Doppler velocity detection device and ultrasonographic device using the same

• US 7,942,821 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2004
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Inventors: Azuma, Takashi, Umemura, Shin-ichiro, Hayashi, Tetsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Chen; Tse
• Assistant Examiner(s): Brutus; Joel F
• Application Number:
  US10/580,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20070167791A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,503 Days
• Field of Search: 600/455, 600/454, 600/453, 600/456, 600/457, 600/437, 600/407
• US Class Current: 600/455
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8977 using special techniques for image reconstruction, e.g. FFT, geometrical transformations, spatial deconvolution, time deconvolution
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/8981 Discriminating between fixed and moving objects or between objects moving at different speeds, e.g. wall clutter filter

Abstract

The present invention realizes a Doppler velocity detecting technique capable of performing velocity detection and analysis with a suppressed error while excellently distinguishing a clutter signal, and provides an ultrasonographic device using the technique. In a Doppler velocity detection device comprising means for transmitting/receiving pulse waves to/from a subject a plurality of times, and velocity analyzing means for analyzing a velocity of a moving reflector in the subject on the basis of a reception echo signal, the velocity analyzing means obtains a complex expansion coefficient by linearly connecting an expansion coefficient of an even-numbered degree term and an expansion coefficient of an odd-numbered degree term which is different from the even-numbered degree term by one degree, derived when reception echo time-series signals obtained by arranging reception echo signals of equal lapse time from pulse transmission times in order of the transmission times are expanded as components of a Legendre polynomial starting from the 0th degree, by using an imaginary unit as a coefficient, and obtains a signed velocity signal of a moving reflector in the subject on the basis of-the ratio between the magnitude of each complex expansion coefficient and the magnitude of an interval between the complex expansion coefficients.

Claims

1. A Doppler velocity detection device comprising:

a transmit/receive unit for transmitting/receiving pulse waves to/from an object whose velocity is to be measured a plurality of times, and

a signal detector/analyzer unit for analyzing the velocity of the object whose velocity is to be measured, based on the received signals,

wherein said signal detector/analyzer unit is configured to extract reception echo signals of equal lapse time from transmission times of pulses, from a plurality of reception echo signals obtained by transmission/reception of a plurality of times, and expand the reception echo-time series signals arranged in order of the transmission times as components of a Legendre polynomial, and obtain a velocity signal of the object whose velocity is to be measured based on the magnitudes of expansion coefficients.

2. A Doppler velocity detection device according to claim 1, wherein an expansion coefficient of an even-numbered degree term and an expansion coefficient of an odd-numbered degree term which is different from the even-numbered degree term by one degree, derived when the reception echo time-series signals are expanded as components of a Legendre polynomial starting from the 0th degree, are linearly connected by using an imaginary unit as a coefficient, thereby obtaining a complex expansion coefficient, and deriving a velocity signal from the ratio between the magnitude of each complex expansion coefficient and the magnitude of an interval between the complex expansion coefficients, and wherein the velocity signal includes a sign code to distinguish between a transmission direction of the pulse waves and an opposite direction to the transmission direction.

3. A Doppler velocity detection device comprising:

means for transmitting/receiving pulse waves to/from a subject a plurality of times; and

velocity analyzing means for analyzing a velocity of a moving reflector in the subject on the basis of a reception echo signal,

wherein the velocity analyzing means is configured to obtain a complex expansion coefficient by linearly connecting an expansion coefficient of an even-numbered degree term and an expansion coefficient of an odd-numbered degree term which is different from the even-numbered degree term by one degree, derived when reception echo signals of equal lapse time extracted from pulse transmission times, from a plurality of reception echo signals obtained by transmission/reception of a plurality of times, are arranged in order of transmission time and expanded as components of a Legendre polynomial starting from the 0th degree, by using an imaginary unit as a coefficient, and obtains a velocity signal of a moving reflector in the subject based on the ratio between the magnitude of each complex expansion coefficient and the magnitude of an interval between the complex expansion coefficients, and

wherein the velocity signal includes a sign code to distinguish between a transmission direction of the pulse waves and an opposite direction to the transmission direction.

4. A Doppler velocity detection device according to claim 3, further comprising display means for two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally displaying a velocity signal of the moving reflector together with an echo signal from a stationary reflector in the subject.

5. An ultrasonographic device comprising:

an ultrasonic probe;

means for allowing the ultrasonic probe to transmit/receive ultrasonic pulse waves to/from a subject a plurality of times; and

velocity analyzing means for analyzing velocity of a moving reflector in the subject on the basis of reception echo signals from the subject,

wherein the velocity analyzing means expands reception echo signals of equal lapse time extracted from transmission times of the ultrasonic pulses, from a plurality of reception echo signals obtained by transmission/reception of a plurality of times, arranges the reception echo-time series signals in order of transmission times, expands the reception echo-time series signals as components of a Legendre polynomial, and obtains a velocity signal of the moving reflector in the subject based on the magnitude of each of the expansion coefficients.

6. An ultrasonographic device according to claim 5, wherein the velocity analyzing means is configured to obtain a complex expansion coefficient by linearly connecting an expansion coefficient of an even-numbered degree term and an expansion coefficient of an odd-numbered degree term which is different from the even-numbered degree term by one degree, derived when the reception echo time-series signals are expanded as components of a Legendre polynomial starting from the 0th degree, by using an imaginary unit as a coefficient, and configured to obtain a velocity signal based on the ratio between the magnitude of each complex expansion coefficient and the magnitude of an interval between the complex expansion coefficients, and wherein the velocity signal includes a sign code to distinguish between a transmission direction of the pulse waves and an opposite direction to the transmission direction.

7. An ultrasonographic device comprising:

an ultrasonic probe;

means for allowing the ultrasonic probe to transmit/receive ultrasonic pulse waves to/from a subject a plurality of times; and

velocity analyzing means for analyzing velocity of a blood flow in a moving organ in the subject on the basis of reception echo signals from the subject,

wherein the velocity analyzing means obtains a complex expansion coefficient by linearly connecting an expansion coefficient of an even-numbered degree term and an expansion coefficient of an odd-numbered degree term which is different from the even-numbered degree term by one degree, derived when the reception echo time-series signals obtained by arranging reception echo signals of equal lapse time from transmission times of the ultrasonic pulses in order of the transmission times are expanded as components of a Legendre polynomial starting from the 0th degree, by using an imaginary unit as a coefficient, and obtains a velocity signal of the blood flow in the subject based on the ratio between the magnitude of each complex expansion coefficient and the magnitude of an interval between the complex expansion coefficients, and

wherein the velocity signal includes a sign code to distinguish between a transmission direction of the pulse waves and an opposite direction to the transmission direction.

8. An ultrasonographic device according to claim 7, further comprising display means for displaying a distribution image of a motion velocity of the organ or a spatial change in the motion velocity and a blood flow distribution image obtained simultaneously so as to be superimposed or arranged side by side.

9. An ultrasonographic device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein a blood flow having a velocity component of 3 mm/sec or higher toward the ultrasonic probe is detected and displayed while a motion velocity toward the ultrasonic probe of the organ changes by 1 mm/sec.

10. An ultrasonographic device comprising:

ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving means for allowing a plurality of ultrasonic probes to transmit/receive an ultrasonic pulse to/from a subject a plurality of times;

a transmission beam former for controlling a transmission focal position of an ultrasonic pulse in the subject;

a reception beam former for controlling a reception focal position in the subject;

a controller for controlling the ultrasonic wave transmitting/receiving means, the transmission beam former, and the reception beam former; and

velocity analyzing means for analyzing velocity of a moving reflector in the subject on the basis of reception echo signals from the subject,

wherein the velocity analyzing means is configured to obtain a complex expansion coefficient by linearly connecting an expansion coefficient of an even-numbered degree term and an expansion coefficient of an odd-numbered degree term which is different from the even-numbered degree term by one degree, derived when reception echo signals of equal lapse time extracted from transmission times of the ultrasonic pulses, from a plurality of reception echo signals obtained by transmission/reception of a plurality of times, are arranged in order of transmission time and expanded as components of a Legendre polynomial starting from the 0th degree, by using an imaginary unit as a coefficient, and configured to obtain a velocity signal of the moving reflector in the subject based on the ratio between the magnitude of each complex expansion coefficient and the magnitude of an interval between the complex expansion coefficients, and

wherein the velocity signal includes a sign code to distinguish between a transmission direction of the pulse waves and an opposite direction to the transmission direction.