JP2017046781A - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide ultrasonic diagnostic equipment that reliably recognizes a static operation of a probe, and reliably performs an operation corresponding to a static state.SOLUTION: Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment includes: a phasing and adding unit 22 for generating frame data on a subject 18 sequentially with time based on an ultrasonic wave reflected by the subject 18 and received by a probe 14; a tracking processing unit 36 for executing tracking processing for a determination region on an observation region indicated by the frame data generated first, and searching for a movement destination region corresponding to the determination region within a tracking region set for the observation region indicated by the frame data generated later; and static operation determination unit 38 for determining whether or not there is a static operation for the probe 14 based on an approximation degree between the determination region and the movement destination region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for giving a command to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in accordance with the movement of a probe.

  An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus is widely used as an apparatus for observing a subject. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus generates a tomographic image of a subject by transmitting and receiving ultrasound and displays it on a monitor. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, when the probe contacts an appropriate part of the subject, ultrasonic waves are transmitted to and received from the part of interest of the subject, and a tomographic image of the part of interest is displayed.

  In order for the user to give a command to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and cause the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to execute the command, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided with input devices such as a keyboard, a switch, a mouse, and a trackball. While referring to the image displayed on the monitor, the user contacts the probe with an appropriate posture at an appropriate position of the subject, operates the input device, and gives a command to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  In the operation of determining the position of the probe while referring to the monitor and further operating the input device, attention should be paid not to move the probe due to camera shake during operation of the input device. In order to reduce the burden of such work, it is considered to use a probe as an input device as disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 4.

JP 2005-279096 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-238944 JP 2008-295859 A International Publication Pamphlet 2014-111242

  When the probe is used as an input device, a command is associated with the movement of the probe such as contact with the subject, movement on the subject, and separation from the subject. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a sensor is provided in the probe, and the movement of the probe is detected by this sensor. However, such a configuration has a problem that the hardware of the probe becomes complicated. Therefore, as described in Patent Document 4, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that detects movement of a probe based on a change in data based on received ultrasonic waves has been considered.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described in Patent Literature 4 operates in accordance with the state in which the probe is stationary when it is determined that the probe is stationary. In this stillness determination process, the following process is executed. That is, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, frame data is sequentially generated over time based on the ultrasonic waves received by the probe. Then, a motion frame representing displacement at each position on the observation surface is obtained from frame data of a plurality of frames that are sequentially generated over time, and it is determined whether or not the probe is stationary based on the motion frame. Is done.

  The purpose of the stillness determination process described in Patent Document 4 is to recognize an operation for stopping the probe on the subject. However, in this stationary determination process, even when the user performs a stationary operation of the probe, it may be difficult to recognize the stationary operation due to the pulsation of the subject or the user's hand shake.

  An object of the present invention is to reliably recognize a stationary operation of a probe.

  The present invention provides a frame data generation unit that sequentially generates frame data for the subject over time based on ultrasonic waves reflected by the subject and received by a probe, and the previously generated frame data A tracking processing unit that executes tracking processing for the determination region on the observation region indicated by and searches for a destination region corresponding to the determination region within a tracking range set in the observation region indicated by the frame data generated later And a stationary determination unit that determines whether or not a stationary operation has been performed on the probe based on the degree of approximation between the determination region and the destination region.

  According to the present invention, a movement destination area corresponding to a determination area on the observation area indicated by the previously generated frame data is searched within the tracking range set in the observation area indicated by the frame data generated later. . Then, based on the degree of approximation between the determination area and the destination area, it is determined whether or not there has been a stationary operation on the probe. As a value representing the degree of approximation, for example, there is a correlation value between the determination area and the movement destination area. As a result, even if the position of the area corresponding to the determination area changes within the tracking range for the next frame data, the area is tracked as the movement destination area, and the stationary based on the degree of approximation between the determination area and the movement destination area Processing by the determination unit is performed. In general, the movement width of the observation area due to unnecessary movements such as the user's hand shake and the pulsation of the subject is smaller than the movement width of the observation area when the probe is intentionally moved. Therefore, by setting the tracking range appropriately according to the amplitude of the unnecessary motion, the unnecessary motion is compensated, and it is determined that the stationary operation has not been performed despite the stationary operation on the probe. Frequency is reduced.

  Preferably, a transmission control unit that forms an ultrasonic beam for the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the probe, the transmission control unit sets a focal position of the ultrasonic beam, and the tracking processing unit includes the tracking processing unit. The determination area is set at a position determined according to the focal position.

  In general, when the reception intensity of ultrasonic waves in the determination area is uniform, the data representing the determination area has no characteristics, and the tracking process for the determination area may not be performed reliably. On the other hand, a user of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus often adjusts the focal position of an ultrasonic beam to a region where reception intensity of ultrasonic waves is not uniform, such as a living tissue or a tumor. Therefore, by setting the determination area at a position determined according to the focal position, there is a high possibility that the reception intensity in the determination area will be non-uniform, and the possibility that the tracking process will be performed reliably increases. .

  Preferably, an echo image specifying unit that specifies an echo image for the observation region is provided, and the tracking processing unit sets the determination region at a position including the echo image.

  When the reception intensity of the ultrasonic wave in the determination area is uniform, the data representing the determination area has no characteristics, and the tracking process for the determination area may not be performed reliably. In the present invention, the determination area is set to a position including an echo image. This increases the possibility that the tracking process is reliably performed.

  Preferably, the tracking processing unit performs the tracking process on the determination region in each of the plurality of partial regions defined in the observation region, and obtains the degree of approximation for each of the plurality of partial regions. The stationary determination unit determines whether or not a stationary operation has been performed on the probe based on the degree of approximation of the partial areas selected based on the degree of approximation among the plurality of partial areas. .

  The degree of approximation in the present invention indicates the degree to which the destination area corresponding to the determination area is well tracked, and the destination area approximated by the determination area is specified as the degree of approximation is larger. For example, by determining whether or not there has been a stationary operation on the probe based on the degree of approximation of the partial area having the highest degree of approximation, among the plurality of partial areas, the tracking process for the determination area is most performed. A determination is made based on a well-performed partial region.

  Preferably, the stillness determination unit includes an echo image among the plurality of partial regions, and the probe for the probe based on the approximation for the partial region selected based on each approximation. It is determined whether or not there has been a stationary operation.

  As described above, when the reception intensity of the ultrasonic wave in the determination area is uniform, the data representing the determination area does not have a feature, and the determination area may not be tracked reliably. In the present invention, it is determined whether or not there has been a stationary operation on the probe based on the degree of approximation of a partial area that includes an echo image and is selected based on each degree of approximation among the plurality of partial areas. Therefore, there is a high possibility that tracking is performed reliably.

  Preferably, a display processing unit that displays on the display unit an ultrasonic image based on the frame data that is sequentially generated over time, and a determination region graphic that is superimposed on the ultrasonic image and indicates the determination region, A determination area setting unit configured to display the determination area graphic and set the determination area according to a user operation.

  According to the present invention, the user can set a determination region at an appropriate position while referring to the displayed determination region graphic. Thereby, a determination area where the tracking process is reliably performed can be set.

  Desirably, an ultrasonic image based on the frame data sequentially generated over time, a display processing unit that displays a tracking range graphic superimposed on the ultrasonic image and indicating the tracking range on a display unit, A tracking range graphic is displayed, and a tracking range setting unit that sets the tracking range according to a user operation is provided.

  According to the present invention, the user can set the tracking range at an appropriate position while referring to the displayed tracking range graphic. Thereby, a tracking range in which the tracking process is reliably performed can be set.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably recognize the stationary operation of the probe.

It is a figure which shows the structure of an ultrasonic diagnosing device. FIG. 3 is a diagram conceptually showing reference frame data. It is a flowchart of a state switching process. It is a figure which shows the example of a contact correlation value and a correlation value between frames. It is a figure which shows the structure of the correlation calculation part between frames. It is a figure which shows the tomographic image by the frame data immediately before the newest frame data. It is a figure which shows the tomographic image by the newest frame data. It is a figure which shows the tomographic image by the newest frame data. It is a figure which shows the image displayed on a display part. It is a figure which shows the frame data in which an echo image appears on an observation surface. It is a figure which shows the several partial area | region arranged on the observation surface. It is a figure which shows a mode that the focus depth indicator and the tracking range figure were displayed. It is a figure which shows the example of the motion of the probe for producing | generating command information. It is a figure which shows the example of the image displayed in a soft freeze on state.

(1) Configuration and Basic Operation of Ultrasonic Diagnostic Device FIG. 1 shows the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic device. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a transmission / reception control unit 10, a transmission unit 12, a probe 14, a reception unit 20, a phasing addition unit 22, an ultrasonic image generation unit 24, a digital scan converter (DSC) 26, a device control unit 28, A motion detection unit 30, a display unit 52, a cine memory 54, and a storage unit 56 are provided. Among these components, the transmission / reception control unit 10, the phasing addition unit 22, the ultrasonic image generation unit 24, the DSC 26, the apparatus control unit 28, and the motion detection unit 30 are configured by an arithmetic processing device such as a processor, for example. The As the arithmetic processing device, for example, a device in which each component is configured by a program is used.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from the subject 18 by the probe 14 and displays a tomographic image on the display unit 52 as a monitor. In addition, a command corresponding to a change in the received signal based on the received ultrasonic wave in the probe 14 is given to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and a command is given to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the movement of the probe 14. In the present specification, any signal or data transmitted in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus based on the received ultrasonic wave is defined as a received signal.

  The operation state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a normal state and a state where soft freeze is on. The normal state is an operation state in which a moving image is displayed on the display unit 52 based on tomographic image data sequentially generated with time.

  The soft freeze is a function that gives a command to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the movement of the probe 14 while displaying a still image on the display unit 52. The soft freeze is on. This is an operating state for executing When soft freeze is on, the components for transmitting and receiving ultrasound are operating. This component is, for example, a component excluding the ultrasonic image generation unit 24 and the DSC 26. In general, there is known a freeze that displays a still image and turns off a circuit that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves (cuts off the power supply power of a circuit that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves). Soft freeze is different from general freeze in that it keeps the circuit on.

  In the following description, the normal state and the soft freeze on state are referred to as a normal state and a soft freeze on state, respectively.

  A configuration and processing for displaying a tomographic image in a normal state will be described. The probe 14 includes a plurality of vibration elements 16. The plurality of vibration elements 16 are arranged in the x-axis direction along a surface that is brought into contact with the subject 18.

  At the time of measurement, the probe 14 is brought into contact with the surface of the subject 18. Each vibration element 16 generates an ultrasonic wave according to the transmission signal output from the transmission unit 12. The transmission unit 12 adjusts the delay time of the transmission signal output to each vibration element 16 according to control by the transmission / reception control unit 10, forms a transmission ultrasonic beam in the probe 14, and further transmits the transmission ultrasonic beam. The subject 18 is scanned. For example, the transmission ultrasonic beam may be scanned linearly in the x-axis direction with the radiation direction in the positive y-axis direction. Alternatively, the transmission ultrasonic beam may be rotationally scanned (sector scan) using the radiation point of the transmission ultrasonic beam as a fixed end on the probe 14.

  As another transmission / reception mode, the transmission unit 12 may output a transmission signal to each vibration element 16 so that a plane wave is transmitted from the probe 14 to the subject 18. For example, when a plurality of vibration elements 16 are arranged in a straight line, the intensity and output timing of the transmission signal output to each vibration element 16 are the same, and ultrasonic waves of the same intensity are simultaneously applied to each vibration element 16. generate. As a result, a plane wave having a wavefront parallel to the contact surface of the probe 14 is generated. When the plurality of vibration elements 16 are not arranged in a straight line, the intensity of the ultrasonic wave generated by each vibration element 16 or the ultrasonic wave generated by each vibration element 16 according to the position of each vibration element 16 You may adjust the timing to perform.

  When the ultrasonic wave reflected in the subject 18 is received by each vibration element 16 of the probe 14, each vibration element 16 outputs an electrical signal corresponding to the received ultrasonic wave to the receiving unit 20. The receiving unit 20 performs processing such as amplification and quadrature detection on each signal output from each vibration element 16 under the control of the transmission / reception control unit 10. As a result, the reception unit 20 generates reception baseband signals of a plurality of channels corresponding to the plurality of vibration elements 16 and outputs the reception baseband signals to the phasing addition unit 22.

  The phasing addition unit 22 (frame data generation unit) generates a plurality of reception line data corresponding to a plurality of reception ultrasonic beams by phasing and adding reception baseband signals of a plurality of channels. When the transmission ultrasonic beam directed in the y-axis direction is linearly scanned in the x-axis direction, the phasing addition unit 22 transmits / receives each reception ultrasonic beam directed in the same direction as each transmission ultrasonic beam. The received line data corresponding to each received ultrasonic beam is generated in accordance with 10 controls. Even when a plane wave is transmitted from the probe 14, the phasing adder 22 generates a plurality of similar reception line data.

  That is, the plurality of reception line data correspond to a plurality of reception beam lines that are directed in the depth direction (y-axis direction) of the subject 18 and are arranged in the x-axis direction. Each reception line data is data in which reception data is associated with each position (each y coordinate value) on the corresponding reception beam line.

  The transmission / reception control unit 10, the transmission unit 12, the probe 14, and the reception unit 20 repeatedly scan the ultrasonic beam on the observation surface where the tomographic image is observed. The phasing / adding unit 22 sequentially generates frame data as time passes in response to repeated scanning of the ultrasonic beam, and sequentially outputs the frame data to the ultrasonic image generating unit 24 and the motion detecting unit 30. .

  When a plane wave is transmitted from the probe 14, the transmission / reception control unit 10, the transmission unit 12, the probe 14, and the reception unit 20 are on an observation surface (observation region) where a tomographic image is observed. The transmission of the plane wave and the reception of the reflected ultrasonic wave accompanying this are repeated. The phasing / adding unit 22 sequentially generates frame data over time in response to repeated ultrasonic transmission / reception.

  The ultrasonic image generation unit 24 performs signal processing for adjusting visibility such as gain correction, log compression, and filter processing on the frame data, and represents a tomographic image that represents a plurality of pixels arranged in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction. Data is generated and output to the DSC 26. The DSC 26 converts the tomographic image data into a video signal for performing image display and outputs the video signal to the apparatus control unit 28. The apparatus control unit 28 causes the display unit 52 to display an image based on the tomographic image data sequentially output from the DSC 26 as a moving image.

  The apparatus control unit 28 stores the tomographic image data of a predetermined number of frames in the cine memory 54 retroactively from the tomographic image data to be displayed. The apparatus control unit 28 may display an image based on each tomographic image data stored in the cine memory 54 on the display unit 52 as a still image or a moving image based on a user operation.

(2) State switching process The process which switches the operation state of an ultrasonic diagnosing device is demonstrated. The state switching process is performed according to the movement of the probe 14. When the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in the normal state recognizes that the probe 14 is stationary while being in contact with the subject 18 and then recognizes that the probe 14 has moved away from the subject 18, The tomographic image when the probe 14 is frozen and the probe 14 is stationary is displayed on the display unit 52 as a still image.

(2-1) Configuration for Executing State Switching Processing The state switching processing is performed based on information output from the motion detection unit 30 to the device control unit 28. The motion detection unit 30 includes a buffer memory 32, an interframe correlation calculation unit 36, a stillness determination unit 38, a contact determination unit 42, and a motion frame generation unit 34. Some or all of these components may be configured inside the apparatus control unit 28.

  The buffer memory 32 stores frame data of a predetermined number of frames retroactively from when the latest frame data is output from the phasing adder 22. The frame data stored before the predetermined number of frames may be deleted every time new frame data is stored. The inter-frame correlation calculation unit 36 reads a plurality of frame data generated at different times from the buffer memory 32.

  The inter-frame correlation calculation unit 36 obtains an inter-frame correlation value for the latest frame data and the previous frame data. The inter-frame correlation value represents the degree of approximation of these frame data. The larger the inter-frame correlation value, the closer the two frame data are. Specific processing for obtaining the inter-frame correlation value will be described later.

  The interframe correlation calculation unit 36 generates an interframe correlation value each time frame data is newly output from the phasing addition unit 22 to the buffer memory 32, and outputs the interframe correlation value to the apparatus control unit 28 and the stillness determination unit 38. In FIG. 1, the inter-frame correlation value is indicated by the symbol C.

  When the inter-frame correlation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined stillness threshold value, the stillness determination unit 38 determines whether or not the probe 14 is still, and provides the device control unit 28 with stillness information indicating that fact. Output.

  The contact determination unit 42 determines whether or not the probe 14 is in contact with the subject 18. This determination is made based on the correlation value between the frame data and the reference frame data. The reference frame data corresponds to frame data when the probe 14 is away from the subject 18 and is stored in the contact determination unit 42 in advance. When the reference frame data is conceptually represented as a black and white image, as shown in FIG. 2, gray stripes representing multiple echoes appear in the vicinity of the probe 14. The contact determination unit 42 obtains a correlation value between the frame data and the reference frame data. The contact determination unit 42 performs non-contact determination that the probe 14 is away from the subject 18 when the correlation value is equal to or greater than a predetermined non-contact threshold, and provides non-contact information indicating that fact to the device. The data is output to the control unit 28.

  The reference frame data may be stored in the contact determination unit 42 for each of a plurality of different measurement conditions. The measurement conditions include, for example, a gain at the receiving unit, an ultrasonic frequency, a focus depth (focus position), and the like. In this case, the contact determination unit 42 selects reference frame data corresponding to the measurement condition of the determination target frame data from among the plurality of stored reference frame data, and uses it for determination. Further, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may execute calibration that generates reference frame data by generating frame data in a state where the probe 14 is separated from the subject 18 and stores the reference frame data in the contact determination unit 42. .

  The apparatus control unit 28 performs overall control of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus such as setting of the operation state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and processing related to an image displayed on the display unit 52. The apparatus control unit 28 includes a state setting unit 44, a display processing unit 48, and a command generation unit 50. These components execute each function of the device control unit 28, and are virtually configured by a program executed by the device control unit 28, for example.

  The state setting unit 44 sets the operation state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus based on the information acquired by the apparatus control unit 28. For example, switching from the normal state to the soft freeze on state and switching from the soft freeze on state to the normal state are performed. The display processing unit 48 executes processing related to image display based on the information acquired by the device control unit 28 according to the operation state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The command generation unit 50 generates command information based on information acquired by the device control unit 28 when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is in the soft freeze on state. The apparatus control unit 28 controls the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the command information.

(2-2) Outline of State Switching Process An outline of the state switching process will be described. First, it is assumed that the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is in a normal state and the probe 14 is in contact with the subject 18. When the stillness determination unit 38 determines the stillness, the device control unit 28 sets a gesture reception period and a data selection period with reference to the stillness determination time. The gesture acceptance period is a period from the time of determination of stillness to a predetermined time later, and is a period in which the movement of the probe 14, that is, a gesture is accepted as a command by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The stationary determination is included in the gesture acceptance period. The data selection period is a period from the time of determination of stillness to a predetermined time, and the freeze image displayed on the display unit 52 in the soft freeze on state is selected from the tomographic image data of a plurality of frames generated during this period. The When the probe 14 is kept stationary and the stillness determination is repeatedly performed, the gesture reception period and the data selection period are updated each time the stationary determination is performed. That is, every time a still determination is made, the gesture acceptance period and the data selection period move in the future direction. The data selection period may be set every time frame data is output from the phasing addition unit 22 without being limited to the stationary determination.

  The apparatus control unit 28 sets the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in the soft freeze-on state when the non-contact determination is made by the contact determination unit 42 within the gesture reception period. In the soft freeze on state, a freeze image is displayed on the display unit 52. Components that transmit and receive ultrasound are operating, and a command is given to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus in accordance with the movement of the probe 14 as will be described later. The freeze image is, for example, an image based on tomographic image data when the inter-frame correlation value becomes maximum during the data selection period. When the probe 14 is separated from the subject 18 outside the gesture reception period, the apparatus control unit 28 does not set the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in the soft freeze-on state and maintains the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in the normal state. .

  According to such a process, when the probe 14 is stationary, a gesture reception period is set from the stationary determination time to the future, and the probe 14 moves away from the subject 18 within the gesture reception period. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is set to the soft freeze on state. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is switched from the normal state to the soft freeze-on state based on two movements of the probe 14 being stationary and the probe 14 being detached from the subject 18. This reduces the possibility that the state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus will switch from the normal state to the soft freeze-on state against the user's intention.

(2-3) Specific Example of State Switching Process Next, a specific example of the state switching process will be described. FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the state switching process executed by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus based on information output from the inter-frame correlation calculation unit 36, the stillness determination unit 38, and the contact determination unit 42.

  First, it is assumed that the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is in a normal state and the probe 14 is in contact with the subject 18. Further, it is assumed that the device control unit 28 stores the inter-frame correlation value in the storage unit 56 in association with the time for a predetermined number of frames going back in the past.

  The phasing addition unit 22 generates frame data of one frame in response to transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves to / from the observation surface (S101), and outputs the frame data to the motion detection unit 30 and the ultrasonic image generation unit 24. The apparatus control unit 28 determines whether or not the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is in the soft freeze on state (S102). When the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is in the soft freeze on state, the apparatus control unit 28 displays a freeze image on the display unit 52 (S110). On the other hand, when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is not in the soft freeze-on state, the apparatus control unit 28 determines whether or not the stationary determination unit 38 has performed the stationary determination (S103). If the stillness determination is made, the device control unit 28 updates the data selection period and the gesture reception period (S104), and proceeds to step S106. If the stillness determination is not made, the apparatus control unit 28 proceeds to step S105 without updating each period.

  In step S105, the apparatus control unit 28 determines whether the current time is within the gesture reception period (S105). When the current time is not within the gesture reception period, the apparatus control unit 28 sets the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in a normal state (S109), and displays on the display unit 52 an image based on the tomographic image data sequentially generated over time as a moving image. (S110).

  If the current time is within the gesture reception period, the device control unit 28 refers to the storage unit 56 and the cine memory 54 to select a freeze image (S106). The freeze image is, for example, an image based on tomographic image data when the inter-frame correlation value becomes maximum during the data selection period. The freeze image may be an image based on any one of a plurality of frames of tomographic image data having a correlation value between frames of a predetermined value or more during the data selection period. The tomographic image data indicating the freeze image is read from the cine memory 54 based on the past inter-frame correlation value stored in the storage unit 56.

  The apparatus control unit 28 determines whether or not the probe 14 has moved away from the subject 18 (S107). This determination is performed based on whether or not non-contact information is output from the contact determination unit 42. If the apparatus control unit 28 determines that the probe 14 is not separated from the subject 18, the apparatus control unit 28 sets the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to the normal state (S 109) and causes the display unit 52 to display a freeze image (S 110). ). On the other hand, if it is determined that the probe 14 is away from the subject 18, the apparatus control unit 28 sets the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in the soft freeze on state (S108), and displays the freeze image on the display unit 52. It is displayed (S110). The device control unit 28 displays an image corresponding to each operation state on the display unit 52 (S110), and then returns to step S101.

  According to the process shown in FIG. 3, a gesture reception period is set at each stillness determination. If the probe 14 is separated from the subject 18 within the gesture reception period, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is set to the soft freeze-on state based on step S108. In the soft freeze on state, each step is repeated in the order of steps S101, S102, and S110.

  Step S104 is executed according to the determination in step S103. That is, every time a stillness determination is made (S103), the data selection period and the gesture acceptance period are updated with reference to the time of the stillness determination (S104). When the stationary state of the probe 14 continues and the stillness determination is performed a plurality of times at the time interval T, the data selection period and the gesture reception period are in the future direction by the time T every time the stationary determination is made. Move to.

  Therefore, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus is set from the normal state to the soft freeze-on state by stopping the probe 14 in contact with the subject 18 and moving the probe 14 away from the subject 18.

  When the state in which the probe 14 is in contact with the subject 18 is maintained, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is in the normal state regardless of the gesture reception period. That is, within the gesture reception period, each step is executed in the order of steps S101 to S107, S109, and S110, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is brought into a normal state. Outside the gesture acceptance period, each step is executed in the order of steps S101 to S105, S109, and S110, and the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is set in a normal state.

  FIGS. 4A and 4B show examples of the correlation value (contact correlation value A) and the inter-frame correlation value B between the frame data and the reference frame data, respectively. The horizontal axis indicates time, and the vertical axis indicates the contact correlation value A and the interframe correlation value B, respectively. The contact correlation value A is a correlation value between the frame data and the reference frame data, and is generated by the contact determination unit.

  In this example, the probe moves while being in contact with the subject from time t (−18) to time t (−8). From time t (−8) to time t (−4), the probe is stationary while in contact with the subject, and from time t (−4), the probe is separated while contacting the subject. At the beginning (half contact), the probe leaves the subject at time t (0).

  The inter-frame correlation value B is less than the stillness threshold S before the time t (−9), but is greater than or equal to the stillness threshold S from the time t (−8) to the time t (−4). And after time (-3), it becomes less than the static threshold S again. Therefore, the stillness determination is made at the time interval T between the time t (−8) and the time t (−4). In each of time t (−8) to time t (−4), which is the time of stillness determination, a data selection period D and a gesture reception period G are set. The data selection period D is a period from the time of each stillness determination until it goes back by 10T, and the gesture reception period G is a period from the time of each stillness determination until 5T later. After the stationary determination is first performed at time t (−8), the stationary determination is performed at each of time t (−7) to time t (−4). Therefore, after the data selection period D and the gesture reception period G are set at the time t (−8), the data is obtained every time the stationary determination is made at the time t (−7) to the time t (−4). The selection period D and the gesture reception period G move after time T.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the probe is separated from the subject at time t (0), and the contact correlation value A is equal to or greater than the non-contact threshold value U. Since the time t (0) is within the gesture reception period G set at the latest stationary determination time t (-4), the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is set in the soft freeze on state. The freeze image displayed in the soft freeze-on state is the tomographic image data at the time t (−5) when the inter-frame correlation value B becomes maximum in the data selection period D set at the still determination time t (−4). Based image. Note that the freeze image is the tomographic image data at time t (−5) at which the inter-frame correlation value B becomes maximum in the data selection period D set at time t (0) when the probe is separated from the subject. It may be an image based on it.

  In FIG. 4, a circle M indicates that the most recent stillness determination time when the probe is away from the subject is time t (−4). Further, a circle P indicates that the inter-frame correlation value B is maximized at time t (−5) in the data selection period D that is 10T backward from time t (−4).

(3) Processing for obtaining inter-frame correlation value The above-mentioned inter-frame correlation value is a partial area on the observation surface indicated by the previously generated frame data of two pieces of frame data generated before and after time. Is determined based on the determination area set as, and the movement destination area on the observation surface indicated by the next generated frame data. That is, the inter-frame correlation calculation unit performs a predetermined tracking on the destination area that is the destination of the determination area indicated by the previously generated frame data for the observation plane indicated by each frame data sequentially generated over time. Tracking is performed within the range, and a correlation value between the determination area and the movement destination area is obtained as an interframe correlation value. For calculating the correlation value, for example, the data value at each position on the determination area is multiplied by the data value at the corresponding position on the destination area, and the multiplication value obtained for each position on the determination area is added and summed. Is defined as the operation to perform. The inter-frame correlation value may be standardized so as to be a value between 0 and 1.

  Such an inter-frame correlation value represents the degree of approximation between the determination area and the movement destination area under the condition that the movement of the determination area is compensated. When the living tissue in the subject 18 moves due to pulsation or the like, or when the probe moves due to a user's hand shake or the like, there is a difference between the two frame data generated before and after the time. The inter-frame correlation value represents the degree of approximation of the two frame data after excluding such a difference.

  Hereinafter, the tracking process for the determination region will be specifically described. The inter-frame correlation calculation unit 36 in FIG. 1 sets a determination region at a predetermined position on the observation plane indicated by the previously generated frame data, out of the two frame data generated before and after time. . The inter-frame correlation calculation unit 36 searches for a movement destination area corresponding to the determination area on the observation plane indicated by the frame data generated later, and tracks the movement destination area. The movement destination area is defined as an area whose correlation value is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold with respect to the determination area, for example. The inter-frame correlation calculation unit 36 obtains a correlation value between the determination area and the movement destination area as an inter-frame correlation value together with the process of tracking the movement destination area.

  FIG. 5 shows a configuration of the inter-frame correlation calculation unit 36 for executing the tracking process. The buffer memory 32, the stationary determination unit 38, and the device control unit 28 are extracted from those shown in FIG.

  The inter-frame correlation calculation unit 36 includes a tracking condition setting unit 361 and a tracking processing unit 362. The tracking condition setting unit 361 outputs the determination area information and the tracking range information to the tracking processing unit 362. The determination area information defines a range that the determination area occupies for the observation plane indicated by each frame data, and the tracking range information defines a range for tracking the destination area for the observation plane indicated by each frame data. The tracking processing unit 362 sets a determination region on the observation surface indicated by each frame data based on the determination region information, and sets a tracking range on the observation surface indicated by each frame data based on the tracking range information.

  The tracking processing unit 362 reads the latest frame data F (j) and the previous frame data F (j−1) from the buffer memory 32. In the image indicated by the latest frame data F (j), the tracking processing unit 362 displays a movement destination area whose correlation value with the determination area indicated by the frame data F (j−1) one frame before is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold. Explore. The search range is limited to the tracking range. The tracking processing unit 362 outputs the correlation value between the determination region and the movement destination region to the device control unit 28 and the stillness determination unit 38 as an interframe correlation value.

  According to such processing, the destination area corresponding to the determination area set for the frame data F (j−1) one frame before is tracked in the image indicated by the latest frame data F (j). The correlation value between the determination area and the movement destination area is obtained as the inter-frame correlation value. When the entire movement destination area is included in the tracking range, the inter-frame correlation value is close to the maximum value. The inter-frame correlation value decreases as the part of the destination area protrudes from the tracking range, and the inter-frame correlation value becomes the minimum value when the destination area is not tracked within the tracking area.

  The tracking processing unit 362 obtains an inter-frame correlation value each time new frame data is stored in the buffer memory 32 by such processing.

  The inter-frame correlation value may be generated based on a plurality of frame data selected from a plurality of frame data stored in the buffer memory 32 based on other regularity. For example, the inter-frame correlation value may be obtained based on the latest frame data F (j) and the frame data F (j−N) N frames before. Here, N is an arbitrary integer of 2 or more. Further, a temporary inter-frame correlation value is obtained for each set of two frame data adjacent in time among a plurality of frame data, and obtained by weighted averaging (moving averaging) for these temporary inter-frame correlation values. The obtained value may be obtained as the inter-frame correlation value.

(4) Specific Example of Tracking Process FIG. 6A shows a tomographic image 58 (j−1) using frame data F (j−1) immediately before the latest frame data F (j). This figure conceptually shows the tomographic image 58 (j-1), and such an image may not necessarily be displayed. In the tomographic image 58 (j-1), a rectangular tracking range 60 is indicated by a one-dot chain line, and the tracking range 60 and the center of gravity are shared, and the rectangular determination region W ( j-1) is indicated by a broken line. The tomographic image 58 (j-1) includes an echo image of the tumor 62, and the determination region W (j-1) includes a part of the echo image of the tumor 62. Note that the determination region W (j−1) may be located at other positions included in the tracking range 60.

  FIG. 6B conceptually shows a tomographic image 58 (j) based on the latest frame data F (j).

  In the latest tomographic image 58 (j), the echo image of the tumor 62 and its surroundings has moved upward compared to the tomographic image 58 (j-1) one frame before. However, in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the movement amount of the echo image is exaggerated for convenience of explanation. Such movement of the echo image can occur when the probe moves downward due to camera shake or the living tissue moves upward due to the pulsation of the subject within one frame interval time.

  FIG. 6B shows a sliding area SL having the same shape and size as the determination area W (j−1). In the tracking process, the correlation value with the determination region W (j−1) is obtained for each position while moving the sliding region SL within the tracking range 60. Then, the sliding area SL at the position where the correlation value is the largest is determined as the movement destination area corresponding to the determination area W (j−1). Instead of such processing, a sliding area at any position among a plurality of positions having a correlation value equal to or greater than a predetermined value is selected as a movement destination area corresponding to the determination area W (j−1). May be.

  FIG. 6B shows that the sliding area SL can be moved by pv pixels in the vertical direction, and the sliding area SL can be moved by ph pixels in the horizontal direction. In this example, the correlation value between the sliding area SL and the determination area W (j−1) is determined for each position while moving the sliding area SL by a distance of one pixel or a distance of a plurality of pixels in the vertical and horizontal directions. Desired. The number of pixels pv and ph may be determined based on the assumed range of camera shake or the movement range of the living tissue. FIG. 6C shows the destination area DR (j) determined by the tracking process. Based on the fact that the echo image has moved upward, the destination area DR (j) is located above the determination area W (j−1).

  By executing the tracking process, the frame data F (1), F (2),..., F (j−) sequentially stored in the buffer memory 32 of FIG. For each of 1), F (j),..., The movement destination area with respect to the determination area in the frame data one frame before is tracked, and a correlation value between the determination area and the movement destination area is obtained as an interframe correlation value. It is done. Each inter-frame correlation value is sequentially output from the tracking processing unit 362 to the stillness determination unit 38 and the device control unit 28.

(5) Effect of tracking processing When a command is given to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus by a user's operation of moving the probe from the subject within a gesture reception period after the probe is stopped on the subject, camera shake or The pulsation of the subject may become a problem. That is, unnecessary movements such as camera shake and subject pulsation appear as differences between a plurality of frame data generated at different times. Then, due to the difference between the frame data, it may be determined that the stationary operation has not been performed even though the stationary operation has been performed on the probe.

  According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, the movement destination area for the determination area in the frame data one frame before is tracked within the tracking range. Then, a correlation value between the determination area and the movement destination area is obtained as an inter-frame correlation value, and a determination by the stillness determination unit 38 is performed using the inter-frame correlation value. Therefore, even if the area corresponding to the determination area moves within the tracking range due to unnecessary movement, it is tracked as the movement destination area, the inter-frame correlation value is obtained, and the determination by the stationary determination unit 38 is performed.

  In general, changes in frame data based on intentional probe operations (gestures) by a user are often larger than changes in frame data based on hand movements, pulsation of a subject, or the like. According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment, the movement destination region is tracked within the tracking range, so that the influence of unnecessary movement smaller than the movement based on the gesture is suppressed, and the stillness determination unit 38. Is determined. As a result, the frequency of erroneous determination based on unnecessary movements such as the user's hand shake and the pulsation of the subject is reduced.

(6) Display of Determination Area The tracking condition setting unit 361 shown in FIG. 5 obtains a determination area coordinate range that represents the coordinate range of the determination area. This coordinate range is, for example, information that defines the occupation range on the xy plane by a numerical range in the x-axis direction and a numerical range in the y-axis direction. The tracking condition setting unit 361 outputs the determination area coordinate range Rxy to the device control unit 28.

  The display processing unit 48 included in the apparatus control unit 28 in FIG. 1 displays a graphic representing the occupied range of the determination region on the tomographic image based on the determination region coordinate range Rxy output from the inter-frame correlation calculation unit 36. May be. FIG. 7 shows an example of an image displayed on the display unit 52. When the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is in a normal state, the display processing unit 48 causes the display unit 52 to display a moving image based on the tomographic image data sequentially generated with the passage of time. For example, the display processing unit 48 displays the determination region graphic 66 so as to be superimposed on the tomographic image 64 for a predetermined time each time the probe is determined to be stationary. The determination area graphic 66 may be displayed only during the gesture reception period.

  When the determination area is rectangular, as shown in FIG. 7, the determination area graphic 66 may represent four corners by an L-shaped graphic. In addition, the determination area figure 66 may be a line representing the outer periphery of the determination area. In this case, the determination area may be filled with color or shading so that the tomographic image 64 can be seen through.

  Displaying the determination area graphic 66 in this way indicates to the user that the probe has been determined to be stationary. When the determination area graphic 66 is displayed during the gesture reception period, the gesture reception period is recognized by the user.

(7) Setting of determination area The determination area may be set to include an echo image. In this case, the tracking condition setting unit 361 shown in FIG. 5 reads frame data F (j−1), which is a target for setting the determination area, from the buffer memory 32. And the area | region where a data value is more than a predetermined threshold among the observation surfaces which frame data F (j-1) shows is specified as an echo image. This process determines, for example, whether or not the data value is greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold value for each point on the observation surface. If the data value is greater than or equal to the threshold value, that point is used as a point constituting an echo image. Done by recognizing. The tracking condition setting unit 361 sets a determination region so that part or all of the echo image is included, and outputs determination region information indicating the range to the tracking processing unit 362.

  FIG. 8 conceptually shows the frame data F (j−1) under such processing. An echo image 68 appears on the observation surface of the frame data F (j−1). The determination area W (j−1) is set so that part or all of the echo image 68 is included.

  In this way, the tracking condition setting unit 361 operates as an echo image specifying unit that specifies an echo image for the observation plane of the frame data, and the tracking processing unit 362 sets the determination region so that the echo image is included.

  In general, when an echo image is not included in the determination area, the data value (reception intensity) in the determination area is uniform. Accordingly, the movement destination area may not be tracked reliably, for example, an area that should not be tracked is tracked as a movement destination area.

  As described above, the tracking condition setting unit 361 sets the determination region so that at least an echo image is included. This increases the possibility that the destination area is reliably tracked.

  The tracking condition setting unit 361 may set a plurality of partial areas on the observation surface, and individually execute the tracking process on the determination area in each partial area. FIG. 9 shows nine rectangular partial areas 70 arranged in three rows in the vertical direction and three columns in the horizontal direction. In each partial area 70, a determination area V is set.

  The tracking processing unit 362 individually performs tracking processing for the determination region V in each of the plurality of partial regions. In the tracking process for each frame data, the tracking processing unit 362 correlates the correlation value for the partial region having the largest correlation value between the determination region V and the destination region among temporally adjacent frame data among the plurality of partial regions. As the latest inter-frame correlation value. Alternatively, the tracking processing unit 362 selects any one of a plurality of partial areas in which the correlation value between the determination area V and the movement destination area is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold between temporally adjacent frame data. The correlation value obtained for the partial area may be obtained as the latest inter-frame correlation value.

  According to such processing, it is determined whether or not a stationary operation has been performed on the probe based on the correlation value of the partial area selected based on the correlation value among the plurality of partial areas. The correlation value indicates the degree to which the destination area is tracked better. The larger the correlation value, the better the tracking. By determining whether or not the probe has been stationary based on a sufficiently large correlation value among the plurality of partial areas, the determination is made based on the partial area that is being tracked well. Is called.

  The tracking processing unit 362 may perform the tracking process only on the partial area including the echo image among the plurality of partial areas. In this case, for example, the tracking processing unit 362 obtains an evaluation value indicating a tendency of the magnitude of the data value, such as an average value of data values and an addition total value, for each partial region, and the evaluation value is less than a predetermined threshold value. Exclude the region from tracking. As a result, the tracking process is executed for a partial region that is likely to be reliably tracked for the determination region among the plurality of partial regions. In addition, the tracking processing unit 362 may perform the tracking process only on a partial area including an echo image in the determination area V among the plurality of partial areas. In this case, an evaluation value is obtained for the determination region V in each partial region, and a partial region whose evaluation value is less than a predetermined threshold is excluded from the target of the tracking process.

  The tracking condition setting unit 361 may set the determination region based on the focal position of the ultrasonic beam. In this case, the tracking condition setting unit 361 sets the determination region at a deeper position of the subject as the focal position is at a deeper position of the subject.

  In general, the user of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus often adjusts the focal position of an ultrasonic beam to a living tissue or a tumor. In areas such as biological tissues and tumors, the reception intensity of ultrasonic waves is often not uniform. Therefore, by setting the determination area at the same depth as the focal position, there is a high possibility that the data values in the determination area will be non-uniform, and the possibility that the tracking process will be performed reliably increases. The determination area is set so as to include the focal position, for example.

  The display processing unit 48 included in the apparatus control unit 28 may cause the display unit 52 to display a determination area graphic together with a focus depth indicator indicating the depth of the focus position.

  FIG. 10 shows a state in which the determination area graphic 66 is displayed on the display unit 52 together with the focal depth indicator 72 indicating the depth of the focal position. The determination area graphic 66 is displayed so as to overlap the tomographic image 64. In this example, the determination area is set so that the depth of the center of the determination area matches the depth of the focal position.

  Here, the example in which the determination area is set based on the echo image or the focal position has been described. When the positional relationship between the determination region and the tracking range is determined in advance, the tracking condition setting unit 361 sets the tracking range by a process similar to the processing for setting the determination region, and is based on the predetermined positional relationship. A determination area may be set.

  The determination area or the tracking range may be set based on a user operation. When the determination area is set based on the user's operation, the display processing unit 48 superimposes the determination area graphic on the tomographic image at the initial position or a position previously determined based on the user's operation. To display. The user refers to the determination area graphic displayed on the display unit 52 and sets the determination area.

  When setting the tracking range based on the user's operation, the display processing unit 48 displays the tracking range graphic on the tomographic image on the display unit 52 at the initial position or a position determined based on the user's operation. To do. The user refers to the tracking range graphic displayed on the display unit 52 and sets the tracking range.

  According to such a process, the determination area graphic or the tracking range graphic is displayed, thereby assisting the user in setting the determination area or the tracking range. When the determination region or tracking range is set according to the user's operation, the apparatus control unit may set the focal position of the ultrasonic beam based on the position of the determination region or tracking range. For example, the center of gravity of the determination area or tracking range may be used as the focal position of the ultrasonic beam.

(8) Soft Freeze Soft freeze will be described with reference to FIG. In the soft freeze-on state, the freeze image is displayed on the display unit 52 as a still image, while ultrasonic waves are transmitted and received by the probe 14 and an instruction is given to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a signal based on the received ultrasonic waves. Is given. Thereby, a command according to the movement of the probe 14 is given to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. It can be said that the soft freeze-on state is a state in which the movement of the probe 14, that is, a gesture is received by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In the soft freeze on state, the tomographic image data stored in the cine memory 54 is held without being updated. Alternatively, the tomographic image data stored in the cine memory 54 when the soft freeze-on state is started is transferred to the second cine memory provided separately, and stored in the cine memory 54 by sequentially generated tomographic image data. The content may be updated. In this case, the second cine memory may be configured in the storage unit 56.

  In the soft freeze-on state, for example, image data representing a freeze image is stored in the storage unit 56 in accordance with the operation of the probe 14 by the user (the movement of the probe 14). Further, the image quality of the freeze image may be adjusted and printing on a print medium may be performed. Furthermore, an image based on any one of a plurality of frames of tomographic image data stored in the cine memory 54 in a normal state may be displayed. In addition, a body mark representing the standard tissue shape of the subject may be displayed over the freeze image.

  An operation in which a command corresponding to the movement of the probe 14 is given to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus will be described. The motion frame generator 34 generates motion frame data based on the frame data stored in the buffer memory 32. The motion frame data is data in which the displacement of each position is associated with each position on the observation plane by a two-dimensional vector, and represents the distribution of the displacement vector on the observation plane. The motion frame generation unit 34 obtains a displacement vector of the living tissue for each position on the observation surface based on, for example, the latest frame data and the frame data one frame before. There is pattern matching as an operation for obtaining the displacement vector. In pattern matching, the degree of approximation is obtained for the image in which each point is virtually moved for the image one frame before and the latest image, and the movement distance and direction of each point at which the degree of approximation is increased are each point. As a displacement vector. Various degrees of approximation are considered among those skilled in the art, such as correlation values. The displacement vector obtained in this way represents the distance and direction of movement of each point on the living tissue per frame interval time.

  Further, block matching may be used as a calculation for obtaining the displacement of the living tissue. In block matching, each of the latest image and the image one frame before is divided into a plurality of blocks. Focusing on a block in a predetermined region of interest, a block one frame before having a large degree of approximation with the target block is searched. The moving distance and moving direction from each point in the searched block to each point in the latest block are obtained as a displacement vector of each point in the block. The motion frame generation unit 34 generates one motion frame each time frame data is newly stored in the buffer memory 32, and outputs the motion frame to the device control unit 28.

  Here, the process of generating one frame of motion frame data based on the latest frame data and the previous frame data has been described. The motion frame data may be generated based on frame data selected according to other regularity from a plurality of frame data stored in the buffer memory 32. For example, one frame of motion frame data may be generated based on the latest frame data and frame data N frames before. Here, N is an arbitrary integer of 2 or more. Also, provisional motion frame data is obtained for each set of two temporally adjacent frame data in a plurality of frame data, and data obtained by weighted averaging (moving averaging) for these temporary motion frame data is obtained. It may be obtained as motion frame data.

  The command generation unit 50 included in the apparatus control unit 28 generates command information for the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus based on the motion frame data sequentially output from the motion frame generation unit 34, for example, based on the following processing. . That is, the command generation unit 50 extracts the x-axis direction component of the displacement vector at each position on the observation plane from the motion frame data, and obtains the average value of the x-axis direction component as the x-direction displacement. Further, the y-axis direction component of the displacement vector at each position on the observation surface is extracted, and the average value of the y-axis direction component is obtained as the y-direction displacement. The x-direction displacement may be obtained based on other statistical values such as the maximum value, median value, root mean square value, and sum total value of the x-axis direction components. Similarly, the y-direction displacement may be obtained based on other statistical values such as the maximum value, median value, root mean square value, and summation value of y-axis direction components. The command generation unit 50 obtains each time waveform of the x-direction displacement and the y-direction displacement for each of the motion frame data sequentially output from the motion frame generation unit 34 as time elapses. Each time waveform of the x-direction displacement and the y-direction displacement may be standardized so as to have a predetermined time length. For example, when the time length of the time waveform of the x-direction displacement is L, a new normalized time of the X-direction displacement is obtained by multiplying the time waveform of the X-direction displacement by 1 / L in the time axis direction. It may be a waveform.

  The storage unit 56 stores a plurality of types of time waveform patterns (x direction patterns) predetermined for the time waveform of the x direction displacement, and command information is stored in association with each x direction pattern. Yes. The command generation unit 50 refers to the storage unit 56 to obtain an approximation between the time waveform of the x-direction displacement and a certain x-direction pattern, and when this approximation satisfies a predetermined condition, the x-direction pattern Command information associated with is generated. Here, the degree of approximation is defined as, for example, a correlation value between the time waveform of the x-direction displacement and the x-direction pattern. As a case where the degree of approximation satisfies a predetermined condition, for example, the correlation value may be a predetermined threshold value or more.

  Similarly, the storage unit 56 stores a plurality of types of time waveform patterns (y direction patterns) predetermined for the time waveform of the y direction displacement, and command information is associated with each y direction pattern. It is remembered. When the degree of approximation between the time waveform of the y-direction displacement and a certain y-direction pattern is large, command information associated with the y-direction pattern is generated.

  The storage unit 56 may store information in which command information is associated with a combination of an x-direction pattern and a y-direction pattern as information that the command generation unit 50 refers to. In this case, when the degree of approximation between the time waveform of the x direction displacement and the time waveform of the y direction displacement and the x direction pattern and the y direction pattern forming a predetermined combination is large, the x direction pattern and the y direction pattern Command information associated with the combination is generated.

  The command generation unit 50 may obtain an energy evaluation value obtained by adding and summing the square of the absolute value of the displacement vector at each position on the observation surface based on the motion frame data, and may generate the command information based on the energy evaluation value. . The energy evaluation value represents the kinetic energy of the probe 14. In this case, the storage unit 56 stores information in which a plurality of numerical value ranges for the energy evaluation values are associated with command information corresponding to each numerical value range. The command generation unit 50 refers to the information stored in the storage unit 56 and generates command information corresponding to the numerical range to which the obtained energy evaluation value belongs.

  The apparatus control unit 28 controls the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus so that an operation based on the command information generated by the command generation unit 50 is performed. The command information includes information for commanding an operation of a cursor, a button, or the like displayed on the display unit 52. For example, as shown by an arrow 74 in FIG. 11A, in response to the movement of vibrating the probe 14 a predetermined number of times in the y-axis direction, the cursor is moved in the vertical direction, the button is selected, the button Command information such as pressing of a button, release of a button, etc. is associated. When the degree of approximation between the time waveform of the y-direction displacement obtained based on the motion frame data and any y-direction pattern satisfies a predetermined condition, command information associated with the y-direction pattern is generated. .

  Further, as shown by the arrow 76 in FIG. 11B, the movement of the probe 14 in the x-axis direction, the movement of the cursor in the left-right direction, the dragging of the selected figure, etc. Command information is associated. When the degree of approximation between the time waveform of the x-direction displacement obtained based on the motion frame data and any x-direction pattern satisfies a predetermined condition, command information associated with the x-direction pattern is generated. .

  Further, as indicated by an arrow 78 in FIG. 11 (c), the movement of the probe 14 in the xy plane moves the cursor in the vertical direction, and the dial displayed on the display unit 52 Command information such as rotation is associated. When the degree of approximation satisfies a predetermined condition with respect to any of the time waveform of the x-direction displacement and the time waveform of the y-direction displacement obtained based on the motion frame data and the combination of the x-direction pattern and the y-direction pattern, Command information associated with the combination of the x-direction pattern and the y-direction pattern is generated.

  The apparatus control unit 28 may associate the command in the soft freeze-on state with the movement of the probe that normally appears in the diagnosis using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. As such a conventional gesture, for example, there is one that reciprocates left and right while bringing the probe into contact with the subject in order to extend a jelly that reduces friction between the subject and the probe. For this reciprocating motion, specify a folder that is one step lower than the currently specified folder when specifying a command to cancel the soft freeze on state and set it to the normal state, or when specifying a hierarchical memory area (folder) For example, a command to end an application operating in the soft freeze on state, and the like may be associated. In general, the reciprocating motion often appears in the user's actions together with the user's psychology of canceling some operation, and the operability of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is improved by associating the reciprocating motion with a command to cancel some state. .

  The apparatus control unit 28 may associate a command in the soft freeze on state with a simple movement of the probe in addition to the conventional gesture. Simple movements, that is, simple gestures, include minute movements when the probe housing is struck one or more times by a user's finger, movements that cause the probe to vibrate up and down in small increments, and the like.

  Conventional gestures and simple gestures may occur accidentally when a user diagnoses a subject when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is set to a normal state. Therefore, in order to avoid misrecognition, the conventional gesture and the simple gesture may be treated as movements accepted as commands in the soft freeze on state.

  In addition, when non-contact determination is made, predetermined command information such as button press and release may be generated. Thus, a predetermined command is given to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the movement of the probe 14 away from the subject 18.

  FIG. 12 shows an example of an image displayed on the display unit 52 when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is set in the soft freeze on state. The display unit 52 displays five buttons 84 and a cine memory bar 82 together with the freeze image 80. On the five buttons 84, “still image printing”, “moving image saving”, “body mark”, “gain”, and “freeze OFF” are displayed. Following the command information for moving the cursor 86 to the position of one of the buttons 84, the user moves the probe so that command information for pressing the button 84 is generated by the device control unit 28. The function assigned to 84 is executed. For example, when the user moves the probe so that the “print still image” button is pressed, the apparatus control unit 28 prints the freeze image 80 on a printer (not shown) connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Let When the user moves the probe so that the “Save Movie” button is pressed, the apparatus control unit 28 stores the tomographic image data of a plurality of frames stored in the cine memory 54 in the storage unit 56 as moving image data. Let At this time, information for managing moving images is added to the moving image data. The process of storing past moving image data in this way is generally referred to as retrospective. Further, the following processing for storing future moving image data may be executed. That is, when the user moves the probe so that the “Save Movie” button is pressed, the apparatus control unit 28 sets the state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus from the soft freeze on state to the normal state. Then, the tomographic image data sequentially generated with the passage of time is stored in the storage unit 56 over a predetermined plurality of frames. Processing for storing future moving image data in this way is generally referred to as prospective. When the user moves the probe so that the “body mark” button is pressed, the apparatus control unit 28 causes the display unit 52 to display the body mark. The body mark represents the standard tissue shape of the subject with respect to the breast, arm, and the like. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may display a figure indicating the position of the probe together with the body mark in accordance with a user operation. When the user moves the probe so that the “gain” button is pressed, the apparatus control unit 28 sets the state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to a state in which the gain (brightness of the image) can be adjusted. When the user moves the probe so that the “Freeze OFF” button is pressed, the apparatus control unit 28 switches the state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus from the soft freeze on state to the normal state.

  The cine memory bar 82 extending linearly to the left and right is an area for selecting any one of a plurality of frames of tomographic image data stored in the cine memory 54 and displaying the selected tomographic image as a still image. The apparatus control unit 28 operates the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus as follows when the user moves the probe so that the operation using the cine memory bar 82 and the cursor 86 is performed. That is, when the cursor 86 is positioned on the cine memory bar 82, the cine memory bar 82 is selected. When the cursor 86 is positioned at the right end on the cine memory bar 82 in this state, a freeze image 80 is displayed. When the cursor 86 is moved to the left along the cine memory bar 82, images based on the tomographic image data are sequentially displayed one frame at a time retroactively. When the cursor 86 is moved to the right along the cine memory bar 82, images based on the tomographic image data are sequentially displayed one frame at a time from the past to the future (when a freeze image is obtained). . When the movement of the cursor is stationary, an image based on tomographic image data corresponding to the position where the cursor is stationary is displayed. The display of “245/250” in FIG. 12 indicates that 250 frames of tomographic image data is stored in the cine memory 54 and the 245th tomographic image from the oldest is displayed.

  In the soft freeze-on state, when the state where the movement of the probe is stationary continues for a predetermined time or more, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus may be in the freeze state. The freeze state refers to a state in which power is supplied only to the device control unit 28, for example. Further, in order to display information of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, power supply power may be supplied to the display unit 52. The apparatus control unit 28 detects the probe for a predetermined freeze introduction time based on the motion frames sequentially output from the motion frame generation unit 34 as time elapses when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is in the soft freeze on state. It is determined whether or not is stationary. Specifically, this determination is performed by obtaining the y-direction displacement and the x-direction displacement from each motion frame and determining whether or not each displacement is less than a predetermined threshold over the freeze introduction time. When the apparatus control unit 28 determines that the probe is stationary for the freeze introduction time, the apparatus control unit 28 sets the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to the frozen state. In addition, the device control unit 28 determines whether or not the probe is stationary based on whether or not the stationary determination unit 38 determines the stationary state, that is, based on whether or not the stationary information is output from the stationary determination unit 38. It may be determined.

  According to such processing, it is avoided that power is wasted due to transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves when diagnosis is stopped in the soft freeze-on state.

(9) Modification In the above, the motion detection unit 30 generates information on the motion of the probe 14 based on the frame data output from the phasing addition unit 22 and outputs the information to the device control unit 28. The embodiment has been described. The motion detection unit 30 may execute processing based on other received signals generated in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus based on the received ultrasonic waves. For example, instead of the frame data output from the phasing adder 22, tomographic image data output from the ultrasound image generator 24 or video signal output from the DSC 26 may be used in the motion detector 30. Good.

  In the above description, an example in which the ultrasound image generation unit 24 generates tomographic image data on the observation surface of the subject 18 has been described. The ultrasonic image generation unit 24 may generate elasticity image data representing the elasticity distribution of the observation surface of the subject 18. In this case, the ultrasonic image generation unit 24 may generate tomographic / elastic image data representing an image obtained by superimposing the elastic image on the tomographic image, and the tomographic / elastic image may be displayed on the display unit 52.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Transmission / reception control part, 12 Transmission part, 14 Probe, 16 Vibrating element, 18 Subject, 20 Reception part, 22 Phased addition part, 24 Ultrasonic image generation part, 26 Digital scan converter (DSC), 28 Apparatus control Unit, 30 motion detection unit, 32 buffer memory, 34 motion frame generation unit, 36 inter-frame correlation calculation unit, 361 tracking condition setting unit, 362 tracking processing unit, 38 stationary determination unit, 42 contact determination unit, 44 state setting unit, 48 display processing unit, 50 command generation unit, 52 display unit, 54 cine memory, 56 storage unit, 58, 64 tomographic image, 60 tracking range, 61 tracking range frame, 62 tumor, 66 judgment area figure, 68 echo image, 70 part Area, 72 Depth of Focus Indicator, 80 Freeze Image, 82 Cine Memory Bar, 84 Button, 86 Cursor.

Claims (7)

A frame data generation unit that sequentially generates frame data for the subject over time based on ultrasonic waves reflected by the subject and received by the probe;
The tracking process is executed for the determination area on the observation area indicated by the previously generated frame data, and the movement corresponding to the determination area is performed within the tracking range set in the observation area indicated by the frame data generated later. A tracking processing unit for searching for a destination area;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a stationary determination unit that determines whether or not a stationary operation has been performed on the probe based on a degree of approximation between the determination region and the destination region. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
A transmission control unit for forming an ultrasonic beam for ultrasonic waves transmitted from the probe;
The transmission control unit sets a focal position of the ultrasonic beam,
The tracking processing unit
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the determination region is set at a position determined according to the focal position. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
An echo image specifying unit for specifying an echo image for the observation region;
The tracking processing unit
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the determination region is set at a position including the echo image. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
The tracking processing unit
Performing the tracking process on the determination region in each of a plurality of partial regions defined in the observation region;
Obtaining the degree of approximation for each of the plurality of partial regions;
The stationary determination unit
The ultrasonic wave characterized in that it is determined whether or not a stationary operation has been performed on the probe based on the degree of approximation of a partial area selected based on the degree of approximation among the plurality of partial areas. Diagnostic device. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4,
The stationary determination unit
It is determined whether or not there has been a stationary operation on the probe based on the degree of approximation of the partial area that includes an echo image among the plurality of partial areas and is selected based on the degree of approximation. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
A display processing unit that displays on the display unit an ultrasonic image based on the frame data that is sequentially generated over time, and a determination region graphic that is superimposed on the ultrasonic image and indicates the determination region;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a determination region setting unit configured to display the determination region graphic and set the determination region in accordance with a user operation. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 6,
A display processing unit for displaying on the display unit an ultrasonic image based on the frame data sequentially generated over time, and a tracking range graphic superimposed on the ultrasonic image and indicating the tracking range;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a tracking area setting unit configured to display the tracking range graphic and set the tracking range according to a user operation.

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