JPH09224935A - Ultrasonic bone measuring method and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To accurately measure the bone all the time by scanning a linear detection region by an ultrasonic signal, while transmitting/receiving the ultrasonic signal with transmitting and receiving ultrasonic vibrators opposedly arranged via a testee and finding a bone distribution data of the testee based on the ultrasonic signal in the detection region. SOLUTION: A holding arm 18 of a transport mechanism 17 which is supported by a vertical transport feed screw 21 and a guide shaft 29 in such a posture that ultrasonic vibrators 13, 14 are positioned on the same horizontal line is slid to the guide shaft 29 by the rotation of the vertical transport feed screw 21 so as to be vertically moved in the vertical direction Y while holding the posture. A support body 19 supporting the holding arm 18 is slid to the guide shaft 29 by the rotation of the horizontal transport feed screw 20, while holding its horizontal state, so as to be moved in the horizontal direction X. Then, the rotation direction and angle of stepping motors 24, 27 are controlled and the both ultrasonic vibrators 13, 14 scan the linear detection region, while accurately holding their mutual opposed state.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic bone measuring method and apparatus used for measuring the bone of a living body as a subject.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, calcaneus in a living body may be measured for the purpose of early detection of osteoporosis, examination of pathological conditions of various bone fractures associated with osteoporosis, or prevention of bone fracture. This bone measurement can be performed by using a computed tomography apparatus (CT), but as a simple measurement method of the calcaneus without CT, conventionally, radiation such as X-rays and γ-rays has been used for the heel of a living body. The method of irradiating the bone and measuring is mainly adopted. However, in recent years, a bone measuring method using ultrasonic waves, which does not adversely affect the human body, tends to be frequently used. This ultrasonic bone measurement method was initially operated for animals, especially for the purpose of managing and evaluating the bone condition of race horses and the like.

A conventional ultrasonic bone measuring device for the calcaneus of a human body has a V-shaped recess 72 for inserting the calcaneus into a positioning state, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). A pair of ultrasonic transducers 73 and 74 for transmission and reception are provided at predetermined positions on both sides of the recess 72 on the provided footrest 71. The two ultrasonic transducers 73, 74 are arranged opposite to each other on a horizontal straight line passing through the calcaneus of the foot inserted in the recess 72, and the ultrasonic transducers transmitted from the transmitting ultrasonic transducer 73 are transmitted. Ultrasonic transducer for reception 74 in which ultrasonic pulse passes through the calcaneus
Is received. The received signal is digitized and then stored in the control box, and further sent to a computer for calculation, and the calculated data is output. As data for measuring the bone, an ultrasonic wave propagation velocity, an ultrasonic wave attenuation coefficient, or an ultrasonic wave attenuation amount that penetrates the calcaneus is used.

[0004]

However, in the above ultrasonic bone measuring device, the shape of the recess 72 of the footrest 71 is constant, although there are individual differences in the size and skeleton shape of the foot. At the same time, since both ultrasonic transducers 73 and 74 are fixedly provided at predetermined positions, simply inserting a foot into the recess 72 and performing measurement will result in both ultrasonic transducers depending on the individual difference. The measurement points of the calcaneus due to 73 and 74 vary, and it is not possible to perform measurement at appropriate measurement points. Therefore, the operator of the device (mainly a doctor) corrects the position where the foot is placed each time according to the individuality of the subject's foot, and the ultrasonic waves are applied to the portion of the calcaneus that can be estimated as an appropriate measurement point. Attempting to face the children 73, 74. Therefore, some subjects may be forced to suffer the pain of keeping their feet in a very unnatural state. Nevertheless, since the positioning is performed by visual observation, there is a difference in the determination of the measurement points depending on the operator, and again, the bone cannot always be accurately measured at the optimum measurement point.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems of the prior art, and its object is always to optimize the size of a subject such as a foot or the skeleton shape. It is an object of the present invention to provide an ultrasonic bone measuring method and apparatus capable of accurately and easily obtaining various measurement points and always measuring bone accurately.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 is an ultrasonic system for measuring the bone of the subject by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic signal while transmitting the subject. In the bone measuring device, the ultrasonic transducer for transmission and the ultrasonic transducer for reception which are arranged to face each other through the subject are included, and at least a linear detection region while transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals by these transducers. A transmitting / receiving means capable of scanning with the ultrasonic signal, and a bone distribution data detecting means capable of obtaining and outputting bone distribution data of the subject based on the ultrasonic signal in the detection region scanned by the transmitting / receiving means. It is characterized by having. This allows
By displaying or printing out and outputting the bone distribution data displayed by the bone distribution data detecting means, it is possible to easily find the optimum measurement point of the bone from the central portion of the contour of the data. Therefore, the operator can accurately obtain the optimum bone measurement point without causing individual differences, and the ultrasonic signal is transmitted again to the measurement point for measurement, so that the bone can be accurately measured.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the transmitting / receiving means is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer face each other. A holding arm attached to the holding arm, a holding arm moving means for moving the holding arm, and a scanning control means for controlling the holding arm moving means so as to scan the detection region with an ultrasonic signal. Is characterized by. This makes it possible to reliably perform the operation of moving the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer while maintaining the facing state with a simple configuration.

A third aspect of the present invention is the ultrasonic bone measuring device according to the first aspect, wherein a plurality of the transmitting / receiving means are arranged so that the transmitting ultrasonic transducers correspond to the detection regions. It is characterized in that it has transmission ultrasonic transducer array means and reception ultrasonic transducer array means in which a plurality of the reception ultrasonic transducers are arranged so as to correspond to the detection area. Thus, by disposing a plurality of transmitting ultrasonic transducers and a plurality of receiving ultrasonic transducers, it is possible to extend the life of the apparatus by eliminating the need for a mechanism for moving both transducers.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the ultrasonic bone measuring device according to the first aspect, wherein the transmitting / receiving means is one of the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer. Is a plurality of ultrasonic transducer arrays arranged so as to correspond to the detection region, a predetermined number of ultrasonic transducers are sequentially driven, and the ultrasonic transducer for transmission and the ultrasonic transducer for reception are vibrated. The other transducer of the child is disposed so as to face the ultrasonic transducer array, and a predetermined number of ultrasonic transducers that face the one selected ultrasonic transducer are sequentially selected and driven. There is. As a result, the cost can be reduced compared to the case where both transducers are used as an array.

The invention of claim 5 is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bone distribution data detecting means divides the bone distribution data into predetermined amounts. Is characterized by having a contour line display means for displaying in a contour line shape. Thereby, the optimum measurement point can be easily determined by visually recognizing the area delimited by the contour lines.

According to a sixth aspect of the invention, there is provided the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the first measurement point determining means determines the central area of the contour line displayed by the contour line display means as an optimum measurement point. It is characterized by having. As a result, the first measurement point determining means determines the optimum measurement point, so that it is possible to stably determine the optimum measurement point without individual differences.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the bone distribution data detecting means uses the bone distribution data to outline the bone of the subject. It is characterized by having a contour display means for displaying. Thus, the optimum measurement point can be easily determined by visually recognizing the contour and obtaining the center point.

An eighth aspect of the invention is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the seventh aspect, wherein a second measurement point is determined to determine the center position of the contour displayed by the contour distribution display means as an optimum measurement point. It is characterized by having means. As a result, the second measurement point determination means determines the optimum measurement point, so that it is possible to stably determine the optimum measurement point without individual differences.

The invention according to claim 9 is the ultrasonic bone measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is used for bone measurement of the calcaneus. As a result, it is possible to always reliably and easily find the optimum measurement point for the calcaneus, which varies greatly among individuals, and to accurately measure the bone.

According to a tenth aspect of the invention, the ultrasonic signal transmitted from the transmitting ultrasonic transducer is transmitted to the subject and received by the receiving ultrasonic transducer, and the ultrasonic signal obtained from these transmitted and received ultrasonic signals is transmitted. An ultrasonic bone measurement method for measuring the bone of the subject by either or a combination of a sound wave propagation velocity, an ultrasonic attenuation coefficient or an ultrasonic attenuation amount, wherein at least a linear detection region including the subject is detected. , Scanning with ultrasonic signals transmitted and received by the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer, obtaining an optimum measurement point of the subject based on the ultrasonic signal in the detection region, at the optimum measurement point It is characterized in that the strength of the bone of the subject is obtained by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic signal again. Thereby, for example, by moving the ultrasonic transducer for transmission and the ultrasonic transducer for reception in, for example, the horizontal direction and the vertical direction, the at least linear detection region including the subject is scanned, whereby the bone distribution is increased. The data can be obtained to find the optimum measurement point. Therefore, regardless of the size of the foot or the difference in skeleton shape, the optimum measurement point can always be reliably and easily obtained, and the bone strength can be accurately measured.

Here, as a method of scanning the detection area to obtain the optimum measurement point, a pair of ultrasonic transducers for transmission and reception are one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally scanned on a predetermined line including the bone to be measured. There is a method in which one-dimensional or two-dimensional data is acquired, the contour of the bone is obtained based on these data, then the opposite edges are obtained, and the central portion of both edges is set as the optimum measurement point. As another method, one-dimensional or two-dimensional data is electronically scanned by sequentially switching the array of one-dimensional or two-dimensionally arranged ultrasonic transducers for transmission and reception and ultrasonically scanning the ultrasonic signals. There is a method of obtaining the optimum measurement point by obtaining

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in an ultrasonic bone measuring device for measuring bone of the subject by transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals so as to pass through the subject, the ultrasonic bone measuring device is arranged opposite to the subject. And a wave receiver for receiving the ultrasonic signal. The wave transmitter and the wave receiver are used to transmit different parts of the subject. A transmitting and receiving means for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals, an outer edge detecting means for detecting an outer edge of the calcaneus based on an output signal of the transmitting and receiving means, and a measuring point determination for obtaining an optimum measuring point based on an output signal of the outer edge detecting means And a means. As a result, the measurement point determination means obtains the optimum measurement point based on the outer edge of the calcaneus, and the optimum measurement point can be objectively obtained, and the state of the calcaneus greatly changes due to individual differences of the subject. However, the bone can be accurately measured at the optimum measurement point according to the individual difference of the subject.

According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, there is provided the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the transmitting / receiving means has a wave-transmitting surface of the wave transmitter and a wave-receiving surface of the wave receiver facing each other. And a holding arm moving means for moving the holding arm in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. This makes it possible to reliably perform the operation of moving the wave transmitting surface of the wave transmitter and the wave receiving surface of the wave receiver while maintaining the facing state with a simple configuration.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, the wave transmitter is configured such that a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged, and the wave receiver is a plurality. It is characterized in that the ultrasonic transducers of (1) are arranged. As a result, since the outer edge of the calcaneus is obtained by the wave transmitter and the wave receiver composed of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, the mechanism for moving these wave transmitters and wave receivers becomes unnecessary, and the life of the device is prolonged. can do.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic bone measuring device according to the eleventh aspect, the optimum measurement point determining means determines a substantially central position with respect to the outer edge of the calcaneus as the optimum measurement point. It is characterized by that. Thereby, the optimum measurement point can be obtained by a simple calculation process.

A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the outer edge detecting means detects a two-dimensional outer edge of the calcaneus. Thus, by obtaining the optimum measurement point based on the outer edge of the calcaneus obtained two-dimensionally, it is possible to obtain a more reliable optimum measurement point.

The invention of claim 16 is the ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 11, wherein the outer edge detecting means detects the one-dimensional outer edge of the calcaneus. Thus, the optimum measurement point can be obtained in a short time by obtaining the optimum measurement point based on the one-dimensional outer edge of the calcaneus.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of an ultrasonic bone measuring device according to an embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of an electric control system thereof.

In FIG. 1, the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus of the present invention comprises a measuring section 10 (transmission / reception means) and a signal processing section 30 (bone distribution data detection means). The measuring unit 10
The measuring box 11 has a footrest 12 arranged in an upper opening (not shown), and a transfer mechanism 17 (holding arm moving means) installed below the footrest 12.

The foot rest 12 is formed in a V shape so as to regulate and fix the foot at a predetermined position. The wall member 6 having an opening on the inner peripheral side is provided on both sides of the footrest 12.
1, 61 are joined in a liquid-tight state, and the wall member 61,
In the opening of 61, a film member 6 such as rubber having excellent elasticity is provided.
2, 62 are attached. Then, water 63 for propagating ultrasonic pulse signals is housed inside the footrest 12 formed in a container shape by the wall surface members 61, 61 and the film members 62, 62.

The ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 (transmitter and receiver) for transmission and reception are provided on the sides of the film members 62 and 62, respectively. These ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 transmit ultrasonic pulse signals to the film members 62 and 62.
And fixed to both side plates of the holding arm 18 so as to face each other so as to transmit and receive via the water 63. The holding arm 18 is supported by the vibrator transfer mechanism 17 with the footrest 12 inserted between the side plates.

In the vibrator transfer mechanism 17, the box-shaped support 19 that supports the holding arm 18 is transferred in the horizontal direction X by the rotation of the horizontal transfer feed screw 20, and the vertical transfer feed screw 21 rotates. Is to be transferred in the vertical direction Y. That is, the horizontal feed screw 20
Is threadedly engaged with a nut member 22 fixed to the support body 19 to penetrate the support body 19, and is horizontally positioned so that both ends thereof are rotatably supported by bearing plates 23, and is connected to one end portion. The stepping motor 24 for horizontal transfer is rotated. The vertical transfer feed screw 21 is vertically positioned and has a lower end portion rotatably supported inside the support body 19, and an upper portion protruding from the support body 19 and screwed to a nut member 22 fixed to the holding arm 18. They are aligned and rotated by a vertical transfer stepping motor 27 connected to the lower end.

Guide shafts 29 slidably penetrating the support 19 are arranged parallel to the horizontal feed screw 20 on both sides of the horizontal feed screw 20, and support plates are provided at both ends thereof. It is fixed at 28. On both sides of the vertical transfer feed screw 27, guide shafts 29, each of which has its lower end fixed inside the support body 19 and which are vertically erected, project from the support body 19 and are slidable from below to the holding arm 18. Has been inserted into.

Therefore, the holding arm 18 is supported by the support body 19 by the feed screw 21 for vertical transfer and the two guide shafts 29 so that both ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 are positioned on the same horizontal line. As the feed screw 21 for vertical transfer rotates, it slides on both guide shafts 29 and moves up and down in the vertical direction Y while maintaining the above posture. The support 19 supporting the holding arm 18 is
Horizontal feed screw 20 and two guide shafts 2
9 is held in a horizontal state by the horizontal transfer feed screw 20 and is moved in the horizontal direction X by sliding on both guide shafts 29 while maintaining the horizontal state. Thereby, the rotation directions and the rotation angles of both the stepping motors 24 and 27 are controlled, and the ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 are linearly (one-dimensionally) or planarly (two-dimensionally) maintained while accurately facing each other. Dimension) detection area can be scanned.

The measurement box 11 containing the footrest 12, the transfer mechanism 17 and the like as described above includes a signal box 64.
Is provided. As shown in FIG. 2, the signal box 64 is provided with a transmission / reception circuit section 38. The transmission / reception circuit unit 38 is configured to output a high-frequency electric signal to the transmission ultrasonic transducer 13 in response to the transmission trigger signal from the signal processing unit 30, and also to receive the reception signal from the reception ultrasonic transducer 14. Is amplified and output to the signal processing unit 30.

The signal processing section 30 comprises a computer 31 and a printer 32, and the transmitting / receiving circuit section 3
By transmitting a transmission trigger signal to 8 to transmit an ultrasonic pulse signal from the transmitting ultrasonic transducer 13 and scanning both ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 in the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y, The bone is measured by scanning the predetermined detection region and capturing the received signal from the receiving ultrasonic transducer 14 and performing various signal processing.

That is, the signal processing section 30 has a main CPU 33 (scanning control means, measurement point determination means) connected to the transmission / reception circuit section 38. Main CP
A RAM 34 and a ROM 37 are connected to the U 33, and the ROM 37 has a control program and a comparison FFT.
Data and the like are stored. The comparison FFT data is the FFT result of the reception waveform when the ultrasonic pulse signal is transmitted / received in the state of only the water 63, and is used when obtaining the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient. In addition, the signal processing unit 3
0 is an A / D conversion unit 39 connected to the transmission / reception circuit unit 38.
Also, the A / D conversion section 39 has a transmission / reception circuit section 38.
The received signal from is converted into a digital signal and then output to the arithmetic circuit section 40. Then, the arithmetic circuit section 40 calculates the received signal that has been input based on a predetermined arithmetic expression, and calculates the FFT data of the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the received waveform.

The arithmetic circuit section 40 is composed of the main CPU 3
3 and outputs FFT data of ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and received waveform to the main CPU 33. The main CPU 33 also includes a scanning control unit 43 that drives both stepping motors 24 and 27 to rotate.
The stepping motor 2 is also connected to the stepping motor 2 by outputting a drive signal corresponding to the XY coordinates indicating the irradiation position of the ultrasonic pulse signal to the scan control unit 43.
The rotation of 4, 27 is controlled. As a result, the rotations of the stepping motors 24 and 27 are transmitted to the corresponding feed screws 20 and 21, and the ultrasonic transducers 1 and 2 are transmitted.
By transferring 3 and 14 in the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y, the scanning by the ultrasonic pulse signal of the predetermined region is performed on the calcaneus of the human body as the subject.

The main CPU 33 described above calculates the XY coordinates and the calculated values from the arithmetic circuit section 40 (the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and F
(FT data) is associated with each other and temporarily stored in the buffer area of the RAM 34. And the main CP
U33 reads X- from the buffer area of the RAM 34 when the scanning of the predetermined area of both ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 is completed.
The Y coordinate and the calculated value (ultrasonic wave propagation velocity) are read and given to the two-dimensional distribution data creation unit 47 (contour line display means, outer edge detection means). The two-dimensional distribution data creation unit 47 creates two-dimensional distribution data (bone distribution data) corresponding to the contour (outer edge) of the calcaneus to be measured based on the input data, and displays the data according to a command from the main CPU 33. Part 48
It outputs to at least one of (the contour line display means) and the printer 49 (the contour line display means).

Next, the principle of bone measurement by the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus will be described. In FIG. 4A, a calcaneus 50 of a human body is covered with a cancellous bone 51 with a cortical bone 52 having a thickness of about 2 to 3 mm. Cortical bone 52
Compared with the cancellous bone 51, both the speed of sound and the amount of attenuation when ultrasonic waves are transmitted are large. Therefore, the calcaneus 5
Scanning is performed while irradiating an ultrasonic wave within a range including 0, and either the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity, the ultrasonic wave attenuation coefficient, or the ultrasonic wave attenuation amount is calculated from the received signal, and the two-dimensional distribution data is calculated from the calculated value. If created, data corresponding to the contour of the calcaneus can be obtained. FIG. 4B shows two-dimensional distribution data in which the strength of the calcaneus bone is plotted in contour lines by dividing the two-dimensional distribution data into predetermined amounts, and the central region of this data is the optimum measurement point 53. Becomes

The above-mentioned ultrasonic wave propagation speed is the propagation speed of the ultrasonic wave passing through the calcaneus 50 per unit time, and is the first part of the received wave from the ultrasonic wave pulse transmitted from the transmitting ultrasonic transducer 13. Is obtained by measuring the time until the ultrasonic wave is received by the receiving ultrasonic transducer 14. Since the ultrasonic wave propagation speed is defined by the Young's modulus and the density of the substance, the Young's modulus generally increases as the bone density increases, and the sound wave shows a higher propagation speed in the bone having low elasticity.
This results in higher ultrasound propagation velocities in bones with higher bone mass. Therefore, the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity is an index considering both the bone density and elastic force. In this embodiment, the case of measuring the two-dimensional distribution data from the ultrasonic propagation velocity will be described below, but the two-dimensional distribution data may be obtained from another ultrasonic attenuation coefficient or ultrasonic attenuation amount. Alternatively, it may be obtained from a combination of these.

Next, signal processing for bone measurement by the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. When the subject places his or her feet on the footrest 12 in water, the operator operates the keyboard of the computer 31 to start the measurement. As a result, the horizontal coordinate variable x and the vertical coordinate variable y are initialized to "0" (S1), and the transmission / reception circuit unit 38 supplies a high frequency electric signal to the transmission ultrasonic transducer 13 by the transmission trigger signal from the main CPU 33. As a result, the transmitting ultrasonic transducer 13 irradiates the ultrasonic pulse signal to the calcaneus of a human body in water through the film member 62 (S2). This ultrasonic pulse signal is received by the receiving ultrasonic transducer 14 after passing through the calcaneus 50, and the received signal is output from the transmission / reception circuit unit 38 and digitized by the A / D conversion unit 39. , Are input to the arithmetic circuit section 40. The arithmetic circuit unit 40 calculates the FFT data of the received waveform and also calculates the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity from the time required for the ultrasonic waves to pass through the calcaneus 50 of the subject (S3).

The main CPU 33 stores the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity calculated by the arithmetic circuit unit 40 and the XY coordinates of the irradiation position of the ultrasonic pulse signal obtained based on the horizontal coordinate variable x and the vertical coordinate variable y. The data is associated and temporarily stored in the buffer area of the RAM 34 (S4). Then, the main CPU 33
Determines whether or not the horizontal coordinate variable x matches the horizontal final value so as to determine whether or not the transfer of both ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 in the horizontal direction X has ended (S5). If it is not determined that the scanning corresponding to one row in the horizontal direction X is completed (S5, NO), "1" is added to the horizontal coordinate variable x,
A drive signal is output to the scanning control unit 43 so that the ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 are positioned at the XY coordinates of the added horizontal coordinate variable x, and the horizontal transfer stepping motor 24 is rotated by a predetermined pitch. Both ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 are articulated in the horizontal direction X (S5). Then, by re-executing from S2, the ultrasonic propagation velocity calculated by the arithmetic circuit unit 40 and the XY coordinates of the irradiation position of the ultrasonic pulse signal are associated and temporarily stored in the buffer area of the RAM 34. (S2 to S4) are repeated.

When the main CPU 33 determines that the scanning corresponding to one row in the horizontal direction X is completed (S5, YE
S) Then, it is determined whether or not the vertical coordinate variable y matches the vertical final value so as to determine whether or not the scanning in the vertical direction Y is completed (S7). When it is determined that the scanning in the vertical direction Y is not completed (S7, NO), "1" is added to the vertical coordinate variable y, and the ultrasonic wave is added to the XY coordinate of the added vertical coordinate variable y. A drive signal is output to the scanning control unit 43 so that the transducers 13 and 14 are positioned, the vertical transfer stepping motor 27 is rotated by a predetermined pitch, and both ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 are scanned at a scanning interval in the horizontal direction X. Is moved in the vertical direction Y by a distance corresponding to (S8). After that, the process is repeated from S2 described above, and the determinations of S5 and S7 are repeated. As a result, the ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 are moved in the horizontal direction X in units of a predetermined amount and then in the vertical direction Y by a predetermined amount, and the ultrasonic propagation velocity and the irradiation position X- are repeated. Processing for temporarily storing in the RAM 34 in association with the Y coordinate (S2
~ S4) is repeated.

Next, when it is determined that the scanning of the predetermined detection area is completed and the transfer in both the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y is completed (S7, YES), the main CPU 33 causes the R
All of the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and the XY coordinate of the irradiation position of the ultrasonic wave pulse signal stored in the AM 34 are read out and supplied to the two-dimensional distribution data creating unit 47. The two-dimensional distribution data creation unit 47 divides the distribution data into predetermined amounts, and
The contour two-dimensional distribution data corresponding to the bone strength of the calcaneus 50 as shown in (b) is created (S9). Then, the created data is output to the display unit 48 and the printer 32 according to an instruction from the main CPU 33, and the two-dimensional distribution data is displayed and printed out (S10).

The operator can easily find the optimum measurement point 53 from the contour lines of the two-dimensional distribution data displayed and printed out on the display section 48. In this embodiment, the optimum measurement point 53 is automatically calculated. Of the ultrasonic transducers 1 at the coordinate position of the point 53
3 and 14 are automatically transferred. That is, the main CPU 33 uses the two-dimensional distribution data creation unit 47.
The two-dimensional distribution data is read from and is supplied to the arithmetic circuit unit 40. The arithmetic circuit unit 40 calculates the central region of the contour line as the optimum measurement point 53 from the input two-dimensional distribution data (S11). Incidentally, this S11 has a function as a first measuring point determining means.

Next, the main CPU 33 operates the arithmetic circuit unit 4
The XY coordinate of the optimum measurement point 53 calculated by 0 is read out, and a drive signal is output to the scan control unit 43 so as to correspond to this XY coordinate. The scanning controller 43 rotationally drives both stepping motors 24 and 27 based on the drive signal, and transfers both ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 to the optimum measurement point 53 (S12). Both ultrasonic transducers 13, 1
When 4 is positioned at the optimum measurement point 53, the ultrasonic pulse signals are transmitted and received by the ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 (S13). Then, the FFT data of the received waveform and the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity calculated by the arithmetic circuit unit 40 are loaded into the main CPU 33, and the FFT data is stored in the ROM.
After the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient is obtained by being used for the subtraction of the comparison FFT data of 37, the bone strength data is calculated based on this ultrasonic attenuation coefficient and the ultrasonic propagation velocity. Then, the intensity data is displayed on the display unit 48 and is printed out from the printer 32 (S
14).

As described above, since the optimum measurement point of the calcaneus 50 is calculated after the two-dimensional distribution data within the predetermined range including the calcaneus 50 is obtained, the optimum measurement of the bone does not occur among the operators. Accurately obtain points. Therefore, regardless of the size of the foot or the difference in skeleton shape, the optimum measurement point can always be accurately and easily obtained, and the bone strength can be accurately measured.

The ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the above-described embodiment is provided with the two-dimensional distribution data creating section 47 and the printer 3.
2 and the contour line display means including the display unit 48 divides the distribution data such as the ultrasonic propagation velocity into a predetermined amount and displays the contour data in a contour line shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. As shown in FIG. 5B, by scanning the ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 in a linear detection region that crosses the central portion of the calcaneus 50 as in the U direction or the V direction shown in FIG. Since the optimum measurement point 53 can be easily obtained from both edges of the contour, it is particularly effective when the screening inspection based on the two-dimensional distribution data cannot be performed as described above due to time constraints or the like. Further, when the second measurement point determining means for determining the center of both edges as the optimum measurement point is provided, it is possible to obtain a stable optimum measurement point with no individual difference.

In the first embodiment described above, the mechanical scanning is performed while holding the relative positions of the pair of ultrasonic transducers 13 and 14 for transmission and reception, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, an array of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers (transmitting ultrasonic transducer array means, receiving ultrasonic transducer array means) arranged in the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y so as to correspond to the detection region is electronically provided. The same effect as described above can be obtained by switching to and scanning.

That is, an object arrangement recognition device using an ultrasonic transducer array will be described as a second embodiment. still,
The same members as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted. As shown in FIG. 6, the object placement recognition device has a transmitting ultrasonic transducer array 65 and a receiving ultrasonic transducer array 66, which are opposed to each other via the footrest 12. These transducer arrays 65 and 66 are formed by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 65a ... 66a ... in a matrix in the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y, and the ultrasonic transducer array 65 for transmission is formed. The ultrasonic pulse signals transmitted from the respective transducers 65a are received by the respective transducers 66a of the receiving ultrasonic transducer array 66, so that the ultrasonic pulse signals are transmitted and received.

.., 66a .., which constitute the above-mentioned transducer arrays 65, 66, are provided with unique channels, and each channel is (0, 0) to (i, k) coordinate system. As shown in FIG. 7, a multiplexer unit 67 and a demultiplexer unit 68 are connected to these ultrasonic transducers 65a, ... 66a, respectively. The multiplexer unit 67 and the demultiplexer unit 68 have channels described later. The ultrasonic transducers 65a, ..., 66a ... Are specified by sequentially switching them in group units, and ultrasonic pulse signals are transmitted / received in the specified ultrasonic transducers 65a, 66a. The demultiplexer unit 68 is connected to the addition unit 69, and the addition unit 6
Reference numeral 9 adds the ultrasonic pulse signals obtained in group units in the demultiplexer unit 68 and adds and receives the transmitting and receiving circuit unit 38.
Output.

The operation of the object placement recognition apparatus having the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. When a pulse-shaped high-frequency electric signal is output from the transmission / reception circuit unit 38 to the multiplexer unit 67 in response to a command from the main CPU 33, the multiplexer unit 67 initializes the horizontal channel variable x and the vertical channel variable y to “0”. (S21), channel (x-1, y-
1) (x, y-1) (x-1, y) ultrasonic transducers 65a of a group adjacent in four directions specified by (x, y)
... transmits an ultrasonic pulse signal (S2
2). Then, as shown in FIG. 6, when the ultrasonic pulse signal passes through the calcaneus in the water through the film member 62 and is received by the ultrasonic transducers 66a of the receiving ultrasonic transducer array 66, As shown in FIG. 7, channels (x-1, y-
1) (x, y-1) (x-1, y) (x, y) The ultrasonic transducers 66a of the group adjoined in four directions identified by (x, y).
Only the received signals from the ... Are taken into the adder 69 via the demultiplexer 68, added in the adder 69, and then output to the transmitter / receiver circuit 38 (S
23). As described above, the reason for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic pulse signals using the ultrasonic transducers 65a, ..., 66a ... This is because the detection accuracy becomes good as the width becomes narrower.

Next, the added reception signal is converted into a digital value in the A / D converter 39, and then the arithmetic circuit 4
At 0, the FFT data and ultrasonic wave propagation velocity are calculated (S24). And these F
The channel (x-1, y-1) (x, y-1) (x-1, y) in which the FT data and the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity are described above.
It is temporarily stored in the buffer area of the RAM 34 while being associated with (x, y) (S25).

Thereafter, it is judged whether or not the horizontal channel variable x matches the horizontal final value i (S26). If they do not match (S26, NO), "1" is set to the horizontal channel variable x. After the addition (S27), the process is re-executed from S21. Thereby, as shown in FIG.
The ultrasonic pulse signals are transmitted and received by the ultrasonic transducers 65a ..., 66a.
By sequentially repeating the above, the calcaneus is scanned one-dimensionally by the ultrasonic pulse signal in the horizontal direction X.

On the other hand, when the horizontal channel variable x matches the horizontal final value i (S26, YES), it is subsequently determined whether the vertical channel variable y matches the vertical final value k. (S28). If they do not match (S28, NO), the vertical channel variable y
After "1" is added to (S29), the process is restarted from S21. Accordingly, the scanning of the ultrasonic pulse signals in the horizontal direction X by the ultrasonic transducers 65a, ..., 66a that are adjacent to each other in the four directions is sequentially repeated in the vertical direction Y, whereby the ultrasonic pulse signals in the horizontal direction X and the vertical direction Y are obtained. Scanning of the calcaneus is performed two-dimensionally.

Next, when the vertical channel variable y matches the vertical final value k (S28, YES), it means that the two-dimensional scanning is completed, and therefore all channels (x
-1, y-1) (x, y-1) (x-1, y) (x,
The FFT data corresponding to y) and the ultrasonic propagation velocity are R
It is in a state of being stored in the buffer area of the AM 34. Then, by dividing these ultrasonic propagation velocities by a predetermined amount, as shown in FIG.
Contour-shaped two-dimensional distribution data corresponding to a bone strength of 0 is created (S30).

After that, the central area of the contour line in the two-dimensional distribution data is calculated as the optimum measurement point 53 (S3).
1), the channel (x-1, y-1) (x, y-1) (x-1, y) corresponding to this optimum measurement point 53
FFT data of (x, y) and ultrasonic propagation velocity are RA
It will be read from M34. And ROM3
The ultrasonic attenuation coefficient is obtained by subtracting the FFT data from the comparative FFT data stored in advance in FIG. 7, and then the bone strength data is obtained based on the ultrasonic attenuation coefficient and the ultrasonic propagation velocity. Will be calculated (S3
2).

As a result, in the second embodiment,
Since the transfer mechanism 17 is not required, the optimum measurement point can be obtained by scanning in a short time, and mechanical error and failure due to wear or the like are reduced. Further, since the data obtained by scanning is used to calculate the optimum measurement point and the bone strength data, the measurement efficiency is high. In addition, this second
In the embodiment, the ultrasonic pulse signal is scanned in units of four channels, but the present invention is not limited to this.

[0055]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, in the ultrasonic bone measuring device for measuring the bone of the subject by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic signal while transmitting the subject, It has an ultrasonic transducer for transmission and an ultrasonic transducer for reception which are arranged opposite to each other via a sample, and scans at least a linear detection region with the ultrasonic signal while transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals by these transducers. And a bone distribution data detecting means capable of obtaining and outputting bone distribution data of the subject based on the ultrasonic signal in the detection region scanned by the transmitting and receiving means. is there. Thus, if the bone distribution data displayed by the bone distribution data detecting means is displayed or printed out and output, the optimum measurement point of the bone can be easily obtained from the central portion of the contour of the data. Therefore, the operator can accurately find the optimum measurement point of the bone without causing individual differences, and the ultrasonic signal is transmitted again to the measurement point for measurement, so that the bone can be accurately measured. Produce an effect.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the transmitting / receiving means is the ultrasonic bone measuring device according to the first aspect, wherein the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer face each other. And a holding arm moving means for moving the holding arm, and a scanning control means for controlling the holding arm moving means so as to scan the detection area with an ultrasonic signal. Is. As a result, it is possible to reliably perform the operation of moving the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer while maintaining the facing state with a simple configuration.

A third aspect of the present invention is the ultrasonic bone measuring device according to the first aspect, wherein a plurality of the transmitting / receiving means are arranged so that the transmitting ultrasonic transducers correspond to the detection regions. The ultrasonic wave transducer array means includes a transmitting ultrasonic wave transducer array means, and a plurality of receiving ultrasonic wave transducer array elements are arranged so as to correspond to the detection area. As a result, by arranging a plurality of transmitting ultrasonic transducers and receiving ultrasonic transducers, it is possible to extend the life of the apparatus without the need for a mechanism for moving both transducers.

The invention of claim 4 is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting / receiving means is one of the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer. Is a plurality of ultrasonic transducer arrays arranged so as to correspond to the detection region, a predetermined number of ultrasonic transducers are sequentially driven, and the ultrasonic transducer for transmission and the ultrasonic transducer for reception are vibrated. The other transducer of the child is arranged so as to face the ultrasonic transducer array, and a predetermined number of ultrasonic transducers that face the one selected ultrasonic transducer are sequentially selected and driven. As a result, there is an effect that the cost can be reduced compared to the case where both transducers are used as an array.

The invention of claim 5 is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the bone distribution data detecting means divides the bone distribution data into predetermined amounts. Is a structure having a contour line display means for displaying in a contour line shape. As a result, it is possible to easily determine the optimum measurement point by visually recognizing the area divided by the contour lines.

The invention according to claim 6 is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the first measurement point determining means determines the central area of the contour line displayed by the contour line display means as the optimum measurement point. It is a structure having. As a result, the first measurement point determining means determines the optimum measurement point, and thus it is possible to stably determine the optimum measurement point without individual differences.

A seventh aspect of the present invention is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the bone distribution data detecting means uses the bone distribution data to outline the bone of the subject. This is a configuration having a contour display means for displaying. As a result, it is possible to easily determine the optimum measurement point by visually recognizing the contour and obtaining the center point.

The invention according to claim 8 is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a second measurement point is determined to determine the center position of the contour displayed by the contour distribution display means as an optimum measurement point. It is a structure having means. As a result, the second measurement point determination means determines the optimum measurement point, and thus it is possible to stably determine the optimum measurement point without individual differences.

The invention of claim 9 is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, which is used for bone measurement of the calcaneus. As a result, it is possible to always reliably and easily find the optimum measurement point for the calcaneus having a large individual difference among the subjects, and it is possible to accurately measure the bone.

According to the tenth aspect of the invention, the ultrasonic signal transmitted from the transmitting ultrasonic transducer is transmitted to the subject and received by the receiving ultrasonic transducer, and the ultrasonic signal obtained from these transmitted and received ultrasonic signals is transmitted. An ultrasonic bone measurement method for measuring the bone of the subject by either or a combination of a sound wave propagation velocity, an ultrasonic attenuation coefficient or an ultrasonic attenuation amount, wherein at least a linear detection region including the subject is detected. , Scanning with ultrasonic signals transmitted and received by the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer, obtaining an optimum measurement point of the subject based on the ultrasonic signal in the detection region, at the optimum measurement point In this configuration, the strength of the bone of the subject is obtained by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic signal again. Thereby, for example, by moving the ultrasonic transducer for transmission and the ultrasonic transducer for reception in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction,
It is possible to scan at least a linear detection region including the subject, thereby obtaining bone distribution data and determining an optimum measurement point. Therefore, regardless of the size of the foot or the difference in the skeleton shape, the optimum measurement point can always be reliably and easily obtained, and the strength of the bone can be accurately measured.

Here, as a method of scanning the detection region to obtain the optimum measurement point, a pair of ultrasonic transducers for transmission and reception are scanned one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally on a predetermined line including the bone to be measured. There is a method in which one-dimensional or two-dimensional data is acquired, the contour of the bone is obtained based on these data, then the opposite edges are obtained, and the central portion of both edges is set as the optimum measurement point. As another method, one-dimensional or two-dimensional data is electronically scanned by sequentially switching the array of one-dimensional or two-dimensionally arranged ultrasonic transducers for transmission and reception and ultrasonically scanning the ultrasonic signals. There is a method of obtaining the optimum measurement point by obtaining

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in an ultrasonic bone measuring device for measuring bone of the subject by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic signal so as to penetrate the subject, the ultrasonic bone measuring device is arranged opposite to the subject. And a wave receiver for receiving the ultrasonic signal. The wave transmitter and the wave receiver are used to transmit different parts of the subject. A transmitting and receiving means for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic signals, an outer edge detecting means for detecting an outer edge of the calcaneus based on an output signal of the transmitting and receiving means, and a measuring point determination for obtaining an optimum measuring point based on an output signal of the outer edge detecting means And a means. As a result, since the optimum measurement point is obtained based on the outer edge of the calcaneus, even if the condition of the calcaneus greatly changes due to individual differences in the subject, the bone is measured at the optimum measurement point according to the individual difference in the subject. An effect that it can measure accurately is produced.

According to a twelfth aspect of the invention, there is provided the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the transmitting / receiving means has a wave-transmitting surface of the wave transmitter and a wave-receiving surface of the wave receiver facing each other. And a holding arm moving means for moving the holding arm in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. As a result, there is an effect that the operation of moving the wave transmitting surface of the wave transmitter and the wave receiving surface of the wave receiver while maintaining the opposed state can be reliably performed with a simple configuration.

According to a thirteenth aspect of the invention, there is provided the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the wave transmitter is configured so that a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged, and the wave receiver has a plurality of waves. The ultrasonic transducers are arranged so as to be arranged.
As a result, since the outer edge of the calcaneus is obtained by the wave transmitter and the wave receiver composed of a plurality of ultrasonic transducers, the mechanism for moving these wave transmitters and wave receivers becomes unnecessary, and the life of the device is prolonged. There is an effect that can be done.

According to a fourteenth aspect of the present invention, in the ultrasonic bone measuring device according to the eleventh aspect, the optimum measuring point determining means determines a substantially central position with respect to the outer edge of the calcaneus as the optimum measuring point. It is a composition. As a result, it is possible to obtain the optimum measurement point by a simple calculation process.

A fifteenth aspect of the present invention is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the outer edge detecting means detects a two-dimensional outer edge of the calcaneus. As a result, by obtaining the optimum measurement point based on the outer edge of the calcaneus obtained two-dimensionally, it is possible to obtain the more reliable optimum measurement point.

The sixteenth aspect of the present invention is the ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, wherein the outer edge detecting means detects the one-dimensional outer edge of the calcaneus. Thus, the optimum measurement point can be obtained in a short time by obtaining the optimum measurement point based on the one-dimensional outer edge of the calcaneus.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an ultrasonic bone measuring device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block configuration diagram of an electric control system of the same apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing signal processing of the above apparatus.

4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining one bone measuring method by the same apparatus, FIG. 4A is an explanatory view of a calcaneus, and FIG. 4B is a diagram showing two-dimensional distribution data obtained by the same apparatus.

5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining another bone measuring method using the same device, FIG. 5A is an explanatory diagram showing a scanning direction of an ultrasonic signal with respect to a calcaneus, and FIG. 5B is obtained by the same measuring method. It is a figure which shows one-dimensional distribution data.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing an ultrasonic bone measuring device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a block configuration diagram of an electric control system of the same apparatus.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the signal processing of the above apparatus.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing channels of each transducer of the ultrasonic transducer array.

10A and 10B show a measuring unit in a conventional ultrasonic bone measuring device, FIG. 10A is a plan view, and FIG. 10B is a longitudinal sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 13 ultrasonic transducer for transmission 14 ultrasonic transducer for reception 17 transducer transfer mechanism 18 holding arm 20 feed screw for horizontal transfer 21 feed screw for vertical transfer 24 stepping motor for horizontal transfer 27 vertical stepping motor 40 arithmetic circuit unit 43 Scanning control unit 47 Two-dimensional distribution data creation unit 53 Optimal measurement point 61 Wall surface member 62 Membrane member 63 Water 65 Ultrasonic transducer array for transmission 66 Ultrasonic transducer array for reception 67 Multiplexer unit 68 Demultiplexer unit 69 Addition unit

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Kozo Tokuyama 9-52 Ashihara-cho, Nishinomiya-shi, Hyogo Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuhiko Nobunaga 9-52 Ashihara-cho, Nishinomiya-shi, Hyogo Furuno Electric Co., Ltd. Inside the company (72) Inventor Yasushi Hiraoka 9-52 Ashihara-cho, Nishinomiya-shi, Hyogo Prefecture Furuno Electric Co. Inside the company

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus for measuring the bone of the subject by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic signal while transmitting the subject, wherein ultrasonic waves for transmission are arranged opposite to each other through the subject. A transmitter / receiver having an oscillator and a receiving ultrasonic oscillator, capable of scanning at least a linear detection region with the ultrasonic signal while transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic signal by the oscillator, and the transmitter / receiver to scan. An ultrasonic bone measuring device comprising: a bone distribution data detecting unit capable of obtaining and outputting bone distribution data of the subject based on the ultrasonic signal in the detection region. 2. The transmitting / receiving means, a holding arm attached so that the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer face each other, holding arm moving means for moving the holding arm, The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a scanning control unit that controls the holding arm moving unit so as to scan the detection region with an ultrasonic signal. 3. The transmitting / receiving unit includes a transmitting ultrasonic transducer array unit in which a plurality of transmitting ultrasonic transducers are arranged so as to correspond to the detection area, and the receiving ultrasonic transducer detects the detecting ultrasonic transducer. The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of ultrasonic transducer array arrays for reception arranged corresponding to the regions. 4. The transmission / reception means is an ultrasonic transducer array in which a plurality of transducers of the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer are arranged so as to correspond to the detection region. The predetermined number of ultrasonic transducers are sequentially driven, and the other transducer of the transmitting ultrasonic transducer and the receiving ultrasonic transducer is arranged to face the ultrasonic transducer array, The ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a predetermined number of ultrasonic transducers facing the one selected ultrasonic transducer are sequentially driven. 5. The bone distribution data detecting means includes contour line displaying means for displaying the bone distribution data in contour lines by dividing the bone distribution data into predetermined amounts. The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 1. 6. The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 5, further comprising a first measuring point determining means for determining a center region of the contour displayed by the contour displaying means as an optimum measuring point. An ultrasonic bone measuring device characterized by the above. 7. The bone distribution data detecting means includes a contour display means for displaying a contour of a bone of a subject from the bone distribution data. Ultrasonic bone measuring device. 8. The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 7, further comprising second measuring point determining means for determining a center position of the contour displayed by the contour distribution displaying means as an optimum measuring point. An ultrasonic bone measuring device characterized in that 9. The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 1, which is used for bone measurement of a calcaneus. 10. The ultrasonic wave velocity transmitted from the ultrasonic transducer for transmission is transmitted through a subject and received by the ultrasonic transducer for reception, and the ultrasonic wave propagation velocity and ultrasonic wave obtained from these transmitted and received ultrasonic signals. An ultrasonic bone measuring method for measuring the bone of the subject by any or a combination of a sound wave attenuation coefficient and an ultrasonic attenuation amount, wherein at least a linear detection region including the subject, The ultrasonic signal transmitted and received by the ultrasonic transducer and the ultrasonic transducer for reception is scanned, the optimum measurement point of the subject is determined based on the ultrasonic signal in the detection region, and the ultrasonic signal is again measured at the optimum measurement point. An ultrasonic bone measuring method, characterized in that the bone strength of a subject is obtained by transmitting and receiving. 11. An ultrasonic bone measuring device for measuring the bone of the subject by transmitting and receiving an ultrasonic signal so as to pass through the subject, comprising: It has a wave transmitter for transmitting and a wave receiver for receiving an ultrasonic wave signal, and uses the wave transmitter and wave receiver to transmit the ultrasonic wave signal so as to pass through a plurality of different parts of the subject. It comprises a transmitting / receiving means for transmitting / receiving, an outer edge detecting means for detecting an outer edge of the calcaneus based on an output signal of the transmitting / receiving means, and a measuring point determining means for obtaining an optimum measuring point based on an output signal of the outer edge detecting means. An ultrasonic bone measuring device characterized by the following. 12. A holding arm attached to the transmitting / receiving means such that a wave transmitting surface of the wave transmitter and a wave receiving surface of the wave receiver face each other, and the holding arm in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 11, which is configured by a holding arm moving means for moving the holding arm moving means. 13. The wave transmitter is configured so that a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged, and the wave receiver is configured so that a plurality of ultrasonic transducers are arranged. 11. The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to 11. 14. The ultrasonic bone measuring apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the optimum measuring point determining means determines a substantially central position with respect to the outer edge of the calcaneus as an optimum measuring point. 15. The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 11, wherein the outer edge detecting means detects a two-dimensional outer edge of the calcaneus. 16. The ultrasonic bone measuring device according to claim 11, wherein the outer edge detecting means detects a one-dimensional outer edge of the calcaneus.