JP6546078B2 - Ultrasound system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic system.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic system (including an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus) forms an ultrasonic image in a living body based on received signals obtained by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to the living body. When an ultrasound diagnostic system is composed of a plurality of devices (units, modules) independent of each other, it is common to exchange data by communication among the plurality of devices. For example, Patent Document 1 describes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that performs wireless communication between an ultrasonic probe and an apparatus main body.

  In communication between a plurality of devices constituting an ultrasound diagnostic system, data for setting the operating conditions of each device is also exchanged. For example, setting data of transmission and reception conditions related to transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are exchanged. Therefore, for example, if communication between the devices is interrupted while setting data of the transmission and reception conditions are exchanged between the plurality of devices, the transmission and reception conditions may not match among the devices.

  In addition, even if the ultrasonic diagnostic system is restarted after exchanging setting data of transmission / reception conditions between devices after restoration of communication, the transmission / reception conditions relating to transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are determined by a combination of many setting items. The setting of transmission / reception conditions requires a large amount of setting data, and it takes time to restart.

JP, 2010-227227, A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described background art, and its object is to suppress a mismatch in transmission and reception conditions due to a failure in communication among a plurality of devices constituting an ultrasonic diagnostic system. is there.

  A preferred ultrasonic diagnostic system meeting the above object controls the operation of the first device by communicating between the first device controlling transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves and the first device. A second device for processing received information of ultrasonic waves obtained from the device, the second device determining the condition immediately before failure of the communication based on status information indicating the status of the communication; And a maintenance means for transitioning both the first device and the second device to a maintenance state for maintaining the current transmission and reception conditions relating to transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves, when it is determined that the state is immediately before the failure. I assume.

  In the above configuration, the first device and the second device exchange data with each other by wireless communication, for example. A preferred embodiment of the first device is a front end device comprising an ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving circuit and a receiving circuit, and a preferred embodiment of the second device is based on ultrasonic wave reception information obtained from the front end device. It is a back end device having a function of forming and displaying an ultrasound image. In a preferred embodiment of the above ultrasonic diagnostic system, an ultrasonic probe as a first device and a device main body as a second device are provided, and an ultrasonic wave for performing wireless communication between the ultrasonic probe and the device main body Diagnostic equipment is also included. Further, the state immediately before a failure in communication is a state in which the probability of reaching a failure state in which communication can not be normally performed between the first device and the second device is high. The state immediately before the failure may include, for example, the case where the communication status is improved and the failure state is not reached after that, as a matter of course, if the failure state is actually reached thereafter.

  Then, according to the above system, when it is determined that the communication between the first device and the second device is in a state immediately before the failure, the first device and the second device both transmit and receive the current state concerning transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves. In order to shift to a maintenance state that preserves the conditions, for example, even if a communication failure occurs between the devices after the maintenance state, common transmission / reception conditions can be maintained between the devices. Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to set the transmission and reception conditions again after communication recovery, and ultrasonic diagnosis can be started immediately after communication recovery.

  In a desirable embodiment, the first device stops transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves in the maintenance state, and the second device displays a still image of ultrasonic waves formed based on the reception information in the maintenance state. To be characterized.

  In a desirable specific example, the second device is characterized in that, in the maintenance state, the second device is in a lock state not to receive an input of a user operation including a change operation of the transmission / reception condition.

  In a desirable embodiment, the determination means of the second device determines whether the communication is in a state immediately before a failure based on the transfer rate of valid data transferred by the communication with the first device. , It is characterized.

  In a desirable embodiment, the determination means of the second device determines whether or not the communication is in a state immediately before a failure based on the signal strength of the communication by radio with the first device. Do.

  In a desirable embodiment, the second device is characterized by presenting information indicating a status of the communication in the maintenance state in the maintenance state.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the transmission and reception conditions from being mismatched due to communication failure among a plurality of devices constituting the ultrasound diagnostic system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a whole block diagram of the ultrasound diagnostic system suitable in implementation of this invention. It is a block diagram of FE apparatus. It is a block diagram of BE apparatus. It is a functional block diagram in a CPU block. It is a figure which shows the example of the theoretical table which shows the correspondence of a signal strength and the highest effective speed. It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of a maintenance process.

  FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic system suitable for practicing the present invention. The ultrasound diagnostic system 10 is a medical device used in a medical institution such as a hospital, and is for performing ultrasound diagnosis on a subject (living body). The ultrasound diagnostic system 10 of FIG. 1 is roughly configured as a system by a front end (FE) device 12, a back end (BE) device 14 and a probe 16. The FE device 12 is a device close to the living body, and the BE device 14 is a device distant from the living body. The FE device 12 and the BE device 14 are separated, and each constitutes a portable device. The FE device 12 and the BE device 14 are operable in separate states in which they are separated, and in docked states in which they are coupled. FIG. 1 shows the separate state.

  The probe 16 is a transducer that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves in a state of being in contact with the surface of the living body. The probe 16 is provided with a 1D array transducer consisting of a plurality of transducer elements arranged in a linear or arc shape. The array transducer forms an ultrasound beam which is repeatedly scanned electronically. A beam scan plane is formed in the living body every electronic scan. As the electronic scanning method, an electronic linear scanning method, an electronic sector scanning method, and the like are known. It is also possible to provide a 2D array transducer capable of forming a three-dimensional echo data acquisition space instead of the 1D array transducer. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the probe 16 is connected to the FE device 12 via a cable 28. The probe 16 may be connected to the FE device 12 by wireless communication. In that case, a wireless probe is used. In the state where a plurality of probes are connected to the FE device 12, the probe 16 to be actually used may be selected from them. A probe 16 inserted into a body cavity may be connected to the FE device 12.

  The FE device 12 and the BE device 14 are electrically connected to each other by a wireless communication method in the separate state shown in FIG. In this embodiment, those devices are mutually connected by the first wireless communication method and the second wireless communication method. In FIG. 1, a wireless communication route 18 according to the first wireless communication method and a wireless communication route 20 according to the second wireless communication method are clearly shown. The first wireless communication method is faster than the second wireless communication method, and in the present embodiment, ultrasonic wave reception data is transmitted from the FE device 12 to the BE device 14 using that method. That is, the first wireless communication scheme is used for data transmission. The second wireless communication system is a communication system that is lower in speed and simpler than the first wireless transmission system, and in the present embodiment, a control signal is transmitted from the BE device 14 to the FE device 12 using that method. That is, the second wireless communication system is used for control.

  In the docked state where the FE device 12 and the BE device 14 are physically coupled, the FE device 12 and the BE device 14 are electrically connected by a wired communication method. The wired communication scheme is considerably faster than the two wireless communication schemes. In FIG. 1, a wired communication path 22 is shown between two devices. The power supply line 26 is for supplying DC power from the FE device 12 into the BE device 14 in the docked state. The power is used in the operation of BE device 14 and also in the charging of the battery in BE device 14.

  Reference numeral 24 denotes a DC power supply line supplied from an AC adapter (AC / DC converter). The AC adapter is connected to the FE device 12 as needed. The FE device 12 also incorporates a battery, and can operate while using the battery as a power source. The FE device 12 has a box-like form as will be described later. The configuration and operation of the FE device 12 will be described in detail later.

  On the other hand, the BE device 14 has a tablet form or a flat form in the present embodiment. It basically has the same configuration as a general tablet computer. However, the BE apparatus 14 is equipped with various kinds of dedicated software for ultrasonic diagnosis. It includes an operation control program, an image processing program, and the like. The BE device 14 has a display panel 30 with a touch sensor. It functions as a user interface that combines an input unit and a display unit. In FIG. 1, a B-mode tomographic image as an ultrasonic image is displayed on the display panel 30. The user performs various inputs using the icons displayed on the display panel 30. It is also possible to perform a slide operation, an enlargement operation, and the like on the display panel 30.

  It is possible to operate the ultrasound diagnostic system 10 in a use mode selected among the separate state and the docking state according to the diagnostic application, the preference of the examiner, and the like. Therefore, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic system that is easy to use.

  The BE device 14 can be separately connected to the in-hospital LAN by a wireless communication method and a wired communication method. Those communication paths are not shown. The BE device 14 (or the FE device 12) may be separately connected to another dedicated device (for example, a remote controller) that functions for ultrasound diagnosis by a wireless communication method or a wired communication method.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the FE device 12. Each block in the figure is configured by hardware such as a processor and an electronic circuit. The transmission signal generation circuit 38 is a circuit that supplies a plurality of transmission signals in parallel to a plurality of vibration elements in the probe via the probe connection circuit 40. This supply forms a transmit beam at the probe. When the reflected waves from inside the living body are received by the plurality of vibration elements, a plurality of reception signals are output therefrom, and the plurality of reception signals are input to the reception signal processing circuit 42 through the probe connection circuit 40. The reception signal processing circuit 42 includes a plurality of preamplifiers, a plurality of amplifiers, a plurality of A / D converters, and the like. The plurality of digital reception signals output from the reception signal processing circuit 42 are sent to the reception beam former 46. The reception beam former 46 applies phasing addition processing to a plurality of digital reception signals, and outputs beam data as a phasing and addition signal. The beam data is composed of a plurality of echo data arranged in the depth direction corresponding to the receiving beam. The received frame data is composed of a plurality of beam data obtained by one electronic scan.

  The transmission / reception controller 44 controls transmission signal generation and reception signal processing based on transmission / reception control data sent from the BE device. The beam processor 50 is a circuit that performs various types of data processing such as detection processing, logarithmic conversion processing, and correlation processing on individual beam data input in time-sequential order. The control unit 52 controls the overall operation of the FE device 12. In addition, control for wired transmission or wireless transmission of beam data sequentially sent from the beam processor 50 to the BE apparatus is executed. In the present embodiment, the control unit 52 also functions as a wired communication device. The wireless communication device 54 is a module for performing communication by the first wireless communication method. The wireless communication device 56 is a module for performing communication by the second wireless communication method. Reference numeral 18 denotes a wireless communication route according to the first wireless communication scheme, and reference numeral 20 denotes a wireless communication route according to the second wireless communication scheme. Although each is a bi-directional transmission path, in the present embodiment, a large amount of received data is transmitted from the FE device 12 to the BE device using the former, and a control signal from the BE device to the FE device 12 using the latter. It is transmitted. The code | symbol 64 has shown the terminal for wired communication, and the wired communication path 22 is connected there. Reference numeral 66 denotes a power supply terminal, to which a power supply line 26 is connected. The power supply line 26 is a line for supplying DC power from the FE device 12 to the BE device as described above.

  The battery 60 is, for example, a lithium ion battery, and charging and discharging therein are controlled by the power supply controller 58. When the battery is driven, power from the battery 60 is supplied to each circuit in the FE device 12 through the power supply controller 58. Reference numeral 62 denotes a power supply line when the AC adapter is connected. When the AC adapter is connected, external power is supplied to each circuit in the FE device 12 by the action of the power supply controller 58. At that time, if the charge amount of the battery 60 is less than 100%, the battery 60 is charged using external power.

  At the time of ultrasonic diagnostic operation (during transmission and reception), the FE device 12 repeatedly executes supply of a plurality of transmission signals to the probe and processing of a plurality of reception signals obtained thereafter, according to the control on the BE device side. Beam data in chronological order obtained by this is sequentially transmitted to the BE apparatus by wireless communication in the separate state and by wired communication in the docked state. At that time, each beam data is converted into a plurality of packets, and each beam data is transmitted by a so-called packet transmission method.

  In addition to the B mode, various modes such as a CFM mode, an M mode, and a D mode (PW mode, CW mode) are known as the operation mode. Transmission and reception processing for harmonic imaging and elasticity information imaging may be performed. In FIG. 1, circuits such as a biomedical signal input circuit are not shown.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the BE device 14. In the figure, each block indicates hardware such as a processor, a circuit, and a memory. The CPU block 68 includes a CPU 70, an internal memory 72, and the like. The internal memory 72 functions as a working memory or a cache memory. The external memory 80 connected to the CPU block 68 stores an OS, various control programs, various processing programs, and the like. The latter includes a scan conversion processing program. The external memory 80 also functions as a cine memory having a ring buffer structure. A cine memory may be configured on the internal memory 72.

  The CPU block 68 generates display frame data by scan conversion processing based on a plurality of beam data. It constitutes an ultrasound image (for example, a tomographic image). The processing is sequentially executed to generate a moving image. The CPU block 68 applies various processes for ultrasound image display to the beam data or image. In addition, it controls the operation of the BE apparatus 14 and controls the entire ultrasound diagnostic system.

  The touch panel monitor (display panel) 78 functions as an input device and a display device. Specifically, the touch panel monitor 78 includes a liquid crystal display and a touch sensor, and functions as a user interface. A display image including an ultrasound image is displayed on the touch panel monitor 78, and various buttons (icons) for operation are displayed.

  The wireless communication device 74 is a module for performing wireless communication in accordance with the first wireless communication scheme. A wireless communication path at that time is indicated by reference numeral 18. The wireless communication device 76 is a module for performing wireless communication in accordance with the second wireless communication scheme. A wireless communication path at that time is indicated by reference numeral 20. The CPU block 68 also has a function of performing wired communication in accordance with the wired communication method. In the docked state, a wired communication line is connected to the wired communication terminal 92. Further, the power supply line 26 is connected to the power supply terminal 94.

  A plurality of detectors 84 to 90 are connected to the CPU block 68 via an I / F circuit 82. It may include an illumination sensor, a proximity sensor, a temperature sensor, and the like. A module such as GPS may be connected. The I / F circuit 82 functions as a sensor controller.

  The battery 102 is a lithium ceramic type battery, and charging and discharging thereof are controlled by the power supply controller 100. The power supply controller 100 supplies power from the battery 102 to each circuit in the BE device 14 at the time of battery operation. During non-battery operation, the power supplied from the FE device or the power supplied from the AC adapter is supplied to each circuit in the BE device. Reference numeral 104 denotes a power supply line via an AC adapter.

  While controlling the FE device, the BE device 14 sequentially processes beam data sent from the FE device to generate an ultrasonic image, and displays it on the touch panel monitor 78. At this time, an operation graphic image is also displayed together with the ultrasonic image. In the normal real-time operation, the BE device 14 and the FE device are electrically connected wirelessly or by wire, and the ultrasonic diagnostic operation is continuously executed while both are synchronized. In the freeze state, the operation of the transmission signal generation circuit and the reception signal generation circuit in the BE device 14 is stopped, and the operation of the booster circuit in the power supply controller 100 is also stopped. In the BE apparatus, a still image is displayed at the freeze point, and the contents are maintained. An external display may be connected to the BE device.

  The ultrasonic image formed in the CPU block 68 is displayed on the touch panel monitor 78. The CPU block 68 forms a display image including an ultrasonic image and causes the touch panel monitor 78 to display the display image.

  Further, the CPU block 68 of the BE device 14 has a function of executing processing for maintaining the transmission and reception conditions relating to the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves according to the state of communication between the FE device 12 (FIG. 2) and the BE device 14 Have.

  FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the CPU block 68. As shown in FIG. The CPU block 68 includes a determination processing unit 68A and a maintenance processing unit 68B. The determination processing unit 68A functions as a determination unit that determines a state immediately before a failure of communication based on status information indicating the status of communication. The maintenance processing unit 68B shifts the FE device 12 (FIG. 2) and the BE device 14 (FIG. 3) to a maintenance state for maintaining the current transmission / reception conditions relating to the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves when it is determined that Act as a safeguard.

  The determination processing unit 68A performs a first determination to determine whether the communication is in a state immediately before a failure based on the signal strength of the wireless communication between the FE device 12 and the BE device 14.

  In the first determination, the determination processing unit 68A performs the determination based on the signal strength obtained from the wireless communication device 76. The wireless communication device 76 is a module for performing wireless communication according to the second wireless communication method, and a signal exchanged by the second wireless communication method between the FE device 12 and the BE device 14 during ultrasonic diagnosis. The data (signal strength data) relating to the strength of each time is output to the determination processing unit 68A from time to time.

  The wireless communication device 76 outputs signal strength data of a signal transmitted from the wireless communication device 56 of the FE device 12 and received by the wireless communication device 76. The signal strength data of the signal transmitted from the wireless communication device 76 and received by the wireless communication device 56 of the FE device 12 is transmitted from the wireless communication device 56 to the wireless communication device 76 and the signal transmitted from the wireless communication device 56 The wireless communication device 76 may output the strength data to the determination processing unit 68A.

  The determination processing unit 68A derives the maximum effective speed (theoretical value) that is possible with the current signal strength based on the signal strength data output from the wireless communication device 76 every moment, whereby the second wireless communication system It is determined whether the current bandwidth is sufficient.

  Determination processing unit 68A uses, for example, a theoretical table or a theoretical formula indicating a correspondence between signal strength (sensitivity) and maximum effective speed (data rate), in accordance with signal strength data output from wireless communication device 76. Derive the highest effective speed (data rate).

  FIG. 5 shows a specific example of a theoretical table showing the correspondence between signal strength (sensitivity) and maximum effective velocity (data rate). The theoretical table illustrated in FIG. 5 shows the correspondence between the signal strength (sensitivity) output from the wireless communication unit 76 and the maximum effective speed (data rate) possible in the second wireless communication system by the signal strength. There is. Data of a theoretical table (or a theoretical expression for the theoretical table) as illustrated in FIG. 5 is stored, for example, in the external memory 80.

  Returning to FIG. 4, the determination processing unit 68A uses the theoretical table (FIG. 5) stored in the external memory 80 or the theoretical formula corresponding to the theoretical table to output the signal strength output from the wireless communication unit 76 every moment The highest effective speed (data rate) according to the data is derived from moment to moment. Then, when the judgment formula 1 is not established, it is judged that the communication is in a state immediately before the failure.

  (Determination Formula 1) Estimated Effective Speed> Required Speed

  The estimated effective velocity in the judgment formula 1 is calculated by multiplying the maximum effective velocity (data rate) by a coefficient. Since the maximum effective speed is theoretically the maximum effective speed and is generally different from the actual effective speed, the actual effective speed is estimated by multiplying it by a factor (for example, 1 or less). The coefficient may be a fixed value, or the value of the coefficient may be set (changed) according to, for example, the usage environment of the ultrasound diagnostic system 10 (FIG. 1). Of course, a configuration in which the user can adjust the value of the coefficient may be adopted.

  Further, the required speed in the determination formula 1 is a speed required for data transferred by the second wireless communication method. For example, necessary speed = 1 data size × frame rate is calculated as the speed required to transmit the ultrasound reception data from the FE device 12 to the BE device 14 using the second wireless communication method. One data size is a data size corresponding to one frame of ultrasound reception data.

  For example, when one data size is 65.5 KB (256 pixels in height × 256 pixels in width) and the frame rate is 60 Hz, the required speed is 3.932 MB. In addition, if the signal strength (sensitivity) is -75 dBm, the maximum effective speed (data rate) derived from the theoretical table illustrated in FIG. 5 is 48 Mb / s, and it is estimated if the coefficient is set to 0.8. The effective speed is 38.4 Mb / s. In this case, since the estimated effective speed (38.4 Mb / s) is larger than the required speed (3.932 MB), it is determined by determination formula 1 that the state is not immediately before a failure in communication. If it is not in the state immediately before the communication failure, for example, the diagnosis of ultrasonic waves is continued.

  On the other hand, when the signal strength (sensitivity) decreases to -80 dBm, the maximum effective speed (data rate) derived from the theoretical table illustrated in FIG. 5 is 36 Mb / s, and the coefficient is set to 0.8. For example, the estimated effective speed is 28.8 Mb / s. In this case, since the estimated effective speed (28.8 Mb / s) is smaller than the required speed (3.932 MB), it is determined by determination formula 1 that the state is immediately before a failure in communication.

  In addition to the first determination described above, determination processing unit 68A determines whether the communication is in a state immediately before a failure based on the transfer rate of valid data transferred by communication between FE device 12 and BE device 14 A second determination is made to determine whether the

  In the second determination, the determination processing unit 68A transfers the effective data transfer rate (transfer rate (transfer rate) of the effective data transferred from the FE device 12 to the BE device 14 by the second wireless communication method and received by the wireless communication device 76 during diagnosis by ultrasound. Is calculated, and it is determined whether the calculated transfer rate (transfer rate) is sufficient for transfer of ultrasonic wave reception data.

  The determination processing unit 68A calculates the actually measured effective speed of the effective data received by the wireless communication device 76 every moment. Then, when the judgment formula 2 is not established, it is judged that the communication is in a state immediately before the failure.

  (Judgment formula 2) Actual measurement effective speed> Required speed

  The actual measurement effective speed in the judgment formula 2 is calculated by multiplying the received data size by the moving average actual measurement frame rate. The reception data size is the data size of one frame of effective data received by the wireless communication device 76, and the moving average actual measurement frame rate is a moving average value regarding the frame rate of the effective data received by the wireless communication device 76. Further, the required speed in judgment formula 2 is the speed necessary for data transferred by the second wireless communication method, and for example, the same calculation formula as the required speed in judgment formula 1 (required speed = 1 data size × frame rate) Calculated by

  The determination processing unit 68A performs the first determination and the second determination every moment during diagnosis of the ultrasonic wave by the ultrasonic diagnostic system 10 (FIG. 1). Then, the determination processing unit 68A determines a state immediately before a failure of communication based on at least one of the determination result of the first determination and the determination result of the second determination. For example, when at least one of the judgment formula 1 and the judgment formula 2 does not hold, it is judged that the communication is in a state immediately before the failure. Further, the determination processing unit 68A may comprehensively determine the state immediately before the failure of communication based on both the determination result of the first determination and the determination result of the second determination. For example, when the determination formula 1 is not established and the determination formula 2 is not established either, it may be determined that the communication is in a state immediately before the failure.

  If it is determined by the determination processing unit 68A that the communication processing is in a state immediately before the failure, the maintenance processing unit 68B transmits and receives the current transmission and reception related to the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves for both the FE device 12 (FIG. 2) and the BE device 14 (FIG. 3). Execute maintenance processing to shift to a maintenance state that preserves conditions.

  FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the maintenance process. If it is determined by the determination processing unit 68A that the communication apparatus 100 is in a state immediately before a failure in communication, the BE device 14 (FIG. 3) instructs the FE device 12 (FIG. 2) to start maintenance (S601). For example, the BE device 14 (maintenance processing unit 68B of the CPU block 68) instructs the FE device 12 to start maintenance via the second wireless communication method. Note that maintenance start may be instructed using the first wireless communication method.

  Next, an acknowledgment of maintenance start is transmitted from the FE device 12 to the BE device 14, and the FE device 12 shifts to the maintenance state (S602). For example, the FE device 12 notifies the BE device 14 of the acceptance of the start of maintenance via the second wireless communication method. The acceptance of the start of maintenance may be communicated using the first wireless communication method. Further, the FE device 12 stores, for example, transmission / reception condition data at the time of receiving an instruction to start maintenance in a memory or the like, stops transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves, and shifts to a maintenance state.

  Then, the maintenance start of the FE device 12 is confirmed, and the BE device 14 shifts to the maintenance state (S603). For example, the BE device 14 shifts to the maintenance state by storing and maintaining transmission / reception condition data at the time when the maintenance start is instructed in the external memory 80 (FIG. 3) or the like. In the maintenance state, the BE device 14 is in a locked state not to receive an input of a user operation including, for example, a change operation of transmission and reception conditions. In the locked state, for example, only the power OFF operation can be received.

  Since transmission and reception conditions related to transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are determined by a combination of a large number of setting items such as transmission focus, diagnostic range, pulse repetition frequency (PRF), etc. Condition data is required. According to the maintenance process described with reference to FIG. 6, in the maintenance state, a huge amount of transmission / reception condition data is maintained in the BE apparatus 14 and the FE apparatus 12 in a mutually consistent state.

  The BE apparatus 14 displays a still image of ultrasonic waves in the maintenance state. For example, a touch panel monitor 78 displays a still image (freeze image) of an ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic wave reception data obtained at or immediately before the transition to the maintenance state. In addition, in the maintenance state, the BE device 14 presents information indicating the status of communication in the maintenance state. For example, the touch panel monitor 78 displays the estimated effective speed (refer to judgment formula 1) and the measured effective speed (refer to judgment formula 2) during the maintenance state.

  Furthermore, when the communication status is improved, the FE device 12 and the BE device 14 may be automatically returned from the maintenance state to the normal diagnosis state. For example, after transitioning to the maintenance state, when judgment formula 1 and judgment formula 2 are satisfied for a certain period of time, it is judged that the state immediately before the failure of communication has been eliminated, and ultrasonic wave transmission / reception processing by FE device 12 It may be resumed to start the transfer of ultrasound reception data to the BE device 14. Of course, the FE device 12 and the BE device 14 may be returned from the maintenance state to the normal diagnosis state (manual return) according to the return operation from the user.

  According to the ultrasound diagnostic system 10 of FIG. 1, when it is determined that the communication between the FE device 12 and the BE device 14 is in a state immediately before a failure, both the FE device 12 and the BE device 14 transmit and receive ultrasound. In order to shift to a maintenance state in which the current transmission / reception conditions are maintained, for example, even if a communication failure occurs between the devices after the maintenance state, common transmission / reception conditions can be maintained between the devices. Therefore, for example, it is not necessary to set a large amount of transmission / reception condition data again after communication recovery, and ultrasonic diagnosis can be started immediately after communication recovery.

  While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the above-described embodiments are merely illustrative in every respect, and do not limit the scope of the present invention. The present invention includes various modifications without departing from the essence thereof.

  10 ultrasound system, 12 front end (FE) devices, 14 back end (BE) devices, 16 probes, 68 CPU blocks.

Claims (6)

A first device for controlling transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves;
A second device that controls the operation of the first device by performing communication with the first device and processes received ultrasonic wave information obtained from the first device;
Have
The second device is
A determination unit that determines a state immediately before a failure of the communication based on status information indicating the status of the communication;
A maintenance unit for transitioning the first device and the second device to a maintenance state for maintaining the current transmission / reception conditions relating to transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves when it is determined that the state is immediately before the failure;
Equipped with
An ultrasound diagnostic system characterized by In the ultrasound diagnostic system according to claim 1,
The first device stops transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves in the maintenance state,
The second device displays a still image of an ultrasonic wave formed based on the received information in the maintenance state.
An ultrasound diagnostic system characterized by The ultrasonic diagnostic system according to claim 1 or 2
The second device is in a lock state in which the second device does not receive an input of a user operation including a change operation of the transmission / reception condition in the maintenance state.
An ultrasound diagnostic system characterized by The ultrasound diagnostic system according to any one of claims 1 to 3.
The determination means of the second device determines whether the communication is in a state immediately before a failure based on the transfer rate of valid data transferred by the communication with the first device.
An ultrasound diagnostic system characterized by The ultrasonic diagnostic system according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
The determination means of the second device determines whether or not the communication is in a state immediately before a failure based on the signal strength of the communication by radio with the first device.
An ultrasound diagnostic system characterized by The ultrasound diagnostic system according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The second device presents information indicating the status of the communication in the maintenance state in the maintenance state.
An ultrasound diagnostic system characterized by

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