JP2948282B2 - Ultrasound diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

[Conventional technology]

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that captures an ultrasonic echo from a subject with an ultrasonic probe, converts an output from the ultrasonic probe into a video signal, and displays a diagnostic image on a monitor,
For example, it is necessary to drive the ultrasonic probe at a frequency adapted to the difference in the constitution or the like of the subject.

As a result, a high-resolution or high-sensitivity diagnostic image can be obtained irrespective of differences in the constitution and the like of the subject even at the same diagnostic site.

Conventionally, a plurality of ultrasonic probes which can be driven at a specific frequency and have different frequencies are prepared in advance to determine whether the object is a fat object or a thin object. Depending on the condition, an ultrasonic probe according to the condition is selected and attached to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to drive the apparatus.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is necessary to replace the ultrasonic probe according to the subject or the like, and the operation is extremely complicated. Had become something.

For this reason, for example, in the case of sequentially diagnosing a plurality of aligned subjects, such an adverse effect appears remarkably and the efficiency of diagnosis is extremely inefficient.

Furthermore, even when a plurality of subjects are not sequentially diagnosed, diagnostic images at a specific diagnostic site in the same subject are sequentially obtained at different levels from high sensitivity to high resolution. In such a case, the same adverse effects as described above are brought about.

Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to provide a high-sensitivity test for a subject having a different constitution without frequently changing the ultrasonic probe. Another object is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of obtaining a high-resolution diagnostic image.

A second object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of extremely easily performing a high-sensitivity or high-resolution diagnostic image on a subject or the like having a different constitution.

Further, the third object of the present invention is extremely applicable to, for example, a case where it is desired to sequentially obtain diagnostic images of a specific diagnostic site at different levels from high sensitivity to high resolution in the same subject. An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can be obtained by a simple operation.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention basically provides an ultrasonic probe which receives a reflected signal of an ultrasonic wave transmitted to a subject, and diagnoses the subject based on the reflected signal. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for forming and displaying an image, means for designating a measurement site of the subject and an obesity degree of the measurement site, and the ultrasonic probe at a frequency corresponding to the obesity degree of the specified measurement site And a wave receiving means for receiving the reflected signal corresponding to the degree of obesity of the designated measurement site by transmitting ultrasonic waves to the subject by driving the ultrasonic wave to the subject. .

[Action]

According to the above-described means, the wave transmitting means drives the ultrasonic probe at a frequency corresponding to the obesity degree of the designated measurement site to transmit ultrasonic waves to the subject, and the wave receiving means is designated. Since a reflected signal corresponding to the degree of obesity at the measurement site is received, the attached ultrasonic probe can be driven at various frequencies.

Therefore, even when sequentially diagnosing a subject or the like having a different obesity degree at the measurement site, the diagnostic image can be measured without frequently replacing the ultrasonic probe. As a result, it is possible to prevent a decrease in diagnostic efficiency when sequentially diagnosing subjects or the like having different obesity degrees at measurement sites.

That is, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, the operator can obtain a diagnostic image corresponding to the obesity degree of the measurement site of the subject from the means for designating the measurement site of the subject and the obesity degree of the measurement site.

(Example of the invention)

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, there is an ultrasonic probe 1 first. The ultrasonic probe 1 is configured by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic transducers in parallel, and can be driven at a wide range of frequencies. The ultrasonic probe 1 is driven by an output from the wave transmitting circuit 2. Each control signal from the transmission frequency control means 4, the transmission wave number control means 5, and the transmission focus control means 6 in the transmission pulse generation circuit (transmission means) 3 is superimposed on the transmission circuit 2, respectively. The ultrasonic probe 1 is driven through the transmission circuit 2 based on these control signals.

Here, the transmission frequency control means 4 controls the frequency of a pulse applied to the ultrasonic probe 1. The transmission wave number control means 5 controls the wave number of the pulse. Further, the transmission focus control means 6 controls the delay time of the pulse.

Further, the transmission frequency control means 4, the transmission wave number control means 5, and the transmission focus control means 6 are controlled by data output from a CPU 50, which will be described in detail later, and transmit the respective control signals. It has become.

A predetermined voltage is applied to the transmission circuit 2 from a power supply 7, and the predetermined voltage is applied to the CPU 5.
It is set by the data output from 0. The pulse from the transmission frequency control means 4 and the like is converted into a high-voltage pulse by the transmission circuit 2 and transmitted to the ultrasonic probe.

Further, an ultrasonic reflection signal from the ultrasonic probe 1 capturing a reflection echo from the subject is input to the reception focus control circuit (reception means) 8 via the transmission circuit 2. It has become. In this case, data is input from the CPU 50 to the reception focus control circuit 8, and the ultrasonic reflection signal is subjected to focus control based on the data. The reception focus control circuit 8 performs reception focusing by delaying and synthesizing the reception signals from the respective transducers of the ultrasonic probe 1.

The focus-controlled ultrasound reflected signal is input to the signal processing circuit 9. This signal processing circuit 9 is a circuit for changing image quality. Further, it comprises a reception frequency control means 10, a logarithmic compression control means 11, and an enhancement control means 12, which are connected in series. Note that these connections are obtained by sequentially connecting the above-described units, but the order of these connections is not particularly limited. And the receiving frequency control means
10, logarithmic compression control means 11, and enhancement control means 12
Are respectively input from the CPU 50, and output signals from the reception focus control circuit 8 are sequentially controlled based on the data.

Here, the reception frequency control means 10 can change the reception frequency characteristics by changing its filter characteristics. The logarithmic compression control means 11 can change the dynamic range by changing the ratio of the logarithmic compression. Further, the enhancement control means 12 can enhance the contour of an organ or the like by changing the strength of edge enhancement.

An output from the enhancement control means 12 at the last stage in the signal processing circuit 9 is input to a digital scan converter 13. The digital scan converter 13 is a circuit for converting into a video signal, and includes the CPU 50, the A / D converter 14, the frame memory 1
5, and a D / A converter 16. The CPU 50 includes the A / D converter 14, the frame memory 15, and the D / A converter 16.
Are respectively controlled. The output from the signal processing circuit 9 is digitized by the A / D converter 14, stored in the frame memory 15, and further converted to analog by the A / D converter 16.

Next, the video signal from the D / A converter 16 at the last stage in the digital scan converter 13 is output to a television monitor 17, and a diagnostic image is displayed on the television monitor 17.

Each control of the above-described ultrasonic controller is performed by the CPU 5.
This is performed by key operation on the keyboard 18 via the “0”. The keyboard 18 is provided with various keys.
19, a normal key 20, and a high sensitivity key 21 are provided. These keys are associated with the property of the ultrasonic wave, the measurement site of the subject, and the degree (obesity degree) indicating whether the subject is fat or thin.

That is, it is known that, when the frequency of the ultrasonic wave increases, the attenuation increases substantially in proportion to the frequency.
It is also known that the higher the frequency of the ultrasonic wave, the higher the resolution. Therefore, a relatively low frequency is used when measuring a deep diagnostic image, and a high-resolution measurement is performed using a high frequency when measuring a shallow diagnostic image. However, since the attenuation of the low-frequency ultrasonic wave is smaller than that of the high-frequency ultrasonic wave, the intensity of the reflected signal (reflected wave) reflected from the same depth, that is, the sensitivity, is lower. Will be higher.

Therefore, when measuring an overweight subject, it is necessary to perform measurement using ultrasound of a relatively low frequency because the subcutaneous fat is thicker than a subject with a standard obesity degree, and as a result, A sensitive low frequency ultrasonic wave will be used. On the other hand, in the case of a thin subject, since the subcutaneous fat is thinner than that of a subject with a standard obesity level, it is possible to perform measurement using ultrasonic waves of a relatively high frequency. It is possible to use high-frequency ultrasonic waves that can provide resolution.

High resolution key 19 provided on keyboard 18, normal key
20 and the high-sensitivity key 21, the diagnostic image to be obtained, when a high-resolution image corresponding to a thin subject or a part close to the epidermis is desired, operate the high-resolution key 19,
When a high sensitivity image corresponding to a fat subject or a deep part is desired, the high sensitivity key 21 is operated. When a normal image corresponding to a normal obesity degree is desired without any of them, the normal key 20 is operated.

High resolution key 19, normal key 20, and high sensitivity key
If any one of the keys 21 is operated, an output to that effect is output to the CPU 5 in the digital scan converter 13.
The data corresponding to the operated key is read out from the memory 22 based on this input.

In this memory 22, for example, as shown in FIG.
When the high resolution key 19 is operated, the transmission frequency is 5 MHz.
, Data corresponding to a single transmitted wave,
Data corresponding to shallow transmit focus, receive frequency
Data corresponding to 5 MHz, data corresponding to wide logarithmic compression, data corresponding to strong enhancement, and data corresponding to low voltage are respectively read. Even when the normal key 20 or the high sensitivity key 21 is operated, each data as shown in FIG. 2 is read.

As described above, each data read in this way is transmitted by the transmission frequency control unit 4, the transmission wave number control unit 5, the transmission focus control unit 6, the reception frequency control unit 10, the logarithmic compression control Means 11, enhance control means 12,
And to the power supply 7. The transmission frequency control means 4, the transmission wave number control means 5,
Transmission focus control means 6, reception frequency control means 10, logarithmic compression control means 11, enhancement control means 12, and power supply 7
Are controlled based on the respective input data.

According to the embodiment described above, the ultrasonic probe 1 that can be driven over a wide range of frequencies is used, and the driving is based on the output of the transmission frequency control means 4. For this reason, the attached ultrasonic probe 1 can be driven at various frequencies.

The ultrasonic probe 1 is not a special probe, but may be a commonly used probe. Generally, the probe can be used for a wide range of frequencies. For example, a 3.5 MHz probe can be used from about 2.5 MHz to about 3.5 MHz. In general, 3.5MHz transducer is 3.
It is the most sensitive probe at 5MHz. The same applies to probes with frequencies other than 3.5 MHz.

Therefore, even if the ultrasonic probe 1 is not frequently replaced, a highly sensitive or high-resolution diagnostic image can be obtained in a subject having a different constitution, for example, a subject having a different obesity degree.

Then, transmission frequency data and the like corresponding to switching of the high resolution key 19 and the like for switching the sensitivity or resolution level of the diagnostic image to be obtained in multiple stages are read from the memory 22 and the transmission frequency control means 4 is read out based on this data and the like. And the like are driven. Therefore, by operating the high-resolution key 19 or the like, a diagnostic image such as the sensitivity of a level corresponding to the operated high-resolution key 19 or the like is automatically obtained.

Therefore, when obtaining a high-sensitivity or high-resolution diagnostic image for a subject or the like having a different constitution, the operation can be extremely easily performed.

Further, since a diagnostic image corresponding to the level of sensitivity or resolution can be obtained simply by switching the high resolution key 19 or the like, it is possible to provide an effect that diagnostic images of each level can be sequentially obtained quickly with a simple operation. it can. For example, as shown in FIG.
By sequentially operating 0 and the high-sensitivity key 21, a high-resolution image, a normal image, and a high-sensitivity image can be sequentially obtained.

Therefore, for example, even when it is desired to sequentially obtain diagnostic images of a specific diagnostic site in the same subject at different levels from high-sensitivity to high-resolution diagnostic images, the diagnostic images can be obtained by an extremely simple operation. become.

In the above-described embodiment, the sensitivity or resolution level of the diagnostic image to be obtained is set to three levels, and the high-resolution key 19
Although three keys, a normal key 20 and a high-sensitivity key 21, are provided. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, one three-stage switch is provided, and high resolution, normal, and high sensitivity are respectively provided by these switches. Of course, it may be switched.

In the above-described embodiment, the sensitivity or resolution level of the diagnostic image to be obtained is set to three levels so that a high-resolution image, a normal image, and a high-sensitivity image can be obtained. However, the division of the level may be made finer to have three or more levels. In this case, it goes without saying that the data to be stored in the memory 22 is set according to each level division.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the transmission frequency control means 4, the transmission wave number control means 5, the transmission focus control means 6, the reception frequency control means 10, the logarithmic compression control means 1,
1, which stores data for controlling the enhancement control means 12 and the power supply 7, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the transmitted wave number control means 5, the transmitted wave focus control means 6, the logarithmic compression control means 11, the enhancement control means 12, and the power supply 7 are controlled by different means. Is also good. In short, the present invention may be applied to at least the transmission frequency control means 4 and the reception frequency control means 10.

〔The invention's effect〕

As is apparent from the above description, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, even if the ultrasonic probe is not frequently replaced, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus has high sensitivity or high resolution in a subject having a different constitution. A diagnostic image can be obtained.

In addition, when a highly sensitive or high-resolution diagnostic image is obtained for a subject or the like having a different constitution, the operation can be extremely easily performed.

Further, for example, even when it is desired to sequentially obtain diagnostic images of a specific diagnostic site in the same subject at different levels from a high-sensitivity image to a high-resolution image, the diagnostic image can be obtained by an extremely simple operation. become.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram for explaining data stored in a memory provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the effect of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. In the drawing, 1 ... ultrasonic probe, 4 ... transmission frequency control means, 5 ... transmission wave number control means, 6 ... transmission focus control means, 10 ... reception frequency control means, 11 ... ... logarithmic compression control means, 12 ... enhancement control means, 19 ... high resolution key, 20 ... normal key, 21 ... high sensitivity key, 22 ... memory, 50 ... CPU.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which receives a reflected signal of an ultrasonic wave transmitted to an object by an ultrasonic probe, and forms and displays a diagnostic image of the object based on the reflected signal. Means for designating the measurement site of the sample and the degree of obesity of the measurement site; and transmitting the ultrasonic probe to the subject by driving the ultrasonic probe at a frequency corresponding to the degree of obesity of the specified measurement site. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: wave means; and wave receiving means for receiving a reflected signal corresponding to a degree of obesity of a designated measurement site.