KR100978481B1 - Ultrasound system capable of setting initial status at start up - Google Patents

Abstract

An ultrasonic system is disclosed that enables initial state setting at startup. The system may include an ultrasound diagnosis unit including an ultrasound probe configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to an object and receive an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the object to form a received signal; A user input unit operable to receive initial state setting information including selection of an ultrasonic probe at start-up of the ultrasonic diagnostic unit, an application-an application indicates a diagnosis part of an object, and a diagnosis mode-a diagnosis mode indicates an ultrasound image to be formed. ; A storage unit provided in the user input unit and storing initial state setting information; And a control unit configured to set an initial state of the ultrasound diagnosis unit according to the initial state setting information stored in the storage unit when the ultrasound diagnosis unit starts up.

Ultrasound, probe, application, user input, storage, initial state, startup

Description

ULTRASOUND SYSTEM CAPABLE OF SETTING INITIAL STATUS AT START UP}

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic system, and more particularly, to an ultrasonic system capable of setting an initial state at startup.

Ultrasound systems have non-invasive and non-destructive properties and are widely used in the medical field for obtaining information inside an object. The ultrasound system is very important in the medical field because it can provide a doctor with a high resolution image of the internal tissue of the human body in real time without the need of a surgical operation to directly cut the body.

The ultrasonic system includes an ultrasonic probe, a transceiver, a signal processor, an image forming unit, and a display unit. The ultrasound probe transmits an ultrasound signal to the object and receives an ultrasound signal (that is, an ultrasound echo signal) reflected from the object to form a received signal. The ultrasonic probe includes a plurality of transducer elements operative to convert ultrasonic and electrical signals. Transmitting and receiving unit forms a transmission signal applied to each of the plurality of conversion elements in consideration of the position and focusing point of the conversion element of the ultrasonic probe, and applied to the ultrasonic probe, and analog-to-digital conversion of the received signal provided from the ultrasonic probe, Receiving and focusing the digitally converted received signal in consideration of the position and focusing point of the conversion element of the ultrasonic probe. The signal processor performs various signal processing on the received focused signal. The image forming unit forms an ultrasound image by using the received signal processed. The display unit displays the ultrasound image on the screen.

Typically the ultrasound system is ready for operation for approximately 20 seconds to 2 minutes after startup. During this operation preparation time, the user cannot receive initial state setting information for selecting an ultrasound probe, an application indicating a diagnosis portion of the object, and a diagnosis mode for forming an ultrasound image, and only after at least 20 seconds to 2 minutes have elapsed. Status setting information may be input. Therefore, there is a need for a system capable of receiving initial state setting information at start-up in an emergency situation such as an emergency situation and setting an initial state according to the input initial state setting information.

The present invention provides an ultrasound system that receives initial state setting information for selecting an ultrasound probe, an application, and a diagnosis mode from a user at start-up, and sets an initial state of the ultrasound diagnosis unit according to the input initial state setting information.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ultrasound system comprising: an ultrasound diagnosis unit including an ultrasound probe configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to an object and receive an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the object to form a received signal; Inputting initial state setting information including selection of an ultrasound probe at the start of the ultrasound diagnosis unit, an application, wherein the application indicates a diagnosis part of the object and a diagnosis mode; the diagnosis mode indicates an ultrasound image to be formed A user input unit operable to receive; A storage unit provided in the user input unit to store the initial state setting information; And a control unit configured to set an initial state of the ultrasound diagnosis unit according to the initial state setting information stored in the storage unit when the ultrasound diagnosis unit starts up.

According to the present invention, not only the initial state setting information for selecting the ultrasonic probe, the application, and the diagnostic mode can be received at the start-up, but also the initial state of the ultrasonic diagnostic unit can be quickly set according to the input initial state setting information. In this situation, the diagnostic time can be shortened and the user's convenience can be improved.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment of the present invention. The term "ultrasound system" as used in the present embodiment includes a portable ultrasound system that can be used while moving and a fixed ultrasound system that is fixedly used at a specific place.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasound system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasound system 100 includes an ultrasound diagnosis unit 110, a user input unit 120, a storage unit 130, and a controller 140.

The ultrasound diagnosis unit 110 forms an ultrasound image by transmitting an ultrasound signal to the object and receiving an ultrasound signal (that is, an ultrasound echo signal) reflected from the object. Here, the ultrasound image is a B-mode (Brightness mode) image in which a reflection coefficient of an ultrasound echo signal reflected from an object is a two-dimensional image, and a velocity of a moving object using a Doppler effect. D-mode image shown in doppler spectrum, C-mode image showing color of moving object and scatterer speed using Doppler effect, when stress is not applied to object E-mode (elastic mode) image showing the mechanical response difference of the medium and 3D (3 dimentional) mode image showing the reflection coefficient of the ultrasonic echo signal reflected from the object as a three-dimensional image. In this embodiment, the ultrasound diagnosis unit 110 considers an ultrasound probe (not shown) including a plurality of conversion elements, a position of a conversion element of the ultrasound probe, and a focal point, and transmits a transmission signal applied to each of the plurality of conversion elements. A transmission / reception unit (not shown) configured to receive and focus the received signal, a signal processing unit (not shown) operable to perform various signal processing on the received focused signal, and an ultrasonic wave using the signal-processed received signal. An image forming unit (not shown) operative to form an image and a display unit (not shown) operative to display an ultrasound image are included.

The user input unit 120 is implemented as a control panel, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and includes a selection of an ultrasonic probe, an application, and a diagnostic mode when the ultrasonic diagnostic unit 110 starts from a user. Receive initial state setting information. Here, the application represents a diagnosis portion of the object, and the diagnosis mode represents an ultrasound image to be formed.

The storage unit 130 stores initial state setting information input through the user input unit 120. In the present embodiment, the storage unit 130 is provided in the user input unit 120.

The controller 140 sets the initial state of the ultrasound diagnosis unit 110 according to the initial state setting information stored in the storage unit 130 when the ultrasound diagnosis unit 110 starts up. In the present embodiment, the control unit 140 inquires the storage unit 130 when the ultrasonic diagnostic unit 110 starts up, and if the initial state setting information is stored in the storage unit 130, the initial state stored in the storage unit 130. The activation of the ultrasonic probe is controlled according to the setting information, and the application of the ultrasonic diagnostic unit 110 and the diagnostic mode setting are controlled. On the other hand, the controller 140 controls the transmission and reception of the ultrasound signal, and controls the formation and display of the ultrasound image.

While the invention has been described and illustrated by way of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

In the above-described embodiment, the controller 140 and the ultrasound diagnosis unit 110 have been described as being implemented separately, but in another embodiment, the control unit 140 may be provided in the ultrasound diagnosis unit 110.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an ultrasonic system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (2)

As an ultrasonic system, An ultrasound diagnosis unit including an ultrasound probe configured to transmit an ultrasound signal to an object and receive an ultrasound echo signal reflected from the object to form a received signal; A user input unit operable to receive initial state setting information including selection of an ultrasound probe at start-up of the ultrasound diagnosis unit, an application indicating a diagnosis portion of the object, and a diagnosis mode indicating an ultrasound image to be formed; A storage unit provided in the user input unit to store the initial state setting information; And A control unit configured to set an initial state of the ultrasound diagnosis unit according to the initial state setting information stored in the storage unit when the ultrasound diagnosis unit starts up; Ultrasound system comprising a. The ultrasound system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control activation of the ultrasound probe according to the initial state setting information and to control application and diagnosis mode setting of the ultrasound diagnosis unit.

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