JP6580243B2 - Information processing apparatus, ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system, information processing method, and program - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an ultrasonic image diagnosis system, an information processing method, and a program.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus (echo) is a diagnostic apparatus that irradiates a subject with ultrasonic waves, receives ultrasonic waves reflected inside the subject with a probe (probe), and obtains image information from received data. . Ultrasonic waves are widely used for diagnosis of various diseases in the medical field because they are safe and have no side effects even when irradiated to the human body.

  The ultrasonic medical system disclosed in Patent Document 1 is a medical system in which an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus is combined with a radiation irradiation system for performing radiotherapy. Then, when providing the position of the tumor to be treated by the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus, it is provided as position information with the radiation irradiation apparatus as the origin.

JP 2004-499A Japanese Patent Publication No. 01-25576

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is a simple diagnostic apparatus in that image information can be obtained simply by pressing an ultrasonic probe against a human body. A doctor who handles an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus presses an ultrasonic probe against a patient's body and obtains an image while moving it appropriately. However, since there are many organs in the body, in order to appropriately obtain image information of the organ to be diagnosed, a certain degree of skill is required in how to move the ultrasonic probe.

  Patent Document 2 describes “scanner of ultrasonic probe”. Then, the position, posture, and pressure of the tip of the ultrasonic probe are measured, and the ultrasonic probe is moved and controlled so as to keep them constant.

  By doing in this way, the method of supplementing a user's skill regarding the scanning technique which is an operation technique is disclosed.

  However, although the above method can keep the probe in an appropriate state with respect to the surface of the human body, it is still necessary to operate the ultrasonic probe in an appropriate state for the part in the subject to be examined. Needed the skill and knowledge of the person.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic system and a control method therefor that make it possible to obtain image information of a tissue of a subject to be diagnosed more appropriately.

In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention includes, as one aspect thereof,
An information processing apparatus used together with an ultrasonic probe for performing ultrasonic imaging of a subject,
Position acquisition means for acquiring the position of the ultrasonic probe;
A symbol indicating the direction in which the ultrasonic probe should be moved is obtained via the ultrasonic probe in order to take an image of the target region to be ultrasonically picked up in the subject from the position of the ultrasonic probe. Display control means for displaying the image so as to be included in the ultrasonic image.

Further, the present invention as another aspect,
A position acquisition step of acquiring the position of an ultrasonic probe for performing ultrasonic imaging of the subject;
A symbol indicating the direction in which the ultrasonic probe should be moved is obtained via the ultrasonic probe in order to take an image of the target region to be ultrasonically picked up in the subject from the position of the ultrasonic probe. A display control step of displaying the image so as to be included in the ultrasonic image.

  According to the present invention, since an appropriate position / posture of an ultrasonic probe in ultrasonic image diagnosis can be calculated, it is possible to provide a system that does not depend on an operator who handles the apparatus.

It is the figure which showed the diagnostic method using the ultrasonic image diagnostic system which concerns on this invention. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasound diagnostic imaging system according to the present invention. 1 is an external view of a probe position / posture control apparatus according to the present invention. It is a flowchart which shows the process sequence of the ultrasonic image diagnostic system which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows the information which the object shape database in this invention memorize | stores. It is a figure which shows the information which the workflow database in this invention memorize | stores. It is a figure which shows the process of the site | part detection part in this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic image in this invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the ultrasonic image in this invention, and the information of a target shape database. It is a figure which shows the process of the coordinate calculating part in this invention. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasound diagnostic imaging system according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example of presentation of the guidance information in this invention. 1 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasound diagnostic imaging system according to the present invention.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus and a control method thereof according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

(First Embodiment: Ultrasound image diagnostic system)
The ultrasound diagnostic imaging system according to the present embodiment includes an ultrasound probe and an image processing unit that converts a signal generated when the ultrasound probe receives ultrasound reflected from a subject into image information. This is an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system.

  The following components are included.

  Specifically, measurement means for measuring the relative position and relative posture of the ultrasonic probe with respect to the subject using image information about the subject acquired by the ultrasonic probe (in the embodiments described later, a coordinate calculation unit) May be referred to as).

  Furthermore, a control amount calculation unit that calculates a control amount of the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe based on the measurement result of the measurement unit is provided.

  Then, using the control amount calculated by the control amount calculation means, a probe control mechanism for controlling the position and posture of the ultrasonic probe, or information for inducing movement of the position and posture of the ultrasonic probe It has at least one of the guidance information presentation means to present.

  Here, it is preferable that the measurement unit measures the relative position and the relative posture based on a detection result of a part detection unit that detects a specific part of the subject. And it is preferable that this site | part detection part detects a site | part by matching with the information regarding the shape of the site | part of the said subject, and the said image information.

  In addition, the system includes a database in which the relative position and the relative posture between the ultrasound probe and the subject are recorded in advance, and the control amount calculation unit uses the information in the database to control the control amount. Is preferably calculated.

  Here, the information on the relative position and relative posture between the ultrasonic probe and the subject recorded in the database records a suitable probe state (position, posture, etc.) for performing ultrasonic image diagnosis. It should be information.

  It is preferable that the ultrasonic probe has a pressure measuring unit that measures a pressure between the ultrasonic probe and the subject. In such a case, it is preferable that information relating to the pressure between the ultrasonic probe and the subject is recorded in the database.

(Second Embodiment: Control Method)
The control method according to the present embodiment includes an ultrasound probe and an image processing unit that converts a signal generated when the ultrasound probe receives ultrasound reflected from the subject into image information. It is a control method of a diagnostic system. Specifically, it has the following processes.
a) a measurement step of measuring a relative position and a relative posture of the ultrasonic probe with respect to the subject using image information about the subject acquired by the ultrasonic probe; b) based on a measurement result of the measurement step; Control amount calculation step for calculating the control amount of the position and orientation of the ultrasonic probe

Furthermore, it has at least one step of the following c) or d).
c) Probe control step for controlling the position and posture of the ultrasonic probe using the control amount calculated in the control amount calculation step. d) Information for inducing movement of the position and posture of the ultrasonic probe. Guidance information presentation process to present

  Furthermore, it is also a preferred embodiment that has a part detection step for detecting a specific part of the subject, and the measurement step measures the relative position and the relative posture using the detection result of the part detection step.

  The part detection step has information related to the shape of the subject in advance, and can detect the part by associating with the image converted by the image processing unit.

  It has a database in which the relative position and relative orientation of the ultrasonic probe and the subject are recorded in advance, and the control amount calculation step can calculate the control amount using information in the database.

  The information on the relative position and relative posture between the ultrasonic probe and the subject recorded in the database can be information recording the ultrasonic probe state for performing ultrasonic image diagnosis.

  The ultrasonic probe may be provided with a pressure sensor, and a pressure measurement process for measuring the pressure between the ultrasonic probe and the subject may be further added to the process in the control method. In such a case, it is preferable to record information on the pressure between the ultrasonic probe and the subject in the database.

  The present invention also includes a program for realizing the control method described above and a recording medium on which a program for realizing the control method is recorded.

  Hereinafter, the invention according to the above embodiment will be specifically described with reference to examples.

Example 1
A: Overall Configuration FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an outline of an ultrasound diagnostic imaging system that is one embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system according to the present embodiment includes an ultrasonic probe 1001, an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 1002, a host controller 10003, and a probe position / posture control apparatus 10004. The ultrasonic probe 1001 is used in contact with a subject 1005 such as a human body. The ultrasonic probe 1001 is held by a probe position / posture control device 1004. These devices are connected to each other, and operate by exchanging control signals through the connection. The probe position / posture control apparatus 1004 is necessary when automating the operation of the ultrasonic probe 1001 and is not an essential requirement for the above-described present invention. In an embodiment described later, a configuration when the probe position / posture control apparatus is not used is shown. Of course, although the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 1002 and the host controller 1003 are illustrated as separate bodies in FIG. 1, it is of course possible to adopt a configuration in which the other is incorporated in one.

  Next, the functional configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

B: Ultrasonic probe The ultrasonic probe 2001 is configured by a plurality of transducer elements 2011 (ultrasonic transducers) that transmit ultrasonic pulses to the subject 1005 and receive reflected signals reflected from the subject side. The

  The wave transmitting / receiving element 2011 can be constituted by a piezoelectric element including, for example, a piezoelectric ceramic represented by PZT (lead zirconate titanate) and a polymer piezoelectric element such as PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride). In this case, an ultrasonic pulse can be generated by converting an electrical signal that fluctuates over time into mechanical vibration by a piezoelectric element.

  The ultrasonic probe 2001 can be configured by arranging a plurality of transducer elements 2011 in a one-dimensional array. In this case, the ultrasonic probe 2001 can form a two-dimensional scanning plane in the space, and can capture a cross-sectional image of the subject. The ultrasonic probe 2001 can be configured by arranging a plurality of transducer elements 2011 in a two-dimensional array. In this case, the ultrasonic probe 2001 can image the three-dimensional voxel data of the subject by electronically scanning the space three-dimensionally.

C: Ultrasonic Image Diagnostic Apparatus The ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus 2002 includes a transmission beamformer 2021, a reception beamformer 2022, a signal processing unit 2023, a reception memory 2024, an image forming unit 2025, and an image display unit 2026.

  The transmission beamformer 2021 controls the transmission drive signal supplied to the plurality of transmission / reception elements 2011 of the ultrasonic probe 2001, thereby forming an ultrasonic wave to be transmitted through the ultrasonic probe 2001.

  The reception beamformer 2022 collects the reception data output from the transmission / reception element 2011 and forms echo data.

  The signal processing unit 2023 generates luminance data, blood flow rate data, displacement data, and the like based on the echo data formed by the receiving beamformer 2022.

  Luminance data, blood flow rate data, displacement data, and the like formed by the signal processing unit 2023 are written in the reception memory 2024. The written data is output to the host controller 2003. The data written in the reception memory data 2024 is also output to the image forming unit 2025 in the ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus 2002, an ultrasonic image is formed in the image forming unit 2025, and an ultrasonic image is displayed in the image display unit 2026. Etc. are displayed.

D: Host Controller The host controller 2003 includes a target shape database 2031, a part detection unit 2032, a workflow database 2033, a coordinate calculation unit (measurement unit) 34, and a control amount calculation unit 2035. However, all or some of the components of the host controller 2003 may be incorporated in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2002.

  The target shape database 31 is means for storing information such as shape information related to the inspection target. As information to be stored in the target shape database, for example, standard human body internal structure data called a human body atlas can be used.

  The part detection unit 2032 refers to the information stored in the target shape database 31 and detects a part to be inspected from the ultrasonic image input from the ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus 2002. Various detection methods are conceivable, and examples thereof include detection methods such as template matching and contour shape matching. Specific processing contents will be described in a processing procedure described later.

  The workflow database 33 is a means for storing information related to ultrasonic probe operation in ultrasonic image diagnosis. The information stored in the workflow database may be, for example, data having information on the relative position / posture relationship between an appropriate part and an ultrasonic probe when the part is to be subjected to ultrasonic imaging. it can.

  The coordinate calculation unit 34 obtains the relative position / posture relationship between the examination target site and the ultrasonic probe 2001 based on the detection result of the site detection unit 2032. This calculation can be performed as follows. For example, the relationship between the spatial coordinates based on the ultrasonic probe 2001 and the image coordinates of the ultrasonic image captured by the ultrasonic probe is obtained in advance. Thus, by obtaining | requiring the said relationship previously, in the site | part detection part 2011, it can obtain | require from the image coordinate in the ultrasonic image of the detected test object site | part.

  The control amount calculation unit 2035 calculates a control amount related to the position / posture of the ultrasonic probe 2001. Specifically, the information on the ultrasound probe operation stored in the workflow database 33 and the relative position / posture relationship between the ultrasound probe 2001 and the inspection target part calculated by the coordinate calculation unit 34 are used.

E: Probe position / posture control device The probe position / posture control device 2004 holds the ultrasonic probe 2001 with a movable / rotatable mechanism and moves / rotates the ultrasonic probe 2001 in accordance with an input from the host controller 2003. Do. In order to realize this operation, the probe position / posture control apparatus 2004 can be configured using, for example, a base frame 3041, a probe holding unit 3042, and a plurality of actuators 3043 as shown in FIG. In this case, the plurality of actuators 3043 are driven in accordance with an input from the host controller 2003. Then, by changing the relative position / posture relationship between the base frame 3041 and the probe holding unit 3042, as a result, the position / posture of the ultrasonic probe 2001 held by the probe holding unit 42 is controlled. Of course, the probe position / posture control device 2004 naturally includes a device that controls both the position and posture of the probe, as well as a device that controls either one.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of a mechanism that can perform a movement in each axial direction and a motion with a total of four degrees of freedom of rotation with respect to each axis on the xy plane of the base frame 3041. A mechanism that can move and rotate with respect to the z-axis in a direction perpendicular to the z axis may also be used. In this case, the mechanism can perform a total of six degrees of freedom. Further, an embodiment of the present invention may be configured by a mechanism having an arbitrary degree of freedom other than the four degrees of freedom and the six degrees of freedom shown as examples.

F: Description of Processing Flow Next, a specific processing procedure executed by the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2002 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 2.

f1: Setting of inspection content (step S100)
First, in step S100, the user sets the inspection contents. For example, a plurality of buttons are arranged on an operation panel (not shown) provided in the host controller 2003, and inspection items are assigned to the buttons. Then, when the button is pressed, the corresponding inspection content can be set. In addition to this, for example, a list of examination items may be displayed on the image display unit 2026 of the ultrasound diagnostic imaging apparatus 2002, and the examination items may be selected by the user by operating an operation panel (not shown).

f2: Reading of target shape information (shape DB) (step S101)
Next, information related to the shape of the inspection target part corresponding to the inspection item set in step S <b> 100 is read from the target shape database 31 into the part detection unit 2032. At this time, various shape information that differs depending on attributes such as age, sex, height, and weight is recorded in the target shape database 31 in advance, and by setting those attributes regarding the subject to be examined, it is more suitable for the subject. Shape information can be read.

  In the present embodiment, a case where “examination on carotid arteriosclerosis” is set as an examination item will be described as an example. An example of information relating to the shape of the inspection target portion read at this time is shown in FIG. In this figure, the examination target part 311 indicates the shape of the examination target part corresponding to the examination content set in step S100. Although the case where the examination target part 311 has two-dimensional image information has been described as an example here, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, three-dimensional voxel data. The reference point 312 is position / posture reference information attached to the examination target part, and is referred to in subsequent steps. When the part detection unit 2032 reads the above-described information recorded in the target shape database 31, the part detection unit 2032 can read the information in the target shape database 31 as it is, or performs extraction processing of a contour surface, a contour line, and the like of the part. It can also be read after going. Moreover, it is also possible to store information on the contour surface or contour line of the site to be examined from the beginning in the shape information database.

f3: Reading the workflow database (step S102)
Next, the probe position / posture target values corresponding to the inspection items set in step S100 are read from the workflow database 33. An example of the target value read at this time is shown in FIG. Here, as an example, the workflow database stores the relative position range and the relative angle range from the reference point of the inspection target part as the probe position / posture target values.

  In this figure, a site to be inspected 331 indicates a site to be inspected set in step S100. A reference point 332 indicates a position that is a base point of the target value of the probe position / posture. The reference point 332 also has information on the reference direction as indicated by the arrows in the figure. The probe target position / target posture 333 indicates the position state and posture state that the ultrasonic probe 2001 should take when performing ultrasonic imaging. All of these states are read as numerical information based on the reference point 332.

f4: Image input (step S103)
Next, an ultrasonic image is taken and the image is input. In order to capture an ultrasonic image, the transmission beamformer 2021 of the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2002 forms and transmits an electrical signal for driving the transmission / reception element 2011 of the ultrasonic probe 2001.

  Then, the ultrasonic wave reflected and returned inside the subject is received by the transmitting / receiving element 11 of the ultrasonic probe 2001, and the signal is input to the receiving beam former 2022 of the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2002. The reception beamformer 2022 performs processing such as superposition on the reception signal and inputs the received signal to the reception memory 2024. The data input to the reception memory 2024 is displayed on the image display unit 2026 via the image forming unit 2025 and also input to the part detection unit 2032 of the host controller 2003.

f5: Site detection (step S104)
Next, the part detection unit 2032 detects the part to be inspected read from the target shape database 31 from the ultrasonic image input from the ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus 2002.

  Although there are various methods for detecting the inspection target part, here, as an example, the contour of the imaging target object is extracted for each of the information of the ultrasonic image and the part shape database 31, and based on matching of the contours. A detection method will be described with reference to FIG.

  In this figure, (A) is an inputted ultrasonic image 7001. By performing contour extraction processing on this image, contour information 7002 as shown in (B) is obtained. Further, an image 7003 in (C) is information in the target shape database 31, and contour information 7004 as in (D) is obtained by performing contour extraction on this.

  Here, the contour information 7004 of (D) is superimposed on the contour information 7002 of (B), and the movement amount / rotation amount of (D) is searched so that the overlap of both is maximized (of course, the image) (The movement amount / rotation amount of (B) may be searched.)

  As a result, the movement amount / rotation amount that maximizes the overlap can be obtained as shown in (E) 7005. Here, the image 7006 is an image (D) 7004, and the image 7007 is an image (B) 7002. Here, a procedure has been described in which contour extraction processing is performed on both the ultrasonic image and the part shape database information, and the part is detected by comparing the contour shapes.

  However, the part detection procedure in step S104 is not limited to this method.

  For example, instead of performing the contour extraction process, a procedure for detecting a plurality of characteristic corners and detecting a part by matching them may be considered. In addition to this, it is also possible to perform a procedure for detecting a part by directly comparing the ultrasonic image and the pixel values of the target shape database 31. In this case, the similarity between the pixel values can be evaluated by an index such as a correlation coefficient or a mutual information amount. In addition, more robust site detection can be performed in consideration of deformation of the site shape.

  By the procedure described above, a part similar to the shape information stored in the target shape database 31 can be detected from the ultrasonic image. At this time, the relationship between the detected intensity based on the similarity between the shapes of the two and the position where both are well similar is also obtained at the same time.

  Here, the case where both the ultrasonic image and the shape information stored in the target shape database 31 are two-dimensional image data has been described, but the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, at least one of the ultrasound image and the shape information stored in the target shape database 31 may be three-dimensional voxel data. In that case, the target part can be detected by performing matching between the three-dimensional voxel data or between the two-dimensional image data and the three-dimensional voxel data.

f6: Detection result discrimination (step S105)
In step S105, based on the result of the part detection performed in step S104, it is determined whether or not the part has been detected.

  In this determination, for example, if the maximum value of the detection intensity obtained as a result of the region detection is larger than a preset threshold value, the inspection target region is detected, and if it is smaller than the threshold value, it is determined that it was not detected Can be defeated. In addition, it can also be determined that the part detection has been performed when the detection intensity exceeds the threshold value for several frames continuously. In this case, there is an advantage that determination with higher reliability can be performed. Further, a different threshold value can be set for each region to be examined. In this case, an appropriate threshold value can be set in consideration of a difference between a part having a large individual difference in shape and a part that is not.

  If it is determined in step S105 that the examination target part has been detected, the process proceeds to step S107, and if not, the process proceeds to step S106.

f7: Site search control amount calculation (step S106)
In step S105, when an inspection target region is not detected from the ultrasonic image, movement / rotation control is performed to change the position / posture of the ultrasonic probe 2001 so that the inspection target falls within the imaging range. . At this time, as the simplest method of moving and rotating the ultrasonic probe 2001, a method of scanning the entire movable range of the probe position / posture control apparatus 2004 is conceivable. For example, the ultrasonic probe 2001 is moved to the extreme end position of the probe position / posture control apparatus 2004, and a control signal is sent to the probe position / posture control apparatus so as to gradually move the ultrasonic probe 1 while performing ultrasonic imaging. send. If an inspection target part is detected in the middle, scanning of the position / posture of the ultrasonic probe is terminated according to the determination result in step S105, and the process proceeds to step S107.

  As another method, it is also preferable to store not only the region to be inspected but also the shape of the region existing in the vicinity thereof and the relative positional relationship between the region to be inspected in the region shape database. If stored in this way, the position of the ultrasonic probe 1 can be rotated based on the detection results of the surrounding parts even if the part to be examined cannot be directly detected.

  The specific operation of the probe position / posture control device 4 will be described in detail in the explanation of step S111.

f8: Coordinate calculation (step S107)
Next, the relative position / orientation between the ultrasonic probe 2001 and the reference point on the object shape database 31 is calculated by the coordinate calculation unit 34 (FIG. 2).

  This calculation is obtained by the following first and second relationships. The first relationship is a relationship between the spatial coordinates based on the ultrasonic probe 2001 and the image coordinates of the ultrasonic image to be captured. The second relationship is a relative relationship between the position / posture information on the image of the examination target site detected in step S104 and the reference coordinates stored in the target shape database 31.

  This process will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  In order to simplify the description, the real space, the ultrasonic image, and the shape information of the object shape database 31 are all assumed to be a two-dimensional space. However, the implementation of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, even when all or a part of the information has a three-dimensional space, it can be realized by a simple extension of the following description.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the coordinates of the real space where the imaging target exists and the ultrasonic image generated by the ultrasonic imaging. 8001 is an ultrasonic probe, 8002 is an ultrasonic wave, and 8000 is a measurement object.

  In this figure, the coordinates on the image are expressed as vector i = (u v) t, and the coordinates in the real space are expressed as vector r = (xy) t. Here, t attached to the shoulder of the vector represents transposition. The coordinate vector i represents the point of the pixel on the u-th image on the screen in the right direction and the ν-th image on the bottom direction on the screen with the upper left end point of the image as the origin (00) t. . The coordinate vector r has an origin (00) t inside the ultrasonic probe 1 and is moved by x [mm] and y [mm] with respect to the two orthogonal axes that stretch the imaging plane based on the origin (0 0) t. It is assumed to represent a point in real space.

The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2002 (FIG. 2) generates ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic probe 2001 (FIG. 1), and on the ultrasonic image based on the observation value of the reflected wave from the point r in the real space. The luminance value of the point i is determined. Here, the correspondence between the point r in the real space and the point i on the ultrasonic image is expressed by the following equation using the function Tri.
i = Tri (r) (Equation 1)

Here, assuming that the coordinate vector i has a linear relationship with the coordinate vector r,
i = Trir (Equation 2)
Can be written. Here, Tri is a matrix representing a linear relationship between i and r, and i and r are redefined as extended vectors i = (u v 1) t and r = (x y 1) t, respectively. Usually, in the calibrated ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus, the above assumption of the linear relationship is sufficiently established. Conversely, the transformation from the point i on the image to the point r on the real space uses the inverse matrix Tri-1 of the matrix Tri,
r = Tri-1i (Equation 3)
Call it. Since the matrix Tri is regular except in special cases, the inverse matrix Tri-1 can be obtained.

On the other hand, the correspondence between the point i on the ultrasound image and the point in the target shape database 31 is obtained from the processing result of step S104. This will be described with reference to FIG. 9000 and 9001 in FIG. 9A correspond to 7006 and 7007 in FIG. 7, respectively. First, a point on the object shape database 31 corresponding to the point i on the ultrasonic image is set as a vector m = (u ′ ν ′ 1) t. Assuming that the relationship between the vector m (FIG. 9 (b) 9010) and the vector i (FIG. 9 (c) 9020) is linear, using the linear transformation matrix Tmi,
i = Tmim (Equation 4)
Call it.

Furthermore, the relationship with the point r on the real space corresponding to the arbitrary point m on the target shape database 31 is as follows from the equations 3 and 4.
r = Tri-1Tmim (Equation 5)
Can be written.

  If the point m represents the coordinates of the part reference point in the object shape database 31, the corresponding point on the real space can be obtained as the coordinate r based on the ultrasonic probe 2001.

  Here, the example of obtaining the position of the part reference point of the target shape database 31 using the coordinate system based on the ultrasonic probe 2001 has been described. On the contrary, the part reference point of the target shape database 31 is used as a reference. The position / orientation of the ultrasonic probe may be obtained.

f9: Difference calculation with the target (step S108)
As the next step, the coordinate calculation unit 34 further calculates a relative position / posture relationship between the position / posture of the ultrasonic probe 2001 and the target position / posture read from the workflow database 33. For this calculation, first, the relative relationship between the position / posture of the reference point of the inspection target part in the coordinate system based on the ultrasonic probe 2001 and the target position / posture of the workflow database 33 obtained in step S107 is obtained. . This process will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the target position / posture of the ultrasonic probe and the current position / posture of the ultrasonic probe stored in the workflow database. Here, the inspection target part 351, the reference point 352, and the probe target position / posture 353 are information read in step S102. Further, the inspection target part 351 and the reference point 352 can represent the same contents as the inspection target part 311 and the reference point 312 among the information stored in the part shape database 31 read in step S101. .

In FIG. 10, a probe target position / posture 352 means a target value of the probe position / posture in a coordinate system with the reference point 352 of the inspection target part as the origin. Here, the probe target position / orientation 352 is divided into translation and rotation components and is expressed as gt and gang, respectively. Similarly, the current probe position / posture 354 can also be expressed as pt and pang based on the relative position / posture between the ultrasonic probe already obtained in S107 and the reference point of the part to be examined. From these pieces of information, the position difference δt with respect to the target of the current ultrasonic probe and the position difference δang are obtained by the following equations.
δt = pt−gt (Equation 6)
δang = pang-gang (Equation 7)

  Through the above processing, how much the position / angle of the ultrasonic probe 2001 is deviated from the target position / posture at the present time is calculated.

f11: Target achievement determination (step S109)
Next, based on the relative difference of the current position / posture of the ultrasonic probe with respect to the target value calculated in step S108, it is determined whether or not the ultrasonic probe has reached the target position / posture. The determination method is determined to be reached when the difference between the current position / posture of the ultrasonic probe 1 obtained in step S108 and the target value is smaller than a predetermined threshold value set in advance. If this is not the case, a method of determining that it has not been reached can be considered.

  In addition, a different value may be automatically set as the threshold depending on the setting of the examination target part. In this case, the target range of the position / posture of the ultrasonic probe can be changed for each inspection target.

f12: Target direction control amount calculation (step S110)
If the result of determination in step S109 is that the probe position / posture has not reached the target value, step S110 is executed. In step S110, the control amount calculation unit 35 calculates a control amount to be transmitted to the probe position / posture control apparatus so that the probe position / posture approaches the target value. The calculation of the control amount can take various forms depending on the characteristics of the control device. For example, when the direction of movement / rotation is specified for the probe position / posture control device and, for example, constant speed driving is performed, each component value of the position difference δt from the target value calculated in step S108 and the sign of the posture difference δang The direction can be determined based on the sign of.

  As another method, the control amount can be calculated by using both the sign and absolute value of the difference δt, δang from the target value. At this time, for example, a method of determining the direction of control based on the sign of the difference value and determining the speed based on the absolute value can be considered.

f13: Probe movement / rotation control (step S111)
In step S111, the control amount calculated in step S106 or step S110 is input to the ultrasonic probe position / posture control apparatus 2004 (FIG. 2) and driven so that the position / posture of the ultrasonic probe approaches the target value. . For example, based on the control amount for the probe position and orientation calculated in step S110, for example, a voltage proportional to the control amount is applied to the corresponding actuator 3043 (FIG. 3). As a result, the actuator 3043 is driven in a direction approaching the target position / posture recorded in the workflow database 33, and as a result, the held ultrasonic probe 2001 approaches the target state.

  By performing the processing from step S100 to step S111 described above, the ultrasonic probe 2001 can be brought into an appropriate position / posture with respect to the examination target region. By doing so, it is possible to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus that can capture an ultrasonic image suitable for diagnosis even for a user who does not have special skills related to ultrasonic imaging.

  In this embodiment, in order to perform ultrasonic imaging from an appropriate position / angle with respect to the examination target part, the position / posture of the ultrasonic probe 2001 is mechanically moved / rotated by the probe position / posture control device 2004. Was described as an example. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when using an ultrasonic probe that has a plurality of transducers and can electronically change the position and direction of transmission and reception of ultrasonic signals, the transmission and reception positions and directions of the ultrasonic signals are controlled. By doing so, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-described embodiment. In addition, a configuration using a combination of both mechanical control and electronic control is also an embodiment of the present invention.

(Example 2)
In the first embodiment, the example in which the ultrasonic probe is moved and rotated so that the ultrasonic probe is in an appropriate position / posture with respect to the object to be subjected to the ultrasonic inspection has been described. However, the embodiment of the present invention is not limited thereto. Absent.

  For example, instead of providing an apparatus for moving / rotating the ultrasonic probe, an embodiment that presents navigation that prompts the user to move / rotate the ultrasonic probe is also conceivable. The example which takes the above form is demonstrated.

A: Overall Configuration FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a configuration relating to an embodiment in which the user performs navigation for moving / rotating the ultrasonic probe.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of this embodiment includes an ultrasonic probe 2906, an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2907, and a host controller 2908.

B: Ultrasonic probe Since the ultrasonic probe 2906 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

C: Ultrasonic Image Diagnostic Apparatus The ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus 2907 includes a transmission beamformer 2971, a reception beamformer 2972, a signal processing unit 2993, a reception memory 2974, an image forming unit 2975, and an image display unit 2976.

  The image display unit 2976 presents an ultrasonic image and navigation information based on signals from the image forming unit 2975 and the host controller 2908. Other configurations included in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2907 are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

D: Host controller The host controller 2908 includes an object shape database 2981, a part detection unit 2982, a workflow database 2983, a coordinate calculation unit 2984, and a guidance information generation unit 2985.

  However, all or some of the components of the host controller 2908 may be incorporated in the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2907. The guidance information generation unit 2985 generates guidance information related to the movement / rotation of the probe to be performed by the user based on the difference from the target value of the probe calculated by the coordinate calculation unit 2984. The generated guidance information is transmitted to the image display unit 2976 of the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2907 and presented to the user through a display or the like. Since other configurations included in the host controller 2908 are the same as those described in the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted.

E: Guidance Information Generation Unit The guidance information generated by the guidance information generation unit 2985 and presented by the image display unit 2976 can be presented using symbols such as arrows as shown in FIG. Further, as shown in FIG. 12B, the image display unit 76 can simultaneously present the ultrasonic image and the guidance information.

  The guidance information is not limited to being presented by the image display unit 2976 of the ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus 2907. For example, a display unit for presenting position / posture guidance information to the ultrasonic probe 2906 may be newly provided and presented. In this case, there is an advantage that the user can intuitively recognize the probe moving direction and the like without referring to the ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus 2907.

  Further, the guidance information of the present embodiment is not limited to presentation by an image. For example, as another configuration, a voice presentation unit such as a speaker is newly provided in the host controller 2908, the ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 2907, or the ultrasonic probe 2906, and the navigation generation unit 2985 generates guidance information by voice. be able to. In this case, the user can obtain guidance information without looking at the screen.

(Example 3)
In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the example in which the host controller is provided with the database storing the information on the inspection target region and the ultrasonic inspection workflow has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this form.

  In the third embodiment, an example of an ultrasonic diagnostic system that obtains information on a region to be inspected and information on an ultrasonic inspection workflow by referring to an external database will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system that acquires information from an external database via a network in the present embodiment. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system of the present embodiment is composed of the following elements, for example. Specifically, an ultrasonic probe 3991, an ultrasonic diagnostic imaging apparatus 3992, a host controller 3993, a probe position / posture control apparatus 3994, a target shape database 3996, and a workflow database 3997 are configured.

  The host controller 3993 is connected to the target shape database 3996 and the workflow database 3997 via the network 3995.

  Here, a case where both the target shape database 3996 and the workflow database 3997 are connected to the host controller 3993 via a network is shown as an example, but the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to this.

  For example, only one of the target shape database 3996 and the workflow database 3997 may be connected via a network, and the other may be in the host controller 3993. In addition, although connection by the network 3955 is shown as an example of connection form, the form may be so-called LAN connection, and other connection forms may be USB connection, serial connection, parallel connection, or the like. Further, the target shape database 3996, the workflow database 3997, and the host controller 3993 are not necessarily paired. For example, in some embodiments, the host controllers 3993 of a plurality of ultrasonic image diagnosis systems may share the target shape database 3996 and the workflow database 3997 and use them.

  With the above configuration, it is not necessary to store the part shape information and workflow information required by the ultrasonic diagnostic system of the present invention inside the host controller 3993, and the database supplied to the system can be expanded or changed. It can be done flexibly.

  In addition, the host controller can be configured so that information stored in the target shape database 3996 and the workflow database 3997 can be added, changed, or deleted by an external operation. Even in this case, the database can be flexibly updated by expanding the corresponding inspection item, revising the inspection method, or the like.

(Other forms)
The object of the present invention can also be achieved by supplying a recording medium (or storage medium) storing software program codes for realizing the functions in the above-described embodiments and examples to a system or apparatus. Needless to say. Specifically, the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program code stored in the recording medium. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the functions of the above-described embodiment, and the recording medium on which the program code is recorded constitutes the present invention.

  Further, the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by executing the program code read by the computer, but the present invention does not only include such a case. In the present invention, an operating system (OS) running on a computer performs part or all of actual processing based on an instruction of the program code, and the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing. Needless to say, this is also included.

  Furthermore, it goes without saying that the present invention includes the case where the functions of the above-described embodiments are realized by the processing performed through the following A) and B).

  A) The program code read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion card inserted into the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer. B) Thereafter, based on the instruction of the program code, the CPU provided in the function expansion card or function expansion unit performs part or all of the actual processing.

  When the present invention is applied to the recording medium, program code corresponding to the flowchart described above is stored in the recording medium.

  In addition, the description in this Embodiment mentioned above is an example of the suitable ultrasonic image diagnostic apparatus which concerns on this invention, and this invention is not limited to this.

2001 Ultrasonic probe 2004 Probe position / posture control device 2002 Ultrasonic diagnostic imaging device 2003 Host controller

Claims (14)

An information processing apparatus used together with an ultrasonic probe for performing ultrasonic imaging of a subject,
An acquisition means for acquiring a position of the ultrasonic probe;
Through the ultrasonic probe, the entire symbol indicating the direction in which the ultrasonic probe should be moved in order to image the target region to be subjected to the ultrasonic imaging in the subject from the position of the ultrasonic probe is passed through the ultrasonic probe. An information processing apparatus comprising: display control means for displaying the image so as to be included in the obtained ultrasonic image.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the symbol is guidance information for guiding the ultrasonic probe.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the symbol is information suggesting a direction and a position where the ultrasonic probe is to be moved.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a setting unit configured to acquire a position and a posture of the ultrasonic probe and set a direction and a position to move the ultrasonic probe.   Setting means for setting a direction in which the ultrasonic probe is to be moved based on a relative positional relationship between the ultrasonic probe and the reference point is provided with a reference point in the target region in the ultrasonic image. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   A reference point is assigned to the target region in the ultrasonic image, and a direction and a position in which the ultrasonic probe is to be moved are determined based on a relative position and posture relationship between the ultrasonic probe and the reference point. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising setting means for setting. An ultrasonic probe for performing ultrasonic imaging of a subject;
An acquisition means for acquiring a position of the ultrasonic probe;
Through the ultrasonic probe, the entire symbol indicating the direction in which the ultrasonic probe should be moved in order to image the target region to be subjected to the ultrasonic imaging in the subject from the position of the ultrasonic probe is passed through the ultrasonic probe. ultrasound imaging system and a display control means for displaying to be included in the resulting ultrasound image. The ultrasound diagnostic imaging system according to claim 7, wherein the symbol is guidance information for guiding the ultrasound probe. The ultrasonic image diagnosis system according to claim 7, wherein the symbol is information suggesting a direction and a position where the ultrasonic probe should be moved. The apparatus further comprises setting means for acquiring position information indicating the position of the ultrasonic probe and attitude information indicating the attitude of the ultrasonic probe and setting a direction and a position to move the ultrasonic probe. 8. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system according to 7 . Setting means for setting a direction in which the ultrasonic probe is to be moved based on a relative positional relationship between the ultrasonic probe and the reference point is provided with a reference point in the target region in the ultrasonic image. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system according to claim 7, further comprising: A reference point is assigned to the target region in the ultrasonic image, and a direction and a position in which the ultrasonic probe is to be moved are determined based on a relative position and posture relationship between the ultrasonic probe and the reference point. The ultrasonic diagnostic imaging system according to claim 7, further comprising setting means for setting. An acquisition step of acquiring the position of an ultrasonic probe for performing ultrasonic imaging of a subject;
Through the ultrasonic probe, the entire symbol indicating the direction in which the ultrasonic probe should be moved in order to image the target region to be subjected to the ultrasonic imaging in the subject from the position of the ultrasonic probe is passed through the ultrasonic probe. A display control step of displaying the image so as to be included in the obtained ultrasonic image.   A program for causing a computer to execute each step of the information processing method according to claim 13.

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