Ultrasonic image processing apparatus

• US 20060084872A1
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Inventors: Ichikawa, Junichi, Abe, Masayoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,697,779 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 600/437
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/12 in body cavities or body tracts, e.g. by using catheters catheters per se A61M25/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/483 involving the acquisition of a 3D volume of data
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 29/0609 Display arrangements, e.g. colour displays indicating or recording in connection with measuring in general G01D
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 3/60 Rotation of whole images or parts thereof

Abstract

An ultrasonic image processing apparatus allowing an ultrasonic image of an inspection object to be displayed using echo data in a three-dimensional region constructs a three-dimensional image based on the echo data by an image construction section. An image operation input section performs an operation for changing the display state of the constructed three-dimensional image. Also, an image display state changing section changes the display state of the three-dimensional image that has been constructed based on input information inputted by the image operation input section.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic image processing apparatus allowing an ultrasonic image of an inspection object to be displayed using echo data in a three-dimensional region, the apparatus comprising:

an image constructing section for constructing a three-dimensional image based on the echo data;

an image operation input section for performing an operation to change the display state of the constructed three-dimensional image; and

an image display state changing section for changing the display state of the three-dimensional image that has been constructed based on input information inputted by the image operation input section.

5. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image constructing section comprising:

a maximum intensity detecting section for detecting the maximum intensity of echo data with respect to all echo data in a first frame;

a reference intensity calculating section for calculating the reference intensity set in correspondence with the detected maximum intensity; and

a boundary position calculating section for calculating the distance from the ultrasonic wave transmission/reception position to the position at which echo data becomes not less than the reference intensity, and multiplying the distance by a factor set for the distance, to calculate a boundary position.

7. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image constructing section further comprising:

an echo data canceling section for canceling echo data between the ultrasonic wave transmission/reception position and the boundary position,

wherein the image constructing section allows a three-dimensional image cleared of multi-echoes to be displayed, by using echo data cleared of echo data at a position further toward the ultrasonic transducer than the boundary position calculated by the echo data canceling section.

9. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the echo data canceling section comprising:

detection processing for detecting the multi-echo boundary position with respect to digital sound ray data in the first frame acquired first;

calculation processing for calculating the multi-echo boundary position by applying data on the multi-echo boundary position detected by the detection result of the detection processing, to all subsequent frames; and

elimination processing for eliminating the influence of multi-echoes by utilizing the calculation result of the calculation processing, for sound ray data on other frames.

11. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the three-dimensional image constructed by the image constructing section can be updated in real time by the image display state changing section.

13. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 11 wherein the update of the state of the three-dimensional image includes an update by scrolling of an ultrasonic image relative to a reference position arbitrarily set by the image display state changing section.

15. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the update of the state of the three-dimensional image includes an update by a cross-section movement of an ultrasonic image relative to a reference plane arbitrarily set by the image display state changing section.

17. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the update of the state of the three-dimensional image is performed by a rotation of an ultrasonic image relative to an axis arbitrarily set by the image display state changing section.

19. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image display state changing section comprises:

creation processing for creating wall coordinate data on a three-dimensional image based on the echo data;

conversion processing for subjecting the wall coordinate data created by the creation processing, to a conversion such as a movement or rotation in accordance with the current state, using the image operation input section;

wall surface image rendering processing for extracting an intersecting portion with a three-dimensionally displayed cubic portion by the wall coordinate data after the conversion processing, and rendering the image of the wall surface based on the data on the intersecting portion;

tomogram rendering processing for removing a portion intersecting with the wall coordinate data after the conversion processing, on each face of the cubic, and rendering a tomogram corresponding to each face in the remaining region; and

three-dimensional image rendering processing for rendering the three-dimensional image.

21. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the image display state changing section further comprises processing of:

determining the presence/absence of an input by the image operation input section, and keeping the display of the three-dimensional image unchanged when there is no input by the image operation input section; and

returning to the conversion processing for subjecting the three-dimensional image to conversion such as a movement or rotation using the image operation input section in accordance with the current state, when there is an input by the image operation input section.

2. An ultrasonic image processing apparatus allowing an ultrasonic image of an inspection object to be displayed using echo data in a three-dimensional region, the apparatus comprising:

a three-dimensional region ultrasonic scanning section for acquiring echo data on the inspection object by transmitting/receiving ultrasonic waves with respect to the inspection object so as to scan the three-dimensional region;

an image constructing section for constructing a three-dimensional image based on the echo data;

an image operation input section for performing an operation to change the display state of the constructed three-dimensional image; and

an image display state changing section for changing the display state of the three-dimensional image that has been constructed based on input information inputted by the image operation input section.

3. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the three-dimensional region ultrasonic scanning section comprising:

an ultrasonic transducer provided at the distal end of a probe;

a radial direction scanning section for scanning the ultrasonic transducer in the radial direction; and

an axial direction scanning section for scanning the ultrasonic transducer in the axial direction,

wherein the three-dimensional region ultrasonic scanning section simultaneously drives the radial direction scanning section and the axial direction scanning section, emits ultrasonic waves from the ultrasonic transducer to scan the three-dimensional region, and acquires pieces of echo data varying in the coordinate position in the axial direction from one piece to another little by little.

4. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the radial direction scanning section for scanning the ultrasonic transducer in the radial direction, and the axial scanning section for scanning the ultrasonic transducer in the axial direction, respectively, have a first motor and a second motor provided at the rear of the probe.

6. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image constructing section comprising:

a maximum intensity detecting section for detecting the maximum intensity of echo data with respect to all echo data in a first frame;

a reference intensity calculating section for calculating the reference intensity set in correspondence with the detected maximum intensity; and

a boundary position calculating section for calculating the distance from the ultrasonic wave transmission/reception position to the position at which echo data becomes not less than the reference intensity, and multiplying the distance by a factor set for the distance, to calculate a boundary position.

8. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the image constructing section further comprising:

an echo data canceling section for canceling echo data between the ultrasonic wave transmission/reception position and the boundary position,

wherein the image constructing section allows a three-dimensional image cleared of multi-echoes to be displayed, by using echo data cleared of echo data at a position further toward the ultrasonic transducer than the boundary position calculated by the echo data canceling section.

10. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the echo data canceling section comprising:

detection processing for detecting the multi-echo boundary position with respect to digital sound ray data in the first frame acquired first;

calculation processing for calculating the multi-echo boundary position by applying data on the multi-echo boundary position detected by the detection result of the detection processing, to all subsequent frames; and

elimination processing for eliminating the influence of multi-echoes by utilizing the calculation result of the calculation processing, for sound ray data on other frames.

12. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the three-dimensional image constructed by the image constructing section can be updated in real time by the image display state changing section.

14. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the update of the state of the three-dimensional image includes an update by scrolling of an ultrasonic image relative to a reference position arbitrarily set by the image display state changing section.

16. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the update of the state of the three-dimensional image includes an update by a cross-section movement of an ultrasonic image relative to a reference plane arbitrarily set by the image display state changing section.

18. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the update of the state of the three-dimensional image is performed by a rotation of an ultrasonic image relative to an axis arbitrarily set by the image display state changing section.

20. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image display state changing section comprises:

creation processing for creating wall coordinate data on a three-dimensional image based on the echo data;

conversion processing for subjecting the wall coordinate data created by the creation processing, to a conversion such as a movement or rotation in accordance with the current state, using the image operation input section;

wall surface image rendering processing for extracting an intersecting portion with a three-dimensionally displayed cubic portion by the wall coordinate data after the conversion processing, and rendering the image of the wall surface based on the data on the intersecting portion;

tomogram rendering processing for removing a portion intersecting with the wall coordinate data after the conversion processing, on each face of the cubic, and rendering a tomogram corresponding to each face in the remaining region; and

three-dimensional image rendering processing for rendering the three-dimensional image.

22. The ultrasonic image processing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the image display state changing section further comprises processing of:

determining the presence/absence of an input by the image operation input section, and keeping the display of the three-dimensional image unchanged when there is no input by the image operation input section; and

returning to the conversion processing for subjecting the three-dimensional image to conversion such as a movement or rotation using the image operation input section in accordance with the current state, when there is an input by the image operation input section.