Imaging systems generate image data representative of imaged bodies based on a variety of parameters of the imaging systems. These parameters dictate how the bodies are imaged, and may have fixed values or be manually changed by users of the imaging systems.
For example, some ultrasound imaging systems include software tools (e.g., applications) for automatically segmenting follicles in ultrasound volumes. These tools can have user-selectable sensitivity sliders that allow a user of an ultrasound system to manually change the sensitivity at which images are acquired. Low sensitivities selected by the user can result in the ultrasound imaging systems detecting fewer follicles in the ultrasound volumes. Higher sensitivities selected by the user can result in more follicles being detected, but this also can result in more false-positive automated detections of follicles by the imaging systems.
The users may then need to find the sensitivity (or other imaging parameter) that provides helpful image data for revealing or detecting bodies within the image (e.g., follicles), but that is not too sensitive (or have an otherwise extreme value) that results in falsely detecting bodies in the image(s) or incorrectly identifying bodies in the image(s). For manually selected imaging parameters, this can result in the user having to repeatedly select and/or change the value(s) of the imaging parameters.
This can be a difficult operation for some types of imaging systems. With respect to an ultrasound imaging system, the user usually has a hand-held ultrasound imaging probe that is held by the user toward a region of interest, while the user also concurrently reviews a display showing a representation of the image data and changes one or more imaging parameters. The user may not be able to maintain the desired region of interest within the field of view of the imaging probe while also changing the value of the imaging system parameter.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds