Patent ID: 8810568

Claim:
A method for providing an orientation marker in a display of a three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging system, the method comprising: obtaining scanning parameters; building a first geometric model representing an ultrasound imaging volume based on the scanning parameters; determining a 3D viewing direction of a 3D view; obtaining section parameters of a section window in which a section view is displayed; determining a section viewing direction of the section view; building a section geometric model based on the section parameters; obtaining the orientation marker by combining the first geometric model and the section geometric model while making a spatial position relationship between the first geometric model and the section geometric model the same as a spatial position relationship between the 3D view and the section view; wherein when the section geometric model becomes a line on the orientation marker, obtaining the orientation marker comprises determining one or more deflection angles relative to the 3D viewing direction; obtaining an orientation marker viewing direction by deflecting the 3D viewing direction with the one or more deflection angles, such that the orientation marker viewing direction is not parallel to the section viewing direction; drawing the first geometric model according to the orientation marker viewing direction; and drawing the section geometric model according to the section viewing direction while making the spatial position relationships between the first geometric model and the section geometric model the same as the spatial position relationships between the 3D view and the section view; and displaying the orientation marker.