JPH10151130A - Ultrasonograph for edible animal - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an ultrasonograph for an edible animal, having the capability of properly showing even the image of the boundary of a bio internal tissue, in addition to a fat cross or the like. SOLUTION: A high-frequency ultrasonic wave and a low-frequency ultrasonic wave involving low attenuation are emitted to an edible animal such as cattle 4 from a probe 3, thereby diagnosing the fat cross of the loin of the cattle 4 and the boundary of the bio internal tissue thereof respectively. Then, the results of the diagnosis is shown on a display device 6 such as CRT by use of an image. In this case. the high-frequency ultrasonic wave having a high image resolution and sharp directivity, and the low-frequency ultrasonic wave involving less attenuation and diffusion even at a long distance are both used. Thus, even the deep part of a bio tissue such as the area and contour of the loin can be properly shown by an image, in addition to a surface or shallow part such as the fat cross of the loin, for the purpose of diagnosis and measurement. As a result, the bio tissue of the cattle 4 can be diagnosed and measured, whether shallow or deep, and the results can be sufficiently and properly reflected on the raising method or the method for giving livestock feed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for edible animals suitable for diagnosing and measuring marbling of edible animals such as cows, pigs, and poultry, and internal tissue images of living bodies. is there.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For livestock farmers and the like, fattening methods of feed animals such as cattle and feeding methods of feeds are widely studied from the viewpoints of maintaining and improving the health of consumers, developing food culture and efficient management. Has been and tried. However, even if a fattening method for food animals or a feeding method for feed is tried, the meat quality (fineness, tenderness, etc.) and fatness of beef must be understood without disassembling the food animal. Can not. Therefore, the results of the attempted fattening method and feeding method could not be immediately known, and it was difficult to respond quickly. Therefore, in recent livestock farmers and the like, using an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for edible animals to diagnose and measure the thickness of the fat layer of beef and the size of the loin mass,
The measurement results are reflected in fattening methods and feed feeding methods.

In a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for food animals, as shown in FIG. 2, a timing generation circuit 1 outputs an ultrasonic emission command to a high-frequency transmitter 2, and the high-frequency transmitter 2 outputs a signal of a predetermined frequency to the probe 3, and the probe 3 emits high-frequency ultrasonic waves to the cow 4 in contact with the probe. Then, the ultrasonic waves are reflected at the surface of the cow 4, that is, at the marbling of loin (shimofuri), and become reflected waves. The reflected waves are received by the high-frequency receiver 5 via the probe 3. Waved.
Therefore, if this reflected wave is displayed on the display device 6 such as a CRT, it is possible to easily diagnose and measure a living body such as a marbling of the cow 4, and to use the diagnosis and measurement result as a fattening method or a feed feeding method. Can be reflected.

[0004]

The conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for edible animals emits only high-frequency ultrasonic waves as described above, so that the image resolution can be improved. Absorbs almost in proportion to the frequency of the sound wave
(Attenuation) increased, resulting in the following problems. In other words, the use of high-frequency ultrasonic waves to diagnose and measure loin marbling, etc., increases absorption. Diagnosis and measurement cannot be performed. Therefore, it is not possible to appropriately display the boundary of the tissue inside the living body of the cow 4, particularly the area and contour of the loin,
There was a problem that the results of insufficient diagnosis / measurement were only reflected in fattening methods and feed feeding methods.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for edible animals that can appropriately display images not only in shallow layers but also in deep layers of edible animals. And

[0006]

According to the present invention, in order to achieve the above object, a living body of an edible animal is diagnosed with a probe by ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving means, and the result is displayed on a display device as an image. The ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving means comprises low-frequency and high-frequency ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving means for diagnosing a shallow portion and a deep portion inside the living body of the edible animal. In addition, the display device is connected to the ultrasonic wave receiving means via a synthesizing circuit, and a synthesized signal of the received signal of the high-frequency ultrasonic wave and the received signal of the low-frequency ultrasonic wave, or one of the received signals. Is preferably displayed on the display device.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, high-frequency ultrasonic waves having good image resolution and directivity are reflected at the boundary between different tissues in the surface portion or shallow portion of the living body of the edible animal to become reflected waves, and this reflection wave is generated. The waves are captured by the ultrasonic wave receiving means and displayed as an image. In addition, even in the medium, low-frequency ultrasonic waves with little attenuation are reflected at the boundary between different tissues in a deep part of the living body of the edible animal to become reflected waves, and the reflected waves are captured by the ultrasonic wave receiving means and displayed as an image. You. By displaying the images without leaking in the shallow depth, the diagnosis result of the edible animal can be reflected in the fattening method and the feed feeding method. Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the combined received signal of the two frequencies, or one of the high-frequency ultrasonic wave and the low-frequency ultrasonic wave is displayed as an image on various display devices. Therefore, a shallow layer such as marbling of the loin of a food animal and / or a deep layer such as the area and contour of the loin can be image-displayed as necessary.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for edible animals according to this embodiment makes a cow 3 contact a probe 3, and a high-frequency ultrasonic pulse and a low-frequency And ultrasonic waves are respectively emitted to diagnose the marbling of the loin of the cow 4 and the boundary of the tissue inside the living body.

The high-frequency ultrasonic wave can be appropriately changed in consideration of image resolution, directivity, and the like. For the high-frequency ultrasonic wave, an ultrasonic wave emission command is output from the timing generation circuit 1 to the high-frequency transmitter 2, and a driving signal of a predetermined frequency is output from the high-frequency transmitter 2 to the probe 3. As a result, the cow 4 is fired from a plurality of transducers built in the probe 3.

In synchronization with this, the low-frequency ultrasonic wave is output from the timing generation circuit 1 to the low-frequency transmitter 7, and the low-frequency ultrasonic transmitter 7 outputs the command. When a drive signal having a predetermined frequency is output to the probe 3, the drive signal is emitted to the cow 4 from a plurality of oscillators arranged in the probe 3. The low frequency ultrasonic wave is appropriately set in consideration of attenuation or scattering.

When the ultrasonic waves are emitted as described above,
The high-frequency ultrasonic wave is reflected by the marbling of the loin of the cow 4 and becomes a reflected wave (echo). The reflected wave is received by the high-frequency receiver 5 via the probe 3. Also, the low-frequency ultrasonic wave is reflected at the boundary of the tissue inside the living body of the cow 4 and is reflected.
(Echo), and the reflected wave is received by the low frequency receiver 8 via the probe 3. The high-frequency receiver 5 and the low-frequency receiver 8 amplify the received signal of each frequency obtained via the probe 3 and output the amplified signal to the synthesizing circuit 9. The synthesized signal or one of the signals is output to the display device 6.

The display device 6 includes a CRT, a position calculation circuit (not shown), a video amplification circuit, a digital scan converter, and the like. Then, the display device 6 displays the received signal obtained by combining the two frequencies or one of the received signals.
Although the display device 6 shown in FIG. 1 is shown in the present embodiment, the same operation and effect can be obtained by appropriately using various display devices such as a CRT display and an LCD display. The display device 6
May display only one of the loin marbling or the loin area / contour, or may individually display images on a plurality of display devices 6.

According to the above configuration, since high-frequency ultrasonic waves having sharp image resolution and directivity and low-frequency ultrasonic waves with little attenuation or scattering even at a long distance are used together, the surface of loin marbling or the like can be used. In addition to the part and the shallow part, the deep part of the living body such as the area and contour of the loin is appropriately displayed and diagnosed.
Can be measured. Therefore, the living body of the cow 4 can be diagnosed and measured without leaking, and the result can be sufficiently and appropriately reflected in a fattening method and a feed feeding method. Furthermore, if the marbling of loin and the area and contour of loin are collectively displayed on the display device 6 at the same time, the efficiency and convenience of diagnosis / measurement can be greatly improved.

[0014]

As described above, according to the present invention, in addition to the shallow layer of the living body of the edible animal, ie, the marbling of the loin, the deep section, ie, the loin area, etc. can be appropriately displayed as an image. Through this, there is an effect that analysis, improvement and larger development of a fattening method of feed animals and a feeding method of feed can be achieved. Furthermore, according to the second aspect of the present invention, since the shallow layer and / or the deep layer of the living body of the edible animal can be image-displayed as necessary, the efficiency and convenience of diagnosis of the edible animal can be expected to be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory view showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for a food animal according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view showing a conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for food animals.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Timing generation circuit (ultrasonic transmission / reception means) 2 ... High frequency transmitter (ultrasonic transmission / reception means) 3 ... Probe 4 ... Cow (food animal) 5 ... High frequency receiver (ultrasonic wave) 6) Display device 7 ... Transmitter for low frequency (ultrasonic transmitting / receiving means) 8 ... Receiver for low frequency (ultrasonic receiving means) 9 ... Synthesis circuit

Claims (2)

[Claims] An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for edible animals for diagnosing a living body of an edible animal with a probe by means of ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving means and displaying the result on a display device as an image. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for edible animals, comprising a high-frequency and high-frequency ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving means for diagnosing a shallow layer and a deep layer inside the living body of the edible animal. 2. The display device is connected to an ultrasonic wave receiving means via a synthesizing circuit, and a synthesized signal of the received signal of the high-frequency ultrasonic wave and the received signal of the low-frequency ultrasonic wave, or any one of them. 2. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for food animals according to claim 1, wherein said received signal is displayed as an image on said display device.