IP Library Granted Patent US 9,460,499
Granted Patent B2
US 9,460,499 · App. 14/292,477 · Granted Oct 4, 2016

Systems and methods for selective enhancement of a region of interest in an image

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,460,499
App. No.
14/292,477
Granted
Oct 4, 2016
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for receiving ultrasound image data corresponding to an ultrasound image with a master dynamic range and displaying a globally tone-mapped version of the ultrasound image on an electronic display. A region of interest (ROI) within the ultrasound image may be regionally tone mapped to provide an enhanced, optimized, and/or otherwise improved image of the ROI. The regional tone mapping may allow for features within the ROI to be more easily distinguishable that are not or at least not easily distinguishable in the global tone mapping of the same region.

Claims (23)

1. A method for displaying an enhanced region of interest, the method comprising:

displaying, via an electronic display, a global tone mapping of an ultrasound image;

receiving, via an electronic input device, a selection of a region of interest within the displayed ultrasound image;

displaying, via the electronic display, a regional tone mapping of the region of interest, wherein the regional tone mapping of the region of interest is different from the global tone mapping of the same region of interest;

adjusting one of the size and relative location of the region of interest; and

displaying a refreshed regional tone mapping of the region of interest based on the adjusted region of interest,

wherein displaying the refreshed regional tone mapping of the region of interest comprises gradually transitioning the displayed region of interested from an initial regional tone mapping to the refreshed regional tone mapping.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the regional tone mapping of the region of interest comprises displaying the regional tone mapping of the region of interest as an overlay on the displayed global tone mapping of the ultrasound image.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving one or more tone mapping parameters from a user, and

wherein the regional tone mapping of the region of interest is based on the one or more received tone mapping parameters.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a tone mapping preset from a plurality of available tone mapping presets, and

wherein displaying the regional tone mapping of the region of interest comprises displaying the region of interest according to the selected tone mapping preset.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the plurality of available tone mapping presets comprises one or more tone mapping presets configured for viewing ultrasound images associated with at least one of a liver, a kidney, a breast, a testicle, a vascular structure, and junction of two or more tissue types.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein displaying the regional tone mapping of the region of interest comprises displaying the regional tone mapping of the region of interest magnified with respect to the displayed global tone mapping of the same region of interest.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the received region of interest is defined as an acoustic grid relative to the displayed global tone mapping of the ultrasound image.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the received region of interest corresponds to a region determined to be associated with one of a vascular structure and dissimilar tissues.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the regional tone mapping of the region of interest has a larger dynamic range than the global tone mapping of the same region of interest.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein regional tone mapping comprises one or more of: a linear mapping function, a gamma compression algorithm, a gradient domain high dynamic range compression algorithm, a gamma algorithm, a logarithmic algorithm, a histogram equalization algorithm, a tone mapping algorithm different from the global tone mapping algorithm, a decomposition of the image, a gradient of the image, an inverse tone mapping algorithm, an inverse linearization algorithm, and an image color appearance model (iCAM).

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the regional tone mapping comprises:

setting luminance values of the ultrasound image data that are below a minimum threshold value to a black equivalence; and

setting luminance values of the ultrasound image data that are above a maximum threshold value to a white equivalence.

Assignments (7)
LICENSE Recorded Jun 24, 2022
From: SHENZHEN MINDRAY BIOMEDICAL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
To: SHENZHEN MINDRAY ANIMAL MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 060440/0796 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 16, 2018
From: ZONARE MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
To: SHENZHEN MINDRAY BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD
Reel/Frame 044625/0530 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 12, 2018
From: ZONARE MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
To: SHENZHEN MINDRAY BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD
Reel/Frame 044613/0734 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 13, 2015
From: ZONARE MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
To: SHENZHEN MINDRAY BIO-MEDICAL ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 036322/0876 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 29, 2015
From: STEFFGEN, LUDWIG
To: ZONARE MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 036213/0788 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Jul 23, 2015
From: NOVASONICS, INC.
To: ZONARE MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
Reel/Frame 036173/0390 →
AGREEMENT TO ASSIGN Recorded Jul 2, 2015
From: MCLAUGHLIN, GLEN W.
To: NOVASONICS, INC.
Reel/Frame 036052/0732 →