US4951676A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Ultrasonic echography device with reduced interference noise
Assignee: US Philips Corp
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Filing: 1989-05-04
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Granted: 1990-08-28
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Expires: 2009-05-04
Abstract
Abstract An ultrasonic echography device, comprising at least one piezoelectric transducer, a stage for transmitting an ultrasonic beam, and a stage for receiving and processing echographic signals e returned to the transducer. The stage for receiving and processing comprises at least one grey-scale morphological filter which comprises elementary erosion filters and dilation filters for processing applied to the echographic signals.
Inventors
- 👤 Antoine Collet-Billon
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 08:32
CPC Classifications
G; G01; G01S; G01S7/00; G01S7/52; G01S7/52017; G01S7/52053; G01S7/52057; G01S7/5206; G06; G06T; G06T5/00; G06T5/20; G06T5/30
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
120 words
An ultrasonic echography device, comprising at least one piezoelectric transducer, a stage for transmitting an ultrasonic beam, and a stage for receiving and processing echographic signals e returned to the at least one transducer, said receiving and processing stage comprising at least one grey-scale morphological filter, said at least one morphological filter comprising a closing filter including first dilation means followed by first erosion means applied to said echographic signals, said dilation means and erosion means being respectively defined by the following operations: (e+g)(x,y)=Max [e(x+x',y,y')+g(x',y')] (1) x',y'ΣD (e⊖g)(x,y)=Min [e(x+x',y,y')-g(x',y')] (2) x',y'ΣD wherein g is a structuring element in a domain D, said closing filter being followed by a morphological opening filter comprising second erosion means followed by second dilation means.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
120 words
An ultrasonic echography device, comprising at least one piezoelectric transducer, a stage for transmitting an ultrasonic beam, and a stage for receiving and processing echographic signals e returned to the at least one transducer, said receiving and processing stage comprising at least one grey-scale morphological filter, said at least one morphological filter comprising a closing filter including first dilation means followed by first erosion means applied to said echographic signals, said dilation means and erosion means being respectively defined by the following operations: (e+g)(x,y)=Max [e(x+x',y,y')+g(x',y')] (1) x',y'ΣD (e⊖g)(x,y)=Min [e(x+x',y,y')-g(x',y')] (2) x',y'ΣD wherein g is a structuring element in a domain D, said closing filter being followed by a morphological opening filter comprising second erosion means followed by second dilation means.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
25 words
An ultrasonic echography device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the structuring element g is a flat element defined by g≠0 in the domain D.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
25 words
An ultrasonic echography device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the structuring element g is a voluminal element defined by g≠0 in the domain D.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
96 words
An ultrasonic echography device, comprising at least one piezoelectric transducer a stage for transmitting an ultrasonic beam, and a stage for receiving and processing echographic signals e returned to the transducer, said receiving and processing stage comprising at least one grey-scale morphological filter, with a voluminal structuring element g≠0 in a domain D and including elementary dilation means and erosion means applied to said echographic signals, said dilation means and erosion means being respectively defined by the following operations: (e+g)(x,y)=Max [e(x+x',y,y')+g(x',y')] (1) x',y'ΣD (e⊖g)(x,y)=Min [e(x+x',y,y')-g(x',y')] (2) x',y'ΣD g being a structuring element in a domain D.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
96 words
An ultrasonic echography device, comprising at least one piezoelectric transducer a stage for transmitting an ultrasonic beam, and a stage for receiving and processing echographic signals e returned to the transducer, said receiving and processing stage comprising at least one grey-scale morphological filter, with a voluminal structuring element g≠0 in a domain D and including elementary dilation means and erosion means applied to said echographic signals, said dilation means and erosion means being respectively defined by the following operations: (e+g)(x,y)=Max [e(x+x',y,y')+g(x',y')] (1) x',y'ΣD (e⊖g)(x,y)=Min [e(x+x',y,y')-g(x',y')] (2) x',y'ΣD g being a structuring element in a domain D.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
31 words
An ultrasonic echography device as claimed in claim 4 wherein said at least one morphological filter is a closing filter, the latter comprising a dilation means followed by an erosion means.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
31 words
An ultrasonic echography device as claimed in claim 5 wherein said closing filter is followed by a morphological opening filter, the latter comprising an erosion means followed by a dilation means.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
An ultrasonic echography device as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 4 wherein the dimension of the domain D of the structuring element g is at the most equal to the resolution of the echography device.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
32 words
An ultrasonic echography device as claimed in claim 7 wherein the dimension of the domain D of the structuring element g is substantially equal to half the resolution of the echography device.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
20 words
An ultrasonic echography device as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 4 wherein the domain D is rectangular.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
An ultrasonic echography device as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 4 wherein the domain D is elliptical.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
57 words
An ultrasonic echography device as claimed in claim 4 wherein the structuring element is given by: g(x,y)=kg.sub.ax (x)g.sub.lat (y) where g ax (x)=exp(-x 2 /σ a 2 ) and g lat (y)=exp(-y 2 /σ 1 2 ), the domain D being limited to the convex part of the Gaussian functions g ax (x) and g lat (y).
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-08-27 | 1994-02-26 | 1994-08-28 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-08-27 | 1998-02-26 | 1998-08-28 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-08-27 | 2002-02-26 | 2002-08-28 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |