JPH02156938A - Ultrasonic diagnosing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To permit the disposal of the diversity of a probe by installing a control part which reads information from an external memory medium installed into an installation part according to the kind of the probe to be used and the instruction information supplied from an operating means and processes said information as control information and stores said control information into a RAM. CONSTITUTION:In order to discriminate the kind of a probe 3, a probe circuit reading circuit 17 reads the probe code for reading the code applied into the probe 3, and an A/D conversion circuit 19 converts the signal obtained by a received wave shaping part 18 to the digital data. A DSC write-in control circuit 20 writes the data supplied from an A/D conversion circuit 19 into a DSC 21 according to the address data, and is equipped with a RAM for generating the address data. A device control part 22 controls the whole of the device, and reads the control information from a ROM pack 5 which is connected through a connector 4, on the basis of the information instructed by an operating panel 6 and the information read by the probe circuit reading circuit 17, and stores said control information into the RAM of a delay quantity selecting circuit 14, selection control circuit 15, and the DSC write-in control circuit 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to which a plurality of probes can be selectively attached.

[Conventional technology]

In general, ultrasound diagnostic equipment transmits ultrasound waves from an ultrasound transducer called a probe into a living body such as a human body, and analyzes the internal tissue structure of the living body by analyzing the reflected ultrasound echoes from inside the living body. It is used to diagnose etc.

Among such ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses, a composite type apparatus is provided in which a plurality of types of probes can be attached to one diagnostic apparatus main body. Depending on the device, 10 to 20 different probes can be selectively attached.

By the way, the probe is composed of a plurality of vibrators (hereinafter simply referred to as elements), and by selecting a group of elements to be driven and sequentially shifting them,
Or by adjusting the amount of delay given to each element,
It realizes electronic scanning or electronic focusing. Such selection data of drive elements and data on the amount of delay given to each element differ depending on the type of probe. Also, if the probe scanning method is different, such as sector scanning type, linear scanning type, or competition scanning type, the DS
The writing position in the memory of C (digital scan converter) also differs.

Therefore, in a conventional composite ultrasonic diagnostic device, drive element selection data, delay amount selection data,
and DSC write position data are stored in the ROM, and these are selected as appropriate depending on the probe to be used. Taking delay amount selection data as an example, the data is read from the ROM using scanning line information from the transmission/reception control circuit and focus information and probe information from the CPU of the device control section as addresses. .

For example, in order to scan the ultrasonic beam transmitted from each element group 40 in sectors as shown by B+, Bz, and Bx in FIG. 6A, as shown in FIG. 6B, each element The amount of delay is characteristic.

The amount of delay of the transmitted and received signals must be changed for each scanning line so that beam B2 becomes L2, beam B becomes L2, and so on. Also,
To display this as an image, the obtained data must be
It is necessary to write to the DSC memory as shown in Figure C.

On the other hand, in the case of linear scanning as shown in FIG. 7A, the selection of the delay amount is also shifted while the selection of the driving element group is shifted, as shown in FIG. 7B, boxes 1 to L3. Then, data is written into the DSC memory as shown in FIG. 7C. At this time, if the displayed size is different, the 7th D
It may also be written as shown in the figure.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

As mentioned above, in the above-mentioned complex ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a ROM is provided in each of the drive element selection circuit, delay amount selection circuit, and DSC write control circuit in order to correspond to the conditions of the probe used. Then, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 80, drive element selection data, delay amount selection data, and DSC write position control data are stored in each R.
The information is stored in the OM, and the contents of the ROM are selected and used according to the conditions.

However, as the number of types of probes that can be attached to one device increases, the capacity of the ROM becomes enormous, for example, about 10 megabits. Therefore, each of the circuits described above becomes too large.

Furthermore, since new probes are developed one after another, it is necessary to add new probe data to the ROM in the device each time a probe is developed.

Considering actual usage conditions, even if a device can attach a large number of probes, the current situation is that users purchase and use two to three probes from among the probes that can be attached. Therefore, looking at each user separately,
Most of the ROM circuit is wasted.

An object of the present invention is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can accommodate diversification of probes, prevent increase in ROM capacity in each circuit, and realize miniaturization of the apparatus.

[Means to solve the problem]

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention is capable of selectively attaching a plurality of probes, and includes a RAM for storing control information according to the probe to be used, and an attachment capable of detachably attaching an external storage medium. The device is equipped with a control section, an operating means for externally instructing information regarding the probe to be used and diagnostic information, and a control section.

The control unit reads information from an external storage medium attached to the attachment unit according to the type of probe to be used and input instruction information from the operation means, and also reads the read information according to the probe to be used. is processed as control information and stored in the RAM.

[Effect]

In this invention, for example, RO
Prepare M bag. One ROM pack stores control information for several probes rather than all the probes that can be attached to the device. Then, select an R0M pack according to the probe to be connected and attach it to the main body of the device. When setting conditions, etc., the R attached to the main body of the device
Read the data from the OM back and leave it as is.
Alternatively, it may be processed in a predetermined manner to become control information, and transferred to the RAM of each circuit. The data transferred to this RAM is used as drive element selection data, delay amount selection data, DSC write position data, etc., as in the conventional case.

As a result, the main unit of the device can be replaced with a conventional large-capacity ROM.
It is only necessary to provide a small-capacity RAM instead, and the device can be made smaller.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a portion 1 surrounded by a dashed-dotted line is the main body of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. Various probes 3 can be connected to this diagnostic device main body 1 via a connector 2, and a ROM pack 5, which will be described in detail later, can be attached via a connector 4. Reference numeral 6 denotes an operation console for the operator to input various information such as diagnostic information, and various input keys and the like are arranged thereon. Reference numeral 7 denotes a display device composed of a CRT.

In the diagnostic device main body 1, 10 is a transmission generating section that generates a trigger pulse for ultrasound transmission, and 11 is this transmission generating section 1.
This is a delay circuit that gives a predetermined amount of delay to the trigger pulse from 0 and also gives a predetermined amount of delay to the received reflected echo. Reference numeral 12 denotes a pulser and a receiving circuit that are driven by a trigger pulse that has undergone a predetermined delay and have the functions of a plurality of high-frequency pulse oscillators (pulsars) that generate high-frequency pulses and a receiving circuit that receives reflected echoes. Reference numeral 13 denotes a transmitting/receiving element selection circuit for selecting which element to drive among the plurality of element groups making up the probe 3, and from which element to receive reflected echoes.

14 is a delay amount selection circuit that selects the amount of delay to be given to the delay circuit 11;
It has M. Further, 15 is a selection control circuit that transmits drive element selection data to the transmission/reception element selection circuit 13;
Like the delay amount selection circuit 14, it has a RAM.
Drive element selection data is written in M. Reference numeral 16 denotes a transmission/reception control circuit, which switches each circuit between transmission/reception and outputs scanning line information.

17 is probe 3 in order to identify 30 types of probes.
This is a probe code reading circuit that reads the code attached to the probe. Reference numeral 18 denotes a delivery shaping section that performs signal processing of reflected echoes, and is composed of an amplifier, a waveform shaping circuit, a filter, and the like. Reference numeral 19 denotes an A/D conversion circuit that converts the signal obtained by the receiving wave shaping section 18 into digital data. Further, 20 is a DSC write control circuit that generates address data and writes data from the A/D conversion circuit 19 to the DSC 21 according to this address data, and has a RAM for generating address data. . 22 is a device control unit (
(hereinafter referred to as CPU) and 1. In addition to controlling the entire device, based on the information instructed by the operation console 6,
Also, based on the information read by the probe code reading circuit 17, control information is read from the ROM pack 5 connected via the connector 4, and is sent to the delay amount selection circuit 14, selection control circuit 15, and DSC write control. It is stored in the RAM of the circuit 20.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of the delay circuit 11 and the delay amount selection circuit 14. The delay circuit 11 includes a delay line 25, a multiplexer 26 as a switch, and a switch 27 for switching between transmission and reception.

The delay amount selection circuit 14 selects signals from the ROM pack 5 to the CPU 22.
A RAM 28 in which delay amount selection data is stored via;
It has a latch 29 that latches data in the RAM 28, and write/read addresses for the RAM 2B are given via a selector 30.

The selector 30 selects address data from the CPU 22 during writing, and scan line information and address data during reading.

Note that the selection control circuit 15 and the DSC write control circuit 2
0 also basically has the same configuration as the delay amount selection circuit 14.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the ROM pack 5, in which a ROM 32 is mounted on a substrate 31.

These are covered with a case 33 (indicated by a two-dot chain line), and a connector insertion portion 34 is provided at the end of the case 33.
is provided. Figure 4 is a schematic representation of this.
The ROM 32 is connected to an address bus and a data bus, and is also supplied with power via the connector 4.

Next, the effect will be explained.

The capacity of the ROM pack 5 is about 3 to 4 probes, and as shown in FIG. 5, the ROM 32 of the ROM pack 5 stores drive element selection data, delay amount selection data, and and DSC write position data are stored.

A ROM pack 5 selected according to the user is attached to the device main body 1 via the connector 4.

When the power is turned on, the probe code of the probe 3 connected to the device main body 1 is read by the probe code reading circuit 17.
The CPU 22 identifies the type of probe 3 based on this probe code information. On the other hand, information such as the focus position of the beam, the angle at the time of sector scanning, the size, etc. is input from the console 6. Based on the identification results of the types of the blocks 9 to 3 and the input instruction information from the operation console 6, the CPU 22 converts data matching these information into R.
Read from OM pack 5. The data read from the ROM pack 5 includes drive element selection data,
These are delay element selection data and DSC write position data. These data are written to the respective RAMs of the delay amount selection circuit 14, selection control circuit 15, and DSC write control circuit 20, either as they are or after being subjected to predetermined processing.

The device main body 1 performs the same operations as conventional ones based on the data written to each of the circuits 14, 15, and 20. That is, a trigger pulse is output from the transmission generator 10, and the delay circuit 1
1, a predetermined delay is received by the set delay amount from the delay amount selection circuit 14.

This delayed trigger pulse drives the high frequency pulse oscillator of the pulser and receiver circuit 12. The high frequency pulse output from the pulser and receiver circuit 12 is
Probe 3 selected by transmitting/receiving element selection circuit 13
The voltage is applied to predetermined elements constituting the . At this time, the amount of delay and selection of elements are determined by the operations described above for each circuit 14 and 1.
This is performed based on the data stored in the RAM of No. 5.

When the ultrasound beam is transmitted from the probe 3 into the living body by the above-described operation, a reflected echo is returned from the living body. This reflected echo is received by the probe 3,
This reflected echo signal is input to the receiving wave shaping section 18 via a path opposite to that described above. The reflected echo is processed by the receiving wave shaping section 1.
At 8, the signal is subjected to signal processing such as amplification, waveform shaping, and filter processing, and is converted into digital data by the A/D conversion circuit 19 and sent to the DSC write control circuit 20.

In the DSC write control circuit 20, address data corresponding to the scanning method is stored in the RAM, and data from the A/D conversion circuit 19 is written into the memory of the DSC 21 based on this address data. This data is then processed by the DSC 21 into a signal that can be displayed on a CRT and displayed on the display 7.

Here, data writing and reading operations to and from the RAM will be described using the delay circuit 11 and the delay amount selection circuit 14 as examples.

First, when writing data, address data from the CPU 22 is selected by the selector 30. Therefore, the delay amount selection data read from the ROM pack 5 by the CPU 22 is written into the RAM 28 according to the address data from the CPU 22. Furthermore, this C
Address data from the PU 22 is generated according to input instruction information from the connected probe 3 and console 6.

On the other hand, when reading data, the selector 30 selects the scanning line information from the transmission/reception control circuit 16 as an address. The data in the RAM 2B is read out only according to the scanning line information and sent to the delay circuit 11 via the latch 29.
output to the side.

In this way, the address data at the time of writing is
2, it is generated in response to input instruction information from the connected probe 3 and operation console 6, so focus information and probe information are not required as address inputs during readout, unlike conventional delay selection circuits. .

Although not shown, the same applies to the selection control circuit 5 and the DSC write control circuit 20, and by creating an address at the time of writing by the CPU 22,
Compared to conventional circuits, the selection control circuit 15 does not require focus information and probe information to be input as address inputs, and the DSC write control circuit 20 does not require probe information and display size information.

Here, the drive element selection data, delay amount selection data, and DSC write position data stored in the ROM pack 5 may be simple depending on the conditions.

For example, in a sector probe, there is almost no need to switch driving elements, and the DSC writing position is constant regardless of size.

Furthermore, in the linear and convex probes, as is clear from FIG. 7B, drive element selection data and delay amount selection data are provided by rearranging a certain set of data and repeating the rearrangement. This situation is shown in FIG. Therefore,
Information about scanning line number 1 is stored in ROM 32 of ROM pack 5, and when the probe or focus is switched, C
The PU 22 reads the data in the ROM 32, circulates the data to obtain data for each scanning line, and writes the data into the RAM of each circuit 14 and 15.

Furthermore, the DSC writing position of the linear probe is the seventh
As is clear from FIG. C and FIG. 7D, the depth direction (X direction) is given by a linear expression of the clock value for A/D conversion, and the scanning direction (X direction) is given by the linear expression of the scanning line number. therefore,
-Write only the parameters of the following formula into the ROM32, and when the probe or size is changed, the CPU2
2 should calculate the write address to the DSC from these parameters and write it to the RAM.

With such control, the amount of data to be written into the ROM 32 is reduced, and the circuit scale of the ROM pack 5 can also be reduced.

Furthermore, when a user who has already delivered the device requests the addition of a probe, R
Exchange with OM bag.

[Other Examples]

(a) Although backup of the RAM is not mentioned in the above embodiment, if the RAM is backed up, there is no need to access the ROM backup when the power is turned on.

(b) In the above embodiment, a ROM is used as an external storage medium.
Although the explanation has been given using a bag as an example, the external storage medium is not limited to this ROM bag.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to the present invention, the device main body is provided with a mounting section for an external storage medium, and when in use, necessary information is read from the external storage medium and written to the RAM of each circuit. It is possible to support various types of probes without installing a large-capacity ROM in each circuit on the main body side, and the device can be miniaturized. Furthermore, since the external storage medium is removable, it can quickly respond to changes in usage conditions, and can fully respond to the diversification of probes.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block configuration diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a delay circuit and a delay amount selection circuit, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the ROM back, Figure 5 is a perspective view of the ROM back.
The figure shows the contents of the ROM in the ROM back, No. 6A.
The figure shows the beam during sector scanning, Fig. 6B shows its delay distribution, Fig. 6C shows the DSC writing operation during sector scanning, and Fig. 7A shows the beam during linear scanning. , FIG. 7B is a diagram showing the delay distribution, FIGS. 7C and 7D are diagrams for explaining the writing operation of the DSC during linear scanning, and FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are diagrams showing the delay distribution. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the contents of a ROM provided in each conventional circuit, and is a diagram for explaining the operation of creating selection data during linear and convex scanning in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention. 1...Diagnostic device main body, 2.4...Connector, 3...
・Probe, 5...ROM back, 6...Operation console,
11... Delay circuit, 13... Transmitting/receiving element selection circuit,
14... Delay amount selection circuit, 15... Selection control circuit,
20...DSC write control circuit, 21...DSC
122...CPU. Patent Applicant: Shimadzu Corporation Figure 6A Figure 6B Figure 6C Figure 8A Figure 8B Figure 7D Figure 8C

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) An ultrasonic diagnostic device in which a plurality of probes can be selectively attached, and which transmits ultrasound beams into the living body and receives reflected echoes from the living body to obtain biological information. , a RAM for storing control information according to the probe to be used, a mounting part to which an external storage medium can be detachably attached, and an operating means for externally instructing information regarding the probe to be used and diagnostic information. , according to the type of probe used and the input instruction information from the operation means, reads information from an external storage medium attached to the attachment part, and processes the read information as control information depending on the probe used. and the above R
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a control unit for storing in an AM;