JPH05253221A - Ultrasonic diagnostic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic device, which can simply set various conditions for optimum diagnoses made by particular users. CONSTITUTION:An ultrasonic diagnostic device is composed of the first memory (ROM) 20 to store the set values of various conditions for ultrasonic diagnosis predetermined, a manual operation part 24 to alter the set values of conditions at the time of ultrasonic diagnosis, the second memory (RAM) 28 to store the set values of altered conditions by the manual operation part 24 and backed up by a battery, a switch 26 to put on and off the write and read in/from the second memory, and a CPU 22 which makes initial setting of the conditions on the basis of the condition setting values read out of the first memory 20 when the switch 26 is off, makes initial setting of the conditions on the basis of the condition setting values read out of the second memory 28 when the switch 26 is on, and writes the altered setting values in the second memory 28.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for scanning a subject with ultrasonic waves and obtaining an image of the subject based on reflected ultrasonic waves from the subject.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is obtained by scanning an ultrasonic wave in, for example, a fan shape, detecting an envelope curve of a reflected ultrasonic wave for each scanning line, and brightness-modulating the intensity of the reflected wave. Image information for each scanning line is combined for all scanning lines to obtain a B-mode tomographic image, and diagnosis is performed based on this image. In such an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, various conditions must be set in order to make a diagnosis or obtain an image. The conditions include image types such as B-mode images and M-mode images, image display magnification (scale), and image pan /
Zoom conditions, image display orientation (up and down, left and right), ultrasonic transmission power, speed in M mode, image quality adjustment conditions such as gain and frame correlation coefficient, and image of the coupler when the coupler is attached to the probe for diagnosis. There is an offset amount for removing from the display, a diagnostic routine such as B single → measurement → freeze.

Since it is troublesome to set these conditions one by one, the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus stores the most frequently used values as the initial values of such various conditions in the memory (ROM). Built in. Then, when the power is turned on, the initial values are read from this memory, and these are preset as the condition values. Then, when it is found that these preset conditions do not match the user's desired conditions during the use of the device, the user changes these preset conditions using a manual operation unit such as a switch or a keyboard. As described above, since the memory for condition presetting is provided, if the initial conditions are appropriately determined, the labor of setting all the conditions one by one can be saved.

However, the conventional preset condition is R
Although stored in the OM, the changed value set by the user during use disappears when the power is turned off. Therefore, if the preset conditions are not suitable for the user,
Since the preset conditions must be changed by complicated operations, the operator's burden was heavy. Therefore, there is a drawback that the initial setting time before starting the diagnosis becomes long and, as a result, the time required for the diagnosis becomes long. Further, when it is desired to make a diagnosis under the same condition as the previous time for comparison, it is difficult to set the same condition accurately, and the reproducibility of the diagnosis is poor.

[0005]

As described above, in the conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, it may be necessary to set various conditions when using the apparatus, but it is easy to set the optimum conditions for each user. I couldn't.

The present invention has been made to address the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of easily setting various conditions for optimal diagnosis for each user.

[0007]

An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention comprises a read-only first memory for storing preset values of various predetermined conditions for ultrasonic diagnostics, and various conditions for ultrasonic diagnostics. Means for changing the set value of, the non-volatile readable and writable second memory for storing the set value of the condition changed by the changing means, the set value of the condition from the first memory or the second memory when the power is turned on. Means for reading and setting initial values of various conditions to the set values.

[0008]

According to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present invention, preset values for various conditions for ultrasonic diagnostics are stored in the first read-only memory, and the set values are set when the power is turned off or manually. Since the changed values of various conditions are stored in the second memory that can save data each time the conditions are changed, if the contents of the second memory are set to the initial values of the conditions when the power is turned on, the optimum diagnosis for each user can be made. Conditions can be set easily. Therefore, when the power is turned on, the condition that was set when the power was turned off immediately before is always set automatically, the setting time of the condition can be shortened, and the diagnosis can be repeated under the same condition.

[0009]

Embodiments of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of one embodiment. Since the diagnostic function itself of this embodiment is the same as the conventional one, its detailed description is omitted. For example, the transmitting / receiving circuit 12 is connected to the sector type electronic scanning type ultrasonic probe 10. Probe 10 is 1
It is composed of a large number of ultrasonic transducers arranged in rows, and the ultrasonic beam can be scanned in a fan shape and the focus can be adjusted by changing the timing of the voltage applied to each transducer. The probe is not limited to the sector type electronic scanning type, and the scanning direction may be a linear type or the scanning type may be a mechanical scanning type.

The transmission / reception circuit 12 has an oscillator for determining a frequency for vibrating the ultrasonic transducer, a delay circuit for electronic scanning, and a pulser for generating a driving pulse for the ultrasonic transducer. The pulsar supplies the drive pulse to the probe 10 at a constant cycle (rate cycle). The delay circuit is composed of a large number of delay lines each having a different delay time, and the output of each delay line is supplied to each of a large number of vibrators. By changing the delay time, the ultrasonic beam emitted from the probe 10 can be scanned and focused. The delay time is controlled by the control signal from the system controller 14. The system controller 14 is controlled by the CPU 22.

The reflected wave signal detected by the probe 10 is envelope-detected by the transmission / reception circuit 12, and the intensity of the reflected wave of the ultrasonic beam for each scanning line is detected. Luminance information for each scanning line, that is, B-mode image (tomographic image) information is supplied to the display unit 18 after the scanning direction is converted via the digital scan converter (DSC) 16. DSC1
6 also performs frame correlation calculation. The control signal from the system controller 14 is also supplied to the DSC 16, and the frame correlation coefficient and the like are controlled by the system controller 14. Although not shown, the output of the DSC 16 may be supplied to a recording unit such as an optical disc.

In order to easily set the diagnostic conditions when the apparatus is used, in this embodiment, a first memory (ROM) 20 storing predetermined initial values of various conditions of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is used. , A second memory (RAM) 2 for storing the changed value when the setting value is changed after initial setting of the condition
8 is connected to the CPU 22.

As the data written in the first memory 20, as in the case of the prior art, the type of image such as B mode image and M mode image, image display magnification (scale), image pan / zoom condition, Image display direction (up / down / left / right), ultrasonic transmission power, speed in M mode, image quality adjustment conditions such as gain and frame correlation coefficient, from the image of the coupler when attaching the probe to the probe for diagnosis There is an offset amount for erasing, a diagnostic routine such as B single → measurement → freeze. These data are already written by the manufacturer when the device is shipped from the factory.

The second memory 28 is connected to the CPU 22 via an automatic storage on / off switch 26. for that reason,
The setting value of the second memory 28 is written / read only when the switch 26 is turned on. A battery 30 is connected to the second memory 28 so that the data in the second memory 28 is retained even when the main power source (not shown) of the device is turned off. Alternatively, the second memory 28 is an electrically writable / erasable ROM (EEPRO) as a non-volatile memory.
You may comprise by M).

When the switch 26 is off when the power is turned on, the CPU 22 initializes various diagnostic conditions according to the data in the first memory 20. A manual operation unit 24 having a dial, a key switch, and the like for changing the initially set condition is connected to the CPU 22. Therefore, the initial setting value can be changed according to the user's request. The condition value changed by the manual operation unit 24 is written in the second memory 28 when the switch 26 is on. Therefore, the second memory 28 always stores the final set value of the condition.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart shown in FIG. When the power is turned on,
First, in step # 10, the automatic memory on / off switch 2
It is determined whether 6 is on. When it is off, the CPU 22 accesses the first memory 20 in step # 14, reads the initial value of the condition, and sets the value of each condition to this initial value. When the switch 26 is on, step # 12
Then, the CPU 22 accesses the second memory 28, reads the final set value of the condition, and sets the value of each condition to the final set value.

Thereafter, the diagnosis is performed in step # 16. During the diagnosis, the user changes the set value of the condition using the manual operation unit 24 as needed. For example, when the image on the display unit 18 is viewed and it is determined that the image quality adjustment condition is not suitable for diagnosis, the image quality adjustment condition is changed. Change value is CPU2
2 is temporarily stored in the memory. Step # 1
At 8, it is determined whether various conditions have been changed. When there is no change, it ends as it is, and when there is a change,
In step # 20, it is determined whether the automatic storage on / off switch 26 is on. When it is off, the process is ended as it is, and when it is on, the CPU 22 accesses the second memory 28 in step # 22 and writes the changed value (final setting value) of the condition in the second memory 28. As a result, the currently set condition value is registered in the second memory 22. The data in the second memory 28 can be erased by a clear signal. Therefore, various condition values can be returned to the contents of the first memory 20 and then changed again.

As described above, according to this embodiment, since the second memory 28 is backed up by the battery, it becomes a non-volatile memory and retains data even when the power is turned off. Therefore, by turning on the automatic storage on / off switch 26, the final set value of the condition is always stored in the memory 28, and the value of the condition is automatically set when the power is turned on next time. Initialized to the value. Thereby, when the initial condition value in the first memory 20 is not suitable for the user, once the initial value is changed,
Since it is not necessary to change the power every time the power is turned on, the burden on the operator is reduced. Therefore, the condition setting time is also shortened. Further, even if the power is turned off, the state of the device does not change and repeated diagnosis can be performed under the same condition, so that comparative diagnosis can be easily performed.

As a condition, if a diagnostic routine such as B single → measurement → freeze is registered in the second memory 28, the diagnostic routine is automatically set when the power is turned on, and the operator switches the start switch at the start of each diagnostic item. Simply press and the device will automatically perform routine control. Without this function, it is necessary to select and press the corresponding diagnostic item specification switch at the start of each diagnostic item, which is troublesome, and as a result, the diagnostic time may increase.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be implemented with various modifications. For example, in the above description,
Although the B-mode image has been described as the diagnostic image, the M-mode image may be used. Moreover, the specific items of various conditions for diagnosis are not limited to the above-mentioned examples, and other conditions may be used.

[0021]

As described above, according to the present invention, preset values of various conditions for predetermined ultrasonic diagnostics are stored in the read-only first memory, and data is stored even when the power is off. Since the changed values of various conditions are stored in the second memory that can store the data, if the contents of the second memory are set to the initial values of the conditions when the power is turned on, the optimum diagnostic condition for each user can be easily set. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of performing the above is provided. Therefore, when the power is turned on, the final condition that was set when the power was turned off immediately before is always set automatically, and the condition setting time can be shortened and the diagnosis can be repeated under the same condition.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of one embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Probe, 12 ... Transceiver circuit, 14 ... System controller, 16 ... DSC, 18 ... Display unit, 20 ... First
Memory (ROM), 22 ... CPU, 24 ... Manual operation unit,
26 ... Automatic storage on / off switch, 28 ... Second memory (RAM), 30 ... Battery.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A read-only first memory for storing preset values of various conditions for ultrasonic diagnosis, means for changing the preset values of the various conditions during ultrasonic diagnosis, and the changing means. And a readable / writable non-volatile second memory for storing the setting values of the conditions changed by, and the initial values of the various conditions by reading the setting values of the conditions from the first memory or the second memory when the power is turned on. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: means for setting the set value.