IP Library Granted Patent US 12,611,160
Granted Patent B2
US 12,611,160 · App. 17/390,262 · Granted Apr 28, 2026

Ultrasonic diagnostic device and image processing device

Inventor: Takeshi Sato (Nasushiobara, JP)
Assignee: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
A61B8/06A61B8/14G06T7/262G06T2207/10132G06T2207/20004G06T2207/20056G06T2207/30104
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,611,160
App. No.
17/390,262
Granted
Apr 28, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

An ultrasonic diagnostic device according to an embodiment includes a collecting unit and processing circuitry. The collecting unit performs ultrasonic scanning with respect to a subject and collects reflected-wave data. The processing circuitry performs short-time Fourier transform in the depth direction with respect to the reflected-wave data; applies a nonlinear adaptive MTI filter on a frequency-by-frequency basis with respect to the result of the short-time Fourier transform; and performs inverse short-time Fourier transform in the depth direction with respect to the output of the nonlinear adaptive MTI filter. Then, the processing circuitry estimates blood flow information from the result of the inverse short-time Fourier transform.

Claims (21)

1 . An ultrasonic diagnostic device, comprising:

a collector that performs ultrasonic scanning with respect to a subject and collects reflected-wave data; and

processing circuitry configured to

perform a short-time Fourier transform in a depth direction with respect to a plurality of sets of partitioned data acquired by partitioning the reflected-wave data in the depth direction,

apply a nonlinear adaptive MTI filter on a frequency-by-frequency basis with respect to a result of the performance of the short-time Fourier transform, wherein the nonlinear adaptive MTI filter is a filter to reduce principal component signals by performing principal component analysis to two-dimensional data, in a raster direction and a frame direction, with a same frequency in the result of the short-time Fourier transform, the MTI filter being generated on a frequency-by-frequency basis by using the two-dimensional data corresponding to each frequency, in the raster direction and the frame direction, for each corresponding frequency,

perform an inverse short-time Fourier transform in the depth direction with respect to an output of the nonlinear adaptive MTI filter to generate a plurality of pieces of data transformed in the depth direction, and

estimate blood flow information from the data generated by performing the inverse short-time Fourier transform.

2 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to:

partition the reflected-wave data in the depth direction into a plurality of blocks as the plurality of sets of the partitioned data so that two blocks neighboring in the depth direction overlap, and

estimate the blood flow information based on weight-added autocorrelation functions at a same position.

3 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the nonlinear adaptive MTI filter is a filter for reducing clutter component according to a method based on the principal component analysis.

4 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the collector performs transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves of an entire range on a frame-by-frame basis, and collects a plurality of frames continuous in a frame direction.

5 . An image processing device, comprising:

a memory storing reflected-wave data collected as a result of performing ultrasonic scanning with respect to a subject; and

processing circuitry configured to:

perform a short-time Fourier transform in a depth direction with respect to a plurality of sets of partitioned data acquired by partitioning the reflected-wave data in the depth direction,

apply a nonlinear adaptive MTI filter on a frequency-by-frequency basis with respect to a result of the performance of the short-time Fourier transform, wherein the nonlinear adaptive MTI filter is a filter to reduce principal component signals by performing principal component analysis to two-dimensional data, in a raster direction and a frame direction, with a same frequency in the result of the short-time Fourier transform, the MTI filter being generated on a frequency-by-frequency basis by using the two-dimensional data corresponding to each frequency, in the raster direction and the frame direction, for each corresponding frequency,

perform inverse short-time Fourier transform in the depth direction with respect to an output of the nonlinear adaptive MTI filter to generate a plurality of pieces of data transformed in the depth direction, and

estimate blood flow information from the data generated by performing the inverse short-time Fourier transform.

6 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to add the plurality of the pieces of the data generated by performing the inverse short-time Fourier transform while overwrapping overlapping the plurality of the pieces of the data.

7 . The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein two blocks neighboring in the depth direction overlap by half of a number of sets of data corresponding to each of the plurality of the blocks.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 1, 2026
From: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
To: CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 075315/0598 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 30, 2021
From: SATO, TAKESHI
To: CANON MEDICAL SYSTEMS CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 057046/0924 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-129389 · Jul 30, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220054104A1 · Feb 24, 2022
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