be wires and/or fiber optic cables, for example. Alternatively,transducer system1910,keyboard1904, monitor1902,computing system1908, and/ormouse1906 may be communicatively linked without cables by using radio waves, for example.
• Keyboard1904 will be discussed further after the discussion ofFIG. 21.
• FIG. 20 shows anoperation mode2000 forsystem2002, which is of an embodiment of theultrasound system100.Ultrasound system100 hasimaging unit2004, display andcontrol unit2006, anddocking unit2008.Imaging unit2004 includesimaging module2010 andtransducer module2012. Display andcontrol unit2006 includes two parts which are (1) handle2014 havingbuttons2016 and (2)monitor module2018 havingscreen2020 displayingGUI208.Operation mode2000 useshands2022 and2024.Hand2022 hasthumb2026.
• Ultrasound system100 has anoperation mode2000 of a handheld device that can be operated with either hand.Ultrasound system100 may be any type of handheld ultrasound imaging unit, such as that of U.S. Pat. No. 6,251,073 B1. Onehand2024 holdsimaging module2010 which may include antransducer module2012, while theother hand2022 holds the display andcontrol unit2006 byhandle2014. In such a situation, where onehand2024 is used for imaging, it is desirable for the user to be able to use theother hand2022 to hold and/or operate the display andcontrol unit2006. In an embodiment,buttons2016 are arranged onhandle2014 of display andcontrol unit2006 in such a fashion thatthumb2026 can conveniently operatebuttons2016. As an example of this embodiment,buttons2016 may be arranged in a circular or symmetrical pattern. In another embodiment,buttons2016 may be arranged in any pattern.
• The display andcontrol unit2006 may be responsible for setting up, displaying, processing, storing, and annotating information gathered from theimaging unit2004. The function of diplay andcontrol unit2006 may include image reconstruction, color flow estimation, and Doppler computations, for example. Display andcontrol unit2006 may include a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) or be capable of performing many of or all of the functions associated with a PDA.Imaging unit2004 and display andcontrol unit2006 may be battery-operated, andscreen2020 on display andcontrol unit2006 may be touch sensitive.Handle2014 is for holding display andcontrol unit2006. The user interactions with display andcontrol unit2006 may be throughbuttons2016 onhandle2014 and/or touch sensitive control areas onscreen2020. In an embodiment, handle2014 could be replaced with a small keyboard orpanel having buttons2016.Screen2020 displaysGUI208, which may have views of fixed formats and/or may give the user the option to retile or rearrange the windows of theGUI208 on the screen in any fashion desired.
• In an embodiment,screen2020 may contain a representation of thebuttons2016 or of other buttons and control elements, which can be activated by touchingscreen2020. Having a representation ofbuttons2016 onscreen2020 may be useful for navigatingGUI208 and/or the ultrasound image when the image is presented on an external video monitor.
• In addition to a location for storingimaging unit2004,docking unit2008 may be used for rechargingimaging unit2004 and display andcontrol unit2006. Alternatively,docking unit2008 may also be used for downloading and/or uploading files to the display andcontrol unit2006 and/or for connecting display andcontrol unit2006 to a network. Alternatively,docking unit2008 may be used for both recharging and uploading and/or downloading files.Docking unit2008 may alternatively be used to provide video interfaces like composite/SVHS video out (NTSC/PAL) and SVGA video out for connecting to a PC monitor.
• In an embodiment,docking unit2008 may be used to input an ECG Signal displayed inFIG. 26 B,Plot2666.
• Imaging module2010 processes the data collected and converts it into a format to be displayed onscreen2020 of display andcontrol unit2006.Imaging module2010 is responsible for collecting and digitizing ultrasound data.Imaging module2010 also produces the signals to control and/or drive the transducers of the transducer array oftransducer module2012.
• Transducer module2012 includes an imaging ultrasound scan head having an array of transducer pixel elements used to transmit ultrasound signals for data acquisition.Transducer module2012 converts electrical signals into acoustic signals and acoustic singals into electric signals, for the purpose of transmitting and receiving the ultrasound information.
• Monitor module2018 and any means, such asdocking unit2008, of outputting information to a printer on other computer is part of output system102 (FIG. 1).Buttons2016, screen2020 (if touch sensitive), and any means of inputting data (e.g., patient information or images) from a computer system or database is part of input system104 (FIG. 1).Imaging module2010 and any processing and/or memory units with display andcontrol unit2006 are part of memory system106 (FIG. 1) and processing system108 (FIG. 1).Transducer module2012 is part of transducer system110 (FIG. 1). The cables and/or means for communicating through the air (using electromagnetic or sound signals) are part of communications system112 (FIG. 1).
• By placing thescreen2020 and thetransducer module2012 on separate units held in separate hands,screen2020 can be used to view the image being scanned in real time. Placing thebuttons2016 on the same unit as thescreen2020 facilitates seeing thebuttons2016 and thescreen2020 simultaneously so that the user knows the function ofbutton2016 being pressed while viewing the effects of the button. Placingimaging module2010 in the same unit astransducer module2012 allows the signal path fromimaging module2010 totransducer module2012 to be shorter and therefore less noisy than were imagingmodule2010 andtransducer module2012 on separate units.
• In one embodiment (not shown), however, thescreen2020 andbuttons2016 are located in different units.Buttons2016 could be placed onimaging unit2004.Imaging module2010 andtransducer module2012 do not have to be placed in the same unit.Imaging module2010 could be placed in the same unit withscreen2020 andbuttons2016, or could be placed withonly screen2020, whilebuttons2016 are on the same unit asonly transducer module2012. Alternatively,imaging unit2004 and display andcontrol unit2006 could be placed together in one unit. The invention is not limited to a handheld system. Display andcontrol unit2006 could be replaced with an appliance that is not handheld such as a laptop computer, personal computer, workstation, or mainframe computer, which may or may not includeimaging module2010. The appliance that is not handheld (e.g., a computer) may be programmed to perform the functions ofimaging module2010.
• GUI208 has many different views. In this specification, each view is a different combination of features, menu items, icons, and/or tabs. The word “view” is to be understood as generic to a frame or page ofGUI208.
• System2002 provides a user interface for a handheld imaging device. In order to accommodate holding and controlling the device at the same time with one hand (e.g., hand2022),GUI208 is designed to be used by one-hand and one-thumb operation, and makes use of several intelligent (adaptive and context sensitive) active elements, e.g., windows, soft buttons, tabs, menus, toolbars, and/or icons.
• In one embodiment,GUI208 interface is voice controlled. To facilitate use with one hand, the user can train the device to recognize a set of words or combinations of words. Each recognizable unit (word or word combination) can be assigned to a device command, performing a specific function or a sequence of functions. Thus, some or all functions can be voice activated obviating or partially obviating the use of hand controls.
• FIG. 21 showsbuttons2016 on display andcontrol unit2006 ofultrasound system100. In an embodiment,buttons2016, which are made accessible to the user on display andcontrol unit2006, may include a start/stop toggle2102, a back/escape button2104, asave button2106, a firstprogrammable button2108, a secondprogrammable button2110, aprint button2112, a select or enterbutton2114, and adirection button2116.Direction button2116 has aright arrow2118, adown arrow2120, aleft arrow2122 and an uparrow2124.
• The buttons and toggles may be multifunctional. For example, start/stop toggle2102 may be replaced with or double as a freeze/unfreeze toggle. Start/stop toggle2102 toggles between two states start and stop or freeze and unfreeze. While in or upon being placed into the start or unfreeze state a process may be activated, allowed to continue to operate, orscreen2020 may be allowed continue to display a series of images. While in or being placed into the stop or freeze state a process may be stopped temporarily, shutdown, or thescreen2020 may be held frozen on one image.
• Back/escape button2104 returns screen2020 to a prior view or frame ofGUI208 or may be configured to exit a process in progress. Savebutton2106 may be configured so that it saves an image to a file or saves data (e.g., a patient's profile) that was entered, for example.
• Firstprogrammable button2108 and secondprogrammable button2110 can be programmed by the user to perform a user-defined function. Alternatively, the user is allowed to select a function from a list of predefined functions and assign that function to one of the programmable keys. In an embodiment, the user may be allowed to program the programmable buttons to perform any desired function and also given a list of predetermined functions to choose from that can be assigned to the programmable buttons. In another embodiment, a sequence of user actions can be recorded and allocated to a firstprogrammable button2108 and/or secondprogrammable button2110. The recorded sequence is started when the user presses the button.
• Print button2112 activates a print action. For example,print button2112 may activate a printer to print an image or data, such as a patient profile or report. The image or data may be transmitted to the printer by electromagnetic or sound waves traveling through the air or via a cable between a printer andultrasound system100, for example. Select or enterbutton2114 may be used to select an icon, tab, selection, or file or may be used to enter data typed in at the start of or during the operation of a routine or program. Select or enterbutton2114 and thedirection button2116 may be combined into a single control element.
• Direction button2116 can be used to navigate a selection between icons, tabs, text boxes, or to move a cursor within a text box, for example. The movement direction of the cursor or the selection is determined byarrows2118,2120,2122, and/or2124. Depressing an arrow moves the cursor or selection in the direction of the arrow.Left arrow2122 moves the cursor or selection to the left. Downarrow2120 moves the cursor or selection down.Right arrow2118 moves the cursor or selection to the right. Uparrow2124 moves the cursor or selection up.Direction button2116 can be replaced with four direction buttons—one button for eacharrow2118,2120,2122, and2124. The selection and cursor movement up, down, right, and left may be actuated at a variety of speeds that may depend on the context of the action. For example, selecting menu items may be actuated at one speed, while moving a cursor may auto-repeat at continuously increasing speeds. Tactile feedback (feedback related to a person's sense of feeling) is integrated with the selection and movement, such that, for example, it may be more difficult to leave a selection than to move through different selections, In an embodiment, the time required to implement an action is used to convey a sense of the action being more difficult to implemented. By requiring a longer time to implement an action the user is given more opportunity to change her or his mind as to whether to allow the action to be completed.
• In an embodiment, any one of, any two of, or all of display andcontrol unit2006,imaging module2010, anddocking unit2008 may have its own on/off button.
• In an embodiment,GUI208 provides forseveral buttons2016 accessible with thethumb2026 ofhand2022 holding display andcontrol unit2006. AlthoughFIG. 21 illustrateshand2022 as a left hand andhand2024 as a right hand either hand could be used forhand2022 andhand2024. In other words,buttons2016 may be used by and/or made to be accessible to any finger of either or both hands. The number and functions of the buttons indicated in this embodiment are for exemplification purposes and do not constitute a limitation of the invention.
• Some ofbuttons2016 have fixed functionality (hard buttons); i.e.,buttons2016 with fixed functionality always activate the same system function independent of the operation mode. For example, start/stop toggle2102 (e.g., freeze/unfreeze) may have a fixed function. Other of buttons, such asbuttons2016, may be used to position a cursor on theGUI208 in the up, down, left, and right directions, such asdirection arrows2118,2120,2122, and/or2124. Select or enterbutton2114 may be used to activate the object the cursor points to or to perform a certain system function in accordance to the cursor's position. At least one button, such as back/escape button2104, may automatically or manually perform a functionality switch. Automatic functionality switches may dependsystem100's state (e.g., the present mode or modes in use, the history of which modes were used most recently, how much battery lifetime remains, and/or the history of which functionality the user selected for that button). The two user programmable buttons, firstprogrammable button2108 and secondprogrammable button2110, may also be programmed to switch functions depending upon context.
• An auto-optimize button and/or an on/off button may also be placed onhandle2014 or elsewhere in addition tobuttons2016 or in place of one of thebuttons2016. In an embodiment, savebutton2106 could be replaced with an auto-optimize button, andprint button2112 could be replaced by a print/save button that switches function depending on the context. For example, theprint button2112 may also function as a save button during imaging modes and as a print button during cine mode1302 (FIG. 13). Whenever the user depresses the auto optimize button, the system settings may be automatically optimized in accordance with several parameters including the system state, the image content, and the type of application.
• The invention is not limited to the specific arrangement ofbuttons2016 shown inFIGS. 20 and 21. In addition to the arrangement depicted inFIGS. 20 and 21, any of the buttons2102-2114 may have any of the functions associated with any of theother buttons2016, or functions not herein discussed.Buttons2016 could be arranged in rows and columns and/or arranged to form any shape, such as a rectangle, triangle or oval.Buttons2016 could be replaced with keys on a keyboard.
• Returning toFIG. 19, any of one or group of keys and/or buttons ofkeyboard1904 may be assigned the functions ofbuttons2016. For example,keyboard1904 may have direction arrows that perform thesame functions arrows2118,2120,2122, and2124.Keyboard1904 may have a print screen button that performs the same functions as a print/save button, assave button2106, orprint button2112.Keyboard1904 may have a pause button that may function as start/stop toggle2102.Keyboard1904 may have a backspace button and escape button, which may share the functions of back/escape button2104. In an embodiment one or both of the backspace and escape buttons may be able to perform all of the functions of back/escape button2104. In an embodiment,keyboard1904 is specially designed for use withultrasound system100 and has buttons corresponding tobuttons2016.Keyboard1904 may have one or more function buttons (e.g., F1-F12), any one of, any combination of or all of which may be programmable. Alternatively, any one of, any combination of or all the keys and/or buttons ofkeyboard1904 may be programmable. Any of the buttons ofkeyboard1904 may be assigned the auto optimize function of the auto optimize button discussed in conjunction withFIG. 21.
• Although certain features and/or function ofultrasound system100 may have been discussed inconjunction embodiment1900 and not in conjunction withsystem2002,system2002 may also include those features and/or functions. Although certain features and/or function ofultrasound system100 may have been discussed inconjunction system2002 and not in conjunction withembodiment1900,embodiment1900 may also include those features and/or functions.
• FIG. 22 shows an example of amenu tree2200 according to the invention, havinghard buttons2202 including apower button2204,freeze button2206,store button2208,auto optimize button2210, tab/iconselect sequences2212, back/escape button2214, enter/select button2216, and userprogrammable buttons2218, and itemselect button2219.Menu tree2200 also includesimage menu2220,patient utilities menu2222,application presets menu2224, andtools menu2226.Image menu2220 has B-mode menu2228, M-mode menu2230,color flow menu2232,power Doppler menu2234,PW Doppler menu2236,CW Doppler menu2238, which in turn have B-mode menu items2240, M-mode menu items2242, colorflow menu items2244, powerDoppler menu items2246, PWDoppler menu items2248, and CWDoppler menu item2250, respectively.Patient utilities menu2222,application presets menu2224, andtools menu2226 include patientutilities menu items2252, applicationpresets menu items2254, andtools menu items2256, respectively.
• Menu tree2200 is an example of a menu tree for GUI208 (FIG. 1) ofultrasound system100 corresponding to main operational modes300 (FIG. 3).
• Hard buttons2202 correspond to and may be identical to buttons2016 (FIG. 20).Power button2204 could be an on/off button.Freeze button2206 could be start/stop toggle2102 (FIG. 21).Store button2208 could be save button2106 (FIG. 21), and may also function as a print button, depending on the context. Userprogrammable buttons2218 could be the same first programmable button2108 (FIG. 21) and second programmable button2110 (FIG. 21). Enter/select button2216 could be select or enter button2114 (FIG. 21).Auto optimize2210 may be the same as the optional auto optimize button that can be included inbuttons2016 and/or have the same function as nay of the auto optimize modes. Tab/iconselect sequences2212 are sequences of menu navigation operations followed by a select operation choosing a menu item. Tab/iconselect sequences2212 and/or itemselect button2219 could be implemented by direction button2116 (FIG. 21) havingright arrow2118, downarrow2120, leftarrow2122 and uparrow2124 for navigating through the menu items or icons on a view of the GUI208 (FIG. 2). Back/escape button2214 could be the same asback escape button2104.
• Among the menu items on theimage menu2220 are menu items that select B-mode menu2228, M-mode menu2230,color flow menu2232,power Doppler menu2234,PW Doppler menu2236, and CW Doppler menu, which are different imaging modes corresponding to B-mode602, M-mode612,color flow mode604,Power Doppler mode606,PW Doppler mode608, and CW Doppler mode610 (FIG. 6), respectively. The different modes of the display modes ofFIGS. 7-13 may have a one-to-one correspondence with the B-mode menu items2240, M-mode menu items2242, colorflow menu items2244, powerDoppler menu items2246, PWDoppler menu items2248, and CWDoppler menu item2250, respectively.
• Patient utilities menu2222 corresponds to patient information mode306 (FIG. 3).
• Cardiology, obstetrics, gynecology, and radiology menu items of applicationpresets menu items2254 correspond to different types of users. The menu item general may allow for individual customizing of all or some presets.
• Menu items cine, annotation, and measurement oftools menu items2256 implementcine mode1302, annotatemode1304, and measure mode1306 (FIG. 13), respectively. Setup menu item oftools menu items2256 implements parts of system configuration mode304 (FIG. 3). Startup panel menu item corresponds to system defaults mode406 (FIG. 4) and is used for setting the startup display. Annotate dictionary menu item corresponds to define annotation dictionary mode408 (FIG. 4). Exam configuration menu item corresponds to assign presets mode404 (FIG. 4). Site configuration menu item corresponds to set system defaults mode406 (FIG. 4). Transducer defaults, archive defaults, battery, ROI defaults, and reset configuration menu items may also be included in system defaultsmode406. Language menu item corresponds to language mode416 (FIG. 4). Touchscreen calibration corresponds to touchscreen calibration mode410 (FIG. 4). Printer set up menu item corresponds to printer setup mode412 (FIG. 4).
• FIG. 23 shows an embodiment of amain display view2300 havingimage area2302,control area2304.Control area2304 has tabbedpanel2306 and sub-panel2308.Tabbed panel2306 hasimaging mode tab2310,patient information tab2312, user definedpresets tab2314, andtools tab2316, which correspond to themenu items2220,2222,2224, and2226 (FIG. 22), respectively.Sub-panel2308 has a selected imaging mode panel, which is B-mode control panel2318, a menu ofimaging modes2320, and a menu of additional functions including anaudio tab2322, andcursor tab2324. More tabs can be added or configured by the user, such as a full screen tab.Cursor tab2324 activates a cursor in theimage area2302.Audio tab2322 allows messages to be recorded.Ultrasound system100 starts in B-mode ready for imaging. Sub-panel2308 may have a hide control button in place of or in addition toaudio tab2322, which hides the control area. B-mode control panel2318 includes B-mode tab2326,tissue harmonics tab2328,gain tab2330,depth tab2332,more tab2334, and return tomain mode tab2336.
• In an embodiment, the modes of operation accessible viaGUI208 are divided into four main categories byimaging mode tab2310,patient information tab2312, user definedpresets tab2314, andtools tab2316. In an embodiment,imaging mode tab2310,patient information tab2312, user definedpresets tab2314, andtools tab2316 are accessible in every view of the control panel unless hidden by a window or in full screen mode618 (FIG. 6), for example.Imaging mode tab2310 allows a user to select an imaging mode and set the associated parameters. For example, a user could useimaging mode tab2310 to select B-mode menu2228, M-mode menu2230,color flow menu2232,power Doppler menu2234,PW Doppler menu2236, or CW Doppler menu and thereby select the corresponding imaging mode. Selectingimaging mode tab2310 while viewing the B-mode imaging view, as inFIG. 23 would not affect a change because the default imaging view (e.g., B-mode) is already onscreen2020 or1914. Selectingimaging mode tab2310 while viewing an operating mode other than the default imaging mode may cause the view to change to the default imaging mode. Alternatively, selectingimaging mode tab2310 while already viewing an imaging mode even though it is not the default imaging mode will not cause any change in the display, becauseGUI208 is already presenting an imaging mode.
• Patient information tab2312 allows the user to enter patient specific data. User definedpresets tab2314 allows the user to select her or his preferences. User defined preferences may include, for example, the type of user (e.g., OB/GYN, cardiologist, or technician) the sets of measurements, calculations, and/or reports presented to the user and/or the mode of first view that appears upon powering up.Tools tab2316 allows the user to accesscine mode1302, annotatemode1304,measure mode1306, and/or setup other functions. B-mode control panel2318 includes the menu items of the imaging mode selected. Menu ofimaging modes2320 provides a menu containing menu items that are each a different display mode.Audio tab2322 allows audio messages to be recorded and/or played back.Cursor tab2324 activates a cursor in theimage area2302.
• B-mode control panel2318 is activated upon selecting B-mode tab. Tissue harmonics mode706 (FIG. 7), gain mode702 (FIG. 7), and depth mode704 (FIG. 7), are selected by selectingtissue harmonics tab2328,gain tab2330, anddepth tab2332, respectively. Selectingmore tab2334 accesses another set of B-mode menu items, causing them to appear on B-mode control panel2318. Return tomain mode tab2336 returnsultrasound system100 to the system's default imaging mode. Ifultrasound system100 is already in its default mode, no change occurs. Although in this exampletissue harmonics tab2328 is just a menu item on the B-mode control panel2318, it could be its own display mode. Similarly, any of the menu items could have its own display mode.
• FIG. 23 represents an example of the first view that is presented to the user upon powering upultrasound system100. Consequently,FIG. 23 is in B-mode, because users often perform significant portions of their work in B-mode. However,ultrasound system100 could have any mode instead of B-mode control panel2318 upon powering up, depending upon howultrasound system100 is configured.
• In an embodiment,GUI208 ofFIG. 23 includes onscreen1914 or2020 several elements each of which may be active and/or intelligent elements. Those elements that are active have information processing capabilities that are a function of input, context, and history, for example. Intelligent elements have interactions between elements and between the user and the elements are auto-adaptive (i.e., the intelligent elements are automatically optimized depending on a number of parameters, including system state, user habits, etc.). Some examples of context dependent user interactions are selecting a patient's name may automatically open a patient information dialog window, and selecting a measurement result may automatically open a measurements summary page. Also, selecting a battery icon may open a window with details about the battery charge status including how much time of operation is still available. Another example of a context dependent user interaction is selecting the logo of the manufacturer ofultrasound system100 may open up a window allowing the user to connect to the manufacturer's website via the Internet through, for example, a mini web browser available onultrasound system100.
• An embodiment ofultrasound system100 is the combination of active and/or intelligent elements designed to facilitate one-hand and/or one-thumb controlled imaging. As an example, the tabbedpanel2306 on the top left hand side of the screen representation ofFIG. 23 can be selected by usingright arrow2118 and leftarrow2122 or right and left direction buttons onkeyboard1904. The entries on one tab can be selected by using uparrow2124 and downarrow2120 or up and down direction buttons onkeyboard1904, for example. Theicons audio tab2322 andcursor tab2324 on the toolbar on the bottom right hand side of the screen can be selected by navigating and selecting withright arrow2118 and leftarrow2122 or right and left direction buttons onkeyboard1904, for example.Image area2302 may be an active element. Changing input focus from the left hand side tab to the right hand side image element can be achieved using a combination ofright arrow2118 and leftarrow2122 or right and left direction buttons onkeyboard1904, for example.
• In order to support the user in learning and operatingultrasound system100, context sensitive help is provided. The help refers to either theultrasound system100's functionality or to the interpretation of image data, for example.
• In another embodiment, the user interface provides for random access to any of the active elements through a touchscreen. In the one-handed operation mode, the user can utilize the thumb or any other finger to “touch” and activate any screen elements. In addition, a stylus or another pointing device can be used in a two-handed operation mode.
• In order to minimize the time for setting up and configuring the system, according to this invention, the user interface provides for application and/or user dependent presets, which are optimized based on several factors (e.g., user behavior, image quality, etc.).
• FIG. 24 shows an embodiment of themain display view2400 havingbattery status indicator2402,temperature gauge2404,thermometer2406,control panel2408, hidecontrol tab2410, and tabbedpanel2412.
• Battery status indicator2402 shows how much energy or life remains in the battery.Battery status indicator2402 is part of battery function mode1802 (FIG. 18). When the battery change reaches a predefined threshold, the system initiates an orderly and/or controlled shutdown operation including leaving specified data in non-volatile memory.Temperature gauge2404 andthermometer2406 indicate the temperature of the processing unit and/or the processor system108 (FIG. 1). One or both oftemperature gauge2404 andthermometer2406 may be supplemented or replaced with a numerical representation of temperature, for example.Temperature gauge2404 andthermometer2406 are part of diagnostic mode1806 (FIG. 18). One or both oftemperature gauge2404 andthermometer2406 may provide the temperature of theultrasound system100. In thisembodiment control panel2408 has ahide control tab2410. Hidecontrol tab2410 could be used to hide all or any part ofcontrol panel2408. Hidecontrol tab2410 may control which menu items appear oncontrol panel2408. In an alternative embodiment,control panel2408 may have an audio tab instead of or in addition to thehide control tab2410. The audio tab may activate and/or deactivate an audio input for navigating through the menus ofGUI208 and/or for inputting data in text fields when inreport mode314, for example.Tabbed panel2310 differs from tabbedpanel2306 only in that the icons used on the tabs are different. No cursor tab is shown because there is no image. Alternatively, a cursor tab could be displayed even when there is no image. Optionally,ultrasound system100 may be combined with a system for taking a patients temperature, in whichcase temperature gauge2404 and/orthermometer2406 may be used for displaying the temperature of the patient.Tabbed panel2412 and2310 differ only in the icons used for the tabs.
• FIG. 25 shows aview2500 having a colorflow control panel2502,color flow tab2504, Region Of Interest (ROI)position tab2506,ROI size tab2508,scale tab2510,more tab2512, and return tomain mode2514.View2500 also hasROI2516.
• Color flow tab2504 activates colorflow control panel2502.ROI position tab2506 andROI size tab2508 activate ROI mode802 (FIG. 8) and ROI size mode808 (FIG. 8), which control position and size, respectively, ofROI2516.Scale tab2510 activatesscale mode806. Selectingmore tab2512 causes an additional set of color flow-mode menu items to appear, similar to more tab2334 (FIG. 23). Return tomain mode tab2514 returns theultrasound system100 to the default imaging mode (e.g., B-mode602 of main display view2300), similar to return to main menu tab2336 (FIG. 23).
• FIG. 26 A shows aview2600 having a PWDoppler control panel2602,PW Doppler tab2604,gate setup tab2606,gain tab2608, B-mode controls tab2610, color flow controls2612, andmore tab2614.View2600 also has theDoppler line2616,ROI2618,baseline2620, andamplitude axis2622, and sample volume orgate2617 marked with a Z along the dotted line of sample volume orgate2617.
• The gate associated withview2600 is the section along theDoppler line2616 in which data is gathered. The section ofDoppler line2616 over which data gathered is that part ofDoppler line2616 that is withinROI2618. The data gathered from the sample volume orgate2617 defined byROI2618 andDoppler line2616 may be plotted abovebaseline2620 usingamplitude axis2622. Sample volume orgate2617 may be an active graphic element or object. The gate position, size, and angle can be modified by selecting the appropriate menu items and changing the current menu values using thedirection button2116 and select or enter button2114 (FIG. 21) or direction buttons and enter button onkeyboard1904. The user can position a cursor over sample volume orgate2617 and select it using select or enterbutton2114 or enter button onkeyboard1904. The size of the sample volume orgate2617 can be modified graphically usingright arrow2118 and/orleft arrow2122 ofdirection button2116 or right and/or left direction arrows ofkeyboard1904, for example. The depth sample volume orgate2617 can be modified interactively and/or graphically using downarrow2120 and/or uparrow2124 ofdirection button2116 or up and/or down direction arrows ofkeyboard1904. The angle of the sample volume can be automatically adjusted by the system to obtain the maximum intensity signal and/or sharpest image.
• WhilePW Doppler tab2604 is selected all color flow mode menu items and all M-mode menu items can be accessed using B-mode controls tab2610 and colorflow controls tab2612.PW Doppler tab2604 activates PWDoppler control panel2602.Gate setup tab2606 controls the size, position, and angle of the sample volume orgate2617 for gathering data. Selectingmore tab2614 causes another set of PW Doppler mode menu items to appear, similar to more tab2334 (FIG. 23). The return to main mode tab can be accessed by selectingmore tab2614. Alternatively, a return to main mode tab could replace any one of the other tabs of PWDoppler control panel2602.
• FIG. 26 B shows aview2650 havingCW Doppler mode610 having acolor flow image2652 includingline2654 andROI2656.View2650 also includesplots2664 and2666 sharing avertical axis2660.Plot2664 hashorizontal axis2658, andplot2666 hashorizontal axis2662.Control area2665 has modeselect region2667 and panel2668. Panel2668 includes new patient tab2670, application presettab2672,tools tab2674, hide control and/oraudio tab2676, savetab2678, and stoptab2680.
• The information used forplots2664 and2666 may be gathered from the gate defined by the portion ofline2654 subtended byROI2656.Plot2664 displays spectral information using thehorizontal axis2658 for frequency and the vertical axis for amplitude.Plot2666 is an Echo Cardio Gram (ECG) signal used to monitor heart activity and to synchronize ultrasound acquisition with heat movements.
• Control area2665 represents a different embodiment than control area2304 (FIG. 23) having a different mixture of icons and tabs. Panel2668 replaces tabbed panel2306 (FIG. 23). New patient tab2670 corresponds to new patient mode504 (FIG. 5) and will be discussed further in connection withFIG. 27. Applicationpreset tab2672 corresponds to assign preset mode404 (FIG. 4) and application presets menu items2254 (FIG. 22).Tools tab2674 corresponds to tools mode320 (FIG. 3) and to tools menu items2256 (FIG. 22). Hide control and/oraudio tab2676 corresponds to hide control tab2410 (FIG. 24).Save tab2678 allows the user to save the image and/or the data gathered to a file, similar to save button2106 (FIG. 21) or a corresponding button onkeyboard1904.Stop tab2680 may be used to stop the data acquisition and/or freeze the image similar to start/stop toggle2102 (FIG. 21) or pause button onkeyboard1904, for example.
• FIG. 26C shows aview2682 havingmaps tab2683 selected and power Doppler tab2685 selected showingmapping controls2684 which in turn has points2686a-fand lines2688a-f.
• In an embodiment, although mapping controls2684 ofFIG. 26C cover only part of a side panel, mapping controls2684 may be a dedicated user interface window that covers the entire screen, for example. The user can input any mapping curve through mapping controls2684. The user can adjust the horizontal position of each of the points2686a-fby using theleft arrow2122 and right arrow2118 (FIG. 21) or left and right direction buttons ofkeyboard1904. The user can select any of the points2686a-fby using the uparrow2124 and down arrow2120 (FIG. 21) or up and down direction buttons ofkeyboard1904. Alternatively, points2686a-fcan be moved by clicking and dragging using a mouse1906 (FIG. 19), finger, and/or stylus.
• Each horizontal position along lines2688a-fcorresponds to a level of magnitude between a Minimum (MIN) and Maximum (MAX) level. There can be more or less than six points2686a-fand lines2688a-f.
• FIG. 27 is an example of anew patient view2700 of theGUI208 for entering information for a new patient having tabbedpanel2306 withimaging mode tab2310,patient information tab2312, user definedpresets tab2314, andTools tab2316, similar toFIG. 23. Newpatient view2700 also haspatient information panel2702 andpatient information area2734.Patient information panel2702 hasnew tab2704, addtab2706,report tab2708,archive tab2710,print tab2712, andhelp tab2714. Patient information area hasname box2716,ID box2718,birthdate box2720,gender selection2722,height box2724,weight box2726,operator box2728, referringphysician box2730, andcomment box2732.
• New tab2704 is for changing which patient's information is being displayed, designating a different patient already in the system or adding a different patient not already in the system. Addtab2706 is for adding a new patient to the database.Report tab2708 is for producing a report such as a medical report for an insurance company.Report tab2708 corresponds to reporting mode1704 (FIG. 17).Archive tab2710 is for sending patient information to storage. Upon pressingarchive tab2710ultrasound system100 may decide upon a classification for the patient and an optimum location or set of locations to store the patient information. The classification for the patient may depend upon the patient's disease, place of origin, physical features, age, physician and/or location in a hospital, for example.Print tab2712 is for printing the current view or the report and corresponds to print image/data mode1702 (FIG. 17).Help tab2714 is for obtaining help about any topic or may be for obtaining help about using the view being displayed.Help tab2714 corresponds to get help mode1804 (FIG. 18).Name box2716,ID box2718,birthdate box2720,gender selection2722,height box2724,weight box2726,operator box2728, referringphysician box2730, andcomment box2732 are for entering or editing the new patient's name, identification, birthday, gender, height, weight, operator, referring physician, and comments, respectively, and are contained withinpatient information area2734. The identification may be a social security number or a number assigned by the institution examining the patient. The operator may refer to the user taking or entering the data. The dotted box aroundgender selection2722 is not part of theGUI208, but was added to clarify which items are being referred to by thedesignation gender selection2722. The text boxes2716-2732 correspond to the menu items under the new patient menu item in patient utilities menu items2252 (FIG. 22).
• All the text fields of the patient information area2734 (e.g., thename box2716 or the “Date and Time” fields such as birthdate box2720) may be active elements. They can be selected using the buttons, and once selected they show active and/or intelligent behavior. In an embodiment, entries can be made to any of the text boxes ofpatient information area2734 using voice recognition and/or free hand writing with a stylus for example and automatic character recognition. For example, selecting thebirthdate box2720 allows the user to enter the patient's birth date using any available means such as a virtual keyboard (e.g.,keyboard2800,FIG. 28 to be discussed below), voice recognition, or free hand writing. Alternatively, given sufficient otherinformation ultrasound system100 will find the birth date in the database and fill inbirthdate box2720. Selecting thename box2716 can open the database interface and retrieve the corresponding patient's records.
• In an embodiment,new patient view2700 as well as other views are configured to optimize one-hand and one-thumb operations. Thepatient information panel2702 is a database interface and is configured such that database fields are selectable using theleft arrow2122,right arrow2118, uparrow2124 and downarrow2120. The navigation interface with its hierarchical structure provides for up and down navigation at the same level in the hierarchy and left right navigation to move between hierarchy levels. Thus leftarrow2122 may function like a return to the previous menu, escape or back tab, andright arrow2118 may function like a forward tab or a selection of a menu item bringing theGUI208 to the next menu. The same multifunctional concept applies to all hierarchically structured active elements. Although not necessarily suitable for one-handedoperations embodiment1900 may be configured such that the direction buttons ofkeyboard1904 have the same navigation and selection functions asarrows2118,2120,2122, and2124 described above.
• FIG. 28 is an example of thenew patient view2700 partially hidden by a virtual keyboard,keyboard2800. The components ofnew patient view2700 are the same as inFIG. 27.Keyboard2800 haskeys BS key2802,X key2804, exit/back key2806, recg key2808, lock key2810,shift key2812, OK key2814 and as well as other typical keyboard keys that are not labeled, for example. Other virtual keys may be added as appropriate. For example, a new patient virtual shortcut key may be added tokeyboard2800, which may have the same function as new tab2704 (FIG. 27). As another example,keyboard2800 may include a key labeled search for searching a database.
• BS key2802 is a backspace key. X key2804 is an exit key for closingkeyboard2800. Exit/back key2806 is for exiting a view or an application or for going back to the previous view or frame. Recg key2808 is for enabling a recognitions function. Recg key2808 may enable, for example,ultrasound system100 to fill in remaining fields innew patient view2700 after one or some of the boxes have already been filled in. Similarly, Recg key2808 could enable a word match or word complete feature, which could complete partially typed or entered words with the closest match in the database.Lock key2810 is used in combination with other keys such asshift key2812 for a caps lock. Lock key2810 could also be used for number lock, for example. In an embodiment, lock key2810 can be used with recg key2808 so that the user never needs to finish entering a word, name, or field ifultrasound system100 can locate it first.
• In an embodiment, a virtual keyboard (keyboard2800) is provided in order to facilitate one-handed and/or potentially one-thumb alphanumeric data entry. The user can select any alphanumeric key on the keyboard by using theleft arrow2122,right arrow2118, uparrow2124, and/or downarrow2120. Select or enterbutton2114 may have the same effect as the enter key of the keyboard. Although not necessarily suitable for one-handed operation the direction buttons and enter button ofkeyboard1904 may be used to navigate and select the keys ofvirtual keyboard2800 similar to theway arrows2118,2120,2122, and2124 and enterbutton2114 are used. Alternatively, pressing a key or button onkeyboard1904 may activate a corresponding key onvirtual keyboard2800.
• FIG. 29 is a page of a selected patient'sreport2900 having patient information tables2902 andpatient information panel2702 having backtab2904,search tab2906, andreview tab2908, (not present in previous FIGs.) in addition to havingnew tab2704, addtab2706,report tab2708,print tab2712, andhelp tab2714 already described in connection withFIG. 27.
• In the view of the embodiment shown inFIG. 29 patient information tables2902 are specialized for an OB/GYN examination, but could be specialized for any type of user or customized for a particular user.Back tab2904 bringsultrasound system100 back tonew patient view2700.Search tab2906 allows the user to search throughultrasound100's database. For example,search tab2906 may allow the user to search any one of, any combination of, or all of the record of the patient whose report is being viewed, search through the database for a specific person's report, and/or search for text in a field of all reports or a subset of reports of the database.Review tab2908 may be used to allow the user to review data already entered intoultrasound system100, a related database, or an unrelated database. For example,review tab2908 may be used to allow the report to be edited and/or the rest of the report to be reviewed.
• FIG. 30 shows aview3000 for selecting a new patient having selection table3002,control panel3004,edit tab3006, deletetab3008, andview tab3010.
• Control panel3004 is essentially the same as sub-panel2308 except that different icons are used. Inview3000 tabs are presented that are associated with word processing features ofultrasound system100.Edit tab3006 allows the user to edit a patient's records.Delete tab3008 allows the user to delete a patient's records.View tab3010 allows the user to view the patients inultrasound system100's records or another system's records. In an embodiment, selection table3002 can be accessed by selecting review tab29 (FIG. 29).
• FIG. 31 A shows aview3100 A of thetools panel3102 havingprint tab2712 andhelp tab2714, similar toFIG. 27, and also havingcine tab3104,measure tab3106, annotatetab3108,setup tab3110,screen configuration icon3112,exam presets icon3114,annotation dictionary icon3116, transducer icon3118,ROI defaults icon3120, saveoptions icon3122,printer icon3124,touchscreen icon3126,battery icon3128, system defaultsicon3130, date/time icon3132, andlanguage icon3134.
• Although not shown, additional operational icons may be included in a start up panel. For example, an export/import or upload/download icon, a reset configuration icon, an ROI defaults icon, and/or a battery icon may be included in the icons of the start up panel associated withsetup tab3110. The series of icons3112-3134 are displayed upon selectingsetup tab3110.Screen configuration icon3112 allows the user to configure the screen by changing its colors, locations of the control area and/or image area and/or otherwise retile the display.Screen configuration icon3112 may also control which items appear in the start up panel. The type and position of the information displayed on the screen, e.g. menu items, measurement results, etc., can be customized and included in a preset. Icons3112-3134 have a one-to-one correspondence with the menu items under setup intools menu items2256.
• FIG. 31 B shows aview3100 B having measure menu item selected. Distance may be calculated alonglines3146, which were drawn by the user.
• Eachline3146 is an active GUI object, and can be selected, deleted, repositioned, and resized using select or enterbutton2114, uparrow2124, downarrow2120, leftarrow2122,right arrow2118, and back/escape button2104 or the direction, escape, and/or backspace buttons ofkeyboard1904, for example. The eachline3146 is associated with context information; e.g., each line behaves differently if other lines are present or according to the type of calculation the user indicates she or he wants to perform. Depending on the application, for example, a ratio between the two distances may be output and automatically calculated each time one of the two lines is modified. Alternatively, the system may assist and/or instruct a user in a step-by step interactive process in order to perform a sequence of measurements required by a more complicated calculation of a clinically relevant parameter.
• FIG. 31 C shows an embodiment with video-like controls includingtools panel3102 havingcine tab3104 selected havingvideo control bar3159 including single step backward3160,backward playback3162,fast rewind3164, stop3166,fast forward3168,forward playback3170, single step forward3172.
• Single step backward3160 and single step forward3172 step one frame backward and forward, respectively.Backward playback3162 andforward playback3170 playback the images at a temporally realistic speed backward and forward, respectively.Fast rewind3164 andfast forward3168 playback the images at a fast rate backward and forward, respectively.Fast forward3168 andfast rewind3164 may be replaced with or may be provided in addition to a variable speed rewind or a variable speed forward, respectively. Video controls3162-3172 may be placed undercine tab3104 or may be placed anywhere else on the screen. Other sets of icons may be used instead of or in addition to the ones displayed inFIG. 31 C. The cine control icons (e.g., video controls3162-3172) may be selected and arranged so that they are easy navigate through and select viabuttons2016 or direction buttons and/or other buttons ofkeyboard1904 and/orbuttons2016 and direction buttons and/or other buttons ofkeyboard1904 may directly control howultrasound system100 steps through and/or plays back the frames.
• FIG. 32 shows an example of afull screen image3200 having backtab3202, which brings back the sub-panel2308 (FIG. 23) or3302 (FIG. 33, below) depending upon which was the previous control panel.
• In order to minimize user interactions thehide control tab2410 ofFIG. 24 allows the user to directly switch to an imaging mode, where the image occupies the full screen as inFIG. 32, usingfull screen mode618.Full screen mode618 may show the user a bigger image, where the details are clearer than other viewing modes.
• FIG. 33 shows an example of aview3300 including anannotation control panel3302 having annotate selecttab3316 selected showing alist tab3304,text tab3306,body markers tab3308,indicators tab3310,voice tab3312, andback tab3314.
• List tab3304 may bring theultrasound system100 to a list of user options, for example, which may include a list of predefined annotations. An item in the list can be selected by using uparrow2124, downarrow2120, leftarrow2122,right arrow2118, select or enterbutton2114, direction and enter buttons ofkeyboard1904, a stylus, and/or speaking the item into the microphone, for example. The system may recognize words and automatically select the appropriate item. Alternatively, the system may present the item to the user in alphabetical order or labeled with letter and/or numbers. The user may then pronounce one or more letters and/or numbers, andultrasound systems100 automatically searches the list for all annotations starting with that letter, number, or sequence of letters and/or numbers.Ultrasound system100 then presents the items found to the user in alphabetical and/or numerical order.Text tab3306 allows the user to enter text onto the image by using eitherkeyboard1904,virtual keyboard2800, voice input, and/or the free hand character recognition. In an embodiment, the text can be moved anywhere on the image by dragging and dropping.Body markers tab3308 gives the user a list of icons representing various body parts that can be placed on the image.Indicators tab3310 is used to indicate the diagnosis of the patient.Voice tab3312 is used to attach a voice message to the image.Back tab3314 brings theultrasound system100 back to the previous view.
• FIG. 34 shows an example of aview3400 including anannotation list3402. As an example,annotation list3402 ofFIG. 34 is a list of body markers for an OB/GYN, but could be focused differently for another user and/or is just one view of several, each for a different type of examination, measurement, and/or user.Annotation list3402 includes an apical4marker3404,uterus marker3406, leftbreast body marker3408, rightbreast body marker3410,short axis marker3412, rightcarotid marker3414,supine marker3416, andthyroid marker3418, for example.View3400 also has aback tab3420.
• Annotation list3402 can be used to select a body part marker, forexample thyroid marker3418, which appears on the image. The body part marker can be moved by dragging and dropping using a cursor arrow, for example.Back tab3420 brings theultrasound system100 back to the previous view. Body markers can be static and/or, animated graphical objects. For example, an animated body marker can be used to represent more clearly what is the relative portion of the body being imaged by the ultrasound transducer.
• FIG. 35 shows a view3500 of a handheld ultrasound system having a windows based GUI havingcontrol area #13502,image area #13504,control area #23506, andimage area #23508.Control area #13502 andimage area #13504 are attached to one another, whilecontrol area #23506 andimage area #23508 are detached. In this embodiment the user can attach and detach the image areas and control panels and retile the screen as desired.Image area #13504 may contain a B-mode type image, whileimage area #23508 may contain a patient information view similar toview2734. Additionally,image area #13504 or any other image area may be divided into adata area3510 containing data such as patient information and apicture area3512 containing ultrasound images and/or plots. The screen can be tiled to view two image areas simultaneously, for example. The windows can be moved by dragging and dropping them with a cursor.
• Although many of the embodiments of theGUI208 and of the operation ofultrasound system100 were described in conjunction with the embodiment ofFIGS. 20 and 21, the embodiment ofFIG. 19 can also be used for the same embodiments described in conjunction withFIGS. 20 and 21.
• Although each of the modes602-618 of imagemode selection mode308 is depicted as containing a different set of modes, any mode of contained within any ofmodes608 could be used within any of the other of modes602-618.
• Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention. In addition, modifications may be made without departing from the essential teachings of the invention.

Claims (18)

1. A user interface for a handheld ultrasound system, the user interface comprising:

a graphical user interface configured to present to a choice of display modes, one of the display modes configured to display an anatomically correct image that represents flow as motion of a speckled pattern.

2. An ultrasound system comprising:

an ultrasound imaging device capable of operating in a plurality of operation modes, wherein at least one of the operation modes is selected from a group of operation modes; and

a user interface comprising an auto optimize mode configured to automatically optimize a display of the ultrasound imaging device by adjusting one or more settings selected from the group consisting of: gain, contrast, compression maps, position of an image on the display, edge enhancement, persistence, flash suppression, or baseline shift, in accordance with a plurality of parameters selected by a user of the ultrasound imaging device.

3. The ultrasound system ofclaim 2, wherein the ultrasound imaging device is capable of simultaneously operating in each of the operation modes of the group of operation modes.

4. The ultrasound system ofclaim 2, wherein the ultrasound imaging device is operating in an image selection mode.

5. The ultrasound system ofclaim 4, wherein the image selection mode comprises a plurality of image viewing modes.

6. The ultrasound system ofclaim 5, wherein the image viewing mode comprises a B-mode.

7. The ultrasound system ofclaim 5, wherein the image viewing mode comprises an M-mode.

8. The ultrasound system ofclaim 5, wherein the image viewing mode comprises a power Doppler mode.

9. The ultrasound system ofclaim 5, wherein the image viewing mode comprises a continuous wave Doppler mode.

10. The ultrasound system ofclaim 5, wherein the image viewing mode comprises a pulsed wave Doppler mode.

11. The ultrasound system ofclaim 2, wherein the ultrasound imaging device is operating in an image acquisition mode.

12. The ultrasound system ofclaim 2, wherein the ultrasound imaging device is operating in a system configuration mode.

13. The ultrasound system ofclaim 2, wherein the ultrasound imaging device is operating in a measure and annotate mode.

14. The ultrasound system ofclaim 2, wherein the ultrasound imaging device is operating in an archiving mode.

15. The ultrasound system ofclaim 2, wherein the ultrasound imaging device is operating in a system services mode.

16. An ultrasound system comprising:

a display and control unit comprising:

a graphical user interface comprising active elements responsive to an operation mode of the ultrasound system, and to a record of prior user choices;

a screen for displaying the graphical user interface; and

an auto optimize button, menu item, or icon to automatically optimize the graphical user interface by adjusting one or more settings selected from the group consisting of: gain, contrast, compression maps, position of an image on the display, edge enhancement, persistence, flash suppression, or baseline shift, in accordance with a plurality of parameters selected by a user; and

a transducer unit for receiving and transmitting ultrasonic signals, the transducer unit communicatively coupled to the display and control unit.

17. The ultrasound system ofclaim 16 further comprising a docking unit configured for recharging the display and control unit.

18. The ultrasound system ofclaim 16, wherein the graphical user interface comprises a virtual keyboard.

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