IP Library Granted Patent US 12,406,464
Granted Patent B2
US 12,406,464 · App. 18/180,951 · Granted Sep 2, 2025

Information processing device, information processing system, information processing method, and computer program

Inventors: Hijiri Shimizu (Hadano, JP); Koichi Inoue (Odawara, JP); Yujiro Matsushita (Atsugi, JP)
Assignee: TERUMO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
G06V10/60A61B8/12G06T7/0012G06V10/25G06T2207/10132G06T2207/30104G06V2201/03
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,406,464
App. No.
18/180,951
Granted
Sep 2, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An information processing device including: a control unit configured to: acquire at least one frame image generated by using line data indicating intensity of a reflection wave with respect to an ultrasound radially transmitted from an ultrasound transducer moving inside a biological tissue, and extract a specific region from the at least one frame image based on a ratio between an average of luminance in a region of interest included in the at least one frame image and a dispersion of luminance in the region of interest.

Claims (39)

1. An information processing device comprising:

a control unit configured to:

acquire a plurality of frame images generated by using line data indicating intensity of a reflection wave with respect to an ultrasound radially transmitted from an ultrasound transducer moving inside a biological tissue;

extract a first region from the plurality of frame images based on a ratio between an average of luminance in a first region of interest included in the plurality of frame images and a dispersion of luminance in the first region of interest;

extract a second region from the plurality of frame images based on at least one feature amount in a second region of interest included in the plurality of frame images; and

determine a region commonly included in the first region and the second region as a specific region.

2. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to:

extract the specific region based on at least one of feature amounts of the plurality of frame images in a time direction and a feature amount in another spatial direction.

3. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein in a case where a ratio between an average of luminance in a first region of interest and a dispersion of luminance in a first region of interest for a first attentional pixel included in the plurality of frame images falls below a predetermined first value, the control unit is configured to determine that the first attentional pixel is included in the first region.

4. The information processing device according to claim 2 , wherein the control unit is configured to calculate, as a feature amount in the time direction, a correlation of luminance between different frame images in the second region of interest for a second attentional pixel included in the plurality of frame images.

5. The information processing device according to claim 4 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine that the second attentional pixel is included in the second region in a case where the feature amount in the time direction falls below a predetermined second value.

6. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to determine the specific region as a blood flow region.

7. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to enhance contrast between a region included in the specific region and a region not included in the specific region in the plurality of frame images.

8. The information processing device according to claim 7 , wherein the control unit is configured to suppress luminance of the region included in the specific region in the at least one frame image.

9. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to display at least one frame image of the plurality of frame images on a display unit by distinguishing the region included in the specific region from the region not included in the specific region.

10. The information processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to display the at least one frame image on the display unit by making display colors different between the region included in the specific region and the region not included in the specific region.

11. The information processing device according to claim 9 , wherein the control unit is configured to:

display the at least one frame image on the display unit by making transparency of the region included in the specific region higher than transparency of the region not included in the specific region.

12. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to:

extract a plurality of types of the specific regions from at least one frame image of the plurality of frame images based on which of a plurality of predetermined numerical ranges a ratio between an average of luminance in the first region of interest and the dispersion of luminance in the first region of interest for a first attentional pixel included in the at least one frame image.

13. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to:

extract a plurality of types of the specific regions from the plurality of frame images based on which of a plurality of predetermined first numerical ranges a ratio between an average of luminance in the first region of interest and the dispersion of luminance in the first region of interest for a first attentional pixel included in the plurality of frame images, and which of a plurality of predetermined second numerical ranges the at least one feature amount in the second region of interest for a second attentional pixel included in the plurality of frame images.

14. An information processing system comprising:

the information processing device according to claim 1 ; and

a probe including the ultrasound transducer.

15. An information processing method, comprising:

acquiring, by a control unit of an information processing device, a plurality of frame images generated by using line data indicating intensity of a reflection wave with respect to an ultrasound radially transmitted from an ultrasound transducer moving inside a biological tissue;

extracting, by the control unit of the information processing device, a first region from the plurality of frame images based on a ratio between an average of luminance in a first region of interest included in the plurality of frame images and a dispersion of luminance in the first region of interest;

extracting, by the control unit of the information processing device, a second region from the plurality of frame images based on the at least one feature amount in a second region of interest included in the plurality of frame images; and

determining, by the control unit of the information processing device, a region commonly included in the first region and the second region as a specific region.

16. The information processing method according to claim 15 , further comprising:

extracting, by the control unit of the information processing device, the specific region based on at least one of feature amounts of the plurality of frame images in a time direction and a feature amount in another spatial direction.

17. The information processing method according to claim 15 , wherein in a case where a ratio between an average of luminance in a first region of interest and a dispersion of luminance in a first region of interest for a first attentional pixel included in the plurality of frame images falls below a predetermined first value, further comprising:

determining, by the control unit of the information processing device, that the first attentional pixel is included in the first region.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program executed by a computer processor to execute a process comprising:

acquiring a plurality of frame images generated by using line data indicating intensity of a reflection wave with respect to an ultrasound radially transmitted from an ultrasound transducer moving inside a biological tissue;

extracting a first region from the plurality of frame images based on a ratio between an average of luminance in a first region of interest included in the plurality of frame images and a dispersion of luminance in the first region of interest;

extracting a second region from the plurality of frame images based on at least one feature amount in a second region of interest included in the plurality of frame images; and

determining a region commonly included in the first region and the second region as a specific region.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 9, 2023
From: SHIMIZU, HIJIRI; INOUE, KOICHI; MATSUSHITA, YUJIRO
To: TERUMO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 062929/0978 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-154131 · Sep 14, 2020 · national
Continuity (2)
Continuation PCTJP2021032887 · Sep 7, 2021
Related Publication 20230222760A1 · Jul 13, 2023
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