KR20240062936A - Portable ultrasonic wave device for detecting breast mass in consideration of moving speed of ultrasonic transducer - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable ultrasound device for detecting a tumor in the breast according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a contact area that contacts the user's breast, a contact portion located at one end of the portable ultrasound device; a transducer cover whose outer surface is located on at least some of the contact areas; An ultrasonic transducer unit including N (N is a natural number of 1 or more) ultrasonic transducers that radiate ultrasonic signals through the outer surface of the transducer cover and receive the reflected ultrasonic signals; a movement speed detection unit that generates movement speed information by detecting a movement speed at which the contact area moves in contact with the breast; a control unit that outputs a control signal to control the ultrasonic transducer unit and generates ultrasonic image information based on the received ultrasonic signal; and a communication unit transmitting the ultrasound image information to an external terminal. Includes.

Description

Portable ultrasound device that detects masses in the breast by detecting the moving speed of the ultrasound transducer {PORTABLE ULTRASONIC WAVE DEVICE FOR DETECTING BREAST MASS IN CONSIDERATION OF MOVING SPEED OF ULTRASONIC TRANSDUCER}

The present invention relates to a portable ultrasound device for imaging tissue within a user's breast and detecting a tumor within the breast using ultrasound.

Recently, digital image processing technology along with medical equipment manufacturing technology has been applied to the field of clinical diagnosis, resulting in many developments in radiology. In particular, ultrasound diagnosis is not harmful to the human body as it can avoid harmful radiation exposure compared to CT or It has the characteristic of being low cost.

In particular, it has the advantage of being able to obtain images in real time, allowing the movement state of organs to be observed in real time. This ultrasound diagnostic technology is widely used in breast cancer screening along with mammography using X-rays.

However, in the case of ultrasound diagnosis using an intra-breast mass detection device, if the posture of the ultrasound scanner (tilt, angle of incidence, contact pressure, position, etc.) is not correct, it is difficult to obtain a high-quality ultrasound image due to the low resolution of the ultrasound image and the generation of severe noise. impossible. Moreover, since the ultrasound scanner requires different contact pressure and tilt for each affected area, it is virtually difficult to operate the ultrasound scanner unless you are a skilled expert, making self-examination at home difficult. Additionally, only experienced experts can identify a tumor suspected to be cancer within a captured ultrasound image.

In addition, ultrasound scanners manufactured for medical professionals include ultrasonic elements in a complex array, and a precise control algorithm is required in the process of driving the ultrasonic elements. Therefore, there is a problem in that the price of devices for detecting lumps in the breast has increased, making them less accessible to general users who want to detect lumps in the breast.

Breast cancer is a disease with a high cure rate if discovered early. As the importance of self-diagnosis for breast cancer has increased worldwide, many self-diagnosis methods have become widely known. However, since it is not a self-diagnosis using professional equipment, the accuracy of measurement and systematic diagnosis are limited. There are difficult problems with data management. In addition, even when palpation diagnosis is performed by a specialist in a related field, there is a problem in that the accuracy is less than 50%.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-1121551 (registered on February 22, 2012)

We aim to provide a portable ultrasound device that allows users who wish to self-diagnose breast cancer using an ultrasound scanner to move the ultrasound scanner at a constant speed according to the guide provided by the ultrasound scanner, leading to the creation of an accurate ultrasound image of a tumor in the breast. do.

In addition, by configuring the scanner with a relatively small number of ultrasound transducers, the production cost of the ultrasound scanner is reduced, thereby reducing the unit cost of the ultrasound scanner, increasing portability, and reducing battery usage, improving user accessibility to breast cancer self-diagnosis. We would like to provide a portable ultrasonic device that can

In addition, we provide a portable ultrasound device that can increase the convenience of self-diagnosis of breast cancer by providing ultrasound images captured from an ultrasound scanner to the user's mobile terminal, allowing the user to check ultrasound images captured in real time without a separate display device. I want to do it.

However, the technical challenges that this embodiment aims to achieve are not limited to the technical challenges described above, and other technical challenges may exist.

One embodiment of the present invention as a means to achieve the above-described technical problem is a portable ultrasound device, comprising: a transducer cover located at one end of the portable ultrasound device and including a contact area that contacts the user's breast; a contact portion whose outer surface is located in at least some of the contact areas; an ultrasonic transducer unit including N ultrasonic transducers (N is a natural number of 1 or more) that radiate ultrasonic signals through the outer surface of the contact portion and receive the reflected ultrasonic signals; a movement speed detection unit that generates movement speed information by detecting a movement speed at which the contact area moves in contact with the breast; a control unit that outputs a control signal to control the ultrasonic transducer unit and generates ultrasonic image information based on the received ultrasonic signal; and a communication unit transmitting the ultrasound image information to an external terminal. may include.

In addition, one embodiment of the present invention provides a portable ultrasound device, comprising: a transducer cover located at one end of the portable ultrasound device and including a contact area that contacts the user's breast; a contact portion whose outer surface is located in at least some of the contact areas; an ultrasonic transducer unit including N (N is a natural number of 2 or more) ultrasonic transducers that radiate ultrasonic signals through the outer surface of the contact portion and receive the reflected ultrasonic signals; a control unit that outputs a control signal to control the ultrasonic transducer unit and generates ultrasonic image information based on the received ultrasonic signal; and a communication unit transmitting the ultrasound image information to an external terminal. Includes, wherein the control unit turns on only one ultrasonic transducer within one period (T), turns off the remaining ultrasonic transducers, and generates one ultrasonic image information based on one ultrasonic signal received from the one ultrasonic transducer. can be created.

The above-described means for solving the problem are merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the present invention. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, there may be additional embodiments described in the drawings and detailed description of the invention.

According to one of the means for solving the problems of the present invention described above, a user who wants to self-diagnose breast cancer using an ultrasound scanner can move the ultrasound scanner at a constant speed according to a guide provided from the ultrasound scanner, thereby generating an accurate ultrasound image. can be induced.

In addition, by configuring the scanner with a relatively small number of ultrasound transducers, the unit price of the ultrasound scanner can be reduced by reducing the production cost of the ultrasound scanner, thereby improving user accessibility to detecting a tumor in the breast.

In addition, by providing ultrasound images taken from an ultrasound scanner to the user's mobile terminal, the user can check the ultrasound images taken in real time without a separate display device, thereby increasing the convenience of the process of detecting a lump in the breast.

Figure 1 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasound breast cancer diagnosis system including a portable ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating and illustrating the configuration of a portable ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 and 4 are diagrams for illustrating and illustrating a scanning operation of a portable ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 and 6 are diagrams for illustrating and illustrating control signals of a portable ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B are other diagrams illustrating an ultrasonic transducer unit of a portable ultrasonic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is another diagram illustrating an interface screen of a mobile terminal that displays an ultrasound image generated by a portable ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 to 14 are diagrams to illustrate a case in which axial movement occurs in a portable ultrasonic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the description are omitted, and similar parts are given similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only the case where it is "directly connected," but also the case where it is "electrically connected" with another element in between. . In addition, when a part is said to "include" a certain component, this means that it does not exclude other components, but may further include other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary, and one or more other features. It should be understood that it does not exclude in advance the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

In this specification, 'part' includes a unit realized by hardware, a unit realized by software, and a unit realized using both. Additionally, one unit may be realized using two or more pieces of hardware, and two or more units may be realized using one piece of hardware.

In this specification, some of the operations or functions described as being performed by a terminal or device may instead be performed on a server connected to the terminal or device. Likewise, some of the operations or functions described as being performed by the server may also be performed on a terminal or device connected to the server.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

1 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasound intra-breast mass detection system including a portable ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the ultrasound intra-breast mass detection system may include a portable ultrasound device 10, a wireless network 20, and an external terminal 30.

And the outer surface of the portable ultrasound device 10 may include a transducer cover 11, a contact part 12, and a body part 13, and the body part 13 includes a toggle switch 14, a power switch 15, and a charging unit. A terminal 16, a handle 17, and an LED unit 18 may be included.

The portable ultrasound device 10 may be connected to an external device such as an external terminal 30 through a wired or wireless network 20. For example, the portable ultrasound device 10 may be connected to the network 20 with the external terminal 30 simultaneously or at time intervals. In addition, a network refers to a connection structure that allows information exchange between nodes such as terminals and servers, including a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the Internet (WWW). : World Wide Web), wired and wireless data communication networks, telephone networks, and wired and wireless television communication networks. Examples of wireless data communication networks include 3G, 4G, 5G, 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project), LTE (Long Term Evolution), WIMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth communication, infrared communication, and ultrasound. This includes, but is not limited to, communication, Visible Light Communication (VLC), LiFi, etc.

The transducer cover 11 of the portable ultrasound device 10 includes a contact area that directly contacts the user's breast during use of the portable ultrasound device 10, and is located at one end of the portable ultrasound device 10 for this purpose. You can.

The contact part 12 includes an ultrasonic transducer unit inside that generates ultrasonic image information by radiating an ultrasonic signal, and has an outer surface formed in an area including at least a portion of the contact area of the transducer cover 11, and a portable ultrasonic device ( 10) During the scanning process, it may come into direct contact with the user's skin.

That is, the contact portion 12 may cover one or more ultrasonic transducers located therein, and may be made from a material that provides appropriate acoustic impedance matching to the anatomical part or ensures that the ultrasonic energy is appropriately focused when projected to the anatomical part. can be formed.

The body portion 13 is a portable ultrasound device 10 excluding the transducer cover 11. The body portion 13 includes a toggle switch 14, a power switch 15, a charging terminal 16, and a handle 17. ) and an LED unit 18.

The body portion 13 includes a toggle switch 14 for receiving input from the user, a power switch 15 for turning the power of the portable ultrasonic device 10 ON/OFF, and charging the battery module in the portable ultrasonic device 10. It may include a charging terminal 16 to which a cable is connected, and a handle 17 for the user to hold with his hand.

The handle 17 allows the user to move the portable ultrasound device 10 relative to the area of interest (eg, breast) by hand. The handle 17 may be configured with an external shape that is concave into the inside of the device to facilitate the user's grip.

The user holds the portable ultrasound device 10 through the handle 17 and activates one or more ultrasound transducers located inside the transducer cover 11 to direct ultrasound signals to the patient's area of interest (e.g., a specific body organ). , body joints, blood vessels, etc.). For example, transducer cover 11 may be placed on the user's breast.

The LED unit 18 can display the power status of the portable ultrasonic device 10 through an externally exposed LED. Additionally, the LED unit 18 may blink or output a specific color in response to movement speed information, which will be described later.

When the user's area of interest is scanned, the ultrasound transducer within contact portion 12 may initiate an ultrasound scan of the selected anatomical portion while in contact with a surface portion of the user's body. In another embodiment, scanning of the ultrasonic transducer may be started by manipulating a trigger, where the trigger is a separate toggle switch 14 attached to the outer surface of the portable ultrasonic device 10 or a wireless connection between the portable ultrasonic device 10 and the wireless transducer. It can be started manually or automatically by manipulating the interface within the external terminal 30 connected to .

Although not shown in FIG. 1, a display unit may be formed on a portion of the body unit 13 to display information generated in the process of scanning the user's breast as text or an image. In addition, a plurality of holes will be formed in a portion of the body portion 13 adjacent to the speaker portion for providing voice guidance to the user in the process of scanning the user's breast or outputting sound according to movement speed control information, which will be described later. You can.

The external terminal 30 is connected to the portable ultrasound device 10 through the network 20 and can transmit and receive data. The external terminal 30 may be equipped with a display that can receive and display various information generated from the portable ultrasound device 10 and provided through the network 20. Additionally, the external terminal 30 may transmit a signal for controlling the portable ultrasound device 10 through the network 20 according to the user's control. At this time, the external terminal 30 may be a mobile smartphone, personal computer, or medical terminal that can be connected to the network 20 and has a separate display.

As another example, the external terminal 30 may include an artificial intelligence cloud server. The user can access the artificial intelligence cloud server included in the external terminal 30 using a separate terminal device, access the artificial intelligence cloud server and download data uploaded from the portable ultrasound device 10, or artificially transfer other data. Can be uploaded to intelligent cloud server. The artificial intelligence cloud server can provide the portable ultrasound device 10 with commands or stored data based on data uploaded from the user's separate terminal device.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for illustrating and illustrating the configuration of a portable ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to Figure 2, the portable ultrasonic device 10 includes a transducer cover 100, a contact unit 200, an ultrasonic transducer unit 300, a movement speed detection unit 400, a control unit 500, a communication unit 600, and an output unit. It may include part 700.

The transducer cover 100 and the contact portion 200 may be located on the outer surface of the portable ultrasonic device 10, as described in FIG. 1. More specifically, the transducer cover 100 may be formed to include a contact area where the portable ultrasound device 10 comes into contact with the user's breast skin, which is the body area to be examined. At this time, the body portion may correspond to the remaining area of the portable ultrasound device 10 excluding the transducer cover 100.

The transducer cover 100 may be formed on one end of the portable ultrasonic device 10, and a contact portion 200 may be formed on at least some of the contact areas. For example, the contact part 200 may be located in the center of the contact area of the converter cover 100. The contact portion 200 may cover the ultrasonic transducer portion 300 located inside. The contact portion 200 may have a more protruding shape than the surface corresponding to the contact area of the converter cover 100. Through this, the user can more easily determine the position of the contact part 200 corresponding to the area where the scan is actually performed when looking at the outer surface of the portable ultrasound device 10, and can perform an ultrasound scan of the breast more accurately. It becomes possible.

The ultrasonic transducer unit 300 radiates ultrasonic signals through the outer surface of the contact part 200 and may include at least two ultrasonic transducers arranged horizontally on the transducer cover 100.

The ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may accommodate one or more ultrasonic transducers, which generate ultrasonic energy at a specific frequency and/or pulse repetition rate, receive reflected ultrasonic energy (e.g., ultrasonic echo), and receive reflected ultrasonic energy. Ultrasonic energy can be converted into electrical signals.

For example, the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may be configured to transmit ultrasonic signals within a certain frequency range. The ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may transmit each pulse signal to the ultrasonic transducer based on the received pulse control information. Additionally, the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may accommodate a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in one or two or more rows.

The ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may also include a transceiver electrical network including a transmitter and a receiver for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals.

The movement speed detection unit 400 may generate movement speed information by detecting the movement speed at which the contact area of the transducer cover 100 moves in contact with the breast. The movement speed detection unit 400 may be, for example, a speed calculator, an image sensor, an acceleration sensor, or an optical sensor that calculates the speed of the ultrasonic transducer in the portable ultrasonic device based on changes in the received ultrasonic signal.

When the moving speed detection unit 400 corresponds to a speed calculating unit, the speed calculating unit may measure the moving speed based on a change in a received ultrasonic signal. Here, the ultrasonic signal may correspond to a signal generated by the ultrasonic transducer unit 300. The ultrasonic signal may correspond to a signal having a one-dimensional value measured at regular time intervals by the ultrasonic transducer unit 300.

The process by which the speed calculation unit calculates the speed based on the ultrasonic signal can be defined as follows <Equation 1>.

<Formula 1>

Here, Δ may mean the change value of position. yk may correspond to a value obtained by sampling the signal measured at the first position of the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 by the speed calculation unit according to the sampling time sequence of the analog-to-digital converter (k is a natural number greater than or equal to 1 and less than n, and n is number of ultrasonic transducers). y'k may correspond to a value obtained by sampling the signal measured at the second position of the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 by the speed calculation unit according to the sampling time sequence of the analog-to-digital converter (k is a natural number greater than 1 and less than n, n is the number of ultrasonic transducers). And the time interval between yk and yk-1 can be defined as the same as the time interval between y`k and y`k-1.

The Δ may theoretically be derived as 0 when the ultrasonic transducer does not move, or may be derived as a value close to 0 due to noise or differences in minute signals.

The Δ increases when the ultrasonic transducer moves, and may have a larger value as the degree of change in position of the ultrasonic transducer increases. The speed calculation unit may measure the speed of the ultrasonic transducer unit based on the calculation of Δ.

If the movement speed detection unit 400 includes an image sensor, the image sensor may photograph the contact area of the transducer cover 100 or an area nearby through a camera exposed to the outer surface of the portable ultrasonic device 10. . The moving speed detection unit 400 may calculate the speed of the portable ultrasonic device 10 based on changes in image information generated from the image sensor at regular time intervals. For example, the speed calculation unit may calculate the speed of the portable ultrasonic device through an object tracking algorithm, a feature point detection algorithm, or an optical flow estimation algorithm.

An object tracking algorithm is an algorithm that uses image processing technology to track the location of a specific point in continuously captured images. The speed calculation unit can continuously track a specific object or feature point in the image through an object tracking algorithm and calculate a movement vector using the tracked information.

The feature point detection algorithm is an algorithm that detects feature points (mainly unchanging features) in an image and matches them with other images to identify changes in location. For example, Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) or Speeded Up Robust Features (SURF) may be used. The speed calculation unit extracts feature points in the image using a feature point detection algorithm, and can estimate location changes by finding and matching the feature points in other images.

The optical flow estimation algorithm is an algorithm that estimates movement vectors by analyzing pixel movement patterns between adjacent frames in an image. Optical flow can provide information about how pixels move. The speed calculation unit can use this to estimate the movement vector and calculate the movement speed using the movement distance and time interval.

When the movement speed detection unit 400 corresponds to an acceleration sensor, the movement speed of the portable ultrasonic device 10 can be detected through the acceleration sensor. For example, when the acceleration sensor is an acceleration IC (Integrated Circuit) based on MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical Systems), the acceleration sensor may be a capacitive MEMS accelerometer or a piezoresistive MEMS accelerometer, and may be portable. Acceleration can be measured in response to the movement of the ultrasonic device 10. The movement speed detection unit 400 calculates the distance traveled by the portable ultrasonic device 10 for a predetermined time through the acceleration of the portable ultrasonic device 10 detected through an acceleration sensor, and calculates the movement including the current speed through this. Speed information can be generated.

If the movement speed detection unit 400 corresponds to an optical sensor, the optical sensor may be installed inside the portable ultrasonic device 10. While the user uses the portable ultrasound device 10, sensing can be performed while looking in the direction toward the breast skin. By analyzing the information generated through this in a time-series manner, it is possible to calculate changes in the image over time. More specifically, the optical sensor may be composed of an optical sensor or an optical flow sensor using an LED. When using an optical sensor, the skin is illuminated through an LED (or laser) located inside the portable ultrasonic device 10, and the optical sensor can detect changes in skin patterns as the portable ultrasonic device 10 moves. there is. Based on this pattern change, the movement sensor 400 can track the movement of the portable ultrasonic device 10 and generate movement speed information. On the other hand, when using an optical flow sensor, position changes can be detected by tracking pixel movement between successive image frames. Through this, the movement sensor 400 can calculate the movement direction and speed of the portable ultrasonic device 10 and generate movement speed information. In addition, the movement speed detection unit 400 may perform at least one of the object tracking algorithm, feature point detection algorithm, or optical flow estimation algorithm of the speed calculation unit for the plurality of images generated by the above method. By applying the above, the speed of the portable intra-breast mass detection device 10 can be calculated.

The movement speed information generated through the movement speed detection unit 400 is provided to the output unit 700, which will be described later, and is processed into other types of information corresponding to the movement speed information through the output unit 700 to determine the portable intra-breast mass. It may be output to the user holding the detection device 10. On the other hand, the movement speed information generated through the movement speed detection unit 400 is provided to the communication unit 600, and the movement speed may be transmitted to the external terminal 30 through the communication unit 600.

The control unit 500 may output a control signal for controlling the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 and generate ultrasonic image information based on the ultrasonic signal received from the ultrasonic transducer unit 300. And the control unit 500 turns on only one ultrasonic transducer among the plurality of ultrasonic transducers included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 within one period (T), turns on the remaining ultrasonic transducers, and turns on the ultrasonic transducer. One ultrasound image information can be generated based on one ultrasound signal.

In addition, the control unit 500 turns on only the first ultrasonic transducer in the first cycle and turns on only the second ultrasonic transducer in the second cycle, but the sections in which the first and second ultrasonic transducers are turned on may not overlap.

And the period (T) may be determined based on the measurement depth of the ultrasound transducer divided by the traveling speed of the ultrasound within the breast.

And the signal phase between the N ultrasonic transducers may be determined independently of the number of N, the shape of the ultrasonic transducers, and the spacing between the ultrasonic transducers.

And the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may sequentially and individually transmit the ultrasonic signals from the N ultrasonic transducers to the control unit, and the control unit 500 may sequentially and individually receive the ultrasonic signals from the N ultrasonic transducers. Thus, the ultrasound image information can be generated sequentially and individually.

In addition, the control signal may be a signal independent of the size of the cross section of each of the N ultrasonic transducers and the size of the gap between the N ultrasonic transducers.

Additionally, the control unit 500 may correct the generated ultrasonic image information based on the movement speed information generated by the movement speed detection unit 400.

A more detailed description of the above-described operations of the control unit 500 will be described later.

The communication unit 600 may transmit ultrasound image information generated through the control unit 500 to the external terminal 30. Additionally, the communication unit 600 can receive data or commands from the external terminal 30. The communication unit 600 may transmit the movement speed information generated by the movement speed detection unit 400 to the external terminal 30. The external terminal 30 can display movement speed information to the user through the display of the terminal. At this time, the movement speed information may be processed into text or an image corresponding to the speed state of the movement speed of the portable ultrasound device 10 and displayed on the external terminal 30.

The output unit 700 may display information generated from the portable intra-breast mass detection device 10 to the outside of the portable ultrasound device 10. More specifically, the output unit 700 may output information corresponding to movement speed information.

The output unit 700 includes a display unit 710 for outputting an image or text corresponding to the movement speed information, an LED display unit 720 that blinks or outputs a color to correspond to the movement speed information, and a vibration unit 720 to output an image or text corresponding to the movement speed information. It may include at least one of a vibration unit 730 that outputs a sound corresponding to the movement speed information and a speaker unit 740 that outputs a sound corresponding to the movement speed information.

The display unit 710 may display the measured movement speed of the portable ultrasound device 10 as text or an image corresponding to the movement speed state. Through this, the user can check in real time whether scanning is performed while moving the portable intra-breast mass detection device 10 at an appropriate speed, and can obtain appropriate scanning results by controlling the scanning speed according to the sound.

The LED display unit 720 can change the repetition period, brightness, or color of the output light depending on whether the moving speed is within a predetermined normal range or outside the normal range. More specifically, the LED display unit 720 may repeatedly output at least one color when the moving speed is within a predetermined range. In addition, when the LED display unit 720 determines that the movement speed is slow or fast beyond a predetermined range, the LED display unit 720 may change at least one of the brightness, color, and repetitive cycle of the output color to output the output. Through this, the user can check in real time whether the portable ultrasound device 10 is moving at an appropriate speed and performing scanning, and can obtain appropriate scanning results by controlling the scanning speed according to the sound.

The vibration unit 730 may change the interval, size, and pattern of the vibration to be output depending on whether the moving speed of the portable ultrasonic device 10 is within a predetermined normal range or outside the normal range. More specifically, when the moving speed is within a predetermined range, the vibration unit 730 can output a weak vibration at regular intervals and a constant length to a degree that does not interfere with the user's scanning. Additionally, if the vibration unit 730 determines that the movement speed is outside a predetermined range and is slow or fast, the vibration unit 730 may change the interval, size, and pattern of the vibration to be output. Through this, the user can check in real time whether the portable ultrasound device 10 is moving at an appropriate speed and performing scanning, and can obtain appropriate scanning results by controlling the scanning speed according to the sound.

The speaker unit 740 may change at least one of the interval, size, and type of the sound to be output depending on whether the moving speed is within a predetermined normal range or outside the normal range. More specifically, when the movement speed is within a predetermined range, the speaker unit 740 may repeatedly output a single tone or a simple rhythmic signal sound. In addition, when the speaker unit 740 determines that the movement speed is outside a predetermined range and is slow or fast, the speaker unit 740 may change at least one of the interval, size, and type of the sound to be output. On the other hand, the speaker unit 740 can output information corresponding to the movement speed through voice guidance. Through this, the user can check in real time whether the portable ultrasound device 10 is moving at an appropriate speed and performing scanning, and can obtain appropriate scanning results by controlling the scanning speed according to the sound.

The movement speed information includes information about the movement speed of the portable ultrasonic device 10, and the portable ultrasonic device 10 can determine whether the movement speed is outside a predetermined range. For example, the portable ultrasound device 10 may determine the movement speed state by dividing the movement speed into three types: moving slower than the reference speed range of the predetermined movement speed, moving within the reference speed range, and moving faster than the reference speed range.

Additionally, the portable ultrasound device 10 can inform the user of the currently measured movement speed status through the LED display unit 14. For example, when the LED indicator 14 lights up in red, it may indicate that the current movement speed is too fast, and when the LED indicator 14 lights up in yellow, it may indicate that the current movement speed is too slow. Additionally, the portable ultrasonic device 10 may notify the movement speed status by causing the LED display unit 14 to repeatedly flash a light emitting state corresponding to the movement speed at a predetermined period. For example, if the LED display unit 14 flashes at a high speed, it indicates that the current movement speed is fast, and if the LED indicator 14 flashes at a slow speed, it indicates that the current movement speed is slow.

The operation of each component included in the portable ultrasonic device 10 will be described in more detail through the following drawings and description.

3 and 4 are diagrams for illustrating and illustrating a method of using a portable ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The user may apply acoustic gel to the skin of the breast to provide acoustic impedance matching when contact 200 is placed on the skin of the breast. Thereafter, the user performs an ultrasound scan of the breast by pressing the toggle switch on the portable ultrasound device 10, entering a scan start command on the external terminal 30, speaking a voice command, or using another type of scan activation technology. You can choose to do so. Correspondingly, the portable ultrasound device 10 can transmit an ultrasound signal to the inside of the breast and receive a reflected ultrasound signal. The reflected ultrasonic signal can be processed into an image that appears on the external terminal 30.

Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that the portable ultrasound device 10 moves in a certain direction D1 on the skin of the user's breast. More specifically, in order to move the portable ultrasound device 10, the user may hold the portable ultrasound device 10 and allow the contact portion 12 to contact the user's breast skin. Thereafter, the user can turn on the portable ultrasound device 10 and move the portable ultrasound device 10 by moving his or her arm or hand while the contact portion 12 is in contact with the user's breast. During this movement process, the portable ultrasonic device 10 radiates ultrasonic signals into the user's breast from the area where the contact portion 12 of the portable ultrasonic device 10 contacts, and the ultrasonic signals are reflected according to the position and shape of the tissue within the breast. can be received to generate ultrasound image information. If a mass (M) that may cause breast cancer is located in the user's breast within the movement path of the portable ultrasound device (10), ultrasound image information including the tumor (M) will be generated from the portable ultrasound device (10). You can.

Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the portable ultrasonic device 10 changes the moving direction D2 on the user's skin and performs ultrasonic scanning over a wider range than the example in FIG. 3. In order to scan a wider area, the user moves the portable ultrasound device 10 from one point to another, scans the breast tissue in the moving path, rotates the direction, moves the portable ultrasound device 10 to points in another area, and scans the breast tissue. The location of the mass (M) can be explored.

As will be described later, since ultrasonic signals are transmitted and received from one ultrasonic transducer at regular time intervals, the user must be able to move the portable ultrasonic device 10 at a constant speed in order to obtain accurate ultrasonic images for each scanned area. .

To this end, the movement speed detection unit 400 may detect the movement speed of the portable ultrasonic device 10 when the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 radiates an ultrasonic signal and generate movement speed information.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are diagrams illustrating and illustrating a process in which the control unit of a portable ultrasonic device transmits a control signal to control the operation of the ultrasonic transducer unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The control unit 500 may transmit a control signal including a pulse signal to the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 so that each ultrasonic transducer (S1 to Sk) of the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 emits an ultrasonic signal according to a predetermined pulse. . Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating a pulse signal included in a control signal and a plurality of ultrasonic transducers that radiate ultrasonic signals in response to the pulse signal. Through FIG. 5, it can be seen that the pulse signal for the plurality of ultrasonic transducers (S1 to Sk) included in the pulse control information and the operation timing of each ultrasonic transducer (S1 to Sk) are defined accordingly.

The control signal may include a pulse signal provided for each ultrasonic transducer to control the operation timing of each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The control signal may include information about the operation order of each ultrasonic transducer so that each ultrasonic transducer can operate sequentially.

The operation sequence of the ultrasonic transducer is defined as following the order of the preset ultrasonic transducers (S1, S2, S3 ?? Sk). For example, the order of each ultrasonic transducer (S1 to Sk) may start from one end of the ultrasonic transducer unit 400. Here, k may mean the number of ultrasonic transducers included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 400. In FIGS. 5 and 6, the value of k is 4.

The first ultrasonic transducer (S1) of the ultrasonic transducer unit 400 may operate at a first time point (t1) by a pulse signal. Additionally, the second ultrasonic transducer (S2) may operate at a second time point (t2) by a pulse signal, and the third ultrasonic transducer (S3) may operate at a third time point (t3) by a pulse signal (S3). In this way, the kth ultrasonic transducer (S4) can operate at the fourth time point (t4) by the pulse signal. After this, the first ultrasonic transducer (S1) may operate again at the fifth time point (t5).

Here, the time interval between consecutive time points can be defined as a period T. The time interval between the first time point (t1) and the second time point (t2) may differ by T, and the time interval between the second time point (t2) and the third time point (t3) may also differ by a period T. Accordingly, the kth time point (tk) at which the kth ultrasonic transducer operates may differ by (k-1)*T from the first time point (t1). That is, the signal phase between each ultrasonic transducer (S1 to S4) can be fixed to T independently of the number, shape, or spacing of the ultrasonic transducers. Through control signals transmitted to k ultrasonic transducers, each ultrasonic transducer can sequentially and individually transmit ultrasonic signals.

Here, the period T may correspond to the time it takes for one ultrasonic transducer to complete its operation. For example, the operation of the ultrasonic transducer may include the process of emitting an ultrasonic signal, reflecting the emitted ultrasonic signal from tissue within the breast, and receiving it back to the ultrasonic transducer. The control unit 500 may transmit a pulse signal through a control signal so that each ultrasonic transducer operates sequentially at intervals of period T. Through this, only one ultrasonic transducer can operate during one period T. That is, different ultrasonic transducers can be controlled to emit ultrasonic signals at different times. The operation times of each ultrasonic transducer may not overlap. Accordingly, after one operation is completed based on one ultrasonic transducer, it may take k*T time for the next operation to be performed again. In the example of FIG. 5, after the first ultrasonic transducer S1 performs the operation at the first time point t1, the fifth time point t5 at which the first ultrasonic transducer S1 performs the operation again may be different from the first time point by 4T. .

Since the period T corresponds to the operation time of each ultrasound transducer, in order to calculate it specifically, the period T is based on the value divided by the intra-breast measurement depth to be measured through the portable ultrasound device 10 by the advancing speed of intra-breast ultrasound. It can be decided.

The control unit 500 turns ON only the first ultrasonic transducer (S1) within the first cycle (time from t1 to t2), and then turns ON only the second ultrasonic transducer (S2) within the second cycle (time from t2 to t3). A control signal can be sent to turn it ON. At this time, the sections in which the first ultrasonic transducer (S1) and the second ultrasonic transducer (S2) are turned on may not overlap each other. In the same sense, the second ultrasonic transducer (S2) may be OFF while the third ultrasonic transducer (S3) is ON within the third period (time from t3 to t4). That is, a control signal may be provided so that the ultrasonic transducer in the previous order is changed to OFF in response to the time when one ultrasonic transducer is changed to ON.

In this regard, in professional ultrasonic devices with tens to hundreds of ultrasonic transducers, control signals for multiple ultrasonic transducers are transmitted within one period (T) determined depending on the measurement depth. As a result, there is a phase difference in the signals received from each ultrasonic transducer, and a time delay must be set according to the size and spacing of the transducer's cross section and the shape of the target beam. And according to conventional technology, multiple ultrasonic signals generated by a professional ultrasonic device are combined into one signal to generate one ultrasonic image. According to the conventional technology, a more complex process is required because the control signal must be generated by considering the size, spacing, and target beam shape of each ultrasonic transducer cross section, which increases the difficulty of designing the ultrasonic system and increases the overall ultrasonic device There is a problem that the production cost increases.

On the other hand, a portable ultrasonic device with 10 or less ultrasonic transducers according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that only one ultrasonic transducer is turned on within one cycle (T). Through this, the signal phase between ultrasonic transducers can be fixed at a constant period (T) regardless of the number, shape, and spacing of ultrasonic transducers. Additionally, each ultrasound signal is transmitted sequentially and individually and used to generate a separate ultrasound image. For example, K ultrasound signals are received sequentially and individually to generate K images using the received signals for t1, t2...tk, and the period (T) is tk - t(k-1). . Therefore, there is an effect of lowering the difficulty in designing the ultrasonic system and reducing the overall production cost of the ultrasonic device. Referring to FIG. 6, after an ultrasonic signal is transmitted according to a pulse signal transmitted to each ultrasonic transducer (S1 to S4) of the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 through a control signal generated by the control unit 500, the ultrasonic signal is reflected. It can be seen that the ultrasonic signal received is exemplified.

Each of the ultrasonic transducers (S1 to S4) can complete the transmission of the ultrasonic signal and the reception of the reflected ultrasonic signal within a period T, and Figure 6 shows the ultrasonic signal being received by each of the ultrasonic transducers (S1 to S4). The point of view is shown as an example. 6, it can be seen that only one ultrasonic transducer receives the reflected ultrasonic signal within period T. The ultrasonic signal received in this way may be transmitted to the control unit 500, and the control unit 500 may generate ultrasonic image information based on the received ultrasonic signal. Within a period T, one ultrasonic transducer can emit ultrasonic images for scanning and receive reflected ultrasonic signals. When k ultrasonic transducers each receive reflected ultrasonic signals and transmit them to the control unit 500, k*T time may be required.

The control unit 500 may sequentially and individually receive ultrasonic signals from the N ultrasonic transducers in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 and sequentially and individually generate ultrasonic image information. That is, each ultrasonic transducer can individually transmit the reflected ultrasonic signal to the control unit 500. Additionally, these individual transmissions can be performed sequentially according to the order in which each ultrasonic transducer is turned on.

The control signal provided from the control unit 500 may be a signal independent of the size of the cross section of each ultrasonic transducer included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 and the size of the gap between the ultrasonic transducers. Control signals can be provided independently to each ultrasonic transducer. The independently provided control signal may include a pulse signal for controlling the ON and OFF times of each ultrasonic transducer. The control signal may be provided independently of these factors even if the cross-sectional size of each ultrasonic transducer is different or the size of the gap between the ultrasonic transducers is different.

More specifically, in a professional ultrasonic device with tens to hundreds of ultrasonic transducers, each ultrasonic transducer has a square cross section, and a control signal between adjacent ultrasonic transducers is provided depending on the size of each cross section, the size of the gap, and the shape of the cross section. The characteristics must change. As a result, the configuration of the ultrasonic system becomes complicated and the maintenance and repair costs of the system increase.

On the other hand, due to the nature of the control unit 500 of the portable ultrasonic device 10 with 10 or less ultrasonic transducers according to an embodiment of the present invention to maintain only one ultrasonic transducer in the ON state within one cycle, the cross-sectional shape of each ultrasonic transducer , independent and constant control signals can be provided regardless of size or spacing. Therefore, control signals can be designed more easily and simply without having to reflect all the characteristics of ultrasonic transducers, and the maintenance and repair costs of ultrasonic devices can be reduced.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B are other diagrams illustrating an ultrasonic transducer unit of a portable ultrasonic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A plurality of ultrasonic transducers 310 included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may be arranged in one row as shown in FIG. 7A. And the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 310 included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may be arranged in a direction from the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 toward the contact cover 200, as shown in FIG. 7b, and a plurality of ultrasonic transducers Ultrasonic transducers may be arranged in a horizontal direction with the transducer cover 100. During the scanning process of the portable ultrasonic device 10, each ultrasonic transducer 310 may operate sequentially to radiate ultrasonic signals. At this time, the ultrasonic transducers 310 operate in an adjacent order from the ultrasonic transducer at one end to the ultrasonic transducer at the other end. can do. 7A and 7B, the number of ultrasonic transducers 310 included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 is illustrated as three, but depending on the design, the number of ultrasonic transducers may vary from 1 to 10.

FIGS. 7A and 8A illustrate the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 viewed from the front. In this case, the ultrasonic transducers 310, 311, and 312 included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may have a circular cross-section. . In another embodiment, unlike those illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 8A, the cross-sections of the ultrasonic transducers 310, 311, and 312 may be square.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the number of ultrasonic transducers included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may be designed to be up to 10 or less.

When the number of ultrasonic transducers is tens to hundreds, the production cost of the portable ultrasonic device 10 including the ultrasonic transducer unit may increase. Additionally, as the number of ultrasonic transducers increases, the signal processing process for emitting and receiving ultrasonic signals becomes more complex, and additional effort and training may be required to maintain these ultrasonic systems. Additionally, as the number of ultrasonic transducers increases, the weight and size of the portable ultrasonic device 10 increase, which reduces the portability of the device. Additionally, as the number of ultrasonic transducers increases, power consumption increases during the scanning process, which reduces the use time of the portable ultrasonic device 10 that is powered by a battery without a wired connection. Therefore, it is desirable to set the number of portable ultrasonic transducers according to an embodiment of the present invention to 10 or less.

A plurality of ultrasonic transducers 310 and 320 included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 may be arranged in two rows as shown in FIG. 8A. Additionally, when the ultrasonic transducers 310 and 320 included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 are arranged in two or more rows, the ultrasonic transducers 310 arranged in each row may be arranged in a zigzag format, as shown in FIG. 8A. In this case, there is an effect of reducing the dead angle generated by the gap between the ultrasonic transducers 310 during the operation of the ultrasonic transducers 310. For example, it may be difficult to receive an accurate ultrasonic signal in the area corresponding to the arrangement spacing (S) between adjacent ultrasonic transducers 131 in one row with only one row of ultrasonic transducers 311. In this case, when the ultrasonic transducers 312 in two rows are arranged in a position corresponding to the spacing S of the ultrasonic transducers 311 in one row, ultrasonic signals are also received for the area corresponding to the spacing S. can do.

When the ultrasonic transducers of the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 are arranged in two or more rows, the first and third ultrasonic transducers among the ultrasonic transducers may be arranged in the first row, and the second ultrasonic transducer may be arranged in the second row. At this time, it is preferable that the second ultrasonic transducer arranged in the second row is arranged to scan the corresponding area between the first and third ultrasonic transducers. Through this, the second ultrasonic transducer can measure the blind spot around the edges of the first and third ultrasonic transducers. In FIGS. 8A and 8B, the number of ultrasonic transducers included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 300 is illustrated as five, but the number of ultrasonic transducers may vary from 3 to 10 depending on the design.

FIG. 9 is another diagram illustrating an interface screen of a mobile terminal that displays an ultrasound image generated by a portable ultrasound device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

More specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates an interface screen displayed on the external terminal 30 when ultrasound image information generated by the portable ultrasound device 10 is provided to the external terminal 30 through the network 20. Here, the external terminal 30 may mean a mobile terminal such as a smartphone, a personal PC, or a medical terminal used by the user of the portable ultrasound device 10.

The external terminal 30 may display the received ultrasonic image information in the form of an image on the display 31 of the external terminal 30 using an internal data processing device. At this time, the display 31 not only displays the processed ultrasound image, but also displays the area determined to be the detection target (M) related to breast cancer with a figure 32 to distinguish it from other areas. For example, when a tumor causing breast cancer is found in an ultrasound image, the external terminal 30 displays a bounding box or pixel-level segmentation for the area within the image of the tumor to display another area. can be distinguished from

The external terminal 30 may use a pre-trained artificial neural network based on artificial intelligence to detect a breast mass in the transmitted ultrasound image. The artificial intelligence neural network may refer to an artificial intelligence model that analyzes an input image and outputs coordinate values of an area corresponding to a breast cancer tumor. The artificial intelligence model can be learned using an image processing algorithm, an image classification algorithm, etc., exemplified by a convolutional neural network (CNN).

The external terminal 30 may display a shape to distinguish the tumor from other areas in the image based on the coordinate values of the tumor area, or display it as a separate image in pixel units.

In addition, the external terminal 30 considers the resolution of the ultrasound image preset through the display 31 and the size within the image of the detection target to determine the actual expected size of the detection target 33 and the skin of the area where the detection target is located. The depth (34) and the probability of existence (35) derived from the process of determining that the detection target is a tumor related to breast cancer can be displayed. Here, the probability of existence (35) may mean the probability that an object in the area corresponds to a tumor related to breast cancer through the artificial intelligence model described above.

If the external terminal 30 corresponds to an artificial intelligence cloud server, the user can access the artificial intelligence cloud server included in the external terminal 30 using a separate terminal device and access the artificial intelligence cloud server to use a portable ultrasound device. You can download the uploaded data from (10) or upload other data to the artificial intelligence cloud server. The artificial intelligence cloud server can provide the portable ultrasound device 10 with commands or stored data based on data uploaded from the user's separate terminal device.

10 to 14 are diagrams to illustrate a case in which axial movement occurs in a portable ultrasonic device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 10 illustrates the direction D3 in which the portable ultrasound device 10 moves along the breast skin 40 under user control. In the process of scanning to find a mass (M) under the skin (40) by holding the portable ultrasound device (10) with the user's hand, the portable ultrasound device ( 10) can be moved. When scanning along the breast skin without moving in the axial direction (D4), an ultrasound image of the same shape as the scan target can be generated, as shown in FIG. 11. On the other hand, if movement in the axial direction (D4) occurs during scanning, deformation may occur in some areas 50 as shown in FIG. 12.

Figure 13 illustrates a comparison of adjacent raw signals (RF signals) when no movement in the axial direction (D4) occurred during a scanning process using a portable intra-breast mass detection device, and Figure 14 illustrates a comparison of adjacent raw signals (RF signals) using a portable intra-breast mass detection device. This example compares adjacent raw signals when movement in the axial direction (D4) occurs during the scan process used. When movement in the axial direction (D4) occurs, it can be seen that as the movement distance of the ultrasonic signal changes, the signal moves along the depth direction as shown in FIG. 14.

13 and 14, each raw signal is two-dimensional in which the It can be measured through a coordinate system.

If it is determined that axial movement has occurred during the process of generating an ultrasound image, the control unit 500 can correct the image in the following manner to generate a more accurate ultrasound image.

The control unit 500 measures the first peak value (p1) of the first raw signal (R1) and the second raw signal (R2) that are sequentially generated as the portable ultrasound device 10 moves. And, the first depth value corresponding to the first peak value can be derived.

Additionally, the control unit 500 may measure the second peak value (peak) of the second raw signal and derive a second depth value corresponding to the second peak value (p2).

Thereafter, the control unit 500 may calculate the difference between the first depth value and the second depth value and generate a correction signal obtained by moving the second raw signal R2 by the calculated difference. Through this, the depth value of the peak value of the first raw signal and the peak value of the correction signal can be corrected to be the same. Thereafter, the control unit 500 replaces the second raw signal R2 with a correction signal to enable image correction corresponding to axial movement.

The above method may be further divided into additional steps or combined into fewer steps through the embodiments previously described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 14. Additionally, some steps may be omitted or the order between steps may be switched as needed.

The description of the present invention described above is for illustrative purposes, and those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be easily modified into other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features of the present invention. will be. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. For example, each component described as single may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the detailed description above, and all changes or modified forms derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention. do.

10: Portable ultrasound device
11: Converter cover
12: contact part
13: Body part
14: Toggle switch
15: power switch
16: charging terminal
17: handle
18: LED part

Claims (19)

In a portable ultrasound device for detecting a tumor in the breast,
a transducer cover that includes a contact area that contacts the user's breast and is located at one end of the portable ultrasound device;
a contact portion whose outer surface is located in at least some of the contact areas;
an ultrasonic transducer unit including N ultrasonic transducers (N is a natural number of 1 or more) that radiate ultrasonic signals through the outer surface of the contact portion and receive the reflected ultrasonic signals;
a movement speed detection unit that generates movement speed information by detecting a movement speed at which the contact area moves in contact with the breast;
a control unit that outputs a control signal to control the ultrasonic transducer unit and generates ultrasonic image information based on the received ultrasonic signal; and
a communication unit transmitting the ultrasound image information to an external terminal; Including, a portable ultrasound device. According to paragraph 1,
an output unit that outputs information corresponding to the movement speed information; A portable ultrasonic device, characterized in that it further includes. According to paragraph 2,
The output unit,
a display unit for outputting an image or text corresponding to the movement speed information;
An LED display unit that blinks or outputs colors to correspond to the movement speed information;
a vibration unit that vibrates in response to the movement speed information; and
a speaker unit outputting a sound corresponding to the movement speed information; A portable ultrasound device comprising at least one of the following: According to paragraph 3,
The LED display unit is a portable ultrasound device characterized in that the repetition period, brightness, or color of the output light is changed and output depending on whether the moving speed is within a predetermined normal range or outside the normal range. According to paragraph 3,
The vibration unit is a portable ultrasonic device, characterized in that the interval, size, and pattern of the vibration output are changed and output depending on whether the moving speed is within a predetermined normal range or outside the normal range. According to paragraph 3,
The speaker unit is a portable ultrasonic device, characterized in that at least one of the interval, size, and type of the output sound is changed and output depending on whether the moving speed is within a predetermined normal range or outside the normal range. According to paragraph 1,
A portable ultrasound device, wherein the communication unit transmits the movement speed information to the external terminal. According to paragraph 1,
The portable ultrasonic device, wherein the moving speed detector is a speed calculator, an acceleration sensor, or an optical sensor that calculates the speed of the portable ultrasonic device based on changes in the received ultrasonic signal. According to paragraph 1,
The control signal is a signal independent of the size of the cross section of each of the N ultrasonic transducers and the size of the gap between the N ultrasonic transducers. According to paragraph 1,
N is a natural number between 3 and 10,
A portable ultrasonic device, wherein the N ultrasonic transducers are arranged in two rows in a zigzag shape. According to clause 10,
Among the N ultrasonic transducers, the first and third ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a first row, and the second ultrasonic transducers are arranged in a second row, and are arranged between the first and third ultrasonic transducers,
The second ultrasonic transducer is a portable ultrasonic device that measures blind spots around edges of the first and third ultrasonic transducers. According to paragraph 1,
The external terminal is,
A portable ultrasound device configured to detect a breast mass based on the received ultrasound image information and to distinguishably display the detected breast mass using a shape. According to paragraph 1,
The external terminal is,
A portable ultrasound device that uses a pre-trained artificial neural network based on artificial intelligence when detecting the breast mass. According to paragraph 1,
The external terminal is,
A portable ultrasound device configured to display at least one of the size, depth, and probability of existence of the detected breast mass. According to paragraph 1,
The external terminal is a personal smartphone, personal computer, or tablet linked to the portable ultrasound device. According to paragraph 1,
The external terminal is an artificial intelligence cloud server linked to a plurality of the portable ultrasound devices. According to paragraph 1,
The external terminal is a medical terminal linked to a plurality of the portable ultrasound devices. According to paragraph 1,
The control unit detects axial movement in a vertical direction when the contact area contacts the breast and moves in the horizontal direction, and corrects the received ultrasound signal based on the detected axial movement to create the ultrasound image. A portable ultrasonic device that generates a. According to paragraph 1,
A portable ultrasonic device, wherein N is a natural number between 1 and 10.

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