JP2001333902A - Ultrasonic diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic device that obtains a plurality of echo data for observations by scanning ultrasonic waves through varying the frequency of ultrasonics. SOLUTION: An ultrasonic diagnostic device mainly consists of an ultrasonic observation section 1, a section for processing various images 2, an ultrasonic probe 3 provided with an ultrasonic oscillator 3a for sending and receiving ultrasonics and a driving section 4 for driving the ultrasonic probe 3, whereas the ultrasonic oscillator 3a is a broad-area oscillator that varies the driving frequency. The ultrasonic observation section 1 is equipped with a sending and receiving section 5, which sends ultrasonic waves of different driving frequencies toward the ultrasonic oscillator 3a and receives ultrasonic reflex waves and a frame memory 6 or the like which stores reflex waves in incorporating them into echo data, whereas the switching of various driving frequencies to be generated in the sending and receiving section 5 is controlled and the driving frequencies thus switched as well as the echo data of their driving frequencies are stored by complying with the frame memory 6.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for obtaining an ultrasonic tomographic image of a subject by inserting an ultrasonic probe having an ultrasonic transducer at the tip into a body cavity or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an ultrasonic probe has been developed as an apparatus for ultrasonically scanning an inside of a thin tubular cavity in a body cavity or the like and obtaining a tomographic image around the cavity. Conventional ultrasonic probes can obtain only a linear image and a radial image, respectively. However, in recent years, a three-dimensional image that can grasp the shape of a tumor formed on the subject and measure the volume can be obtained. There is an increasing need for the development of an ultrasonic probe that can obtain the above.

[0003] As an ultrasonic probe capable of obtaining such a three-dimensional image, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-47066 discloses a high-speed ultrasonic probe with a short processing time while maintaining the tone characteristic inherent in the echo data of a living body necessary for medical diagnosis. An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus for accurately displaying a three-dimensional object inside a living body is shown.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-108217 discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for surely stopping an ultrasonic probe at least from when the power is turned on until the software is started.

[0005] In the ultrasonic images obtained by these apparatuses, the higher the frequency, the higher the resolution and the finer parts can be observed, and the lower the frequency, the farther the ultrasonic wave reaches (deepness), the more the diagnosis can be made. There is a contradictory feature that the range is expanded.

However, the ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus disclosed in JP-A-7-47066 and the JP-A-9-108217 are disclosed.
In the diagnostic apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-209, an ultrasonic probe of a single frequency was used, and it was not possible to obtain ultrasonic images having different resolutions and depths by switching frequencies.

For this reason, in order to obtain ultrasonic images having different resolutions and depths, a plurality of sets of ultrasonic observation units provided with ultrasonic probes having different frequencies and a driving device for driving the ultrasonic transducer thereof are prepared. However, there is a problem that not only costs are increased, but also handling during inspection and storage is troublesome, and more arrangement and storage space are required.

In order to solve this problem, as shown in FIG. 18, one ultrasonic observation unit provided with a transmission / reception unit having a structure for generating different driving frequencies manually or based on a signal from a frequency identification unit is provided. A plurality of ultrasonic probes driven at different driving frequencies are provided to constitute an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and a frequency identification unit is provided at a base end of each ultrasonic probe, and a driving unit connected to the ultrasonic probe is provided. Is provided with an identification unit reading unit.

With this, when the operator replaces the ultrasonic probe as necessary, the drive unit identifies the frequency of the ultrasonic probe, and the ultrasonic observation unit detects an appropriate frequency for the ultrasonic probe. Since the driving frequency is output, it is possible to obtain ultrasonic images having different resolutions and depths without preparing a plurality of ultrasonic observation units.

[0010]

However, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. 18, a plurality of types of ultrasonic probes had to be prepared. In addition, in order to obtain an ultrasonic image with different resolution and depth by switching the frequency, it is necessary to remove the inserted ultrasonic probe and then reinsert an ultrasonic probe with a different frequency. For this reason, there has been a problem that the inspection time is prolonged by spending time in inserting and removing the ultrasonic probe.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and performs ultrasonic scanning while changing the frequency of an ultrasonic wave to convert echo data with a higher priority on resolution and echo data with a higher priority on depth of arrival. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can display an ultrasonic tomographic image more effective for diagnosis and that is easy to handle.

[0012]

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention comprises an ultrasonic probe having a wide-band ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and a drive frequency applied to the wide-band ultrasonic transducer. A transmitting and receiving unit for receiving echo signals of an ultrasonic wave emitted from the broadband ultrasonic transducer and obtaining echo data; a storage unit for storing echo data obtained by the transmitting and receiving unit; Control means for controlling the change in the drive frequency generated by the section, and controlling the echo data to be stored in the storage means in accordance with the change in the drive frequency; and the storage control means corresponding to the drive frequency. Image processing means for generating an ultrasonic tomographic image based on the echo data stored and stored.

According to this configuration, when the ultrasonic probe is inserted into the body cavity and the ultrasonic observation is performed, the driving frequency to be supplied is changed to a different driving frequency to obtain an ultrasonic tomographic image of each driving frequency. Observe.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. 1 to 10 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an ultrasonic probe and a driving unit, and FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a change in a driving frequency supplied to an ultrasonic transducer. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a display example of an ultrasonic tomographic image displayed on a monitor screen. FIG. 5 is a flowchart for displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image obtained at two different frequencies on a monitor. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image obtained at four different frequencies on a monitor,
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the synthesis of ultrasonic tomographic images of four types of frequencies, FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a display example of an ultrasonic tomographic image displayed on a monitor screen, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating another example of displaying the obtained ultrasonic tomographic image on a monitor, and FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example of a three-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image displayed on a monitor screen.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment comprises an ultrasonic observation unit 1 for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves and displaying a real-time echo image (ultrasonic tomographic image).
And an image processing unit 2 for performing various image processing based on the echo data obtained by the ultrasonic observation unit 1 and an ultrasonic vibrator unit on which an ultrasonic vibrator 3a for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is disposed. , And a driving unit 4 for driving the ultrasonic probe 3.

The ultrasonic vibrator 3a is a wide-band ultrasonic vibrator (hereinafter, abbreviated as a wide-band vibrator) capable of changing a driving frequency. Echo data can be obtained.

The driving unit 4 includes a DC motor 4a for rotating the ultrasonic vibrator unit and a stepping motor 4b for moving the ultrasonic transducer unit forward and backward. The ultrasonic probe 3 and the driving unit 4 is a connector 4c
It is removably connected via a cable. Then, the ultrasonic probe 3 is connected to the drive unit 4 via the connector unit 4c to drive the motors 4a and 4b,
The ultrasonic vibrator rotates and moves back and forth.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic observation section 1
A transmitting / receiving unit 5 that transmits ultrasonic waves having different driving frequencies to the ultrasonic vibrator 3a and receives reflected waves of the ultrasonic waves, and captures and stores the reflected waves received by the transmitting / receiving unit 5 as echo data. And a digital scan converter (hereinafter abbreviated as DSC) 7 for converting, for example, sound ray data for each scan stored in the frame memory 6 into image data of a desired television system. A D / A conversion circuit 8 for converting the digital image signal of the DSC 7 into an analog signal; a monitor 9 for receiving an output signal of the D / A conversion circuit 8 and displaying a real-time ultrasonic tomographic image; It is mainly composed of a system controller 10 which is a control means for controlling each unit such as the drive unit 4, the transmission / reception unit 5, and the frame memory 6. The system controller 10 controls switching of various driving frequencies generated by the transmission / reception unit 5, and stores the switched driving frequency in the frame memory 6 in association with echo data of the driving frequency.

On the other hand, the image processing unit 2 includes a CPU 11 for controlling various image processing, a main storage device 12 for recording data and the like of each image processing result, and a sound ray data from the ultrasonic observation unit 1. An image data storage device 13 for storing
An arithmetic processor 14 for performing various image processing such as DSC processing and luminance value conversion processing for converting the sound ray data into desired television data at high speed; and an external storage for recording information such as processing programs and backup data. A device 15, an operation terminal 16 such as a keyboard for inputting data such as commands, a trackball 17 which is an input instruction device used for setting an image area, etc., and a frame for temporarily storing data after image processing Buffer 18
And a D / A conversion circuit 19 for converting a digital image signal output from the frame buffer 18 into an analog signal.
A monitor 20 for inputting an output image signal of the D / A conversion circuit 19 to display an image after image processing, and a recording for recording data stored in the image data storage device 13 on an exchangeable medium. It is mainly composed of a device such as a magneto-optical disk device 22. Each unit of the image processing unit 2 and the ultrasonic observation unit 1 are connected via a data transfer bus 21 so as to transfer processed image data.

The operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus configured as described above will be described. When performing ultrasonic observation, first, the ultrasonic probe 3 is inserted into a body cavity or the like. And the ultrasonic transducer 3a
The transmitting / receiving unit 5 and the driving unit 4 are driven under the control of the system controller 10 in a state where is disposed near the part to be examined. Then, the ultrasonic transducer 3a transmits and receives an ultrasonic wave to and from the living body while rotating and moving forward and backward, and echo data for obtaining an ultrasonic tomographic image of the living body is taken in.

At this time, one reciprocation of movement, which is a combination of rotational movement and forward / backward movement of the ultrasonic transducer 3a, is performed by helical scanning
The drive frequency of the ultrasonic transducer 3a is changed based on a command from the system controller 10 for each scan of the helical scan.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, after the first helical scan scan is performed at 7.5 MHz, when the second helical scan scan is performed, the driving frequency is 1
It is changed to 2 MHz and this is repeated. Then, the echo data obtained at each frequency is stored in the frame memory 6 in correspondence with each frequency.

The echo data stored in the frame memory 6 is transmitted to the DSC 7 and displayed on the monitor 9 via the D / A conversion circuit 8 as a real-time ultrasonic tomographic image. Is transmitted to the image processing unit 2 in the form of sound ray data.

The sound ray data sent to the image processing unit 2 is stored in the image data storage unit 13 for each image data forming one ultrasonic tomographic image. The image data stored in the image data storage device 13 is subjected to image processing such as DSC processing and luminance value conversion processing by the arithmetic processing processor 14.

The result of the image processing is sent to the frame buffer 18 to be temporarily stored, sent to the monitor 20 via the D / A conversion circuit 19, and the ultrasonic tomographic image after the image processing is displayed. That is, the echo data of a plurality of types of driving frequencies are respectively stored in the image data storage device 13, and are subjected to processing such as data averaging and synthesis by the arithmetic processor 14, and are displayed on the monitor 20 as ultrasonic tomographic images. Is displayed.

That is, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment, since the ultrasonic transducer 3a can obtain echo data of the same subject at different frequencies, it is possible to perform wide-range observation with an ultrasonic tomographic image having a low frequency. Detailed observation can be performed with an ultrasonic tomographic image having a high frequency.

Thus, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, a hierarchical screen for displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image at each frequency on the screen 20a of the monitor 20 and a tag switch 31 for calling each screen are provided. By selecting and operating a desired tag switch 31 as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5, an ultrasonic tomographic image of a corresponding frequency is confirmed while checking the current ultrasonic scanning frequency in the order of step 1 and step 2. Is displayed on the monitor screen 20a.

In this embodiment, the driving frequencies are set to 7.5 MHz and 12 MHz. However, the present invention is not limited to these driving frequencies, and other driving frequencies such as 20 MHz and 30 MHz may be further added. .
Also, the combination of these driving frequencies is not limited to the above, and arbitrary frequencies may be appropriately combined. The frequency may be changed every rotation (one radial scan), every one ultrasonic transmission / reception (one sound ray), or the like.

For example, when the driving frequency of the ultrasonic transducer 3a can be switched between 7.5 MHz, 12 MHz, 20 MHz and 30 MHz, in order to obtain an ultrasonic tomographic image, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. For example, if the distance from the acoustic probe 3 to the portion to be inspected is 3 cm or more, 7.5.
Using echo data obtained at MHZ, using echo data obtained at 12 MHz in the range of 2-3 cm, using echo data obtained at 20 MHz in the range of 1-2 cm, and using echo data obtained at 30 MHz within 1 cm As described above, the display areas are set in advance so as to construct an ultrasonic tomographic image.

Then, the ultrasonic vibrator 3a is driven at four driving frequencies, so that the current ultrasonic scanning frequency is checked in the order of step 11, step S12, and step 13, and the corresponding frequency is checked. Are stored in the frame memory 6 and sequentially updated. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, 7.5 MHz,
The ultrasonic tomographic images obtained at the driving frequencies of 12 MHz, 20 MHz and 30 MHz are matched and synthesized for each display area.
Image processing for addition is performed. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8, an ultrasonic tomographic image 30 which is a synthetic image obtained by synthesizing ultrasonic tomographic images of each frequency for each region is displayed on the monitor screen.

As described above, while the ultrasonic transducer driven at a plurality of driving frequencies is arranged on the ultrasonic probe, the transmitting / receiving unit and the control unit for driving the ultrasonic transducer by switching the frequency regularly are provided. Thus, the surgeon can obtain a plurality of echo data having different frequencies without having to insert or remove the ultrasonic probe, and obtain an ultrasonic tomographic image for each frequency. Thereby, the operator can perform observation by switching and displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image having a desired resolution or depth of depth on the monitor as appropriate.

Also, instead of switching and displaying ultrasonic tomographic images of different frequencies as appropriate on the monitor, the operator can combine and display ultrasonic tomographic images for each frequency for each preset region, thereby allowing the operator to perform one operation. With two ultrasonic tomographic images, a near test part can be displayed with high resolution at a high frequency and a distant test part can be uniformly displayed at a low frequency, and an ultrasonic tomographic image with high observability can be obtained. With these, observations desired by the operator can be performed smoothly.

As shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9, the driving frequencies are 7.5 MHz, 12 MHz, 20 MHz, 3 MHz and 3 MHz.
At the stage where all the scans at 0 MHz have been completed, the ultrasonic tomographic image 30 which is a composite image displayed on the monitor screen is displayed.
May be updated at once and displayed. Further, instead of displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image for each frequency as shown in FIG. 10, an ultrasonic image for each frequency may be displayed as a stereoscopic image 30a. At this time,
Instead of displaying a stereoscopic image for each frequency by operating the tag switch, an area for displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image for each frequency is specified, and ultrasonic images obtained at a plurality of frequencies are combined into one stereoscopic image. May be displayed.

FIGS. 11 to 13 relate to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a relationship between a frequency setting member and a reflection type sensor. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the member, and FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another configuration of the frequency setting member. The ultrasonic observation unit used in the present embodiment is a so-called conventional ultrasonic observation unit similar to that shown in the conventional example.

As shown in FIG. 11A, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present embodiment includes a transmission / reception unit (not shown) having a structure for generating different driving frequencies manually or based on a signal from the frequency identification unit. A conventional ultrasonic observation unit 1A for displaying a real-time ultrasonic tomographic image and the ultrasonic transducer 3a for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave corresponding to a change in a driving frequency supplied from the transmitting / receiving unit are arranged. An ultrasonic probe 3 having an ultrasonic vibrator at its distal end and a connector 3b located at a proximal end of the ultrasonic probe 3 are detachably disposed on the ultrasonic probe 3. A frequency designating member 50 having a reflective seal 51 that reflects light, which is a frequency designating means for designating a drive frequency to be output to the ultrasonic transducer 3a, and a vibrator portion of the ultrasonic probe 3 is driven. The driving unit 40 having, for example, a reflection type sensor 41 which also serves as a frequency identification unit for reading the instruction content by a reflection seal 51 provided on the frequency designation member 50 and outputting an instruction signal to the ultrasonic observation unit 1A. It is mainly composed.

In the present embodiment, for example, the driving frequency of the ultrasonic transducer 3a is 7.5 MHz, 12 MHz, 2
It is possible to switch between four types, 0 MHz and 30 MHz.
Therefore, four frequency designating members 50 are prepared, one having no reflective seal 51 attached, one having one reflective seal 51 attached at a predetermined position, and one having a reflective seal. One in which two sheets 51 are adhered to a predetermined position, one is a sheet in which three reflective seals 51 are adhered to a predetermined position, and a reflection type sensor 41 that reads the reflective seal 51 is provided at a predetermined position in the driving unit 40. Three are arranged.

Therefore, when the connector portion 3b on which the frequency specifying member 50 is disposed is disposed on the drive portion 40,
As shown in FIG. 1 (b), the reflective seal 51 attached to the frequency specifying member 50 disposed on the connector section 3b is detected by the reflective sensor 41, whereby the drive frequency is specified. Note that both members are provided with a positioning mechanism (not shown) so that the frequency specifying member 50 is disposed in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the connector portion 3b.

Thus, the conventional ultrasonic observation unit 1
Even when A is used, the ultrasonic transducer 3a of the ultrasonic probe 3 is driven at a frequency desired by the operator by appropriately replacing the frequency designating member 50 with respect to the ultrasonic probe 3 to obtain a plurality of ultrasonic transducers. An ultrasonic tomographic image of a frequency can be obtained.

Instead of attaching and detaching a plurality of frequency designating members 50 for switching the frequency from the connector portion 3b, as shown in FIG. Four reflective seals 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d
The difference in the arrangement of the three reflective seals 53a, 53b, 53c, 53d may be read by the reflective sensor 41 provided in the drive unit 40.

At this time, the frequency specifying member 52 is rotatable with respect to the connector 3b.
2 between the connector 2 and the connector 3b.
A click mechanism is provided that can be rotated and fixed by °. The click mechanism is provided on, for example, a plurality of concave portions regularly arranged in the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface of the connector portion 3b, and a frequency specifying member 52 provided with a spring for urging a ball engaged with the concave portion. It consists of a ball screw.

Thus, the conventional ultrasonic observation unit 1
A, the connector 3 of the ultrasonic probe 3
The ultrasonic transducer 3a of the ultrasonic probe 3 is easily driven at a frequency desired by the operator by a simple operation of simply rotating the frequency designation member 52 with respect to the frequency b. A tomographic image can be obtained.

The frequency specifying member 50 and the connector 3
For example, as shown in FIG. 13, a positioning mechanism for arranging the positioning pin 55 in a predetermined positional relationship is detachably provided on the connector portion 3 b and is operated by the positioning pin 55, so that the position of the positioning pin 55 can be changed. The frequency can be specified by replacing the colored part or the shaded part. And
The frequency can also be specified by the combination of the positioning pin 55 and the reflection seal 51.

FIGS. 14 and 15 relate to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. FIG. 14 is a view for explaining another configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. FIG. 15 shows a connection configuration between the ultrasonic observation apparatus and the position measuring apparatus. FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present embodiment, an ultrasonic endoscope 60 is detachably connected to the ultrasonic observation section 1 and the ultrasonic A three-dimensional area position detector that is inserted into the insertion part 61 of the ultrasonic endoscope 60 and is connected to a connector 27a of a position sensor 27 that detects the position of the ultrasonic transducer 3a built in the distal end. An ultrasonic observation device 70 including the ultrasonic observation unit 1 and the image processing unit 2
It is configured so that it can be detachably attached to.

As shown in FIG.
Is a connection cord 28 having a USB connector 28a as a connection part designed on the assumption of attachment and detachment in a power-on state.
The USB connector 28a is connected to the ultrasonic observation device 70 to connect the position measuring device 26 as shown in FIG.

The position sensor 27 connected to the position measuring device 26 comprises a sensor cable 27b and a sensor 27c. The position sensor 27 is inserted from the forceps port 62 of the ultrasonic endoscope 60 and inserted into the insertion section. The sensor section 27c protrudes from the distal end side of the sensor 61. During the observation, the position information of the position sensor 27 and the echo data from the ultrasonic transducer 3a are input to the arithmetic processing processor 14, and the position information is Based on this, construction of three-dimensional image data is performed.
Other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment, and the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

As described above, by connecting the position measuring device and the ultrasonic observation device with the USB connector, the position measurement device can be inserted and removed while the power of the ultrasonic observation device is turned on. .

Further, it becomes possible to connect a plurality of sensors simultaneously by utilizing the characteristics of the USB connector. This facilitates the proper use of the sensors.

Instead of using a USB type for the connection part of the connection cord for connecting the position measuring device and the ultrasonic observation device, a PCMCIA card type or an IEEE 1394 type designed on the assumption that it is attached and detached while the power is on. May be performed. By performing the above-mentioned PCMCIA card type, in addition to the above-described effects, PCMCIA
It is possible to easily add a position sensor to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus based on a notebook PC having an A slot. And I
Since the EEE1394 type can transfer a large amount of data at a high speed, it is possible to use a high-precision sensor having a large data amount.

Also, as shown in FIG. 16, for example, infrared light receiving / emitting units 71 and 72 are provided on the bottom surface of the position measuring device 26 and the top surface of the ultrasonic observation device 70, and the infrared light emitting unit 72 and the infrared light receiving unit 71 May be used to transmit and receive signals. With this configuration, connection can be performed by a simple operation of mounting the position measuring device 26 at a predetermined position of the ultrasonic observation device 70 without using the connection cord 28.

As shown in FIG. 17, the connector 27a of the position sensor 27 and the position measuring device 26 are provided with an infrared light receiving / emitting portion, so that the sensor cable 27
The connection of the position sensor 27 may be performed by a simple operation of attaching the connector 27a provided at the base end of the position b to the position measuring device 26.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to only the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

[Appendix] According to the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the following configuration can be obtained.

(1) An ultrasonic probe having a wide-band ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic wave, and a drive frequency applied to the wide-band ultrasonic transducer is changed and supplied. A transmitting / receiving unit that receives echo signals of the emitted supersonic wave to obtain echo data, a storage unit that stores echo data obtained by the transmitting / receiving unit, and controls a change in a driving frequency generated by the transmitting / receiving unit. Control means for performing control for storing the echo data in the storage means in accordance with the change in the drive frequency; and echo data stored in the storage control means in accordance with the drive frequency, respectively. Image processing means for generating an ultrasonic tomographic image of a frequency.

(2) An ultrasonic probe having a wide-band ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and a frequency specifying means provided in the ultrasonic probe for specifying a driving frequency to be transmitted to the wide-band ultrasonic waves; A frequency identifying means for identifying the frequency designated by the frequency designating means, and a drive frequency applied to the ultrasonic vibrator being changed and supplied based on an instruction signal from the frequency identifying means; A transmitting / receiving unit that receives an echo signal of an ultrasonic wave emitted from the transducer and obtains echo data, a storage unit that stores the echo data obtained by the transmitting / receiving unit, and based on an instruction signal from the frequency identification unit. Controlling the drive frequency generated by the transmission / reception unit, and storing the echo data in accordance with the change in the drive frequency. Control means for performing control to store the data in a stage, and image processing means for generating echo data stored in the storage control means in correspondence with the drive frequency into ultrasonic tomographic images at the respective drive frequencies. Ultrasound diagnostic equipment.

(3) The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the driving frequency is changed for each helical scan.

(4) The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the drive frequency is changed for each radial scan.

(5) The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to appendix 1, wherein the driving frequency is changed for each sound ray.

(6) The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to appendix 2, wherein the frequency designating means is replaceable with respect to the ultrasonic probe.

(7) The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to appendix 2, wherein the frequency specifying means is rotatable with respect to the ultrasonic probe.

(8) The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Supplementary Note 2, wherein the frequency specifying means is a positioning pin.

(9) Scanning is performed by transmitting / receiving an ultrasonic wave to / from the living body, and the obtained echo data is recognized as echo data of the three-dimensional region using the three-dimensional region position detecting unit, and the ultrasonic wave in the living body is recognized. In an ultrasonic imaging apparatus for displaying an image three-dimensionally, a connection part between the three-dimensional region position detection unit and an ultrasonic observation device is constituted by a connection mechanism designed on the assumption that the connection is made in a power-on state. Ultrasonic imaging device.

[0063]

As described above, according to the present invention, by changing the frequency of the ultrasonic wave and scanning the ultrasonic wave, echo data giving priority to resolution and echo data giving priority to depth can be obtained. Thus, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can display an ultrasonic tomographic image more effective for diagnosis and that is easy to handle.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 to FIG. 10 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an ultrasonic probe and a driving unit.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a change in a driving frequency supplied to an ultrasonic transducer.

FIG. 4 is a view for explaining a display example of an ultrasonic tomographic image displayed on a monitor screen.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart for displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image obtained at two different frequencies on a monitor.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image obtained at four different frequencies on a monitor.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing that ultrasonic tomographic images of four kinds of frequencies are synthesized.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a display example of an ultrasonic tomographic image displayed on a monitor screen.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating another example of displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image obtained at four different frequencies on a monitor.

FIG. 10 is a view for explaining a display example of a three-dimensional ultrasonic tomographic image displayed on a monitor screen;

11 to 14 are diagrams illustrating a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a relationship between a frequency setting member and a reflection type sensor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing another configuration example of the frequency setting member.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing another configuration of the frequency setting member.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a connection configuration between an ultrasonic observation device and a position measurement device.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating another connection configuration between the ultrasonic observation device and the position measurement device.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a connection portion between a position sensor and a position measurement device.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ultrasonic observation part 3 ... Ultrasonic probe 3a ... Ultrasonic vibrator (broadband vibrator) 5 ... Transmission / reception part 6 ... Frame memory 10 ... System controller 12 ... Main storage device 14 ... Arithmetic processing processor

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic probe having a wide-band ultrasonic transducer for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and a drive frequency applied to the wide-band ultrasonic transducer is supplied while being changed, and an ultrasonic wave is emitted from the wide-band ultrasonic transducer. A transmission / reception unit that receives echo signals of the obtained ultrasonic wave to obtain echo data, a storage unit that stores the echo data obtained by the transmission / reception unit, and controls a change in a driving frequency generated by the transmission / reception unit. A control unit for performing control to store the echo data in the storage unit in accordance with the change in the driving frequency; and an ultrasonic wave based on the echo data stored in the storage control unit in accordance with the driving frequency. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: image processing means for generating a tomographic image.