JP5190276B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to an STC function in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is usually provided with a function of STC (Sensitivity Time Control). By STC, gain adjustment corresponding to the depth (time) is performed on the reception beam signal obtained by transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves. Various techniques related to STC have been proposed. The STC function is sometimes called TGC (Time Gain Control).

  Patent Document 1 describes a technique in which TGC data (STC data) used in the past is stored in a memory, and the TGC data is later read from the memory and used. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228561 describes a technique for creating STC data necessary for a new display range by interpolation from STC data stored in a memory when the display range is switched.

JP-A-4-285544 JP 2001-286468 A

  It is desirable that the STC function is appropriately adjusted according to the usage status of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. For example, with the same probe, STC adjustment when using the probe directly in contact with an organ or the like, and STC adjustment when diagnosing an internal organ or the like by applying the probe to the body surface, The optimal adjustment may be different from each other.

  In addition, when diagnosing a child with an adult probe when Doppler sensitivity is required, etc., when diagnosing the abdomen with a sector probe for the heart, the linear probe for shallow areas has a mutual acoustic characteristic such as the lower limb and the neck. There are various usage situations of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, such as when diagnosing different parts, inserting or removing a water bag between the probe and the body surface, and adjust the STC appropriately according to each usage situation. It is desirable.

  However, if the user performs STC adjustment according to the usage status of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the burden on the user increases, and a difference in the quality of STC adjustment also occurs depending on the user's proficiency level.

  Under such circumstances, the inventor of the present application has studied an improved technique related to the STC function of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The present invention has been made in the course of the study, and an object thereof is to realize appropriate STC adjustment with a simple operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a preferred aspect of the present invention is obtained from a probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, a transmission unit that controls the probe to scan an ultrasonic beam, and the probe. A reception unit that forms a reception beam signal corresponding to the ultrasonic beam by processing the signal, an STC processing unit that performs STC processing on the reception beam signal, and an ultrasonic image based on the reception beam signal that has been subjected to STC processing An image forming unit for forming the image data, and a display unit for displaying an ultrasonic image corresponding to the image data. The STC processing unit includes a plurality of STC processing units provided according to the type of probe and the use of the probe. One STC data is read from the memory storing the STC data and STC processing corresponding to the STC data is performed.

  According to the above aspect, for example, by a relatively simple operation of selecting one STC data from a plurality of STC data stored in the memory, an appropriate STC adjustment according to the type of probe and the use of the probe can be performed. Can be realized.

  In a desirable mode, the STC processing unit adjusts the STC data read from the memory in accordance with the STC adjustment operation by the user, performs the STC processing corresponding to the adjusted STC data, and further receives an instruction from the user. Accordingly, the STC data read from the memory is updated to the adjusted STC data and stored in the memory.

  In a preferred aspect, the use of the probe is set by a user, and a plurality of STC data corresponding to the use of the probe is stored in a memory for each type of probe.

  In a desirable mode, a subject to be diagnosed is set as an application of the probe, and a plurality of STC data corresponding to the subject is stored in a memory for each type of probe.

  In a desirable mode, diagnostic contents are set as an application of the probe, and a plurality of STC data corresponding to the diagnostic contents is stored in a memory for each type of probe.

  In a desirable mode, a user who uses a probe is set as an application of the probe, and a plurality of STC data corresponding to the user is stored in a memory.

  In a preferred aspect, the memory additionally stores STC data formed by a user.

  According to the present invention, appropriate STC adjustment can be realized with a simple operation.

  FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing the overall configuration thereof.

  The probe 10 is an ultrasonic probe that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from the diagnostic region. The diagnosis target is, for example, a fetus, a tissue, a cavity in the tissue, a blood vessel, a blood flow, a tumor, or the like in a living body, but may be other than these. The probe 10 is, for example, a convex probe in which a plurality of vibration elements are arranged. However, the probe 10 is not limited to a convex probe, and may be a linear probe, for example.

  The transmission BF (transmission beam former) 12 outputs a transmission signal corresponding to each of the plurality of vibration elements included in the probe 10. The transmission BF 12 applies a delay process or the like corresponding to the vibration element to the transmission signal of each vibration element. The transmission signal output from the transmission BF 12 is supplied to each vibration element of the probe 10. Each vibration element vibrates in accordance with the transmission signal supplied from the transmission BF 12, thereby forming an ultrasonic transmission beam, and scanning control of the transmission beam is performed.

  The reception BF (reception beam former) 14 forms a reception beam based on signals obtained from a plurality of vibration elements included in the probe 10. The reception BF 14 forms an ultrasonic reception beam by, for example, phasing and adding the signals output from the plurality of vibration elements. In this way, reception signals (reception beam signals) along the reception beam are collected from the entire diagnosis area.

  Note that each unit in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. For example, the transmission BF 12 and the reception BF 14 are controlled by the control unit 30, and the probe 10 is controlled via the transmission BF 12.

  The reception signal processing unit 16 performs reception signal processing such as reception dynamic filter processing, detection processing, and LOG compression processing on the reception beam signal. The received beam signal subjected to the received signal processing is output to the gain adjusting unit 18.

  The gain adjustment unit 18 performs gain adjustment on the reception beam signal output from the reception signal processing unit 16. The gain adjustment in the gain adjustment unit 18 includes STC (Sensitivity Time Control) processing that is gain adjustment corresponding to the depth (time) of the received beam signal. The gain adjusting unit 18 performs STC processing on the received beam signal according to the STC curve obtained from the STC curve forming unit 20. The gain adjusting unit 18 may perform overall gain adjustment that does not depend on the depth of the received beam signal, in addition to the STC processing.

  The STC curve forming unit 20 changes the gain along the depth direction of the ultrasonic beam in accordance with STC data stored in the STC memory 22 and a user operation input via the operation panel 32. Form.

  The STC memory 22 stores a plurality of STC data. Each STC data is data that defines a gain value for each depth sampled along the depth direction of the ultrasonic beam. In general, since the echo is smaller at a deeper position, a larger gain value is set at a deeper position. The STC curve forming unit 20 reads one STC data from the STC memory 22, performs interpolation processing based on a plurality of gain values corresponding to a plurality of depths included in the read STC data, and performs ultrasonic beam depth analysis. An STC curve in which the gain is smoothly changed along the vertical direction is formed.

  Note that the user can make adjustments to the STC data read by the STC curve forming unit 20 via the operation panel 32. For example, the operation panel 32 includes a slider corresponding to each of a plurality of gain values included in the STC data (that is, corresponding to each depth). The user can adjust the magnitude of the gain value by operating the slider corresponding to the gain value that needs to be adjusted. The result of the user operation input via the operation panel 32 is transmitted from the control unit 30 to the STC curve forming unit 20. When adjustment is performed by the user, the STC curve forming unit 20 forms an STC curve based on the adjusted STC data.

  Thus, when the STC curve is formed in the STC curve forming unit 20, the gain adjusting unit 18 performs gain adjustment on the received beam signal in accordance with the formed STC curve. That is, gain adjustment (STC processing) of the received beam signal is performed while changing the gain along the depth direction according to the STC curve.

  The image forming unit 34 forms image data of an ultrasonic image based on the received beam signal whose gain has been adjusted by the gain adjusting unit 18. The image forming unit 34 performs signal processing such as resampling processing for converting the received beam signal into sampling data of the display system and coordinate conversion processing to coordinates of the display system to form image data. An ultrasonic image corresponding to the image data formed in this way is displayed on the monitor 36.

  In the present embodiment, the STC memory 22 stores a plurality of STC data according to the type of the probe 10 and the use of the probe 10. The distinction depending on the type of the probe 10 is distinction based on, for example, a convex probe, a linear probe, or a 3D probe. The discrimination according to the use of the probe 10 includes, for example, a discrimination according to a subject to be diagnosed (heart, abdomen, adult, child), a discrimination according to a diagnosis content (general diagnosis, surgery), a discrimination by a user using the probe 10, and the like. It is.

  Therefore, STC data in this embodiment will be described in detail. In the following description, the reference numerals in FIG. 1 are used for the portions (configurations) already shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the storage contents of the STC memory 22 and the memory management table 22T for managing the STC memory. In the STC memory 22, for example, a plurality of preset STC data from STC1 to STC8 are stored. Of course, the number of preset STC data may be other than eight. Further, STC data added by a user such as STCA or STCB is also stored in the STC memory 22.

  Each STC data stored in the STC memory 22 is data that defines a gain value for each depth sampled along the depth direction of the ultrasonic beam. In this embodiment, each STC data is set according to the type of probe and the use of the probe. The memory management table 22T defines the correspondence between the probe type and application and STC data. The memory management table 22T is referred to by, for example, the control unit 30, and is used to control reading and writing of data from the STC memory 22.

  In the memory management table 22T shown in FIG. 2, the probe A is associated with the STC1, and the heart is associated with the use of the probe. That is, STC1 data is suitable for cardiac diagnosis using probe A (for example, convex probe). In addition, the probe A is associated with the STC 2 as the type of probe, and the abdomen is associated with the use of the probe. That is, the STC2 data is suitable for abdominal diagnosis using the probe A.

  STC1 and STC2 are data corresponding to the same probe A. In the present embodiment, different STC data such as the heart (STC1) and the abdomen (STC2) can be set for the same probe A according to the use of the probe A.

  In the memory management table 22T shown in FIG. 2, STC3 and STC4 are data related to the probe B (for example, 3D probe). Different STC data such as obstetrics (STC3) and fetal heart (STC4) are set according to the use of the probe B.

  Further, in the present embodiment, STC data added by the user is stored in the STC memory 22 in addition to the preset STC data. In FIG. 2, STCA and STCB stored in the STC memory 22 are data added by the user, and referring to the memory management table 22T, the probe A is associated with the STCA as a probe type. A user A who uses the probe is associated as an application of the probe. The STCA data is formed and registered by the user A, for example. In addition, the probe A is associated with the STCB as the type of probe, and the user B who uses the probe is associated with the probe as an application.

  Note that the type of probe and the use of the probe in the memory management table 22T may be changed or input by the user.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an STC selection screen 40 for selecting one STC data from a plurality of STC data. The STC selection screen 40 is displayed on the monitor 36, the operation panel 32, or the like, for example. The STC selection screen 40 shows a list of a plurality of STC data stored in the STC memory 22. The numbers shown on the STC selection screen 40 are numbers assigned to each of the plurality of STC data. Furthermore, the name of STC and the contents of diagnosis are displayed for each number. Note that the user may be able to modify the name of STC and the contents of diagnosis.

  The user selects a desired STC from the STC selection screen 40. For example, the STC is selected by operating a button display shown in the name display portion. FIG. 3 shows a state where “abdomen” of STC 2 is selected. When a list of a plurality of STC data covers a plurality of pages, a list of the next page is displayed by operating the “Next” button display. Further, by operating the “Previous” button display, it is possible to return to the previous page display.

  When the user selects a desired STC via the STC selection screen 40, STC data corresponding to the selected STC number is read from the STC memory 22, and the STC curve forming unit 20 reads the STC corresponding to the STC data. A curve is formed, and the gain adjustment unit 18 executes STC processing according to the STC curve.

  Thus, in the present embodiment, for example, STC data corresponding to the type of probe and the use of the probe can be selected by a relatively easy selection operation using the STC selection screen 40.

  The control unit 30 recognizes the type of probe currently used, and the control unit 30 determines the use of the probe from the current device setting state, etc. The control unit 30 may select the STC data. Further, the STC data may be selected by the control unit 30 determining one of the probe type and the probe application and the user determining the other. When a plurality of STC data satisfying the selection condition is selected, a list of only the plurality of STC data may be displayed, or the control unit 30 may select one STC data according to a predetermined priority. You may choose. If no STC data that meets the selection conditions is selected, default STC data may be used.

  In the present embodiment, it is possible to adjust the preset STC data according to the STC adjustment operation by the user. The user can make adjustments to the STC data read by the STC curve forming unit 20 via the operation panel 32. The STC curve forming unit 20 updates the STC data read from the STC memory 22 to the adjusted STC data and stores it in the STC memory 22 in accordance with an instruction from the user input via the control unit 30.

  For example, when STC2 is selected and adjustments are made by the user to the STC2 data, if the user performs an operation to register the adjusted data, the STC2 data is updated to the adjusted data Is done. It is desirable that the data before adjustment can be reproduced by an operation to initialize.

  Further, in the present embodiment, STC data formed by the user can be additionally stored in addition to the preset STC data. For example, when STC2 is selected and adjustment by the user is performed on the data of STC2, when the user performs an operation for additionally registering the adjusted data, new STC data is registered. Also, management information corresponding to the STC data is registered. For example, in addition to STC1 to STC8, which are preset STC data, STCA is newly registered for the STC memory 22 shown in FIG. 2, and STCA management information is added to the memory management table 22T shown in FIG. .

  As described above, in the present embodiment, STC data after adjustment by the user can be stored in the STC memory 22, so that STC data appropriate for the user can be selected and reproduced by a relatively easy operation. become able to.

  As mentioned above, although preferred embodiment of this invention was described, embodiment mentioned above is only a mere illustration in all the points, and does not limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention includes various modifications without departing from the essence thereof.

1 is a functional block diagram showing an overall configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. It is a figure for demonstrating an STC memory and a memory management table. It is a figure which shows the STC selection screen for selecting STC data.

Explanation of symbols

  10 probe, 12 transmission BF, 14 reception BF, 18 gain adjustment unit, 20 STC curve formation unit, 22 STC memory, 30 control unit, 32 operation panel, 34 image formation unit.

Claims (7)

A probe for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves;
A transmitter for controlling the probe to scan the ultrasonic beam;
A receiver that forms a received beam signal corresponding to the ultrasonic beam by processing a signal obtained from the probe;
An STC processing unit that performs STC processing on the received beam signal;
An image forming unit that forms image data of an ultrasonic image based on the received beam signal subjected to STC processing;
A display unit for displaying an ultrasonic image corresponding to the image data;
Have
The STC processing unit selects one STC data selected from a memory storing a plurality of STC data with reference to a memory management table that defines a correspondence relationship of each STC data for a combination of a probe type and a probe application. read, the STC processing corresponding to the STC data facilities,
The usage of the probe in the memory management table is set by the user,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
A function of displaying an STC selection screen showing a number, a name, and a diagnosis content corresponding to each of the plurality of STC data stored in the memory;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 ,
The STC processing unit adjusts the STC data read from the memory in accordance with an STC adjustment operation by the user, performs STC processing corresponding to the adjusted STC data, and further, in response to an instruction from the user, Update the STC data read out from STC to the adjusted STC data and store it in the memory;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A subject to be diagnosed is set as an application of the probe, and a plurality of STC data corresponding to the subject is stored in a memory for each type of probe.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
The diagnostic content is set as the use of the probe, and a plurality of STC data corresponding to the diagnostic content is stored in the memory for each type of probe.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A user who uses the probe is set as an application of the probe, and a plurality of STC data corresponding to the user is stored in the memory.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 ,
The memory additionally stores STC data formed by a user.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

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