TWI725436B - Ultrasound probe check system and ultrasound probe identification method - Google Patents

Abstract

An ultrasound probe check system includes a connection interface, memory and a controller. The connection interface is coupled to an ultrasound probe for receiving a first receiving signal. The memory is used to store an ultrasound probe database. The controller is coupled to the connection interface and the memory for generating a first characteristic image according to the first receiving signal, comparing the first characteristic image and a group of built-in images to generate a first group of similarities, and when the first group of similarities and a second group of similarities in the ultrasound probe database are at least partially unmatched, determining that the ultrasound probe is faulty.

Description

Ultrasonic probe inspection system and ultrasonic probe inspection method

The invention relates to ultrasonic technology, in particular to an ultrasonic probe inspection system and an ultrasonic probe inspection method.

Ultrasound is a sound wave over 20kHz, which is widely used in many fields such as medicine and industry. Ultrasonic equipment such as ultrasonic diagnostic equipment is used to scan human internal organs, tissues and fetuses. In use, different ultrasound probes can be used interchangeably on the same ultrasound equipment. Users may use poor quality or damaged ultrasound probes and the ultrasound equipment may not be able to produce clear scan images. In the related technology, the quality of the ultrasonic probe is judged by measuring the impedance of the ultrasonic probe. However, the impedance measurement method requires an impedance measurement circuit on the ultrasonic equipment and an impedance measurement on the ultrasonic probe. The control circuit of the control signal is not conducive to reducing the size of the ultrasonic probe and saving the manufacturing cost.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop an ultrasonic probe inspection system and an ultrasonic probe inspection method, which can know whether the ultrasonic probe is qualified without measuring the impedance of the ultrasonic probe.

The embodiment of the present invention provides an ultrasonic probe inspection system, which includes a connection interface, a memory and a controller. The connection interface is coupled to the ultrasonic probe for receiving the first received signal from the ultrasonic probe. The memory is used to store the ultrasonic probe database. The controller is coupled to the connection interface and the memory, and is used to generate a first feature image according to the first received signal, and perform the first feature image and a set of built-in images The comparison is performed to generate the first set of similarities, and when at least part of the similarities between the first set of similarities and the second set of similarities in the ultrasound probe database do not match, the ultrasound probe is determined to be unqualified.

An embodiment of the present invention provides another ultrasonic probe inspection method, which includes: a connection interface receives a first received signal from the ultrasonic probe; a first characteristic image is generated according to the first received signal; and the first characteristic image and a set of built-in The images are compared to generate a first set of similarities; and when at least part of the similarities between the first set of similarities and the second set of similarities in the ultrasound probe database does not match, the ultrasound probe is determined to be unqualified.

10: Ultrasonic probe inspection system

100: connection interface

102: Controller

104: memory

1040: Ultrasonic Probe Database

12: Ultrasonic probe

120: Cable

122: converter

124: matching layer

126: Acoustic lens

4: Ultrasonic probe inspection method

S400 to S416: steps

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an ultrasonic probe inspection system in an embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 2 and 3 respectively show the second characteristic image and the first characteristic image produced by the same ultrasound probe at different times.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of the ultrasonic probe inspection method in the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the ultrasonic probe inspection system 10 in an embodiment of the present invention. The ultrasonic probe inspection system 10 may include a connection interface 100, a controller 102 and a memory 104. The controller 102 can be coupled to the connection interface 100 and the memory 104. The connection interface 100 can be coupled to the ultrasonic probe 12 through a cable 120. The ultrasonic probe inspection system 10 may be an independent ultrasonic device, which may be coupled to various ultrasonic probes 12. The type of the ultrasonic probe 12 may be linear, sector, convex or other types. The ultrasonic probe 12 may be improperly connected to the connection interface 100, or because of long-term use As a result, the function of the component is degraded or the ultrasonic probe 12 touches a foreign object, causing the component to malfunction, and the signal cannot be output correctly. At this time, the ultrasonic probe inspection system 10 can be used to inspect whether the ultrasonic probe 12 is qualified, so as to prevent the user from using the unqualified ultrasonic probe 12 to cause erroneous diagnosis.

The ultrasonic probe 12 can emit ultrasonic waves, such as ultrasonic waves with a frequency between 20 kHz and 10 MHz, and receive reflected waves generated when the ultrasonic waves pass through different media interfaces, and convert the received reflected waves into receiving signals. The ultrasonic probe 12 includes a cable 120, a plurality of converters 122, a matching layer 124 and an acoustic lens 126. The ultrasonic probe identification system 10 can transmit AC voltage through the cable 120 to control the plurality of converters 122, and receive signals from the plurality of converters 122 through the cable 120. The cable 120 may include a plurality of wires respectively coupled to a plurality of converters 122, and the ultrasonic probe identification system 10 may transmit a special AC voltage through the plurality of wires to control the plurality of converters 122 respectively, and from the plurality of converters 122 respectively. Receive the receive signal. The matching layer 124 may have an appropriate acoustic impedance to provide a better match between the converter 122 and the contact object, and help most of the ultrasonic waves enter the contact object. The acoustic lens 126 may be a plastic lens transparent to ultrasonic waves, and is used to isolate and protect the ultrasonic probe 12. The plurality of converters 122 may be arranged in an array, and may be piezoelectric converters or capacitive converters. For example, the plurality of converters 122 may include piezoelectric converters with 128 or 256 channels. Each converter 122 can operate independently, can independently generate ultrasonic waves according to the amplitude and/or frequency of the applied AC voltage, and can independently convert the received reflected signal into a received signal. The plurality of converters 122 can sequentially or simultaneously generate corresponding ultrasonic waves according to the same or different applied voltages, or sequentially or simultaneously convert the same or different reflected signals into corresponding received signals. For example, a plurality of converters 122 may sequentially generate ultrasonic waves with 20 kHz according to an AC voltage of 100V, and generate ultrasonic waves with 30 kHz according to an AC voltage of 120V in sequence, or sequentially convert the received reflected signals of 20 kHz into 100V AC voltage, and sequentially convert the received 30kHz reflection signal into 120V AC voltage. The ultrasonic wave emitted by the ultrasonic probe 12 can easily penetrate water or the human body, but it decays rapidly in the air and is almost non-conducting. Due to the material uniformity of the converter 122 or The difference of the cutting shape, there will be some slight differences between the plurality of converters 122, and their piezoelectric conversion characteristics will not be exactly the same. In addition, the converter 122, matching layer 124 and acoustic lens 126 of each ultrasonic probe 12 are in the process of manufacturing. It is possible that due to the slight difference in program, temperature or component density, the ultrasonic generation or conduction effect will not be exactly the same in the position of each converter 122 unit. Therefore, when the same ultrasonic wave passes through each different ultrasonic probe front end The received signals generated will not be the same. Therefore, the reflected signals generated by each ultrasonic probe 12 under the same conditions can be unique, reflecting the characteristics of the converter 122, the matching layer 124 and the acoustic lens 126. For the same ultrasonic probe 12, some of the converters 122 in the plurality of converters 122 may be broken, deteriorated or damaged due to long-term use or impact, or the connection with the connection interface 100 may be unstable and reduced The intensity of the ultrasonic wave may not be able to produce the ultrasonic wave, and the reflected signal produced at different times may also be different.

In some embodiments, when the ultrasonic probe 12 is just shipped from the factory, the ultrasonic probe 12 can send preset signals without contacting other objects in the air medium. These preset signals are ultrasonic signals that are not easy to be in the air. Therefore, it is reflected by the matching layer 124 and the acoustic lens 126, and the corresponding reflected signal is received by the converter 122, and the reflected signal is converted into a second received signal. In other embodiments, the ultrasonic probe 12 can also be placed in other media such as water, and then send a preset signal, receive its corresponding reflection signal, and convert the reflection signal into a second reception signal. In the present invention, the ultrasonic probe 12 can also face an ultrasonic signal source and directly receive the preset signal emitted by the ultrasonic signal source. The connection interface 100 can receive the second received signal from the ultrasonic probe 12, and the controller 102 can generate a second feature image according to the second received signal and compare the second feature image with a set of built-in images to generate a second feature image. Group similarity, and store the second group of similarity and its generation time in the ultrasonic probe database 1040 in the memory 104. In some embodiments, the second set of similarities may be a set of similarities generated by the controller 102 for the ultrasonic probe 12 last time. Later, when the ultrasonic probe 12 is used again on the ultrasonic probe inspection system 10, the ultrasonic probe 12 can be sent in the air medium or other medium in the same way as the second received signal is generated. The preset signal receives its corresponding reflected signal, and converts the reflected signal into the first received signal. The connection interface 100 can receive the first received signal from the ultrasonic probe 12. The controller 102 can generate a first characteristic image according to the received signal, and then compare the first characteristic image and the set of built-in images to generate a first set of similarities. Figures 2 and 3 respectively show the second feature image and the first feature image generated by the same ultrasonic probe 12 at different times, wherein a plurality of parallel lines of different thickness and brightness show the matching layer 124 and the acoustic lens 126 Ultrasonic reflection. The gaps in areas A and B in FIG. 3 show that the corresponding converter 122 is broken, deteriorated, or damaged, or the connection with the connection interface 100 is unstable, and cannot generate ultrasonic waves or generate weak ultrasonic waves. The characteristic image of the ultrasonic probe 12 can not only display the characteristics of the matching layer 124 and the acoustic lens 126 in the horizontal direction, but also display the characteristics of a plurality of transducers 122 in the vertical direction.

Since the reflected signal can reflect the difference of the ultrasonic probe 12 at different times, the characteristic image generated according to the reflected signal and the first group of similarities and the second group of similarities can also reflect the difference of the ultrasonic probe 12 at different times. The controller 102 can compare the first group of similarities with the second group of similarities in the ultrasonic probe database 1040 to determine whether the ultrasonic probe 12 is qualified. When all the similarities between the first group of similarities and the second group of similarities in the ultrasound probe database 1040 match, the first group of similarities and the second group of similarities can respectively correspond to the same ultrasound probe 12 At different times of measurement and the signal quality of the ultrasonic probe 12 is stable, the controller 102 can determine that the ultrasonic probe 12 is qualified; when the first set of similarities is between the second set of similarities in the ultrasonic probe database 1040 When at least part of the similarities do not match and the remaining similarities are matched, the first group of similarities and the second group of similarities can respectively correspond to the measurement of the same ultrasonic probe 12 at different times and the signal of the ultrasonic probe 12 The quality may be reduced due to poor usage or connection conditions, and the controller 102 may determine that the ultrasonic probe 12 is unqualified. The first group of similarities includes a plurality of similarities, and the second group of similarities also includes a plurality of similarities. When one of the similarities in the first group of similarities exceeds the tolerance value of one of the similarities in the second group of similarities, the controller 102 may determine that the similarities in the first group of similarities are equal to those in the second group of similarities. The corresponding similarity does not match; when the first set of similarities When one of the similarities does not exceed the tolerance value of the corresponding similarity of one of the second group of similarities, the controller 102 may determine the similarity in the first group of similarities and the corresponding similarity in the second group of similarities Match each other. The tolerance value may be 0.2%, for example. When the ultrasonic probe 12 is determined to be unqualified, the controller 102 can notify the user to check the connection status of the connection interface 100 and the ultrasonic probe 12 through a display output or other output methods.

The controller 102 can load an artificial neural network, such as a convolutional neural network or other similarity algorithms, to generate the first group of similarities or the first group of similarities of the ultrasonic probe 12 based on the feature image and the group of built-in images. Two sets of similarity. Convolutional neural networks or other similarity algorithms can be trained and installed in the ultrasonic probe inspection system 10 at the factory. The same or different convolutional neural networks or other similarity algorithms can be installed in each ultrasonic probe inspection system 10. The group of built-in images may include one or more different built-in images. The more the number of built-in images, the more accurate the recognition of the first group of similarities and the second group of similarities. The set of built-in images can be stored in the memory 104 and can be used as a benchmark for similarity comparison. In some embodiments, the set of built-in images may include a plurality of ultrasound probes that send preset signals without contacting other objects in the air medium, and a plurality of characteristic images generated based on the received signals . For example, the set of built-in images may include 100 characteristic images generated by 100 ultrasonic probes in the air medium without touching other objects. In other embodiments, the set of built-in images may include a plurality of arbitrary images, such as an image of a ball, an image of a door, an image of a cup, or other images. The controller 102 may further store the first group of similarities and the generation time thereof in the ultrasonic probe database 1040 in the memory 104. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe database 1040 may include the similarity of corresponding groups of the same ultrasonic probe 12 used in the ultrasonic probe inspection system 10 at different times. In some embodiments, the corresponding group similarity of the ultrasound probe in the ultrasound probe database 1040 is the corresponding group similarity after encoding, for example, the hash code of the corresponding group similarity, or the corresponding group similarity. The product of all similarities. Table 1 shows an embodiment of the ultrasonic probe database 1040, where X2a and X2b respectively represent the identification value of the similarity of the corresponding group generated by the same ultrasonic probe X2 at two different times t1 and t2. Time t1 is longer than time t2. Early, N1 to N100 Represents the identification value of 100 sets of built-in images. In this embodiment, the corresponding group similarity X2a generated by the ultrasonic probe X2 at time t1 is [0.25 0.002 0.3...0.02], which represents the characteristic image and the built-in image N1 generated by the ultrasonic probe X2 at time t1 Similar to 0.25%, similar to 0.002% of the built-in image N2, 0.3% similar to the built-in image N3, and 0.02% similar to the built-in image N100; the corresponding group generated by the ultrasound probe X2 at time t2 The similarity X2b is [0.0002 0.002 0.3...0.02], which means that the feature image generated by the ultrasonic probe X2 at time t2 is similar to the built-in image N1 of 0.0002%, and the built-in image N2 is 0.002% similar, and the internal The built-in image N3 is 0.3% similar, and the built-in image N100 is 0.02% similar. The first similarity of the corresponding group of similarities X2a, X2b does not match, and the remaining similarities are all matched, so the controller 102 can determine that the corresponding group of similarities X2a, X2b correspond to the same ultrasonic probe 12, and the ultrasonic probe 12 is unqualified .

Since the components of the ultrasonic probe age over time and become an inevitable defect, when the ultrasonic probe 12 is just shipped from the factory, the connection interface 100 can receive the second reception signal from the ultrasonic probe 12, and the controller 102 can receive the second signal according to the second reception. The signal generates a second characteristic image, and the second characteristic image is stored in the memory 104. After the ultrasonic probe 12 is used for a preset period of time, the controller 102 can weight the second characteristic image corresponding to the attenuation value of the preset time to generate a third characteristic image and combine the third characteristic image and the set of built-in images The images are compared to generate a second set of similarities, and the second set of similarities are stored in the memory 104. Since the piezoelectric conversion efficiency of the plurality of converters 122 degrades with time, the controller 102 can estimate the attenuated characteristic image by using the time of use thereof, and regenerate the second set of similarities based on the attenuated characteristic image. The controller 102 can compare the first group of similarities with the second group of similarities according to the aforementioned method to determine whether the ultrasonic probe 12 is qualified.

In other embodiments, when the ultrasonic probe 12 is used in the ultrasonic probe inspection system 10 for the first time, the connection interface 100 can receive the initial received signal from the ultrasonic probe 12, and the controller 102 can generate the initial characteristic map according to the initial received signal. Image, and compare the initial feature image with the set of built-in images to generate the initial set similarity. When the ultrasonic probe 12 is used again on the ultrasonic probe inspection system 10, the controller 102 may compare the first group similarity with the initial group similarity of the ultrasonic probe 12 to determine whether the quality of the ultrasonic probe 12 is stable. When the similarity of the first group exceeds the tolerance value of the initial group similarity of the ultrasonic probe 12, the controller 102 may determine that the quality of the ultrasonic probe 12 has deteriorated, and notify the user. Since the quality of the ultrasonic probe 12 has deteriorated and may not work normally, the user can remove the ultrasonic probe 12 being used and replace other ultrasonic probes 12.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of the ultrasonic probe inspection method 4 in the embodiment of the present invention. Ultrasonic probe inspection method 4 is applicable to the ultrasonic probe inspection system 10, and includes steps S400 to S416, where steps S400 to S404 are used to generate a second set of similarities of the ultrasonic probe 12 when the ultrasonic probe 12 is just shipped from the factory. Steps S406 to S410 are used to generate the first set of similarities of the ultrasonic probe 12 after the ultrasonic probe 12 is used for a period of time, and steps S410 to S416 are used to check whether the ultrasonic probe 12 is qualified. Any reasonable technical changes or step adjustments belong to the scope disclosed by the present invention. The steps S400 to S416 are described in detail below: Step S400: When the ultrasonic probe 12 is just shipped from the factory, the connection interface 100 receives the second received signal from the ultrasonic probe 12; Step S402: Use the second received signal to generate a second feature image; Step S404: Use the second feature map The image and a set of built-in images are compared to generate a second set of similarities; step S406: the connection interface 100 receives the first received signal from the ultrasonic probe 12; Step S408: Generate a first feature image according to the first received signal; Step S410: Compare the first feature image and the group of built-in images to generate a first group of similarities; Step S412: The first group of similarities is compared with the first group of similarities At least part of the similarity between the two sets of similarities does not match? If yes, execute step S414, if not, execute step S416; step S414: determine that the ultrasonic probe 12 is unqualified.

Step S416: It is determined that the ultrasonic probe 12 is qualified.

The description of steps S400 to S416 has been described in detail above, so the details will not be repeated here. Through steps S400 to S416, it is possible to check whether the ultrasonic probe 12 is qualified. Therefore, the user can be notified and let the user determine whether to continue using the current ultrasonic probe 12 or replace other ultrasonic probes 12.

In summary, the ultrasonic probe inspection system 10 and the ultrasonic probe inspection method 4 of the present invention judge the quality of the ultrasonic probe by the change of the similarity of the characteristic image of the ultrasonic probe without additional impedance measurement. The circuit and control circuit can know whether the ultrasonic probe is qualified, which can reduce the size of the ultrasonic probe and save the manufacturing cost.

The foregoing descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application of the present invention should fall within the scope of the present invention.

4: Ultrasonic probe inspection method

S400 to S416: steps

Claims (7)

An ultrasonic probe inspection system, comprising: a connection interface coupled to an ultrasonic probe; a memory for storing an ultrasonic probe database; and a controller coupled to the connection interface and the memory ; Wherein when the ultrasonic probe just leaves the factory, the connection interface receives a second received signal from the ultrasonic probe, the controller generates a second feature image and the second feature map according to the second received signal Compare the image and the set of built-in images to generate the second set of similarities, and store the second set of similarities in the ultrasound probe database; when the ultrasound probe is used for a preset time, the connection The interface receives a first received signal from the ultrasonic probe, the controller generates a first characteristic image according to the first received signal, and compares the first characteristic image with a set of built-in images to generate a first A set of similarities, and when at least part of the similarities between the first set of similarities and the second set of similarities do not match, the ultrasonic probe is determined to be unqualified. The ultrasonic probe inspection system according to claim 1, wherein the first group of similarities includes a plurality of similarities, and when one of the similarities exceeds the corresponding similarity of one of the second group of similarities When the tolerance value is used, the controller determines that the similarity in the similarities does not match the corresponding similarity in the second set of similarities. An ultrasonic probe inspection system, comprising: a connection interface coupled to an ultrasonic probe; a memory for storing an ultrasonic probe database; and A controller coupled to the connection interface and the memory; wherein when the ultrasound probe is just shipped from the factory, the connection interface receives a second reception signal from the ultrasound probe, and the controller is based on the second reception signal Generate a second characteristic image; when the ultrasonic probe is used for a preset time, the connection interface receives a first received signal from the ultrasonic probe, and the controller weights the second characteristic image by an attenuation value to generate A third characteristic image, the attenuation value corresponding to a preset time, the controller compares the third characteristic image with a set of built-in images to generate the second set of similarities, and the second set of similarities The degree is stored in the ultrasound probe database, a first characteristic image is generated according to the first received signal, the first characteristic image and the set of built-in images are compared to generate a first set of similarity, and When at least part of the similarity between the first group of similarities and the second group of similarities does not match, it is determined that the ultrasonic probe is unqualified. The ultrasonic probe inspection system according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the controller compares the first set of similarities with a set of initial similarities of the ultrasonic probe to determine whether the quality of the ultrasonic probe is stable, And when the first group of similarity exceeds the tolerance value of the initial similarity of the ultrasound probe, the controller determines that the quality of the ultrasound probe has deteriorated. The ultrasonic probe inspection system according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the controller loads an artificial neural network to generate the first set of similarities based on the characteristic image and the set of built-in images. An ultrasonic probe inspection method, comprising: when an ultrasonic probe is just shipped from the factory, a connection interface receives a second received signal from the ultrasonic probe; using the second received signal to generate a second characteristic image; Use the second characteristic image and a set of built-in images to compare to generate a second set of similarities; when the ultrasound probe is used for a preset time, the connection interface receives a first reception from the ultrasound probe Signal; generate a first feature image according to the first received signal; compare the first feature image and the set of built-in images to generate a first set of similarities; and when the first set of similarities is When at least part of the similarities between the second group of similarities do not match, the ultrasonic probe is determined to be unqualified. An ultrasonic probe inspection method includes: when an ultrasonic probe is just shipped from the factory, a connection interface receives a second receiving signal from an ultrasonic probe; using the second received signal to generate a second characteristic image; After the ultrasound probe is used for a preset time, the second feature image is weighted by an attenuation value to generate a third feature image, the attenuation value corresponding to the preset time; the controller uses the third feature image and A set of built-in images are compared to generate a second set of similarities; when the ultrasound probe is used for a preset time, the connection interface receives a first reception signal from the ultrasound probe; according to the first reception signal Generate a first feature image; compare the first feature image and the set of built-in images to generate a first set of similarities; and when the first set of similarities are between the second set of similarities When at least part of the similarity does not match, the ultrasonic probe is judged to be unqualified.

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