Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus

• US 6,258,031 B1
• Filed: 06/16/2000
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Inc.
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanai, Hiroshi, Tannaka, Yoshinao, Sunagawa, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lateef, Marvin M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, MAULIN M
• Application Number:
  US09/594,487
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 600/437, 600/443, 600/442, 600/448, 600/444, 600/445
• US Class Current: 600/443
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/488 involving Doppler signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8979 Combined Doppler and pulse-echo imaging systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8984 Measuring the velocity vector

Abstract

An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus includes a transmitting device having an ultrasound probe. The transmitting device operates for transmitting a ultrasound pulse beam from the ultrasound probe into a body. A receiving device includes the ultrasound probe. The receiving device operates for receiving an ultrasound echo beam caused in the body, and converting the received ultrasound echo beam into a corresponding electric echo signal via the ultrasound probe. A delay controlling device is operative for controlling an acoustic line direction of transmission and reception of the ultrasound pulse beam and the ultrasound echo beam. A phase detection device is operative for subjecting the electric echo signal to phase detection to generate a phase-detection result signal. A tissue velocity calculating device operates for calculating a velocity of a tissue in the body from the phase-detection result signal. A display device is operative for indicating the calculated velocity of the tissue. The delay controlling device is operative for changing the acoustic line direction of transmission and reception of the ultrasound pulse beam and the ultrasound echo beam with respect to a same object.

Claims

1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:

transmitting means including an ultrasound probe for transmitting a ultrasound pulse beam from the ultrasound probe into a body;

receiving means including the ultrasound probe for receiving an ultrasound echo beam caused in the body, and converting the received ultrasound echo beam into a corresponding electric echo signal via the ultrasound probe;

delay controlling means for controlling an acoustic line direction of transmission and reception of the ultrasound pulse beam and the ultrasound echo beam;

phase detection means for subjecting the electric echo signal to phase detection to generate a phase-detection result signal;

tissue velocity calculating means for calculating a velocity of a tissue in the body from the phase-detection result signal; and

display means for indicating the calculated velocity of the tissue;

wherein the delay controlling means comprises means for changing the acoustic line direction of transmission and reception of the ultrasound pulse beam and the ultrasound echo beam with respect to a same object.

2. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the ultrasound probe includes transducer elements, and further comprising means for selecting ones from among the transducer elements as active elements in response to a depth of a measured portion of the tissue from a surface of the body.

3. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the delay controlling means comprises means for changing the acoustic line direction of transmission and reception of the ultrasound pulse beam and the ultrasound echo beam in response to a depth of a measured portion of the tissue from a surface of the body.

4. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the delay controlling means comprises means for changing the acoustic line direction of transmission and reception of the ultrasound pulse beam and the ultrasound echo beam among a plurality of different directions with respect to the tissue, and the tissue velocity calculating means comprises means for calculating a velocity of the tissue in a direction perpendicular to a front surface of the ultrasound probe, a distance traveled by the tissue in the direction perpendicular to the front surface of the ultrasound probe, a velocity of the tissue in a direction parallel to the front surface of the ultrasound probe, and a distance traveled by the tissue in the direction parallel to the front surface of the ultrasound probe from the phase-detection result signal.

5. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 1, wherein the delay controlling means comprises means for changing the acoustic line direction of transmission and reception of the ultrasound pulse beam and the ultrasound echo beam to scan arterial walls in the body, the tissue velocity calculating means comprises means for calculating a velocity of the arterial walls in a direction of a normal, a distance traveled by the arterial walls in the direction of the normal, a velocity of the arterial walls in a direction of a tangent, and a distance traveled by the arterial walls in the direction of the tangent from the phase-detection result signal, and the display means comprises means for indicating the calculated velocity of the arterial walls in the direction of the normal, the calculated distance traveled by the arterial walls in the direction of the normal, the calculated velocity of the arterial walls in the direction of the tangent, and the calculated distance traveled by the arterial walls in the direction of the tangent as waveforms.

6. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 4, wherein the display means comprises means for indicating a B-mode image of the body, and means for indicating the calculated velocity of the tissue in the direction perpendicular to the front surface of the ultrasound probe, the calculated distance traveled by the tissue in the direction perpendicular to the front surface of the ultrasound probe, the calculated velocity of the tissue in the direction parallel to the front surface of the ultrasound probe, and the calculated distance traveled by the tissue in the direction parallel to the front surface of the ultrasound probe as two-dimensional color distributions superimposed over the B-mode image of the body.

7. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 5, wherein the display means comprises means for indicating a B-mode image of the body, and means for indicating the calculated velocity of the arterial walls in the direction of the normal, the calculated distance traveled by the arterial walls in the direction of the normal, the calculated velocity of the arterial walls in the direction of the tangent, and the calculated distance traveled by the arterial walls in the direction of the tangent as two-dimensional color distributions superimposed over the B-mode image of the body.

8. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 6, wherein the display means comprises means for indicating a blood pressure waveform and an electrocardiogram superimposed over the B-mode image of the body and the two-dimensional color distributions.

9. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the display means comprises means for indicating a blood pressure waveform and an electrocardiogram superimposed over the B-mode image of the body and the two-dimensional color distributions.

10. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:

first means for transmitting a first ultrasound pulse beam into a body toward an object within the body along a first direction;

second means for receiving a first ultrasound echo beam caused by reflection of the first ultrasound pulse beam at the object and coming from the object along the first direction;

third means for transmitting a second ultrasound pulse beam into the body toward the object within the body along a second direction angularly different from the first direction;

fourth means for receiving a second ultrasound echo beam caused by reflection of the second ultrasound pulse beam at the object and coming from the object along the second direction;

fifth means for calculating a velocity of the object along the first direction from the first ultrasound echo beam received by the second means; and

sixth means for calculating a velocity of the object along the second direction from the second ultrasound echo beam received by the fourth means.

11. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 10, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to a surface of the body, and further comprising seventh means for calculating a velocity of the object along a third direction parallel to the surface of the body from the velocity calculated by the fifth means, the velocity calculated by the sixth means, and an angular difference between the first direction and the second direction.

12. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus as recited in claim 10, further comprising seventh means for calculating a direction of motion of the object from the velocity calculated by the fifth means, the velocity calculated by the sixth means, and an angular difference between the first direction and the second direction, and eighth means for calculating a velocity of the object along the calculated direction of motion of the object from the velocity calculated by the fifth means, the velocity calculated by the sixth means, and the angular difference between the first direction and the second direction.