Patent ID: 8313436

Claim:
A method for automatically deriving gain compensating data from ultrasound image data comprising: receiving ultrasound image data corresponding to an image scan, wherein the ultrasound image data is based on ultrasound signals attenuated by tissue; assembling an image frame from the ultrasound image data, the image frame having columns and rows of image data values where columns represent lateral position and rows represent axial position; partitioning the image data frame into a plurality of sections including associated image data values; for each of the plurality of sections, calculating a representative signal value based on the image data values associated with the section; calculating a gain variation between representative signal values of each pair of adjacent sections by: choosing one of the plurality of sections as a reference section; choosing a distribution direction from a position of the reference section to perform gain variation calculations; for each of the plurality of sections, for gain variation calculations proceeding in the distribution direction, subtracting a representative signal value of a section from a representative signal value of an adjacent section, a distance from the adjacent section to the reference section being greater than a distance from the section to the reference section; and for each of the plurality of sections, for gain variation calculations not proceeding in the distribution direction, subtracting a representative signal value of a section from a representative signal value of an adjacent section, a distance from the adjacent section to the reference section being less than a distance from the section to the reference section; calculating gain variation distribution series values from the calculated gain variations based on the distribution direction; calculating a gain variation curve from the gain variation distribution series values; and calculating a gain compensation curve from the gain variation curve, wherein a value of the gain compensation curve corresponds with a position.