KR101693678B1 - Apparatus and method for generating 3-dimensional ultrasound image - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus for generating a three-dimensional ultrasonic image which comprises: a transducer array for irradiating a plane ultrasonic signal at two or more positions while swinging within a predetermined range; an ultrasonic data generation unit for generating multiple two-dimensional ultrasonic data based on an echo signal corresponding to the plane ultrasonic signal; and an image generation unit for generating a three-dimensional ultrasonic image based on the ultrasonic data. The present invention is to solve a decrease problem of a lateral resolution, a signal to noise ratio (SNR), a contrast, and so on generated by lacking in transmission focusing in a plane wave image generating method.

Description

[0001] APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GENERATING 3-DIMENSIONAL ULTRASOUND IMAGE [0002]

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for generating a three-dimensional ultrasound image.

Plane Wave Ultrasonic image generation method transmits ultrasound simultaneously through all array elements constituting a transducer without transmission focusing and generates all the scanning lines necessary for image composition through reception focusing, Since image acquisition is possible with only one transmission, a high image frame rate of several to several tens of kHz can be obtained.

However, in the plane wave image generation method, there is a disadvantage that the lateral resolution is low, the signal to noise ratio (SNR) and contrast are lowered due to the absence of the transmission focusing.

In order to overcome such disadvantages, there has been proposed a method of transmitting and receiving a plane wave at different angles and then synthesizing a plane wave. However, There is a disadvantage in that the accuracy of the image is poor.

On the other hand, the 3D ultrasound image provides clinical information such as spatial information and anatomical shape that are not provided by the 2D image, and is used in various fields. The 3D ultrasound image is different from the conventional 1D array type probe Position, or may be generated through at least one image acquired through a 2D ultrasound probe or a 3D ultrasound probe driven on a two-dimensional array or two-dimensional, three-dimensional motion .

However, the 3-dimensional ultrasound image generation method based on the conventional transmission focusing method, particularly, the 3-dimensional ultrasound image generation method based on the 2-dimensional ultrasound probe or the 3-dimensional ultrasound probe has the complexity of beamforming, There is a problem that it is difficult to increase the efficiency of each transistor operation control and data processing.

The background technology of the present application is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 10-2014-0108181 (Publication date: 2014.09.05). In addition, a published paper (Analysis of Ultrasonic Composite Transmission Focusing Technique using Planar Wave, Lee Jong Pil et al., Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea, 33 (3) pp. 200 ~ 209, published in 2014) , A plane wave synthesizing / transmitting / focusing method is disclosed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of generating a plane wave image by reducing the lateral resolution, SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) The goal is to solve.

It is an object of the present invention to solve the problems of the conventional techniques described above and to improve the complexity of beamforming, the control of each transistor operation, and the efficiency of data processing in the generation of three-dimensional ultrasound images using the transmission focusing method do.

The present invention aims at generating a 3-dimensional ultrasound image by adjusting a deflection angle of a plane ultrasound wave among planar ultrasound image generation methods.

The present disclosure aims to achieve a low volume rate of conventional 3D images at high volume rates through high speed plane wave images.

The object of the present invention is to solve the problem of the degradation of the image quality when the plane wave is conventionally used through the composition and focusing method of plane waves.

The object of the present invention is to solve the problem that the number of frame synthesis is limited according to the speed of the probe element when the probe element moves.

It should be understood, however, that the technical scope of the embodiments of the present invention is not limited to the above-described technical problems, and other technical problems may exist.

As a technical means for achieving the above technical object, a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a transducer array for swinging within a predetermined range and irradiating a planar ultrasound signal at at least two positions An ultrasound data generation unit that generates a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic data based on the echo signal corresponding to the planar ultrasound signal, and an image generation unit that generates a three-dimensional ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data.

At this time, the transducer array may be different from the first irradiation frequency of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the first position and the second irradiation frequency of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the second position.

The transducer array may also select the types of deflection angles corresponding to the first number of probes in the first position and the types of deflection angles corresponding to the second number of probes in the second position.

In addition, the planar ultrasonic signal may include sub-signals of each of the plurality of transducer elements of the transducer array, and the deflection angles or directions of the sub-signals of the plurality of transducer elements may be the same.

In addition, the time delays of the sub signals of the plurality of transducer elements may all be the same.

The first position may be included in an intermediate region of the swing region, and the second position may be included in a peripheral region of the swing region.

Also, the transducer array may be different from the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the first position and the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the second position.

The transducer array may further include a range between a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the first position and a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the second position, Can be different.

Further, the swing is performed along a first direction so as to pass through a first position of the first swing angle and a second position of the second swing angle, and the deflection angle may vary according to the second direction.

In addition, the first direction may be an elevation direction, and the second direction may be a lateral direction.

In addition, the number of times of irradiation of the plane ultrasonic waves transmitted at the first position may be greater than the number of times of irradiation of the plane ultrasonic waves transmitted at the second position.

Further, a range between a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the first position may be wider than a range between a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the second position .

In addition, the transducer array may include a plurality of sub-transducer arrays.

Further, any one of the swing angle range, swing speed, or swing direction of the first sub-transducer array may be different from any one of the swing angle range, swing speed, or swing direction of the second sub-transducer array.

Further, the apparatus for generating three-dimensional ultrasound images according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a swing angle determination unit for determining a swing angle corresponding to each of the at least two positions, and a deflection angle determination unit for determining a deflection angle of at least one transducer element of the transducer array Wherein the transducer array irradiates the planar ultrasonic signal based on the swing angle and the deflection angle, wherein the ultrasonic data generator generates the swing angle, the deflection angle, and the echo And generate a plurality of the two-dimensional ultrasonic data based on the signal.

Also, the first ultrasonic data is generated based on the first swing angle, the first deflection angle and the echo signal, and the second ultrasonic data is generated based on the first swing angle, the second deflection angle and the echo signal The third ultrasonic data may be generated based on the second swing angle, the first deflection angle, and the echo signal.

Further, the deflection angle determination section determines a deflection angle of the first transducer group including at least one transducer element and a deflection angle of the second transducer group, wherein the transducer array includes a first transducer group And a second plane ultrasonic wave corresponding to a deflection angle of the second transducer group is irradiated toward the object, wherein the first plane ultrasonic wave corresponding to the first plane ultrasonic wave corresponding to the deflection angle of the first transducer group is irradiated toward the object, The ultrasound data may correspond to the first transducer group, and the second ultrasound data may correspond to the second transducer group.

Also, the transducer array may be a two-dimensional transducer array.

In addition, the number of times of irradiation or the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic waves of the first one-dimensional transducer array with respect to the x-axis or the y-axis may be different from the number of irradiation or deflection angles of the plane ultrasonic waves of the second one-dimensional transducer array.

The first transducer array also transmits a first planar ultrasonic wave in a first position, the first transducer array receives a first echo signal at a first position, and the second transducer array adjacent to the first transducer array, The array may receive a second echo signal.

In addition, when the swing direction of the first transducer array and the second transducer array is reverse, the second transducer array can transmit the planar ultrasonic waves.

The first transducer array also transmits a first planar ultrasonic wave at a first position and moves to a second position, wherein a second transducer array adjacent to the first transducer array receives an echo corresponding to the first planar ultrasonic wave Signal can be received.

The transducer array may transmit an ultrasonic signal according to a first transmission method at a first position and transmit an ultrasonic signal according to a second transmission method at a second position.

In addition, the first transmission scheme may be a planar ultrasonic wave scheme, and the second transmission scheme may be a transmission focusing scheme.

The first position may be included in an intermediate region of the swing region, and the second position may be included in a peripheral region of the swing region.

Also, the first position may be included in the first swing interval, and the second position may be included in the second swing interval.

In addition, the swing speed of the transducer array may be different between the first swing period and the second swing period.

The ultrasonic data generating unit may generate a plurality of ultrasonic data in two dimensions based on the swing angle by varying the number of synthesized waves according to a depth region of the plane ultrasonic signal.

Meanwhile, a method of generating a three-dimensional ultrasound image according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the steps of irradiating a planar ultrasound signal at at least two positions while swinging within a predetermined range, Generating a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound data, and generating a three-dimensional ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data.

The above-described task solution is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure. In addition to the exemplary embodiments described above, there may be additional embodiments in the drawings and the detailed description of the invention.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transducer array including a transducer array for swinging a plane ultrasonic signal at at least two positions while swinging within a predetermined range, Dimensional ultrasound image generating unit including an ultrasound data generating unit for generating a plurality of ultrasound data and an image generating unit for generating a 3D ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data.

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a method for controlling a transducer array in which the number of times of irradiation of an ultrasonic wave, the range between a deflection angle and a deflection angle, and a transmission method (for example, a planar ultrasonic wave method, Focusing method, and the like) are controlled differently from each other, so that it is possible to generate a higher quality 3D ultrasound image.

The present invention has the effect of solving the problems of lateral resolution, SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) and contrast degradation caused by the absence of the transmission focusing in the plane wave image generation method.

The present invention has the effect of improving the complexity of beamforming, the control of each transistor operation, and the efficiency of data processing in the generation of a 3-dimensional ultrasound image using the transmission focusing method.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a view showing a position of a transducer array in a swing region in a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2A is a diagram illustrating a case where a transducer array swings a forward direction and irradiates a planar ultrasonic signal in a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a view schematically showing a deflection angle of a transducer array which can be controlled by a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram schematically showing a range of deflection angles of a transducer array controllable in a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a view showing positions of a two-dimensional transducer array in a swing region in a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a first swing of a transducer array in a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a view illustrating an example of a second swing of the transducer array in the 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a third swing of the transducer array in the 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a view showing a plane ultrasonic signal emitted from a transducer array in a three-dimensional ultrasonic image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9A is a diagram illustrating the depth of a planar ultrasound signal in a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a 3D ultrasound image according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. It should be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In the drawings, the same reference numbers are used throughout the specification to refer to the same or like parts.

Throughout this specification, when a part is referred to as being "connected" to another part, it is not limited to a case where it is "directly connected" but also includes the case where it is "electrically connected" do.

It will be appreciated that throughout the specification it will be understood that when a member is located on another member "top", "top", "under", "bottom" But also the case where there is another member between the two members as well as the case where they are in contact with each other.

Throughout this specification, when an element is referred to as "including " an element, it is understood that the element may include other elements as well, without departing from the other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus and a method for controlling a transducer array in which the number of times of irradiation of an ultrasonic wave, a deflection angle, a range between deflection angles, and a transmission method (for example, a plane ultrasonic wave A 3-dimensional ultrasound image generation apparatus capable of generating a better 3-dimensional ultrasound image by differently examining different types of ultrasound images in different depth regions, ≪ / RTI > More specifically, since the elements of the 3D probe move in an arc in the elevation direction, the moving distance of the depth region deeper than the lower depth region is large. In order to reduce the artifact in the synthesis by the movement of the probe element, in order to reduce the artifact in the same frame, the composite number is increased in the low depth region and the synthetic number is reduced in the deep depth region. Images can be generated.

Prior to the description, the transducer array 110 in the three-dimensional ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a one-dimensional transducer array 10 (see FIG. 2), and FIG. 9 Or may be a two-dimensional transducer array 10 including a first sub-transducer array 11 and a second sub-transducer array 12, as shown in Figures 5-8. Each of the first sub-transducer array 11 and the second sub-transducer array 12 included in the two-dimensional transducer array 10 has the same function as the one-dimensional transducer array 10 (for example, , A range between the deflection angles, a swing position, etc.).

In describing the present invention, a planar wave form of a plane ultrasonic signal emitted from a transducer array is a plane wave, which is a wave that travels in a straight line or a planar wave shape, and a planar wave that propagates backward from a stern ), That is, a waveform including a waveform of a diverging wave that spreads to a wider area as the distance from the sound source increases.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing a position of a transducer array in a swing region in a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention 3 is a view schematically showing a range of deflection angles of a transducer array controllable by a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, And schematically shows the deflection angle of the transducer array controllable by the image generating apparatus.

1 to 4, a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes transducer arrays 110 and 10, an ultrasound data generating unit 120, an image generating unit 130, A swing angle determination unit 140, and a deflection angle determination unit 150. [0034]

2, the transducer array 110 may be a one-dimensional transducer array 10, and the transducer arrays 110 and 10 may swing within a predetermined range r, (E. G., A, B, C, D, E positions, etc.).

A swing refers to an operation of moving along a circular arc within a predetermined range (r), and may be referred to as a wobbling motion. In one embodiment of the present invention, the entire swing region r can be divided into an intermediate region r1 and a peripheral region r2. The middle region r1 means a middle region in the entire swing region r, The region r2 may mean both side regions excluding the center region in the entire swing region r. For the sake of convenience, for example, the swing in the rightward direction may be referred to as a forward swing, and the swing in the leftward direction may be referred to as a reverse swing.

The transducer arrays 110 and 10 may swing along the elevation direction and may vary in a range between deflection angles or deflection angles along the lateral direction, ) Direction of the plane ultrasonic signal.

More specifically, the transducer arrays 110, 10 are performed along a first direction to pass a first position of the first swing angle and a second position of the second swing angle, wherein the first direction is an elevation Direction, and the deflection angle of the transducer arrays 110, 10 may vary in a second direction, wherein the second direction may be a lateral direction. The letter direction may be a direction perpendicular to the direction of the elaboration.

The transducer arrays 110 and 10 may be different from the first irradiation number of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the first position and the second irradiation number of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the second position. That is, the transducer arrays 110 and 10 can vary the number of times of irradiation of the ultrasonic signals by position. For example, the number of irradiation of the plane ultrasonic waves transmitted at the first position of the transducer array 110, May be greater than the number of irradiations of the plane ultrasonic waves transmitted at the position.

In one embodiment of the invention, the first position may be included in the middle region r1 of the swing region, and the second position may be included in the peripheral region r2 of the swing region. For example, in FIG. 2, the positions of B, C, and D may be the first position, and the positions of A and E may be the second position.

The transducer arrays 110 and 10 may select the types of deflection angles corresponding to the first number of probes in the first position and the types of deflection angles corresponding to the second number of probes in the second position . That is, when the ultrasonic signal is irradiated a plurality of times, the transducer arrays 110 and 10 can set different types of deflection angles for the plurality of times. The type of deflection angle may refer to a type of setting such as a deflection angle of the ultrasound signal to be irradiated and a range between the deflection angles. For example, to improve lateral resolution, the types of deflection angles at the second position may be more than the types of deflection angles at the first position.

Referring to FIG. 3, the transducer arrays 110 and 10 may differ from the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the first position and the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the second position.

3 (a) shows that the trend ducer array 10 irradiates a planar ultrasonic signal in the front direction (that is, the vertical direction of the transducer array 10 may have a deflection angle of 0 degrees) (b) shows that the transducer array 10 irradiates a planar ultrasonic signal at a deflection angle of alpha angle to the left with respect to the front face, and Fig. 3 (c) shows that the transducer array 10 And the planar ultrasonic signal is irradiated at a deflection angle of beta angle in the left direction.

For example, the transducer arrays 110 and 10 can irradiate a planar ultrasonic signal with a deflection angle of 30 degrees in the leftward direction at the first position, and a deflection angle of 10 degrees in the rightward direction at the second position, .

When the planar ultrasonic signal is irradiated a plurality of times at the first position or the second position, the transducer arrays 110 and 10 may have different deflection angles a plurality of times. For example, when the planar ultrasonic signal is irradiated three times at the first position, the transducer arrays 110 and 10 can irradiate the planar ultrasonic signal three times at deflection angles of 10 degrees, 20 degrees, and 35 degrees, respectively .

4, the transducer arrays 110 and 10 include a range between a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at a first position and a range between a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at a second position And may be different from the range between the plurality of deflection angles.

For example, a range between a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the first position may be the same as FIG. 4 (a), and a plurality of The range between the deflection angles may be the same as in Fig. 4 (b). That is, the range between the plurality of deflection angles of the plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the first position may be wider than the range between the plurality of deflection angles of the plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the second position.

For example, when the transducer arrays 110 and 10 irradiate five planar ultrasound signals at the first position, the deflection angle of 40 degrees in the left direction and the deflection angle of 40 degrees in the right direction The range between the deflection angles is 80 degrees). In addition, when the transducer arrays 110 and 10 irradiate four planar ultrasonic signals at the second position, the deflection angle 20 in the left direction and the deflection angle in the right direction 35 degrees (in this case, The range between the deflection angles is 55 degrees.) Four planar ultrasound signals can be illuminated.

The range of deflection angles or deflection angles of the planar ultrasonic signals irradiated from the transducer arrays 110 and 10 may control the characteristics of the electrical signals of the transducer arrays 110 and 10 Or by controlling the physical angles of the transducer arrays 110, 10 themselves.

As described above, the transducer array 110 can control the number of times of irradiation of the planar ultrasonic waves, the deflection angle, the range between the deflection angles, and the like with respect to each swing angle, region, In the case of repeated irradiation, it is possible to irradiate each of the plane ultrasonic signals irradiated plural times at different deflection angles.

2A is a diagram illustrating a case where a transducer array swings a forward direction and irradiates a planar ultrasonic signal in a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

 Referring to FIG. 2A, the transducer array 10 can irradiate a plurality of planar ultrasound signals toward a target object while swinging in the forward direction.

The ultrasound data generating unit 120 may generate a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound data based on an echo signal corresponding to the planar ultrasound signal. The image generating unit 130 may generate ultrasound data based on ultrasound data generated by the ultrasound data generating unit 120, Dimensional ultrasound image can be generated based on the data.

For example, during the swing of the transducer array 10, the image of the two-dimensional ultrasonic data generated by irradiating the planar ultrasonic signal at the first position is F1, and the image of the two-dimensional ultrasonic data generated by irradiating the planar ultrasonic signal at the second position The image of the two-dimensional ultrasonic data may be F2, and the image of the two-dimensional ultrasonic data generated by irradiating the plane ultrasonic signal at the third position may be F3. At this time, each of F1, F2, and F3 may be a two-dimensional ultrasonic data image for a plane ultrasonic signal radiated at different deflection angles at different swing positions.

According to another embodiment, the transducer array 10 can irradiate the planar ultrasonic signal a plurality of times (for example, three times) at the first position and generate The two-dimensional ultrasound data images may be F1, F2, and F3. At this time, F1, F2, and F3 are planar ultrasound signals irradiated at the same position, and the deflection angles at this time may be different from each other.

According to another embodiment, the two-dimensional ultrasonic data may be generated based on the plurality of sub two-dimensional ultrasonic data. For example, during the swing of the transducer array 10, the image of the sub two-dimensional ultrasonic data generated by irradiating the planar ultrasonic signal at the first position is f1, and the generated image is generated by irradiating the planar ultrasonic signal at the second position The image of the sub-two-dimensional ultrasonic data generated by irradiating the planar ultrasonic signal at the third position may be f3 and the image of the two-dimensional ultrasonic image F1 may be f1, f2, and f3 Ultrasound image data corresponding to each of the sub-ultrasound images. At this time, each of f1, f2, and f3 may be a two-dimensional ultrasonic data image for a plane ultrasonic signal irradiated at different deflection angles at different swing positions. 2A, the 2D ultrasound image data F2 may be generated based on the sub-ultrasound image data corresponding to f9, f10, and f11, respectively. At this time, an example of generating the 2D ultrasound image data based on the sub 2D ultrasound image data may be described in the article described in the background art.

According to another embodiment, the transducer array 10 can irradiate the planar ultrasonic signal a plurality of times (for example, three times) at the first position and generate The sub-two-dimensional ultrasound data images may be f1, f2, and f3. In this case, f1, f2, and f3 are planar ultrasound signals irradiated at the same position, and the deflection angles at this time may be different from each other.

In the example of FIG. 2A, for example, the two-dimensional ultrasonic data image f1 is generated based only on the echo signal corresponding to the plane ultrasonic signal irradiated at the first position. However, according to another embodiment, it is possible to generate a two-dimensional ultrasound data image f1 by varying the number of synthesizers according to the depth region. This will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 9 to 9A to be described later.

The image generation unit 130 may generate a three-dimensional ultrasound image using a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound data images F1, F2, and F3. According to another embodiment, the image generating unit 130 may generate a three-dimensional ultrasound image using a plurality of sub-2D ultrasound data images f1, f2, and f3.

The transducer array 10 may include a plurality of transducer elements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and the planar ultrasonic signals irradiated from the transducer array 10 may be transmitted to a plurality of transducer elements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5). At this time, the deflection angles or directions of the sub signals of the plurality of transducer elements (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) may all be the same, The time delays of the sub-signals may all be the same.

That is, a plane ultrasonic signal having the same time delay and the same deflection angle or direction can be irradiated to each of the plurality of transducer elements 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 included in the transducer array 10 . This is also applicable to the first sub-transducer array 11 and the second sub-transducer array 12 in the two-dimensional transducer array 10 shown in Figs. 5 to 8 with the same logic.

Hereinafter, the case where the transducer array 110 is a two-dimensional transducer array 10 will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 5 to 8. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a view showing positions of a two-dimensional transducer array in a swing region in a 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the basic conceptual operation of the transducer array according to the swing area (for example, the number of irradiation counts per swing area, the deflection angle control, the angle between deflection angles , Etc.) are the same, and therefore, the same description will be omitted below.

5, the transducer array 110 includes a first sub-transducer array 11 and a second sub-transducer array 12 as a plurality of sub-transducer arrays, in the case of a two-dimensional transducer array 10, . ≪ / RTI >

As shown in Fig. 6, the first sub-transducer array 11 may include a plurality of transducer elements 1 to 5 (11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, and 11e) The ducer array 12 may include a plurality of transducer elements 1 to 5 (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d and 12e).

At this time, with the same principle as that of the one-dimensional transducer array described in FIG. 2, the sub-signals transmitted from each of the plurality of transducer elements 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, and 11e included in the first sub- 12b, 12c, 12d, 12e included in the second sub-transducer array 12 can each have the same time delay and direction of deflection angle or deflection angle, The transmitted sub-signals may all have the same time delay, and the direction of deflection angle or deflection angle.

Any one of the swing angle range, swing speed, or swing direction of the first sub-transducer array 11 may be different from any one of the swing angle range, swing speed, or swing direction of the second sub-transducer array 12 have.

For example, if the transducer array 10 including the first sub-transducer array 11 and the second sub-transducer array 12 swings in the reverse direction, then the first sub-transducer array 11 May be greater than the range of the swing angle of the second sub-transducer array 12, and the swing speed and swing speed of the first sub-transducer array 11 may be greater than the swing angle of the second sub-transducer array 12 12). ≪ / RTI >

The swing angle determination unit 140 may determine the swing angle of the transducer arrays 110 and 10 that irradiate the plane ultrasonic signals at at least two positions. The swing angle determination unit 140 determines the swing angle of the transducer array 110, In the case of a two-dimensional transducer array, the swing angles of the first sub-transducer array 11 and the second sub-transducer array 12 can be determined differently.

For example, the swing angle determination unit 140 may determine the swing angles of the first sub-transducer array 11 and the second sub-transducer array 12 equally to zero, or may determine the swing angle of the transducer array 10, The swing angle of the first sub-transducer array 11 may be determined to be 30 degrees in the rightward direction and the swing angle of the second sub-transducer array 12 may be determined to be 10 degrees in the rightward direction.

The deflection angle determination unit 150 may determine the deflection angle of at least one transducer element of the transducer array 110 and the swing angle determination unit 140 may determine that the transducer array 110 is a two- 10), the range between the deflection angle or deflection angle of the first sub-transducer array 11 and the second sub-transducer array 12 can be determined differently.

The transducer array 110 can irradiate a plane ultrasonic signal based on the swing angle determined by the swing angle determination unit 140 and the deflection angle determined by the deflection angle determination unit 150, Can generate a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic data based on the swing angle, the deflection angle, and the echo signal.

For example, the first ultrasonic data is generated based on the first swing angle, the first deflection angle and the echo signal, the second ultrasonic data is generated based on the first swing angle, the second deflection angle and the echo signal, 3 ultrasound data may be generated based on the second swing angle, the first deflection angle, and the echo signal. That is, the ultrasound data generation unit 120 can generate a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound data based on the ultrasound signals based on the swing angles and the deflection angles that are differently controlled and the echo signals corresponding thereto.

The deflection angle determining unit 150 may determine the deflection angle of the first transducer group including at least one transducer element and the deflection angle of the second transducer group, and the transducer array 110 may determine the deflection angle of the first transducer group, It is possible to irradiate the first plane ultrasonic wave corresponding to the deflection angle of the group toward the target object and irradiate the second plane ultrasonic wave corresponding to the deflection angle of the second transducer group toward the target object.

The first transducer group and the second transducer group refer to a group of a plurality of transducer elements included in the transducer array 110. The first transducer group includes a first sub- (11), and the second transducer group may correspond to the second sub-transducer array 12 of Fig.

When the transducer array 110 is a two-dimensional transducer array, a first one-dimensional transducer array (e.g., a first transducer group or a first sub-transducer array 11) (For example, the second transducer group or the second sub-transducer array 12) is different from the number of times of irradiation or the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic waves of the second one-dimensional transducer array .

6 is a diagram illustrating a first swing example of the transducer array in the 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of a third swing of the transducer array in the 3D ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

When the transducer array 110 is a two-dimensional transducer array 10, the first transducer array 11 transmits a first plane ultrasonic wave at a first position, and the first transducer array 11 transmits a first plane ultrasonic wave at a first position Position and a second transducer array 12 adjacent to the first transducer array 11 can receive a second echo signal. At this time, when the swing directions of the first transducer array 11 and the second transducer array 12 are opposite to each other, the second transducer array 12 can transmit the plane ultrasonic waves.

6, the first transducer array 11 included in the transducer array 10 in Fig. 6 (a) is in the first position and the second transducer array 12 is in the first position, When the transducer array 10 swings in the forward direction and the second transducer array 12 is transmitting a planar ultrasonic signal, the echo signal corresponding to the transmitted signal is transmitted to the first transducer array 12 at a second position adjacent to the first transducer array 11, The second transducer array 12 and the first transducer array 11 can receive.

When the transducer array 10 swings in the reverse direction in Fig. 6 (b), when the first transducer array 11 transmits a planar ultrasonic signal, an echo signal corresponding to the transmitted signal is transmitted to the first transducer array 11 (11) and the second transducer array (12).

The first transducer array 11 transmits the first planar ultrasonic waves at the first position and moves to the second position, and the second transducer array 12 adjacent to the first transducer array 11 is moved It is possible to receive an echo signal corresponding to a one-plane ultrasonic wave.

7, the first transducer array 11 included in the transducer array 10 is in the A position (i.e., the first position) and the second transducer array 12 is in the A position (11). ≪ / RTI > At this time, the first transducer array 11 can move to the B position (i.e., the second position) after transmitting the first plane ultrasonic signal at the A position to the object (see Fig. 7A) (b)). At this time, the second transducer array 12 in FIG. 7 (b) may be located at the A position, and at the A position, the second transducer array 12 may transmit the first plane ultrasonic signal transmitted in FIG. It is possible to receive a corresponding echo signal. Thereafter, the first transducer array 11 can transmit the second plane ultrasonic signal to the object at the position B (see Fig. 7 (c)).

8, the transducer array 10 is swung in the forward direction in FIG. 8 (a), in which the second transducer array 12 is rotated at a first position by a planar ultrasonic signal The first transducer array 11 adjacent to the second transducer array 12 can receive an echo signal corresponding to the transmitted planar ultrasonic signal.

8 (a), when the transducer array 10 swings in the reverse direction, and the first transducer array 11 transmits a planar ultrasonic signal at the first position, the echo signal corresponding to the transmitted planar ultrasonic signal The signal can be received by the second transducer array 12 adjacent to the first transducer array 11. [

6 to 8, when the transducer array 10 is a two-dimensional transducer array in the three-dimensional ultrasonic generator 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the first transducer array 11 and the second transducer array 10 The array of the second transducer array 12 receiving the echo signals can be determined based on the swing direction.

Meanwhile, the transducer arrays 110 and 10 may transmit ultrasonic signals in the first position in accordance with the first transmission method and transmit ultrasonic signals in the second position in accordance with the second transmission method. In this case, the first transmission method may be a planar ultrasonic method and the second transmission method may be a transmission focusing method. The first position may be included in the middle region r1 of the swing region r, r in the peripheral region r2. Also, the first position may be included in the first swing interval and the second position may be included in the second swing interval. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the first swing section corresponds to the middle region r1 of the swing region r, and the second swing section corresponds to the peripheral region r2 of the swing region r.

That is, when the transducer arrays 110 and 10 transmit the ultrasonic signals, they transmit in the planar ultrasonic wave system in the middle region r1 of the swing region r and in the peripheral region r2 of the swing region r Can be transmitted in a focusing manner. According to another embodiment, when the transducer array 110 transmits an ultrasonic signal, the transducer array 110 transmits in the intermediate region of the swing region in a transmission focusing manner, and in the peripheral region of the swing region, Can be transmitted.

The swing speeds of the transducer arrays 110 and 10 may be different in the first swing period and the second swing period. According to one embodiment of the invention, the swing speed of the transducer array 110 may be faster in the first swing period than in the second swing period. That is, the transducer array 110 may have a faster swing speed in a planar ultrasonic wave method than a swing speed in a transmission focusing system.

The transducer array 110 uses the transmission focusing method in the second swing period (i.e., the peripheral region r2 of the swing region) of the entire swing (r) There is an effect of solving the degradation problem, that is, improving the resolution of the ultrasound image.

The ultrasonic data generator 120 may generate a plurality of ultrasonic data in two dimensions based on the swing angle determined by the swing angle determiner 140 by varying the number of synthesizers according to the depth region of the plane ultrasonic signal. This can be more easily understood with reference to Figs. 9 to 9A.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a planar ultrasonic signal emitted from a transducer array in a 3-dimensional ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9a is a diagram illustrating a 3-dimensional ultrasound image generating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig.

9 to 9A, the case where the transducer array 110 is a one-dimensional transducer array 10 will be described by way of example. The transducer array 10 can irradiate the plane ultrasonic signal in the depth direction while swinging in the elevation direction. At this time, the deflection angle, the deflection direction, and the delay time of the sub signal of each of the plurality of transducer elements included in the transducer array 10 may be the same.

For example, when the transducer array 10 irradiates the planar ultrasonic signal once at the position A, the ultrasonic data generator 120 generates the ultrasonic signal based on the echo signal reflected from the depth d1 and the echo signal reflected from the depth d2, The sub two-dimensional ultrasonic data image can be generated. When the transducer array 10 irradiates the planar ultrasonic signal once at the position B, the ultrasonic data generator 120 generates the ultrasonic signal based on the echo signal reflected from the depth d3 and the echo signal reflected from the depth d4, An ultrasonic data image can be generated.

The transducer array 10 can irradiate a plurality of planar ultrasonic signals while moving from the A position to the B position. In this case, the ultrasound data generation unit 120 may generate a plurality of echo signals (or a plurality of sub-2D ultrasound data) obtained in the near field among the plurality of planar ultrasound signals irradiated during the movement from the A position to the B position Can generate a first ultrasound data image f1 by increasing the number of synthesized images and decreasing the number of synthesized echo signals (or a plurality of sub-2D ultrasound data) acquired in the far field .

At this time, since the transducer array 10 swings along the arc based on the wobbling motion, the deeper the depth of the irradiated planar ultrasonic signal, the more the sub-two-dimensional ultrasonic data (or the sub- Echo signal) becomes large. That is, as the transducer array 10 swings to the arc, the displacement (b) of the sub two-dimensional ultrasonic data in the far field has a value larger than the displacement (a) of the sub two-dimensional ultrasonic data in the near field .

Accordingly, the ultrasound data generation unit 120 generates a large number of synthesized sub-2D ultrasound data (or sub-2D ultrasound data image) in the near field and generates a small number of synthesized images in the far field when generating the 2D ultrasound data image A two-dimensional ultrasound data image of higher quality can be generated.

For example, in generating the 2-dimensional ultrasound data based on the planar ultrasound signals irradiated from each of A, B, and C, the ultrasound data generator 120 generates an image of the near field of the 2-dimensional ultrasound data, Dimensional ultrasonic data image f1 to the third sub two-dimensional ultrasonic data image f3, the image of the far field is generated using the first sub-two-dimensional ultrasonic data image f1 corresponding to positions A and C, Can be generated using only the third sub two-dimensional ultrasonic data image f3.

Thereafter, the image generating unit 130 may generate a 3-dimensional ultrasound image using the plurality of 2-dimensional ultrasound data images generated based on the above process.

Hereinafter, the operation flow of the present invention will be briefly described based on the details described above.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of generating a 3D ultrasound image according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, in the method of generating a three-dimensional ultrasonic image according to an embodiment of the present invention, a plane ultrasonic signal can be irradiated from at least two positions while swinging within a predetermined range through a transducer array 110 (S1010).

At this time, the transducer array 110 may be a one-dimensional transducer array or a two-dimensional transducer array.

In step S1010, the transducer array 110 may be different from the first irradiation number of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted from the first position and the second irradiation number of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted from the second position, for example, The number of times of irradiation of the plane ultrasonic waves transmitted from the first position may be greater than the number of times of irradiation of the plane ultrasonic waves transmitted from the second position. At this time, the first position may be the middle region r1 of the swing region r, and the second position may be the peripheral region r2 of the swing region r.

In addition, in step S1010, the transducer array 110 may select the types of deflection angles corresponding to the first number of probes in the first position and select the types of deflection angles corresponding to the second number of probes in the second position For example, the types of deflection angles at the second position may be more than the types of deflection angles at the first position.

In step S1010, the transducer array 110 may transmit a sub-signal from each of the plurality of transducer elements when irradiating a planar ultrasonic signal, wherein the deflection angle of the sub-signal transmitted from each of the plurality of transducer elements, The directions of the deflection angles can all be the same and the time delay can be the same.

In step S1010, the transducer array 110 may vary the range between the deflection angles or the deflection angles according to the swing position or the swing angle when irradiating the planar ultrasonic signal. Since a detailed description thereof has been described above, the following description is omitted.

Also, the swing of the transducer array 110 in step S1010 may be performed based on the elevation direction, and control such as a range between the deflection angles or the deflection angles of the transducer array 110 may be performed in the elevation direction And may be controlled based on the lateral direction, which is the vertical direction.

In step S1010, the transducer array 110 transmits the ultrasonic signal in the planar ultrasonic wave method in the middle region r1 of the swing region r and the ultrasonic signal in the peripheral region r2 of the swing region r in the transmission focusing manner An ultrasonic signal can be transmitted.

 In the case where the transducer array 110 is a two-dimensional transducer array including the first sub-transducer array 11 and the second sub-transducer array 12 in step S1010, the first sub-transducer array 11 and the second sub- Each of the two sub-transducer arrays 12 may vary in swing angle, swing speed, swing direction, deflection angle, and range between deflection angles.

When the transducer array 110 is a two-dimensional transducer array in step S1010, the array of the first transducer array 11 and the second transducer array 12 receiving the echo signals may vary depending on the swing direction , And the description thereof has been described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 to FIG. 8, and reference will be made thereto.

Next, a method of generating a three-dimensional ultrasound image according to an embodiment of the present invention includes generating a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound data based on an echo signal corresponding to the planar ultrasound signal irradiated in step S1010 through the ultrasound data generation unit 120 (S1020).

At this time, in step S1020, the ultrasound data generation unit 120 generates the ultrasound data based on the swing angle determined by the swing angle determination unit 140, the deflection angle determined by the deflection angle determination unit 150, and the corresponding echo signal, Ultrasound data can be generated.

In step S1020, the first ultrasonic data is generated based on the first swing angle, the first deflection angle, and the echo signal, and the second ultrasonic data is generated based on the first swing angle, the second deflection angle, And the third ultrasound data may be generated based on the second swing angle, the first deflection angle, and the echo signal. That is, the ultrasound data generator 120 may generate ultrasound data based on ultrasound signals based on differently controlled swing angles, deflection angles, ranges between deflection angles, and echo signals corresponding thereto.

In step S1020, the ultrasound data generating unit 120 generates a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic data by varying the number of synthesizers according to the depth region of the plane ultrasonic signal, based on the swing angle determined by the swing angle determiner 140 .

For example, the ultrasound data generator 120 may increase the number of synthesized echo signals in the near field, reduce the number of synthesized echo signals in the far field, The image f1 can be generated.

Next, a 3D ultrasound image generating method according to an embodiment of the present invention may generate a 3D ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data generated in step S1020 through the image generating unit 130 (S1030).

In step S1030, the image generating unit 130 may generate a three-dimensional ultrasound image using a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasound data generated by different synthesized numbers.

The apparatus and method for generating a 3-dimensional ultrasound image according to an embodiment of the present invention are technologies for generating a 3-dimensional ultrasound image through adjustment of a deflection angle of a planar ultrasound, Method, and the ultrasound image is generated by varying the number of synthesizers according to the depth region of the ultrasound signal, so that a more excellent 3D ultrasound image can be obtained.

The 3D ultrasound image generating method according to an embodiment of the present invention may be implemented in the form of a program command that can be executed through various computer means and recorded in a computer readable medium. The computer-readable medium may include program instructions, data files, data structures, and the like, alone or in combination. The program instructions recorded on the medium may be those specially designed and constructed for the present invention or may be available to those skilled in the art of computer software. Examples of computer-readable media include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks and magnetic tape; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magnetic media such as floppy disks; Magneto-optical media, and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute program instructions such as ROM, RAM, flash memory, and the like. Examples of program instructions include machine language code such as those produced by a compiler, as well as high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like. The hardware devices described above may be configured to operate as one or more software modules to perform the operations of the present invention, and vice versa.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the foregoing description of the embodiments is for illustrative purposes and that those skilled in the art can easily modify the invention without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be distributed and implemented, and components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention.

100: 3D ultrasound image generating device
110, 10: Transducer array
11: first sub-transducer array
12: second sub-transducer array
120: Ultrasonic wave data generation unit
130:
140: Swing angle determining unit
150: Deflection angle determining unit

Claims (31)

A transducer array which swings within a predetermined range and irradiates a planar ultrasonic signal at at least two positions;
An ultrasonic data generation unit for generating a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic data based on an echo signal corresponding to the planar ultrasonic signal; And
An ultrasound image generating unit for generating a ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data,
, ≪ / RTI &
The transducer array
Dimensional ultrasonic signal transmitted from the first position is different from the first irradiation frequency of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted from the first position and the second irradiation frequency of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted from the second position. delete The method according to claim 1,
The transducer array
And selects the types of deflection angles corresponding to the first number of times of irradiation at the first position and the types of deflection angles corresponding to the second number of times of irradiation at the second position. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the planar ultrasound signal comprises a sub signal of each of a plurality of transducer elements of the transducer array,
Wherein the deflection angles or directions of the sub signals of the plurality of transducer elements are all the same. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the time delays of the sub-signals of the plurality of transducer elements are all the same. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first position is included in an intermediate region of the swing region, and the second position is included in a peripheral region of the swing region. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transducer array is different from the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the first position and the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the second position. The method according to claim 1,
The transducer array is different from a range between a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the first position and a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the second position Dimensional ultrasound image. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the swing is performed along a first direction to pass a first position of the first swing angle and a second position of the second swing angle,
Wherein the deflection angle varies along a second direction. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the first direction is an elevation direction and the second direction is a lateral direction. The method according to claim 6,
Wherein the number of times of irradiation of the plane ultrasonic waves transmitted at the first position is larger than the number of times of irradiation of the plane ultrasonic waves transmitted at the second position. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein a range between a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the first position is larger than a range between a plurality of deflection angles of a plurality of plane ultrasonic signals transmitted at the second position, Dimensional ultrasound image generation device. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transducer array includes a plurality of sub-transducer arrays. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein one of the swing angle range, swing velocity, or swing direction of the first sub-transducer array is different from any of swing angle range, swing velocity, or swing angle of the second sub- Generating device. The method according to claim 1,
A swing angle determination unit for determining a swing angle corresponding to each of the at least two positions; And
Further comprising a deflection angle determination portion that determines a deflection angle of at least one transducer element of the transducer array,
Wherein the transducer array irradiates the planar ultrasound signal based on the swing angle and the deflection angle,
Wherein the ultrasonic data generating unit generates the plurality of ultrasonic data in two dimensions based on the swing angle, the deflection angle, and the echo signal. 16. The method of claim 15,
The first ultrasonic data is generated based on the first swing angle, the first deflection angle, and the echo signal,
The second ultrasonic data is generated based on the first swing angle, the second deflection angle and the echo signal,
And the third ultrasound data is generated based on the second swing angle, the first deflection angle, and the echo signal. 16. The method of claim 15,
Wherein the deflection angle determination unit determines the deflection angle of the first transducer group including at least one transducer element and the deflection angle of the second transducer group,
Wherein the transducer array irradiates a first plane ultrasonic wave corresponding to a deflection angle of the first transducer group toward a target object and irradiates a second plane ultrasonic wave corresponding to a deflection angle of the second transducer group toward the target object Investigate,
Wherein the first ultrasound data corresponds to the first transducer group and the second ultrasound data corresponds to the second transducer group. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transducer array is a two-dimensional transducer array. 19. The method of claim 18,
wherein the number or frequency of the irradiation of the plane ultrasonic waves of the first one-dimensional transducer array with respect to the x- or y-axis is different from the number of irradiation or deflection angles of the plane ultrasonic waves of the second one-dimensional transducer array, Generating device. The method according to claim 1,
The first transducer array transmits a first plane ultrasonic wave in a first position, the first transducer array receives a first echo signal at a first position, and the second transducer array adjacent to the first transducer array And a second echo signal is received. 21. The method of claim 20,
Wherein the second transducer array transmits a planar ultrasonic wave when the swing direction of the first transducer array and the second transducer array is opposite. The method according to claim 1,
The first transducer array transmits a first planar ultrasonic wave in a first position and moves to a second position wherein a second transducer array adjacent to the first transducer array receives an echo signal corresponding to the first planar ultrasonic wave Dimensional ultrasound image. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the transducer array transmits an ultrasonic signal in a first position according to a first transmission scheme and transmits an ultrasonic signal in a second position according to a second transmission scheme. 24. The method of claim 23,
Wherein the first transmission method is a planar ultrasonic method and the second transmission method is a transmission focusing method. 24. The method of claim 23,
Wherein the first position is included in an intermediate region of the swing region, and the second position is included in a peripheral region of the swing region. 24. The method of claim 23,
Wherein the first position is included in a first swing interval and the second position is included in a second swing interval. 27. The method of claim 26,
Wherein the swing speed of the transducer array is different between the first swing period and the second swing period. 16. The method of claim 15,
The ultrasound data generator
Wherein the plurality of ultrasonic waves are generated by varying the number of synthesized waves according to the depth region of the plane ultrasonic signal based on the swing angle. Irradiating a planar ultrasound signal at at least two positions while swinging within a predetermined range through a transducer array;
Generating a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic data based on an echo signal corresponding to the planar ultrasonic signal; And
Generating a three-dimensional ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data;
, ≪ / RTI &
The transducer array
Dimensional ultrasonic signal transmitted from the first position is different from the first irradiation frequency of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted from the first position and the second irradiation frequency of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted from the second position. A transducer array which swings within a predetermined range and irradiates a planar ultrasonic signal at at least two positions;
An ultrasonic data generation unit for generating a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic data based on an echo signal corresponding to the planar ultrasonic signal; And
An ultrasound image generating unit for generating a ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data,
Lt; / RTI >
Wherein the planar ultrasound signal comprises a sub signal of each of a plurality of transducer elements of the transducer array,
Wherein the deflection angles or directions of the sub signals of the plurality of transducer elements are all the same. A transducer array which swings within a predetermined range and irradiates a planar ultrasonic signal at at least two positions;
An ultrasonic data generation unit for generating a plurality of two-dimensional ultrasonic data based on an echo signal corresponding to the planar ultrasonic signal; And
An ultrasound image generating unit for generating a ultrasound image based on the ultrasound data,
, ≪ / RTI &
Wherein the transducer array is different from the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the first position and the deflection angle of the plane ultrasonic signal transmitted at the second position.

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