JPS6268442A - 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] [Technical Field of the Invention] The present invention relates to an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus having the ability to display the position and direction of an ultrasound probe on the same screen as a tomographic image. .

[Technical I of invention! Background and Problems] In conventional ultrasound diagnostic equipment, body marks are placed at the edges of the obtained tomogram in order to record where on the patient's body the ultrasound probe was applied. Tobu O
- The icon is displayed.

However, the positional relationship between the ultrasound probe and the patient's body is confirmed visually, and the position of the probe mark is set by manual input, etc., which is inaccurate and uniform regardless of the patient's body shape. There is a problem that only body marks can be displayed.

[Purpose of the Invention] The present invention provides an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that can accurately measure the positional relationship between an ultrasound probe and a patient's body, especially the angle of the ultrasound probe, and that does not require complicated manual input. is intended to provide.

[Summary of the Invention] In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides an ultrasonic probe and a vibrator of the ultrasonic probe with an excitation signal, transmits an ultrasonic beam, and receives the reflected wave echo.
Based on the ultrasonic transmitting and receiving means for obtaining tomographic information and the tomographic information from this ultrasonic transmitting and receiving means,! means for creating an Fi layer image; means for generating a magnetic field in space; means provided in the ultrasound probe for detecting the strength of the magnetic field and determining the spatial position and direction of the ultrasound probe; It is characterized by comprising means for displaying an image and a spatial position/direction.

[Embodiments of the invention] Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of the present invention. 1 is a display device for displaying an ultrasonic tomographic image, 2 is an ultrasonic probe, and 3 is a tomographic image by controlling the phase of the excitation of each ultrasonic transducer of the ultrasonic probe 2 and receiving the reflected wave echo. This is an ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit that obtains received data. 4 is a magnetic field strength detector configured such that three loop antennas are orthogonal to each other; 5 is a magnetic field strength receiving unit that receives the induced current (voltage) of the magnetic field strength detector 4 as magnetic field strength; 6 is three loop antennas 7 is a magnetic field generator configured to be orthogonal to each other and generates a magnetic field inversely proportional to the distance in space, and 7 is a magnetic field transmitter that transmits a current to the magnetic field generator 6 to generate a magnetic field. . Further, 8 controls the ultrasonic transmitting/receiving unit 3, constructs a tomographic image from the received tomographic image data, displays this tomographic image on a display device, controls the magnetic field transmitting unit 7, and generates a magnetic field in space. , is a central control device that receives the current induced in the magnetic field strength detector 4 as the magnetic field strength from the magnetic field strength receiver 5 and calculates the spatial position and direction of the magnetic field strength detector 4.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the same embodiment. 3° The patient lies on a bed 13 in which the magnetic field generator 6 is embedded. A probe 2 equipped with or equipped with a magnetic field strength detector 4 is applied to the patient. The magnetic field strength detector 4 and the probe are connected to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body 14 containing a central controller 8.

A tomographic image is displayed on the display device 1 based on the received signal from the probe 2, and a probe mark and a body mark are displayed on the display device 1 based on the signal from the detector 4.

Next, the operation of this embodiment configured as described above will be explained.

First, the specific parts of May's person in Figure 3, the tip of the sternum 15,
Hera 16. Right pot body side 7. The spatial position of the left body side part 18 is successively measured using the magnetic field strength detector 11. The tip of this patient's sternum 15. Belly button 16, pot side part 17. A body mark diagram as shown in FIG. 4 is created with the position of the left body side part 18 by the central controller 8 and displayed on the display device 1. The body mark diagram shown in FIG. 4 is created according to the size and shape of the patient. Next, the ultrasound probe 2 is moved to collect a tomographic image of an arbitrary part of the patient and displayed on the display device 1. At the same time as collecting and displaying tomographic images, the magnetic field strength detector 4
The position of the ultrasonic probe 2 and the angle of the ultrasonic probe 2 with respect to the bed 13 are measured using It is displayed as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 5 shows a body mark diagram when the ultrasound probe 2 is applied to the patient perpendicularly (90°) to the bed.

FIG. 6 shows a body mark diagram when the ultrasonic probe 2 is applied to the patient while tilting nearly horizontally in the abdominal direction with respect to the bed. FIG. 7 shows a body mark diagram when the ultrasonic probe 2 is applied to the patient at the same position as in FIG. 5 and tilted 60° toward the chest with respect to the bed.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the tomographic image observer manipulates the position of the ultrasound probe 2 to obtain a desired tomographic image and this tomographic image. It is possible to realize a system in which a body mark diagram indicating the direction (direction and angle with respect to the bed) is automatically displayed on the display device 1.

Figure 8 is an example of using another body mark diagram, and is a body mark diagram of a cross section perpendicular to the bed 13 passing through the sides 17 and 18 of the image in Figure 3, as seen from the patient's feet. .

There is vertebra 19 in the lower center. The probe position is displayed on such a body mark diagram in the same manner as in the above example. 8 corresponds to FIG. 6, and FIG. 9 corresponds to FIG. 7.

It is convenient to display these body mark images together with the tomographic image, and the tomographic image 2G is displayed on the display device 9 as shown in FIG.
At the same time, it is displayed on the body mark display section 27. Fifth
It may be a coronal display 28 as shown in FIGS. 7 to 7, a cross-sectional display 29 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, or a side (sagittal) display (not shown), or a combination thereof.

Next, a detailed embodiment of the control in the central control unit 8 shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

Figure 11 is Figure 1 central system! 211 equipment 8 is shown.

The tomographic image data signal is transmitted from the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver 3 in FIG.
The /D converter 35 converts the tomographic image data into a digital signal, and the memory address control unit 36 controls the tomographic image data to frame it.
This tomographic image data is read out and controlled by the memory address control section 36, and is written into the display memory 30 as a tomographic image. On the other hand, the body mark is generated by the magnetic field generating coil drive unit 38, which connects the three orthogonal loop antennas (three loop antennas in the X direction and Y direction) inside the magnetic field generator 6 through the magnetic field transmitting unit 7 shown in FIG.
(defined as the Z direction), the X loop antenna, Y loop antenna, and Z loop antenna are sequentially excited. As a result, three independent values are collected from the magnetic field strength detector 4 for one loop antenna of the magnetic field generator 6 as the magnetic field strength for the three orthogonal loop antennas inside the detector, resulting in a total of nine measured values. It will be done. Using these nine measured values, the position/angle calculation unit 37 calculates the position coordinates (xd, yd, zd) of the magnetic field strength detector 4 and the angle (each of these in the x, y, and Z directions) with respect to the magnetic field generator 6. Using the position and angle data (xd, yd, zd, α, β, γ), the body mark generation unit 33 generates body mark diagrams as shown in Figs. 4 to 9 and probe shape diagrams (Fig.
Figure-19, Figure 6-20゜Figure 7-21, Figure 8-20
, FIG. 9-21) is created and stored in the display memory 30. Then, the values in the display memory 30 are passed through the D/A converter 34 by the memory address control unit 36, and the tomographic image and body mark diagram as shown in FIG. 10 are displayed on the display device.

[Effects of the Invention 1] As described above, according to the present invention, the position and application direction of the ultrasonic probe relative to the body are automatically recorded on the body mark diagram, and the complexity of manual maintenance is completely eliminated. You can learn about the spatial extent of tomographic images. Probe operation is completely free and not subject to any restrictions. In addition, if you want to record a tomographic image and a body mark diagram on the same film and then observe it in more detail later, or if you want to observe the progress after treatment, you can display the same body part as the tomographic image recorded on the film. The position of the ultrasound probe and the direction in which it is applied to the body can be easily determined by matching the body mark diagram on the film with the body mark diagram displayed on the display device, and the tomographic image can be observed. be able to.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the embodiment, Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a specific part of a patient, Fig. 4 is a body mark diagram, and Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a body mark. Figures 5 to 9 are body mark diagrams showing the ultrasound probe position, and Figure 1.
FIG. 0 is a schematic diagram of the display screen, and FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of the central control unit. 1...Display device, 2...Ultrasonic bulb 0-bu 3
...Ultrasonic transmitting and receiving unit, 5...Magnetic field strength receiver 6...
-Magnetic field generator, 7...Magnetic field transmitter 8...Central control unit, 11...Magnetic field strength detector 13...Bed

Claims (1)

[Claims] an ultrasonic probe; an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving means for transmitting an ultrasonic beam by applying an excitation signal to a transducer of the ultrasonic probe and receiving tomographic information by receiving the reflected wave echo;
A means for creating a tomographic image based on the tomographic information from the ultrasound transmitting and receiving means, a means for generating a magnetic field in space,
The ultrasonic probe is provided with means for detecting the strength of the magnetic field and determining the spatial position and direction of the ultrasonic probe, and means for displaying the tomographic image and the spatial position and direction. Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment.