JP7300029B2 - ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM AND METHOD OF OPERATION OF ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and an operating method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged inside a subject and driven to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. , and a method of operating the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that obtains an ultrasonic image of the inside of a subject by driving a plurality of ultrasonic transducers inside the subject (for example, the body of a patient) and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves is already known. ing. In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are composed of, for example, single-crystal transducers that are piezoelectric elements, and are normally used in a polarized state. An ultrasonic transducer composed of a single-crystal transducer can receive ultrasonic waves with high sensitivity, but depolarization may occur in which the degree of polarization decreases as the driving time increases. . When the depolarization phenomenon occurs, the reception sensitivity of the ultrasonic transducer is lowered, which may affect the image quality of the ultrasonic image.

In particular, when transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves by driving each ultrasonic transducer inside the subject, it is necessary to set the frequency of the ultrasonic waves to a high frequency band of 7 to 8 MHz, so the transducer is relatively thin. However, the thinner the vibrator, the higher the risk of depolarization.

Therefore, techniques for dealing with depolarization in ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses have been developed so far. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a piezoelectric element having a piezoelectric body and a pair of electrodes sandwiching the piezoelectric body, a detection circuit for performing detection processing for detecting a detection signal output from the piezoelectric element, and a piezoelectric element. describes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (referred to as a "piezoelectric sensor apparatus" in Patent Literature 1) having a polarization processing circuit that applies a polarization voltage to and performs polarization processing. In this apparatus, for example, the polarization process is performed at the timing when the power is turned on, the timing when a request signal to perform the detection process is input (every reception timing), or the timing when a predetermined standby transition time has elapsed after the detection process is completed. is carried out. As a result, even if a depolarization phenomenon occurs in the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric element can be polarized again, and the reception sensitivity of the piezoelectric element can be maintained.

As a second example, Patent Document 2 describes an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (referred to as an "ultrasonic sensor" in Patent Document 2) having a piezoelectric element and a drive circuit for driving the piezoelectric element. . The driving circuit drives the piezoelectric element with a driving waveform having first to sixth steps. The first step is a step of maintaining the polarization of the piezoelectric element with the first potential V1. The second step is performed after the first step and is a step of causing the piezoelectric element to transmit ultrasonic waves. The third step is performed after the second step, and is a step of making the piezoelectric element stand by at the second potential V2. A fourth step is performed after the third step and is a step of raising the potential from the second potential V2 to the third potential V3. A fifth step is performed after the fourth step and is a step of maintaining the third potential V3 while the piezoelectric element receives the ultrasonic waves. The sixth step is performed after the fifth step and is a step of returning the third potential V3 to the first potential V1. According to such a configuration, the piezoelectric element can be driven while maintaining the polarization of the piezoelectric element by driving the piezoelectric element with the driving waveform having the first to sixth steps.

To give a third example, Patent Document 3 discloses a connecting portion electrically connected to an ultrasonic transducer of an ultrasonic endoscope, and ultrasonic vibration of the ultrasonic endoscope connected to the connecting portion. a judgment unit for judging whether or not the transducer is a capacitive ultrasonic transducer; An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (referred to as "ultrasonic observation apparatus" in Patent Document 3) including an applying unit for applying an electric field is described. In this device, the ultrasonic transducer is polarized when the ultrasonic endoscope is connected to the device main body (ultrasonic observation device), so that the polarization of the ultrasonic transducer is preferably maintained at the start of ultrasonic diagnosis. becomes possible.

As a fourth example, Patent Literature 4 describes an ultrasonic probe repolarization device. This device applies a high voltage to a pair of electrodes connected to the piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic probe, and according to the type of the ultrasonic probe, the voltage value of the high voltage and the high voltage Adjust the application time of By using such an ultrasonic probe repolarizing device, a high voltage sufficient to repolarize can be applied to the piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic probe (probe). It is possible to restore the polarization (in other words, acoustic properties) of the piezoelectric element of the contact.

JP 2013-005137 A JP 2017-143353 A JP 2013-106789 A JP 2013-106789 A

As described above, according to the techniques described in each of Patent Documents 1 to 4, it is possible to maintain or restore the polarization of the ultrasonic transducer (piezoelectric element). However, when using the technique described in Patent Document 1, the polarization process is performed at the timing of turning on the power, at the timing of each reception, or at the timing after a predetermined standby transition time has elapsed after the end of the detection process, so the time required for the polarization process is minutes, delaying the start of subsequent processing. For example, when the polarization process is performed at power-on timing or every reception timing, the detection process cannot be started until the polarization process is completed, and must wait. Further, when the polarization process is performed at the timing when the predetermined standby transition time has elapsed after the detection process is completed, the standby transition time is waited for and the polarization process is completed. process start is delayed. As a result, the time required for ultrasonic diagnosis becomes unnecessarily long.

Further, when the technique described in Patent Document 2 is used, since the drive waveform contains a DC component (specifically, the first, third and fifth steps), the waveform is reduced accordingly. This can affect the ultrasound image generation conditions (eg, frame rate). In other words, as a result of adding the waveform for maintaining polarization to the driving waveform, the driving time of the piezoelectric element becomes longer, and the time required for ultrasonic diagnosis becomes unnecessarily long. When depolarization is suppressed by using the drive waveform as described above, there is a trade-off relationship between image quality and the risk of depolarization.

Also, Patent Documents 1, 3 and 4 are supposed to use dedicated equipment to repolarize the ultrasonic transducer. Specifically, in Patent Documents 1 and 3, a dedicated polarization circuit is provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and in Patent Document 4, an ultrasonic probe repolarization apparatus, which is a separate device from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is provided. However, it is difficult to apply a dedicated polarization circuit or a dedicated repolarization device to existing ultrasound diagnostic equipment because it changes the hardware configuration (specifically, the number of devices) of the ultrasound diagnostic equipment. is.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and aims to solve the following objects.
That is, the present invention solves the problems of the prior art, provides an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of polarizing an ultrasonic transducer with a simpler configuration without affecting the ultrasonic diagnostic time. Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for operating an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

To achieve the above object, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention has an ultrasonic transducer unit that includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, and captures an endoscopic image. and an ultrasonic endoscope, which is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope, drives a transducer to be driven among a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from the ultrasonic transducer unit, thereby generating an ultrasonic image. and an endoscopic image acquiring device connected to an ultrasonic endoscope and operating to acquire an endoscopic image, wherein the ultrasonic processor device A driving voltage is applied to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers to perform a polarization process for polarizing the plurality of ultrasonic transducers while supplying a driving voltage to the transducer to be driven for generating a sound wave image. A transmission circuit that supplies polarization voltages generated under different conditions , a transmission circuit that controls the transmission circuit to supply a driving voltage to a driven transducer for generating an ultrasonic image, and an ultrasonic image a control unit for controlling a transmission circuit to supply a polarization voltage to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers for performing polarization processing while the ultrasonic transducer is not generated, and Before removing from the sound wave processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device, removal permission information for permitting removal of the ultrasonic endoscope is displayed on the monitor,
The control unit is characterized in that the polarization process is performed after an operation for displaying the removal permission information is performed until the removal permission information is displayed on the monitor.

Further, in the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the ultrasonic processor device is provided with an operator console provided for instructing the start and end of ultrasonic diagnosis using ultrasonic images. It is more preferable that the operation for displaying the permission information is an operation of giving an instruction to end the ultrasonic diagnosis using the operator console .
In the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus , at least one of the ultrasonic processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device is pressed after the ultrasonic endoscope is connected to at least one of the devices. It is more preferable that an operation button is provided , and the operation for displaying the removal permission information is an operation of pressing the operation button that has been pressed before starting the diagnostic process again at the end of the diagnostic process.

Further, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described above, the transmission circuit may include a pulse generation circuit , and the drive voltage and the polarization voltage may both be pulsed voltage signals generated by the same pulse generation circuit. preferred.
Further, in the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is more preferable that the drive voltage and the polarization voltage are different in the voltage waveform, potential, and frequency of the pulse-like voltage signal.
Further, in the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the waveform of the drive voltage is a single pulse wave, and the waveform of the polarization voltage is a waveform in which a plurality of unipolar pulse waves are arranged, or a bipolar pulse wave. A waveform is more preferable.

In the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the ultrasonic endoscope is provided with a storage device that stores identification information of the ultrasonic endoscope, and the ultrasonic processor and the endoscopic image acquisition device are connected to the ultrasonic endoscope. More preferably, when the sonic endoscope is connected, at least one of the ultrasonic processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device reads the identification information from the storage device and outputs a signal indicating the identification information. is.
Further, in the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, when receiving signals from both the ultrasonic processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device , the control unit determines whether or not the polarization process is to be performed. It is more preferable to perform the polarization process when it is determined that the polarization process is required.
Further, in the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it is more preferable for the control unit to perform the polarization processing when each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is composed of a single crystal transducer.

Further, in the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the ultrasonic endoscope includes an insertion section that is inserted into the subject and an operation section that is operated by a user, and the insertion section includes a bending section that can be freely bent. and a flexible portion connecting between the bending portion and the operation portion, and the operation portion is preferably provided with an angle knob for remotely operating the bending portion.
In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus described above, the distal end of the ultrasonic endoscope is provided with a cleaning nozzle for ejecting air supplied by an air supply pump and a cleaning liquid supplied from a water supply tank. , and a suction port formed for sucking the aspirant by the suction pump.
Further, in the above-described ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a discontinuation operation unit for discontinuing the polarization processing is provided, and when the discontinuation operation unit is operated during the polarization processing, the control unit interrupts the polarization processing. and more preferred.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, a method of operating an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is a method of operating an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and an ultrasonic transducer. An ultrasonic endoscope that has an ultrasonic transducer unit that transmits and receives sound waves and that captures an endoscopic image; An ultrasonic processor device that generates an ultrasonic image by driving the transducer and transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves to the ultrasonic transducer unit, is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope, and operates to acquire an endoscopic image. and an endoscopic image acquisition device, wherein the ultrasonic processor device supplies a driving voltage to the transducer to be driven for generating an ultrasonic image , and drives a plurality of ultrasonic transducers. A transmission circuit that supplies a polarizing voltage generated under conditions different from the driving voltage to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers to perform polarization processing, and a driving target vibration for generating an ultrasonic image. and controlling the transmission circuit to supply the driving voltage to the transducers, and applying the polarization voltage to the plurality of ultrasound transducers to perform the polarization process while the ultrasound image is not generated. and a controller for controlling the transmitter circuit to supply the ultrasonic endoscope to allow removal of the ultrasonic endoscope prior to removal of the ultrasonic endoscope from the ultrasonic processor and the endoscopic image acquisition device. Removal permission information to the effect that the removal permission information is displayed on the monitor, and the control unit performs the polarization processing from when the operation for displaying the removal permission information is performed until the removal permission information is displayed on the monitor. characterized by

According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and the operating method of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to polarize the ultrasonic transducer with a simpler configuration without affecting the ultrasonic diagnostic time.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. Fig. 2 is a plan view showing the distal end portion of the insertion section of the ultrasonic endoscope and its surroundings; FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross section of the distal end portion of the insertion portion of the ultrasonic endoscope cut along the II cross section shown in FIG. 2; 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a connection structure between an ultrasonic endoscope and an ultrasonic processor, and a configuration of a first signal output section; 4 is a timing chart showing an operation example of a first signal output section; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the waveform of a polarization voltage; It is a figure which shows the flow of the diagnostic processing using an ultrasonic diagnosing device (part 1). It is a figure which shows the flow of the diagnostic processing using an ultrasonic diagnosing device (part 2). FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the procedure of diagnostic steps during diagnostic processing; It is a figure which shows the structure of the ultrasound diagnosing device which concerns on 2nd embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a third embodiment; FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a fourth embodiment; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a fifth embodiment;

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment (this embodiment) of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to preferred embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings.
Although this embodiment is a representative embodiment of the present invention, it is merely an example and does not limit the present invention.

Further, in this specification, a numerical range represented using "to" means a range including the numerical values described before and after "to" as lower and upper limits.

<<Overview of Ultrasound Diagnostic Equipment>>
An outline of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view showing the distal end portion of the insertion portion 22 of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 and its surroundings. In addition, in FIG. 2, for convenience of illustration, the later-described balloon 37 is illustrated by a dashed line. FIG. 3 is a view showing a cross section of the distal end portion 40 of the insertion portion 22 of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 taken along the II cross section shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to this embodiment.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is an ultrasonic endoscope system, and uses ultrasonic waves to observe the state of an observation target site inside the body of a patient, who is a subject (hereinafter also referred to as ultrasonic diagnosis). Used. Here, the site to be observed is a site that is difficult to inspect from the patient's body surface side (outside), such as the gallbladder or pancreas. By using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, it is possible to ultrasonically diagnose the condition and the presence or absence of an abnormality in an observation target site through the gastrointestinal tract such as the esophagus, stomach, duodenum, small intestine, and large intestine, which are body cavities of a patient. It is possible.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 includes an ultrasonic endoscope 12, an ultrasonic processor 14, an endoscopic image acquisition device 15, a monitor 20, and an operator console 100. . Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to a water supply tank 21a, a suction pump 21b, and an air supply pump 21c. More specifically, the water supply tank 21a is used for ultrasonic endoscopy through part of an air supply/water supply channel extending from the end of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 (specifically, a light source connector 32c, which will be described later). It is connected to mirror 12 . The suction pump 21 b is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 so as to be connected to a suction path (not shown) formed in the ultrasonic endoscope 12 . The air supply pump 21c is a device built into the light source device 18, and is formed in the ultrasonic endoscope 12 in a manner that accompanies the connection of the light source device 18 to the ultrasonic endoscope 12. It is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 so as to be connected to an air/water supply channel (not shown). Note that the air supply pump 21c is not limited to being built in the light source device 18, but is separate from the light source device 18 and is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 separately from the light source device 18. can be anything. Conversely, each of the water supply tank 21a and the suction pump 21b is incorporated in another device (for example, the light source device 18), and the water supply tank 21a and the suction pump 21b are interlocked with the connection of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 to that device. A suction pump 21 b may be connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 .

The ultrasonic endoscope 12 is an endoscope as a medical device, and is detachably connected to an ultrasonic processor 14 and an endoscopic image acquisition device 15 as shown in FIG. . Since the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is inserted into the patient's body cavity, it is removed from the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 each time an ultrasonic diagnosis is completed, washed, and cleaned. Disinfected or sterilized. Therefore, when starting each ultrasonic diagnosis, a clean ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 .
“Connected” means to be physically connected (specifically, linked or joined), to be electrically connected by conduction, and to be connected between devices by intervening tubes or piping. To be connected in a state in which fluid (liquid or gas) can travel, and to be connected in a state in which data or signals can be sent and received (that is, in a state in which communication is possible) even if not physically connected. It is a concept that includes

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic endoscope 12 includes an insertion section 22 inserted into a patient's body cavity (inside the subject) and an operation section operated by an operator (user) such as a doctor or technician. 24 and . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, an ultrasonic transducer unit 46 is attached to the distal end portion 40 of the insertion portion 22 . The ultrasonic transducer unit 46 includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 as shown in FIG. 3, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves.

With the function of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, the operator acquires an endoscopic image of the inner wall of the patient's body cavity and an ultrasonic image of the observation target site. An endoscopic image is an image obtained by imaging the inner wall of a patient's body cavity using an optical technique. An ultrasonic image is an image obtained by receiving reflected waves (echoes) of ultrasonic waves transmitted from the inside of a patient's body cavity toward an observation target site and imaging the received signals.
Note that the ultrasonic endoscope 12 will be described in detail in a later section.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic processor device 14 is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 via a universal cord 26 and an ultrasonic connector 32a provided at its end. The ultrasound processor device 14 drives the transducers to be driven among the plurality of ultrasound transducers 48 provided in the ultrasound transducer unit 46, and causes the ultrasound transducer unit 46 to transmit and receive ultrasound waves. Generate an image. The ultrasound processor device 14 displays the generated ultrasound image on the monitor 20 .
The ultrasound processor unit 14 will be described in detail in a later section.

The endoscope image acquisition device 15 is a device that operates to acquire an endoscope image, and includes an endoscope processor device 16 and a light source device 18 as shown in FIG. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope processor device 16 and the light source device 18 are separate devices, and are connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 separately. As shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope processor device 16 is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 via the universal cord 26 and an endoscope connector 32b provided at the end thereof. The endoscope processor device 16 acquires endoscopic image data of a site adjacent to the observation target imaged by the ultrasonic endoscope 12 (more specifically, a solid-state imaging device 86, which will be described later), and performs processing on the acquired data. Then, the endoscope image is displayed on the monitor 20 after performing predetermined image processing. The adjacent site to be observed is a portion of the inner wall of the patient's body cavity that is adjacent to the site to be observed.

Also, the endoscope processor device 16 can communicate with the ultrasound processor device 14 via a wired line or a wireless line. As a result, the signal output from the endoscope processor device 16 is transmitted toward the ultrasonic processor device 14 and received by the ultrasonic processor device 14 .

The housing of the endoscope processor device 16 is provided with an operation button 16a as shown in FIG. The operation button 16 a is a push button for starting or ending the operation of the endoscope processor device 16 , and is pushed immediately after the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16 . , is pushed again when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is removed from the endoscope processor device 16 .
A push button corresponding to the operation button 16a may be provided in the ultrasonic processor 14. FIG.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 includes: A first signal output section 170 and a second signal output section 175 are provided. In this embodiment, a first signal output unit 170 is provided in the ultrasound processor 14 in order to detect that the ultrasound endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasound processor 14 . In order to detect that the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 (specifically, the endoscope processor device 16), the second signal output unit 175 is included in the internal It is provided in the scope processor device 16 . However, the device provided with each of the first signal output section 170 and the second signal output section 175 is not particularly limited. For example, the configuration may be opposite to the above, that is, the second signal output unit 175 is provided to detect that the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor 14, and the ultrasonic wave A first signal output unit 170 may be provided to detect that the endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 .
Note that the first signal output section 170 and the second signal output section 175 will be described in detail in later sections.

As shown in FIG. 1, the light source device 18 is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 via a universal cord 26 and a light source connector 32c provided at the end thereof. The light source device 18 emits white light or specific wavelength light composed of the three primary colors of red, green, and blue light when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 captures an endoscopic image of a site adjacent to the observation target. The light emitted by the light source device 18 propagates through the ultrasonic endoscope 12 through a light guide (not shown) included in the universal cord 26, and passes through the ultrasonic endoscope 12 (detailedly, an illumination window 88, which will be described later). emitted from As a result, the adjacent site to be observed is illuminated by the light from the light source device 18 .

The monitor 20 is connected to the ultrasound processor device 14 and the endoscope processor device 16, as shown in FIG. An endoscopic image generated by the processor unit 16 is displayed. Regarding the display of the ultrasound image and the endoscopic image, either one of the images may be switched and displayed on the monitor 20, or both images may be displayed simultaneously. Moreover, the configuration may be such that these display methods can be arbitrarily selected and changed.
In the present embodiment, an ultrasonic image and an endoscopic image are displayed on the single monitor 20, but a monitor for displaying the ultrasonic image and a monitor for displaying the endoscopic image are provided separately. good too. Further, a display form other than the monitor 20, for example, a form in which an ultrasonic image and an endoscopic image are displayed on a display of a personal terminal carried by an operator may be used.

The operator console 100 is an input device provided for the operator to input necessary information for ultrasonic diagnosis and for the operator to instruct the ultrasonic processor unit 14 to start ultrasonic diagnosis. be. The console 100 is composed of, for example, a keyboard, mouse, trackball, touch pad and touch panel, and is connected to the CPU 152 of the ultrasound processor 14 as shown in FIG. When the operator console 100 is operated, the CPU 152 of the ultrasonic processor device 14 controls each part of the device (for example, a receiving circuit 142 and a transmitting circuit 144 which will be described later) according to the contents of the operation.

Further, the operation console 100 is provided with an interruption operation section 106 as shown in FIG. The interruption operation unit 106 is a part provided for interrupting polarization processing, which will be described later. When the interruption operation unit 106 is operated during the polarization process, the polarization process is interrupted at that point.
Note that the interruption operation unit 106 may be a physical push button or switch provided on the operator console 100, or a display on the operator console 100 when the operator console 100 is configured with a touch pad or touch panel. It may be a button image drawn on the screen. In addition, the device provided with the interruption operation unit 106 is not limited to the console 100, but may be any one of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, the ultrasonic processor device 14, or the endoscope processor device 16. good too.

Next, a procedure for using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 will be outlined. When using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is equipped with an ultrasonic processor device 14 and an endoscopic image acquisition device 15 (specifically, an endoscope processor device 16 and a light source device 18). Attached to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 are attached parts (for example, an air/water supply button 28a and a suction button 28b of the operation unit 24, a balloon 37, etc., which will be described later).

After that, the operator turns on the power of each part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 and inputs examination information through the console 100 . The examination information includes, for example, examination order information including date and order number, and patient information including patient ID and patient name. Further, the operator sets control parameters for ultrasonic diagnosis through the console 100 . Control parameters include, for example, the result of selection between live mode and freeze mode, the set value of display depth, and the result of selection of ultrasonic image generation mode. Here, the "live mode" is a mode in which ultrasonic images (moving images) obtained at a predetermined frame rate are sequentially displayed (real-time display). The “freeze mode” is a mode in which one frame of ultrasound images (still images) acquired in the past is read out from the cine memory 150 (to be described later) and displayed.

In addition, there are a plurality of selectable ultrasonic image generation modes in this embodiment, specifically B (Brightness) mode, CF (Color Flow) mode, and PW (Pulse Wave) mode. The B mode is a mode for displaying a tomographic image by converting the amplitude of an ultrasonic echo into luminance. The CF mode is a mode in which the average blood flow velocity, flow fluctuation, flow signal intensity, flow power, etc. are mapped in various colors and displayed superimposed on the B-mode image. The PW mode is a mode for displaying the velocity of an ultrasonic echo source (for example, blood flow velocity) detected based on the transmission and reception of pulse waves.
The ultrasonic image generation mode described above is merely an example, and modes other than the three types of modes described above, such as A (Amplitude) mode and M (Motion) mode, may be further included.

After completing the input of examination information, etc., the operator presses the operation button 16 a provided on the endoscope processor device 16 . This causes the endoscope processor device 16 to start generating an endoscope image and displaying it on the monitor 20 . Next, the operator or his assistant confirms the state of each part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 as preparation for ultrasonic diagnosis. Items to be confirmed in advance preparation will be specifically described in the section "Example of Operation of Ultrasound Diagnostic Apparatus" described later.

On the other hand, while the operator is making preparations, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 performs polarization processing. The polarization process is a process of polarizing each of the ultrasonic transducers 48 of the ultrasonic endoscope by supplying a polarization voltage to each of the ultrasonic transducers 48 . By performing the polarization process, the ultrasonic transducer 48 that has been depolarized by repeated ultrasonic diagnosis can be repolarized, thereby restoring the ultrasonic reception sensitivity of the ultrasonic transducer 48 to a favorable level. becomes possible.

After the preparation is completed, when the operator instructs the start of ultrasonic diagnosis through the console 100, the operation mode of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 (hereinafter simply referred to as operation mode) is shifted to the diagnosis mode. After that, the operator inserts the insertion portion 22 of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 into the body cavity of the patient. Thereby, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 of the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 are arranged in the patient's body cavity. A diagnostic step is performed while the operating mode is in the diagnostic mode. In the diagnosis step, ultrasonic diagnosis is performed by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, and an ultrasonic image and an endoscopic image are sequentially obtained according to examination information.

After completing the ultrasonic diagnosis, the operator performs a predetermined operation before removing the ultrasonic endoscope 12 from the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 . After a while after this operation is performed, display information (hereinafter referred to as removal permission information) to the effect that removal of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is permitted is displayed on the monitor 20 . In other words, the above operation corresponds to an operation for displaying the removal permission information. For example, an operation of pressing an operation button 16a provided on the computer processor device 16 is performed.

Note that in the present embodiment, the polarization process is performed after the operation for displaying the cancellation permission information is performed until the removal permission information is displayed on the monitor 20 .

Then, the operator sees the removal permission information displayed on the monitor 20 and removes the ultrasonic endoscope 12 from the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 . After that, the operator turns off the power of each part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 to end the use of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 .

<<Configuration of Ultrasound Endoscope>>
Next, an example of the configuration of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a connection structure between the ultrasonic endoscope 12 and the ultrasonic processor 14 and a configuration of the first signal output section 170. As shown in FIG.

The ultrasonic endoscope 12 has an ultrasonic transducer unit 46 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and captures endoscopic images. The ultrasonic endoscope 12 also has an insertion section 22 and an operation section 24 as shown in FIG. The insertion portion 22 includes a distal end portion 40, a curved portion 42, and a flexible portion 43 in order from the distal end side (free end side), as shown in FIG. The distal end portion 40 is provided with an ultrasonic observation section 36 and an endoscope observation section 38 as shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the distal end portion 40 is provided with a treatment instrument lead-out port 44 . The treatment tool lead-out port 44 serves as an outlet for a treatment tool (not shown) such as forceps, a puncture needle, or a high-frequency scalpel, and also serves as a suction port for sucking aspirated substances such as blood and bodily waste. That is, the treatment instrument lead-out port 44 corresponds to a suction port formed for sucking an aspirated substance by the suction pump 21b.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the distal end portion 40 is provided with a cleaning nozzle 90 formed for cleaning the surfaces of the observation window 82 and the illumination window 88 . The cleaning nozzle 90 ejects air supplied by the air supply pump 21c and cleaning liquid supplied from the liquid supply tank 21a. Thereby, the respective surfaces of the observation window 82 and the illumination window 88 are cleaned with air or the cleaning liquid.

Furthermore, the distal end portion 40 is provided with a balloon 37 as shown in FIG. The balloon 37 is detachable, and is attached to the distal end portion 40 at a position covering the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 before starting ultrasonic diagnosis. Further, the balloon 37 is inflated by injecting water (strictly, degassed water) into the balloon 37 from a water supply port 47 formed near the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 of the distal end portion 40 . The balloon 37 is inflated while placed in the patient's body cavity together with the ultrasonic transducer unit 46, and abuts against the body cavity inner wall (for example, the periphery of the observation target adjacent site). As a result, air is removed from between the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 and the inner wall of the body cavity, so that attenuation of ultrasonic waves and their reflected waves (echoes) in the air can be prevented.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bending portion 42 is a portion of the insertion portion 22 that is provided closer to the proximal side than the distal end portion 40 (on the side opposite to the side on which the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 is provided). It is bendable. As shown in FIG. 1, the flexible portion 43 is a portion that connects the bending portion 42 and the operating portion 24, has flexibility, and is provided in an elongated state.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the operating portion 24 is provided with a pair of angle knobs 29 and a treatment instrument insertion opening 30 . When each angle knob 29 is rotated, the bending portion 42 is remotely operated to bend and deform. Thereby, the distal end portion 40 of the insertion portion 22 provided with the ultrasonic observation portion 36 and the endoscope observation portion 38 can be directed in a desired direction. The treatment instrument insertion port 30 is a hole formed for inserting a treatment instrument such as forceps, and communicates with the treatment instrument outlet 44 via a treatment instrument channel 45 (see FIG. 3).

The operation unit 24 is provided with an air/water supply button 28a for opening/closing an air/water supply channel (not shown) extending from the water supply tank 21a, and a suction button 28b for opening/closing a suction channel (not shown) extending from the suction pump 21b. It is A gas such as air sent from the air supply pump 21c and a cleaning liquid (specifically, water) flow through the air supply/water supply channel. When the air/water supply button 28a is operated, the open portion of the air/water supply channel is switched, and correspondingly, the ejection ports for the gas and cleaning liquid are switched between the cleaning nozzle 90 and the water supply port 47. In other words, cleaning of the endoscope observation section 38 and inflation of the balloon 37 can be selectively performed through operation of the air/water supply button 28a. Strictly speaking, the water used as the cleaning liquid is degassed water, which is stored in the water supply tank 21a.

The aspiration path is provided to aspirate a substance in the body cavity aspirated from the treatment instrument outlet 44 and to aspirate water in the balloon 37 through the water supply port 47 . When the suction button 28b is operated while the suction pump 21b is in operation, the open portion of the suction path is switched, and the suction port is switched between the treatment instrument outlet port 44 and the water supply port 47 correspondingly. That is, the object to be sucked by the suction pump 21b can be switched by operating the suction button 28b.

At the other end of the universal cord 26, as shown in FIG. 1, an ultrasonic connector 32a connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 and an endoscope connector connected to the endoscope processor device 16 32b and a light source connector 32c connected to the light source device 18 are provided. The ultrasonic endoscope 12 is physically connected to the ultrasonic processor unit 14, the endoscope processor unit 16, and the light source unit 18 through these connectors 32a, 32b, and 32c, respectively.

More specifically, the ultrasonic connector 32a is a male plug connector, and the ultrasonic processor device 14 has an ultrasonic processor device-side connector that is a female plug connector as shown in FIG. 132a is provided. By connecting the connectors (the ultrasonic connector 32a and the ultrasonic processor device side connector 132a), the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is physically connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 via the connectors. .
Similarly, as shown in FIG. 1, the endoscope processor device 16 is provided with an endoscope processor device-side connector 132b. An endoscope 12 is physically connected to an endoscope processor unit 16 via a connector. As shown in FIG. 1, the light source device 18 is provided with a light source device side connector 132c. By connecting this to the light source connector 32c, the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the light source device through the connector. 18 are physically connected.

1 and 5, the ultrasonic endoscope 12 of this embodiment has a lock lever 35 projecting from the ultrasonic connector 32a. The lock lever 35 is a pin-shaped lever rotatable about a central axis, and is operated to lock the connection state between the ultrasonic endoscope 12 and the ultrasonic processor device 14 . More specifically, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is physically connected to the ultrasonic processor 14 via the connector, the distal end of the lock lever 35 is moved to the ultrasonic end, as shown in FIG. It is inserted into the ultrasonic processor unit 14 through an insertion hole provided in the processor unit 14 . After that, when the operator operates the lever operation part (not shown), the tip of the lock lever 35 in the ultrasonic processor 14 rotates around the central axis, and the lock (not shown) is interlocked with the operation. The mechanism works. The lock mechanism is provided inside the ultrasonic processor device 14 and is locked to the lock lever 35 by being actuated. When the lock mechanism is engaged with the lock lever 35, the connection state between the ultrasonic endoscope 12 and the ultrasonic processor device 14 is locked.

The ultrasonic endoscope 12 is also provided with two storage devices 58a and 58b as shown in FIG. Each storage device 58a, 58b is composed of a DIP switch, a chip, or the like. Of the two storage devices 58a and 58b, one storage device 58a can be accessed from the ultrasound processor device 14 to which the ultrasound endoscope 12 is connected, and the other storage device 58b can It is accessible from the endoscope processor unit 16 with the endoscope 12 connected. However, it is not limited to this, and both the ultrasound processor device 14 and the endoscope processor device 16 may be able to access each of the two storage devices 58a and 58b. Note that the number of storage devices is not particularly limited, and at least one or more may be provided.

Next, among the constituent elements of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, the ultrasonic observation section 36, the endoscope observation section 38, and the storage devices 58a and 58b will be described in detail.

(Ultrasound observation unit)
The ultrasonic observation part 36 is a part provided for acquiring an ultrasonic image, and is arranged on the distal end side of the distal end part 40 of the insertion part 22 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . The ultrasonic observation unit 36 includes an ultrasonic transducer unit 46, a plurality of coaxial cables 56, and an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) 60, as shown in FIG.

The ultrasonic transducer unit 46 corresponds to an ultrasonic probe (probe), and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves within the patient's body cavity. Specifically, the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 transmits and receives ultrasonic waves by driving the driven transducer among the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 in the patient's body cavity. The transducer to be driven is an ultrasonic transducer 48 that is actually driven (vibrates) to emit ultrasonic waves during ultrasonic diagnosis, and outputs a reception signal that is an electric signal when the reflected wave (echo) is received. be.

The ultrasonic transducer unit 46 according to the present embodiment is a convex probe in which a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 are arranged in an arc as shown in FIG. to send. However, the type (model) of the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 is not particularly limited, and other types may be used as long as they can transmit and receive ultrasonic waves, such as sector type, linear type, and radial type. There may be.

The ultrasonic transducer unit 46 is constructed by laminating a backing material layer 54, an ultrasonic transducer array 50, an acoustic matching layer 76, and an acoustic lens 78, as shown in FIG.

The ultrasonic transducer array 50 is composed of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 (ultrasonic transducers) arranged in a one-dimensional array, as shown in FIG. More specifically, the ultrasonic transducer array 50 includes N (for example, N=128) ultrasonic transducers 48 arranged in a convex curve along the axial direction of the distal end portion 40 (longitudinal direction of the insertion portion 22). It is configured by being arranged at equal intervals. The ultrasonic transducer array 50 may be a two-dimensional array of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 .

Each of the N ultrasonic transducers 48 is constructed by arranging electrodes on both sides of a piezoelectric element. Single crystal vibrators can be used as piezoelectric elements, such as crystal, lithium niobate, lead magnesium niobate (PMN), lead zinc niobate (PZN), lead indium niobate (PIN), and lead titanate. (PT), lithium tantalate, langasite, zinc oxide, lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT), and lead zinc niobate-lead titanate (PZN-PT). Ceramic vibrators can also be used as piezoelectric elements other than single crystal vibrators. For example, barium titanate, barium zirconate titanate, and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) are used.
The electrodes consist of individual electrodes (not shown) individually provided for each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 and a ground electrode (not shown) common to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 . The electrodes are also electrically connected to the ultrasound processor unit 14 via the coaxial cable 56 and the FPC 60 .

It should be noted that the ultrasonic transducer 48 according to this embodiment needs to be driven (vibrated) at a relatively high frequency of 7 MHz to 8 MHz for the purpose of obtaining an ultrasonic image of the body cavity of the patient. Therefore, the thickness of the piezoelectric element forming the ultrasonic transducer 48 is designed to be relatively thin, for example, 75 to 125 μm, preferably 90 to 125 μm.

Each ultrasonic transducer 48 is supplied with a pulsed driving voltage as an input signal from the ultrasonic processor 14 through the coaxial cable 56 . When this drive voltage is applied to the electrodes of the ultrasonic transducer 48 , the piezoelectric element expands and contracts to drive (vibrate) the ultrasonic transducer 48 . As a result, a pulsed ultrasonic wave is output from the ultrasonic transducer 48 . At this time, the amplitude of the ultrasonic waves output from the ultrasonic transducer 48 has a magnitude corresponding to the intensity (output intensity) when the ultrasonic transducer 48 outputs the ultrasonic waves. Here, the output intensity is defined as the magnitude of the sound pressure of the ultrasonic waves output from the ultrasonic transducer 48 .

When each ultrasonic transducer 48 receives a reflected ultrasonic wave (echo), it vibrates (drives) accordingly, and the piezoelectric element of each ultrasonic transducer 48 generates an electric signal. This electrical signal is output from each ultrasonic transducer 48 toward the ultrasonic processor unit 14 as an ultrasonic reception signal. At this time, the magnitude (voltage value) of the electric signal output from the ultrasonic transducer 48 corresponds to the reception sensitivity when the ultrasonic transducer 48 receives ultrasonic waves. Here, the reception sensitivity is defined as the ratio of the amplitude of the electric signal output by the ultrasonic transducer 48 after receiving the ultrasonic wave to the amplitude of the ultrasonic wave transmitted by the ultrasonic transducer 48 .

The ultrasonic transducer unit 46 of this embodiment is of convex type as described above. That is, in the present embodiment, by sequentially driving the N ultrasonic transducers 48 of the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 with an electronic switch such as the multiplexer 140, the ultrasonic transducer array 50 is arranged along the curved surface. The scanning range, for example, a range of several tens of millimeters from the center of curvature of the curved surface, is scanned with ultrasonic waves.

More specifically, for example, when a B-mode image (tomographic image) is to be obtained as an ultrasonic image, channel selection by the multiplexer 140 selects m consecutively arranged ultrasonic transducers 48 (for example, , m=2/N) to be driven. As a result, each of the m driven transducers is driven, and an ultrasonic wave is output from each driven transducer through the opening. The output m ultrasonic waves are immediately synthesized, and the synthesized wave (ultrasonic beam) is transmitted toward the observation target site. After that, each of the m drive target transducers receives the ultrasonic waves (echoes) reflected by the observation target site, and outputs an electric signal (reception signal) corresponding to the reception sensitivity at that time.

The above series of steps (that is, supply of drive voltage, transmission/reception of ultrasonic waves, and output of electric signals) is performed by switching the aperture channel in the multiplexer 140 to change the position of the transducer to be driven one by one (one ultrasonic wave This is repeated while shifting each transducer 48 ). For example, in acquiring a B-mode image for one frame, the above series of steps (hereinafter referred to as a pass for convenience) is performed on one end of the N ultrasonic transducers 48 . , toward the ultrasonic transducer 48 on the other end side, N times in total, and each pass forms each image piece constituting a B-mode image. Here, an image piece is obtained by dividing a substantially fan-shaped B-mode image into N equal parts along an arc that is the outer edge of the B-mode image.

The backing material layer 54 supports the ultrasonic transducer array 50 from the back side (the side opposite to the acoustic matching layer 76), as shown in FIG. In addition, the backing material layer 54 absorbs ultrasonic waves transmitted to the back side of the ultrasonic transducer array 50 from among ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic transducers 48 or ultrasonic waves (echoes) reflected at the site to be observed. has the function of attenuating The backing material is made of rigid material such as hard rubber, and an appropriate amount of ultrasonic attenuation material (ferrite, ceramics, etc.) is added.

The acoustic matching layer 76 is provided for achieving acoustic impedance matching between the patient's human body and the transducer to be driven. The acoustic matching layer 76 is positioned outside the ultrasonic transducer array 50 (that is, the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48) and, more precisely, overlies the ultrasonic transducer array 50 as shown in FIG. ing. By providing the acoustic matching layer 76, it is possible to increase the transmittance of ultrasonic waves. As the material of the acoustic matching layer 76, various organic materials having an acoustic impedance value closer to that of the patient's body than the piezoelectric element of the ultrasonic transducer 48 can be used. Specific examples of materials for the acoustic matching layer 76 include epoxy resin, silicone rubber, polyimide, and polyethylene.

The acoustic lens 78 is for converging the ultrasonic waves emitted from the transducer to be driven toward the site to be observed, and is superimposed on the acoustic matching layer 76 as shown in FIG. The acoustic lens 78 is made of, for example, silicon-based resin (millable type silicon rubber (HTV rubber), liquid silicon rubber (RTV rubber), etc.), butadiene-based resin, polyurethane-based resin, or the like. Alternatively, powder such as silica is mixed.

The FPC 60 is electrically connected to electrodes provided on each ultrasonic transducer 48 . Each of the plurality of coaxial cables 56 is wired to the FPC 60 at one end thereof, as shown in FIG. When the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 via the ultrasonic connector 32a, each coaxial cable 56 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device at the other end (opposite to the FPC 60 side). 14 is electrically connected.

(Endoscope observation section)
The endoscopic observation section 38 is a section provided for capturing an endoscopic image, and as shown in FIGS. placed on the edge. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the endoscope observation section 38 includes an observation window 82, an objective lens 84, a solid-state imaging device 86, an illumination window 88, a cleaning nozzle 90, a wiring cable 92, and the like.

As shown in FIG. 3, the observation window 82 is attached to the distal end portion 40 of the insertion section 22 so as to be inclined with respect to the axial direction (longitudinal axis direction of the insertion section 22). The light incident through the observation window 82 and reflected by the portion adjacent to the observation object is imaged on the imaging surface of the solid-state imaging device 86 by the objective lens 84 .

The solid-state imaging device 86 photoelectrically converts the reflected light from the observation target adjacent region that has passed through the observation window 82 and the objective lens 84 and is imaged on the imaging surface, and outputs data of a captured image (that is, an endoscopic image). Output. As the solid-state imaging device 86, a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor), or the like can be used. The endoscope image data output by the solid-state imaging device 86 is transmitted to the endoscope processor device 16 by the universal cord 26 via a wiring cable 92 extending from the insertion section 22 to the operation section 24. be.

The illumination windows 88 are provided on both sides of the observation window 82 as shown in FIG. An output end of a light guide (not shown) is connected to the illumination window 88 . The light guide extends from the insertion portion 22 to the operation portion 24 and its incident end is connected to the light source device 18 connected via the universal cord 26 . Illumination light emitted by the light source device 18 travels through the light guide and is irradiated from the illumination window 88 toward the site adjacent to the observation target.

(storage device)
The two storage devices 58 a and 58 b store information about the ultrasonic endoscope 12 . Of the two storage devices 58a and 58b, the storage device 58b that can be accessed by the endoscope processor device 16 stores identification information of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, and is part of the ultrasonic endoscope 12. For example, it is installed in the endoscope connector 32b. When the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, the endoscope processor device 16 (strictly speaking, the second signal output unit 175) accesses the storage device 58b, The identification information is read from the storage device 58b.

The identification information stored in the storage device 58b is information related to the type of the ultrasonic endoscope 12. Specifically, the type of piezoelectric element that constitutes the ultrasonic transducer 48 included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 46. More specifically, it is information indicating whether or not the piezoelectric element is a single crystal vibrator. The identification information may be either information represented by binary values of "0" and "1", encoded information, or character information, or information combining these. good too. In addition to the above identification information, the storage device 58b also stores information on the manufacturer and date of manufacture of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, and information on the history and frequency of use of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 ( For example, the accumulated driving time of the ultrasonic transducer 48, etc.) may be further stored. Information similar to the identification information and the like described above is also stored in the storage device 58a that can be accessed by the ultrasound processor device 14. FIG.

<<Configuration of First Signal Output Unit and Second Signal Output Unit>>
Next, an example of the configuration of the first signal output section 170 and the second signal output section 175 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. FIG. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing an operation example of the first signal output section 170, and the upper diagram in FIG. The middle diagram shows changes in the input voltage to the second input terminal 170 b of the first signal output section 170 , and the lower diagram shows changes in the output signal from the first signal output section 170 .

The first signal output unit 170 is provided in the ultrasound processor device 14 as shown in FIG. to output More specifically, when the lock lever 35 is operated while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor 14 (that is, when the connection is locked), the first signal output unit 170 ), and outputs a signal to the CPU 152 .

A detailed configuration example of the first signal output section 170 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. and one output terminal. An output terminal of the first signal output section 170 is electrically connected to the CPU 152 . One of the two input terminals of the first signal output section 170 (hereinafter referred to as the first input terminal 170a) is, as shown in FIG. , and the first device-side terminal 133). As shown in FIG. 5, a 5V or 3.3V power supply circuit 172 is connected between the first device-side terminal 133 and the first input terminal 170a via a clamp resistor 171a. Therefore, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is not connected to the ultrasonic processor 14, the potential of the voltage input to the first input terminal 170a corresponds to the supply voltage of the power supply circuit 172 as shown in FIG. (potential indicated by symbol H1 in the figure).

Also, as shown in FIG. 5, the first device-side terminal 133 is paired with another terminal (hereinafter referred to as a second device-side terminal 134) of the ultrasonic processor device-side connector 132a. The second device-side terminal 134 is grounded as shown in FIG. Further, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14, the first device-side terminal 133 is in contact with one of the terminals of the ultrasonic connector 32a (hereinafter referred to as the first connector terminal 33), The second device-side terminal 134 is in contact with another terminal (hereinafter referred to as second connector terminal 34) of the ultrasonic connector 32a. In this state, the first device-side terminal 133 is electrically connected to the second device-side terminal 134 through the first connector terminal 33 and the second connector terminal 34 . As a result, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor 14, the potential of the voltage input to the first input terminal 170a changes from the ground potential (that is, zero) as shown in FIG. Become.

The other of the two input terminals of the first signal output unit 170 (hereinafter referred to as the second input terminal 170b) is a c-contact type provided inside the ultrasonic processor device 14, as shown in FIG. is connected to the common terminal of the change-over switch 173 of . As shown in FIG. 5, a 5V or 3.3V power supply circuit 172 is connected to the normally closed terminal of the changeover switch 173 via a clamp resistor 171b. Therefore, during normal operation (specifically, when the lock lever 35 is not operated), the potential of the voltage input to the second input terminal 170b is equal to the voltage supplied to the power supply circuit 172 as shown in FIG. A corresponding potential (potential indicated by symbol H2 in the figure) is obtained.

On the other hand, the normally open terminal of the changeover switch 173 is grounded as shown in FIG. When the lock lever 35 is operated while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 (strictly, when the lock lever 35 is operated), interlocking with the operation, The terminal electrically connected to the common terminal in the changeover switch 173 is switched from the normally closed terminal to the normally open terminal. As a result, the potential of the voltage input to the second input terminal 170b becomes the ground potential (that is, zero (zero)) as shown in FIG.

Then, when the potential of the voltage input to the first input terminal 170a and the potential of the voltage input to the second input terminal 170b both become the ground potential, the result of the logical operation becomes "true", and the first signal output section 170 A signal corresponding to the result (specifically, an electric signal having a potential indicated by symbol Ht in FIG. 6) is output toward the CPU 152 .

A configuration similar to that of the first signal output section 170 described above may be adopted for the second signal output section 175 . That is, the lock lever 35 is provided on the endoscope connector 32b side, and when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, the distal end portion of the lock lever 35 is engaged with the endoscope connector 32b. When the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is inserted into the processor device 16 and the lock lever 35 is operated in this state, the connection state between the ultrasonic endoscope 12 and the endoscope processor device 16 is locked. In such a configuration, when the lock lever 35 is operated while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, the second signal output section 175 outputs a signal to the CPU 152. You may

The second signal output unit 175 is provided in the endoscope processor device 16 as shown in FIG. A signal is output toward the CPU 152 of the processor unit 14 for the first time. More specifically, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, the second signal output unit 175 reads the identification information from the storage device 58b of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, A signal indicating identification information (hereinafter referred to as an identification information signal) is output toward the CPU 152 of the ultrasonic processor 14 .

A detailed configuration example of the second signal output unit 175 according to the present embodiment will be described. . Then, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is physically connected to the endoscope processor device 16 via the connector, the second signal output unit 175 accesses the storage device 58b to read the identification information, An information signal is generated and output to the CPU 152 of the ultrasound processor 14 .

Note that a configuration similar to that of the second signal output section 175 described above may be adopted for the first signal output section 170 . That is, it is assumed that the first signal output unit 170 is configured by a reader provided in the ultrasonic processor device 14 . In such a configuration, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14, the first signal output unit 170 reads the identification information from the storage device 58a of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, and identifies An information signal may be generated and output to the CPU 152 of the ultrasound processor 14 .

<<Configuration of Ultrasonic Processor Device>>
Next, an example of the configuration of the ultrasonic processor will be described with reference to FIG.
The ultrasonic processor device 14 drives the transducers to be driven among the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 included in the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 to cause the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. Generate an image. The ultrasound processor device 14 also displays the generated ultrasound image on the monitor 20 . Furthermore, the ultrasound processor device 14 (strictly speaking, the CPU 152) of the present embodiment operates during an interval in which an ultrasound image is not generated, specifically during the preparation period before ultrasound diagnosis, and after the diagnosis is completed. Polarization processing is performed when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is removed.

As shown in FIG. 4, the ultrasound processor 14 includes a multiplexer 140, a receiving circuit 142, a transmitting circuit 144, an A/D converter 146, an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 148, a cine memory 150, a memory controller 151, a CPU ( Central Processing Unit) 152, DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 154, and the first signal output section 170 described above.

The receiving circuit 142 and the transmitting circuit 144 are electrically connected to the ultrasonic transducer array 50 of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 via the multiplexer 140, as shown in FIG. The multiplexer 140 selects up to m drive target transducers from the N ultrasonic transducers 48 and opens their channels.

The transmission circuit 144 is a circuit that supplies a driving voltage for transmitting ultrasonic waves to the transducers to be driven in order to generate an ultrasonic image. In this embodiment, the transmission circuit 144 is provided with a pulse generation circuit 144a as shown in FIG. The transmission circuit 144 operates the pulse generation circuit 144a by means of an integrated circuit such as a TX (for transmission)-FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). supply the drive voltage to The driving voltage is a voltage for driving each transducer to be driven so that an ultrasonic beam is transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 during ultrasonic diagnosis, and is generated according to a control signal sent from the CPU 152. It is a pulsed voltage signal (transmission signal). A pulsed driving voltage is generated by the pulse generation circuit 144a and applied to the electrodes of the transducer to be driven via the universal cord 26 and the coaxial cable 56 .

Further, the transmission circuit 144 according to the present embodiment transmits a plurality of ultrasonic waves to polarize (repolarize) the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 during the polarization process (in other words, while the ultrasonic image is not generated). A polarization voltage is supplied to the vibrator 48 . The polarization voltage is a pulse voltage signal similar to the driving voltage, and is generated by the pulse generating circuit 144a in accordance with the system signal sent from the CPU 152. FIG. The generated polarization voltage is applied to the electrodes of each ultrasonic transducer 48 through the multiplexer 140 .

Here, the polarization voltage will be explained. Although the driving voltage and the polarization voltage are common in that they are pulse voltages, the two voltages differ in terms of voltage waveform, potential, frequency, and the like. That is, the polarization voltage is a voltage generated under different conditions from the drive voltage. Specifically, for example, the waveform of the drive voltage has the shape of a single pulse wave, whereas the waveform of the polarization voltage has a plurality of unipolar pulse waves arranged as shown in FIG. is. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of the waveform of the polarization voltage.

As for the waveform of the polarization voltage, as shown in FIG. 7, the interval between the pulse waves corresponds to one or more clock signals input to the transmission circuit 144 (w in FIG. 7). It is preferable that As for the interval w, it is preferable that the polarizing voltage waveform consisting of a plurality of continuous pulse waves can be simulated as a DC voltage waveform. More preferably, they are set at corresponding intervals.
Incidentally, the waveform shown in FIG. 7 is merely an example of the waveform of the polarizing voltage, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the pulse waveform of the polarizing voltage may be a bipolar waveform. Further, the waveform of the polarizing voltage is not limited to a waveform in which a plurality of pulse waves are arranged, and may be a waveform composed of a single pulse wave.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the transmission circuit 144 has the function of supplying the driving voltage to the transducers to be driven for ultrasonic image generation, and the function of It also has the function of supplying a polarization voltage. That is, in the present embodiment, each ultrasonic transducer 48 can be polarized using the existing transmission circuit 144 without using a circuit dedicated to polarization. The configuration of the sound wave processor device 14 is more simplified.

The receiving circuit 142 is a circuit that receives an electric signal output from the transducer to be driven that has received the ultrasonic wave (echo), that is, a received signal. Further, the receiving circuit 142 amplifies the received signal received from the ultrasonic transducer 48 according to the control signal sent from the CPU 152 and transfers the amplified signal to the A/D converter 146 . As shown in FIG. 4, the A/D converter 146 is connected to the receiving circuit 142, converts the received signal received from the receiving circuit 142 from an analog signal to a digital signal, and outputs the converted digital signal to the ASIC 148. do.

The ASIC 148 is connected to the A/D converter 146, and as shown in FIG. ing.
In this embodiment, hardware circuits such as the ASIC 148 perform the functions described above (specifically, the phase matching unit 160, the B mode image generation unit 162, the PW mode image generation unit 164, and the CF mode image generation unit). 166), but is not limited to this. The above functions may be realized by cooperation between a central processing unit (CPU) and software (computer program) for executing various data processing.

The phase matching unit 160 performs a process of applying a delay time to the received signal (received data) digitized by the A/D converter 146 and performing phasing addition (adding after matching the phase of the received data). do. A sound ray signal in which the focus of the ultrasonic echo is narrowed is generated by the phasing and addition processing.

The B-mode image generator 162, the PW-mode image generator 164, and the CF-mode image generator 166 select the driven transducer among the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 when the ultrasonic transducer unit 46 receives ultrasonic waves. generates an ultrasonic image based on the electrical signal output by (strictly speaking, the audio signal generated by the phase matching unit 160).

The B-mode image generator 162 generates a B-mode image, which is a tomographic image of the patient's body cavity. The B-mode image generation unit 162 corrects the attenuation caused by the propagation distance according to the depth of the reflection position of the ultrasonic waves by STC (Sensitivity Time Gain Control) for the sequentially generated sound ray signals. The B-mode image generation unit 162 also performs envelope detection processing and log (logarithmic) compression processing on the corrected sound ray signal to generate a B-mode image (image signal).

The PW mode image generator 164 generates an image that displays blood flow velocity in a predetermined direction. The PW mode image generation unit 164 extracts frequency components by performing a fast Fourier transform on a plurality of sound ray signals in the same direction among the sound ray signals sequentially generated by the phase matching unit 160 . After that, the PW mode image generator 164 calculates the blood flow velocity from the extracted frequency components and generates a PW mode image (image signal) displaying the calculated blood flow velocity.

The CF mode image generator 166 generates an image that displays blood flow information in a predetermined direction. The CF-mode image generating unit 166 generates an image signal indicating information about blood flow by obtaining the autocorrelation of a plurality of sound ray signals in the same direction among the sound ray signals sequentially generated by the phase matching unit 160. . Thereafter, the CF-mode image generator 166 incorporates the image signal into the B-mode image signal to generate a CF-mode image (image signal) as a color image on which information about blood flow is superimposed.

The DSC 154 is connected to the ASIC 148, and converts the image signal generated by the B-mode image generator 162, PW-mode image generator 164, or CF-mode image generator 166 into an image signal conforming to a normal television signal scanning method. (raster conversion), and the image signal is output to the monitor 20 after being subjected to various necessary image processing such as gradation processing.

The memory controller 151 is connected to the ASIC 148 and stores image signals generated by the B-mode image generator 162 , PW-mode image generator 164 or CF-mode image generator 166 in the cine memory 150 . The cine memory 150 has a capacity for accumulating image signals for one frame or several frames. The image signal generated by the ASIC 148 is output to the DSC 154 and also stored in the cine memory 150 by the memory controller 151 . In the freeze mode, the memory controller 151 reads the image signal stored in the cine memory 150 and outputs it to the DSC 154 . As a result, an ultrasonic image (still image) based on the image signal read from the cine-memory 150 is displayed on the monitor 20 in the freeze mode.

The CPU 152 functions as a control section that controls each section of the ultrasonic processor device 14, and as shown in FIG. Control your equipment.

Specifically, the CPU 152 is connected to the operator console 100 as shown in FIG. Control each part. At this time, the CPU 152 controls the transmission circuit 144 so that the driving voltage is supplied to the driving target transducer among the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 for generating an ultrasonic image. As a result, an ultrasonic image corresponding to the ultrasonic image generation mode specified by the operator can be obtained, and in particular, in the live mode, the ultrasonic image can be obtained at any time at a constant frame rate.

Further, the CPU 152 performs polarization processing using the transmission circuit 144 while an ultrasonic image is not generated, specifically during preparation before ultrasonic diagnosis and immediately before removal of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 . In the polarization process, the CPU 152, which is the control unit, controls the transmission circuit 144 so that the plurality of ultrasonic transducers 48 are supplied with a polarization voltage having a different waveform from the drive voltage. As a result, the transmission circuit 144, under the control of the CPU 152, generates the polarization voltage of the continuous pulse waveform shown in FIG.

Incidentally, the potential and supply time of the polarization voltage are set to appropriate values by the CPU 152 according to the specifications of the ultrasonic transducer 48 to be polarized (more specifically, the thickness and material of the piezoelectric element, etc.). It has become. The CPU 152 carries out the polarization process according to the above set values. More specifically, the CPU 152 refers to a condition table (not shown) stored in the ultrasonic processor 16 when performing the polarization process. In the condition table, the conditions for performing the polarization process (for example, the potential of the voltage for polarization, etc.) set for each ultrasonic endoscope 12 are defined in advance. Then, the CPU 152 selects the conditions corresponding to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscope image acquisition device 15 among the execution conditions for the polarization processing described in the condition table. Polarization treatment is carried out according to the

In this embodiment, upon receiving signals from both the first signal output section 170 and the second signal output section 175, the CPU 152 performs polarization processing. Further, in this embodiment, when the interruption operation unit 106 is operated during the polarization process, the CPU 152 interrupts the polarization process at that time (that is, controls the transmission circuit 144 to supply the polarization voltage). ).

<<About the operation example of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus>>
Next, as an operation example of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, a series of processes (hereinafter also referred to as diagnostic processes) relating to ultrasonic diagnosis will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 9. FIG. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing the flow of diagnostic processing using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10. FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the procedure of diagnostic steps during diagnostic processing.

At the start of diagnostic processing, the operator connects the ultrasonic endoscope 12 to each of the ultrasonic processor device 14, the endoscope processor device 16, and the light source device 18, and attaches accessories to the ultrasonic endoscope 12. (For example, air/water supply button 28a, suction button 28b, balloon 37, etc.) are attached.

After that, the operator turns on the power of each part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 . At this point the diagnostic process begins. After connecting the ultrasonic endoscope 12 to the endoscope processor device 16 and turning on the power, the operator presses the operation button 16 a of the endoscope processor device 16 . This causes the endoscope processor device 16 to start generating an endoscope image and displaying it on the monitor 20 . Further, the operator operates the lock lever 35 to lock the connection state between the ultrasonic endoscope 12 and the ultrasonic processor device 14 .

In addition, the operator (or his assistant, etc.) makes advance preparations before starting the ultrasonic diagnosis. Preparation is performed while the ultrasound endoscope 12 is outside the patient's body. In advance preparation, the operator inputs examination information, control parameters, etc. through the console 100, and sequentially confirms the following items (J1) to (J5).
(J1) Presence or absence of abnormality in the appearance of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 (J2) Whether light irradiation from the light source device 18 is performed normally (J3) Whether the endoscopic image is normally displayed (J4) Is air supply, water supply, and suction performed normally by the sonic endoscope 12? (J5) Abnormality in the bending portion 42 and the flexible portion 43 , and item (J4) will be confirmed through endoscopic images as necessary. Note that the contents of advance preparation are not limited to the above items, and may include items other than the above items.

On the other hand, when the diagnostic processing is started, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 side receives the first signal as the ultrasound endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasound processor 14 and the endoscope processor 16. The output section 170 and the second signal output section 175 are activated. More specifically, when the lock lever 35 is operated (locked) while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor 14, the first signal output section is activated as shown in FIG. 8A. 170 outputs to the CPU 152 of the ultrasound processor 14 (Yes in S001).

Further, after the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, the second signal output unit 175 accesses the storage device 58b of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 and obtains the identification information from the storage device 58b. read. Then, as shown in FIG. 8A, the second signal output unit 175 outputs a signal indicating the read identification information (that is, an identification information signal) to the CPU 152 of the ultrasonic processor 14 (Yes in S002). .

Upon receiving the signal output by each of the first signal output unit 170 and the second signal output unit 175, the CPU 152 performs determination processing based on the identification information signal received from the second signal output unit 175 (S003). In the determination process, it is determined whether or not to perform the polarization process based on the signal output from the second signal output section 175 (that is, the identification information signal).

Specifically, in the determination process, the CPU 152 refers to a determination table (not shown) stored in the ultrasound processor device 14 . Necessity of polarization processing is set for each identification information of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 in the determination table. Note that the determination table may be stored in a device other than the ultrasound processor device 14 , such as the endoscope processor device 16 or the storage devices 58 a and 58 b of the ultrasound endoscope 12 .

Then, the CPU 152 determines from the determination table whether or not the polarization processing should be performed on the ultrasonic endoscope 12 identified by the identification information. Yes), polarization processing is performed (S004). In the present embodiment, the CPU 152 performs polarization processing when the piezoelectric element forming the ultrasonic transducer 48 of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is a single crystal transducer. That is, in the determination table, information (flag) indicating that the polarization process needs to be performed is included in the identification information of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 having the ultrasonic transducer 48 made of a single crystal transducer. tied up.

Conversely, if the piezoelectric element forming the ultrasonic transducer 48 is a piezoelectric element other than a single-crystal transducer (for example, a ceramic transducer), the CPU 152 determines that the polarization processing is not required (S003). No), the implementation of the polarization treatment is postponed.

In step S001, the first signal output unit 170, like the second signal output unit 175, accesses the storage device 58a of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, reads the identification information from the storage device 58a, and reads it. A signal indicating identification information (that is, an identification information signal) may be output toward the CPU 152 . Thus, both the first signal output section 170 provided in the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the second signal output section 175 provided in the endoscope processor device 16 can identify the ultrasonic endoscope 12. It is preferable to read the information and determine whether or not to perform the polarization process based on the identification information read by each processor device. As a result, for example, when one of the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscope processor device 16 cannot correctly read the identification information due to disconnection of wiring, etc., polarization processing is performed based on the incorrect identification information. It is possible to avoid the situation of doing (or not doing). As a result, the polarization treatment can be performed safely and reliably. Here, the identification information indicated by the signal output by the first signal output unit 170 on the ultrasound processor device 14 side and the identification information indicated by the signal output by the second signal output unit 175 on the endoscope processor device 16 side , the CPU 152 preferably displays an error warning to that effect on the monitor 20 or the like without executing the polarization process. With such a configuration, safer operation of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 can be achieved.

In step S004, the polarization process is performed while the operator is making preparations. While preparation takes a relatively long time, the polarization process is triggered when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 . is started. As a result, the polarization process is performed during the preparation. By performing the polarization process using the preparatory period before ultrasonic diagnosis in this way, there is no need to separately secure time for performing the polarization process. As a result, it is possible to prevent the time required for ultrasonic diagnosis from becoming longer due to the implementation of the polarization processing.

In the polarization process, the CPU 152 controls the transmission circuit 144 so that the polarization voltage having the continuous pulse waveform shown in FIG. 6 is supplied to each ultrasonic transducer 48 . In this embodiment, since the polarization voltage is supplied to each ultrasonic transducer 48 via the multiplexer 140, the number of ultrasonic transducers 48 that can be polarized at one time is determined by the maximum aperture of the multiplexer 140. It becomes the number of channels (m). Therefore, half of the N ultrasonic transducers 48 (that is, m ultrasonic transducers 48) are polarized in the first half of the polarization process, and the remaining half of the ultrasonic transducers 48 are polarized in the second half. I'm doing it. As a result, all of the N ultrasonic transducers 48 are repolarized at the end of the polarization process.

When the operator operates the operation unit 106 for interruption (scanning for interruption) of the operator console 100 during the polarization process (Yes in S005), the CPU 152 interrupts the polarization process at that point, as shown in FIG. 8A. Then, the supply of the polarization voltage from the transmission circuit 144 is stopped (S006). In this case, the polarization process ends without being completed. On the other hand, if there is no interruption operation (No in S005), the CPU 152 continues the polarization process. Then, as shown in FIG. 8A, the polarization process ends when the elapsed time from the start time of the polarization process reaches a preset time (Yes in S007).

It is preferable that the end of the polarization process be displayed on the monitor 20 or the like to inform the operator of the end of the polarization process.

After completing the preparation, the operator instructs the start of ultrasonic diagnosis through the console 100 . After that, the operator inserts the insertion portion 22 of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 into the body cavity of the patient. On the other hand, when there is an instruction to start ultrasonic diagnosis in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, the operation mode shifts to the diagnostic mode, and the CPU 152 controls each part of the ultrasonic processor apparatus 14 as shown in FIG. (S008).

The diagnostic steps proceed along the flow shown in FIG. Specifically, when the ultrasound image generation mode designated by the operator is the B mode (Yes in S031), the CPU 152 controls each part of the ultrasound processor device 14 to generate a B mode image. (S032), if the designated ultrasonic image generation mode is the CF mode (Yes in S033), each part of the ultrasonic processor unit 14 is controlled to generate a CF mode image (S034), If the ultrasonic image generation mode is the PW mode (Yes in S035), each part of the ultrasonic processor unit 14 is controlled to generate a PW mode image (S036).

The generation of ultrasonic images in each mode is repeated until the diagnosis end condition is satisfied (S037). The condition for terminating the diagnosis includes, for example, the operator instructing the termination of the diagnosis through the console 100 . Then, when the diagnosis end condition is met (Yes in S037), the diagnosis step ends.

At the end of the diagnostic step, the operator removes the ultrasonic endoscope 12 from the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscope processor device 16 to finish the diagnostic process. When removing the ultrasonic endoscope 12 , the operator performs an operation to display removal permission information on the monitor 20 . More specifically, the operator presses again the operation button 16a of the endoscope processor unit 16 that was pressed before starting the ultrasonic diagnosis, or an operation of instructing the end of the diagnostic processing on the console 100 ( For example, an operation of pressing an end button provided on the console 100) is performed. When the above operation is performed (Yes in S009), as shown in FIG. 8B, the CPU 152 of the ultrasonic processor device 14 uses this as a trigger to perform determination processing similar to step S003 (S010). That is, the CPU 152 determines whether or not it is necessary to perform the polarization process. In addition, in this step S010, the determination result of step S003 may be used, and in that case, the execution of the determination process in this step S010 can be omitted.

Then, when the CPU 152 determines that it is necessary to perform the polarization processing (Yes in S010), the CPU 152 performs the polarization processing (S011). On the other hand, when the CPU 152 determines that the polarization process is not required (No in S010), the CPU 152 does not perform the polarization process.

In step S011, the polarization process is performed immediately before the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is removed, more specifically, after the operation for displaying the removal permission information is performed and before the removal permission information is displayed. . The implementation procedure of the polarization treatment is the same as that of step 004 . In this manner, since the polarization process is performed again immediately before the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is removed, ultrasonic diagnosis can be performed with good reception sensitivity when the removed ultrasonic endoscope 12 is used for the next ultrasonic diagnosis. be able to implement.

Further, when the operator operates the interruption operation unit 106 during the polarization process (Yes in S012), the CPU 152 interrupts the polarization process at that point (S013). In this case, the polarization process ends without being completed. On the other hand, when there is no operation (interruption operation) of the operation unit 106 for interruption (interruption operation), the CPU 152 continues the polarization processing, and when the elapsed time from the start of the polarization processing reaches a preset time ( (Yes in S014) ends the polarization process.

After the polarization process is completed, removal permission information is displayed on the monitor 20 (S015). After confirming the displayed removal permission information, the operator removes the ultrasonic endoscope 12 from the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 . After removing the ultrasonic endoscope 12 , the operator turns off the power of each part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 . When the power of each part of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 is turned off (Yes in S016), the diagnostic process ends at that point.

<<Regarding effectiveness of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention>>
A feature of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention is that polarization processing is performed when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 . That is, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, the preparatory period immediately after the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 is used to The ultrasonic transducer 48 within the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is repolarized. Therefore, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, there is no need to separately secure the time for performing the polarization process, and the time required for ultrasonic diagnosis is unnecessarily long as in the apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. It is possible to avoid the situation.

Another feature of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention is that the existing transmission circuit 144 is used to supply a polarization voltage to each ultrasonic transducer 48 in the polarization process. In other words, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention is not provided with a dedicated circuit and equipment for supplying a polarization voltage like the devices described in Patent Documents 1, 3 and 4. The configuration (hardware configuration) can be simplified, and there is no need to change the existing device configuration.

Further, regarding the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, in the above-described embodiment, the lock lever 35 is operated while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor 14, and the lock lever 35 is operated. , the first signal output unit 170 outputs a signal. Then, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, the above signal output is used as one of the triggers for carrying out the polarization processing. As a result, the polarization process can be performed while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is securely connected to the ultrasonic processor 14 .

Further, in the above-described embodiment, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, the identification information is read from the storage device 58b of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, and the identification information is indicated. A signal (identification information signal) is to be output by the second signal output section 175 . In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, the above signal output (identification information signal output) is used as one of the triggers for performing the polarization processing. This makes it possible to identify the ultrasonic endoscope 12 connected to the endoscope processor device 16 and then perform the polarization processing. In particular, in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, it is determined whether or not to perform the polarization process based on the identification information of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, and if it is determined that the polarization process needs to be performed, the polarization process is performed. Take action. As a result, it is possible to omit unnecessary polarization processing.

In the above-described embodiment, the polarization treatment is performed when the piezoelectric element is a single crystal vibrator. Single-crystal oscillators tend to depolarize as the drive time elapses, as described above. Based on this, whether or not the piezoelectric element is a single crystal vibrator is used to determine whether or not the polarization treatment is necessary. becomes possible.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the operation console 100 is provided with the interruption operation section 106, and when the interruption operation section 106 is operated during the polarization process, the polarization process is interrupted at that point. As a result, the usability for the operator is improved. For example, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15, the ultrasonic diagnosis can be started as soon as possible. In this case, if the operator operates the interruption operation unit 106, it is possible to give priority to the start of the ultrasonic diagnosis and interrupt the polarization processing.

<<Modified Example of Ultrasound Diagnostic Apparatus of the Present Invention>>
In the above-described embodiment, while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15, the lock lever 35 is operated, or the data is identified from the storage devices 58a and 58b. It was decided that the information would be read. These are configurations for detecting that the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 . However, the configuration for detecting that the ultrasound endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasound processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 may be other than the configuration described above.

A specific example (hereinafter referred to as a second embodiment) will be described. In the configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the second embodiment. are assigned the same reference numerals as those of , and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the second embodiment, when the operation button 16a of the endoscope processor device 16 is pressed while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, the second signal output unit 175 is turned on. A signal is output toward the CPU 152 of the sound wave processor device 14 . Thus, in the second embodiment, it is detected that the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16 of the endoscope image acquisition device 15 by pressing the operation button 16a.

Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 10 may be used as a configuration for detecting that the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 . That is, it is assumed that the ultrasonic processor 14 is provided with a push button corresponding to the operation button 16a (hereinafter referred to as the operation button 16a for convenience). In such a configuration, when the operation button 16a is operated while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14, the first signal output unit 170 causes the CPU 152 of the ultrasonic processor device 14 to You may output a signal towards.

Another modification (hereinafter, third embodiment) will be described. In the configuration shown in FIG. It is provided on the connector 132a. Similarly, a second signal output section 175 consisting of a contact-type or non-contact-type connection detection sensor is provided on the endoscope processor device side connector 132b.
Note that FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the third embodiment. 4 are assigned the same reference numerals as in 4, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the third embodiment, when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 by connecting the ultrasonic connector 32a to the ultrasonic processor device side connector 132a, the first signal is triggered by this. The output unit 170 operates to output a signal to the CPU 152 of the ultrasound processor 14 . Further, when the endoscope connector 32b is connected to the endoscope processor device side connector 132b and the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, this triggers the output of the second signal. The unit 175 operates to output a signal to the CPU 152 of the ultrasound processor 14 . Thus, in the third embodiment, the first signal output section 170 and the second signal output section 175 are configured by sensors provided on the connectors. Therefore, in the third embodiment, the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 (strictly speaking, the endoscope processor device 16). be detected directly.

Note that the second embodiment and the third embodiment differ from the above-described embodiments in the configuration for detecting that the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the ultrasonic processor device 14 and the endoscopic image acquisition device 15. Although different, it is the same as the above-described embodiment in other respects, and exhibits the same effects as the above-described embodiment.

In the above-described embodiment, the endoscope processor device 16 and the light source device 18 constituting the endoscope image acquisition device 15 are separate devices, and are individually connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12. I decided to However, the configuration is not limited to this, and the configuration illustrated in FIG. 12 (hereinafter referred to as fourth embodiment) and the configuration illustrated in FIG. 13 (hereinafter referred to as fifth embodiment) are also conceivable.

Describing the fourth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 12, the light source device 18 is mounted inside the endoscope processor device 16 . In other words, the endoscope image acquisition device 15 according to the fourth embodiment has a configuration in which the endoscope processor device 16 and the light source device 18 are integrated. When the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is physically connected to the endoscope processor device 16 via a connector, the light source device 18 incorporated in the endoscope processor device 16 is interlocked with this. are also connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 . When the optical device 18 emits light while the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscope processor device 16, the irradiated light passes through an optical path (not shown) in the endoscope processor device 16. It reaches the endoscope processor device side connector 132b. After that, the irradiated light propagates through the universal cord 26 and the light guide within the ultrasonic endoscope 12 and finally exits from the irradiation window 88 provided at the distal end portion 40 of the ultrasonic endoscope 12 .
Note that FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the fourth embodiment. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals as in 1, and the description thereof will be omitted.

As for the fifth embodiment, as shown in FIG. 13, the endoscope processor unit 16 and the light source unit 18 are separate units, but are connected by a connecting cable 19 . Further, in the fifth embodiment, the light source device 18 is directly connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12, while the endoscope processor device 16 is not directly connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12. It is indirectly connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 by being connected to the light source device 18 . That is, the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 according to the fifth embodiment uses only the light source device 18 of the endoscope processor device 16 and the light source device 18, which are connected to each other by the connection cable 19, as the ultrasonic endoscope. 12, the endoscope processor unit 16 can be connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 as well. Moreover, in the fifth embodiment, the second signal output section 175 is provided in the light source device 18 . Then, when the light source device 18 is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12, the second signal output unit 175 reads the identification information from the storage device 58b of the ultrasonic endoscope 12, and a signal indicating the read identification information (identification information signal). After being output from the second signal output section 175 , the identification information signal is transmitted to the endoscope processor device 16 through the connecting cable 19 . After that, the endoscope processor device 16 and the ultrasound processor device 14 communicate with each other, so that the identification information signal is transmitted from the endoscope processor device 16 toward the CPU 152 of the ultrasound processor device 14. . That is, in the fifth embodiment, the light source device 18 is provided with the second signal output section 175 in order to detect that the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the endoscopic image acquisition device 15 .
Note that FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 according to the fifth embodiment. 1 are assigned the same reference numerals as in 1, and the description thereof will be omitted.

In the fifth embodiment, the second signal output unit 175 is not limited to being provided in the light source device 18 and may be provided in the endoscope processor device 16 . In this case, when the light source device 18 is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope 12 , the light source device 18 transmits connection information to the endoscope processor device 16 . Here, the connection information is information transmitted by the light source device 18 as a trigger when the ultrasonic endoscope 12 is connected to the light source device 18. It may be identification information read from. Then, when the second signal output unit 175 provided in the endoscope processor device 16 receives the connection information transmitted from the light source device 18 through the connection cable 19, it outputs the signal to the CPU 152 of the ultrasound processor device 14. Output a signal.

Although the fourth and fifth embodiments described so far differ from the above-described embodiments in the specific configuration of the endoscopic image acquisition device 15, other points are common to the above-described embodiments. , and the same effect as the above-described embodiment is exhibited.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Ultrasound diagnostic device 12 Ultrasound endoscope 14 Ultrasound processor 15 Endoscope image acquisition device 16 Endoscope processor 16a Operation button 18 Light source device 19 Connection cable 20 Monitor 21a Water supply tank 21b Suction pump 21c Air supply pump 22 Insertion part 24 Operation part 26 Universal cord 28a Air/water supply button 28b Suction button 30 Treatment instrument insertion port 32a Ultrasonic connector 32b Endoscope connector 32c Light source connector 33 First connector terminal 34 Second connector terminal 35 Lock lever 36 Ultrasound observation part 37 Balloon 38 Endoscope observation part 40 Tip part 42 Bending part 43 Flexible part 44 Treatment instrument lead-out port 45 Treatment instrument channel 46 Ultrasonic transducer unit 47 Water supply port 48 Ultrasonic transducer 50 Ultra Acoustic transducer array 54 Backing material layer 56 Coaxial cable 58a, 58b Storage device 60 FPC
76 Acoustic matching layer 78 Acoustic lens 82 Observation window 84 Objective lens 86 Solid-state imaging element 88 Illumination window 90 Cleaning nozzle 92 Wiring cable 100 Operation console 106 Interrupting operation unit 132a Ultrasonic processor side connector 132b Endoscope processor side Connector 132c Light source device side connector 133 First device side terminal 134 Second device side terminal 140 Multiplexer 142 Reception circuit 144 Transmission circuit 144a Pulse generation circuit 146 A/D converter 148 ASIC
150 Cine memory 151 Memory controller 152 CPU
154 DSC
160 phase matching section 162 B mode image generation section 164 PW mode image generation section 166 CF mode image generation section 170 first signal output section 170a first input terminal 170b second input terminals 171a and 171b clamp resistor 172 power supply circuit 173 switch 175 Second signal output section

Claims (13)

an ultrasonic endoscope that has an ultrasonic transducer unit that includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and that captures an endoscopic image;
An ultrasonic wave which is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope and generates an ultrasonic image by driving a drive target transducer among the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and causing the ultrasonic transducer unit to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. a processor device for
an endoscopic image acquisition device connected to the ultrasonic endoscope and operating to acquire the endoscopic image;
The ultrasonic processor device comprises:
A driving voltage is supplied to the driven transducers for generating the ultrasonic image, and the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are subjected to polarization processing for polarizing the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. a transmission circuit for supplying a polarization voltage generated under conditions different from the driving voltage;
controlling the transmission circuit to supply the driving voltage to the transducer to be driven for generating the ultrasonic image, and performing the polarization processing while the ultrasonic image is not generated; a control unit that controls the transmission circuit to supply the polarization voltage to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers for
before removing the ultrasonic endoscope from the ultrasonic processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device, removal permission information for permitting removal of the ultrasonic endoscope is displayed on the monitor;
The ultrasonic diagnosis, wherein the control unit performs the polarization process after an operation for displaying the removal permission information is performed until the removal permission information is displayed on the monitor. Device. The ultrasonic processor device is provided with an operator console provided for instructing the start and end of ultrasonic diagnosis using the ultrasonic image,
2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation for displaying the removal permission information is an operation for instructing termination of the ultrasonic diagnosis by the operator console. At least one of the ultrasonic processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device is provided with an operation button that is pressed after the ultrasonic endoscope is connected to the at least one device. cage,
2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the operation for displaying the removal permission information is an operation of pressing again the operation button that has been pressed before starting the diagnostic processing when the diagnostic processing ends. The transmission circuit comprises a pulse generation circuit ,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein both the driving voltage and the polarizing voltage are pulse voltage signals generated by the same pulse generating circuit. 5. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the driving voltage and the polarizing voltage are different in voltage waveform, potential and frequency of the pulse voltage signal. The waveform of the driving voltage is a single pulse wave shape,
6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the waveform of the polarization voltage is a waveform obtained by arranging a plurality of unipolar pulse waves or a bipolar pulse waveform. The ultrasonic endoscope is provided with a storage device that stores identification information of the ultrasonic endoscope,
When the ultrasonic endoscope is connected to the ultrasonic processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device, at least one of the ultrasonic processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device 6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein said identification information is read from said storage device and a signal indicating said identification information is output. Upon receiving signals from both the ultrasonic processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device, the control unit determines whether or not to perform the polarization processing based on the signal indicating the identification information. 8. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the polarization processing is performed when it is determined that the polarization processing needs to be performed. 9. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller performs the polarization processing when each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is composed of a single crystal transducer. The ultrasonic endoscope includes an insertion section inserted into the subject and an operation section operated by a user,
The insertion portion is provided with a bending portion that is freely bendable and a flexible portion that connects the bending portion and the operation portion,
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the operation section is provided with an angle knob for remotely operating the bending section. At the tip of the ultrasonic endoscope,
a cleaning nozzle for ejecting air supplied by an air supply pump and a cleaning liquid supplied from a water supply tank;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a suction port formed for sucking an aspirated substance by a suction pump. having an interruption operation unit for interrupting the polarization process;
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein when the interruption operation section is operated during the polarization processing, the control section interrupts the polarization processing. A method of operating an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, comprising:
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is
an ultrasonic endoscope that has an ultrasonic transducer unit that includes a plurality of ultrasonic transducers and that transmits and receives ultrasonic waves, and that captures an endoscopic image;
An ultrasonic wave which is connected to the ultrasonic endoscope and generates an ultrasonic image by driving a drive target transducer among the plurality of ultrasonic transducers and causing the ultrasonic transducer unit to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves. a processor device for
an endoscopic image acquisition device connected to the ultrasonic endoscope and operating to acquire the endoscopic image;
The ultrasonic processor device comprises:
A driving voltage is supplied to the driven transducers for generating the ultrasonic image, and the plurality of ultrasonic transducers are subjected to polarization processing for polarizing the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. a transmission circuit for supplying a polarization voltage generated under conditions different from the driving voltage;
controlling the transmission circuit to supply the driving voltage to the transducer to be driven for generating the ultrasonic image, and performing the polarization processing while the ultrasonic image is not generated; a control unit that controls the transmission circuit to supply the polarization voltage to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers for
before removing the ultrasonic endoscope from the ultrasonic processor device and the endoscopic image acquisition device, removal permission information for permitting removal of the ultrasonic endoscope is displayed on the monitor;
The ultrasonic diagnosis, wherein the control unit performs the polarization process after an operation for displaying the removal permission information is performed until the removal permission information is displayed on the monitor. How the device works.

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