JP2021058299A - Ultrasonic diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable area scan in an arbitrary phase.SOLUTION: An ultrasonic diagnostic device includes an acquisition unit, a control unit, and a generation unit. The acquisition unit acquires biological information indicating a periodic change in a subject. The control unit executes control to collect ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases respectively at a fixed time interval from a scan start time point with a predetermined phase of each period in the biological information as a scan start time point for each position of a scan target area of the subject. The generation unit generates image data that composites the ultrasonic images of the same phase of the ultrasonic images of the plurality of phases collected for each position of the scan target area.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The embodiments disclosed in the present specification and the like relate to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Conventionally, ultrasonic diagnosis is performed by a technician or a doctor operating an ultrasonic probe on the body surface of a subject to obtain information on the tissue structure inside the human body, blood flow, and the like. For example, a technician or a doctor operates an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves on the body surface according to the diagnosis site and the diagnosis content to scan the inside of the subject with ultrasonic waves to show the tissue structure. Collect images and ultrasonic images showing information such as blood flow. In such ultrasonic diagnosis, area scanning technology and blood flow signal acquisition technology have been improved in recent years, and it has become possible to capture blood flow signals of peripheral blood vessels.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-237670 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-125172

One of the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in the present specification and the like is to enable area scanning in an arbitrary phase. However, the problems solved by the embodiments disclosed in the present specification and the like are not limited to the above problems. The problem corresponding to each effect of each configuration shown in the embodiment described later can be positioned as another problem to be solved by the embodiment disclosed in the present specification and the like.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the embodiment includes an acquisition unit, a control unit, and a generation unit. The acquisition unit acquires biological information indicating periodic changes in the subject. The control unit sets a predetermined phase of each cycle in the biological information as the scan start time for each position of the scan target area of the subject, and prepares ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals from the scan start time. Control to collect. The generation unit generates image data obtained by synthesizing ultrasonic images of the same phase among the ultrasonic images of the plurality of phases collected for each position of the scan target region.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of the ultrasonic probe according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2B is a diagram for explaining an example of control by the control function according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of storing data in the memory according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for processing the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 6 is an external view showing an example of the mechanical mechanism according to the second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of control by the control function according to the second embodiment. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of control by the control function according to the third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for processing the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present application is not limited to the embodiments shown below. Further, in the following description, common reference numerals will be given to similar components, and duplicate description will be omitted.

(First Embodiment)
First, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment includes an ultrasonic probe 2, a display 3, an input interface 4, and an apparatus main body 5, and includes an ultrasonic probe 2 and a display 3. And the input interface 4 are connected to the device main body 5 in a communicable manner. Here, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment, the biological information acquisition apparatus 6 is further connected to the apparatus main body 5 so as to be communicable.

The ultrasonic probe 2 is connected to a transmission / reception circuit 51 included in the apparatus main body 5. The ultrasonic probe 2 has, for example, a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators in the probe body, and these plurality of piezoelectric vibrators generate ultrasonic waves based on a drive signal supplied from the transmission / reception circuit 51. Further, the ultrasonic probe 2 receives the reflected wave from the subject P and converts it into an electric signal. Further, the ultrasonic probe 2 has a matching layer provided on the piezoelectric vibrator and a backing material for preventing the propagation of ultrasonic waves from the piezoelectric vibrator to the rear in the probe main body. The ultrasonic probe 2 is detachably connected to the device main body 5. For example, the ultrasonic probe 2 is a sector type, linear type, convex type or the like ultrasonic probe.

When ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 2 to the subject P, the transmitted ultrasonic waves are reflected one after another on the discontinuity surface of the acoustic impedance in the body tissue of the subject P, and the ultrasonic probe is used as a reflected wave signal. It is received by a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators of 2. The amplitude of the received reflected wave signal depends on the difference in acoustic impedance on the discontinuity where the ultrasonic waves are reflected. The reflected wave signal when the transmitted ultrasonic pulse is reflected by the moving blood flow or the surface of the heart wall or the like depends on the velocity component of the moving body with respect to the ultrasonic transmission direction due to the Doppler effect. And undergo frequency shift.

Here, the ultrasonic probe 2 according to the present embodiment is an ultrasonic probe capable of scanning a subject P in three dimensions by mechanically swinging a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic probe 2 has a swing mechanism 21 and mechanically swings a plurality of piezoelectric vibrators under the control of a swing control circuit 56 included in the apparatus main body 5. And perform an area scan.

The swing mechanism 21 mechanically swings the piezoelectric vibrator. Specifically, the swing mechanism 21 has a holding portion for holding the piezoelectric vibrator and a drive unit such as a motor or an actuator, and under the control of the swing control circuit 56, the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric vibrators. The piezoelectric vibrator is oscillated in the direction orthogonal to.

The display 3 displays a GUI (Graphical User Interface) for the operator of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 to input various setting requests using the input interface 4, and displays an ultrasonic image or the like generated by the apparatus main body 5. To display. Further, the display 3 displays various messages and display information in order to notify the operator of the processing status and the processing result of the device main body 5. Further, the display 3 has a speaker and can output sound.

The input interface 4 includes a trackball for setting a predetermined position (for example, an area of interest, etc.), a switch button, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch pad for performing an input operation by touching an operation surface, a display screen, and a touch pad. It is realized by a touch monitor integrated with, a non-contact input circuit using an optical sensor, a voice input circuit, and the like. The input interface 4 is connected to a processing circuit 55, which will be described later, and converts an input operation received from the operator into an electric signal and outputs the input operation to the processing circuit 55. In the present specification, the input interface 4 is not limited to the one provided with physical operating parts such as a mouse and a keyboard. For example, an example of an input interface includes an electric signal processing circuit that receives an electric signal corresponding to an input operation from an external input device provided separately from the device and outputs the electric signal to the processing circuit 55.

The apparatus main body 5 includes a transmission / reception circuit 51, a B-mode processing circuit 52, a Doppler processing circuit 53, a memory 54, a processing circuit 55, and a swing control circuit 56. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, each processing function is stored in the memory 54 in the form of a program that can be executed by a computer. The transmission / reception circuit 51, the B-mode processing circuit 52, the Doppler processing circuit 53, the processing circuit 55, and the swing control circuit 56 are processors that realize functions corresponding to each program by reading a program from the memory 54 and executing the program. is there. In other words, each circuit in the state where each program is read has a function corresponding to the read program.

The transmission / reception circuit 51 includes a pulse generator, a transmission delay circuit, a pulsar, and the like, and supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe 2. The pulse generator repeatedly generates rate pulses for forming transmitted ultrasonic waves at a predetermined rate frequency. Further, in the transmission delay circuit, the pulse generator generates the delay time for each piezoelectric vibrator required for focusing the ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic probe 2 in a beam shape and determining the transmission directivity. Give for each rate pulse. Further, the pulsar applies a drive signal (drive pulse) to the ultrasonic probe 2 at a timing based on the rate pulse. That is, the transmission delay circuit arbitrarily adjusts the transmission direction of the ultrasonic waves transmitted from the piezoelectric vibrator surface by changing the delay time given to each rate pulse.

The transmission / reception circuit 51 has a function of instantaneously changing the transmission frequency, transmission drive voltage, and the like in order to execute a predetermined scan sequence based on the instruction of the processing circuit 55 described later. In particular, the change of the transmission drive voltage is realized by a linear amplifier type transmission circuit capable of instantaneously switching the value, or a mechanism for electrically switching a plurality of power supply units.

Further, the transmission / reception circuit 51 includes a preamplifier, an A / D (Analog / Digital) converter, a reception delay circuit, an adder, etc., and performs various processing on the reflected wave signal received by the ultrasonic probe 2 to reflect the signal. Generate wave data. The preamplifier amplifies the reflected wave signal for each channel. The A / D converter A / D converts the amplified reflected wave signal. The reception delay circuit provides the delay time required to determine the reception directivity. The adder generates reflected wave data by performing addition processing of the reflected wave signal processed by the reception delay circuit. The addition process of the adder emphasizes the reflected component from the direction corresponding to the reception directivity of the reflected wave signal, and the reception directivity and the transmission directivity form a comprehensive beam for ultrasonic transmission and reception.

The B-mode processing circuit 52 receives reflected wave data from the transmission / reception circuit 51, performs logarithmic amplification, envelope detection processing, and the like to generate data (B-mode data) in which the signal strength is expressed by the brightness of the brightness. ..

The Doppler processing circuit 53 frequency-analyzes velocity information from the reflected wave data received from the transmission / reception circuit 51, extracts blood flow, tissue, and contrast agent echo components due to the Doppler effect, and extracts moving body information such as velocity, dispersion, and power. Generate data (Doppler data) extracted for multiple points. For example, a moving body is a fluid such as blood flowing in a blood vessel or lymph fluid flowing in a lymph vessel.

The B-mode processing circuit 52 and the Doppler processing circuit 53 can process both two-dimensional reflected wave data and three-dimensional reflected wave data. That is, the B-mode processing circuit 52 generates two-dimensional B-mode data from the two-dimensional reflected wave data, and generates three-dimensional B-mode data from the three-dimensional reflected wave data. Further, the Doppler processing circuit 53 generates two-dimensional Doppler data from the two-dimensional reflected wave data and generates three-dimensional Doppler data from the three-dimensional reflected wave data. The three-dimensional B-mode data is data to which a luminance value is assigned according to the reflection intensity of a reflection source located at each of a plurality of points (sample points) set on each scanning line in the three-dimensional scanning range. Further, in the three-dimensional Doppler data, a brightness value corresponding to the value of blood flow information (velocity, dispersion, power) is assigned to each of a plurality of points (sample points) set on each scanning line in the three-dimensional scanning range. It becomes the obtained data.

Further, the B mode processing circuit 52 and the Doppler processing circuit 53 synthesize a plurality of two-dimensional reflected wave data to generate three-dimensional reflected wave data, and generate three-dimensional data from the generated reflected wave data. You can also. For example, the B-mode processing circuit 52 synthesizes a plurality of two-dimensional reflected wave data to generate three-dimensional reflected wave data, and generates three-dimensional B-mode data from the generated three-dimensional reflected wave data. Further, the Doppler processing circuit 53 synthesizes a plurality of two-dimensional reflected wave data to generate three-dimensional reflected wave data, and generates three-dimensional Doppler data from the generated three-dimensional reflected wave data. The B mode processing circuit 52 and the Doppler processing circuit 53 are examples of the generation unit.

The memory 54 stores image data for display generated by the processing circuit 55. The memory 54 can also store the data generated by the B-mode processing circuit 52 and the Doppler processing circuit 53. Further, the memory 54 stores various data such as a control program for performing ultrasonic transmission / reception, image processing, and display processing, diagnostic information (for example, patient ID, doctor's findings, etc.), diagnostic protocol, and various body marks. To do. For example, the memory 54 stores the reflected wave data of each scan position collected in the area scan. The reflected wave data at each scan position will be described in detail later.

The processing circuit 55 controls the entire processing of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1. Specifically, the processing circuit 55 performs various processes by reading a program corresponding to the control function 551, the image generation function 552, and the acquisition function 553 shown in FIG. 1 from the memory 54 and executing the program. Here, the control function 551 is an example of the control unit. The acquisition function 553 is an example of an acquisition unit.

For example, the processing circuit 55 has a transmission / reception circuit 51, a B-mode processing circuit 52, and a Doppler based on various setting requests input from the operator via the input interface 4, various control programs read from the memory 54, and various data. It controls the processing of the processing circuit 53 and the swing control circuit 56. Further, the processing circuit 55 controls the display 3 to display the ultrasonic image data for display (hereinafter, also referred to as an ultrasonic image) stored in the memory 54. Further, the processing circuit 55 controls so that the processing result is displayed on the display 3. For example, the processing circuit 55 reads and executes a program corresponding to the control function 551 to control the entire apparatus and control the above-described treatment. Further, the control function 551 controls the transmission / reception circuit 51 and the swing control circuit 56 so as to enable area scanning in an arbitrary phase, and this point will be described in detail later.

The image generation function 552 generates ultrasonic image data from the data generated by the B mode processing circuit 52 and the Doppler processing circuit 53. That is, the image generation function 552 generates B-mode image data in which the intensity of the reflected wave is represented by the brightness from the two-dimensional B-mode data generated by the B-mode processing circuit 52. The B-mode image data is data in which the tissue shape in the ultrasonically scanned region is depicted. Further, the image generation function 552 generates Doppler image data representing mobile information from the two-dimensional Doppler data generated by the Doppler processing circuit 53. The Doppler image data is speed image data, distributed image data, power image data, or image data in which these are combined. The Doppler image data is data showing fluid information about a fluid flowing in an ultrasonically scanned region.

Here, the image generation function 552 generally converts (scan-converts) a scanning line signal string of ultrasonic scanning into a scanning line signal string of a video format typified by a television or the like, and ultrasonic waves for display. Generate image data. Specifically, the image generation function 552 generates ultrasonic image data for display by performing coordinate conversion according to the scanning form of ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic probe 2. Further, the image generation function 552 is used as various image processing other than scan conversion, for example, image processing (smoothing processing) for regenerating an average value image of brightness by using a plurality of image frames after scan conversion. Image processing (edge enhancement processing) using a differential filter in the image is performed. Further, the image generation function 552 synthesizes character information, scales, body marks, and the like of various parameters with the ultrasonic image data.

That is, the B mode data and the Doppler data are ultrasonic image data before the scan conversion process, and the data generated by the image generation function 552 is the ultrasonic image data for display after the scan conversion process. The B-mode data and Doppler data are also referred to as raw data (Raw Data).

Further, the image generation function 552 generates three-dimensional B-mode image data by performing coordinate conversion on the three-dimensional B-mode data generated by the B-mode processing circuit 52. Further, the image generation function 552 generates three-dimensional Doppler image data by performing coordinate conversion on the three-dimensional Doppler data generated by the Doppler processing circuit 53. That is, the three-dimensional B-mode data and the three-dimensional Doppler data are the volume data before the scan conversion process, and the three-dimensional B-mode image data and the three-dimensional Doppler image data are the volume data after the scan conversion. ..

Further, the image generation function 552 can perform rendering processing on the volume data in order to generate various two-dimensional image data for displaying the volume data on the display 3.

The acquisition function 553 acquires biological information showing periodic changes in the subject. Specifically, the acquisition function 553 acquires the biological information acquired from the subject by the biological information acquisition device 6. Here, the biological information acquisition device 6 acquires biological information indicating a periodic change from the subject. For example, the biological information acquisition device 6 is a heart rate monitor, an electrocardiogram monitor, a pulse wave monitor, and the like, and the acquisition function 553 acquires heart rate information, an electrocardiogram, a pulse wave information, and the like acquired by the biological information acquisition device 6. Here, the pulse wave is a waveform of a change in the volume of a blood vessel generated when the heart pumps blood. That is, the pulse wave has a phase similar to that of the heartbeat.

The overall configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment has been described above. Under such a configuration, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment enables area scanning in an arbitrary phase. Specifically, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, a predetermined phase in biological information showing a periodic change is set as a scan start time point, and a plurality of phases are super-phased at regular time intervals from the scan start time point. Area scanning in any phase is made possible by collecting ultrasonic images for each position of the target of area scanning and synthesizing ultrasonic images of the same phase from the collected ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases.

As described above, in recent years, in ultrasonic diagnosis, it has become possible to capture the blood flow of peripheral blood vessels by area scanning. However, the peripheral blood flow is very small, and the blood flow velocity differs between the diastole and systole of blood vessels. Further, when the area scan is executed at a constant speed by the swing mechanism, the blood vessel diameter increases or decreases due to the expansion and contraction of the blood vessel. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately measure the blood vessel diameter of a minute amount of abnormal blood flow.

On the other hand, at present, a STIC (spatiotemporal image correlation) method for synthesizing a three-dimensional image according to the cardiac cycle is known. The STIC method first detects the heartbeat and acquires information on the cardiac cycle. Then, in the STIC method, an area scan is executed at a constant speed by a swing mechanism, and images having the same phase are detected and combined according to the cardiac cycle. However, in the STIC method, the scan is executed at a timing independent of the heartbeat, and since the scan timing and the heartbeat are not synchronized, an image of a desired phase may not be obtained with a certain probability, and the image may not be obtained in three dimensions. The image may be missing. Therefore, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, an ultrasonic image of a plurality of phases is generated at a fixed time interval by using a predetermined phase in the biological information as a trigger for starting scanning, in the target area of the area scan. By collecting each position, it is possible to acquire an ultrasonic image of the same phase at each position of the target area of the area scan, and as a result, a three-dimensional image in which the ultrasonic images of the same phase are combined is generated. Make it possible.

Hereinafter, the details of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described. The control function 551 sets a predetermined phase of each cycle in the biological information as the scan start time for each position of the scan target area of the subject, and collects ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals from the scan start time. To control. Specifically, the control function 551 uses a predetermined phase in biometric information as a trigger when collecting ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases for each position in the target area of the area scan, and a plurality of control functions 551 are provided at regular time intervals. The transmission / reception circuit 51 and the swing control circuit 56 are controlled so as to collect ultrasonic images of the phases of.

For example, the control function 551 controls the swing of the piezoelectric vibrator by the swing mechanism 21 by controlling the swing control circuit 56 to change the scan position. Further, the control function 551 controls the scan for each position by controlling the transmission / reception circuit 51. FIG. 2A is a diagram showing an example of the ultrasonic probe 2 according to the first embodiment. Here, FIG. 2A shows the inside of the ultrasonic probe 2 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric vibrators. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the ultrasonic probe 2 has a swing mechanism 21 that holds and swings the piezoelectric vibrator 22. Then, in the ultrasonic probe 2, the driving unit of the swing mechanism 21 is driven according to the control of the swing control circuit 56, and the piezoelectric vibrator 22 is swung in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 2A.

The control function 551 controls the swing control circuit 56 to control the swing of the piezoelectric vibrator 22, and controls the transmission / reception circuit 51 to collect reflected wave data of a plurality of phases for each position. Control. Here, the control function 551 starts scanning for each position based on the biological information. Specifically, the control function 551 uses a predetermined phase of biometric information as a trigger for starting scanning. That is, the control function 551 has a plurality of phases at regular time intervals from the start of scanning for each swing position of the piezoelectric vibrator 22 in the ultrasonic probe 2 having the swing mechanism 21 that swings the piezoelectric vibrator 22. Control to collect each ultrasonic image.

FIG. 2B is a diagram for explaining an example of control by the control function 551 according to the first embodiment. Here, FIG. 2B shows the inside of the ultrasonic probe 2 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric vibrators. Further, in FIG. 2B, a case where a pulse wave is used as biological information will be described. That is, in FIG. 2B, the scan is controlled based on the phase of the pulse wave. As described above, the pulse wave is a waveform of the volume change of the blood vessel generated with the heartbeat, and the state of expansion and contraction of the blood vessel is adjusted by executing the scan based on the phase of the pulse wave. It is possible to collect reflected wave data.

For example, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 2B, the control function 551 swings the swing mechanism 21 by controlling the swing control circuit 56, and moves the piezoelectric vibrator 22 to the position P1. Then, the control function 551 controls the scan based on the pulse wave in a state where the swing by the swing mechanism 21 is stopped and the piezoelectric vibrator 22 is kept at the position P1. Here, the control function 551 uses a predetermined phase in the pulse wave acquired by the acquisition function 553 as a trigger for starting the scan. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the control function 551 starts scanning with the timing A in the pulse wave as a trigger for starting scanning. The timing A that triggers the start of scanning can be arbitrarily set.

As an example, the control function 551 specifies the timing A based on the amplitude of the pulse wave acquired by the acquisition function 553, and controls to collect the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals. .. That is, as shown in FIG. 2B, the control function 551 controls to collect the reflected wave data with each phase of the vertical line parallel to the vertical line indicating the timing A as the scan timing.

Then, the control function 551 ends the collection of the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases before reaching the next cycle, and moves the scan position before reaching the predetermined phase in the next cycle. For example, the control function 551 starts collecting reflected wave data of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals from the timing A in the pulse wave of one heartbeat at the left end of FIG. 2B, and the reflected wave is before reaching the next pulse wave. Stop collecting data. That is, the control function 551 collects reflected wave data of a plurality of phases from a predetermined phase at a fixed time interval for a fixed period within one heartbeat. The time interval for collecting reflected wave data can be set arbitrarily.

Then, the control function 551 controls the swing mechanism 21 to move the position of the piezoelectric vibrator 22 before reaching the timing A in the next pulse wave. For example, the control function 551 swings the swing mechanism 21 by controlling the swing control circuit 56, and moves the piezoelectric vibrator 22 to the position P2, as shown in the lower figure of FIG. 2B. Then, the control function 551 controls the scan based on the pulse wave in the same manner as the position P1 in a state where the swing by the swing mechanism 21 is stopped and the piezoelectric vibrator 22 is kept at the position P2. That is, the control function 551 uses the timing A in the next pulse wave as a trigger for the start of scanning at the position P2, and collects the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases from the timing A in one heartbeat for a certain period of time at a certain time interval. The interval between scan positions for collecting reflected wave data can be set arbitrarily.

The control function 551 repeatedly executes the above-mentioned movement of the scan position and the collection of the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases at a fixed time interval triggered by the timing A of the pulse wave at each scan position. For the position, the reflected wave data in which a plurality of included phases are the same is collected. For example, as shown in FIG. 2B, by extracting the phase in which a certain time has passed from the timing A as a desired phase from the reflected wave data at each position, it is possible to acquire the reflected wave data having the same phase at each position. ..

Further, the control function 551 collects ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases for each scan position, and then positions the ultrasonic images of the corresponding phases when the position is moved in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the scan position. Control to collect while moving. For example, the control function 551 collects the phase in which the reflected wave data is not collected in one heartbeat at the timing of swinging the piezoelectric vibrator 22 in the opposite direction.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 2B, when the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases is collected for each position while swinging the piezoelectric vibrator 22 from the left side to the right side of the figure, the control function 551 When swinging the piezoelectric vibrator 22 from the right side to the left side of the figure, the reflected wave data of the phase not collected is collected.

For example, the control function 551 detects the timing A based on the amplitude of the pulse wave, sets the time when a certain period (the period in which the reflected wave data has been acquired) elapses from the timing A as a trigger for starting the scan, and sets the next pulse. Reflected wave data is collected at regular time intervals until timing A in the wave. Then, when the control function 551 detects the timing A of the next pulse wave, the scan is stopped, the swing mechanism 21 is controlled, and the piezoelectric vibrator 22 is moved from the right side to the left side in the figure. The control function 551 repeatedly executes the above control until the position of the piezoelectric vibrator 22 returns to the position P1 in FIG. 2B.

As described above, the control function 551 controls to collect the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases at each position of the target area of the area scan. Here, the reflected wave data collected by the control function 551 is stored in the memory 54. Specifically, the reflected wave data collected by the control function 551 is stored in the memory 54 each time it is collected.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an example of storing data in the memory 54 according to the first embodiment. Note that FIG. 3 shows an example of storing reflected wave data collected with timing A in the pulse wave as the start of scanning. Further, the circles shown in FIG. 3 indicate that the reflected wave data is stored. Further, the “position” in FIG. 3 indicates the scan position. Further, "phase" in FIG. 3 indicates the phase of the pulse wave.

For example, when the control function 551 collects the reflected wave data of each phase in the "position: P1" in order from the "phase: T1", the memory 54 is set to the "position: P1" as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. The reflected wave data of each phase is stored in association with each other. After that, when the control function 551 collects the reflected wave data of each phase in the "position: P2" in order from the "phase: T1", the memory 54 has the "position: P2" as shown in the middle diagram of FIG. The reflected wave data of each phase is stored in association with. In this way, the memory 54 stores the reflected wave data of each phase for each position when the reflected wave data of each position is sequentially collected by the control function 551.

Then, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 3, when the reflected wave data of each phase is stored for all the positions, the B mode processing circuit 52 or the Doppler processing circuit 53 has a designated phase (desired phase). The reflected wave data of the above is read out to generate three-dimensional B-mode data or three-dimensional Doppler data. For example, the B-mode processing circuit 52 or the Doppler processing circuit 53 synthesizes the two-dimensional reflected wave data stored in the memory 54 to generate three-dimensional reflected wave data, and three-dimensional reflected wave data is generated from the generated three-dimensional reflected wave data. Generates dimensional B-mode data or three-dimensional Doppler data.

For example, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 3, the B mode processing circuit 52 reads out the reflected wave data of “phase: T3” from the reflected wave data of each position and synthesizes the reflected wave data in “phase: T3”. Generates three-dimensional reflected wave data. Then, the B mode processing circuit 52 generates three-dimensional B mode data from the generated three-dimensional reflected wave data. As a result, the three-dimensional B-mode data generated by the B-mode processing circuit 52 becomes the data obtained by executing the area scan at "phase: T3". That is, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 can perform an area scan of an arbitrary phase.

The three-dimensional B-mode data or three-dimensional Doppler data (volume data before scan conversion) generated by the B-mode processing circuit 52 or the Doppler processing circuit 53 is scan-converted and scanned by the processing of the image generation function 552. It becomes the volume data after conversion.

Next, the process of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a flowchart for explaining the procedure of processing of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. Here, steps S101 and S103 to S107 shown in FIG. 4 are steps in which the processing circuit 55 reads a program corresponding to the control function 551 from the memory 54 and executes the program. Further, step S102 is a step in which the processing circuit 55 reads a program corresponding to the acquisition function 553 from the memory 54 and executes the program. Step S108 is a step in which the B-mode processing circuit 52 or the Doppler processing circuit 53 reads the corresponding program from the memory 54 and executes it.

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the processing circuit 55 controls the swing mechanism 21 to move the piezoelectric vibrator 22 to the “position: P1” (step S101). Then, the processing circuit 55 acquires heartbeat information (for example, pulse wave or the like) (step S102), and determines whether or not the heartbeat has reached a predetermined timing (step S103).

Here, when the heartbeat reaches a predetermined timing (affirmation in step S103), the processing circuit 55 acquires images (reflected wave data) at regular time intervals and stores them in the memory 54 (step S104). The processing circuit 55 is in a standby state (denial in step S103) until the heartbeat reaches a predetermined timing.

Subsequently, the processing circuit 55 determines whether or not a predetermined number of images have been acquired (step S105). Here, when a predetermined number of images have been acquired (affirmation in step S105), the processing circuit 55 determines whether or not the images have been acquired for all the positions (step S106). The processing circuit 55 continuously executes scanning until a predetermined number of images are acquired (denial in step S105).

In the determination of step S106, if the images have not been acquired for all the positions (denial in step S106), the processing circuit 55 controls the swing mechanism 21 to move to the next position (step S107), and the step. The determination process of S103 is executed. On the other hand, when the images are acquired for all the positions (step S106 affirmative), the B mode processing circuit 52 or the Doppler processing circuit 53 synthesizes the reflected wave data of the desired phase and obtains the three-dimensional data. Generate (step S108).

As described above, according to the first embodiment, the acquisition function 553 acquires biological information showing periodic changes in the subject. The control function 551 sets a predetermined phase of each cycle in the biological information as the scan start time for each position of the scan target area of the subject, and collects ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals from the scan start time. To control. The B-mode processing circuit 52 or the Doppler processing circuit 53 generates image data obtained by synthesizing ultrasonic images of the same phase among the ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases collected for each position of the scan target region. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment enables area scanning of an arbitrary phase. As a result, for example, a blood flow signal at a desired position of a blood vessel can be obtained at every heartbeat, and the diameter of a minute amount of abnormal blood flow can be accurately measured by a complete image.

Further, according to the first embodiment, the control function 551 starts scanning for each swing position of the piezoelectric vibrator 22 in the ultrasonic probe 2 having the swing mechanism 21 that swings the piezoelectric vibrator 22. It is controlled to collect ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can utilize the conventional area scan, and makes it possible to easily realize the area scan of an arbitrary phase.

Further, according to the first embodiment, the control function 551 ends the collection of ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases before reaching the next cycle, and moves the scan position before reaching a predetermined phase in the next cycle. Let me. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment makes it possible to perform scanning at different positions in each continuous cycle.

Further, according to the first embodiment, the control function 551 collects ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases for each scan position, and then scans the ultrasonic images of the corresponding phases when the position moves. It is controlled to collect while moving the position in the direction opposite to the moving direction of. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment can acquire data of all phases and makes it possible to select a desired phase from all the phases.

Further, according to the first embodiment, the biological information is a pulse wave signal, and the control function 551 specifies a predetermined phase based on the amplitude of the pulse wave signal. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment makes it possible to perform an area scan of the same phase with respect to the phase of the heartbeat.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the case where the scan position is moved by the swing mechanism 21 in the ultrasonic probe 2 has been described. In the second embodiment, a case where the scan position is moved by the mechanical mechanism that holds the ultrasonic probe 2 will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment has a mechanical mechanism 7 and is processed by the control function 551 and the mechanical control function 554 as compared with the first embodiment. different. Hereinafter, these will be mainly described.

The mechanical mechanism 7 has a holding portion 71 for holding the probe body of the ultrasonic probe 2, and a mechanism portion 72 for moving the ultrasonic probe 2 to a desired position on the body surface of the subject. That is, the mechanical mechanism 7 moves the ultrasonic probe 2 held by the holding portion 71 to a desired position by the movement of the mechanism portion 72. For example, the mechanical mechanism 7 moves the ultrasonic probe 2 according to the control of the device main body 5. Hereinafter, an example of the mechanical mechanism 7 will be described with reference to FIG. The mechanical mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 6 is merely an example, and the embodiment is not limited thereto.

FIG. 2 is an external view showing an example of the mechanical mechanism 7 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, the mechanical mechanism 7 includes a first holding portion 711, a second holding portion 712, a third holding portion 713, a holding portion 71 having a fourth holding portion 714, and a first holding portion 71. It has a mechanical unit 721, a second mechanical unit 722, and a mechanical unit 72 having a third mechanical unit 723. The holding portion 71 is a casting made of aluminum or the like, and is a joint portion for joining the holding portions, an engaging portion engaged with the mechanical portion 72, and a probe holder for holding the ultrasonic probe 2. Etc. Further, the mechanism unit 62 has a drive unit such as a motor or an actuator, an engaging portion for engaging with the holding portion, and the like.

For example, one end of the first holding portion 711 in the longitudinal direction is joined to a base portion (not shown) that supports the entire mechanical mechanism 7, and a second holding portion 712 is joined to the other end. As a result, the first holding portion 711 supports all the members that are directly or indirectly held by the second holding portion 712. The second holding portion 712 has a first mechanical portion 721 that is joined to the first holding portion 711 in the longitudinal direction so that the first mechanical portion 721 can slide and move along the longitudinal direction. Engaged. For example, the second holding portion 712 has a rail that engages with the first mechanical portion 721 along the longitudinal direction, and holds the first mechanical portion 721 on the rail so as to be slidable.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the second holding portion 712 is joined to the first holding portion 711 so that the longitudinal direction of the second holding portion 712 is the horizontal direction. The mechanical portion 721 of No. 1 slides and moves in the horizontal direction indicated by the arrow a1. The first mechanical portion 721 is engaged with and held by the second holding portion 712, and moves along the longitudinal direction of the second holding portion 712 by the driving force of a driving unit such as a motor or an actuator. For example, the first mechanical unit 721 engages with the rail of the second holding unit 712 and slides on the rail by the driving force of the driving unit based on the control of the apparatus main body 5. Further, the first mechanical portion 721 is joined to the second mechanical portion 722.

The second mechanical portion 722 is held by the second holding portion 712 by being joined to the first mechanical portion 721. Further, the second mechanical portion 722 engages with the third holding portion 713 so that the third holding portion 713 can slide and move, and holds the third holding portion 713. That is, the second mechanical unit 722 moves along the longitudinal direction of the second holding unit 712 together with the sliding movement of the first mechanical unit 721, and slides the third holding unit 713. Here, the second mechanical unit 722 slides the third holding unit 713 in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first mechanical unit 721. For example, the second mechanical unit 722 slides the third holding unit 713 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow a2 by the driving force of the driving unit under the control of the apparatus main body 5.

One end of the third holding portion 713 in the longitudinal direction is engaged with the second mechanical portion 722 and slides on the second mechanical portion 722. For example, the third holding portion 713 has a rail that engages with the second mechanical portion 722 along the longitudinal direction, and slides on the second mechanical portion 722 in the vertical direction indicated by the arrow a2. Further, the other end of the third holding portion 713 is engaged with the third mechanical portion 723. Here, in the third holding portion 713, the third mechanical portion 723 is held so that the third mechanical portion 723 rotates and moves about the longitudinal direction of the second holding portion 712. For example, the third holding unit 713 holds the third mechanical unit 723 so that it can rotate and move in the direction indicated by the arrow a3.

The third mechanical portion 723 is held by the third holding portion 713 by being engaged with the third holding portion 713. Further, the third mechanism portion 723 is joined to the fourth holding portion 714. For example, the third mechanism unit 723 holds the fourth holding unit 714 by the driving force of the driving unit based on the control of the apparatus main body 5 (the direction of the fourth holding unit 714 does not change). It rotates and moves in the direction indicated by the arrow a3. As a result, the third mechanical unit 723 can change the angle of the ultrasonic probe 2 held by the fourth holding unit 714.

The fourth holding portion 714 is joined to the third mechanical portion 723 to hold the ultrasonic probe 2. For example, in the fourth holding portion 714, as shown in FIG. 2, the ultrasonic probe 2 is arranged so that the surface direction of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface of the ultrasonic probe 2 is orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the third holding portion 713. To hold.

As described above, the mechanical mechanism 7 is held by the fourth holding unit 714 by the movement by the first mechanism unit 721, the movement by the second mechanism unit 722, and the movement by the third mechanism unit 723. The ultrasonic probe 2 can be moved in the directions indicated by the arrows a1, the arrow a2, and the arrow a3, respectively. That is, the mechanical mechanism 7 can move the ultrasonic probe 2 in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, and can change the angle of the ultrasonic probe 2. The mechanical mechanism 7 shown in FIG. 2 is an example of the mechanical mechanism, and the mechanical mechanism is not limited to the one shown in the drawing. For example, the mechanical mechanism 7 may include a mechanism unit that moves the ultrasonic probe 2 in a direction orthogonal to the arrow a1 and orthogonal to the arrow a2.

The mechanical control function 554 controls the movement of the mechanical unit 72 by transmitting a control signal to the drive unit included in the mechanical unit 72 of the mechanical mechanism 7. For example, the mechanical control function 554 controls the drive unit of the first mechanical unit 721 by transmitting a control signal to the first mechanical unit 721, and the first mechanism in the direction indicated by the arrow a1. Controls the slide movement of unit 721. Further, for example, the mechanical control function 554 controls the driving unit of the second mechanical unit 722 by transmitting a control signal to the second mechanical unit 722, and the third mechanism unit 722 in the direction indicated by the arrow a2. Controls the slide movement of the holding unit 713. Further, for example, the mechanical control function 554 controls the driving unit of the third mechanical unit 723 by transmitting a control signal to the third mechanical unit 723, and the third mechanism unit 523 in the direction indicated by the arrow a3. Controls the rotational movement of the mechanical unit 723 of.

The mechanical control function 554 controls the movement of the mechanical mechanism by, for example, transmitting a control signal based on the signal received from the control function 551 to the mechanism unit 72. That is, the mechanical control function 554 moves the mechanical unit 72 at the timing and the movement amount determined by the control function 551.

The control function 551 according to the second embodiment has a plurality of phases at regular time intervals from the start of scanning for each movement position in the mechanical mechanism 7 that moves the transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe 2 toward the subject. Control to collect each ultrasonic image of. That is, the control function 551 performs the same area scan as in the first embodiment by using a predetermined phase in the biological information as a trigger for starting scanning while moving the position (scan position) of the ultrasonic probe 2 by the mechanical mechanism 7. Control.

Here, the control function 551 acquires the distance information between the subject and the ultrasonic probe 2, and determines the amount of movement of the mechanical unit 72 of the mechanical mechanism 7 based on the acquired distance information. That is, in the scan using the mechanical mechanism 7, since the mechanical mechanism 7 holds the ultrasonic probe 2, the control function 551 connects the subject and the transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe 2 so that an appropriate scan can be executed. The distance information is acquired, an appropriate position of the ultrasonic probe 2 is specified based on the acquired distance information, and the amount of movement of the mechanism unit 72 is determined so that the ultrasonic probe 2 is arranged at the specified position. For example, the control function 551 identifies an appropriate position of the ultrasonic probe 2 based on the distance information acquired by the distance sensor, the image of the ultrasonic probe 2 and the subject taken by the camera, and the specified position. The amount of movement of the mechanism unit 72 is determined so that the ultrasonic probe 2 is arranged in the above.

Further, in the scan using the mechanical mechanism 7, by using water as the acoustic medium, it is possible to collect the reflected wave data of the scan target portion while moving the ultrasonic probe 2 without contacting the subject. ..

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of control by the control function according to the second embodiment. Here, FIG. 7 shows the inside of the ultrasonic probe 2 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric vibrators. Further, in FIG. 7, a case where a pulse wave is used as biological information will be described. For example, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 7, the control function 551 drives the mechanical mechanism 7 by transmitting a signal to the mechanical control function 554 to move the ultrasonic probe 2, thereby moving the piezoelectric vibrator 22. To position P1.

Then, the control function 551 controls the scan based on the pulse wave in a state where the drive of the mechanical mechanism 7 is stopped and the piezoelectric vibrator 22 is kept at the position P1. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the control function 551 starts scanning with the timing A in the pulse wave as a trigger for starting scanning. The timing A that triggers the start of scanning can be arbitrarily set.

As an example, the control function 551 specifies the timing A based on the amplitude of the pulse wave acquired by the acquisition function 553, and controls to collect the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals. .. That is, as shown in FIG. 7, the control function 551 controls to collect the reflected wave data with each phase of the vertical line parallel to the vertical line indicating the timing A as the scan timing.

Then, the control function 551 ends the collection of the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases before reaching the next cycle, and moves the scan position before reaching the predetermined phase in the next cycle. For example, the control function 551 starts collecting reflected wave data of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals from the timing A in the pulse wave for one heartbeat at the left end of FIG. 7, and the reflected wave is before reaching the next pulse wave. Stop collecting data. The time interval for collecting reflected wave data can be set arbitrarily.

Then, the control function 551 moves the position of the piezoelectric vibrator 22 by controlling the mechanical mechanism 7 and moving the ultrasonic probe 2 before reaching the timing A in the next pulse wave. For example, as shown in the lower part of FIG. 7, the control function 551 drives the mechanical mechanism 7 by transmitting a signal to the mechanical control function 554, and moves the piezoelectric vibrator 22 to the position P2. Then, the control function 551 controls the scan based on the pulse wave in the same manner as the position P1 in a state where the drive by the mechanical mechanism 7 is stopped and the piezoelectric vibrator 22 is kept at the position P2.

The control function 551 repeatedly executes the above-mentioned movement of the scan position and the collection of the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases at a fixed time interval triggered by the timing A of the pulse wave at each scan position. For the position, the reflected wave data in which a plurality of included phases are the same is collected. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, by extracting the phase in which a certain time has passed from the timing A as a desired phase from the reflected wave data at each position, it is possible to acquire the reflected wave data having the same phase at each position. ..

Further, the control function 551 collects ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases for each scan position, and then positions the ultrasonic images of the corresponding phases when the position is moved in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the scan position. Control to collect while moving. For example, the control function 551 collects the phase in which the reflected wave data is not collected in one heartbeat while moving the ultrasonic probe 2 in the opposite direction.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the reflected wave data of a plurality of phases is collected for each position while moving the ultrasonic probe 2 from the left side to the right side of the figure, the control function 551 is shown in FIG. While moving the ultrasonic probe 2 from the right side to the left side of the above, the reflected wave data of the uncollected phase is collected.

For example, the control function 551 detects the timing A based on the amplitude of the pulse wave, sets the time when a certain period (the period in which the reflected wave data has been acquired) elapses from the timing A as a trigger for starting the scan, and sets the next pulse. Reflected wave data is collected at regular time intervals until timing A in the wave. Then, when the control function 551 detects the timing A of the next pulse wave, the scan is stopped, the mechanical mechanism 7 is controlled, and the ultrasonic probe 2 is moved from the right side to the left side in the figure. The control function 551 repeatedly executes the above control until the position of the piezoelectric vibrator 22 returns to the position P1 in FIG. 2B.

As described above, according to the second embodiment, the control function 551 is constant from the start of scanning for each movement position in the mechanical mechanism 7 that moves the transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe 2 toward the subject. It is controlled to collect ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases at the time interval of. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment enables the robot to perform an area scan of an arbitrary phase even in an automatic scan.

(Third Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the case where the scanning position is moved by the swing mechanism 21 has been described. Further, in the second embodiment, the case where the scan position is moved by the mechanical mechanism 7 has been described. In the third embodiment, a case where the scanning position is moved by the swing mechanism 21 and the mechanical mechanism 7 will be described. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment includes the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and the configuration shown in FIG. 5, and has a control function as compared with the first embodiment and the second embodiment. The processing by 551 is different. This will be mainly described below.

The control function 551 according to the third embodiment is the position of the ultrasonic probe 2 by the mechanical mechanism 7 that moves the transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe 2 toward the subject after the scanning for each swing position is completed. To move. That is, the control function 551 controls the movement of each position in the target area of the area scan by the swing mechanism 21, and controls the movement of the target area of the area scan by the mechanical mechanism 7.

For example, the control function 551 controls the swing mechanism 21 to collect reflected wave data of all phases, and then controls the mechanical mechanism 7 to move the position of the ultrasonic probe 2. Then, the control function 551 controls the swing mechanism 21 again at the position after the movement to collect the reflected wave data of all the phases. The movement of the ultrasonic probe 2 that controls the mechanical mechanism 7 is executed so that the data overlaps between adjacent target regions. As a result, by synthesizing the reflected wave data of all the target areas, it is possible to perform an area scan of an arbitrary phase for a wide range of areas.

Further, for example, when the reflected wave data is not collected for all the phases, the ultrasonic probe 2 can be moved to the next region during the period when the piezoelectric vibrator 22 returns to the original position. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of control by the control function 551 according to the third embodiment. Here, FIG. 8 shows the inside of the ultrasonic probe 2 when viewed from a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction of the piezoelectric vibrators.

For example, the control function 551 has a swing control circuit as shown in the middle diagram of FIG. 8 when scanning of each position at which the swing mechanism 21 is swung is completed, as shown in the upper diagram of FIG. 56 is controlled to swing the piezoelectric vibrator 22 in the direction of arrow 81, and the mechanical mechanism 7 is controlled to move the ultrasonic probe 2 in the direction of arrow 82. As a result, it is possible to shorten the time required to move to the next area shown in the lower part of FIG. 8 and to start scanning in that area.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure for processing the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment. Note that FIG. 9 shows the procedure of the processing in FIG. Here, since steps S201 to S207 shown in FIG. 9 are the same processes as steps S101 to S107 shown in FIG. 4, the description thereof will be omitted. Steps S208 and S209 shown in FIG. 9 are steps in which the processing circuit 55 reads a program corresponding to the control function 551 from the memory 54 and executes the program. Step S210 is a step in which the B-mode processing circuit 52 or the Doppler processing circuit 53 reads the corresponding program from the memory 54 and executes it.

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the third embodiment, when the swing mechanism 21 and the transmission / reception circuit 51 are controlled (steps S201 to S207) and images are acquired for all positions (step S206 affirmative), the processing circuit 55 determines whether or not an image has been acquired for all the target areas (step S208).

Here, when the images have not been acquired for all the target regions (step S208 negative), the processing circuit 55 controls the swing mechanism 21 while moving the ultrasonic probe 2 by the mechanical mechanism 7. The piezoelectric vibrator 22 is moved to the position P1 in the next region (step S209), and the determination process of step S203 is executed.

On the other hand, when the images are acquired for all the target regions (step S208 affirmative), the B mode processing circuit 52 or the Doppler processing circuit 53 synthesizes the reflected wave data of the desired phase and provides three-dimensional data. Is generated (step S210).

As described above, according to the third embodiment, the control function 551 is provided with a mechanical mechanism that moves the transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe 2 toward the subject after the scanning for each swing position is completed. The position of the ultrasonic probe 2 is moved. Therefore, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the third embodiment makes it possible to quickly perform an area scan of an arbitrary phase even when the area scan is performed over a wide range.

For example, a wide range of area scans can be performed using only the mechanical mechanism 7, but the movement by the mechanical mechanism 7 has a slower moving speed than the movement by the swing mechanism 21. Therefore, when only the mechanical mechanism 7 is used, it may be difficult to scan different positions in each continuous cycle of biological information. Therefore, as described above, the movement of each position in the target area of the area scan is controlled by the swing mechanism 21, and the movement of the target area of the area scan is controlled by the mechanical mechanism 7, so that the movement differs in each continuous cycle. It is possible to target a wide area while performing a position scan.

(Other embodiments)
By the way, although the first to third embodiments have been described so far, various different embodiments may be implemented in addition to the above-mentioned first to third embodiments.

The word "processor" used in the above description refers to, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), an integrated circuit for a specific application (Application Specific Integrated Circuit: ASIC), or a programmable logic device (ASIM). For example, it means a circuit such as a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), and a field programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor realizes the function by reading and executing the program stored in the storage circuit. Instead of storing the program in the storage circuit, the program may be directly embedded in the circuit of the processor. In this case, the processor realizes the function by reading and executing the program embedded in the circuit. It should be noted that each processor of the present embodiment is not limited to the case where each processor is configured as a single circuit, and a plurality of independent circuits may be combined to form one processor to realize its function. Good.

It should be noted that each component of each device shown in the description of the above-described embodiment is a functional concept, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown in the figure. That is, the specific form of distribution / integration of each device is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and all or part of the device is functionally or physically distributed in arbitrary units according to various loads and usage conditions. Can be integrated and configured. Further, each processing function performed by each device may be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or may be realized as hardware by wired logic.

Further, the processing method described in the above-described embodiment can be realized by executing a processing program prepared in advance on a computer such as a personal computer or a workstation. This processing program can be distributed via a network such as the Internet. Further, this processing program is recorded on a computer-readable non-temporary recording medium such as a hard disk, a flexible disk (FD), a CD-ROM, an MO, a DVD, a USB memory, and a flash memory such as an SD card memory. It can also be performed by being read from a non-temporary recording medium by a computer.

As described above, according to the embodiment, it is possible to perform an area scan in an arbitrary phase.

Although some embodiments have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other embodiments, and various omissions, replacements, changes, and combinations of embodiments can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and gist of the invention, as well as in the scope of the invention described in the claims and the equivalent scope thereof.

1 Ultrasonic diagnostic device 2 Ultrasonic probe 7 Mechanical mechanism 21 Swing mechanism 52 B mode processing circuit 53 Doppler processing circuit 55 Processing circuit 551 Control function 553 Acquisition function

Claims (7)

An acquisition unit that acquires biological information that shows periodic changes in the subject,
For each position of the scan target area of the subject, a predetermined phase of each cycle in the biological information is set as the scan start time point, and ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases are collected at regular time intervals from the scan start time point. The control unit to control and
A generation unit that generates image data obtained by synthesizing ultrasonic images of the same phase among the ultrasonic images of the plurality of phases collected for each position of the scan target area.
An ultrasonic diagnostic device. The control unit collects ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals from the start of the scan for each vibration position of the vibrator in the ultrasonic probe having a vibration mechanism for swinging the vibrator. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is controlled in such a manner. The control unit collects ultrasonic images of a plurality of phases at regular time intervals from the start of the scan for each moving position in the mechanical mechanism that moves the transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe toward the subject. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is controlled so as to perform the above. Any of claims 1 to 3, wherein the control unit ends the acquisition of the ultrasonic images of the plurality of phases before reaching the next cycle, and moves the scan position before reaching the predetermined phase in the next cycle. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one. The control unit collects the ultrasonic images of the plurality of phases for each position of the scan, and then displays the ultrasonic images of the corresponding phases when the position is moved in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the scan position. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is controlled so as to collect while moving the position. The control unit moves the position of the ultrasonic probe by a mechanical mechanism that moves the transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe toward the subject after the scan for each swing position is completed. 2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to 2. The biological information is a pulse wave signal and is
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the control unit identifies the predetermined phase based on the amplitude of the pulse wave signal.

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