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Ultrasound diagnostic apparatus, sound velocity setting method, and recording medium

  • US 9,757,094 B2
  • Filed: 12/23/2013
  • Issued: 09/12/2017
  • Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2012
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. An ultrasound diagnostic apparatus comprising:

  • a piezoelectric element array having piezoelectric elements arranged therein, each adapted to transmit ultrasonic waves, receive ultrasonic echoes reflected by a subject, and output reception signals according to received ultrasonic waves;

    a control processor adapted to control transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by the piezoelectric element array;

    a storage unit adapted to store the reception signals output by the piezoelectric element array;

    a sound velocity setting processor adapted to divide the subject into multiple segment regions and set a sound velocity for each of the segment regions with use of the reception signals stored in the storage unit; and

    an image producing processor adapted to produce an ultrasound image by processing the reception signals output by the piezoelectric element array or the reception signals read out from the storage unit based on the sound velocity set for each of the segment regions,wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves for forming transmission focal points for sound velocity setting by the sound velocity setting processor in a predetermined number of frames so as to be mutually different frame by frame and to include one of plurality of scanning lines of ultrasonic waves as a scanning line for sound velocity setting in each frame at predetermined timing such that sound velocities set for the respective segment regions in a predetermined region are all reset every predetermined number of frames, the scanning lines being formed with all of the transmission focal points for sound velocity setting,wherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to perform transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves at predetermined timing such that scanning lines excepting the one of plurality of scanning lines in each frame are the normal scanning lines of the ultrasonic waves formed of the transmission focal points of the normal transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves for producing the ultrasound image,wherein the sound velocity setting processor sets an optimal sound velocity of a segment region corresponding to the one transmission focal point for sound velocity setting with use of a reception signal resulting from the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves for forming the one transmission focal point for sound velocity setting, andwherein the control processor causes the piezoelectric element array to form transmission focal points on the scanning line for sound velocity setting in a greater number than a number of transmission focal points on each normal scanning line in each frame for ultrasound image production, andwherein the predetermined region is a region corresponding to a whole area of the ultrasound image to be produced.

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