Ultrasonic observing apparatus, control method for ultrasonic observing apparatus, ultrasonic observing system and ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus

• US 8,366,623 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Issued: 02/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Olympus Corporation
• Original Assignee: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation (Olympus Corporation)
• Inventors: Misono, Kazuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Cwern, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US11/818,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20080097208A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,064 Days
• Field of Search: 600/441, 600/444
• US Class Current: 600/441
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/00 Diagnosis using ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves imaging of objects using sonar G01S15/00
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/06 Measuring blood flow measuring volume flow in general G01F, e.g. G01F1/66, G01F1/72; measuring speed of fluids in general G01P5/00
• 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 8/13 Tomography A61B8/10, A61B8/12 take precedence; tomography for radiation diagnosis A61B6/02
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4411 Device being modular
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4461 Features of the scanning mechanism, e.g. for moving the transducer within the housing of the probe
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 8/4488 the transducer being a phased array

Abstract

An ultrasonic observing apparatus according to the present invention comprises a machine-side connector receptacle, an electronics-side connector receptacle, a mechanical echo signal detecting unit for detecting an echo signal obtained by receiving waves in a mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe connecting to the machine-side connector receptacle, an electronic echo signal detecting unit for detecting an echo signal obtained by receiving waves in an electronic scanning ultrasonic endoscope connecting to the electronics-side connector receptacle, and a signal processing unit for performing signal processing on the echo signal from the mechanical echo signal detecting unit and the echo signal from the electronic echo signal detecting unit.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic observing apparatus comprising:

a scanning identifying unit for

identifying an echo signal obtained by a first ultrasonic sending/receiving unit for transmitting ultrasonic pulses toward a target and receiving ultrasonic pulses reflected from the target by mechanical scanning,

identifying an echo signal obtained by a second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit for transmitting ultrasonic pulses toward the target and receiving ultrasonic pulses reflected from the target by electronic scanning, and

adding predetermined identification information to the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit based on setting indication information of an observation mode of B mode or D mode;

a B mode arithmetic unit for generating a B mode signal of the B mode from an echo signal obtained from the first ultrasonic sending/receiving unit and the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit;

an arithmetic processor for performing arithmetic processing for the D mode; and

a signal processing unit for performing signal processing on the echo signal obtained by the first ultrasonic sending/receiving unit and on the echo signal obtained by the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit, wherein;

the signal processing unit determines whether the observation mode is the B mode or D mode based on the setting indication information and on the predetermined identification information which the scanning identifying unit added to the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit, and

when the echo signal from the first ultrasonic sending/receiving unit and the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is an echo signal in the B mode, generates a B mode signal in the B mode by the B mode arithmetic unit,

when the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is an echo signal in the D mode, performs arithmetic processing on the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit using the arithmetic processor, and

when the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is an echo signal in the B mode, passes the B mode signal generated by the B mode arithmetic unit through the arithmetic processor without performing arithmetic processing on the B mode signal in the arithmetic processor.

4. The ultrasonic observing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a DMA controller, wherein

the echo signal in the B mode obtained by the first ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is outputted by the DMA controller, and

the echo signal in the B mode obtained by the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is passed through the arithmetic processor and then outputted by the DMA controller.

2. A control method for an ultrasonic observing apparatus comprising:

a scanning identifying step of identifying an echo signal obtained by a first ultrasonic sending/receiving unit for transmitting ultrasonic pulses toward a target and receiving ultrasonic pulses reflected from the target by mechanical scanning, identifying an echo signal obtained by a second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit for transmitting ultrasonic pulses toward the target and receiving ultrasonic pulses reflected from the target by electronic scanning, and adding predetermined identification information to the echo signal of the ultrasonic wave from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit based on setting indication information of an observation mode of B mode or D mode; and

a step of determining whether the observation mode is the B mode or the D mode based on the setting indication information and on the predetermined identification information which the scanning identifying step added to the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit,

a step of generating a B mode signal in the B mode by the B mode arithmetic unit when the echo signal from the first ultrasonic sending/receiving unit and the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is an echo signal in the B mode;

a signal processing step of performing arithmetic processing using an arithmetic processor that performs arithmetic processing for the D mode when the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is an echo signal in the D mode, and passing the B mode signal generated by the B mode arithmetic unit with respect to the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit through the arithmetic processor without performing arithmetic processing on the B mode signal in the arithmetic processor when the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is an echo signal in the B mode.

5. The control method for an ultrasonic observing apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a first output step of outputting by a DMA controller the echo signal in the B mode obtained by the first ultrasonic sending/receiving unit; and

a second output step of passing the echo signal in the B mode obtained by the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit through the arithmetic processor and then outputting the echo signal by the DMA controller.

3. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus comprising:

an ultrasonic observing apparatus for creating an ultrasonic tomographic image, the apparatus connecting to a mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe or mechanical scanning ultrasonic endoscope, and an electronic scanning ultrasonic probe or electronic scanning ultrasonic endoscope;

a mechanical transducer echo signal detecting unit, provided in the ultrasonic observing apparatus, for transmitting ultrasonic pulses from an ultrasonic transducer built in the mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe or mechanical scanning ultrasonic endoscope to living body tissue and detecting an echo signal obtained by receiving ultrasonic pulses reflected from the living body tissue;

an electronic transducer echo signal detecting unit, provided in the ultrasonic observing apparatus, for transmitting ultrasonic pulses from an ultrasonic transducer built in the electronic scanning ultrasonic probe or electronic scanning ultrasonic endoscope to living body tissue and detecting an echo signal obtained by receiving ultrasonic pulses reflected from the living body tissue;

a video processing unit, provided in the ultrasonic observing apparatus, for generating the ultrasonic tomographic image;

a central processing unit, provided in the ultrasonic observing apparatus, for controlling the video processing unit; and

a signal processing unit, provided in the ultrasonic observing apparatus, for performing signal processing on the echo signal from the mechanical transducer echo signal detecting unit and the echo signal from the electronic transducer echo signal detecting unit, the signal processing unit including;

a scanning identifying unit for adding predetermined identification information to an echo signal from the electronic transducer echo signal detecting unit based on setting indication information for indicating an observation mode in B mode or D mode,

an arithmetic processor for performing arithmetic processing for the D mode on the echo signal obtained by the ultrasonic transducer of the electronic scanning ultrasonic probe or electronic scanning ultrasonic endoscope, and

a B mode arithmetic unit for performing signal processing for the B mode on an echo signal obtained by the ultrasonic transducer of the ultrasonic probe or ultrasonic endoscope by the mechanical scanning and the ultrasonic probe or ultrasonic endoscope by the electronic scanning,

wherein, the signal processing unit determines whether the observation mode is the B mode or the D mode based on the setting indication information and on the predetermined identification information which the scanning identifying unit added to the echo signal from the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit, and

when the observation mode is the B mode, the signal processing unit performs signal processing on the echo signal obtained from the ultrasonic transducer of the mechanical scanning ultrasonic probe or the mechanical scanning ultrasonic endoscope and the electronic scanning ultrasonic probe or the electronic scanning ultrasonic endoscope in the B mode arithmetic unit so as to generate a B mode signal, and passes the B mode signal in the B mode generated by the B mode arithmetic unit through the arithmetic processer without performing arithmetic processing on the B mode signal in the arithmetic processor and transfers the B mode signal to the video processing unit, and

when the observation mode is the D mode, the signal processing unit performs by the arithmetic processor arithmetic processing on the echo signal obtained from the ultrasonic transducer of the electronic scanning ultrasonic probe or the electronic scanning ultrasonic endoscope.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the signal processing unit uncludes a DMA controller,

the echo signal in the B mode obtained by the first ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is outputted by the DMA controller, and

the echo signal in the B mode obtained by the second ultrasonic sending/receiving unit is passed through the arithmetic processor and then outputted by the DMA controller.