JPH10127627A - Ultrasonic diagnostic system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate the change operation of a display style. SOLUTION: When a display style changing means 13 changes the display style, parameter changing means 14 and 15 temporarily change parameters to affect a frame rate such as pulse repetition frequency, number of focusing stages, number of ultrasonic scanning lines and number of times of beam transmission in the same direction on color Doppler display before setting them at values selected by an operator or optimum values corresponding to the changed display style. Thus, the responsiveness of display in case of display style change is improved.

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 having a display form changing means for changing a display form such as a change in an image magnification and a movement of a display range of a color Doppler.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that performs B-mode display or color Doppler display, a means for arbitrarily switching a diagnostic depth range (size) for displaying an image (size switching); Means for arbitrarily setting the rate (zoom).-After displaying a part of the ultrasound image to be captured,
Means for moving the area (window) of the display image in the captured ultrasound image up, down, left, and right (pan: translation, scroll:
Some devices are provided with means for changing the display form, such as means for switching or moving the size or position of a region for performing color Doppler display.

[0003]

In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus provided with such a display mode changing means, the response of the display to the change of the display mode by each display mode changing means is deteriorated, and the operation feeling of the operator is reduced. In some cases, making it difficult to change the display mode. This will be described below.

In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, parameters such as a pulse repetition frequency, the number of scanning lines, the number of focus stages, and the number of beam transmissions in the same direction in color Doppler display are changed in order to maintain resolution and sensitivity in accordance with a change in display mode. These parameters are automatically shifted to the selection values of the operator or the optimum values corresponding to the change of the display mode.

However, these parameters are closely related to the frame rate, and the lower the pulse repetition frequency, the greater the number of scanning lines, the greater the number of focus stages, or the number of beam transmissions in the same direction in color Doppler display. , The frame rate decreases (the number of image frames obtained per second decreases).

Therefore, depending on various operations by the above-mentioned display mode changing means, it may take time to display an image in the middle of the operation, that is, display responsiveness may be deteriorated.

On the other hand, the operator confirms that a desired display form is obtained by visually observing a display image while performing each of the above-described operations. If the image quality deteriorates, a difference occurs between the display state during the change and the operation feeling of the operator, and it becomes difficult to confirm the image during the change. Therefore, this has caused the operator to feel that it is difficult to change the display mode.

In order to solve such inconveniences, it is conceivable to thin out the display in the process of changing the display form and display only the image resulting from the change of the display form.
However, as described above, the operator confirms that the desired display mode is obtained by visually checking the display image in the state of being changed, and when the display in the state of being changed is thinned out,
It becomes difficult to confirm such a desired display mode. Therefore, even if the response to change the display mode is improved by thinning out the display of the state in the middle of the change, the operation to change the display mode becomes difficult, and the problem has not been solved.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to enhance the responsiveness of the display to the change of the display form and to facilitate the operation of changing the display form.

[0010]

According to the present invention, there is provided an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a display form changing means for changing a display form such as a change in an image enlargement ratio and a movement of a display range. When the display mode changing means changes the display mode, the pulse repetition frequency, the number of focus stages, the number of ultrasonic scanning lines, the parameter affecting the frame rate such as the number of transmissions in the same direction in color Doppler display, the operator's selection value, Alternatively, a parameter changing unit is provided which temporarily shifts to a value at which the frame rate is the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest in the display mode before being set to the optimum value corresponding to the changed display mode.

[0011]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes a transmission / reception control circuit 2 for transmitting / receiving an ultrasonic wave using a probe (not shown), and a signal processing for performing processing such as phasing addition processing on the ultrasonic echo signal received by the transmission / reception control circuit 2. A circuit 3, an A / D converter 4 for A / D-converting the signal-processed ultrasonic image data, and temporarily storing the A / D-converted ultrasonic image data, and then reading out the image at a speed synchronized with TV scanning A digital scan converter 5, a Doppler processing unit 6 for calculating Doppler velocity data from ultrasonic echo signals, and a character memory 7 for generating character data such as characters and symbols based on the Doppler velocity data
And a video signal generating unit 8 that combines the ultrasonic image data output from the digital scan converter 5 and the display character data output from the character memory 7.
And a display monitor 9 for displaying a video signal output from the video signal generator 8.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes a keyboard 1
0, a trackball 11 or the like, an input interface unit 12 for connecting the external input device to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1, a display mode change processing unit 13, a parameter control unit 14, a frame scan detection unit 15, It has.

The display mode change processing unit 13 includes a keyboard 1
It processes the next operation input via an external input device such as 0 or trackball 11 and the input interface 12 and outputs an execution trigger signal to the parameter control unit 14. In other words, the display mode change processing unit 13 performs an operation of arbitrarily switching a diagnostic depth range (size) for displaying an image, an operation of arbitrarily setting an image enlargement ratio, and displaying a partial region of an ultrasonic image to be captured. After that, various display modes such as an operation of moving the area (window) of the display image in the captured ultrasonic image vertically and parallelly, and an operation of switching or moving the size and position of the area for performing color Doppler display are performed. The change operation is processed, and the execution trigger signal is output to the parameter control unit 14.

The parameter control unit 14 receives various parameters such as a pulse repetition frequency, the number of scanning lines, the number of focus stages, and the number of beam transmissions in the same direction in color Doppler display, based on the execution trigger signal input from the display mode change processing unit 13. And outputs a command signal to the transmission / reception control circuit 2 and the Doppler processing unit 6.

The frame scanning detection unit 15 detects that the image frame has been completed by one frame by observing the transmission / reception operation of the ultrasonic wave performed by the transmission / reception control circuit 2, and outputs a frame end signal for each frame to the parameter control unit. 14.

In this embodiment, the parameter control section 14 and the frame scanning detection section 15 constitute parameter changing means, and the display form change processing section 13 comprises display form changing means.

Next, main operations of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 will be described. When the operator inputs any of the above-described display mode change operations on the keyboard 10 or the trackball 11, the operation is input to the display mode change processing unit 13. The display mode change processing unit 13 outputs to the parameter control unit 14 an execution trigger signal for instructing various parameters according to the input operation. The parameter control unit 14 that has received the execution trigger signal performs the following operation.
That is, first, under the conditions for performing the input display mode change operation, a parameter that provides the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest is selected, and a command signal indicating the parameter is output to the transmission / reception control circuit 2. To increase (increase) the frame rate, increase the pulse repetition frequency, reduce the number of scanning lines,
Each parameter may be shifted in such a direction as to reduce the number of focus stages or to reduce the number of times of beam transmission in the same direction in color Doppler display. The transmission / reception control circuit 2 receiving such a command signal controls the ultrasonic transmission / reception of the probe (not shown) according to the parameters.

When an ultrasonic wave is transmitted / received at a parameter that provides the fastest or nearest frame rate, the ultrasonic echo signal is converted into a signal processing unit 3, an A / D conversion unit 4, a Doppler processing unit 6, and a digital scanning unit. The signal is output to the video signal generator 8 via the converter 5. The Doppler processing unit 6 and the character memory 7 form display character data of Doppler flow velocity data from the ultrasonic echo signal and output the same to the video signal generation unit 8. The video signal generation unit 8 combines the ultrasonic image or the Doppler image output from the digital scan converter 5 with the display character data of the Doppler flow velocity data output from the character memory 7 and sends it to the display monitor 9. To display the image.

When an image in the changed display mode is displayed at the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest in the display mode as described above, the image quality of the display image may deteriorate, but The response of the display to the change is improved. Therefore, there is no deviation between the operation feeling of the operator and the display responsiveness of the image display,
The display mode can be easily changed.

When one frame of an image is displayed at the fastest or nearest frame rate, the frame scanning detector 15 detects the end of the frame and outputs a frame end signal to the parameter controller 14. Upon receiving the frame end signal, the parameter control unit 14 changes the parameters as follows. That is, the parameter control unit 1
4 resets the parameter which is the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest in the display mode to the parameter which is optimal in accordance with the changed display mode, and unless the display mode is changed thereafter, the parameter is changed. Is kept constant.

The transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves are performed with the optimal parameters corresponding to the display mode changed in this way, and an image is displayed on the display monitor 9 by the same operation as the above based on the ultrasonic echo signal. I do.

Then, since the optimum parameters are set according to the display mode, the image quality is improved, but the frame rate may be reduced (decelerated) depending on the set display mode. However, at this point, the operation of changing the display mode can be regarded as almost completed, so that there is no inconvenience even if the frame rate is slightly lowered.

Next, an operation for continuously changing the display mode, such as an operation for continuously increasing the diagnostic depth range (size) for displaying an image and an operation for continuously increasing the image enlargement ratio is performed. Will be described. The operator operates the keyboard 1
When an operation of continuously increasing the diagnostic depth range (size) for displaying an image or an operation of continuously changing the display mode such as continuously increasing the image magnification is input by using 0 or the trackball 11, The operation is input to the display mode change processing unit 13. The display mode change processing unit 13 outputs to the parameter control unit 14 an execution trigger signal for instructing various parameters according to the input operation. The parameter control unit 14 that has received the execution trigger signal performs the following operation. That is, first, among the continuously input display mode changing operations, the operation located at the first position (in the case of continuously increasing the image enlargement ratio, the enlargement ratio is increased by one step from the original enlargement ratio. Under the condition that the frame rate is the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest, a command signal indicating the parameter is output to the transmission / reception control circuit 2. The transmission / reception control circuit 2 receiving such a command signal controls the ultrasonic transmission / reception of the probe (not shown) according to the parameters.

When an ultrasonic wave is transmitted / received with a parameter that can obtain the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest, the ultrasonic echo signal is converted into a signal processing unit 3, an A / D conversion unit 4, a Doppler processing unit 6, and a digital scan signal. The signal is output to the video signal generator 8 via the converter 5. The Doppler processing unit 6 and the character memory 7 form display character data of Doppler flow velocity data from the ultrasonic echo signal and output the same to the video signal generation unit 8. The video signal generation unit 8 combines the ultrasonic image or the Doppler image output from the digital scan converter 5 with the display character data of the Doppler flow velocity data output from the character memory 7 and sends it to the display monitor 9. To display the image.

When one frame of image is displayed at the fastest or nearest frame rate, the frame scanning detecting section 15 detects the end of the frame, and outputs a frame end signal to the parameter control section 14. Upon receiving the frame end signal, the parameter control unit 14 changes the parameters as follows. That is, the parameter control unit 1
4 is the first in the change of the display mode set continuously.
In the display form located at the second position, the parameter representing the fastest or nearest frame rate is used to determine the display form located at the second position (when the image enlargement ratio is continuously increased, the first enlargement ratio is further reduced. In the display mode in which the enlargement ratio is increased by one step), the parameter is changed to a parameter that is the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest. And
Based on these parameters, the transmission / reception control circuit 2 controls ultrasonic transmission / reception of a probe (not shown) according to the parameters. Further, the same operation as described above is performed on the ultrasonic echo signal obtained by transmitting and receiving the ultrasonic wave in this manner, and an image is displayed on the display monitor 9.

By repeating the above operation corresponding to the third, fourth,... Display forms, the image form is changed continuously and the image display at that time is made the fastest or the fastest. Perform at a close frame rate. Then, although the image quality of the display image may be lowered, the response of the display to the continuous change of the display mode is improved. Therefore, there is no deviation between the operator's operational feeling and the responsiveness of the image display, and the operator can easily confirm that the desired display form has been obtained by observing the change state of the display form based on visual observation of the image. It can be detected.

When the operator detects that the desired display form has been obtained by observing the change state of the display form based on the visual observation of the image, the operator stops the change operation of the display form performed via the keyboard 10 or the trackball 11. I do. Then, the display mode change processing unit 13 outputs to the parameter control unit 14 an execution trigger signal for instructing various parameters according to the finally set display mode operation. Upon receiving the execution trigger signal, the parameter control unit 14 selects a parameter capable of obtaining the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest in the display mode finally set, and transmits a command signal indicating the parameter to the transmission / reception control circuit 2. Output to The transmission / reception control circuit 2 receiving such a command signal controls the ultrasonic transmission / reception of the probe (not shown) according to the set parameters. As a result, the image monitor 9 displays an image at the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest in the display mode finally set.

When one frame of image is displayed at the fastest or nearest frame rate in the finally set display mode, the frame scanning detecting section 15 detects the end of the frame and outputs a frame end signal. Is output to the parameter control unit 14. Upon receiving the frame end signal, the parameter control unit 14 changes the parameters as follows. That is, the parameter control unit 14 changes the parameter that has the fastest or a frame rate close to the fastest in the finally set display mode to the parameter that is optimal in accordance with the finally set display mode,
Thereafter, the parameters are kept constant unless the display mode is changed.

The transmission / reception of ultrasonic waves is performed with the optimum parameters corresponding to the display mode finally set in this way, and the same operation as the above operation is performed based on the ultrasonic echo signals, and the display is performed. An image is displayed on the monitor 9.

In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the above-described embodiment, the display mode change processing unit 13 and the parameter control unit 14 are configured as individual operating components. Is composed of software, and a central processing unit (CP
Needless to say, it may be incorporated in U) or the like.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention, the response of the display to the change of the display mode by the display mode changing means is improved. Therefore, there is almost no difference between the responsiveness of the display when the display mode is changed and the operational feeling of the operator, and the operation of changing the display mode is facilitated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

[Explanation of symbols]

 13 display form change processing unit 14 parameter control unit 15 frame scanning detection unit

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising a display mode changing means for changing a display mode such as a change in an image enlargement ratio and a movement of a display range, wherein when the display mode changing means changes the display mode, pulse repetition is performed. Frequency, number of focus stages, number of ultrasonic scanning lines,
Before setting parameters that affect the frame rate, such as the number of beam transmissions in the same direction in the color Doppler display, to the operator's selection value or the optimum value corresponding to the changed display mode, the fastest or the fastest in the display mode An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising parameter changing means for temporarily shifting to a value at which the frame rate is close to. 2. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said parameter changing means performs a temporary shift operation of said parameter in an image frame cycle. .