JP2000102536A - Method and instrument for ultrasonic bone diagnosis - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To minimize the number of measurement points and shorten the time necessary for measurement by dividing the measurement sequence to twice or more. SOLUTION: The measurement of the whole range to be detected (area A) is performed (ST160). The moving pitch of a probe at that time is set to βwider than the natural pitch. The measurement is performed with respect to all measurement points set in a lattice of the pitch β in the area A (ST 161). A measurement point (b) closest to an evaluation point (c) is specified from the measurement points (ST162). An area B narrower than the area A around the measurement point (b) is set, and the scanning pitch is set to a measurement pitch α used for natural measurement, which is narrower than β (ST163). The measurement is performed with respect to all measurement points set in a lattice of the pitch α in the area B (ST164). The measurement point (c) for providing bone characteristics is specified from this measurement (ST 165), and the bone information in the measurement point (c) is calculated and displayed (ST 166).

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bone disease, and more particularly to an ultrasonic bone diagnostic method and apparatus for obtaining useful information on bone quality.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For bone diseases such as osteoporosis,
Ultrasonic bone diagnostic methods for evaluating bone quality by transmitting ultrasonic waves through the bone and measuring the speed of sound and attenuation in the bone are already known. Usually, the calcaneus is used for the measurement by the ultrasonic wave, and a conventional measurement method will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram of an apparatus for measuring the bone quality of a calcaneus using ultrasonic waves in the first conventional example of the present invention, and FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the operation of the apparatus of FIG.

In FIG. 21, reference numerals 1 and 2 denote probes for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic pulses, reference numeral 12 denotes a tarsal portion, and reference numeral 3 denotes a calcaneus for measuring bone quality. The subject's tarsus 12 is inserted between them, and a matching material (not shown) for easily transmitting ultrasonic waves is interposed between the probe 1 or the probe 2 and the tarsus 12. Water or the like is often used as the matching material. 4 and 5 are switches for selecting either the probe 1 or the probe 2, and 6 is a switch 4
A transmission pulse generation circuit for generating an ultrasonic pulse from the probe selected by (1), a timing circuit for controlling the timing of the measuring apparatus, and an amplification signal for the probe selected by the switch (5) Receiving amplifier,
Numeral 9 denotes an arithmetic circuit for calculating the sound speed and attenuation from the timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7 and the echo signal received by the receiving amplifier 8, and an A / A for quantizing the echo signal.
Includes D converter. Reference numeral 10 denotes a display.

[0004] The measurement procedure will be described below. The measurement can be broadly divided into three modes: a transmission mode in which ultrasonic waves are transmitted through the calcaneus, a reflection mode using reflection of the surface of the calcaneus, and a bone evaluation performed based on data obtained in these two modes. First, in the transmission mode, the steps in FIG. 22 (hereinafter abbreviated as ST)
At 101, the propagation time from probe 1 to probe 2 is measured. In FIG. 21, the switch 4 is connected to the switch a and the switch 5 is connected to the switch b.
The reception is performed by The switch setting may be such that the switch 4 is b and the switch 5 is a. In this case, the probe 2 transmits and the probe 1 receives. As a result, the propagation time and transmission signal of the ultrasonic wave between the probe 1 and the probe 2 through the calcaneus are obtained.

Next, the width of the calcaneus 3 is measured in ST102 of FIG. In FIG. 21, first, the switches 4 and 5 are both connected to the a side, and the probe 1 performs both transmission and reception. As a result, the propagation time required for reciprocation from the probe 1 to the surface of the calcaneus 3 is obtained and converted into a distance (ST103 in FIG. 22). Thereafter, the switches 4 and 5 are both connected to the b side, and both transmission and reception are performed by the probe 2. As a result, the propagation time required for reciprocation from the probe 2 to the surface of the calcaneus 3 is obtained and converted into a distance (FIG. 2).
2 ST104).

[0006] The width of the calcaneus 3 is obtained by subtracting the distance between the probe 1 and the calcaneus 3 and the distance between the probe 2 and the calcaneus 3 from the distance between the probes 1-2 ( ST1 of FIG.
05). The sound velocity of the matching material filling between the foot 12 and the probe 1 and the probe 2 and the distance from the probe 1 to the probe 2 are known, and the measured probe 1-calcaneus 3 The distance from the probe 1 and the probe 2 to the surface of the calcaneus 3 is determined from the reciprocating propagation time to the surface of the probe 2 and the reciprocating propagation time to the surface of the probe 2 and the calcaneus 3. The time to currency the calcaneus can be calculated, and the speed of sound of the calcaneus is calculated. (ST in FIG. 22)
106) Also, by analyzing the frequency component of the echo transmitted through the calcaneus 3 and comparing it with the characteristics without the calcaneus,
The frequency dependent attenuation characteristics of the calcaneus are required. These calculations are performed by the calculation circuit 9 of FIG. 21, and the result is displayed on the display 10.

By the way, in order to obtain reproducible and accurate data, it is important to accurately position the probe with respect to the calcaneus. Methods for determining the position are described in several documents. For example, JP-A-2-1
In Japanese Patent No. 04337, a probe for transmitting and receiving is moved up and down and back and forth to find a point where ultrasonic attenuation or sound velocity of bone is locally minimum while adjoining a region where attenuation is greatest. Is defined as the measurement position. The procedure of this measurement will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram showing a configuration for determining a measurement position in a second conventional example of the present invention, FIG. 24 is a diagram for explaining the operation, and FIG.
(B) is an explanatory view showing the movement of the position of the probe. FIG.
In 3, 1 is a probe for transmitting / receiving an ultrasonic pulse, 12 is a foot, and 11 is a footrest on which the foot 12 is mounted. The probe 2 is located on the side of the foot 12 opposite to the probe 1, but is not shown because it cannot be seen. 4 and 5 are switches for selecting either the probe 1 or the probe 2, 6 is a transmission pulse generating circuit for generating an ultrasonic pulse from the probe selected by the switch 4,
7 is a timing circuit for controlling the timing of the measuring apparatus, 8 is a receiving amplifier for amplifying the echo signal of the probe selected by the switch 5, and 9 is a timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7 and a receiving amplifier 8. An arithmetic circuit for calculating the speed of sound and attenuation from a received echo signal, and includes an A / D converter for quantizing the echo signal. Reference numeral 10 denotes a display. Reference numerals 23 and 24 denote moving means for moving the probes 1 and 2 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. Here, an electric stage that can be linearly moved by a pulse motor is assumed. Reference numeral 25 denotes a control arm for connecting the vertical movement means 24 to the probe 1, and reference numeral 26 denotes a movement pulse generator for outputting movement pulses to the movement means 23 and 24. The front-rear direction moving means 23 and the vertical direction moving means 24 move back and forth between the probes 1 and 2 attached to the control arm 25 by moving pulses generated by a moving pulse generator 26 triggered by a timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7. It is possible to move up and down a precise distance.

Next, the operation will be described. The procedure for capturing signals while moving the probes 1 and 2 is shown in FIG.
This is as shown in the flowchart of FIG. The measurement points are arranged in the area A at intervals of α in the front-rear direction and the vertical direction as shown in FIG. First, the probe is placed at the start point Y = 1, Z = 1 (FIG. 24 (a) -ST1).
10) The measurement is performed (ST111), and the measurement is performed by moving one step at a time in the Y direction (front-back direction) using α as a unit step (ST113). When the longitudinal position Y reaches the specified maximum value Ymax, the longitudinal position is returned to Y = 1, and the vertical position Z increases by one (ST11).
5). In this way, measurement is performed up to Ymax and Zmax while measuring in a mesh shape up and down, up and down, the measurement points to be evaluated are specified (ST116), and bone information such as sound speed and attenuation is calculated and displayed (ST117). ). Further, the position of the probe is returned to the reference point (ST118) to prepare for the next measurement.

Next, FIG. 25 shows an example of a block diagram when a two-dimensional array is used. FIG. 25 is an example of a block diagram of a bone diagnostic apparatus using a two-dimensional array in a third conventional example of the present invention. In FIG. 25, 13 and 14 are probes for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic pulses, and have transducers two-dimensionally arranged. Reference numeral 12 denotes a tarsus, and 3 denotes a calcaneus for measuring bone quality. The tarsal 12 of the subject is inserted between the probe 13 and the probe 14, and the probe 13 or the probe 1
A matching material (not shown) for easily transmitting the ultrasonic wave is interposed between the base 4 and the tarsus 12. 4 and 5 are probes 1
Switch for selecting either 3 or probe 14,
Reference numeral 6 denotes a transmission pulse generation circuit for generating an ultrasonic pulse from the probe selected by the switch 4, 7 denotes a timing circuit for controlling the timing of the measuring apparatus, and 8 denotes a probe selected by the switch 5. A receiving amplifier 9 for amplifying the echo signal, an arithmetic circuit 9 for calculating a sound speed or an attenuation degree from the timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7 and the echo signal received by the receiving amplifier 8, and for quantizing the echo signal Includes A / D converter. Reference numeral 10 denotes a display.
15 and 16 are switches for selecting which transducer of the probes 13 and 14 is used for transmission and reception, and 17 is a switch control circuit for controlling switching of the switches 15 and 16 based on information of a timing circuit. It is. In this example, by sequentially switching the switches 15 and 16 under the control of the switch control circuit 17, measurement points arranged two-dimensionally as shown in FIG. 24B are sequentially measured.

By the way, in transmission and reception of an ultrasonic signal,
Amplify the received signal to an appropriate amplitude, A / D convert it, and
Ensuring the N ratio is important for accurately deriving various bone evaluation parameters. As the amplitude adjustment of the received signal,
The automatic adjustment of the reception gain will be described with reference to FIGS. 26 and 27. FIG. 26 is a block diagram showing a configuration for automatically adjusting the reception gain of the ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to the fourth conventional example of the present invention, and FIG. 27 is a flowchart for explaining the operation. In FIG. 26, 1 is a probe for transmitting / receiving an ultrasonic pulse, and 12 is a tarsus. The probe 2 is located on the side of the foot 12 opposite to the probe 1, but is not shown because it cannot be seen. 4 and 5 are switches for selecting either the probe 1 or the probe 2, 6 is a transmission pulse generating circuit for generating an ultrasonic pulse from the probe selected by the switch 4, 7
Is a timing circuit that controls the timing of this measurement device,
31 is a gain controller for adjusting the gain, 8 is a receiving amplifier for amplifying the echo signal of the probe selected by the switch 5, and the gain can be changed under the control of the gain controller 31. Numeral 9 denotes an arithmetic circuit for calculating the sound speed and attenuation from the timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7 and the echo signal received by the receiving amplifier 8, and includes an A / D converter for quantizing the echo signal. Reference numeral 10 denotes a display. 2
Reference numerals 3 and 24 denote moving means for moving the probes 1 and 2 in the front-back direction and the up-down direction. Here, an electric stage that can be linearly moved by a pulse motor is assumed. 2
Reference numeral 5 denotes a control arm for connecting the vertical moving means 24 to the probe 1, and reference numeral 26 denotes a moving pulse generator which outputs a moving pulse to the moving means 23 and 24.

Next, the operation will be described. The main operation of signal acquisition is the same as that of the conventional example shown in FIG.
The maximum amplitude of the data captured in ST121 is calculated by ST122. As a result, if it is determined in ST123 that the amplitude is too large, and if it is possible to reduce the gain in gain controller 31 and receiving amplifier 8 in FIG. 26 (ST126), the gain is reduced in ST127 and data is fetched again. Perform In this embodiment, the gain is indicated by a numerical value, and the larger the numerical value is, the higher the gain in the receiving amplifier 8 is. The gain can be controlled in steps of 10 at a time. Conversely, if the amplitude is determined to be too small in ST124 and the gain can be increased in gain controller 31 and reception amplifier 8 in FIG. 26 (ST128), S
At T129, the gain is increased by one step (= 10), and data is fetched again. When it is necessary to reduce the gain but cannot reduce the gain any more, or when it is necessary to increase the gain but cannot increase the gain any more, the calculation of various bone parameters in ST125 is not performed, and the next measurement position is not obtained. Move the transducer.

Next, a method for adjusting the input signal level by adjusting the amplitude of the transmission pulse will be described. FIG.
8 is a block diagram showing a configuration for automatically adjusting the amplitude of a transmission pulse of the ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to the fifth conventional example of the present invention, and FIG. 29 is a flowchart for explaining the operation. In FIG. 28, 1 is a probe for transmitting / receiving an ultrasonic pulse, and 12 is a tarsus. The probe 2 is located on the side of the foot 12 opposite to the probe 1, but is not shown because it cannot be seen. 4 and 5 are switches for selecting either the probe 1 or the probe 2, 6 is a transmission pulse generating circuit for generating an ultrasonic pulse from the probe selected by the switch 4, and 7 is the main measurement. A timing circuit for controlling the timing of the device;
This is a receiving amplifier for amplifying the echo signal of the probe selected in the above. Numeral 9 denotes an arithmetic circuit for calculating the sound speed and attenuation from the timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7 and the echo signal received by the receiving amplifier 8, and includes an A / D converter for quantizing the echo signal. Reference numeral 10 denotes a display.
Reference numerals 23 and 24 denote moving means for moving the probes 1 and 2 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. Here, an electric stage that can be linearly moved by a pulse motor is assumed.
Reference numeral 25 denotes a control arm for connecting the vertical movement means 24 to the probe 1, and reference numeral 26 denotes a movement pulse generator for outputting movement pulses to the movement means 23 and 24. A transmission level control circuit 33 adjusts the amplitude of the pulse generated by the pulse generation circuit 6.

Next, the operation will be described. The main operation of signal acquisition is the same as that of the conventional example shown in FIG. 23, and therefore will not be described. The data captured in ST141 is ST
142 calculates the maximum amplitude. As a result, ST1
If it is determined in step 43 that the amplitude is too large, and if the gain is lowered (ST141), the gain is lowered in ST142 and data is taken in again. Also, it is determined in ST124 that the amplitude is too small,
If the gain can still be increased (ST14
3) In ST144, the gain is increased, and data is fetched again.

On the other hand, as a result of calculating the maximum amplitude of the received signal from the data fetched in ST141 in ST142, it is determined in ST143 that the amplitude is too large, and the transmission level control circuit 33 and the transmission pulse generation circuit in FIG. If it is possible to reduce the amplitude of the transmission pulse in ST6 (ST146), the gain is reduced in ST147 and data is taken in again. In this conventional example, the transmission pulse amplitude is indicated by a numerical value, and the larger the numerical value, the higher the transmission pulse amplitude. Further, the amplitude of the transmission pulse can be controlled in steps of 10 at a time. Conversely, if it is determined in ST144 that the amplitude of the received signal is too small, and if it is possible to increase the amplitude of the transmission pulse in transmission level control circuit 33 and transmission pulse generation circuit 6 in FIG. 28 (ST148), the transmission amplitude is determined in ST149. Is raised by one step (= 10), and data is fetched again. When the transmission amplitude needs to be reduced but the amplitude cannot be further reduced, or when the transmission amplitude needs to be increased but cannot be further increased, the calculation of various bone parameters in ST145 is not performed, and the next measurement is performed. Move the probe to the position.

[0016]

As described above, in the conventional method, the position of the probe is shifted little by little to search for the measurement point. However, the positions of the measurement points are different due to individual differences in the size and shape of the feet, and the positional deviation allowed for the measurement points is small, so it is necessary to take a large number of measurement points, causing a problem that the measurement time is long, The subject was also distressed. Further, in order to adjust the received signal to an appropriate amplitude, it is necessary to adjust the gain, and the operation requires a long time. The present invention solves these problems, a small number of measurement points, i.e., searching for measurement points accurately in a short time,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an excellent ultrasonic bone diagnosis method and apparatus which optimally adjusts a gain with a small number of measurements and outputs an evaluation result with a small error from obtained data.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention solves the problem that the measurement sequence is divided into two or more times, thereby reducing the number of measurement points and taking a long time for measurement. Thus, an ultrasonic bone diagnosis method and apparatus which does not cause pain to a subject and has high accuracy is realized.

[0018]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a measurement sequence is divided into two or more, and in a first sequence, a rough movement position is identified by increasing a moving pitch of a probe. By scanning the range narrowed in the second sequence at a fine moving pitch, an ultrasonic bone diagnosis method capable of reducing the number of measurement points and obtaining accurate bone information can be realized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, when a probe comprising a single element is used, a means for switching the probe movement pitch is provided, so that the procedure according to the first aspect provides high accuracy in a short time. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus capable of obtaining bone information can be realized.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, when a probe composed of a two-dimensional array element is used, an element switching means is provided, whereby accurate bone information can be obtained in a short time by the procedure of the first aspect. be able to.

According to the fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention, of the data obtained in the first sequence of the first aspect,
By roughly identifying the position based on the largest amplitude and performing the second sequence, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

According to the sixth and seventh aspects of the present invention, of the data obtained in the first sequence of the first aspect,
Identify the approximate position based on the lowest sound speed,
By performing the second sequence, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

According to the eighth and ninth aspects of the present invention, of the data obtained in the first sequence of the first aspect,
By roughly identifying the position based on the longest period of the waveform and performing the second sequence, it is possible to obtain accurate bone information with a reduced number of measurement points.

According to the tenth and eleventh aspects of the present invention, a rough position is identified on the basis of the smallest value of the frequency-dependent attenuation among the data obtained in the first sequence of the first aspect, By performing the second sequence, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

The invention described in claim 12 is the fourth invention.
In the method described in any one of 6, 8, and 10, only the range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes among the obtained data is focused on, and the amplitude or the sound velocity is the largest in the time range. A rough position is identified based on the fact that it is slow or the waveform cycle is the longest, or the value of the frequency-dependent attenuation is the smallest, and by performing the second sequence, the number of measurement points is reduced and the accuracy is high. Bone information can be obtained.

The invention according to claim 13 is the invention according to claim 5,
In the apparatus described in any one of 7, 9, and 11, by providing a selection unit that cuts out only a selection range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes from the obtained data, the number of measurement points can be reduced and the accuracy can be reduced. Good bone information can be obtained.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the method of the twelfth aspect, when focusing only on a range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes in the obtained data, the time range is limited. In consideration of the influence of the temperature of the matching material, a rough position is identified based on the same reference as in claim 8, and the second sequence is performed to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information. Can be.

According to a fifteenth aspect of the present invention, in the device according to the thirteenth aspect, a measuring means for measuring the temperature of the matching material, and a propagation time between the probes based on data obtained from the measuring means. By having the calculation function of calculating the fluctuation of the measurement, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

The invention according to claims 16 and 17 is the method or apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 13, wherein the amplitude is the largest, the sound velocity is the slowest, or the waveform period is the longest. Identify rough positions based on two or more of the smallest values of frequency-dependent attenuation and perform the second sequence to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information. Can be.

The invention according to claims 18 and 19 is the method or apparatus according to any one of claims 4 to 13, wherein the amplitude is the largest, the sound velocity is the slowest, or the waveform period is the longest. Or the rough position is identified based on two or more of the smallest frequency-dependent attenuation values, and the data above and below the data and the data before and after the data are compared to limit the position to a narrower range. By performing the second sequence after that, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

According to a twentieth aspect of the present invention, an ultrasonic bone diagnostic method for performing gain adjustment in a short time is realized by predicting the gain of a received signal at the measurement point based on data of an adjacent point that has already been acquired. can do.

According to a twenty-first aspect of the present invention, gain control is provided by providing storage means for storing received gain data of a point already measured and calculating means for predicting the gain of the received signal at the measured point from the stored data. Can be realized in a short time.

According to a twenty-second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic bone diagnostic method for adjusting a pulse amplitude in a short time by predicting the amplitude of a transmission pulse at the measurement point on the basis of data of an adjacent point which has already taken in the pulse. Can be realized.

According to a twenty-third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a storage means for storing transmission pulse amplitude data of a point already measured, and a calculating means for predicting the amplitude of the transmission pulse at the measurement point from the stored data. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus that adjusts the pulse amplitude in a short time can be realized.

The invention according to claims 24 and 25 comprises transmission pulse amplitude control means capable of changing the amplitude of a transmission pulse, and a variable gain amplifier capable of changing the degree of amplification of a received signal. It has a function to monitor the amplitude of the acquired signal at the time of data acquisition and adjust it to an appropriate gain.If the amplitude is small, increase the transmission pulse amplitude by giving priority to the increase of the reception gain. In the case where is large, by providing a function of prioritizing the reduction of the reception gain over the reduction of the transmission pulse amplitude, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

According to the invention described in claims 26 and 27, in the invention described in any one of claims 20 to 25, the reception signal level adjustment is performed by adjusting the reception gain or transmission pulse adjustment step in the first sequence for the second time. By making the measurement coarser, it is possible to perform measurement in a short time without lowering the measurement accuracy.

According to the invention described in claims 28 and 29, in the invention described in any one of claims 20 to 25, the step of adjusting the reception gain or the transmission pulse amplitude in the reflection mode for measuring the calcaneus width is performed. By making the adjustment step coarser than the adjustment step in the second sequence of the transmission mode for measuring the bone characteristics, measurement can be performed in a short time without lowering the accuracy.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. (Embodiment 1) FIG. 1A is a flowchart of a probe position moving sequence according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram thereof. First, the entire test range (area A) is measured. S
At T160, the moving pitch of the probe is set to β wider than the original pitch. In ST161, the measurement is performed for all the measurement points set in the area A in a grid pattern with the pitch β. Next, in ST162, the measurement point closest to the evaluation point C is specified from these measurement points. The specific method will be described later. Here, Figure 1
It is assumed that the measurement point b is specified as the point closest to the evaluation point c as shown in FIG. At this time, in ST162, the measurement point B
An area B smaller than the area A centered on is set, and S
At 163, the scanning pitch is set to a measurement pitch α that is smaller than β and used for the original measurement. Next, in S164, the measurement is performed for all the measurement points where the area B is set in a grid pattern with the pitch α. In S165, the measurement point C from which the bone characteristic is to be obtained from this measurement is specified, and in S166, the bone information at the measurement point C is calculated and displayed.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the measurement sequence is divided into two or more, and in the first sequence, the moving pitch of the probe is increased to roughly identify the position. By scanning the range narrowed in the second sequence at a fine moving pitch, an ultrasonic bone diagnosis method capable of reducing the number of measurement points and obtaining accurate bone information can be realized.

In this embodiment, the measurement is performed in a two-step sequence. However, in some cases, it is better to use a sequence of three or more steps depending on the size of the area A and the final measurement pitch α.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram in the case of using a probe having a single transducer according to the second embodiment corresponding to FIG. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a probe for transmitting / receiving an ultrasonic pulse, and 12 denotes a foot. The probe 2 is located on the side of the foot 12 opposite to the probe 1, but is not shown because it cannot be seen. 4 and 5 are switches for selecting either the probe 1 or the probe 2, 6 is a transmission pulse generating circuit for generating an ultrasonic pulse from the probe selected by the switch 4, and 7 is the main measurement. A timing circuit for controlling the timing of the device, 8 is a receiving amplifier for amplifying the echo signal of the probe selected by the switch 5, 9 is an arithmetic circuit,
It calculates the sound speed and attenuation from the timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7 and the echo signal received by the reception amplifier 8, and includes an A / D converter for quantizing the echo signal. Reference numeral 10 denotes a display. Reference numerals 23 and 24 denote moving means for moving the probes 1 and 2 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. Here, an electric stage that can be linearly moved by a pulse motor is assumed. Reference numeral 25 denotes a control arm for connecting the vertical movement means 24 to the probe 1, reference numeral 26 denotes a movement pulse generator for outputting movement pulses to the movement means 23 and 24, and reference numeral 27 denotes a sequence number counter for counting the number of measurement sequences. . The forward / backward moving means 23 and the up / down moving means 24 are moving pulse generators 2 triggered by timing signals generated by the timing circuit 7.
By the movement pulse generated in step 6, it moves forward and backward and up and down by an exact distance. The number of generated movement pulses is determined by a control signal output from the sequence number counter 27.

The procedure for taking in a signal while moving the probes 1 and 2 is as described in the first embodiment. In the first sequence, the output of the sequence number counter 27 is 1, and the movement pulse generator 26
Outputs a pulse corresponding to the movement amount of β. In the second sequence, the output of the sequence number counter 27 is 2
As a result, the moving pulse generator 26 outputs a pulse corresponding to the moving amount of α. Thus, a two-stage sequence can be handled, the number of measurement points can be reduced, and measurement can be performed in a short time.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, when the probes 1 and 2 each composed of a single element are used, the means 27 for switching the moving pitch of the probes is provided. According to the procedure of mode 1, accurate bone information can be obtained in a short time.

(Embodiment 3) FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a block diagram in the case of using a probe composed of a two-dimensional array according to the third embodiment corresponding to FIG. In FIG. 3, probes 13 and 14 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic pulses are provided with two-dimensionally arranged transducers. Reference numeral 12 denotes a foot, and reference numeral 3 denotes a calcaneus for measuring bone quality. The foot 12 of the subject is inserted between the probe 13 and the probe 14, and the probe 13 or the probe 14 and the foot are connected. A matching material (not shown) for easily transmitting the ultrasonic wave is interposed between the two. 4 and 5 are the probe 13 or the probe 14
A transmission pulse generating circuit for generating an ultrasonic pulse from the probe selected by the switch 4, a timing circuit 7 for controlling the timing of the measuring apparatus, and a switch 5 A receiving amplifier 9 for amplifying the echo signal of the probe selected in the step 9; an arithmetic circuit 9 for calculating the speed of sound and attenuation from the timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7 and the echo signal received by the receiving amplifier 8; An A / D converter for quantizing the echo signal is included. Reference numeral 10 denotes a display. 15 and 16 are probes 1
A switch 17 for selecting which of the three- and two-dimensionally arranged transducers to use for transmission and reception is a switch control circuit, and controls switching of the switches 15 and 16. Reference numeral 27 denotes a sequence number counter that counts the number of measurement sequences and outputs the result to the switch control circuit 17. The switch control circuit 17 determines the movement pitch in the measurement based on the output of the sequence number counter.
By changing the movement pitch between the first sequence and the second sequence by this mechanism, the number of measurement points can be reduced, and the measurement can be performed in a short time.

As described above, according to the third embodiment, 2
When the probes 13 and 14 composed of the dimensional array elements are used, by providing the element switching means 15 and 16, accurate bone information can be obtained in a short time by the procedure of the first embodiment.

In this example, by sequentially switching the switches 15 and 16 under the control of the switch control circuit 17, the measurement points arranged two-dimensionally as shown in FIG. I will do it.

(Embodiment 4) FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation in a fourth embodiment corresponding to claims 4 and 5 of the present invention. The device configuration is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. It is. In sequence 1, first, in ST170, the initial position of the probe is set, the initial value of the maximum amplitude of the data is substituted, and the scanning pitch β is set. Next, in ST171, the data is fetched, and in ST172, the maximum amplitude Am of the data is obtained.
1 is calculated. If the maximum amplitude Am1 has been the maximum in sequence 1 so far, it is determined in step S174 that Am1
Is written to Am, and the position of the probe at that time is written to b. If it is determined in ST175 that sequence 1 has not been completed (when all the data in the area has been obtained), the probe is moved in ST176,
It returns to the measurement of ST171. Then, when sequence 1 ends in ST175, the scanning pitch is changed to α in ST177, and in ST178, position calculation for sequence 2 is performed. The position of the area in sequence 2 is centered on position b. Thereafter, data is fetched according to sequence 2.

As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, of the data obtained in the first sequence described in the first embodiment, a rough position is identified on the basis of the largest amplitude. By performing the second sequence, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

(Embodiment 5) FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an operation in a fifth embodiment corresponding to claims 6 and 7 of the present invention. The device configuration is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. It is. In sequence 1, first, in ST180, the initial position of the probe is set, the initial value of the lowest sound speed of data is substituted, and the scanning pitch β is set. Next, in ST181, the data is fetched, and in ST181, the sound velocity Vm in this data is read.
1 is calculated. If the sound speed Vm1 has been the minimum in sequence 1, the value of Vm1 is written to Vm in S183, and the position of the probe at that time is written to b. If it is determined in ST185 that Sequence 1 has not been completed (when all the data in the area has been obtained), the probe is moved in ST186 and ST
It returns to the measurement of 181. Then, when sequence 1 ends in ST185, the scanning pitch is changed to α in ST187, and position calculation for sequence 2 is performed in ST188. The position of the area in sequence 2 is centered on position b. Thereafter, data is fetched according to sequence 2.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment, of the data obtained in the first sequence described in the first embodiment, a rough position is identified based on the lowest sound speed, and By performing the second sequence, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

(Embodiment 6) FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an operation in a sixth embodiment of the present invention corresponding to claims 8 and 9 of the present invention. The device configuration is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. It is. In sequence 1, first, in ST190, the initial position of the probe is set, the initial value of the longest cycle of data is substituted, and the scanning pitch β is set. Next, in ST191, data is fetched, and in ST192, the cycle Tm of this data is obtained.
1 is calculated. If the cycle Tm1 has been the smallest in the sequence 1, the value of Tm1 is written to Tm in S147, and the position of the probe at that time is written to b. When it is determined in ST195 that sequence 1 has not been completed (when all the data in the area has not been obtained), the probe is moved in ST196, and the process returns to ST191. And ST195
If the sequence 1 is completed in ST19, ST19
In step 7, the scanning pitch is changed to α, and in ST198, position calculation for sequence 2 is performed. The position of the area in sequence 2 is centered on position b. Thereafter, data is fetched according to sequence 2.

As described above, according to the sixth embodiment, among the data obtained in the first sequence described in the first embodiment, a rough position is identified based on the longest period of the waveform. By performing the second sequence, accurate bone information can be obtained with a reduced number of measurement points.

(Embodiment 7) FIG. 7 Claim 10 of the present invention
11 is a flowchart showing the operation in the seventh embodiment corresponding to FIGS. 2 and 3 and the device configuration is shown in FIG.
Is the same as that shown in FIG. In sequence 1,
First, in ST200, the initial position of the probe is set, the initial value of the lowest frequency attenuation of data is substituted, and the scanning pitch β is set. Next, data is fetched in ST201, and a frequency attenuation Gm1 in the data is calculated in ST202. Frequency attenuation Gm
If 1 is the smallest value in sequence 1 so far, the value of Gm1 is written to Gm in S204, and the position of the probe at that time is written to b. When it is determined in ST205 that sequence 1 has not been completed (when all the data in the area has been obtained), the probe is moved in ST206 and the process returns to ST201. Then, when the sequence 1 ends in ST205, the scanning pitch is changed to α in ST207, and the position calculation for sequence 2 is performed in ST208. The position of the area in sequence 2 is centered on position b. Thereafter, data is fetched according to sequence 2.

As described above, according to the seventh embodiment, a rough position is identified on the basis of the smallest value of the frequency-dependent attenuation among the data obtained in the first sequence described in claim 1. By performing the second sequence, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

(Embodiment 8) FIG. 8 shows the first embodiment of the present invention.
14 is a flowchart showing the operation in the eighth embodiment corresponding to FIG. 2, and the device configuration is the same as that shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. The eighth embodiment is almost the same as the fourth embodiment shown in FIG. 4, except that the data fetched in ST211 is time-limited by ST212. The time limit in ST212 is such that a signal is captured only in a time zone in which there is some margin in the time when the sound wave reaches the probe from the probe, and for example, a value of the maximum amplitude is calculated from unnecessary data. This prevents measurement errors such as making mistakes. Although Embodiment 8 does not describe the time limit in Sequence 2,
In this case as well, measurement errors can be reduced by setting a time limit.

As described above, according to the eighth embodiment, of the obtained data, only the range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes is noticed, and the maximum amplitude or the speed of sound in the time range is considered. Is the slowest, the longest period of the waveform, or the smallest value of the frequency-dependent attenuation, and a rough position is identified. By performing the second sequence, the number of measurement points can be reduced and the accuracy can be reduced. Good bone information can be obtained.

(Embodiment 9) FIG. 9 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 33 is a block diagram in the case of using a probe having a single transducer according to the ninth embodiment corresponding to No. 3; In FIG. 9, 1 is a probe for transmitting / receiving an ultrasonic pulse, and 12 is a tarsus. The probe 2 is located on the side of the foot 12 opposite to the probe 1, but is not shown because it cannot be seen. 4 and 5 are switches for selecting either the probe 1 or the probe 2, 6 is a transmission pulse generating circuit for generating an ultrasonic pulse from the probe selected by the switch 4, and 7 is the main measurement. A timing circuit for controlling the timing of the device, 8 is a receiving amplifier for amplifying an echo signal of the probe selected by the switch 5, 9 is a timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7 and an echo received by the receiving amplifier 8. An arithmetic circuit that calculates the sound speed and attenuation from a signal, and includes an A / D converter for quantizing an echo signal. Reference numeral 10 denotes a display. Reference numerals 23 and 24 denote moving means for moving the probes 1 and 2 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. Here, an electric stage that can be linearly moved by a pulse motor is assumed. 25 is a vertical moving means 24
A control arm for connecting the probe 1 and the probe 1;
A moving pulse generator that outputs a moving pulse to
27 is a sequence number counter for counting the number of measurement sequences. Reference numeral 30 denotes a switch for selecting only a range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes among the obtained data.

The operation of the present embodiment is the same as that described in the second embodiment. In the present embodiment, a switch 30 for turning on / off the reception signal is further provided.
The switch 30 is turned on only when there is some allowance in the transmission time between the probes under the control of the timing circuit 7, and the signal is transmitted to the receiving amplifier 8. It is possible to prevent a measurement error such as calculating and making a mistake in the value.

As described above, according to the ninth embodiment, the number of measurement points can be reduced by providing the selection means 30 for cutting out only the selection range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes from the obtained data. In addition, accurate bone information can be obtained.

(Embodiment 10) FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operation of an eighth embodiment corresponding to claim 14 of the present invention. The tenth embodiment is almost the same as the eighth embodiment shown in FIG. 8, except that the temperature of the matching material is measured in ST232, and the time is limited when receiving the received signal in ST233. It is characterized in that the setting can be made in consideration of the change in the sound speed of the matching material due to the temperature.

As described above, according to the tenth embodiment,
When focusing only on the range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes in the obtained data, in limiting the time range,
Taking into account the influence of the temperature of the matching material, a rough position is identified based on the same reference as in Embodiment 8, and the second sequence is performed to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information. Can be.

(Embodiment 11) FIG. 11 is a block diagram in the case of using a probe having a single transducer according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
In 1, 1 is a probe for transmitting / receiving an ultrasonic pulse, and 12 is a tarsus. The probe 2 is located on the side of the foot 12 opposite to the probe 1, but is not shown because it cannot be seen. 4 and 5 are switches for selecting either the probe 1 or the probe 2, 6 is a transmission pulse generating circuit for generating an ultrasonic pulse from the probe selected by the switch 4, and 7 is the main measurement. A timing circuit for controlling the timing of the apparatus; 8, a receiving amplifier for amplifying an echo signal of the probe selected by the switch 5; 9, a timing signal generated by the timing circuit 7 and a receiving amplifier 8;
An arithmetic circuit for calculating the speed of sound and the degree of attenuation from the echo signal received by the control unit, and includes an A / D converter for quantizing the echo signal. Reference numeral 10 denotes a display. Reference numerals 23 and 24 denote moving means for moving the probes 1 and 2 in the front-rear direction and the up-down direction. Here, an electric stage that can be linearly moved by a pulse motor is assumed. Reference numeral 25 denotes a control arm for connecting the vertical movement means 24 to the probe 1, reference numeral 26 denotes a movement pulse generator for outputting movement pulses to the movement means 23 and 24, and reference numeral 27 denotes a sequence number counter for counting the number of measurement sequences. . 28 is a temperature sensor and 29 is a temperature measuring device.

The operation in the eleventh embodiment is the same as that described in the ninth embodiment. In the eleventh embodiment,
Further, the temperature information obtained by the temperature sensor 28 is
, The ON / OFF timing of the switch 30 for limiting the time of the input signal can be controlled in consideration of the change in the speed of sound due to the temperature change of the matching material.

As described above, according to the eleventh embodiment,
The apparatus according to the ninth embodiment includes means 28 and 29 for measuring the temperature of the matching material, and the arithmetic circuit 9 calculates the variation of the propagation time between the probes based on the data obtained from these means. This makes it possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

(Twelfth Embodiment) In the inventions of the fourth to tenth embodiments, amplitude,
Although the case where the sound velocity, the signal period, the frequency-dependent attenuation, and the like are used alone has been described, in the present embodiment, the second or subsequent measurement range is identified using two or more of these. is there. FIG.
26 is a flowchart showing the operation in the twelfth embodiment corresponding to FIGS.
1 is the same as that shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, ST2
In ST252, the signal period Tm1 is first calculated from the received data obtained in step 51, and if the value of Tm1 is smaller than the reference Tmin prepared in advance, the processing of this data is stopped and the probe is moved to the next measurement position. Let it. If the value of Tm1 is larger than Tmin, the maximum amplitude is obtained in ST254, compared with the maximum amplitude Am so far in ST256, and if larger than that, Am in ST257.
= Am1, and the probe position is stored in b.

According to the twelfth embodiment, for example, if only the amplitude is determined when the position of the foot is too far forward, the signal passing through the part without the calcaneus at the rear part of the heel has a small attenuation. This is effective in cases where the amplitude is large and this is mistaken for a measurement position. First, look at the signal period, and if the period is shorter than a certain value, discard the data. This is useful for truncating and finding the exact value.

(Embodiment 13) FIG. 13 is a flow chart showing an operation in a thirteenth embodiment corresponding to claims 18 and 19 of the present invention.
It is the same as that shown in 3, 9, 11. In this embodiment, first, the scanning pitch is set to α in ST270, and measurement is performed for all measurement points in area A in ST271. From this result, the point where the measurement point b is specified in ST274 is the same as in the above-described fourth to seventh embodiments. In the present embodiment, adjacent points of the measurement point b are compared. The content of the comparison may be any one of the amplitude, the sound speed, the waveform period, and the frequency-dependent attenuation described in the fourth to seventh embodiments, or may use two or more of them. Here, it is assumed that the sound speed is compared. First, the sound velocities of the left and right points g and e of the measurement point b are compared in ST273, and then the upper and lower points d and f are determined in ST274 and 275.
Are compared. As a result of this comparison, it can be seen that there is an evaluation point c between the measurement point and the point on the lower sound velocity side. For example g
If <e and f <d, the evaluation point c is in a square having the measurement point b and the adjacent points f and g as vertices. By comparing the upper and lower, right and left points adjacent to the measurement point b in this manner, the measurement range can be narrowed, the number of measurement points can be reduced, and measurement can be performed in a short time.

As described above, according to the thirteenth embodiment,
The largest amplitude or the slowest sound speed,
Alternatively, the approximate position is identified based on two or more of the longest period of the waveform or the smallest value of the frequency-dependent attenuation, and further, the data above and below the data and the data before and after are compared, By performing the second sequence after limiting the position to a narrower range, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

(Embodiment 14) FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an operation in a fourteenth embodiment according to the twentieth aspect of the present invention. This embodiment is characterized in a method of adjusting a gain at the time of capturing a signal. ST2
At 90, the gain is set to the initial setting value G0, and at S29
In step ST292, the data is fetched, and the amplitude A is calculated. An excessive amplitude is detected in S293 and an excessive amplitude is detected in S294, and the gain is adjusted in each processing of S296 to 297 and ST298 to 299 so that an appropriate gain is obtained. The gain value thus obtained is separately stored, and when moving to the next measurement point in ST302, the data of the measurement point is predicted from the data of the adjacent point stored in the past in ST303. The prediction may be, for example, an average of data of adjacent points that are already known. It has been experimentally confirmed that the signals obtained at adjacent measurement points often have similar amplitudes, and the number of gain adjustments can be reduced rather than returning the gain to the initial value each time. The measurement can be carried out.

As described above, according to the fourteenth embodiment,
By predicting the gain of the reception signal at the measurement point based on the data of the adjacent point that has already been acquired, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic bone diagnosis method in which the gain is adjusted in a short time.

(Embodiment 15) FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus showing a configuration of a fifteenth embodiment corresponding to claim 21 of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the conventional example shown in FIG. 26, but differs in that it has a gain storage circuit 32. The data of the measurement points measured in the past is stored in the gain storage circuit 32, and the gain of the unknown measurement point is predicted by the arithmetic circuit 9 from the data of the adjacent points. It has been experimentally confirmed that the signals obtained at adjacent measurement points often have similar amplitudes, and the number of gain adjustments can be reduced rather than returning the gain to the initial value each time. The measurement can be carried out.

As described above, according to the fifteenth embodiment,
Means 32 for storing reception gain data of points already measured
Then, the gain of the received signal at the measurement point is predicted by the arithmetic circuit 9 from the stored data, so that the gain can be adjusted in a short time.

(Embodiment 16) FIG. 16 is a flow chart showing an operation in a sixteenth embodiment according to claim 22 of the present invention. The sixteenth embodiment is characterized in a method of adjusting the amplitude of a transmission pulse at the time of capturing a signal. In ST310, the initial setting value P of the pulse amplitude
0, the data is fetched in S311 and ST312
Calculates the amplitude A. In S313, the amplitude is excessively increased.
In S314, an undervalue is found, and S316 to 317 and S
In each process of T318 to T319, the gain is adjusted so that an appropriate gain is obtained. The gain value thus obtained is separately stored, and when moving to the next measurement point in ST322, the transmission pulse amplitude data of the measurement point is predicted from the data of the adjacent point previously stored in ST333. The prediction may be, for example, an average of data of adjacent points that are already known. It has been experimentally confirmed that the signals obtained at adjacent measurement points often have similar amplitudes, and the number of amplitude adjustments can be reduced rather than returning the transmission pulse amplitude to the initial value each time. Measurement can be performed in a short time.

As described above, according to the sixteenth embodiment,
The pulse amplitude can be adjusted in a short time by predicting the amplitude of the transmission pulse at the measurement point based on the data of the adjacent point that has already been acquired.

(Embodiment 17) FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus showing a configuration of a seventeenth embodiment corresponding to claim 23 of the present invention. This embodiment is similar to the conventional example shown in FIG. 28, but differs in having a transmission level storage circuit. The transmission pulse amplitude of the data measured in the past is stored in the transmission level storage circuit 34, and the transmission pulse amplitude of the unknown measurement point is predicted by the arithmetic circuit 9 from the data of the adjacent point. It has been experimentally confirmed that the signals obtained at adjacent measurement points often have similar amplitudes, and the number of amplitude adjustments can be reduced rather than returning the pulse amplitude to the initial value each time. Measurements can be made in time.

As described above, according to the seventeenth embodiment,
The pulse amplitude can be adjusted in a short time by predicting the amplitude of the transmission pulse at the measurement point by means 34 for storing the transmission pulse amplitude data of the point already measured and the arithmetic circuit 9 from the stored data. .

(Embodiment 18) FIG. 18 is a flow chart showing the operation of the eighteenth embodiment according to claims 24 and 25 of the present invention.
FIG. 17 and FIG. Embodiment 18
Is characterized by a method of adjusting the amplitude of a transmission pulse when capturing a signal. In ST330, the initial setting value G0 of the reception gain and the initial setting value P of the amplitude of the transmission pulse
0, the data is fetched in S331, and ST332
Calculates the amplitude A. In S333, the excessive amplitude
In S334, underscore is found. At this time, it is checked in ST335 whether the amplitude is excessive and the gain is not minimum, and if not, the reception gain is reduced in ST336. If the reception gain is reduced to the minimum and the amplitude is excessive, the transmission amplitude is reduced in S337. By taking such a procedure, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the S / N ratio of the received signal and to accurately evaluate the bone characteristics. Also, when the amplitude is determined to be too small in S334, similarly, to minimize the deterioration of the S / N ratio,
If the transmission amplitude can still be increased in S39, S34
By 0, the transmission amplitude is increased. When the transmission amplitude cannot be increased any further and the amplitude of the input signal is too small, the reception gain is increased in S341.

As described above, according to the eighteenth embodiment,
It has a transmission level control circuit 33 that can change the amplitude of the transmission pulse and a gain controller 32 that can change the degree of amplification of the received signal, and monitors the amplitude of the signal taken in at each measurement position when data is taken. If the amplitude is small, the increase of the transmission pulse amplitude is given priority over the increase of the reception gain, and if the amplitude is large, the reception gain is reduced by the transmission pulse amplitude. By providing a function to be performed prior to the reduction of the number of bones, it is possible to reduce the number of measurement points and obtain accurate bone information.

(Embodiment 19) FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the operation of a nineteenth embodiment according to the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh aspects of the present invention.
FIG. 17 and FIG. Embodiment 19
In the first sequence loop 1 (L = 1) and the next sequence loop 2 (L = 2), the steps of increasing and decreasing the gain are different. In the sequence loop 1, since it is only necessary to check where the measurement point is located, the gain does not need to be adjusted very finely. On the other hand, in the sequence loop 2, since it is necessary to extract the bone characteristics, it is necessary to capture the data under the best conditions, and it is necessary to finely adjust the gain. In the present embodiment, by making the gain step S coarser than the second S2 in the sequence step 1, the number of repetitions required for gain adjustment is reduced.
This is to shorten the measurement time. Although the present embodiment is applied to the adjustment of the reception gain, it can be applied to the amplitude of the transmission pulse in exactly the same manner.

As described above, according to the nineteenth embodiment,
By adjusting the reception signal level in the fourteenth to eighteenth embodiments in a step of adjusting the reception gain or transmission pulse in the first sequence more coarsely than in the second sequence, it is possible to perform the measurement in a short time without lowering the measurement accuracy. can do.

(Embodiment 20) FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an operation in a twentieth embodiment corresponding to claims 28 and 29 of the present invention.
FIG. 17 and FIG. In the embodiment, in the measurement of the width of the calcaneus in the reflection mode and the measurement of the transmission time in the transmission mode, since the error tolerance is large in the reflection mode, in this embodiment, the gain step S is transmitted in the reflection mode. By making S1 coarser than S2 in the mode, the number of repetitions necessary for gain adjustment is reduced, and the measurement time is shortened. Although the present embodiment is applied to the adjustment of the reception gain, it can be applied to the amplitude adjustment of the transmission pulse in exactly the same manner.

As described above, according to the twentieth embodiment,
In the invention according to any one of Embodiments 14 to 18, the step of adjusting the reception gain or the transmission pulse amplitude in the reflection mode for measuring the calcaneus width is performed in the second sequence of the transmission mode for measuring the bone characteristics. By making the adjustment coarser than the adjustment step, measurement can be performed in a short time without lowering the accuracy.

[0083]

As is clear from the above embodiment, the present invention can reduce the number of measurement points by dividing the search for the position for performing the bone evaluation into two or more sequences, and can improve the quality in a short time. This has the effect that measurement with high accuracy can be performed. In addition, as a method of adjusting the amplitude at the time of signal acquisition, the number of adjustments can be reduced by estimating the amplitude of the transmission pulse and the set value of the reception gain from data at the measurement points that have already been measured, thereby shortening the number of adjustments. Has the effect that measurement with good accuracy can be performed. Further, in the first sequence or the sequence for measuring the calcaneus width, there is an effect that the measurement can be performed in a short time without lowering the accuracy by increasing the step of changing the amplitude of the transmission pulse or the reception gain. In addition, as a procedure for adjusting the received signal, when the amplitude is to be increased, the transmission pulse is adjusted with priority, and when the amplitude is to be decreased, the reception gain is adjusted with priority, so that the S / N ratio can be kept good. Has an effect.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an ultrasonic bone diagnosis method according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to an eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis according to a twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis in a thirteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis according to a fourteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a fifteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis in a sixteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a seventeenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis according to an eighteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing an ultrasonic bone diagnosis method according to a nineteenth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing an ultrasonic bone diagnosis method according to the twentieth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 21 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a first conventional example of the present invention.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis in the first conventional example of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a second conventional example of the present invention.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis in the second conventional example of the present invention.

FIG. 25 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a third conventional example of the present invention.

FIG. 26 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a fourth conventional example of the present invention.

FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis in a fourth conventional example of the present invention.

FIG. 28 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus according to a fifth conventional example of the present invention.

FIG. 29 is a flowchart showing a method of ultrasonic bone diagnosis in a fifth conventional example of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 probe 3 calcaneus 4, 5 switch 6 transmission pulse generation circuit 7 timing generation circuit 8 reception amplifier 9 arithmetic circuit 10 display 11 footrest 12 tarsus 13, 14 probe 15, 16 switch 17 switch Controller 23 Back and forth moving means 24 Up and down moving means 25 Control arm 26 Moving pulse generator 27 Sequence number counter 28 Temperature sensor 29 Temperature measuring device 30 Switch 31 Gain controller 32 Gain storage circuit 33 Transmission level control circuit 34 Transmission level storage circuit

Claims (29)

[Claims] 1. A sequence for examining a bone state while moving a probe back and forth or up and down in order to find an optimal position for measuring a bone density is divided into two or more. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic method, wherein the moving pitch of the probe is reduced as the sequence becomes larger. 2. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus comprising means for switching a probe movement pitch for performing the sequence according to claim 1 using a probe composed of a single element. 3. An ultrasonic bone comprising an element switching means corresponding to a probe movement pitch for performing the sequence according to claim 1 using a probe comprising a two-dimensional array element. Diagnostic device. 4. The ultrasonic bone according to claim 1, wherein the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is determined based on the largest amplitude among the data obtained in the previous sequence. Diagnostic method. 5. The ultrasonic bone according to claim 1, wherein the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is determined based on the largest amplitude among the data obtained in the previous sequence. Diagnostic device. 6. The ultrasonic bone according to claim 1, wherein the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is determined based on the lowest sound speed among the data obtained in the previous sequence. Diagnostic method. 7. The ultrasonic bone according to claim 1, wherein the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is determined based on the lowest sound speed among the data obtained in the previous sequence. Diagnostic device. 8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is identified based on the longest waveform cycle among the data obtained in the previous sequence. Ultrasound bone diagnostic method. 9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is identified based on the longest waveform period among the data obtained in the previous sequence. Ultrasonic bone diagnostic device. 10. A method according to claim 1, wherein the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is identified based on the smallest value of the frequency-dependent attenuation among the data obtained in the previous sequence. Ultrasonic bone diagnosis method. 11. A method according to claim 1, wherein the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is identified based on the smallest value of the frequency-dependent attenuation among the data obtained in the previous sequence. Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. 12. The method according to claim 4, wherein only the range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes among the obtained data is focused on. Bone diagnosis method using sound waves. 13. The invention according to claim 5, further comprising a selection means for selecting only a range corresponding to a propagation time between the probes among the obtained data. Ultrasound bone diagnostic device characterized. 14. The invention according to claim 12, wherein
A method for diagnosing bone using ultrasonic waves, wherein, when focusing only on a range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes in the obtained data, the influence of the temperature of the matching material is taken into account in limiting the time range. . 15. The invention according to claim 13, wherein
When selecting only a range corresponding to the propagation time between the probes from the obtained data, a means for measuring the temperature of the matching material in consideration of the influence of the temperature of the matching material in limiting the time range is used. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus, comprising: 16. In the invention according to any one of claims 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12, identification of the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is performed by using the data having the largest amplitude among the data obtained in the previous sequence. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic method characterized by using two or more of the following criteria: large, slowest sound velocity, longest waveform period, and smallest frequency-dependent attenuation. 17. The method according to claim 5, wherein the identification of the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is performed with the smallest amplitude among the data obtained in the previous sequence. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus characterized in that two or more of the following criteria are used: large, slowest sound speed, longest waveform period, and smallest frequency-dependent attenuation. 18. The method according to claim 4, wherein the identification of the search range in the second and subsequent sequences is performed in such a manner that the amplitude of the data obtained in the previous sequence is the smallest. It is based on the fact that it is large, that the sound velocity is the slowest, that the waveform cycle is the longest, or that the value of the frequency-dependent attenuation is the smallest,
An ultrasonic bone diagnostic method, further comprising comparing upper and lower data and preceding and following data, and limiting the position to a narrower range. 19. The invention according to any one of claims 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13, wherein the identification of a search range in the second and subsequent sequences is performed in such a manner that the amplitude of the data obtained in the previous sequence is the smallest. Using the fact that it is large, the sound velocity is the slowest, the waveform cycle is the longest, or the value of the frequency-dependent attenuation is the smallest, then the data above and below and before and after the data are compared, and the position is determined. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus characterized by being limited to a narrow range. 20. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic method, wherein the amplitude of a relevant measurement point is predicted using the amplitude data at an adjacent point for which data has already been taken in, and the gain of the receiving amplifier is determined. 21. A function of providing a variable gain amplifier capable of changing the degree of amplification of a reception signal, and adjusting the gain of the reception amplifier at the time of data acquisition at each measurement position to adjust the reception signal to an appropriate amplitude. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus having a function of predicting the amplitude of the measurement point based on the gain setting data of the receiving amplifier at the adjacent point which has already taken in the data and setting the gain of the receiving amplifier. . 22. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic method, wherein the amplitude of a measurement point is predicted by using transmission pulse amplitude data at an adjacent point for which data has already been captured, and the transmission amplitude is determined. 23. A transmission level control circuit capable of changing an amplitude of a transmission pulse signal, and a function of adjusting a reception signal to an appropriate amplitude by adjusting a transmission level at the time of acquiring data at each measurement position. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus provided with a function of predicting the amplitude of a measurement point based on transmission pulse amplitude data at an adjacent point that has already taken in data and setting the amplitude of a transmission pulse. 24. A transmission pulse amplitude control means capable of changing the amplitude of a transmission pulse and a variable gain amplifier capable of changing the degree of amplification of a reception signal, wherein the amplitude of the signal captured at the time of data capture at each measurement position is provided. Monitoring function and adjust the gain to an appropriate level.If the amplitude is small, increase the transmission pulse amplitude with priority over increasing the reception gain.If the amplitude is large, reduce the reception gain. An ultrasonic bone diagnosis method, which is performed prior to reduction of transmission pulse amplitude. 25. A transmission pulse amplitude control means capable of changing the amplitude of a transmission pulse and a variable gain amplifier capable of changing the amplification degree of a reception signal, wherein the amplitude of the signal captured at the time of data capture at each measurement position is provided. Monitoring function and adjust the gain to an appropriate level.If the amplitude is small, increase the transmission pulse amplitude with priority over increasing the reception gain.If the amplitude is large, reduce the reception gain. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus, which has a function of performing priority over reduction of transmission pulse amplitude. 26. The invention according to claim 20, wherein the step of adjusting the reception signal level is made coarser in the step of adjusting the reception gain or the transmission pulse in the preceding sequence than in the subsequent sequence. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic method, comprising: 27. In the invention according to any one of claims 21, 23, and 25, the step of adjusting the reception signal level is made coarser in the previous sequence than in the subsequent sequence by adjusting the reception gain or transmission pulse. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus, characterized in that: 28. In the invention according to any one of claims 20, 22, and 24, in the sequence of measuring the width of the calcaneus, when adjusting the reception gain or the transmission pulse, the calcaneus is transmitted through the bone information. A step of changing the reception gain or the step of changing the transmission amplitude from the sequence for obtaining the ultrasonic bone. 29. In the invention according to any one of claims 21, 23 and 25, in the sequence for measuring the calcaneus width, when adjusting the reception gain or the transmission pulse, the calcaneus is transmitted through the bone information. An ultrasonic bone diagnostic apparatus characterized in that the step of changing the reception gain or the step of changing the transmission amplitude is roughly determined from the sequence of obtaining the following.