JPS62139639A - Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that uses ultrasonic waves to obtain an ultrasonic image of a diagnostic region of a subject, and particularly to a television other than a monitor device that includes a digital scan converter. The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that allows simultaneous observation of ultrasonic images on a monitor and allows images to be frozen at will.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventional ultrasound diagnostic equipment includes a probe that transmits and receives ultrasound pulses, an ultrasound transmitter and receiver that outputs echo signals by scanning the probe, and digitizes the echo signals to create internal images. It has a digital scan converter that writes the data into memory and reads out the data and displays the ultrasound image on a television monitor. Inside the digital scan converter, there is an image memory and a D/
A monitoring device comprising an A converter and a television monitor was included.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, in such an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, there is only one monitor device that has an image memory and can freely write and read image data into this image memory and display the image on a television monitor. Since only one ultrasonic image was provided, it was possible to display only one ultrasound image of the same time phase. Furthermore, there is a system in which a plurality of television monitors are connected to the above-mentioned monitor device, but even in this case, the same ultrasound image having the same time phase is displayed on each of the television monitors. Therefore, for example, when a laboratory technician is using an ultrasound diagnostic device to examine a diagnostic area of a subject under the instructions of a doctor, the doctor can freeze only the images of the different time phases as necessary while observing on a separate TV monitor. It was not possible to observe it in detail. In addition, when educating inexperienced doctors, junior high school students, or laboratory technicians on how to observe ultrasound images, it is important to note that it is not advisable to stand still on another TV monitor to view an ultrasound image that has a different time phase than the image displayed on one TV monitor. could not. Furthermore, in mechanical linear scanning ultrasound diagnostic equipment used for mammary gland examinations, the image memory is continuously rewritten according to the movement of the scanner, so the displayed image also changes continuously. Only at certain times does the image become complete (perfect image state) and stand still. Therefore, doctors and the like must always observe ultrasound images with the displayed image continuously changing from one side to the other, resulting in eye fatigue. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve such problems.

Means for Solving the Problems The means of the present invention for solving the above problems includes: a probe that transmits and receives ultrasonic pulses; an ultrasonic transceiver unit that outputs echo signals by scanning the probe; It includes a monitor device having an image memory, a D/A converter, and a television monitor therein, digitizes the echo signal, writes the data into the image memory of the monitor device, reads it out, and transmits ultrasonic waves to the television monitor. In an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a digital scan converter for displaying an image, a monitor device including the digital scan converter is used as a main monitor device, and one or more subordinate monitor devices are provided in parallel with the main monitor device, and This is achieved by providing the monitor device with a switch means that can arbitrarily control the writing operation of the image memory.

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The drawing is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. This ultrasound diagnostic device uses ultrasound to obtain ultrasound images of the diagnostic area of the subject.
It includes a probe 1, an ultrasonic transceiver section 2, and a digital scan converter (hereinafter abbreviated as rDSCJ) 3. The probe 1 is a device that mechanically or electronically performs linear scanning, sector scanning, etc. to transmit and receive ultrasonic pulses, and although it is not shown in the figure, there is a probe that is a source of ultrasonic pulses and a reflected wave. It has a built-in vibrator that receives it.

The ultrasonic transmitting/receiving section 2 controls the transmission and reception of ultrasonic pulses by the probe 1 and outputs an echo signal by scanning the ultrasonic pulse, and includes a control circuit 4, a first amplifier 5, and a time gain. Control (TGC) circuit 6
, a gain function generating circuit 7 , a second amplifier 8 , and a detection port 9 . The control circuit 4 is connected to the probe 1
It is used to control the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic beam to adjust the focus and finer the pitch of the ultrasonic beam, or to control the deflection of the ultrasonic beam in a sector scanning device. Note that this control circuit 4.

The control differs depending on the type of probe, such as a single-piece vibrator probe, a linear electronic scanning probe, or a sector electronic scanning probe. The first amplifier 5 is for amplifying the electrical signal controlled by the control circuit 4. The TGC circuit 6 inputs the output signal from the first amplifier 5 and weakens the signal of the reflected echo from the vicinity of the first diagnosis site.
Signals of reflected echoes from deep parts are processed to be strengthened. Note that the processing conditions of this TGC circuit 6 are as follows:
It is given by a control signal from the gain function generating circuit 7. The second amplifier 8 amplifies the signal processed by the TGC circuit 6, and performs near amplification or logarithmic amplification. The detection circuit 9 includes a second amplifier 8
It detects the output signal from.

The DSC circuit 3 inputs and digitizes the echo signal output from the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 2, writes the data into an internal image memory, and reads out the data to display an ultrasonic image on a television monitor. /D converter 10
, a buffer memory 11 , a main monitor device 12 a , and a clock generator 13 . Above A/D converter 1
0 inputs the echo signal from the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 2 and converts it into a digital signal. The buffer memory 11 samples the signal digitized by the A/D converter 10, and performs image reading processing (preprocessing) by applying function processing to the signal during that time. The main monitor device 12a stores the collected ultrasound image data and displays it on the screen, and includes a serial-to-parallel conversion circuit 14a, an image memory 15a, a write/read control circuit 16a, and an image mixing circuit 17a. ,D
It consists of a /A converter 18a and a television monitor 19a.

The serial/parallel conversion circuit L4a sequentially takes in the signals from the buffer memory 11 serially into an internal counter circuit, converts them into parallel signals (= signs), and sends them out to the image memory 15a. The image data stored in the image memory 15a is read out as a parallel signal by the serial/parallel conversion circuit 14a, and is also read out as a parallel signal by the serial/parallel conversion circuit 14a. The signal is converted into a signal and sent to the video mixing circuit 17a.
This is to synthesize display marks such as body marks and characters outputted from the display measurement signal output section 23 via the display signal and signals for displaying marks such as depth and circumference. The D/A converter 18a converts the output signal of the video mixing circuit 17a into an analog signal. Further, the television monitor 19a displays the collected image data as an ultrasound image. Note that a switch 20a connected to the write/read control circuit 16a of the main monitor device 12a is used to freeze the image displayed on the television monitor L9a.
This is a control switch that arbitrarily interrupts the operation of writing image data to. Further, the clock generator 13 synchronizes the control from reading image data from the fi! memory 15a to displaying it on the television monitor 19a, and also synchronizes the operation of the entire device.

Here, in the present invention, a slave monitor device 12b is provided in parallel with the main monitor device 12a in the DSCa, and this slave monitor device 12b has a control switch 2.
0b is connected. The dependent monitor device 12b is
It stores the collected ultrasound image data and displays it on the screen.

It is provided in parallel to the buffer memory 11 in the DSCa, and has exactly the same configuration as the main monitor device 12a described above. That is, the serial/parallel conversion circuit 14b, the image memory 15b, the write/read control circuit 16b, the video mixing circuit 17b, the -p/A converter 18b, and the television monitor 1.
9b.

The control switch 20b also controls the slave monitor device fil.
In order to freeze the image displayed on the television monitor 19b in the Zb, the writing operation of image data to the image memory 15b is arbitrarily interrupted, and it is connected to the write/read control circuit 16b of the subordinate monitor device 12b. ing.

Next, the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus configured as described above will be explained. First, ultrasonic pulses are transmitted and received from the probe 1 to and from the diagnostic site of the subject. Then, as the probe 1 scans, an echo signal is transmitted from the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 2 to the DSC 3.
is output to. In this DSC:3, the above echo signal is
A /D converter 10 converts the signal into a digital signal, which is sampled in a buffer memory 11 to collect ultrasound image data. Next, the image data collected by the buffer memory 11 is transferred to a main monitor device 12a and a subordinate monitor device 12b, which are provided in parallel with the buffer memory 11.
are sent to each. In the main monitor device 12a, image data is written to and read from the image memory 15a under the control of the write/read control circuit 16a, and the ultrasound image is displayed on the television monitor 19a. At the same time, in the subordinate monitor device d12b,
Under the control of a separate write/read control circuit 16b, image data is written into and read from a separate image memory 15b, and an ultrasound image is displayed on the television monitor 19b.

At this time, when the control switch 20b connected to the write/read control circuit 16b of the slave monitor device 12b is turned on, the operation of writing image data to the image memory 15b of the slave monitor device 12b is interrupted, and the image data is displayed on the television monitor 19b. The image can be freely frozen on the side of the subordinate monitor device [12b]. Therefore, the main monitor equipment! L
2a TV monitor 19a and subordinate monitor equipment [12b
Ultrasonic images of different time phases are displayed on the television monitor 19b.

Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which only one subordinate monitor device 12b is provided, the present invention is not limited to this, and an appropriate plurality of subordinate monitor devices 12a may be provided in parallel. In addition, control switches 20a and 20 for controlling write operation to the image memory are also provided.
b shows an example in which the main monitor devices 12a and 12b are connected to each other, but the present invention is not limited to this.
2a and the slave monitor device 1212b may be provided, and the power can be switched from being applied to the main monitor device 12a to being applied to the subordinate monitor device 12b by time control. For example, when measuring the movement of the heart over time, the main monitor device 12a monitors one or more subordinate monitor devices 12b at regular intervals (for example, 100 m5ec) after a set delay time from the R wave of the electrocardiogram waveform.
The image may be made still and then released by sequentially switching to .

In this case, images of each time phase of the heart can be viewed continuously. Further, in each monitor device 12a, 12b, serial/parallel conversion circuits 14a, 14b and video mixing circuits 17a, 17
A functional signal processing circuit for signal processing (bost process) may be provided between the signal processing circuit and the signal processing circuit 12b. In this case, the image quality and tone of the images on each of the television monitors 19a and 19b can be changed according to the purpose of diagnosis.

Effects of the Invention As described above, the present invention uses the main monitor device 12a as the monitor device in the DSCa, and the main monitor device 12a
A slave monitor device 12b is provided in parallel with the main monitor device 12a, and a control switch 20b that can arbitrarily control the writing operation of the image memory 15b is provided on the slave monitor device fi12b.
Ultrasonic images can be viewed simultaneously on the television monitor 19b of the monitor 19b, and the images can be frozen at will on the subordinate monitor device 12b. Therefore, the TV monitor 19a of the main monitor device 12a and the TV monitor 19b of the subordinate monitor device 12b can display ultrasound images of the same diagnostic site at different time phases for ME observation. For this reason, for example, when a laboratory technician is examining a diagnostic part of a subject under the instructions of a doctor, the doctor can display only images of different time phases as necessary while observing on the television monitor 19b of the subordinate monitor device EL12b. , stops by turning on the control switch 20b and details 1iii! diagnosis efficiency can be improved. Moreover, the educational effect can be improved in the education of observing ultrasound images. moreover.

In a mechanical linear scanning ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus used for mammary gland examination, the control switch 20a is pressed when the scanner is in a complete image state at either side end.

20b, images in a stationary state are displayed one after another, which can reduce eye fatigue of a doctor or the like who observes the images.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawing is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. 1... Probe 2... Ultrasonic transmitting/receiving unit 3... Digital scan converter 10... A/D converter 11... Buffer memory 12a... Main monitor device 12b... Subordinate monitor device 13...Clock generator

Claims (1)

[Claims] A monitor device includes a probe that transmits and receives ultrasound pulses, an ultrasound transmitter and receiver that outputs echo signals by scanning the probe, and an image memory, a D/A converter, and a television monitor inside. and a digital scan converter that digitizes the echo signal and writes the data into an image memory of the monitor device, reads the data, and displays an ultrasound image on the television monitor, the digital scan converter comprising: The monitor device including the main monitor device is the main monitor device, one or more subordinate monitor devices are provided in parallel with the main monitor device, and the subordinate monitor device is provided with a switch means that can arbitrarily control the writing operation of the image memory. An ultrasonic diagnostic device featuring: