JP7190263B2 - Ultrasound diagnostic equipment and automatic storage control program - Google Patents

Description

An embodiment of the present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an automatic save control program.

Recently, in order to improve the user's convenience of the ultrasonic probe of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a technique has been developed for performing an input operation with the hand holding the ultrasonic probe even when the user's hands are occupied. According to this type of technology, by assigning operations in advance according to the movement conditions of the ultrasonic probe itself, the user can input various operations simply by moving the ultrasonic probe.

For example, if a predetermined time has passed since the ultrasound probe was stationary, it is highly likely that the part of the user's attention is being displayed on the display. Therefore, it is preferable to assign an operation of automatically storing the ultrasonic image displayed on the display in the storage unit to the condition that the ultrasonic probe remains stationary for a predetermined period of time. However, if it is determined that the ultrasonic probe is stationary even though the part that the user pays attention to is not displayed on the display, images that the user does not desire at all are stored one after another in the storage unit. It is very inconvenient.

JP 2010-094275 A

The problem to be solved by the present invention is to automatically save images according to the movement of the ultrasonic probe without saving unnecessary images.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment includes a motion analysis section, an image generation section, and a storage operation control section. The motion analysis unit analyzes whether or not an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a subject is in a stationary state. The image generator generates image data based on the signal received by the ultrasound probe. The storage operation control unit performs an automatic storage operation for storing the image data generated by the image generation unit when the predetermined time has elapsed while the ultrasonic probe is stationary, in the storage unit. Further, the save operation control unit prohibits the automatic save operation when the ultrasonic probe is away from the body surface of the subject, regardless of the analysis result by the motion analysis unit.

1 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an ultrasonic probe according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a state of analyzing whether or not the ultrasonic probe is in a stationary state; FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting example of a detachment analysis area; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a detachment analysis area when only a part of ultrasound image data is enlarged and displayed on the display; 2 is a flowchart showing an example of a procedure for automatically saving images according to the movement of an ultrasonic probe without saving unnecessary images by the processor of the processing circuit shown in FIG. 1;

Hereinafter, embodiments of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an automatic save control program will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present embodiment can be applied to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a function of automatically storing an ultrasonic image in a storage unit after a predetermined time has passed since the ultrasonic probe is stationary.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one configuration example of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 and an ultrasonic probe 30 according to one embodiment. In the following description, an example in which the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 and the ultrasonic probe 30 are wirelessly connected to each other so as to be able to transmit and receive data will be described.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 can be used by being connected to the display 21 , the input interface 22 , the positional information acquisition device 23 and the ultrasonic probe 30 . The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 may include the display 21 and the input interface 22 as shown in FIG. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 may be tablet type or smart phone type.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 includes a transmission/reception circuit 11, a B-mode processing circuit 12, a Doppler processing circuit 13, an image generation circuit 14, an image memory 15, a storage circuit 16, a communication circuit 17, and a processing circuit 19. have

The transmission/reception circuit 11 has a transmission circuit and a reception circuit. The transmission/reception circuit 11 is controlled by the processing circuit 19 to control transmission directivity and reception directivity in transmission/reception of ultrasonic waves. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which the transmitting/receiving circuit 11 is provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, the transmitting/receiving circuit 11 may be provided in the ultrasonic probe 30. Both probes 30 may be provided.

The transmission circuit has a pulse generator, a transmission delay circuit, a pulser circuit, and the like, and supplies drive signals to the ultrasonic transducers. A pulse generator repeatedly generates rate pulses at a predetermined rate frequency to form a transmitted ultrasound wave. The transmission delay circuit adjusts the delay time for each piezoelectric transducer necessary to focus the ultrasonic waves generated from the ultrasonic transducers into a beam and determine the transmission directivity by adjusting each rate pulse generated by the pulse generator. give to Also, the pulsar circuit applies a drive pulse to the ultrasonic transducer at a timing based on the rate pulse. The transmission delay circuit arbitrarily adjusts the transmission direction of the ultrasonic beam transmitted from the piezoelectric transducer surface by changing the delay time given to each rate pulse.

The receiving circuit has an amplifier circuit, an A/D converter, an adder, etc., receives echo signals received by the ultrasonic transducers, and performs various processes on the echo signals to generate echo data. The amplifier circuit amplifies the echo signal for each channel and performs gain correction processing. The A/D converter A/D-converts the gain-corrected echo signal and gives the digital data a delay time necessary to determine the reception directivity. The adder adds the echo signals processed by the A/D converter to generate echo data. The addition processing of the adder emphasizes the reflection component from the direction corresponding to the reception directivity of the echo signal.

The B-mode processing circuit 12 receives the echo data from the receiving circuit, performs logarithmic amplification, envelope detection processing, etc., and generates data (B-mode data) in which the signal strength is represented by brightness. The Doppler processing circuit 13 frequency-analyzes the velocity information from the echo data received from the receiving circuit, extracts the blood flow, tissue, and contrast agent echo components due to the Doppler effect, and collects the moving state information such as the average velocity, dispersion, and power. Generate extracted data (Doppler data) for the points.

The image generating circuit 14 generates ultrasonic image data based on echo signals received by the ultrasonic probe 30 . For example, the image generating circuit 14 generates, from the two-dimensional B-mode data generated by the B-mode processing circuit 12, two-dimensional B-mode image data representing the intensity of the reflected wave in luminance. Further, the image generation circuit 14 converts the two-dimensional Doppler data generated by the Doppler processing circuit 13 into a two-dimensional color Doppler image as an average velocity image, a variance image, a power image, or a combination of these images representing movement state information. image data.

The image memory 15 is a storage circuit that stores the two-dimensional ultrasound image generated by the processing circuit 19 .

The storage circuit 16 has a configuration including a processor-readable recording medium such as a magnetic or optical recording medium or a semiconductor memory. A part or all of the programs and data in the storage medium of the storage circuit 16 may be downloaded by communication via an electronic network, or may be provided to the storage circuit 16 via a portable storage medium such as an optical disc. .

Under the control of the processing circuit 19, the storage circuit 16 stores the image data generated by the image generation circuit 14 at that time when the ultrasonic probe 30 remains stationary for a predetermined period of time. Some or all of the information stored in the storage circuit 16 is distributed and stored in at least one storage medium such as an external storage circuit or a storage circuit (not shown) of the ultrasound probe 30, or is replicated. may be stored.

The communication circuit 17 implements various protocols for short-range wireless communication, and can directly transmit/receive data to/from the communication circuit 31 of the ultrasonic probe 30 without going through a network.

The timer 18 is controlled by the processing circuit 19, and sets a count value corresponding to the predetermined time in the counter when it is activated by setting the predetermined time. When the timer 18 starts measuring time, the timer 18 decrements the counter in accordance with the number of clock pulses, and outputs a timeout signal to the processing circuit 19 when a predetermined time elapses to stop measuring time. Further, when the timer 18 receives an instruction to reset from the processing circuit 19, it resets the counter to a count value corresponding to a predetermined time.

The processing circuit 19 implements a function of centrally controlling the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 . In addition, the processing circuit 19 automatically saves images according to the movement of the ultrasonic probe 30 without saving unnecessary images by reading out and executing the automatic saving control program stored in the storage circuit 16. It is a processor that executes the processing of

The display 21 is composed of a general display output device such as a liquid crystal display or an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display, and displays various information under the control of the processing circuit 19 . Note that the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 may not include at least one of the display 21 and the input interface 22 .

The input interface 22 is, for example, a trackball, a switch, a button, a mouse, a keyboard, a touch pad that performs input operations by touching an operation surface, a non-contact input circuit using an optical sensor, a voice input circuit, and the like. It is implemented by an input device and outputs an operation input signal corresponding to a user's operation to the processing circuit 19 .

Further, when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is a tablet-type or smartphone-type ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, the display 21 and the input interface 22 may be integrated to form a touch panel.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 may acquire the output signal of the positional information acquisition device 23 as shown in FIG. The position information acquisition device 23 can be configured using, for example, a magnetic sensor, an infrared sensor, an optical sensor, an acceleration sensor, or the like. Further, when the housing of the ultrasonic probe 30 is provided with a marker, the position information acquisition device 23 obtains the position information of the ultrasonic probe 30 based on the images of the marker from a plurality of directions captured by a plurality of cameras. may be asked for. In this case, it is preferable that the distance between the marker and the transducer array surface or a predetermined position on the housing of the ultrasonic probe 30 is stored in the storage circuit 16 in advance as offset information.

For example, if the position information acquisition device 23 has a transmitter, a magnetic sensor as a position sensor, and a control device, the transmitter transmits the reference signal. Specifically, the transmitter is placed at an arbitrary position and forms a magnetic field outward from the transmitter. A magnetic sensor as a position sensor acquires position information in a three-dimensional space by receiving a reference signal. Specifically, the magnetic sensor as a position sensor is mounted on the surface of the ultrasonic probe 30, detects the three-dimensional magnetic field formed by the transmitter, converts the detected magnetic field information into a signal, and controls the Output to device.

In this case, the control device calculates the coordinates and orientation of the magnetic sensor in three-dimensional coordinates with the transmitter as the origin based on the signal received from the magnetic sensor, and uses the calculated coordinates and orientation as the position of the ultrasonic probe 30. It is output to the processing circuit 19 as information.

The ultrasonic probe 30 includes an acoustic lens, a matching layer, a transducer group composed of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers (piezoelectric transducers), a backing material that prevents ultrasonic waves from propagating backward from the piezoelectric transducers, and these. It has a case that includes the .

As the ultrasonic probe 30, a two-dimensional array probe in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged in the scanning direction (azimuth direction) and a plurality of elements are arranged in the lens direction (elevation direction) can be used. . For example, a 1.5D array probe, a 1.75D array probe, a 2D array probe, or the like can be used as this type of two-dimensional array probe.

Note that the ultrasonic probe 30 may be configured to be able to acquire volume data. In this case, the subject may be scanned three-dimensionally by the ultrasonic probe 30, which is a two-dimensional array probe, or by the ultrasonic probe 30, which is a one-dimensional ultrasonic probe in which a plurality of piezoelectric transducers are arranged in a line. The object may be scanned two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally by rotating the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, or the plurality of piezoelectric transducers of the one-dimensional ultrasonic probe may be mechanically shaken. may move.

The ultrasonic probe 30 also has a communication circuit 31 as shown in FIG. Since the configuration and operation of the communication circuit 31 of the ultrasonic probe 30 are not substantially different from the configuration and operation of the communication circuit 17 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, description thereof will be omitted.

The ultrasound probe 30 may also have processing and memory circuitry. In this case, part or all of the functions of the processing circuit 19 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 are executed by the processing circuit of the ultrasonic probe 30 reading and executing a program stored in the storage circuit of the ultrasonic probe 30. may

Further, FIG. 1 shows an example in which the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 and the ultrasonic probe 30 are wirelessly connected. It may be realized by a communication adapter provided. In this case, the communication adapter may be connected to the housing of the ultrasound probe 30 by a plug or the like, in which case no cable is required. Also, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 and the ultrasonic probe 30 may be connected by wire. When connected by wire, the ultrasonic probe 30 is detachably connected to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 via a cable and a connector. Note that if the connector is provided integrally with the housing of the ultrasonic probe 30, no cable is required.

Next, an example of functions realized by the processor of the processing circuit 19 according to this embodiment will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the processor of the processing circuit 19 implements a save action setting function 41 , a departure analysis function 42 , a motion analysis function 43 and a save action control function 44 . Each of these functions 41-44 is stored in the memory circuit 16 in the form of a program.

The save operation setting function 41 is set by the image generating circuit 14 when a predetermined time elapses while the ultrasonic probe 30 is stationary in response to an input by the user via the input interface 22 or by initial setting. The operation of saving the generated image data in the storage unit (hereinafter referred to as automatic saving operation) is set to valid. When the automatic save operation is set to be valid, the user simply keeps the ultrasonic probe 30 stationary for a predetermined time while the image to be saved is displayed, and the image is automatically saved without any other operation. The image can be stored in storage circuitry 16 . In addition, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic probe 30 from shifting when instructing to save using the input interface 22, and to save the desired image without fail.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a state of analyzing whether or not the ultrasonic probe 30 is in a stationary state. Although FIG. 2 shows an example in which the B-mode image is displayed in a fan shape, the B-mode image may be displayed in a square or trapezoid. The ultrasonic probe 30 according to the present embodiment may be any device as long as it is capable of imaging at a predetermined frame rate while moving the ultrasonic probe 30, and there are no restrictions on the type such as a convex type or a linear type and the arrangement shape of the piezoelectric transducers. do not have.

When analyzing whether or not the ultrasonic probe 30 is in a stationary state based on an ultrasonic image (hereinafter referred to as motion analysis), for example, a predetermined region of ultrasonic image data is a target region for motion analysis (hereinafter referred to as motion analysis). area) 51, and the motion vector of each pixel in the motion analysis area 51 is calculated between the ultrasound image data of the previous frame (for example, one frame before) and the ultrasound image data of the current frame. should be sought.

In general, the user manipulates the ultrasound probe 30 so that the region of interest (ROI) of the subject is positioned near the center of the B-mode image data. The ROI may be a moving part such as the heart. In this case, if the ROI is included in the motion analysis region 51, the motion vector of the motion analysis region 51 indicates the amount and direction of movement of the ultrasonic probe 30. It doesn't matter.

For this reason, the motion analysis region 51 is imaged so as to avoid a central region (hereinafter referred to as an ROI expected region) expected to include at least an ROI in the image data so that the motion analysis region 51 does not include the ROI. It is preferable to provide it near each corner of the data. Further, of the corners of the image data, the area near the upper portion of the image data is more preferable as the motion analysis area 51 because the luminance is often high. Furthermore, by determining the motion vector for the high-brightness region 52, which has a particularly high brightness value, among the motion analysis regions 51 in the upper portion of the image data as the analysis target, the amount and direction of movement of the ultrasonic probe 30 can be stably determined. (See Figure 2). Further, by setting the motion analysis regions 51 at a plurality of locations, the movement amount and movement direction of the ultrasonic probe 30 can be obtained more accurately.

However, the echo data of the motion analysis region 51 above the image data may be affected by jelly for acoustic impedance matching applied to the surface of the ultrasonic probe 30 . In this case, even in a state where the ultrasonic probe 30 is left in the air away from the body surface of the subject without scanning with jelly applied, the motion analysis area 51 in the upper part of the image data as shown in FIG. may indicate high brightness. In this case, when a motion vector is calculated using the motion analysis area 51 in the upper part of the image data, it is determined that the ultrasonic probe 30 is stationary, the automatic save operation is executed, and nothing appears in the center of the image. Unnecessary image data is stored in the storage circuit 16 one after another.

Therefore, when the ultrasonic probe 30 is away from the body surface of the subject, the processing circuit 19 according to the present embodiment prohibits the automatic saving operation regardless of whether the ultrasonic probe 30 is stationary. This prevents unnecessary image data from being saved.

Therefore, the detachment analysis function 42 sets a region including at least the ROI expected region in the image data as the detachment analysis region 61, and the luminance variation (scattering degree, for example, standard deviation, variance, etc.) of the detachment analysis region 61 is If it is equal to or less than the threshold, it is analyzed that the ultrasonic probe 30 is separated from the body surface of the subject. Note that this threshold may be freely set by the user.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a setting example of the detachment analysis area 61. As shown in FIG. The detachment analysis region 61 is preferably set at a position that includes the ROI prediction region and is not affected by jelly. By including the expected ROI region, when the ultrasonic probe 30 is in contact with the body surface of the subject, the possibility that the structure of the subject is included in the detachment analysis region 61 is increased. It is expected that the variation in luminance will increase.

This type of position is preferably an area avoiding the vicinity of the corners, such as the central lower part of the image data. More preferably, in the depth direction D, the image data has a depth width from the deepest position to a depth position that is 70% of the deepest position, and in the width direction W, the image is centered at the center. It is preferable to set an area having a width of 50% of the maximum width of the data as the departure analysis area 61 (see FIG. 3). Note that the withdrawal analysis area 61 may be changed by the user.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the detachment analysis area 61 when only a part of the ultrasound image data is enlarged and displayed on the display 21. As shown in FIG.

The withdrawal analysis function 42 may set the central lower portion of the image displayed on the display 21 as the withdrawal analysis area 61 . However, when only part of the ultrasound image data is enlarged and displayed on the display 21, the image displayed on the display 21 may not include the ROI expected region. Therefore, in the case of enlarged display, a separation analysis region 61 is set in the lower center of the entire original image data, and this separation analysis region 61 is used to move the ultrasonic probe 30 from the body surface of the subject in the background. It is preferable to analyze whether they are separated or not.

In addition, when the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is configured to be able to acquire the output signal of the position information acquisition device 23, for example, by including the position information acquisition device 23, the separation analysis function 42 can It is preferable to analyze based on the output of the position sensor of the position information acquisition device 23 whether or not it is separated from the body surface. Specifically, the departure analysis function 42 detects that the luminance of the departure analysis region 61 is equal to or higher than a predetermined luminance and that the image data captures the part of the subject in the ROI prediction region, the ultrasonic probe 30 It is determined that the ultrasonic probe 30 is in contact with the body surface, and the position and posture of the ultrasonic probe 30 are obtained from the output of the position sensor at this time. Then, based on the output of the position sensor, when it is determined that the ultrasonic probe 30 is separated from the body surface by a predetermined distance (for example, 3 cm) from the obtained position and posture of the ultrasonic probe 30, the separation analysis function 42 It is preferable to analyze that the ultrasonic probe 30 is separated from the body surface of the subject.

Also, the departure analysis function 42 may combine the analysis using the departure analysis area 61 and the analysis using the position sensor. In this case, the disengagement analysis function 42 will determine if either one of the two analyzes results in separation from the subject's body surface, or both result in separation from the subject's body surface. In some cases, the final output may be an analysis result indicating that the object is away from the body surface of the subject.

As described above, the motion analysis function 43 sets a predetermined region of the ultrasound image data as the motion analysis region 51, and compares the ultrasound image data of the previous frame (for example, one frame) with the ultrasound image data of the current frame. A motion vector of each pixel in the high-brightness region 52 in the motion analysis region 51 is obtained from the sound wave image data. Also, the motion analysis function 43 analyzes whether or not the ultrasonic probe 30 is stationary based on the determined motion vector.

The storage operation control function 44 controls the timer 18, and when a predetermined time elapses while the ultrasonic probe 30 is stationary, the image data generated by the image generation circuit 14 after the elapse of the predetermined time is stored in the storage circuit 16. . Further, the save operation control function 44 prohibits the automatic save operation regardless of the analysis result by the motion analysis function 43 when the ultrasonic probe 30 is away from the body surface of the subject.

Next, an example of the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 and the automatic save control program according to this embodiment will be described.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example of a procedure for automatically saving images according to the movement of the ultrasonic probe 30 without saving unnecessary images by the processor of the processing circuit 19 shown in FIG. In FIG. 5, numerals attached to S indicate respective steps of the flow chart.

First, in step S1, the saving operation setting function 41 performs an automatic saving operation (when the ultrasonic probe 30 remains stationary for a predetermined time, The operation of storing the image data generated by the image generating circuit 14 in the storage unit after a predetermined time has elapsed) is set to valid.

Next, in step S2, the withdrawal analysis function 42 acquires a B-mode image.

Next, in step S3, the detachment analysis function 42 determines whether the ultrasonic probe 30 is separated from the body surface. Specifically, the disengagement analysis function 42 uses the disengagement analysis area 61 (see FIGS. 3 and 4), a position sensor, or a combination of these to determine whether the ultrasonic probe 30 is located on the body surface of the subject. Analyze whether it is away from When the ultrasonic probe 30 is away from the body surface of the subject, the process proceeds to step S4, in order to prohibit the automatic save operation, the timer 18 is controlled to reset the counter to the automatic save operation, and the process proceeds to step S2. return. On the other hand, if it is determined that the ultrasonic probe 30 is not separated from the body surface of the subject, the process proceeds to step S5.

In step S3, it is analyzed that the ultrasonic probe 30 is separated from the body surface. For example, before the ultrasonic probe 30 is pressed against the subject.

Next, in step S5, the motion analysis function 43 sets a predetermined region of the ultrasound image data as the motion analysis region 51, and sets the ultrasound image data of the previous frame (for example, one frame before) to the current ultrasound image data. A motion vector of each pixel in the high-brightness region 52 of the motion analysis region 51 is obtained between the ultrasound image data of the frame.

Next, in step S6, the motion analysis function 43 analyzes whether the ultrasonic probe 30 is stationary based on the determined motion vector. If the ultrasonic probe 30 is moving, the automatic saving operation should not be performed, so the process proceeds to step S4, controls the timer 18 to reset the counter until the automatic saving operation, and returns to step S2. On the other hand, when the ultrasonic probe 30 is stationary, the process proceeds to step S7.

When step S7 is executed for the first time, the save operation control function 44 controls the timer 18 to set a count value corresponding to the predetermined time until the automatic save operation in the counter and start time counting. When step S7 is executed for the second time or later, the saving operation control function 44 decrements the counter according to the elapsed time.

Next, in step S8, the saving operation control function 44 determines whether the counter is zero. If the counter is determined to be zero, the image data generated by the image generation circuit 14 at this time is automatically stored in the storage circuit 16 (step S9). If the user instructs the process to end (YES in step S10), the series of procedures ends. If the process should be continued (NO in step S10), the process proceeds to step S4, resets the counter, and returns to step S2. On the other hand, if it is determined in step S8 that the counter is not zero, the process returns to step S2.

By the above procedure, images can be automatically saved according to the movement of the ultrasonic probe 30 without saving unnecessary images.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment performs an automatic saving operation for automatically saving an image when a predetermined time elapses with the ultrasonic probe 30 standing still, while the ultrasonic probe 30 is operated immediately after the start of the examination or during the examination. is away from the body surface of the subject, the automatic saving operation can be prohibited so as not to save unnecessary images. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the ultrasonic probe 30 from saving unnecessary images in the storage circuit 16 . Therefore, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment, the user can automatically save only the images desired by the user, so that the examination throughput can be greatly improved.

According to at least one embodiment described above, images can be automatically saved according to the movement of the ultrasonic probe 30 without saving unnecessary images.

The departure analysis function 42, the motion analysis function 43, and the storage operation control function 44 of the processing circuit 19 in this embodiment are examples of the release analysis unit, the motion analysis unit, and the storage operation control unit, respectively. Also, the image generation circuit 14 in the present embodiment is an example of the image generation section in the scope of claims.

In the above embodiment, the word "processor" is, for example, a dedicated or general-purpose CPU (Central Processing Unit), a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), Circuits such as programmable logic devices (eg, Simple Programmable Logic Devices (SPLDs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and FPGAs) shall be meant. The processor implements various functions by reading and executing programs stored in the storage medium.

Further, in the above embodiments, an example of a case where a single processor of the processing circuit realizes each function is shown, but a processing circuit is configured by combining a plurality of independent processors, and each processor realizes each function. good too. Further, when a plurality of processors are provided, a storage medium for storing programs may be provided individually for each processor, or a single storage medium may collectively store programs corresponding to the functions of all processors. good too.

It should be noted that although several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments are provided by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, replacements, and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included in the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as the scope of the invention described in the claims and equivalents thereof.

10 Ultrasound diagnostic device 14 Image generation circuit 16 Storage circuit 19 Processing circuit 21 Display 23 Positional information acquisition device 30 Ultrasound probe 42 Departure analysis function 43 Motion analysis function 44 Storage operation control function 51 Motion analysis area 52 High brightness area 61 Departure analysis region

Claims (7)

A motion analysis unit that analyzes whether an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a subject is in a stationary state;
an image generation unit that generates image data based on a signal received by the ultrasonic probe;
a storage operation control unit that performs an automatic storage operation to store the image data generated by the image generation unit when the predetermined time has elapsed in a storage unit when a predetermined time has passed while the ultrasonic probe is stationary;
A region including a central region expected to include at least a region of interest in the image data and excluding an upper end region of the image data is set as a departure analysis region, and luminance variation in the departure analysis region is equal to or less than a threshold. a separation analysis unit that analyzes that the ultrasonic probe is separated from the body surface of the subject;
with
The storage operation control unit
When the ultrasonic probe is away from the body surface of the subject, the automatic saving operation is not performed even when the ultrasonic probe is stationary,
Ultrasound diagnostic equipment. The storage operation control unit
When the ultrasonic probe is in a stationary state, the counter corresponding to the predetermined time until the automatic save operation is subtracted, and when the counter reaches zero, the automatic save operation is executed, inhibiting the auto-save operation by resetting the counter when away from the body surface of the specimen;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1. The detachment analysis unit
In the image data, it has a depth width from the deepest position in the depth direction to a depth position that is 70% of the deepest position, and 5 of the maximum horizontal width of the image data centered at the center in the width direction setting a region having a width equal to that of the separation analysis region;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 . The detachment analysis unit
Even if only part of the image data is displayed in an enlarged manner on the display, the ultrasound probe is based on variations in brightness of the separation analysis region set for the entire image data. Analyzing whether is away from the body surface of the subject,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3 . a position sensor provided in the ultrasonic probe and outputting a signal corresponding to the position of the ultrasonic probe in a three-dimensional space;
further comprising
The detachment analysis unit
analyzing whether the ultrasonic probe is away from the body surface of the subject based on the output of the position sensor ;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . The motion analysis unit
setting an area near the top of the image data as a motion analysis area, determining a motion vector of each pixel in the motion analysis area between the image data of the previous frame and the current frame, and obtaining the obtained motion vector; Analyzing whether the ultrasonic probe is stationary based on
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 . to the computer,
a step of analyzing whether an ultrasonic probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a subject is in a stationary state;
generating image data based on the received signal of the ultrasonic probe;
When a predetermined time elapses while the ultrasonic probe is stationary, performing an automatic saving operation of saving image data generated when the predetermined time elapses in a storage unit;
A region including a central region expected to include at least a region of interest in the image data and excluding an upper end region of the image data is set as a departure analysis region, and luminance variation in the departure analysis region is equal to or less than a threshold. analyzing that the ultrasonic probe is away from the body surface of the subject;
a step of not performing the automatic saving operation when the ultrasonic probe is separated from the body surface of the subject, even if the ultrasonic probe is in a stationary state;
Autosave control program for executing .

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