JP2012176183A - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and ultrasonic image generation method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus suppressing a rise of an internal temperature of an ultrasonic probe.SOLUTION: A temperature sensor detects the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe, a temperature rise suppression mode is selected when the detected internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe exceeds a set value T1, an image generation part is controlled such that the number of sound rays generated to one-time transmission/reception increase, and a transmission drive part and a reception signal processing part are controlled such that the transmission/reception is performed while sequentially shifting a position of a simultaneous opening channel the number of the sound rays by the number of the sound rays generated to the one-time transmission/reception.

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic image generation method, and more particularly to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that performs diagnosis based on an ultrasonic image generated by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves from a transducer array of an ultrasonic probe. It is related with suppression of the emitted-heat amount in an ultrasonic probe.

  Conventionally, in the medical field, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using an ultrasonic image has been put into practical use. In general, this type of ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has an ultrasonic probe with a built-in transducer array and an apparatus main body connected to the ultrasonic probe, and ultrasonic waves are directed toward the subject from the ultrasonic probe. , The ultrasonic echo from the subject is received by the ultrasonic probe, and the received signal is electrically processed by the apparatus main body to generate an ultrasonic image.

In such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, heat is generated from the transducer array by transmitting ultrasonic waves from the transducer array.
However, since the operator usually holds the ultrasonic probe with one hand and makes a diagnosis while the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the transducer array is in contact with the surface of the subject, the ultrasonic probe is easily held by the operator with one hand. It is often housed in a small enough enclosure. For this reason, the temperature of the housing of the ultrasonic probe may rise due to heat generated from the transducer array.

In recent years, an ultrasonic probe has a built-in circuit board for signal processing, and the received signal output from the transducer array is digitally processed and transmitted to the apparatus body by wireless communication or wired communication. There has been proposed an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that reduces the influence and obtains a high-quality ultrasonic image.
In an ultrasonic probe that performs this kind of digital processing, heat is generated from the circuit board even during processing of the received signal, and it is necessary to suppress temperature rise in the enclosure to ensure stable operation of each circuit on the circuit board There is.

  As a countermeasure against temperature rise of the ultrasonic probe, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that automatically changes a condition for driving the transducer array in accordance with the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe. The higher the surface temperature, the more appropriate the surface temperature of the ultrasonic probe by reducing the drive voltage, transmission numerical aperture, transmission pulse repetition frequency, frame rate, etc. of each transducer of the transducer array during ultrasonic transmission. Maintained at temperature.

JP 2005-253776 A

However, the apparatus of Patent Document 1 that changes the driving conditions of the transducer array at the time of transmission cannot cope with the heat generation at the time of reception in the ultrasonic probe that performs digital processing as described above.
The present invention has been made to solve such conventional problems, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of suppressing an increase in the internal temperature by coping with heat generated during transmission / reception of an ultrasonic probe and An object is to provide an ultrasonic image generation method.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention transmits an ultrasonic beam from a transducer array of an ultrasonic probe toward a subject based on a drive signal supplied from a transmission drive unit, and transmits an ultrasonic echo from the subject. An ultrasonic image generated by the image generator based on the received data obtained by processing the received signal output from the transducer array of the ultrasonic probe received by the received signal processor and displayed on the display unit. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a temperature sensor that detects an internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe, and when the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe detected by the temperature sensor exceeds a set value, a temperature rise suppression mode is selected, The image generator is controlled so that the number of sound rays generated for one transmission / reception increases, and the position of the simultaneous opening channel is generated for one transmission / reception. In which a control means for controlling said transmission driving part and the reception signal processing unit to transmit and receive while sequentially shifted by acoustic line number.

Here, when the control means selects the temperature rise suppression mode, the ultrasonic wave that extends over the sound ray region of the number of sound rays generated for one transmission / reception in the predetermined focus depth region of interest of the operator. It is preferable to control the transmission drive unit so that the intensity of each generated sound ray becomes substantially constant by transmitting a beam.
In addition, the control unit can control the transmission drive unit so that the focus depth of the ultrasonic beam becomes the maximum visual field depth when the temperature rise suppression mode is selected.

In addition, when the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe detected by the temperature sensor exceeds another set value that is larger than the set value, the control unit generates the number of sound rays generated for one transmission / reception. The image generation unit, the transmission drive unit, and the reception signal processing unit can be controlled so that the number of sound rays is larger. Further, the control means outputs one sound ray for one transmission / reception when the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe is equal to or lower than the set value, and three for one transmission / reception when the set value is exceeded. The image generation unit and the transmission drive unit are configured to generate five sound rays stepwise for one transmission / reception when one sound ray exceeds another set value larger than the set value. The received signal processing unit can also be controlled.
In addition, the control unit can display a warning on the display unit when the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe becomes equal to or higher than the set value. Moreover, it is preferable that the ultrasonic probe further includes a warning display unit that displays a warning by the control unit.
The ultrasonic probe includes a reception signal processing unit, a parallel / serial conversion unit that converts parallel reception data obtained by the reception signal processing unit into serial reception data, and a parallel / serial conversion unit. It is preferable to have a wireless communication unit that transmits the converted serial reception data to the diagnostic apparatus body having the image generation unit by wireless communication.

  In the ultrasonic image generation method according to the present invention, an ultrasonic beam is transmitted from a transducer array of an ultrasonic probe toward a subject based on a drive signal supplied from a transmission drive unit, and an ultrasonic echo by the subject is transmitted. Based on the reception data obtained by processing the reception signal output from the transducer array of the ultrasonic probe that has received the signal by the reception signal processing unit, the image generation unit generates an ultrasonic image and displays it on the display unit In the ultrasonic image generation method, the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe is detected, and when the detected internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe exceeds a set value, the temperature rise suppression mode is selected and one transmission / reception is performed. In addition to controlling the image generation unit so that the number of sound rays generated for the transmission increases, the position of the simultaneous aperture channel is sequentially shifted by the number of sound rays generated for one transmission / reception. And it controls the transmission driving section and the reception signal processing unit to transmit and receive.

  According to the present invention, a plurality of sound rays are generated for one transmission / reception, and transmission / reception is performed while sequentially shifting the number of the generated sound rays, thereby dealing with heat generation during transmission / reception of the ultrasonic probe, An increase in the internal temperature of the probe can be suppressed.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the normal mode, one sound ray is generated for one transmission / reception of the ultrasonic beam, (A) is a sound ray generated by transmission / reception of the transmission beam TX1, and (B) is a transmission beam TX2. It is a figure which shows the sound ray produced | generated by transmitting / receiving. In the temperature rise suppression mode, three sound rays are generated for one transmission / reception of an ultrasonic beam, (A) is a sound ray generated by transmission / reception of the transmission beam TX1, and (B) is transmission. It is a figure which shows the sound ray produced | generated by transmission / reception of beam TX2. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the first embodiment. 3 is a flowchart showing an inspection mode in the first embodiment. FIG. 5A illustrates a state in which sound rays are generated in a normal mode, FIG. 5A illustrates a focal position of a transmission beam, and FIG. 5B illustrates an intensity distribution of the generated sound rays. FIG. 5A shows how sound rays are generated in the temperature rise suppression mode, FIG. 5A shows the focal position of a transmission beam, and FIG. 5B shows the intensity distribution of the generated sound rays. FIG. 7 shows how five sound rays are generated for one transmission / reception of an ultrasonic beam in the temperature rise suppression mode in the second embodiment, (A) is a sound ray generated by transmission / reception of the transmission beam TX1; (B) is a figure which shows the sound ray produced | generated by transmission / reception of the transmission beam TX2. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 3. FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 1 shows the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe 1 and a diagnostic apparatus main body 2 connected to the ultrasonic probe 1 by wireless communication.

The ultrasonic probe 1 has a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 3 constituting a plurality of channels of a one-dimensional or two-dimensional transducer array, and a reception signal processing unit 4 is connected to each of the transducers 3 and further receives signals. A radio communication unit 6 is connected to the signal processing unit 4 via a parallel / serial conversion unit 5. Further, a transmission control unit 8 is connected to the plurality of transducers 3 via the transmission drive unit 7, a reception control unit 9 is connected to the plurality of reception signal processing units 4, and a communication control unit 10 is connected to the wireless communication unit 6. ing. A probe controller 11 is connected to the parallel / serial converter 5, the transmission controller 8, the reception controller 9, and the communication controller 10. Further, the ultrasonic probe 1 includes a temperature sensor 12 that detects the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1, and this temperature sensor 12 is connected to the probe control unit 11.
The temperature sensor 12 is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the reception signal processing unit 4 where heat generation is expected particularly during operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Each of the plurality of transducers 3 transmits an ultrasonic wave according to the drive signal supplied from the transmission drive unit 7, receives an ultrasonic echo from the subject, and outputs a reception signal. Each transducer 3 includes, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic represented by PZT (lead zirconate titanate), a polymer piezoelectric element represented by PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride), PMN-PT (magnesium niobate / lead titanate solid solution). ), A piezoelectric body made of a piezoelectric single crystal or the like.
When a pulsed or continuous wave voltage is applied to the electrodes of such a vibrator, the piezoelectric body expands and contracts, and pulsed or continuous wave ultrasonic waves are generated from the respective vibrators, and the synthesis of those ultrasonic waves. As a result, an ultrasonic beam is formed. In addition, each transducer generates an electric signal by expanding and contracting by receiving propagating ultrasonic waves, and these electric signals are output as ultrasonic reception signals.

  The transmission drive unit 7 includes, for example, a plurality of pulsers so that the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the plurality of transducers 3 form an ultrasonic beam based on the transmission delay pattern selected by the transmission control unit 8. The delay amount of each drive signal is adjusted and supplied to the plurality of transducers 3.

The reception signal processing unit 4 of each channel generates a complex baseband signal by performing orthogonal detection processing or orthogonal sampling processing on the reception signal output from the corresponding transducer 3 under the control of the reception control unit 9. Then, by sampling the complex baseband signal, sample data including information on the tissue area is generated, and the sample data is supplied to the parallel / serial converter 5. The reception signal processing unit 4 may generate sample data by performing data compression processing for high-efficiency encoding on data obtained by sampling a complex baseband signal.
The parallel / serial conversion unit 5 converts the parallel sample data generated by the reception signal processing unit 4 of a plurality of channels into serial sample data.

The wireless communication unit 6 modulates a carrier based on serial sample data to generate a transmission signal, supplies the transmission signal to the antenna, and transmits radio waves from the antenna, thereby transmitting serial sample data. As the modulation scheme, for example, ASK (Amplitude Shift Keying), PSK (Phase Shift Keying), QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying), 16QAM (16 Quadrature Amplitude Modulation), and the like are used.
The wireless communication unit 6 performs wireless communication with the diagnostic apparatus main body 2 to transmit sample data to the diagnostic apparatus main body 2 and to receive various control signals from the diagnostic apparatus main body 2. A control signal is output to the communication control unit 10. The communication control unit 10 controls the wireless communication unit 6 so that the sample data is transmitted with the transmission radio wave intensity set by the probe control unit 11, and also performs probe control on various control signals received by the wireless communication unit 6. To the unit 11.

The temperature sensor 12 detects the internal temperature T of the ultrasonic probe 1 and outputs it to the probe controller 11.
The probe control unit 11 controls each unit of the ultrasonic probe 1 based on various control signals transmitted from the diagnostic apparatus main body 2.
The ultrasonic probe 1 includes a battery (not shown), and power is supplied from the battery to each circuit in the ultrasonic probe 1.
The ultrasonic probe 1 may be an external probe such as a linear scan method, a convex scan method, a sector scan method, or an ultrasonic endoscope probe such as a radial scan method.

  On the other hand, the diagnostic apparatus body 2 has a wireless communication unit 13, a data storage unit 15 is connected to the wireless communication unit 13 via a serial / parallel conversion unit 14, and an image generation unit 16 is connected to the data storage unit 15. Has been. Further, a display unit 18 is connected to the image generation unit 16 via the display control unit 17. A communication control unit 19 is connected to the wireless communication unit 13, and a main body control unit 20 is connected to the serial / parallel conversion unit 14, the image generation unit 16, the display control unit 17, and the communication control unit 19. Furthermore, an operation unit 22 for an operator to perform an input operation and a storage unit 23 for storing an operation program are connected to the main body control unit 20, respectively.

The wireless communication unit 13 transmits various control signals to the ultrasonic probe 1 by performing wireless communication with the ultrasonic probe 1. The wireless communication unit 13 also outputs serial sample data by demodulating the signal received by the antenna.
The communication control unit 19 controls the wireless communication unit 13 so that various control signals are transmitted with the transmission radio wave intensity set by the main body control unit 20.
The serial / parallel converter 14 converts the serial sample data output from the wireless communication unit 13 into parallel sample data. The data storage unit 15 is configured by a memory, a hard disk, or the like, and stores at least one frame of sample data converted by the serial / parallel conversion unit 14.

The image generation unit 16 performs reception focus processing on the sample data for each frame read from the data storage unit 15 to generate an image signal representing an ultrasound diagnostic image. The image generation unit 16 includes a phasing addition unit 24 and an image processing unit 25.
The phasing addition unit 24 generates a baseband signal (sound ray signal) in which the focus of the ultrasonic echo is narrowed down. For each sound ray signal, one reception delay pattern is selected from a plurality of reception delay patterns stored in advance according to the reception direction set in the main body control unit 20, and based on the selected reception delay pattern. Thus, each of the plurality of complex baseband signals represented by the sample data is generated by performing reception focus processing by adding and adding respective delays.

  The image processing unit 25 generates a B-mode image signal that is tomographic image information relating to the tissue in the subject based on the sound ray signal generated by the phasing addition unit 24. The image processing unit 25 includes an STC (sensitivity time control) unit and a DSC (digital scan converter). The STC unit corrects the attenuation due to the distance according to the depth of the reflection position of the ultrasonic wave on the sound ray signal. The DSC converts the sound ray signal corrected by the STC unit into an image signal according to a normal television signal scanning method (raster conversion), and performs necessary image processing such as gradation processing to thereby obtain a B-mode image signal. Is generated.

  The display control unit 17 displays an ultrasound diagnostic image on the display unit 18 based on the image signal generated by the image generation unit 16. Further, the display control unit 17 causes the display unit 18 to display a character or a color indicating a warning to the operator when the main body control unit 20 selects a later-described temperature rise suppression mode. The display unit 18 includes, for example, a display device such as an LCD, and displays an ultrasound diagnostic image and a warning screen under the control of the display control unit 17.

  The main body control unit 20 selects the normal mode when the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe detected by the temperature sensor 12 is equal to or lower than a preset set value, and the internal control unit 20 detects the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 detected by the temperature sensor 12. When the temperature exceeds a preset value, the temperature rise suppression mode is selected. In the normal mode, the image generation unit is controlled so as to generate one sound ray for one transmission / reception, and the transmission driving unit and the reception are performed so as to transmit / receive while sequentially shifting the position of the simultaneous opening channel one by one. The processing unit is controlled. On the other hand, in the temperature suppression mode, the image generating unit is controlled and simultaneously opened so that the number of sound rays generated for one transmission / reception is larger than the number of sound rays generated in the normal mode. The transmission driving unit and the reception processing unit are controlled so as to transmit and receive while sequentially shifting the position of the channel by the number of sound rays generated for one transmission and reception.

  In such a diagnostic apparatus main body 2, the serial / parallel conversion unit 14, the image generation unit 16, the display control unit 17, the communication control unit 19, and the main body control unit 20 are used for causing the CPU and the CPU to perform various processes. Although composed of operation programs, they may be composed of digital circuits. The operation program is stored in the storage unit 23. As a recording medium in the storage unit 23, a flexible disk, MO, MT, RAM, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, or the like can be used in addition to the built-in hard disk.

Here, the normal mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, and the temperature rise suppression mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B.
In the normal mode, as shown in FIG. 2A, for example, the transmission beam TX1 is transmitted to the 96 channels of the transducer array using 32 channels from ch1 to ch32 as simultaneous aperture channels, and from ch1 to ch32. A sound ray RX16 is generated at a position between ch16 and ch17 based on the ultrasonic echo received in the simultaneous opening channel. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 2B, an ultrasonic beam is transmitted / received using ch2 to ch33 as simultaneous opening channels, and a sound ray RX17 is generated at a position between ch17 and ch18. In this way, the ultrasonic beam is transmitted and received while sequentially shifting the position of the simultaneous opening channel one channel at a time.

  On the other hand, in the temperature suppression mode, as shown in FIG. 3A, the transmission beam TX1 is transmitted using 32 channels ch1 to ch32 as simultaneous opening channels, and the ultrasonic waves received by the simultaneous opening channels ch1 to ch32 are received. Three sound rays of sound rays RX15, RX16, and RX17 are generated based on the echo. Here, the sound ray RX15 is generated based on the received signals received from the channels ch1 to ch30, the sound ray RX16 is received from the channels ch2 to ch31, and the sound ray RX17 is received from the channels ch3 to ch32. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3B, the transmission beam TX2 is transmitted using 32 channels from ch4 to ch35 as simultaneous aperture channels, and based on the ultrasonic echo received by the simultaneous aperture channels from ch4 to ch35. Three sound rays, that is, sound rays RX18, RX19, and RX20, are generated. In this way, three sound rays are generated for one transmission, and ultrasonic beams are transmitted and received while sequentially shifting the positions of the simultaneous opening channels by the number of generated sound rays.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, when examination information including patient information and an examination order is input from the operation unit 22 of the diagnostic apparatus body 2 in the examination information input mode of step S1, the body control unit 20 of the diagnostic apparatus body 2 performs step S2. The operator waits for an inspection start instruction. When the inspection start instruction is input, the main body control unit 20 proceeds to step S3 to execute the inspection mode, and then waits for an inspection end instruction from the operator in step S4. When an instruction to end the inspection is input, the series of inspection processes is terminated as it is. On the other hand, when an instruction to continue without ending the inspection is input, the process returns to step S1 and the inspection information is again displayed. Accept input.

  In the inspection mode in step S3, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, any one of a plurality of preset inspection modes such as a B mode, a CF mode, a PW mode, and an M mode, or 2 One or more modes can be selected to perform the ultrasound diagnosis. That is, the main body control unit 20 of the diagnostic apparatus main body 2 confirms which inspection mode is specified by the inspection information input in step S1, and confirms that the B mode is specified in step S11. The process proceeds to S12 to perform the B mode inspection, and in step S13 confirms that the CF mode has been designated, the process proceeds to step S14 to perform the CF mode inspection, and in step S15 the PW mode is designated If it is confirmed, the process proceeds to step S16 to implement the PW mode. In step S17, if it is confirmed that the M mode is designated, the process proceeds to step S18 to perform the M mode inspection. Then, when it is confirmed in step S19 that the inspection based on the current inspection information is completed, the process proceeds to step S4 in FIG.

  In step S19, when the operator determines that another inspection is necessary and the completion of the inspection is not confirmed, the process proceeds to step S20 and the main body control unit 20 confirms the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1. The main body control unit 20 wirelessly transmits the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 12 of the ultrasonic probe 1 to the diagnostic device main body 2 via the probe control unit 11, the communication control unit 10, and the wireless communication unit 6, and the diagnostic device main body. The internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 received by the second wireless communication unit 13 is input via the communication control unit 19. Subsequently, the main body control unit 20 compares the input internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 with the set value T1 set in advance by the operator, and the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 exceeds the set value T1. In step S21, a warning display for warning the operator of an increase in the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 is performed by the display unit 18 via the display control unit 17, and the process proceeds to step S22, in which the temperature increase suppression mode is set. And ultrasonic diagnostics such as B mode, C mode, PW mode, and M mode are executed in the temperature rise suppression mode.

  On the other hand, if the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 is equal to or lower than the set value T1 in step S20, the process proceeds to step S23. In step S23, the main body control unit 20 cancels the display if a warning display for warning of an increase in the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 is performed on the display unit 18, proceeds to step S24, and selects the normal mode. The ultrasonic diagnosis in the normal mode is executed.

The ultrasonic diagnosis in the normal mode and the temperature rise suppression mode is performed as follows.
When the main body control unit 20 selects the normal mode, as shown in FIG. 6A, the focus F of the transmission beam TX1 is formed in a predetermined focus depth region L1 of interest of the operator, and ultrasonic beam transmission / reception is sequentially performed. Done. For example, in the ultrasonic probe 1 composed of 96 channels, transmission / reception of ultrasonic beams is performed while sequentially shifting 32 simultaneous aperture channels one by one, and ultrasonic beam transmission / reception is performed 65 times in one ultrasonic image frame. Done. The reception signal obtained in this way is wirelessly transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 1 to the diagnostic apparatus body 2 and supplied to the image generation unit 16 of the diagnostic apparatus body 2, the phasing addition unit 24 of the image generation unit 16. Generates one sound ray signal for the received signal obtained by one transmission / reception. For example, from the received signal obtained from the simultaneous opening channels ch1 to ch32, one sound ray RX16 is generated at the central position of the simultaneous opening channel (position between ch16 and ch17). In the normal mode, since the transmission focus F is formed in the predetermined focus depth region L1, the intensity of the sound ray signal on the x axis extending in the azimuth direction in the predetermined focus depth region L1 is as shown in FIG. The maximum is at the sound ray RX16. In this way, 65 ultrasonic ray signals are generated by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic beams 65 times in one frame of the ultrasonic image.

  On the other hand, when the body control unit 20 selects the temperature suppression mode, as shown in FIG. 7A, the focus F of the transmission beam TX1 is formed in the depth region L2 deeper than the predetermined focus depth region L1, and the ultrasonic beam Transmission and reception are performed sequentially. For example, in the ultrasonic probe 1 composed of 96 channels, transmission / reception of an ultrasonic beam is performed while sequentially shifting 32 simultaneous aperture channels three by three, and ultrasonic beam transmission / reception is performed 22 times in one ultrasonic image frame. Done. Based on the reception signal obtained in this way, the image generation unit 16 of the diagnostic apparatus body 2 generates three sound ray signals from the reception signal obtained by one transmission / reception.

For example, based on the reception signal obtained from the simultaneous opening channel of ch1 to ch32, the sound ray RX16 is generated at a position between ch16 and ch17 from the reception signal obtained from the channel of ch2 to ch31, and adjacent thereto. Then, the sound ray RX15 is generated at a position between ch15 and ch16 from the received signal obtained from the ch1 to ch30 channels, and the sound ray RX17 is generated from the received signal obtained from the ch3 to ch32 channels to ch17 and ch18. Generated between the positions.
Here, when the focus F of the transmission beam TX1 is formed in the depth region L2, a wide ultrasonic beam is formed in the predetermined focus depth region L1, and as shown in FIG. The maximum value of the intensity distribution of the sound ray signal in L1 is made uniform, and the intensities of the sound ray signals RX15, RX16, and RX17 become substantially constant. That is, when three sound ray signals are generated by transmission / reception of one ultrasonic beam, when the transmission focus F is formed in the predetermined focus depth region L1 as in the normal mode, FIG. 6B shows. As shown in FIG. 7B, the unevenness d occurs in the intensities of the sound ray signals RX15 and RX17 (broken arrows) with respect to the intensity of the sound ray signal RX16 (solid arrow), as shown in FIG. When the transmission focus F is formed, the maximum value of the intensity distribution of the sound ray signal is made uniform, and the intensity unevenness d between the generated sound rays is suppressed. In this way, by transmitting an ultrasonic beam that extends over the sound ray region of three sound rays generated for one transmission / reception in the predetermined depth of interest region L1, the intensity of each sound ray thus generated is reduced. It can be almost constant.

  The depth region L2 only needs to extend over the sound ray region of three sound rays generated by one transmission / reception in the predetermined depth region L1 of the ultrasonic beam focused on the position. By setting the maximum visual field depth that maximizes the focus depth of the sound wave beam, it is possible to maximize the uniformity of the intensity distribution of the sound ray signal, and when the predetermined depth region of interest L1 is 2 cm, double that By setting the depth region L2 to 4 cm, the focus depth of the ultrasonic beam can be set to the maximum visual field depth. In this way, since three sound ray signals are sequentially generated for each transmission / reception of the ultrasonic beam, the transmission / reception of the ultrasonic beam is performed 22 times in one frame of the ultrasonic image and 66 sound rays are transmitted. A signal is generated.

  As described above, in one frame of the ultrasonic image, the ultrasonic beam is transmitted / received 65 times in the normal mode, whereas the ultrasonic beam is transmitted / received 22 times in the temperature rise suppression mode, and almost the same number of sound ray signals as in the normal mode are generated. As a result, the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) can be reduced to about 1/3 compared to the normal mode, and an increase in the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 can be suppressed. In addition, by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic beam having a transmission focus F formed in the depth region L2, it is possible to minimize deterioration in image quality due to generation of a plurality of sound ray signals by one transmission and reception.

Embodiment 2
In the first embodiment, three sound ray signals are generated by one transmission / reception of the ultrasonic beam in the temperature rise suppression mode. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a plurality of sound beams are transmitted by one transmission / reception of the ultrasonic beam. By generating the line signal, an increase in the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 can be suppressed.
For example, as shown in FIG. 8A, the transmission beam TX1 is transmitted with 32 channels from ch1 to ch32 as simultaneous aperture channels, and sound is generated based on the ultrasonic echo received through the simultaneous aperture channels from ch1 to ch32. Five sound rays of lines RX14, RX15, RX16, RX17, and RX18 can be generated. Here, the sound ray RX14 is received from the channels ch1 to ch28, the sound ray RX15 is received from the channels ch2 to ch29, the sound ray RX16 is received from the channels ch3 to ch30, the sound ray RX17 is received from the channels ch4 to ch31, and the sound ray RX18 is received from the channels ch5 to ch32. It is generated based on the signal. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8B, sound rays RX19, RX20, RX21, RX22 based on reception signals obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic beams using 32 channels from ch6 to ch37 as simultaneous opening channels. , And RX23 are generated. In this manner, since five sound ray signals are sequentially generated for each transmission / reception of the ultrasonic beam, 69 sound rays are transmitted / received 14 times in one frame of the ultrasonic image. A signal can be generated.

  Thus, the PRF can be reduced by generating a plurality of sound ray signals by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic beam once, such as reducing the PRF to about 1/5 compared to the normal mode. 1 can be prevented from rising.

  Further, the number of sound rays generated by one transmission / reception of the ultrasonic beam can be changed stepwise according to the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1. When the set value T2 larger than this is set with respect to the preset set value T1, and the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 detected by the temperature sensor 12 exceeds the set value T2, the set value T1 is set. More sound rays are generated by transmission / reception of one ultrasonic beam than when exceeding. For example, when the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 exceeds the set value T1, three sound rays are generated by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic beam once, and the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 exceeds the set value T2. In such a case, five sound rays are generated by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic beam once. Thereby, the rise can be suppressed corresponding to a fine change in the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1.

Embodiment 3
FIG. 9 shows the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment. The ultrasonic probe 31 used in this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is obtained by connecting a warning display unit 32 to the probe control unit 11 in the ultrasonic probe 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIG. When the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 detected by the temperature sensor 12 exceeds the set value T1, the warning display unit 32 controls the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1 to the operator under the control of the probe control unit 11. A warning is displayed to warn of an increase.

  By providing such a warning display unit 32 in the ultrasonic probe 1, it is possible to reliably notify the operator of an increase in the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe 1.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,31 Ultrasonic probe, 2 Diagnostic apparatus main body, 3 Transducer, 4 Reception signal processing part, 5 Parallel / serial conversion part, 6 Wireless communication part, 7 Transmission drive part, 8 Transmission control part, 9 Reception control part, 10 Communication Control unit, 11 Probe control unit, 12 Temperature sensor, 13 Wireless communication unit, 14 Serial / parallel conversion unit, 15 Data storage unit, 16 Image generation unit, 17 Display control unit, 18 Display unit, 19 Communication control unit, 20 Main body Control unit, 22 operation unit, 23 storage unit, 24 phasing addition unit, 25 image processing unit, 32 warning display unit, F focus, L1 predetermined depth region of interest, L2 depth region.

Claims (9)

A transducer array of the ultrasonic probe that transmits an ultrasonic beam from the transducer array of the ultrasonic probe toward the subject based on a drive signal supplied from the transmission drive unit and receives an ultrasonic echo from the subject. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that generates an ultrasonic image in an image generation unit based on reception data obtained by processing a reception signal output from the reception signal processing unit and displays the ultrasonic image on a display unit,
A temperature sensor for detecting an internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe;
When the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe detected by the temperature sensor exceeds a set value, the temperature increase suppression mode is selected, and the image generation is performed so that the number of sound rays generated for one transmission / reception increases. And a control means for controlling the transmission drive unit and the received signal processing unit so as to transmit and receive while sequentially shifting the position of the simultaneous aperture channel by the number of sound rays generated for one transmission and reception. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:   When the temperature rise suppression mode is selected, the control means transmits an ultrasonic beam that spans the sound ray region of the number of sound rays generated for one transmission / reception in a predetermined focus depth region of interest of the operator. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmission driving unit is controlled so that the intensity of each generated sound ray becomes substantially constant.   The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the transmission drive unit so that a focus depth of the ultrasound beam becomes a maximum visual field depth when the temperature rise suppression mode is selected.   When the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe detected by the temperature sensor exceeds another set value larger than the set value, the control means further increases the number of sound rays generated for one transmission / reception. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image generation unit, the transmission drive unit, and the reception signal processing unit are controlled so that the number of sound rays is large.   When the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe is equal to or lower than the set value, the control means outputs one sound ray for one transmission / reception, and three sounds for one transmission / reception when the set value is exceeded. When the line exceeds another set value larger than the set value, the image generating unit, the transmission driving unit, and the The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, which controls a reception signal processing unit.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit displays a warning on the display unit when an internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe becomes equal to or higher than the set value.   The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic probe further includes a warning display unit that displays a warning by the control unit.   The ultrasonic probe is converted by the reception signal processing unit, a parallel / serial conversion unit that converts parallel reception data obtained by the reception signal processing unit into serial reception data, and the parallel / serial conversion unit. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a wireless communication unit that transmits the received serial data to the diagnostic apparatus main body including the image generation unit by wireless communication. A transducer array of the ultrasonic probe that transmits an ultrasonic beam from the transducer array of the ultrasonic probe toward the subject based on a drive signal supplied from the transmission drive unit and receives an ultrasonic echo from the subject. An ultrasonic image generation method for generating an ultrasonic image in an image generation unit based on reception data obtained by processing a reception signal output from a reception signal processing unit and displaying the ultrasonic image on a display unit,
Detecting the internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe;
When the detected internal temperature of the ultrasonic probe exceeds a set value, the temperature rise suppression mode is selected and the image generation unit is controlled so that the number of sound rays generated for one transmission / reception increases. And the transmission drive unit and the reception signal processing unit are controlled so as to transmit and receive while sequentially shifting the position of the simultaneous opening channel by the number of sound rays generated for one transmission and reception. Generation method.

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