JP3824107B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to a configuration of a part for adjusting a parameter related to the image quality of an echo image such as an amplification gain.
[0002]
[Prior art]
In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, ultrasound is transmitted and received from the probe to the subject, and a tomographic image of the subject is generated from the ultrasonic echo. In general, the ultrasonic echo has a higher attenuation rate from a portion having a deeper depth, and if it is directly imaged, an image in a portion having a deeper depth becomes unclear.
[0003]
Therefore, some ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses have an STC (sensitivity time control) function. This ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus corrects attenuation of an echo signal obtained from a deep portion by adjusting an amplification gain according to the scanning depth in the process of processing the echo signal. Here, the relationship between the scanning depth and the desired sensitivity at each depth is not linear, and the attenuation rate may differ depending on the shape and state of the diagnostic region, in addition to the diagnostic depth. Therefore, if the relationship between the scanning depth and the desired sensitivity at each depth is illustrated with the scanning depth on the vertical axis and the sensitivity on the horizontal axis, a curve as shown in FIG. The curve is usually irregular. Such a curve is called an STC curve. Therefore, in a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having an STC function, a plurality of adjusters are provided, and with these adjusters, an amplification gain (hereinafter referred to as an STC value) is set for each scanning depth to adjust sensitivity. I am doing so.
[0004]
FIG. 7 shows the appearance of a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. In the conventional apparatus, a plurality of slide volumes are provided on the operation board 20 as STC value adjusters. Each slide volume corresponds to each unit adjustment depth of the scanning depth, and adjusts the STC value of the echo signal at each adjustment depth position. These slide volumes are arranged in parallel to each other, and the respective slide keys 21 can be operated laterally. Reference numeral 22 denotes a monitor display.
[0005]
Since the horizontal position of the slide key 21 of each slide volume indicates the STC value at the corresponding scanning depth, as shown in FIG. 6B, the overall arrangement of these slide keys 21 draws an STC curve. become. Therefore, the user can adjust the gain to match the optimum STC curve, that is, the sensitivity adjustment by operating these slide keys 21 while confirming the arrangement of the slide keys 21.
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a plurality of slide volumes as STC value adjustment means, and the gain can be adjusted for each unit adjustment depth by operating the slide keys 21 of these slide volumes. However, since the adjustment depth position that each slide volume is in charge of is constant, not all of the slide volume is always required when adjusting the STC value. The number of functioning slide volumes depends on the setting of the diagnostic depth. Will be different. For example, if eight slide volumes are installed in total, three slide volumes function when the diagnostic depth is set to a shallow depth, and five slide volumes when the diagnostic depth is set to a medium depth. When the diagnosis depth is set to the deepest depth, eight slide volumes function. Therefore, even if a non-functioning slide volume is operated at the set diagnostic depth, the STC value does not change at any depth position.
[0007]
Further, since the adjustment depth position assigned to each slide volume is constant, the gain adjustment range assigned to each slide volume on the screen varies depending on the diagnostic depth and the way of displaying the echo image. On the other hand, the conventional apparatus does not show the number of slide volumes functioning at the diagnosis depth at that time and the range in which each volume works effectively.
[0008]
Therefore, the user needs to be aware of the number of functioning slide volumes and the effective range of each slide volume. If this recognition is not sufficient, useless operations such as operating a non-functioning slide volume are required. If the correspondence between the slide volume and its effective range is wrong and the sensitivity in the range that does not require adjustment is changed, proper operation cannot be performed easily and it is difficult to obtain a clear image.
[0009]
Such a problem occurs not only in STC (amplification gain) but also in a case where parameters relating to image quality such as contrast and brightness can be adjusted for each scanning depth.
[0010]
The present invention addresses the above-described conventional problems, and image quality parameters such as amplification gain can be adjusted appropriately while viewing an echo image without knowledge of the adjuster and its effective range. Thus, it is an object to easily obtain a clear echo image whose image quality has been adjusted.
[0011]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention employs the following configuration in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of adjusting parameters related to image quality for each unit adjustment depth, such as sensitivity for each scanning depth. It was.
[0012]
That is, an adjustment for creating an adjustment image indicating the form of the adjuster of the parameter set for each unit adjustment depth in the set diagnostic depth region and the effective range on the screen of each adjuster. Image generation means and display means for displaying the adjustment image created by the adjustment image means alone or superimposed on an echo image based on ultrasonic echoes are provided.
[0013]
Further, in the above configuration, a contact detection means for detecting a contact position at least at a display position of the adjuster on the screen of the display means, and an adjustment signal corresponding to the operation of the adjuster based on the detection signal of the contact detection means. And adjusting control means for generating.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 3 relate to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a screen configuration of a monitor display of the apparatus. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another screen configuration of the monitor display.
[0015]
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 is a probe, 2 is a transmission / reception control circuit for controlling ultrasonic wave transmission / reception operation of the probe 1, and 3 generates a tomographic image as an echo image from an echo signal obtained through the transmission / reception control circuit 2. The echo image generation unit 4 that performs the monitor display unit displays the echo image generated by the echo image generation unit 3.
[0016]
Reference numeral 5 denotes a depth setting key for setting a diagnostic depth. In response to the operation of the depth setting key 5, the scanning depth control unit 6 outputs a depth setting signal to the transmission / reception control circuit 2. The transmission / reception control circuit 2 operates in response to the depth setting signal, whereby the ultrasonic scanning depth of the probe 1 changes.
[0017]
Further, in the present embodiment, a plurality of adjusters 7 are virtually set to adjust the STC value (amplification gain) for each unit adjustment depth, and the adjustment control unit 8 is as if these adjusters 7 Is output to the STC curve generating section 9 as if the adjustment signal was actually operated. In this case, the adjustment control unit 8 takes in the depth setting signal from the scanning depth control unit 6, outputs an adjustment signal for the adjuster 7 that functions at the set diagnostic depth, and other adjusters 7 that do not function. Does not output the adjustment signal.
[0018]
The STC curve generation unit 9 creates an STC curve in which the STC value continuously changes in the depth direction by performing processing such as interpolation from the adjustment signal of the adjustment control unit 8. The next-stage STC signal generator 10 generates an STC signal corresponding to the STC curve created by the STC curve generator 9 and sends it to the echo image generator 3. Thus, the echo image generation unit 3 generates an echo image whose gain is adjusted according to the STC curve.
[0019]
Returning to the scanning depth control unit 6, the depth setting signal output by the scanning depth control unit 6 is also input to the adjusted image generation unit 11. When the diagnosis depth is determined, the adjuster 7 that functions at the set diagnosis depth and the range in which each adjuster 7 is effective in the diagnostic image at that time are also determined. An adjustment image C showing the adjuster 7 that functions based on the effective range and its effective range is generated.
[0020]
The adjustment image C is as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, FIG. 2 shows the adjustment image when the diagnosis depth is shallow, and FIG. 3 shows the adjustment image when the diagnosis depth is medium depth. . As shown in both figures, in the adjustment image C, the effective range Ca of each adjuster 7 is shown in a form of dividing the screen into a plurality along the vertical direction that is the scanning depth direction. An image of the slide key Ck that faces sideways is shown inside Ca.
[0021]
The signal of the adjusted image C is added to the echo image signal by the adder 12 and is input to the monitor display 4. Thus, the adjustment image C is superimposed on the echo image E and displayed on the screen of the monitor display 4. The adjustment image C is displayed so as to be superimposed on the echo image E when the STC adjustment mode is set.
[0022]
On the other hand, the monitor display 4 is provided with contact detection means 13 for detecting contact with the screen and its contact position, such as a touch panel. There are various types of the contact detection means 13, but usually, as shown in FIG. 2, a transparent panel 14 attached to the display screen and a detection circuit 15 for processing a signal from the panel 14 are used. Become.
[0023]
In the case of a touch panel, the transparent panel 14 has a structure of two sheets. One side of the panel has electrodes at the left and right ends, and the other side has electrodes at the upper and lower ends, and a uniform resistive film therebetween. A voltage corresponding to the horizontal position or the vertical position of the contact location appears on each panel electrode, whereby the contact position is detected.
[0024]
In addition, as the contact detection means 13, a sheet key in which a large number of contact switch portions are formed by a transparent electrode pattern on a transparent film may be used, or a predetermined pen may be used to contact the pen. The contact position may be detected from the change in the magnetic field accompanying the. This contact detection means also has two transparent panels, and each panel is provided with a large number of electrode lines in the vertical or horizontal direction as magnetic field detection coils. In addition, when the monitor display 4 is a CRT, the screen is touched with a pen connected to the main body, and the touch position is detected by a change in potential when the electron beam scanning the screen is aligned. But you can.
[0025]
The contact detection means 13 is for detecting contact with the display part of the slide key Ck in the adjustment image C displayed superimposed on the echo image E. Therefore, contact with the display part of the slide key Ck. Can be detected. Thus, since the contact detection means 13 detects the contact with the display part of the slide key Ck, the detection signal of the contact detection means 13 is a signal indicating that the corresponding adjuster 7 has been operated, and the adjustment control unit 8. To enter. Then, the adjustment control unit 8 outputs an adjustment signal corresponding to the operation amount of these adjusters 7 to the STC curve generation unit 9 described above.
[0026]
The adjustment signal from the adjustment control unit 8 is also input to the adjusted image generation unit 11. Since the adjustment signal is a signal indicating that any one of the slide keys Ck on the screen has been operated, the adjustment image generation unit 11 selects the corresponding slide key Ck portion of the adjustment image C based on the adjustment signal. Correct it. Thus, on the screen of the monitor display 4, the image of the slide key Ck changes with contact.
[0027]
In the above configuration, the diagnostic depth is set according to the operation of the depth setting key 5, and ultrasonic waves are transmitted / received according to the diagnostic depth in the probe 1, and based on the echo signal from the probe 1. The echo image generation unit 3 generates a tomographic image that is an echo image, and the tomographic image is displayed on the monitor display 4.
[0028]
Here, when the STC adjustment mode is set, the adjustment image C is displayed on the screen of the monitor display 4 so as to be superimposed on the echo screen E. This adjustment image C is based on the depth setting signal, and shows the slide key Ck of the adjuster 7 that functions at the set diagnosis depth and the effective range Ca of each adjuster 7. The user can see the adjuster functioning at the set diagnosis depth and its effective range only by looking at the adjustment image C.
[0029]
In order to actually perform STC adjustment, a finger or the like is brought into contact with the image of the required slide key Ck in the adjustment image C displayed on the monitor display 4 and moved sideways. The contact of the slide key Ck with the image is detected by the contact detection means 13, and the detection signal is input to the adjustment control unit 8. Since the detection signal of the contact detection means 13 indicates that any of the adjusters 7 has been operated, the adjustment control unit 8 outputs an adjustment signal corresponding to the operation amount of the corresponding adjuster 7. Correspondingly, the STC curve generator 9 corrects the STC curve, and the STC signal from the STC signal generator 10 also changes. Thus, the echo image generation unit 3 generates an echo image that has undergone STC adjustment (gain adjustment).
[0030]
In this way, in order to adjust the STC, it is only necessary to touch the image of the slide key Ck on the screen where the STC adjustment is desired, and the result of the operation immediately appears in front of the eyes. However, STC adjustment can be performed without taking your eyes off the screen.
[0031]
Further, when a finger is brought into contact with one of the images of the slide key Ck and moved sideways, the adjustment image C changes with the contact movement, and the image of the same slide key Ck moves in the adjustment image C. Therefore, the adjustment amount can be confirmed from the image of the slide key Ck. Furthermore, since the images of the slide key Ck are arranged vertically, it is possible to confirm what STC curve the total scanning depth adjustment amount draws by looking at the overall arrangement.
[0032]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the second embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a front view showing the appearance of the apparatus.
[0033]
In this embodiment, an adjustment display 16 is provided separately from the monitor display 4. Then, the adjustment image C generated by the adjustment image generation unit 11 is displayed on the adjustment display 16 alone without being superimposed on the echo image E. Further, the adjustment display 16 is provided with contact detection means 13 including a transparent panel 14 and a detection circuit 15 such as a touch panel for detecting a contact position on the screen.
[0034]
The adjustment image C generated by the adjustment image generation unit 11 illustrates the slide key Ck of the adjuster 7 that functions at the set diagnosis depth and the effective range Ca on the screen of each adjuster 7, Further, the contact detection means 13 is the same as in the first embodiment in that the contact detection means 13 detects contact with the image of the slide key Ck in the adjustment image C. Since other parts are the same as those of the first embodiment, the same reference numerals as those in FIGS.
[0035]
In order to perform STC adjustment with the apparatus of this embodiment, the adjustment image C displayed on the adjustment display 16 is viewed, and the image of the slide key Ck in the image C is touched, so that the diagnosis depth is set. What is necessary is just to operate the required regulator 7 to function. In response to the operation, an STC-adjusted echo image E is obtained. The user compares the monitor display 4 with the adjustment display 16, but only the echo image E is displayed on the monitor display 4, so that the adjusted echo image E is easy to see and the adjustment status can be checked. It can be confirmed more accurately.
[0036]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the display 4 (or 16) that displays the adjustment image C is provided with the contact detection means 13 such as a touch panel, and the operation of the adjuster 7 can be performed by touching the required part of the screen. However, the contact detection unit 13 and the adjustment control unit 8 responding to the detection signal of the contact detection unit 13 may be omitted, and the display 4 (16) may simply display the adjustment image C. Good. In this case, the adjustment image C only needs to indicate the adjuster 7 that functions at the set diagnostic depth and the effective range on the screen of each adjuster. There is no need to indicate the controller 7, and it is only necessary to indicate which regulator 7 is indicated by a number, a symbol, or the like. The display is not limited to the monitor display 4 that displays the adjustment image C superimposed on the echo image E, but may be the adjustment display 16 that displays the adjustment image C alone. In the case of such a configuration, it is necessary to arrange a plurality of regulators such as a slide volume in the same manner as the conventional device on the operation board of the device.
[0037]
In the apparatus of this embodiment, when the adjustment image C displayed on the display 4 (16) is viewed, the adjuster 7 that functions at the set diagnosis depth and the respective effective ranges can be understood. You can operate the keys of the actual adjuster on the operation board while watching. Since the adjustment image C serves as an operation guide, appropriate STC adjustment can be performed even if the user does not have sufficient knowledge about the adjuster and its effective range.
[0038]
In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration for adjusting the STC value, that is, the amplification gain is shown. However, the adjustment target is not limited to the amplification gain, and the image quality such as the contrast and the brightness for each unit adjustment depth. If it is possible to adjust other parameters involved, the invention can be implemented in a configuration that adjusts the parameters.
[0039]
【The invention's effect】
In the present invention, the parameters related to the image quality such as the amplification gain are displayed on the display screen of the adjuster functioning at the diagnosis depth at that time and the respective effective ranges. Even those who do not have sufficient knowledge about the device and its effective range can adjust the image quality parameter and can easily obtain a clear echo image with the image quality adjusted.
[0040]
In addition, an adjustment image showing a functioning adjuster, etc., is displayed on the screen of the monitor display so as to be superimposed on the echo image, and the adjustment unit can be operated by touching the required part of the adjustment image. A person can perform an adjustment operation while confirming the state after adjustment, and does not need to take his eyes off the screen during the operation, so that the operation is extremely easy and more appropriate adjustment can be performed.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a screen configuration of the monitor display in the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing another screen configuration of the monitor display in the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a front view showing the appearance of the apparatus according to the second embodiment.
6A and 6B are explanatory diagrams of STC value adjustment, in which FIG. 6A shows an STC curve, and FIG. 6B shows a way of arranging keys of a slide volume operated along the STC curve.
FIG. 7 is a front view showing an appearance of a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 probe, 3 echo image generator, 4 monitor display,
7 adjuster, 8 adjustment control unit,
11 adjustment image generation unit, 13 contact detection means, E echo image,
C adjustment image, Ck slide key (image), Ca effective range

Claims (3)

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of adjusting parameters related to image quality for each unit adjustment depth,
Adjustment image generation for creating an adjustment image indicating the form of the adjuster of the parameter set for each unit adjustment depth within the set diagnostic depth region and the effective range on the screen of each adjuster. Means,
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising: a display unit that displays the adjustment image created by the adjustment image unit alone or superimposed on an echo image based on an ultrasonic echo. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,
Contact detection means for detecting a contact position at least at a display position of the adjuster on the screen of the display means;
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, further comprising: an adjustment control unit that generates an adjustment signal corresponding to an operation of the adjuster based on a detection signal of the contact detection unit. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the parameter is an amplification gain of an ultrasonic echo.

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