JP2008253578A - Ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make the position of a vibrator unit in an ultrasonic probe visible from outside. <P>SOLUTION: The vibrator unit 14 is mounted inside a 3D probe 10 in such a way as oscillatable, and position indicators 22 are mounted on side faces 10A and 10B of the 3D probe 10. The position indicator 22 is composed of an LED array formed in a circular arc, and the LED corresponding to the current position of the vibrator unit 14 emits light. In this way, a user can intuitively recognize the current location of the vibrator unit by confirming the content of display in the position indicators 22. If the vibrator unit 14 is continuously reciprocated, the content indicating the range of mechanical scanning is displayed in the position indicators 22. A means for specifying the location of the vibration unit may be mounted in the 3D probe 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic probe and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to an ultrasonic probe in which a transducer unit is mechanically scanned in a case and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including the ultrasonic probe.

  A mechanical 3D probe (a three-dimensional ultrasonic probe to which a mechanical scanning method is applied) as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 includes a transducer unit (movable body) having an array transducer and a mechanical 3D probe. And a scanning mechanism that is driven automatically. Such a probe is used for three-dimensional diagnosis of abdominal organs, fetuses, and the like. In this case, the transducer unit is reciprocally scanned to repeatedly form a three-dimensional data capture area. Such a probe can also be used in B mode (two-dimensional tomographic image forming mode). In that case, the vibrator unit is normally positioned at a vertical position of zero angle.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-184532 JP 2005-270559 A

  In the conventional mechanical 3D probe, the stop position or motion state of the vibrator unit cannot be observed from the outside. For example, it is difficult to intuitively recognize at what angle the stop position is and the scan range.

  An object of the present invention is to make it possible to grasp or confirm the position (or mechanical scanning state) of a vibrator unit accommodated in a case from the outside.

  Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to recognize the position of the transducer unit when it is positioned toward the target tissue.

  Another object of the present invention is to make it possible to recognize the range when the transducer unit is reciprocally scanned.

  The present invention is provided in a vibrator unit housed in a case and having an array vibrator, a mechanical scanning mechanism that mechanically scans the vibration unit in the case, and a visible position outside the case, A position display means for displaying a position of the transducer unit by the mechanical scanning mechanism.

  According to the above configuration, the ultrasonic probe is provided with the position display means, and the position (position information) of the transducer unit is displayed on the ultrasonic probe. The state can be grasped. For example, if the vibrator unit is in a stationary state, the position can be specified, and if the vibrator unit is in a moving state, information such as a scanning range (both end positions), a current position, and a scanning speed can be provided. Thereby, when a mechanical malfunction occurs, it can be specified from the outside. It is desirable that the position display means be exposed on the outer surface of the ultrasonic probe. In that case, it is desirable that the position information can be acquired even when viewed from various angles. For example, a display device may be provided on each of the plurality of side surfaces. You may make it attach | subject the mark showing a rotation center axis | shaft to such a side surface. The position where the display is provided is preferably a side surface orthogonal to the rotation axis of the vibrator unit, but may be another part. It is desirable to set the form and arrangement of the display so that the reference position of the vibrator unit (for example, the side end of the vibrator) matches or approximates the movement trajectory when viewed from the side.

  Preferably, the mechanical scanning mechanism mechanically scans the vibrator unit by swinging the vibrator unit, and the position display means has a circular arc shape corresponding to the swing path of the vibrator unit. Has a vessel. According to this configuration, the movement locus of the vibrator unit can be roughly grasped from the form of the display, and the current mechanical scanning state can be visually recognized. If the curvature of the display is large, it can be inferred that the radius of rotation is small, and even if the center axis of rotation is not specified, it can be roughly recognized from the curvature. Thereby, the form of the scanning plane or the three-dimensional data capturing area can be easily grasped. According to the above display, a specific method of mechanical scanning (that is, swing scanning, not linear scanning) can be intuitively recognized, so that ultrasonic diagnosis can be properly performed.

  Preferably, the indicator is formed on each of two side surfaces intersecting with a swing center axis of the vibrator unit. According to this configuration, the display can be seen from many directions, so that it is possible to easily check the scanning state of the transducer unit.

  Preferably, in the stationary mode in which the transducer unit is positioned toward the target tissue in the subject, the position display unit displays the position of the transducer unit in a non-moving state, and the scanning mode in which the transducer unit is reciprocally scanned. Then, information indicating the reciprocating scanning range of the transducer unit is displayed on the position display means. According to this configuration, in addition to the current position where the transducer unit is stationary, the position display means can also display information indicating the scanning range during the movement, so the position display means can display the position in both the static state and the dynamic state. The display means can function. Since the two display modes are different, it is possible to prevent misidentification of the current operation mode.

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an apparatus main body and an ultrasonic probe connected to the apparatus main body, wherein the ultrasonic probe is housed in a case and includes a transducer unit having an array transducer; A mechanical scanning mechanism that mechanically scans the vibration unit in the case; and a position display unit that is provided at a visually recognizable position outside the case and displays the position of the vibrator unit by the mechanical scanning mechanism. The apparatus main body includes a means for displaying a guidance image representing a position of the transducer unit together with an ultrasonic image on a screen. According to this configuration, since a guidance image can be displayed together with an ultrasonic image such as a tomographic image, the diagnosis status can be accurately grasped during image observation.

  Preferably, the ultrasonic probe further includes input means for designating a position of the transducer unit by a user. According to this configuration, if the position of the transducer unit is changed using the input means, the position display contents are also changed in conjunction therewith, so that the position input can be performed without error and the operability can be improved.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the position (or mechanical scanning state) of the transducer unit accommodated in the case can be grasped or confirmed from the outside. Alternatively, when the transducer unit is positioned toward the target tissue, the position can be recognized. Alternatively, the range can be recognized when the transducer unit is reciprocally scanned.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration thereof. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is roughly composed of a 3D probe (ultrasonic probe for taking in three-dimensional data) 10 and an apparatus body 12.

  The 3D probe 10 includes a transducer unit 14 disposed in a case not shown. The transducer unit 14 is oscillated and scanned in this embodiment, and the oscillating scan is executed by the scanning mechanism 18. The transducer unit 14 is a movable body and has an array transducer 16. The array transducer 16 is a 1D array transducer composed of a plurality of transducer elements. The transducer unit 14 is driven in a direction perpendicular to the scanning plane formed by the array transducer 16.

  The transmission / reception surface of the transducer unit 14 has a cylindrical surface shape, and the array transducer 16 is provided along the transmission / reception surface. The vibrator unit 14 swings around a rotation axis (not shown). The scanning mechanism 18 has a motor, a gear mechanism, and the like, and is controlled by a main control unit 34 described later. The swing angle of the transducer unit 14 is detected by the angle detector 20. In the probe case, a scanning mechanism 18 and an angle detector 20 are incorporated in addition to the transducer unit 14 described above.

  The position indicator 22 is an indicator for allowing the user to visually recognize the swing angle (that is, the position) of the transducer unit 14. As will be described later, a position indicator 22 is provided on each of two side surfaces of the ultrasonic probe. Of course, the position indicator 22 may be provided on one side. In some cases, a position input device 24 is provided. The position input device 24 is a user interface operated by a user when positioning the vibrator unit 14 at a desired angle.

  The transmission / reception unit 26 functions as a transmission beam former and a reception beam former. That is, the transmission / reception unit 26 supplies a plurality of transmission signals to the array transducer 16 at the time of transmission. Thereby, an ultrasonic beam is formed in the array transducer 16. As an electronic scanning method in this case, a so-called convex scanning method can be mentioned. Of course, an electronic sector scanning method or the like may be applied. At the time of reception, a plurality of reception signals output from the array transducer 16 are input to the transmission / reception unit 26, and the transmission / reception unit 26 executes phasing addition processing on the plurality of reception signals. As a result, a reception beam is formed, and beam data corresponding to the reception beam is output to the image forming unit 28.

  The image forming unit 28 includes a detector, a DSC (digital scan converter), and the like, and forms an ultrasonic image based on input beam data. In the present embodiment, the image forming unit 28 has a function of forming a three-dimensional ultrasonic image and a function of forming a two-dimensional tomographic image. In the three-dimensional mode, the transducer unit 14 is repeatedly reciprocated, whereby a three-dimensional data capture space is formed in each scan, and a three-dimensional ultrasonic image is constructed based on the data obtained therefrom. In that case, a so-called volume rendering method or the like is applied. On the other hand, in the mode for displaying a tomographic image, the transducer unit is positioned at a predetermined angle based on a user input, and a two-dimensional tomographic image is formed based on data obtained from a scanning plane formed at the angle. The Those image data are output to the display processing unit 30.

  The display processing unit 30 has a color processing function and an image composition function. In the present embodiment, the display processing unit 30 has a function of displaying a guidance image on the display screen. The guidance function will be described later, and is an image representing the position of the transducer unit 14 or the scanning range. A guidance image is displayed on the screen of the display unit 32 together with the ultrasonic image.

  The main control unit 34 is constituted by a CPU and an operation program, and each configuration shown in FIG. 1 is controlled by the main control unit 34. An operation panel 36 is connected to the main control unit 34. The operation panel 36 includes a keyboard, a trackball, and the like, and the user can specify the angle of the transducer unit 14 and select an operation mode using the operation panel 36. The operation modes are the above-described three-dimensional image formation mode and tomographic image formation mode.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic perspective view of the 3D probe 10 shown in FIG. As described above, the transducer unit 14 is swingably provided in the probe case, and specifically, the transducer unit 14 performs a swinging motion around the rotation shaft 40. Although the scanning mechanism shown in FIG. 1 is provided in the probe case, it is not shown in FIG. The probe case has two side surfaces 10A and 10B, and the side surfaces 10A and 10B are surfaces orthogonal to the rotation shaft 40, but the surfaces may be curved. A position indicator 22 is provided on each of the side surfaces 10A and 10B. Although one position indicator 22 is shown in FIG. 1, in the configuration example shown in FIG. 2, the position indicator 22 is provided on each of the side surfaces 10A and 10B.

  The position indicator 22 has a curved shape that coincides with the movement locus of the reference end of the transducer unit 14, that is, the end of the array transducer in this embodiment. That is, the curvature coincides with the curvature of the movement locus at the end of the array transducer. In the present embodiment, the position indicator 22 is constituted by a plurality of LEDs, and the LEDs 22a are arranged in an arc shape according to the curvature.

  The LED corresponding to the current angle of the vibrator unit 14 emits light, and when the vibrator unit 14 moves, the LED 22a corresponding to the angle or position at each time point is lit accordingly. Therefore, when the vibrator unit 14 is positioned in a desired direction, the LED corresponding to the direction emits light, and the user confirms the light emission of the LED to determine which direction the vibrator unit 14 currently faces. It can be recognized intuitively. On the other hand, in the mode for forming a three-dimensional ultrasonic image, the transducer unit 14 reciprocates, and in this case, the light emitting portion reciprocates in an arc shape. It is possible to recognize the speed and the like. Instead of causing the LEDs corresponding to the position of the transducer unit to emit light, a plurality of LEDs corresponding to the scanning range may be caused to emit light simultaneously. These display modes will be described in detail later.

  In the present embodiment, since the position indicator 22 is configured as described above, the approximate motion trajectory of the transducer unit 14 can be grasped from the form of the position indicator 22, and thereby three-dimensional data can be obtained. It is possible to imagine the form of the entire capture space. Further, since the position of the transducer unit at each time point can be recognized, an error-free operation or image recognition can be performed. Furthermore, if any trouble occurs in the mechanical mechanism, it can be recognized as the contents of the position indicator 22, so that there is an advantage that operation reliability can be guaranteed.

  In the above embodiment, the transducer unit 14 is swung and scanned, but the transducer unit may be scanned linearly or another scan may be performed. Although the position indicator 22 is provided on the body surface side when viewed from the rotation axis, that is, provided at the lower part of the probe case, it may be arranged at the upper part. In that case, it is desirable to provide the position indicator in such a form that the position and movement locus of the transducer unit 14 can be intuitively recognized. The position indicator 22 shown in FIG. 1 is composed of a plurality of LEDs as described above. Along with this, there are a driver for driving these LEDs and a decoder for giving control signals to the driver. Provided.

  A case is shown in which a tomographic image is formed by tilting the transducer unit 14 in a desired direction. The contact surface of the 3D probe 10 is in contact with the body surface 42. In FIG. 3, the 3D probe is in contact with the body surface from the vertical direction. The transducer unit 14 can be moved in the case by giving a predetermined angle input without moving the 3D probe 10 itself. For example, the scanning plane 46 matches the target tissue 44 while viewing the tomographic image. You can set the angle. Incidentally, reference numeral 14 ′ represents the transducer unit at the reference position, and reference numeral 46 ′ represents the position of the scanning surface in this state.

  FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which a position input device 50 is provided in addition to the position indicator 22 for the 3D probe 10. The position input device 50 has a slider 52, and the user can set the angle of the transducer unit according to the position of the slider 52 by setting the position of the slider 52. Of course, such setting can also be performed from the operation panel 36 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, when the position is designated on the ultrasonic probe, the transducer unit 14 is positioned at the position according to the designation, and at the same time, the position indicator 22 displays the position. Will be. Accordingly, it is possible to facilitate the user's setting operation, and it is possible to immediately confirm the set contents, so that there is an advantage that setting errors can be prevented in advance.

  FIG. 5 shows the contents of the image displayed on the display unit 32 shown in FIG. An ultrasonic image 56 is displayed on the display screen 54. This ultrasonic image 56 is a two-dimensional tomographic image in the example shown in FIG. A guidance image 58 is displayed along with the ultrasonic image 56. The guidance image 58 includes a graphic element 60 schematically representing a 3D probe and a graphic element 62 schematically representing a vibrator unit. The display position of the graphic element 62 is variably set according to the actual position of the vibrator unit. For example, when 30 degrees is set as the angle of the vibrator unit, the graphic element 62 is the same 30 degrees. Will be displayed on the screen at an angle of. Therefore, it is possible to immediately confirm the position or orientation at which the ultrasonic image is acquired while observing the ultrasonic image, and there is an advantage that the image diagnosis can be performed accurately. Of course, it is desirable to display the guidance image 58 as shown in FIG. 5 even when displaying a three-dimensional ultrasonic image.

  As described above, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of this embodiment, the former has a mode in which the transducer unit is continuously mechanically scanned and a mode in which the transducer unit is positioned at a predetermined angle. A display method as shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 7 is adopted. In the display example shown in FIG. 6, all LED rows corresponding to the entire mechanical scanning range emit light at the same time, so that both ends of the scanning range can be intuitively recognized. In the display example shown in FIG. 7, only the LED corresponding to the position of the actual transducer unit emits light, and the mechanical scanning is performed at a high speed. Although there is an afterimage effect, only the position where the vibrator unit is present emits light. However, since such a light emitting point moves periodically, there is an advantage that a range of machine operation, a scanning speed, a current position, and the like can be recognized from the user side.

  In the present embodiment, a single color LED array is used, but a multicolor LED array may of course be used. For example, various information can be displayed using the hue. For example, green light may be emitted in the first mode, and orange light may be emitted in the second mode. The forward scan and the backward scan may be visually distinguished by using the first hue in the forward scan and using the second hue in the backward scan.

  As described above, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment, the transducer unit can be positioned at an angle designated by the user, so that the 3D probe itself is not tilted as shown in FIG. There is an advantage that the ultrasonic diagnosis can be executed by tilting the scanning plane. Moreover, the direction in which the transducer unit is tilted, that is, the position of the scanning plane can be intuitively recognized from the display content of the position indicator, so that ultrasonic diagnosis can be performed accurately and the operability can be improved. is there. In the above embodiment, an LED array is used. However, various display forms can be adopted as long as position information can be displayed. For example, a liquid crystal display, a mechanical pointer, etc. can be adopted. Also good.

1 is a block diagram showing a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. It is a schematic external view of the 3D probe shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the use condition of a 3D probe. It is a figure which shows the position indicator and position input device which are provided in 3D probe. It is a figure which shows the example of the guidance image displayed on a display screen. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a display example 1 when a transducer unit is continuously reciprocated. It is a figure which shows the example 2 of a display in the case of reciprocating continuously scanning a vibrator unit.

Explanation of symbols

  10 3D probe, 12 device main body, 14 transducer unit, 16 array transducer, 18 scanning mechanism, 20 angle detector, 22 position detector, 40 rotation axis.

Claims (6)

A transducer unit housed in a case and having an array transducer;
A mechanical scanning mechanism for mechanically scanning the vibration unit in the case;
A position display means provided at a position visible on the outside of the case and displaying the position of the transducer unit by the mechanical scanning mechanism;
Ultrasonic probe characterized by including. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1,
The mechanical scanning mechanism mechanically scans the vibrator unit by swinging the vibrator unit,
The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the position display means includes a display having an arc shape corresponding to a swing path of the transducer unit. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 2,
2. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1, wherein the display unit is formed on each of two side surfaces intersecting a swinging central axis of the transducer unit. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 1,
In the stationary mode in which the transducer unit is positioned toward the target tissue in the subject, the position of the transducer unit is displayed in a stationary state on the position display means,
In the scanning mode in which the transducer unit is reciprocally scanned, information indicating a reciprocating scan range of the transducer unit is displayed on the position display unit. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an apparatus main body and an ultrasonic probe connected thereto,
The ultrasonic probe is
A transducer unit housed in a case and having an array transducer;
A mechanical scanning mechanism for mechanically scanning the vibration unit in the case;
A position display means provided at a position visible on the outside of the case and displaying the position of the transducer unit by the mechanical scanning mechanism;
Including
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the apparatus main body includes means for displaying a guidance image representing a position of the transducer unit together with an ultrasonic image on a screen. The apparatus of claim 5.
The ultrasonic probe further includes an input unit for designating a position of the transducer unit by a user.

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