JP5416643B2 - Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, and more particularly to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus including a mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe with a built-in movable body.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe (ultrasonic probe) that transmits / receives ultrasonic waves to / from a living body and an apparatus main body to which the ultrasonic probe is connected. Various probes have been put into practical use as ultrasonic probes. Among them, the mechanical scanning type 3D probe includes a vibrator unit that reciprocates in a probe case. The transducer unit has an array transducer arranged in a direction (electronic scanning direction) orthogonal to the mechanical scanning direction, and electronic scanning of the ultrasonic beam is executed on the array transducer at each mechanical scanning position. Actually, the transducer unit is mechanically scanned in parallel with the repeated execution of the electronic scanning of the ultrasonic beam. Since one beam scanning plane can be formed by one electronic scan, that is, one frame data can be obtained, one volume data can be obtained by forming a plurality of scanning planes by one mechanical scan.

  Conventionally, the transducer unit is merely mechanically scanned for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves, and it does not function as a means for displaying an image. Patent Document 1 discloses an ultrasonic probe provided with an LED array. The LED array is provided on the side surface of the probe case, which displays the position of the transducer unit.

JP 2008-253578 A

  When using an ultrasonic probe, it is desired to provide various information to assist the user's operation. There is a display device as a means of providing visual information, but it is necessary to remove the line of sight from the probe when providing information by the display device, and it is difficult to recognize the correspondence between the probe and the display content There is. Therefore, it is desirable to support the user's probe operation by providing a display function to the ultrasonic probe itself. However, if a display unit is provided in the part of the user, the display content will be hidden when the probe is held. There's a problem. There is also a problem that it is difficult to ensure a wide display surface.

  An object of the present invention is to mount a new function in an ultrasonic probe.

  Another object of the present invention is to realize a display surface that is not hidden by a hand holding the ultrasonic probe and that can secure a relatively large display area.

  Another object of the present invention is to provide a user with appropriate information according to the situation in which the ultrasonic probe is placed.

  An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention includes a probe case having a living body contact film made of a transparent member, and a transducer unit that reciprocates on a mechanical scanning path in the probe case. An ultrasonic probe is provided, and the transducer unit has a light emitting element array aligned in a direction intersecting the mechanical scanning path, and changes with respect to the light emitting element array in accordance with a mechanical scanning position of the transducer unit. A display signal generator for supplying a line display signal is provided, and with the reciprocating motion of the transducer unit, a plurality of line displays appear in order on the outside of the living body contact film, thereby generating a two-dimensional afterimage. It is characterized by that.

  According to the above configuration, the vibrator unit mechanically reciprocates within the probe case. A plurality of light emitting elements aligned in a direction crossing the mechanical scanning direction are mounted on the vibrator unit, and the light emission state of the light emitting element row changes according to the scanning position of the vibrator unit. Therefore, characters, pictures, figures, etc. can be expressed outside the living body contact film (soft film or wall). Such an image is composed of a plurality of line displays, but actually, a two-dimensional image is generated by utilizing an afterimage phenomenon. The same image may be expressed in each of the forward scan and the backward scan, or the content of the image may be changed with time. Information provided visually may be a company logo (name, trademark), function description (frequency, model), state description, or any pattern (eg animal image that gives children a sense of security and interest), etc. Good. In addition to black and white display, color display can be performed. In addition to the case where the image is expressed on the living body contact film, the image may be drawn on the surface of the living body through the living body contact film.

  Preferably, the vibrator unit includes an array vibrator including a plurality of vibration elements aligned in a direction orthogonal to the mechanical scanning path, and each light emitting element constituting the light emitting element array is adjacent to the array vibrator. However, it is provided toward the inside of the living body contact film. In providing the light emitting element, it is desirable to arrange the light emitting element so as not to affect the ultrasonic wave propagation.

  Preferably, the display signal generation unit includes a storage unit having a plurality of image data, each of the image data includes a plurality of line data, and specific image data selected from the plurality of image data. A plurality of line display signals are generated in order based on the plurality of line data constituting. It is desirable to prepare a plurality of images to be displayed and select an image to be displayed according to the situation and needs. That is, preferably, the display signal generation unit selects image data to be displayed according to the operation status of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

  Desirably, a holder for holding the ultrasonic probe in an upward state is provided, and the display signal generation unit provides the image data to be displayed to the user when the ultrasonic probe is held upward by the holder. Image data having operation support information is selected. The upward state can be determined using an acceleration sensor or the like, or a micro switch or the like may be provided on the holder to determine probe holding. For example, if a plurality of probes are connected and the active probe performs light emission display, mistakes can be prevented.

  Preferably, the display signal generation unit selects image data for projection to be projected onto the body surface as the image data to be displayed immediately before the ultrasonic probe is brought into contact with the living body. The light emitting element is preferably an LED, but an EL element or other light emitter can be used. The light emission control unit and the image data generation unit are preferably provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body, but may be provided in the probe or the relay box. Note that the present invention can be applied to probes having a movable body in general. As a scanning method of the vibrator, linear scanning, arc scanning, rotational scanning, and the like can be given.

  According to the present invention, a new function can be mounted on the ultrasonic probe. Alternatively, it is possible to realize a display surface that is not hidden by the hand that holds the ultrasonic probe and that can secure a relatively wide display area. Alternatively, appropriate information can be provided to the user depending on the situation where the ultrasonic probe is placed.

1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the ultrasonic probe (3D probe) which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows a light emitting element row | line | column. It is a figure which shows the example of the image which appears on a biological contact film | membrane. It is a figure for demonstrating the image change according to the state of an apparatus.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows a preferred embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the overall configuration thereof. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is an apparatus used in the medical field to form an ultrasonic image by transmitting / receiving ultrasonic waves to / from a living body.

  The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus is roughly divided into a 3D probe 10 and an apparatus main body 12 to which it is connected. The 3D probe is used in contact with the surface of a living body, and transmits and receives ultrasonic waves to and from a three-dimensional space in the living body, thereby acquiring volume data. Specifically, the volume data is composed of a plurality of frame data, and each frame data corresponds to one scanning plane (beam scanning plane). One scanning plane is constituted by electronic scanning of an ultrasonic beam once.

  The 3D probe 10 includes a transducer unit 14 as a movable body. The transducer unit 14 is mechanically scanned linearly in this embodiment. Of course, it may be mechanically scanned in an arc shape or may be rotationally scanned. The array transducer 18 includes an array transducer 18 including a plurality of transducer elements arranged in the electronic scanning direction, that is, the X direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the vibrator unit 14 includes a light emitting element array 20 including a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in the electronic scanning direction. It is arranged adjacent to the array transducer 18. Each light emitting element is comprised by LED in this embodiment. A single color LED is used, but a color LED may be used. In that case, one light emitter is composed of LEDs of three colors R, G, and B.

  The mechanical scanning mechanism 16 includes a drive motor, a gear mechanism, and the like, and is a mechanism that reciprocates the vibrator unit 14 in the mechanical scanning direction, that is, the Y direction. The position detector 22 is a sensor that detects the position of the transducer unit 14 in the mechanical scanning direction. The attitude detector 24 detects the attitude of the 3D probe 10 and is configured by an acceleration sensor or the like. The attitude detector 24 is provided as necessary.

  The apparatus main body 12 will be described. The control unit 26 performs operation control of each configuration shown in FIG. 1, and the control unit 26 includes a CPU and an operation program. The transmission / reception unit 28 functions as a transmission beamformer and a reception beamformer, supplies a plurality of transmission signals to the array transducer 18, and processes a plurality of reception signals from the array transducer 18. The image forming unit 30 forms a three-dimensional ultrasonic image by executing volume rendering processing based on the volume data. The image data is sent to the display unit 32, and a three-dimensional ultrasonic image is displayed on the screen of the display unit 32. Of course, a tomographic image or other images may be displayed. The image memory 36 is a memory that stores image data to be displayed on the outer surface of the biological contact membrane in the 3D probe 10. In the present embodiment, the image memory 36 includes a plurality of image data that are selectively used. Is stored. Each image data is composed of a plurality of line data, and each line data is read in order. The reading order is determined according to the scanning direction.

  The display controller 34 is a circuit that sequentially supplies line data to the light emitting element array 20. In particular, the display controller 34 supplies line data corresponding to the angle detected by the position detector 22 to the light emitting element array 20. In FIG. 1, line data is denoted by reference numeral 100.

  In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present embodiment, the transducer unit 14 reciprocates in the 3D probe 10, and at that time, light emission based on line data is performed in the light emitting element array 20 at each position. When repeated in order, a two-dimensional image as an afterimage appears on the outer surface of the living body contact membrane. Therefore, it is possible to give the probe a display function that is not provided in the conventional probe.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the 3D probe 10 shown in FIG. The 3D probe 10 has a main body case 38, and a part of the 3D probe 10 is a living body contact film 40 having a spread. In the present embodiment, the living body contact film 40 is made of a transparent member. A medium tank 42 is formed inside the main body case 38, and the vibrator unit 14 is driven in the medium tank 42 in the mechanical scanning direction. The transducer unit 14 includes an array transducer, and one transducer element is represented by reference numeral 18a. The vibrator unit 14 includes a light emitting element array, and one of the light emitting elements is denoted by reference numeral 20a. Reference numeral 100 denotes an ultrasonic beam, and reference numeral 102 denotes light generated by the light emitting element 20a.

  FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vibrator unit. As described above, the vibrator unit 14 includes the light emitting element array 20, which includes a plurality of light emitting elements 20a. The transducer unit 14 has an array transducer as described above, but its specific configuration is not shown in FIG. In FIG. 3, an acoustic lens or matching layer 19 provided on the living body side of the array transducer is shown. In the figure, the X direction is the electronic scanning direction, and the Y direction is the mechanical scanning direction.

  It is possible to display an afterimage as shown in FIG. 4 on the living body contact film by emitting light corresponding to each mechanical scanning position and repeating it. Here, the Y address is represented in the horizontal direction, and the X address is represented in the vertical direction. Bright points on a plurality of X addresses arranged on each Y address correspond to one line data. Such line data is supplied from the image memory via the display controller shown in FIG. Different images may be displayed in the forward scan and the backward scan. Of course, it is also possible to display a moving image if the content of the image is changed step by step. In this embodiment, monochrome display is performed, but color display may be performed as described above.

  FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the control contents when the display image is changed according to the operation status of the apparatus. First, when a 3D probe with a display function is connected to the apparatus and the probe is selected as a default, when the apparatus is turned on, an initial image is displayed on the 3D probe by the action of the control unit. This is indicated by S10. The initial image in this case is a display of information such as READY. Next, when the event # 1 based on the selection of the operation mode or the like occurs, an image for function explanation is displayed on the 3D probe held upward in the folder. This is indicated by S12. The display content in that case may be a frequency, a manufacturer name, a model name, or the like. Next, when the user holds the 3D probe and puts it in a downward posture, the occurrence of event # 2 is detected, and a projection image is automatically displayed in S14. In this case, an image corresponding to the scan area is displayed and projected onto the living body surface through the living body contact film. That is, the user can visually recognize the scan area by confirming such display. Such image display continues only for a certain period of time by the action of a timer, and then light emission is stopped. Next, for example, when it is determined that the probe is directed upward based on the output signal of the attitude sensor, that is, when event # 3 occurs, an image for explaining the operation is displayed in S16. For example, a message such as “Please return the probe to the holder” is displayed. After that, such display continues for a certain period of time by the action of the timer (event # 4) and ends. Alternatively, when the occurrence of the event # 4 is confirmed, the function explanation image as shown in S12 is displayed again.

  Thus, by changing the display contents according to the operation status of the apparatus or the usage status of the probe by the user, there is an advantage that the usability of the probe can be improved and an erroneous operation or the like can be prevented. Furthermore, in children's ultrasound diagnosis, it is also possible to use a technique such as displaying animal pictures on the probe to relieve fear of children. It is also possible to display an image for convenience of maintenance. In the case where a plurality of 3D probes are connected, a problem such as erroneous probe selection can be prevented if the image contents are different between the active probe and the other probe.

  10 3D probe, 12 device main body, 14 transducer unit, 18 array transducer, 20 light emitting element array, 34 display controller, 36 image memory.

Claims (6)

An ultrasonic probe comprising a probe case having a living body contact film made of a transparent member, and a transducer unit that reciprocates on a mechanical scanning path in the probe case;
The vibrator unit has a light emitting element array aligned in a direction intersecting the mechanical scanning path,
A display signal generation unit that supplies a line display signal that changes in accordance with a mechanical scanning position of the transducer unit to the light emitting element row is provided.
As the transducer unit reciprocates, a plurality of line displays appear in order on the outside of the living body contact film, thereby producing a two-dimensional afterimage. The apparatus of claim 1,
The transducer unit has an array transducer composed of a plurality of transducer elements aligned in a direction orthogonal to the mechanical scanning path,
Each of the light-emitting elements constituting the light-emitting element array is provided toward the inner side of the living body contact film while being adjacent to the array transducer. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The display signal generation unit includes a storage unit having a plurality of image data,
Each image data is composed of a plurality of line data,
A plurality of line display signals are sequentially generated based on a plurality of line data constituting specific image data selected from the plurality of image data.
An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The apparatus of claim 3.
The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, wherein the display signal generation unit selects image data to be displayed according to an operation state of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus. The apparatus of claim 4.
A holder for holding the ultrasonic probe in an upward state;
The display signal generation unit selects image data having operation support information to be provided to a user as the image data to be displayed when the ultrasonic probe is held upward by the holder. Ultrasonic diagnostic equipment. The apparatus of claim 4.
The display signal generation unit selects projection image data to be projected onto a body surface as image data to be displayed in a state immediately before the ultrasonic probe is brought into contact with a living body. Diagnostic device.

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