Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, sound velocity setting method, and recording medium

• US 10,639,013 B2
• Filed: 07/25/2017
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohta, Yasunori, Tanabe, Tsuyoshi, Ida, Noriaki, Nakata, Shin, Yamaguchi, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Hien N
• Application Number:
  US15/659,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20170319182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,015 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/14 Echo-tomography
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4483 characterised by features of the ultrasound transducer
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5207 involving processing of raw data to produce diagnostic data, e.g. for generating an image reconstruction G06T11/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/5269 involving detection or reduction of artifacts for image enhancement algorithms G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/54 Control of the diagnostic device
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/585 Automatic set-up of the device
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52049 using correction of medium-induced phase aberration
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52085 Details related to the ultrasound signal acquisition, e.g. scan sequences control of medical diagnostic ultrasound devices A61B8/54

Abstract

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus performs transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves for forming focal points used to set sound velocities at predetermined timing such that sound velocities having been set for all of respective segment regions established by diving a subject are all reset every predetermined number of frames. Owing to this configuration, it becomes possible for the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus to suitably reset sound velocities of ultrasonic waves in the subject and also reduce the amount of calculation for resetting sound velocities.

Claims

1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:

a piezoelectric element array having piezoelectric elements arranged therein, each adapted to transmit ultrasonic waves, receive ultrasonic echoes reflected by a subject, and output reception signals according to received ultrasonic waves;

a control processor adapted to control transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by the piezoelectric element array, and adapted to input a region-of-interest of the ultrasound image, the region-of-interest being a portion of a whole area of the ultrasound image;

a memory adapted to store the reception signals output by the piezoelectric element array;

a sound velocity setting processor adapted to divide the subject into multiple segment regions and set a sound velocity for each of the segment regions with use of the reception signals stored in the memory;

an image producing processor adapted to produce an ultrasound image by processing the reception signals output by the piezoelectric element array or the reception signals read out from the memory based on the sound velocity set for each of the segment regions; and

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves at a predetermined timing so as to produce an SR frame formed with transmission focal points for sound velocity setting based on which the sound velocity for each of the segment regions in the region-of-interest is set, and the sound velocity setting processor uses the reception signals obtained by transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves that produce the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the SR frame to reset sound velocities of all of the segment regions corresponding to the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the region-of-interest in every predetermined number of frames,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves at a predetermined timing so as to produce an S frame formed with the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting based on which the sound velocity for each of the segment regions of a whole area of the ultrasound image is set, and the sound velocity setting processor uses the reception signals obtained by transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves that produce the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the S frame to reset sound velocities of all of the segment regions corresponding to the whole area of the ultrasound image, and

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that the S frame is produced after the predetermined number of frames are produced once or more times.

2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that, in a frame among the predetermined number of frames other than the SR frame, transmission focal points of normal transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves corresponding to the whole area of the ultrasound image for producing the ultrasound image are formed.

3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a plurality of normal scanning lines of ultrasonic waves are included in the frame formed with the transmission focal points of normal transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves, the normal scanning lines of ultrasonic waves being formed with the transmission focal points of the normal transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a plurality of scanning lines of ultrasonic waves in the region of interest are included in the SR frame, the scanning lines of ultrasonic waves in the region of interest being formed with the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the region of interest, and,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that the scanning lines of ultrasonic waves in the region of interest are aligned with the normal scanning lines.

4. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a plurality of scanning lines for sound velocity setting in the S frame, the scanning lines for sound velocity setting being formed with the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting and corresponding to a whole area of the ultrasound image,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that the scanning lines for sound velocity setting of the S frame and the SR frame are aligned with normal scanning lines, and,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a number of the transmission focal points of the scanning lines for sound velocity setting of the S frame and the SR frame is larger than a number of the transmission focal points of the normal scanning lines.

5. A sound velocity setting method, comprising the steps of:

at a time when a sound velocity in a subject is set by an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising a piezoelectric element array, a sound velocity setting processor and a control processor,

performing transmission of ultrasonic waves, reception of ultrasonic echoes reflected by the subject, and output of reception signals according to the received ultrasonic waves at the piezoelectric element array;

controlling transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves at the control processor;

dividing the subject into multiple segment regions and setting a sound velocity for each of the segment regions using the received signals at the sound velocity setting processor;

and

inputting a region-of-interest of the ultrasound image, the region-of-interest being a portion of a whole area of the ultrasound image,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves at a predetermined timing so as to produce an SR frame formed with transmission focal points for sound velocity setting based on which the sound velocity for each of the segment regions in the region-of-interest is set, and the sound velocity setting processor uses the reception signals obtained by transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves that produce the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the SR frame to reset sound velocities of all of the segment regions corresponding to the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the region-of-interest in every predetermined number of frames,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves at a predetermined timing so as to produce an S frame formed with the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting based on which the sound velocity for each of the segment regions of a whole area of the ultrasound image is set, and the sound velocity setting processor uses the reception signals obtained by transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves that produce the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the S frame to reset sound velocities of all of the segment regions corresponding to the whole area of the ultrasound image, and

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that the S frame is produced after the predetermined number of frames are produced once or more times.

6. The sound velocity setting method according to claim 5,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that, in a frame among the predetermined number of frames other than the SR frame, transmission focal points of normal transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves corresponding to the whole area of the ultrasound image for producing the ultrasound image are formed.

7. The sound velocity setting method according to claim 6,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a plurality of scanning lines for sound velocity setting in the S frame, the scanning lines for sound velocity setting being formed with the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting and corresponding to a whole area of the ultrasound image,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that the scanning lines for sound velocity setting of the S frame and the SR frame are aligned with normal scanning lines, and,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a number of the transmission focal points of the scanning lines for sound velocity setting of the S frame and the SR frame is larger than a number of the transmission focal points of the normal scanning lines.

8. The sound velocity setting method according to claim 7,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a plurality of scanning lines for sound velocity setting in the S frame, the scanning lines for sound velocity setting being formed with the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting and corresponding to a whole area of the ultrasound image,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that the scanning lines for sound velocity setting of the S frame and the SR frame are aligned with normal scanning lines, and,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a number of the transmission focal points of the scanning lines for sound velocity setting of the S frame and the SR frame is larger than a number of the transmission focal points of the normal scanning lines.

9. A non-transitory recording medium having stored therein a program that is used by an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising a piezoelectric element array, a sound velocity setting processor and a control processor to set a sound velocity of a subject and that causes a computer to implement:

performing transmission of ultrasonic waves, reception of ultrasonic echoes reflected by a subject, and output of reception signals according to the received ultrasonic waves at the piezoelectric element array;

controlling transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves using the control processor;

dividing the subject into multiple segment regions and setting a sound velocity for each of the segment regions using the received signals at the sound velocity setting processor; and

setting a sound velocity for each of the segment regions with use of the reception signals at the sound velocity setting processor; and

receiving a region-of-interest of the ultrasound image, the region-of-interest being a portion of a whole area of the ultrasound image,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves at a predetermined timing so as to produce an SR frame formed with transmission focal points for sound velocity setting based on which the sound velocity for each of the segment regions in the region-of-interest is set, and the sound velocity setting processor uses the reception signals obtained by transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves that produce the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the SR frame to reset sound velocities of all of the segment regions corresponding to the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the region-of-interest in every predetermined number of frames,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves at a predetermined timing so as to produce an S frame formed with the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting based on which the sound velocity for each of the segment regions of a whole area of the ultrasound image is set, and the sound velocity setting processor uses the reception signals obtained by transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves that produce the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the S frame to reset sound velocities of all of the segment regions corresponding to the whole area of the ultrasound image, and

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that the S frame is produced after the predetermined number of frames are produced once or more times.

10. The non-transitory recording according to claim 9, wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that, in a frame among the predetermined number of frames other than the SR frame, transmission focal points of normal transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves corresponding to the whole area of the ultrasound image for producing the ultrasound image are formed.

11. The non-transitory recording according to claim 10,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a plurality of normal scanning lines of ultrasonic waves are included in the frame formed with the transmission focal points of normal transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves, the normal scanning lines of ultrasonic waves being formed with the transmission focal points of the normal transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a plurality of scanning lines of ultrasonic waves in the region of interest are included in the SR frame, the scanning lines of ultrasonic waves in the region of interest being formed with the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting in the region of interest, and,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that the scanning lines of ultrasonic waves in the region of interest are aligned with the normal scanning lines.

12. The non-transitory recording according to claim 11, wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a plurality of scanning lines for sound velocity setting in the S frame, the scanning lines for sound velocity setting being formed with the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting and corresponding to a whole area of the ultrasound image,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that the scanning lines for sound velocity setting of the S frame and the SR frame are aligned with normal scanning lines, and,

wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves such that a number of the transmission focal points of the scanning lines for sound velocity setting of the S frame and the SR frame is larger than a number of the transmission focal points of the normal scanning lines.