Ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument

• US 5,293,326 A
• Filed: 06/24/1991
• Issued: 03/08/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Construction Machinery Company Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Arima, Yukio, Makihara, Shouya, Tominaga, Tetsuyoshi, Yanagimoto, Hiroaki, Kunitomo, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZANELLI, MICHAEL J
• Application Number:
  US07/719,510
• Time in Patent Office: 988 Days
• Field of Search: 364/579, 364/506, 364/507, 364/188, 364/189, 364/413.25, 73/619, 73/620, 73/621, 73/626, 340/712, 340/731, 395/157, 395/159, 395/161
• US Class Current: 702/39
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 35/00 Methods or apparatus for measurement or analysis of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 2291/02854 Length, thickness
• 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: G01N 29/0645 Display representation or displayed parameters, e.g. A-, B- or C-Scan
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/52074 Composite displays, e.g. split-screen displays; Combination of multiple images or of images and alphanumeric tabular information

Abstract

An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument is characterized by storing reduced image examples (images by means of reduced image display data obtained by scaling down picture display data) of an ultrasonic measurement picture beforehand, together with measurement conditions at the time the measurement picture is obtained prior to a scale-down imaging process. When the measurement is started or the measurement conditions are otherwise changed, the measurement conditions are set as those obtained from the measurement picture prior to the scale-down processing with one of the reduced image examples thus selected as an index while a list of image examples is indicated on a display and read from a memory unit for ultrasonic measuring purposes. When a reduced image example or what is similar to the example desired by an operator is selected, proper measurement conditions are automatically set in the ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument. When the operator wants to change or switch the measurement picture, moreover, he/she is able to make ultrasonic measurement on confirming what the subsequent image is like or what an image is desired to be selected by means of the reduced image example beforehand.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument for detecting an echo obtainable from an object under examination by two-dimensionally scanning the object under examination using an ultrasonic probe to obtain display data and for displaying a measurement picture of the object under examination corresponding to said two-dimensional scanning, said instrument comprising:

a memory unit for storing data of a plurality of images and a plurality of measurement conditions corresponding to said plurality of images, including measurement conditions under which said measurement picture is obtained;

a processor unit for concurrently displaying a plurality of images without being overlapped on a display screen according to the plurality of image data stored in said memory unit, for obtaining from said memory unit the measurement conditions stored corresponding to image data of an image selected from said plurality of stored images, and for displaying the measurement picture of the object under examination on the display screen by subjecting the object under examination to said two-dimensional scanning in accordance with the selected image; and

means for two-dimensionally scanning the object under examination responsive to a signal from the processor unit that automatically presets the scanner with the measurement conditions in accordance with a user-indicated one of the displayed images.

2. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processor unit includes means for creating reduced image display data by performing a data scale-down imaging process at a predetermined ratio from the display data on said measurement picture, and means for respectively storing said reduced image display data of each image in said memory unit with the respective measurement conditions of each image at the time said reduced image display data is created by said scale-down imaging process.

3. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 1, wherein said processor unit has a microprocessor unit including means for accessing said memory unit.

4. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 3, wherein said memory unit includes means for storing a processing program for displaying the plurality of images without being overlapped on the display screen according to the plurality of image data stored in said memory unit, a processing program for obtaining from said memory unit the measurement conditions stored corresponding to said image data corresponding to said selected image, and a processing program for displaying the measurement picture of an object under examination on the display screen of said display by subjecting the object under examination to said two-dimensional scanning, and wherein these three processing programs are selectively executed by said microprocessor unit.

5. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 1, further comprising scanning means for two-dimensionally scanning the object under examination and for outputting image data from a plurality of scanned measuring points of the object, means for receiving the image data and for determining measured values from the respective scanned measuring points, and means for deriving the measurement picture from the measured values.

6. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 5, wherein said measured values are the peak values of the respective scanned measuring points.

7. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument for detecting an echo obtainable from an object under examination by two-dimensionally scanning the object under examination using an ultrasonic probe to obtain a measured value and for creating display data according to the measured value in order to display, on a screen, a measurement picture of the object under examination corresponding to said two-dimensional scanning, said instrument comprising:

a scanning mechanism for two-dimensionally scanning the object under examination;

an image processor unit having a display, a memory unit and a processor unit;

said processor unit including means for controlling said scanning mechanism to two-dimensionally scan the object under examination, means for collection a plurality of measured values during the scanning, means for creating said display data corresponding to the two-dimensional scanning, and means for displaying said measurement picture on the screen of said display;

said processor unit further having means for creating reduced image display data resulting from scaling down to 1/n (n=integer greater than

     2) the display data of said measurement picture obtained in conformity with the predetermined measurement conditions so as to store said display data in said memory unit with respective measurement conditions at the time the display data is created by said reduced image processing;

said image processor unit further including means for displaying a plurality of reduced images, without being overlapped, according to the plurality of reduced image display data stored in said memory unit, means for obtaining the measurement conditions stored corresponding to said reduced image of said reduced image display data, and means for displaying the measurement picture of an object under examination on the screen of said display by subjecting the object under examination to two-dimensional scanning by said scanning mechanism in accordance with a user-indicated one of the displayed reduced images.

8. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 7, wherein said processor unit has a microprocessor unit including means for accessing said memory unit.

9. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 8, wherein said memory unit includes means for storing a processing program for creating reduced image display data resulting from scaling down to 1/n (n=integer greater than 2) the display data on said measurement picture obtained in conformity with the predetermined measurement conditions so as to store said display data in said memory unit with respective measurement conditions at the time the display data as an object for said reduced image processing is obtained;

a processing program for displaying a plurality of reduced images without being overlapped according to the plurality of reduced image display data stored in said memory unit;

a processing program for obtaining the measurement conditions stored corresponding to said reduced image of said reduced image display data; and

a processing program for displaying the measurement picture of the object under examination in accordance with the display data obtained from the two-dimensional scanning, and wherein these four processing programs are selectively executed by said microprocessor unit.

10. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 9, wherein n represents an integer selected from among 5 to 15.

11. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 10, further comprising an input unit for providing an input signal for indicating one of the displayed reduced images, wherein said input unit is a touch sensitive screen.

12. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 9, further comprising an input unit for providing an input signal for indicating one of the displayed reduced images, wherein said input unit is either a mouse or a keyboard.

13. An ultrasonic inspection and imaging instrument as claimed in claim 9, further comprising touch-sensitive means associated with said display screen for selectively implementing at least one of the four processing programs for execution by said microprocessor unit.

14. An imaging system for two-dimensionally scanning an object under examination to obtain display data, and for displaying a measurement picture of the object under examination corresponding to said two-dimensional scanning, said system comprising:

a memory unit for storing data of a plurality of images and a plurality of measurement conditions corresponding to said plurality of images, including measurement conditions under which said measurement picture is obtained;

a processor unit for concurrently displaying a plurality of images without being overlapped on a display screen according to the plurality of image data stored in said memory unit, for obtaining from said memory unit a measurement condition stored corresponding to image data of an image selected from said plurality of stored images, and for displaying the measurement picture of the object under examination on the display screen by subjecting the object under examination to said two-dimensional scanning in accordance with the selected image; and

means for two-dimensionally scanning the object under examination responsive to a signal from the processor unit that automatically presets the scanner with the measurement conditions in accordance with a user-indicated one of the displayed images.