JPH0576412U - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Object] To provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus capable of performing color flow imaging with good S / N without reducing the frame rate. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that performs color flow imaging, a color flow processing unit 3 that Doppler-detects a received signal and outputs color flow processing data, a cine memory 4 that stores color flow processing data for a plurality of images, A controller 10 for storing the color flow processing data in the cine memory 4 in synchronization with a predetermined timing, and a data processing means 5 for averaging the color flow processing data for a plurality of images stored in the cine memory 4 are provided. And ultrasonic diagnostic equipment.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to improving the S / N of color flow imaging of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

[0002]

[Prior Art]

 The ultrasonic diagnostic equipment irradiates the inside of the subject with ultrasonic signals from the ultrasonic probe, receives the signals reflected from the tissues and lesions in the shoulder, and receives the reflected signals. It is a device for displaying a tomographic image formed by a signal on a CRT.

In this ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, color flow imaging is a method of measuring the moving direction and moving speed of a reflector by means of a reflection signal that has undergone Doppler shift from the moving reflector, and depending on the moving speed or the moving direction. Is a display for coloring. Thereby, for example, the direction of blood flow can be known.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 By the way, the color flow imaging has a problem that the S / N is not sufficient because the number of data is smaller than that of the pulse Doppler method. Further, if the number of data is increased, the S / N ratio will be improved, but the frame rate will be lowered.

For example, in the case where a frame rate is required to some extent (20 to 30 FPS) like the heart, there is a problem that a satisfactory blood flow measurement cannot be performed when the frame rate drops.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a good S / N ratio even with a small number of data.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A means for solving the above-mentioned problems is an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for performing color flow imaging, and a color flow processing means for performing Doppler detection of a received signal and outputting color flow processed data, A cine memory that stores color flow processing data for images, a controller that stores color flow processing data in cine memory in synchronization with a predetermined timing, and data that averages color flow processing data for multiple images stored in cine memory. And a processing means.

[0008]

[Action]

 In the present invention, color flow processing data for a plurality of images synchronized with a predetermined timing are stored in the cine memory, and these color flow processing data are added and averaged by the data processing means. Then, a video signal for display is generated from the added and averaged data.

[0009]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention. In this figure, reference numeral 1 is an ultrasonic probe that converts a transmitted signal into an ultrasonic wave, transmits the ultrasonic wave into the subject, and converts an ultrasonic signal reflected and returned from the subject into an electric signal. is there. Reference numeral 2 denotes a transmission / reception circuit that amplifies a transmission signal, sends the amplified signal to the ultrasonic probe 1, and sends the received reception signal to the receiving unit. A color flow processing unit 3 receives the output of the transmission / reception circuit 2 and generates a frequency shift signal (color flow processing data) for displaying a color according to the moving speed or moving direction of the reflector. Reference numeral 4 is a cine memory capable of storing color flow processing data for a plurality of screens. A data processing unit 5 executes a data process of adding and averaging color flow process data for a plurality of screens stored in the cine memory 4. Reference numeral 6 is a DSC (digital scan converter) for converting the output signal of the data processing unit 5 into a television mode video signal, the output of which is displayed on the CRT 8. Reference numeral 8 is an ECG electrode for acquiring an ECG signal, and 9 is an ECG circuit for generating a trigger signal according to the detection result of the ECG electrode 8.

The operation of the apparatus thus configured will be described. The transmission signal from the transmission / reception circuit 2 is converted into ultrasonic waves by the ultrasonic probe 1 and is applied to the inside of a subject (not shown). The reflected wave from the subject is converted into an electric signal by the ultrasonic probe 1 and is input to the color flow processing unit 3 via the transmission / reception circuit 3. The color flow processing unit 3 amplifies the input signal, performs Doppler detection, and outputs it as a shift frequency signal (color flow processing data) due to the Doppler effect. The color flow processing data is stored in a predetermined area of the cine memory 4 for each image.

Here, the controller 10 detects the time phase during the heartbeat by the trigger signal from the ECG electrode 8. Then, timing control is performed so that color flow processing data for several heartbeats is acquired so that the time phases during heartbeats match.

The data processing unit 5 adds and averages the plurality of color flow processing data stored in the cine memory 4 in this way. Here, due to the timing control of the controller 10, the plurality of color flow processing data are synchronized with the time phase of the heartbeat of the subject.

If there are n screens of data to be added and averaged, since the respective data have a correlation, the level of the data is multiplied by n by the addition and averaging processing. On the other hand, since the noise component has a random amplitude, the level is multiplied by √n by adding n times. Therefore, the S / N of the data becomes √n (= n / √n) times by adding and averaging the data for n screens.

The processing output of the data processing unit 5 that has been subjected to such data processing is converted into a video signal by the DSC 6 and displayed on the CRT 8. As described above, the S / N is improved by adding and averaging a plurality of color flow data synchronized with the time phase of the heartbeat using the ECG signal. Although it is equivalent to an increase in the number of data, the frame rate is kept constant and does not decrease.

As a result, the frame rate does not drop even when a certain frame rate is required as in the case of blood flow measurement of the heart, and satisfactory blood flow measurement can be performed. In the above description, the S / N is improved by the data processing unit 5 performing addition and averaging processing, but it is also possible to display the micro blood flow by detecting the maximum value.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in this figure, the sound ray data before the color flow processing is stored in the data buffer 11 for a plurality of images, and the addition and averaging processing is performed on the plurality of sound ray data before the color flow processing is performed. ing.

Also in this embodiment, the S / N can be improved without lowering the frame rate as in the above embodiment.

[0018]

[Effect of the device]

 As described in detail above, by adding and averaging data obtained by heartbeat synchronization, it is possible to realize an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can perform color flow imaging with good S / N without lowering the frame rate.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram showing a configuration of a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ultrasonic probe 2 transmitting / receiving circuit 4 cine memory 5 data processing unit 6 DSC 7 CRT 9 ECG circuit 10 controller

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for performing color flow imaging, which stores color flow processing data for a plurality of images and color flow processing means (3) for Doppler detection of a received signal and outputting color flow processing data. The cine memory (4), the controller (10) that stores the color flow processing data in the cine memory (4) in synchronization with a predetermined timing, and the arithmetic average of the color flow processing data for a plurality of images stored in the cine memory (4) An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising: a data processing unit (5) for