JP7080682B2 - Ultrasonic probe, ultrasonic diagnostic equipment and ultrasonic diagnostic support program - Google Patents

Description

Embodiments of the present invention relate to an ultrasonic probe, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and an ultrasonic diagnostic support program.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus transmits ultrasonic waves to an object (patient), receives reflected waves (echo) from the object, and images the inside of the object. In recent years, a two-dimensional array is used. Formula ultrasonic probes are mainly used.
Since the two-dimensional array probe has a large number of ultrasonic transducers (also simply referred to as elements) arranged two-dimensionally in a grid pattern, all the elements are directly driven from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body to control the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves. That is difficult. Therefore, a dedicated IC (ASIC) that is divided into sub-arrays including several elements and performs partial delay addition for each sub-array is provided in the ultrasonic probe.

The setting of the delay time for each element in each subarray needs to be performed between the end of the echo reception period and the transmission timing of the next ultrasonic wave, which is called a blank period. Specifically, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body calculates delay control data (delay data) related to the delay time of ultrasonic transmission / reception for each transmission / reception rate, transfers the delay data to the ultrasonic probe within the blank period, and superimposes. It is necessary to complete the setting of the delay time in the ultrasonic probe.

As the number of channel elements of the two-dimensional array probe increases in recent years, the delay data to be transferred also increases. Therefore, since it takes a long time to transfer and set the delayed data of transmission / reception delay, there is a problem that the transfer and setting of the delayed data cannot be completed within the blank period, for example, the blank period is exceeded during the transfer of the delayed data. Is assumed.

As a solution to the above problem, a means for increasing the operating frequency of the input interface (input IF) of the ultrasonic probe can be considered, but it is not desirable because the power consumption and heat generation of the ultrasonic probe increase. In addition, although a means of extending the setting period can be considered, the frame rate will decrease. Furthermore, a method of pre-storing the delay data in the ultrasonic probe is conceivable, but it is large-scale because the amount of delay data in the frame sequence of the two-dimensional array probe (especially in the simultaneous mode) is enormous. It is necessary to prepare a memory, which is not realistic in terms of board area, power consumption and cost. In addition, since it is necessary to secure a transfer time when storing the delayed data, the responsiveness deteriorates during the transfer of a huge amount of delayed data.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2012-152432 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-187833

The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the transfer and setting of delayed data can be completed within a predetermined period even if the amount of data increases.

The ultrasonic probe according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged two-dimensionally and a first calculation unit. The first calculation unit calculates at least a part of the delay data related to the delay time set for each ultrasonic oscillator at the time of transmitting ultrasonic waves.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. The figure which shows the detail of the ultrasonic probe. A conceptual diagram showing the arrangement of two-dimensionally arranged elements. The figure for demonstrating the operation of the whole fine transmission delay data. The conceptual diagram of the blank period which concerns on this embodiment. The figure which shows the 1st distribution example of the arithmetic processing of a delay data. The figure which shows the 2nd distribution example of the arithmetic processing of a delay data. The figure which shows the 3rd distribution example of the arithmetic processing of a delay data. The figure which shows the 4th distribution example of the arithmetic processing of a delay data. The block diagram which shows the structure of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. The flowchart which shows the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following embodiments, the parts with the same reference numerals perform the same operation, and duplicate description will be omitted as appropriate.

(First Embodiment)
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes a main body apparatus 10 and an ultrasonic probe 30. The main body device 10 is connected to the external device 40 via the network 100. Further, the main body device 10 is connected to the display device 50 and the input device 60.

The main body device 10 is a device that generates an ultrasonic image based on the echo received by the ultrasonic probe 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the main body device 10 includes an ultrasonic transmission circuit 11, an ultrasonic reception circuit 12, a B mode processing circuit 13, a Doppler processing circuit 14, a three-dimensional processing circuit 15, a display processing circuit 16, and an internal storage circuit 17. , Image memory 18 (cine memory), image database 19, input interface circuit 20, communication interface circuit 21, and control circuit 22.

The ultrasonic transmission circuit 11 is a processor that supplies a drive signal to the ultrasonic probe 30. The ultrasonic transmission circuit 11 is realized by, for example, a trigger generation circuit, a delay circuit, a pulser circuit, or the like. The trigger generation circuit repeatedly generates rate pulses for forming transmitted ultrasonic waves at a predetermined rate frequency. The delay circuit sets the transmission delay time for each element required to focus the ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic probe 30 in a beam shape and determine the transmission directivity for each rate pulse generated by the trigger generation circuit. give. The pulser circuit applies a drive signal (drive pulse) to the ultrasonic probe 30 at a timing based on the rate pulse. By changing the transmission delay time given to each rate pulse by the delay circuit, the transmission direction from the element surface can be arbitrarily adjusted. The transmission delay time is calculated by the delay data calculation function 221 of the control circuit 22 described later.

The ultrasonic wave receiving circuit 12 is a processor that generates a received signal by performing various processes on the reflected wave signal received by the ultrasonic probe 30. The ultrasonic wave receiving circuit 12 is realized by, for example, an amplifier circuit, an A / D converter, a reception delay circuit, an adder, and the like. The amplifier circuit amplifies the reflected wave signal received by the ultrasonic probe 30 for each channel and performs gain correction processing. The A / D converter converts the gain-corrected reflected wave signal into a digital signal. The reception delay circuit provides the digital signal with the reception delay time required to determine the reception directivity. The adder adds a plurality of digital signals with a given reception delay time. The addition process of the adder generates a received signal in which the reflection component from the direction corresponding to the reception directivity is emphasized. The reception delay time is calculated by the delay data calculation function 221 of the control circuit 22 described later.

The B-mode processing circuit 13 is a processor that generates B-mode data based on the received signal received from the ultrasonic wave receiving circuit 12. The B mode processing circuit 13 performs envelope detection processing, logarithmic amplification processing, and the like on the received signal received from the ultrasonic reception circuit 12, and the signal strength is expressed by the brightness of the luminance (hereinafter, B mode). Data) is generated. The generated B-mode data is stored in a RAW data memory (not shown) as B-mode RAW data on the ultrasonic scanning line. The B-mode RAW data may be stored in the internal storage circuit 17 described later.

The Doppler processing circuit 14 is a processor that generates Doppler waveforms and Doppler data based on the received signal received from the ultrasonic wave receiving circuit 12. The Doppler processing circuit 14 extracts a blood flow signal from a received signal, generates a Doppler waveform from the extracted blood flow signal, and extracts information such as average velocity, dispersion, and power from the blood flow signal at multiple points. (Hereinafter, Doppler data) is generated.

The three-dimensional processing circuit 15 is a processor capable of generating two-dimensional image data or three-dimensional image data (hereinafter, also referred to as volume data) based on the data generated by the B mode processing circuit 13 and the Doppler processing circuit 14. Is. The three-dimensional processing circuit 15 generates two-dimensional image data composed of pixels by executing RAW-pixel conversion.

Further, the three-dimensional processing circuit 15 executes RAW-voxel conversion including interpolation processing in which spatial position information is added to the B-mode RAW data stored in the RAW data memory, thereby performing voxels in a desired range. Generates volume data consisting of. The three-dimensional processing circuit 15 performs rendering processing on the generated volume data to generate rendered image data. Hereinafter, the B mode RAW data, the two-dimensional image data, the volume data, and the rendered image data are collectively referred to as ultrasonic data.

The display processing circuit 16 executes various processes such as dynamic range, luminance (brightness), contrast, γ-curve correction, and RGB conversion on the various image data generated in the three-dimensional processing circuit 15, to obtain the image data. To a video signal. The display processing circuit 16 causes the display device 50 to display the video signal. The display processing circuit 16 may generate a user interface (GUI: Graphical User Interface) for the operator to input various instructions by the input interface circuit 20, and display the GUI on the display device 50. As the display device 50, for example, a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an organic EL display, an LED display, a plasma display, or any other display known in the art can be appropriately used.

The internal storage circuit 17 has, for example, a magnetic or optical recording medium, a recording medium that can be read by a processor such as a semiconductor memory, and the like. The internal storage circuit 17 includes a control program related to the delay amount setting method according to the present embodiment, a control program for realizing ultrasonic transmission / reception, a control program for performing image processing, a control program for performing display processing, and the like. I remember. Further, the internal storage circuit 17 is a conversion table or the like in which the range of diagnostic information (for example, patient ID, doctor's findings, etc.), diagnostic protocol, body mark generation program, and color data used for visualization is preset for each diagnostic site. The data group of is memorized. Further, the internal storage circuit 17 may store an anatomical chart related to the structure of an organ in a living body, for example, an atlas.

Further, the internal storage circuit 17 stores the two-dimensional image data, the volume data, and the rendered image data generated by the three-dimensional processing circuit 15 according to the storage operation input via the input interface circuit 20. The internal storage circuit 17 sets the operation order and operation time of the two-dimensional image data, volume data, and rendered image data generated by the three-dimensional processing circuit 15 according to the storage operation input via the input interface circuit 20. You may include it and memorize it. The internal storage circuit 17 can also transfer the stored data to an external device via the communication interface circuit 21.

The image memory 18 has, for example, a magnetic or optical recording medium, a recording medium that can be read by a processor such as a semiconductor memory, and the like. The image memory 18 stores image data corresponding to a plurality of frames immediately before the freeze operation input via the input interface circuit 20. The image data stored in the image memory 18 is, for example, continuously displayed (cine display).

The image database 19 stores image data transferred from the external device 40. For example, the image database 19 receives and stores past medical image data about the same patient acquired in the past examination stored in the external device 40. Past medical image data includes ultrasonic image data, CT (Computed Tomography) image data, MR image data, PET (Positron Emission Tomography) -CT image data, PET-MR image data, and X-ray image data.
The image database 19 may store desired image data by reading image data recorded on a storage medium (media) such as MO, CD-R, or DVD.

The input interface circuit 20 receives various instructions from the user via the input device 60. The input device 60 is, for example, a mouse, a keyboard, a panel switch, a slider switch, a trackball, a rotary encoder, an operation panel, and a touch command screen (TCS). The input interface circuit 20 is connected to the control circuit 22 via, for example, a bus, converts an operation instruction input from an operator into an electric signal, and outputs the electric signal to the control circuit 22. In the present specification, the input interface circuit 20 is not limited to those connected to physical operation parts such as a mouse and a keyboard. For example, processing of an electric signal that receives an electric signal corresponding to an operation instruction input from an external input device provided separately from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 as a wireless signal and outputs this electric signal to the control circuit 22. The circuit is also included in the example of the input interface circuit 20. For example, it may be an external input device capable of transmitting an operation instruction corresponding to an instruction by an operator's gesture as a wireless signal.

The communication interface circuit 21 is connected to the external device 40 via the network 100 or the like, and performs data communication with the external device 40. The external device 40 is, for example, a database of a PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication System) which is a system for managing data of various medical images, a database of an electronic medical record system for managing an electronic medical record to which a medical image is attached, and the like. Further, the external device 40 includes various medical images other than the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 according to the present embodiment, such as an X-ray CT device, an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) device, a nuclear medicine diagnostic device, and an X-ray diagnostic device. It is a diagnostic device. The standard for communication with the external device 40 may be any standard, and examples thereof include DICOM (digital imaging and communication in medicine).

The control circuit 22 is, for example, a processor that functions as the center of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1. The control circuit 22 realizes a function corresponding to the program by executing the control program stored in the internal storage circuit 17. Specifically, the control circuit 22 executes the delay data calculation function 221 and the distribution control function 222.

By executing the delay data calculation function 221, the control circuit 22 receives delay control data (delay data) relating to the delay time (transmission delay time and reception delay time) set in each ultrasonic oscillator when transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. Is calculated.
In the present embodiment, the delay data is calculated by sharing the main body device 10 and the ultrasonic probe 30. That is, a part of the delay data to be set by the ultrasonic probe 30 is calculated, and the rest of the delay data to be set by the main unit 10 is calculated. The details of the operation process of the delay data will be described later with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

By executing the distribution control function 222, the control circuit 22 sets the delay time to the ultrasonic probe within the blank period (also referred to as the configurable period) from the end of the echo reception period to the transmission timing of the next ultrasonic wave. Is allocated to the delay data calculation function 221 and the ultrasonic probe 30 so that the delay data calculation process is completed. An example of allocation of arithmetic processing will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9.

The delay data calculation function 221 and the distribution control function 222 may be incorporated as a control program, or a dedicated hardware circuit capable of executing each function is incorporated in the control circuit 22 itself or the main unit 10. You may.

The control circuit 22 is an integrated circuit for specific use (ASIC) incorporating these dedicated hardware circuits, a field programmable logic device (FPGA), and other complex programmable logic devices. It may be realized by (Complex Programmable Logic Device: CPLD) or a simple programmable logic device (Simple Programmable Logic Device: SPLD).

Next, the ultrasonic probe 30 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to the block diagram of FIG.
The ultrasonic probe 30 includes a setting circuit 301, a delay circuit 302, and a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 303 (also simply referred to as elements). The setting circuit 301 includes an in-probe delay calculation circuit 311 and a delay data processing circuit 312.

Although not shown, the ultrasonic probe 30 also has a matching layer provided on the element, a backing material (not shown) for preventing the propagation of ultrasonic waves from the element to the rear, and the like. The ultrasonic probe 30 is detachably connected to the main body device 10.

The in-probe delay calculation circuit 311 receives the setting information from the main unit 10 and calculates a part of the delay data using the setting information. The setting information is information before scanning by the ultrasonic probe 30, such as the focus and depth of the ultrasonic beam.

The delay data processing circuit 312 receives a part of the delay data calculated by the in-probe delay calculation circuit 311 and the data obtained from the main unit 10 for which the remaining delay data is calculated. The delay data processing circuit 312 transfers these delay data to the delay circuit 302.

The delay circuit 302 receives the delay data from the delay data processing circuit 312, and sets the transmission delay time and the reception delay time for each subarray and each element belonging to the subarray based on the delay data.

The plurality of elements transmit ultrasonic waves generated based on the drive signal toward the living body P at a timing corresponding to the delay time of each element set by the delay circuit 302.

When ultrasonic waves are transmitted from the ultrasonic probe 30 to the living body P, the transmitted ultrasonic waves are reflected one after another on the discontinuity surface of the acoustic impedance in the body tissue of the living body P, and are received by a plurality of elements as reflected waves. Will be done. The amplitude of the received reflected wave depends on the difference in acoustic impedance in the discontinuity where the ultrasonic waves are reflected. When the transmitted ultrasonic pulse is reflected on a moving bloodstream or a surface such as a heart wall, the reflected wave depends on the velocity component of the moving object with respect to the ultrasonic transmission direction due to the Doppler effect. , Subject to frequency shift. The ultrasonic probe 30 receives the reflected wave from the living body P, converts it into an electric signal, and transmits it to the main body device 10.

(About the calculation method of each delay amount)
Hereinafter, as specific examples of the delayed data calculated in a shared manner, transmission delay data (also referred to as coarse transmission delay data) for each sub-array, transmission delay data for each element belonging to the sub-array (also referred to as fine transmission delay data), and It is assumed that three types of reception delay data (also referred to as fine reception delay data) for each element are calculated.

An example of calculation of coarse transmission delay data, fine transmission delay data, and fine reception delay data will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram showing the arrangement of elements arranged in two dimensions. Here, the azimuth direction is defined as the x direction, the elevation direction is defined as the y direction, and the depth direction is defined as the z direction. In the figure, each square corresponds to the element position 701 arranged two-dimensionally. Here, it is defined that 4 × 4 elements belong to one subarray 702. Further, the center of the sub-array 702 is referred to as a sub-array position 703.
For each sub-array 702, a delay distance is generated from the sub-array position 703 to the focus point.

Here, the coordinates of the focus point in the living body P are defined as (xf, yf, zf), and the coordinates of the subarray position 703 are defined as (xs, ys, 0). As the coarse transmission delay data ds, the sub-array delay distance is calculated according to the equation (1).

The operation of the equation (1) may be performed for each subarray 702.
A delay distance is generated for each element position 701 in the subarray 702.

Here, the coordinates of each element are defined as (xe, yes, 0). For each element belonging to the sub-array 702, the sub-array differential focal length is calculated according to the equation (2) as the fine transmission delay data de. That is, the difference between the distance from the focus point to the element position 701 and the distance from the focus point to the subarray position 703 may be calculated.

The sub-array differential focal length is calculated for each sub-array 702.

Next, an example of calculating the entire fine transmission delay data will be described with reference to FIG.
Fine transmission delay data is calculated for each area 705 (sub-array group) that controls a plurality of sub-arrays 702 in common. Specifically, for the element 706 of the same channel common to each sub-array 702 in the area 705 (for example, the element position of the diagonal line), the value that minimizes the residual of the sub-array differential focal length is set to the same channel in the area 705. It is used as the fine transmission delay data of the element 706 of.

In the example of FIG. 4, since eight sub-arrays 702 belong to one area 705, it is sufficient to calculate for the eight sub-array differential focal lengths.

Since the fine reception delay data can be calculated by basically performing the same calculation as the fine transmission delay data, detailed description thereof will be omitted. Further, the fine reception delay data may use the same value as the fine transmission delay data.

When transmitting ultrasonic waves, the delay circuit 302 delays the drive signal from the main body device 10 based on the calculated coarse transmission delay data and fine transmission delay data, and ultrasonic waves are generated from the element. When receiving ultrasonic waves, the received signal from the element is amplified by a receiving amplifier (not shown), multiplied by a delay based on the fine reception delay data, and output to an adder circuit (not shown). The output of the adder circuit is multiplied by a system delay (coarse reception delay) based on the sub-array delay in the ultrasonic wave reception circuit 12 of the main body device 10, and further subjected to addition processing to form an ultrasonic beam.

(Transfer of delayed data and setting processing)
Next, the delay data transfer and setting processing realized by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

First, the concept of a blank period is shown in FIG. The timing chart in the figure shows the transmission / reception interval (PRI: Pulse Repetition Interval) of the ultrasonic waves of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1.

During the blank period 901 shown in FIG. 5, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1, the delay data regarding the ultrasonic wave to be transmitted and received next is transferred from the main body apparatus 10 to the ultrasonic probe 30, and for each element in the ultrasonic probe 30. It is necessary to finish the delay time setting process.

A first allocation example of the operation process of the delayed data for completing the transfer and setting process within the blank period 901 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a sequence of data processing within the ultrasonic probe 30 during the blank period. The item of "input IF" indicates the transfer period of the data input to the setting circuit 301 and calculated by the control circuit 22 of the main unit 10. The item of "calculation" indicates the calculation period in the delay calculation circuit 311 in the probe. “Output IF1” and “output IF2” indicate a transfer period of data output from the setting circuit 301 to the delay circuit 302. Since it is assumed here that the number of connected signal lines (also referred to as the number of lanes) for exchanging data between the setting circuit 301 and the delay circuit 302 is two, two "outputs" are used. Indicates the period of "IF". For convenience of explanation, when the delay data is output from the "output IF" to the delay circuit 302, the sequential delay data setting process is completed.

As shown in the “input IF” of FIG. 6, the setting information, the fine transmission delay data (fine TX delay in the figure), and the fine reception delay data (fine RX delay in the figure) are input in this order. After the input of the setting information is completed, the input of the fine transmission delay data is started in the "input IF". At this time, the in-probe delay calculation circuit 311 starts the calculation of the delay related to the subarray, that is, the coarse transmission delay data (coarse TX delay in the figure) based on the setting information. That is, the ultrasonic probe 30 can calculate the coarse transmission delay data while receiving the fine transmission delay data.
From the viewpoint of circuit scale, it is desirable that the calculation amount of the delay data in the delay calculation circuit 311 in the probe is smaller than the calculation amount of the delay data in the control circuit 22 of the main unit 10. Therefore, in the control circuit 22 that executes the distribution control function 222, the in-probe delay calculation circuit 311 calculates the coarse transmission delay data with a relatively small amount of calculation, and the delay data calculation function 221 of the main unit 10 calculates the coarse transmission delay data. The calculation amount is distributed so as to calculate the fine transmission delay data and the fine reception delay data, which have a larger calculation amount than.

After the calculation of the coarse transmission delay data is completed, the setting circuit 301 outputs the coarse transmission delay data, the fine transmission delay data, and the fine reception delay data to the delay circuit 302 in this order from the “output IF1” and the “output IF2”. .. The output order of the delay data from the output IF is not limited to the order shown in FIG. 6, and may be the order of the fine transmission delay data, the coarse transmission delay data, and the fine reception delay data.

Next, a second allocation example of the operation process of the delay data will be described with reference to FIG. 7.
FIG. 7 performs the same transfer and setting processing as compared with the first allocation example of FIG. 6, except that the number of lanes is different. If the number of lanes can be increased as shown in FIG. 7, the transfer of the delay data from the setting circuit 301 to the delay circuit 302 can be completed in a shorter time. Since it is sufficient that the transfer of the delay data to the delay circuit 302 is completed within the blank period, the output timing of the outputs IF1 to IF3 is determined as soon as the operation of the rough transmission delay data in the in-probe delay calculation circuit 311 is completed. It may be transmitted sequentially.

Next, a third allocation example of the operation process of the delay data will be described with reference to FIG.
In the example of FIG. 8, the case where the number of lanes is four and the values of the fine transmission delay data and the fine reception delay data are the same is shown. When the fine transmission delay data and the fine reception delay data have the same value, either the fine transmission delay data or the fine reception delay data may be received from the main unit 10.

Next, a fourth allocation example of the operation process of the delay data will be described with reference to FIG.
When scanning with an ultrasonic probe is not performed, such as when performing a so-called freeze operation, it is possible that a blank period of several hundred milliseconds is given. In such a case, it is possible to spend some time in the arithmetic processing of the delayed data.

In such a case, if the delay calculation circuit 311 in the probe satisfies the condition that the calculation of the delay data and the setting process are completed within the blank period 901, the calculation of the coarse transmission delay data may be performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, setting information and coarse transmission delay data transferred from the main unit 10 are input to the delay data processing circuit 312. The in-probe delay calculation circuit 311 calculates the fine transmission delay data and the fine reception delay data. The delay data processing circuit 312 may transfer the coarse transmission delay data received from the main body device, the fine transmission delay data calculated by the in-probe delay calculation circuit 311 and the fine reception delay data to the delay circuit 302.

If the condition that the calculation and setting processing of the delay data is completed within the blank period 901 is satisfied, the delay calculation circuit 311 in the probe will generate the fine transmission delay data and the fine reception delay data in addition to the calculation of the coarse transmission delay data. You may calculate a part.

Further, in the above description, the distribution control function 222 allocates the delay data calculation process to the delay data calculation function 221 and the ultrasonic probe 30, but the distribution control function 222 may not be provided. For example, the coarse transmission delay data may be calculated by the in-probe delay calculation circuit 311, and the fine transmission delay data and the fine reception delay data may be calculated in advance by the delay data calculation function 221 of the main unit 10. good.

According to the first embodiment shown above, a delay calculation circuit is provided in the ultrasonic probe in addition to the delay calculation function of the main unit, and the delay data is set and completed within the blank period. Shares the calculation of delay data required for delay setting. In the ultrasonic probe, a part of the delay data is calculated in the ultrasonic probe while the delay data calculated by the main body device is transferred. As a result, the amount of delay data transferred from the main unit can be reduced, and even when the number of elements (number of channels) of the two-dimensional array probe increases, the operating frequency of the input IF of the ultrasonic probe does not increase. Delayed data can be transferred and set within a predetermined blank period.

(Second embodiment)
In the first embodiment, it is assumed that the ultrasonic probe 30 including the calculation circuit (delay calculation circuit in the probe 311) is connected in advance, but the delay data is obtained between the device main body and the ultrasonic probe such as a one-dimensional array probe. It is also assumed that an ultrasonic probe having a number of elements that does not need to be shared and calculated is connected.

Therefore, in the second embodiment, flexible control is realized by determining the type of the connected ultrasonic probe and the like, and determining whether or not to allocate the operation processing of the delayed data based on the determination result. be able to.

A block diagram of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment is shown in FIG.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment except that the control circuit 22 further executes the connection determination function 223 in addition to the function according to the first embodiment. ..

By executing the connection determination function 223, the control circuit 22 determines the type of the connected ultrasonic probe 90, and determines whether or not to perform distribution control of the arithmetic processing of the delay data. By executing the connection determination function 223, the control circuit 22 may determine the number of elements of the ultrasonic array probe.

The connection determination function 223 may be incorporated as a control program, or the control circuit 22 itself or the main unit 10 may incorporate a dedicated hardware circuit capable of executing each function.

Next, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
In step S1101, the control circuit 22 that executes the connection determination function 223 determines whether or not the connected ultrasonic probe controls the distribution of the arithmetic processing of the delay data. For the determination of whether or not to perform the distribution control, for example, it is determined that the distribution control is performed if the delay calculation circuit 311 in the probe is included in the ultrasonic probe 90, and the distribution control is performed if the number of elements is equal to or more than the threshold value. do it. For these determinations, for example, product information regarding the specifications of the ultrasonic probe 90 (presence / absence of arithmetic circuit, number of elements, etc.) is prepared in advance, and the product information is transmitted when the ultrasonic probe 90 is connected. By setting this, the control circuit 22 that executes the connection determination function 223 may make a determination based on the product information. When performing distribution control, the process proceeds to step S1102, and when distribution control is not required, the process proceeds to step S1107.

In step S1102, the control circuit 22 allocates the calculation process according to the calculation amount of the delay data so that the delay data setting is completed within the blank period. For example, the amount of coarse transmission delay data, fine transmission delay data, and fine reception delay data to be calculated according to the number of elements can be grasped, and the time required for calculation can be estimated from the data amount and the operating frequency. Therefore, the calculation processing may be allocated according to the processing capacity of the delay calculation circuit 311 in the probe and the delay data calculation function 221 so that the transfer and setting processing of the delay data is completed within the blank period.

In step S1103, the main unit 10 transmits the fine transmission delay data, the fine reception delay data, and the setting information calculated in advance by the delay data calculation function 221 to the ultrasonic probe.

In step S1104, the in-probe delay calculation circuit 311 calculates the coarse transmission delay data based on the setting information.

In step S1105, the setting circuit 301 sets the delay data by transferring the coarse transmission delay data, the fine transmission delay data, and the reception delay data to the delay circuit 302.

In step S1106, the delay circuit 302 delays the drive signal based on each delay data and transmits / receives ultrasonic waves.

In step S1107, since the ultrasonic probe that does not require distribution control is connected, the main unit device 10 may perform normal operation of transmission / reception delay data, and the main unit device 10 may perform transfer and setting processing of transmission / reception delay data. After that, the process proceeds to step S1106 to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves.

According to the second embodiment shown above, the type of the connected ultrasonic probe is determined, and the distribution control of the operation processing of the delay data is performed based on the determination result, as in the first embodiment. It is possible to complete the transfer of delayed data and the setting process within the blank period, and to realize flexible control.

In the above-described embodiment, a two-dimensional array probe including a plurality of two-dimensionally arranged elements has been described as an example of the ultrasonic probe. Not limited to this, even an ultrasonic probe (also referred to as a one-dimensional array probe) including a plurality of elements arranged one-dimensionally may be used to control the distribution of the above-mentioned delay data arithmetic processing.
The number of elements arranged in one dimension is considered to be smaller than the number of elements arranged in two dimensions, but if the blanking period is extremely short, or if the frame rate is high and the amount of data is extremely large, etc. This is because it is considered necessary to control the distribution of the above-mentioned delay data arithmetic processing.
In the case of a one-dimensional array probe, for example, transmission delay data relating to a set of a plurality of elements is used as coarse transmission delay data, and transmission delay data relating to each element of the set of elements is used as fine transmission delay data, and allocation control of arithmetic processing is performed. Should be done.

In addition, each function according to the embodiment can also be realized by installing a program for executing the process on a computer such as a workstation and expanding these on a memory. At this time, the program that allows the computer to execute the method can be stored and distributed in a storage medium such as a magnetic disk (hard disk, etc.), an optical disk (CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), or a semiconductor memory. ..

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

1 ... Ultrasonic diagnostic device, 10 ... Main unit device, 11 ... Ultrasonic transmission circuit, 12 ... Ultrasonic reception circuit, 13 ... B mode processing circuit, 14 ... Doppler processing circuit , 15 ... 3D processing circuit, 16 ... Display processing circuit, 17 ... Internal storage circuit, 18 ... Image memory, 19 ... Image database, 20 ... Input interface circuit, 21 ... ... Communication interface circuit, 22 ... Control circuit, 30, 90 ... Ultrasonic probe, 40 ... External device, 50 ... Display device, 60 ... Input device, 100 ... Network, 221 ... Delay data calculation function, 222 ... Distribution control function, 223 ... Connection judgment function, 301 ... Setting circuit, 302 ... Delay circuit, 303 ... Ultrasonic transducer, 311 ... In-probe delay calculation circuit, 312 ... Delay data processing circuit, 701 ... Element position, 702 ... Subarray, 703 ... Subarray position, 705 ... Area, 706 ... Same channel Element, 901 ... Blank period.

Claims (7)

With multiple ultrasonic transducers,
Prior to the transmission of ultrasonic waves, a first calculation unit that calculates first delay data related to the first time, which is a part of the delay time set for each ultrasonic oscillator, and
A processing unit that acquires second delay data related to a second time that is a part of the delay time and is different from the first time from the main body apparatus.
A delay setting unit that sets a delay time for each ultrasonic oscillator based on the first delay data calculated by the first calculation unit and the second delay data acquired by the processing unit.
An ultrasonic probe equipped with. A plurality of ultrasonic transducers and a first calculation unit that calculates first delay data related to a first time that is a part of a delay time set for each ultrasonic transducer prior to transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves. With an ultrasonic probe
The main body device connected to the ultrasonic probe is provided.
The main body device has a second calculation unit that calculates second delay data for a second time different from the first time, which is a part of the delay time .
The ultrasonic probe
A processing unit that acquires the second delay data from the main body device, and
A delay setting unit that sets a delay time for each ultrasonic vibrator based on the first delay data calculated by the first calculation unit and the second delay data acquired by the processing unit. Further equipped ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. The first calculation unit and the second calculation unit so that the setting of the delay time for the ultrasonic probe is completed within the blank period from the end of the reception period of the ultrasonic wave to the transmission timing of the next ultrasonic wave. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a control unit for allocating the first delay data and the arithmetic processing of the second delay data . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit distributes the calculation amount in the first calculation unit to be smaller than the calculation amount in the second calculation unit. The first calculation unit calculates the rough transmission delay data related to the sub array, and calculates the rough transmission delay data.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the second calculation unit calculates fine transmission delay data for each ultrasonic vibrator belonging to the sub-array. Claims 3 to 5 further include a determination unit for determining whether or not to allocate the arithmetic processing of the first delay data and the second delay data according to the type of the connected ultrasonic probe. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of the above items. On the computer
Prior to the transmission of ultrasonic waves, the first calculation function for calculating the first delay data regarding the first time, which is a part of the delay time set for each ultrasonic oscillator, and
A processing function for acquiring second delay data related to a second time different from the first time, which is a part of the delay time, from the main unit.
A delay setting function for setting a delay time for each ultrasonic oscillator based on the first delay data calculated by the first calculation function and the second delay data acquired by the processing function. make it happen,
Ultrasound diagnosis support program.

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