Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, control method of ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, recording medium, and computer program product

Abstract

The present application provides an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a control method of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, a recording medium, and a computer program product. The present application is directed to accepting designation of a two-dimensional position on an ultrasonic image and being able to control the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus in accordance with the designated position. A display section (118) accepts designation of a point on a displayed ultrasonic image through a touch operation or the like. A position information conversion section (130) converts coordinates of the point shown in a coordinate system of the ultrasonic image into coordinates in a coordinate system used by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (100) in ultrasonic beam scanning. A central control section (120) and a control position setting section (132) use the coordinates obtained through the coordinate conversion to perform control of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus (100) (e.g., setting of a ROI).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an ultrasound diagnostic device. Background Technology

[0002] In conventional ultrasound diagnostic devices, the position of objects such as the sampling volume displayed by pulse Doppler or the ROI (region of interest) displayed by color Doppler is changed by operating a trackball or directional keys. This position change is performed in the following manner: in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasound beam, the operating point is moved from its current position in the direction indicated by the trackball, etc., by an amount corresponding to the amount of operation of the trackball, etc.

[0003] The scanning coordinate system is defined by the depth direction, which is the direction in which the ultrasonic beam propagates, and the scanning direction, which is the direction in which the ultrasonic beam is scanned. For example, if the user presses the button indicating the change of the sampling volume position on the control panel and presses the right (or left) directional key once, the position of the sampling volume on the screen will move one stage to the right (or left) along the scanning direction from its current position. The amount of movement of the sampling volume corresponds to the number of times the right directional key is pressed. The up and down directional keys are used to indicate movement in the depth direction. The same operation is performed on the trackball. If the trackball is rotated to the right, the sampling volume will move to the right from its current position along the scanning direction by only an amount corresponding to that rotation.

[0004] Furthermore, in recent years, devices using touch panels to display ultrasonic images have become increasingly common (e.g., Patent Document 1). By using a touch panel, it is possible to specify the position on the ultrasonic image more intuitively and easily than with a mouse or trackball.

[0005] The ultrasound diagnostic device disclosed in Patent Document 2 facilitates linear input along the edges, either longitudinally or laterally, by providing touch panel areas along the four sides of the monitor's outer frame.

[0006] The ultrasound diagnostic device disclosed in Patent Document 3 has sliding areas on the four sides of the outer periphery of the display area of ​​the ultrasound image, and changes the setting value of the function attached to the sliding area according to the user's touch operation on these sliding areas.

[0007] The ultrasound diagnostic device disclosed in Patent Document 4 displays a touch button near a mark indicating the part of the object to be operated on within an ultrasound image. If the user moves the touch button by touching it, the mark moves accordingly.

[0008] The ultrasonic image diagnostic device disclosed in Patent Document 5 displays a button near the cursor at the end of the movement of the measurement cursor on the ultrasonic image displayed on the touch panel screen when the measurement cursor is moved by touch operation. This button indicates the position of the cursor at that time point.

[0009] In the ultrasonic image diagnostic device disclosed in Patent Document 6, the longitudinal coordinate of the touch panel monitor displaying the ultrasonic image is aligned with the depth direction coordinate of the ultrasonic image, and the lateral coordinate corresponds to the STC gain used to adjust the ultrasonic image. Then, if a user touches a desired position on the touch panel with their finger and slides the finger laterally or diagonally, the device adjusts the STC gain at the contact position of the finger in real time.

[0010] Patent document 7 discloses an ultrasonic diagnostic device that changes the focus depth or the position / size of the ROI according to touch operation on a touch panel.

[0011] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-026256

[0012] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-207589

[0013] Patent Document 3: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-214650

[0014] Patent Document 4: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2012-019824

[0015] Patent Document 5: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2015-198810

[0016] Patent Document 6: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-296978

[0017] Patent Document 7: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-056202

[0018] Moving an object only by a small amount of data from its current position in the direction indicated by a trackball or similar gesture has limitations in terms of ease of use. For example, consider a scenario where a user spots a blood vessel on an ultrasound image and wants to set a sampling volume on that vessel. In this case, rotating the trackball longitudinally or laterally to gradually move the sampling volume from its current position to the location of the blood vessel would be cumbersome.

[0019] Besides situations where the location of a point or range (e.g., sampling volume or ROI) used in the control of an ultrasound diagnostic device is specified through operations such as a trackball, there are other cases where the same problem may arise.

[0020] In conventional devices that display ultrasound images on a touch panel, there are devices that allow the user to specify a position within the ultrasound image via touch operation. However, position specification in touch operation is mostly used for measurements of ultrasound images using the specified position (e.g., measurement of the distance between two points).

[0021] Furthermore, conventional devices that establish a correspondence between the vertical position of the touch panel and the depth position of the ultrasonic image, and a correspondence between the lateral position and the signal gain value, accept the specification of the position in the depth direction, but do not accept the specification of the two-dimensional position. Summary of the Invention

[0022] The object of the present invention is to accept the specification of a two-dimensional position on an ultrasound image and to be able to control an ultrasound diagnostic device according to the specified position.

[0023] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus disclosed in this specification includes a processor that performs the following processing: receiving information about a specified point on an ultrasound image displayed on a screen; converting the coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasound image represented by the information into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasound beam; and using the coordinates of the specified point after coordinate conversion to perform control of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus.

[0024] In one embodiment, the processor, in the control, sets the range or position used in generating the ultrasonic image based on the coordinates of the specified point after coordinate transformation.

[0025] In particular, the transmission range or position of the ultrasonic beam for a specific display mode of the ultrasonic diagnostic device can be defined for the range or position used in the generation of the ultrasonic image that is the set object.

[0026] Furthermore, the range of received signals of the computational object used to generate an image of a specific display mode of the ultrasound diagnostic device can be defined as the range used in the generation of the ultrasound image, which is the set object.

[0027] It can be that the range used in generating the ultrasonic image, which is the set object, is the sampling volume for pulse Doppler display.

[0028] It can be that the range used in generating the ultrasound image, which is the object of the setting, is the range of color Doppler display, i.e., the ROI.

[0029] It can be that the range used in generating the ultrasound image, which is the object of the setting, is the scanning range of the ultrasound beam used for displaying the B-mode tomographic image.

[0030] The processor may perform the following processing: on the ultrasonic image displayed on the screen, using the specified point as a reference, set the range for generating the ultrasonic image.

[0031] In one embodiment, the processor performs the following processing: receiving information about two designated points on the ultrasonic image displayed on the screen; and magnifying or reducing the range if the interval between the two designated points magnifies or shrinks over time.

[0032] The program disclosed in this specification causes a computer to perform the following processes: receiving information about a specified point on an ultrasound image displayed on a screen; converting the coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasound image, as represented by the information, into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasound beam; and using the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate conversion to perform control of the ultrasound diagnostic device.

[0033] In the control method disclosed in this specification, information of a specified point on an ultrasound image displayed on a screen is received; the coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasound image represented by the information are converted into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasound beam; and the control of the ultrasound diagnostic device is performed using the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate conversion. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating the structure of the ultrasound diagnostic device according to an illustrative embodiment.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the processing procedure in an implementation method.

[0036] Figure 3 This is an example Figure 2 A diagram showing the detailed process of step S26.

[0037] Figure 4 This is a diagram that illustrates part of an example of how the object being manipulated is determined based on a touch operation.

[0038] Figure 5 This is the remaining part of a diagram illustrating an example of how the object being manipulated is determined based on the touch operation.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a diagram used to illustrate the operation of moving the cursor of the sampling volume via touch.

[0040] Figure 7 This diagram illustrates how touch operations can change the width of an ROI.

[0041] Figure 8 This is a diagram used to illustrate the focusing of the transmitted beam in the depth and scanning directions.

[0042] Figure 9This is a block diagram illustrating a modified example of a structure for displaying ultrasonic images on an external device equipped with a touch panel.

[0043] Symbol Explanation

[0044] 100-Ultrasound diagnostic device, 102-Probe, 104-Transceiver control unit, 106-Phase integrator and summerizer, 108-Beam processing unit, 110-Data storage unit, 112-DSC (Digital Scan Converter), 114-Image storage unit, 116-Image synthesis unit, 118-Display unit, 120-Central control unit, 122-Operation unit, 130-Position information conversion unit, 132-Control position setting unit. Detailed Implementation

[0045] Figure 1 An example of the structure of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0046] The probe 102 is a device for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic beams used in ultrasonic diagnostics. The probe 102 contains an array of vibrating elements arranged in a specific pattern. Each vibrating element converts electrical signals into ultrasonic signals via piezoelectric effect. The probe 102 is available in various types, including linear, fan-shaped, and convex.

[0047] The transceiver control unit 104 controls the ultrasonic transceiver based on each vibrating element within the probe 102. This control includes, for example, supplying electrical transmission signals to each vibrating element and amplifying electrical reception signals from each vibrating element. In supplying transmission signals, the transceiver control unit 104 forms an ultrasonic transmission beam by controlling the timing of the supply of transmission signals to each vibrating element.

[0048] The phase-combining and summing unit 106 performs phase-combining and summing processing on the received signals from each vibrating element within the probe 102. This phase-combining and summing processing forms a receiving beam. The phase-combining and summing unit 106 outputs the echo data obtained along the receiving beam as the result of the phase-combining and summing processing.

[0049] The beam processing unit 108 performs various signal processing operations on the echo data output from the phase-integrating unit 106, including gain correction, logarithmic amplification, envelope detection, and filtering. The beam processing unit 108 performs these signal processing operations by using the data memory 110 as a working memory. As a result, beam data corresponding to each echo data is formed.

[0050] The DSC (Digital Scan Converter) 112 has coordinate transformation and interpolation functions, and forms a display frame, i.e., an ultrasound image, based on multiple beam data output from the beam processing unit 108. The beam data from the beam processing unit 108 is data in the beam scanning coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as the "scanning coordinate system"), consisting of multiple data points along the direction of the beam corresponding to the beam data. The DSC 112, for example, plots the signal values ​​of each data point of the beam data in the display coordinate system, i.e., the coordinate system of the ultrasound image (usually an orthogonal coordinate system represented by a set of x and y coordinates), at the position of that data point. This plotting is performed by writing data into the image memory 114, which holds the signal values ​​of each pixel according to the display coordinate system. Then, the DSC 112 interpolates the values ​​of pixels in the image memory 114 that do not yet have values ​​after the beam data has been written, based on the values ​​of surrounding pixels. Through this coordinate transformation and interpolation, an ultrasound image, such as a B-mode tomographic image, is formed.

[0051] The image synthesis unit 116 synthesizes images or characters representing various information from the ultrasonic image formed by the DSC 112 to form display screen data. The information synthesized from the ultrasonic image includes, for example, ROIs representing the display range of various display modes such as color Doppler modes, and lines representing the sampling volume of a pulse Doppler mode or the beamline at the location of that sampling volume.

[0052] The display unit 118 is an image display device, such as a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The display unit 118 displays display screen data formed by the image synthesis unit 116.

[0053] The central control unit 120 controls the operation of each part of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 to realize the function of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100. The central control unit 120 is hardware, such as having a processor such as a CPU or microcontroller, a memory that functions as primary memory, and a large-capacity storage device that functions as secondary memory. The central control unit 120 controls the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 by executing the program stored in the secondary memory.

[0054] The operation unit 122 is a device that receives operations from the user on the ultrasonic diagnostic device 100. The operation unit 122 may have mechanical input elements such as a keyboard, buttons, switches, and knobs. Furthermore, the operation unit 122 may have a pointing device such as a trackball or a mouse.

[0055] Furthermore, the operation unit 122 may include a touch panel for displaying the screen on the display unit 118. Information about the touch position of the user's finger detected by the touch panel or changes in that touch position is analyzed by the central control unit 120 and used in the ultrasound diagnostic device 100.

[0056] Therefore, the control or processing performed by the central control unit 120 is carried out in the scanning coordinate system. A representative example of control performed in the scanning coordinate system is control related to the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves.

[0057] For example, as a control related to ultrasonic transceiver, there is the setting of the sampling volume for pulse Doppler mode. Pulse Doppler mode is also known as PW (Pulse Wave) mode.

[0058] Previously, the sampling volume was set using a trackball. In this method, a beamline for setting the volume was displayed on the B-mode tomographic image, and a cursor representing the sampling volume was displayed on that beamline (see reference). Figure 6 (Beamline 304A and cursor 306A). The displayed beamline is selected from multiple beamlines formed during the scanning of the transmitted ultrasonic beam based on probe 102. For example, among these multiple beamlines, consecutive numbers are assigned sequentially from the beamline at the end of the scanning range toward the beamline arrangement direction. As the user rotates the trackball laterally, the number of the selected beamline changes sequentially in the direction of rotation. Furthermore, as the user rotates the trackball longitudinally, the position of the cursor on the selected beamline moves step by step in the direction of rotation. In each stage of the depth direction position, consecutive numbers are assigned, for example, from the shallow side to the deep side. For example, by rotating upward, the cursor moves in the shallow direction on the beamline, and by rotating downward, the cursor moves in the deep direction. Thus, the conventional trackball sampling volume setting is used to sequentially switch the number of the beamline where the cursor is located and the number of the depth direction position of the cursor on that beamline by one stage each according to the rotation of the trackball.

[0059] Furthermore, in the past, the width of the sampling volume was changed by rotating a pre-defined knob on the operating panel of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 100, or by pressing a button to enlarge or reduce the cursor width on the operating panel.

[0060] In contrast, in this embodiment, the setting operation regarding the sampling volume is achieved by touching the touch panel on the display unit 118. The specific processing for this setting will be explained later.

[0061] Furthermore, as another example of control related to ultrasonic transceivers, there is control related to the ROI in color Doppler mode. In color Doppler mode, due to the limitations of the speed at which the transmitted beam is formed, only a portion of the area in the B-mode tomographic image becomes the object of image formation. The user designates this area as the ROI. The ROI is determined in the scanning coordinate system based on the positions of its two ends in the scanning direction and the depth direction, respectively. For example, Figure 7 The ROI 310A illustrated is an example of an ROI when using a probe 102 with a convex scanning type. In the case of convex scanning, the shape of the ultrasound image 302A is an annular sector, and the ROI 310A set in it with color Doppler is also an annular sector. The edges of both ends of the ROI 310A along the scanning direction are along any beamline of the ultrasound beam scanned on the convex surface. Furthermore, the two ends of the ROI 310A in the depth direction are arcs along the scanning direction.

[0062] Previously, movement of ROIs in color Doppler imaging was performed using a trackball. That is, if the user selected an ROI on the screen and rotated the trackball, the ROI would only move an amount corresponding to the rotation in the direction of rotation. Thus, previously, the ROI was a region that moved sequentially according to the rotation of the trackball.

[0063] Furthermore, the size of the ROI was previously changed by rotating the ROI size change knob or pressing the zoom-in or zoom-out button related to the ROI size.

[0064] The ROI settings for modes other than the color Doppler mode have been done in the past as well.

[0065] In contrast, in this embodiment, the ROI setting operation is achieved by touching the touch panel on the display unit 118. The specific processing for this setting will be explained later.

[0066] In another example of control implemented by the central control unit 120, there is a process for setting the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam according to user specifications. Previously, this was typically a function that allowed the user to specify the depth of focus via a knob or similar operation.

[0067] In this embodiment, the focus position is specified via touch operation on the display unit 118. In this embodiment, the focus depth is set to the depth corresponding to the specified focus position. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the central control unit 120 can set the scanning direction position corresponding to the specified focus position as the focus position with respect to the scanning direction. In this case, the central control unit 120 sets the beamline group of the transmitted ultrasonic beam to increase the density of the transmitted ultrasonic beam near the focus position in the set scanning direction. A finer image can be obtained at and near the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam compared to other positions. The user specifies the position of interest (i.e., the position of interest) within the ultrasonic image as the focus position.

[0068] Hereinafter, focusing in the depth direction will be referred to as depth direction focusing, and controlling the density of the transmitted ultrasonic beam near the focusing position in the scanning direction will be referred to as scanning direction focusing.

[0069] Focus control is performed in the scan coordinate system. The focus position specified on the touch panel is represented by the display coordinate system. In this embodiment, in order to connect this focus position with the focus control in the scan coordinate system, a coordinate transformation is performed from the display coordinate system to the scan coordinate system. The processing of the focus position setting accompanying this coordinate transformation will be described in detail later.

[0070] In order to reflect touch operations on the touch panel on the display screen to the control of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 includes a position information conversion unit 130 and a control position setting unit 132.

[0071] The position information conversion unit 130 converts the position touched by the user on the ultrasonic image displayed on the touch panel into coordinates suitable for the control of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 100.

[0072] Here, the position on the ultrasound image is, for example, a coordinate in the display coordinate system expressed in pixel units (xy coordinates). The coordinates of the touch position on the display screen detected by the touch panel are converted by the operating system executed by the central control unit 120 into coordinates within the ultrasound image displayed in a window on the display screen (i.e., coordinates in the display coordinate system). The coordinates of the touch position in the display coordinate system are provided as input to the position information conversion unit 130.

[0073] In contrast, in the control of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, such as in the control related to the transmission of the ultrasonic beam, the position is specified in a scanning coordinate system. The scanning coordinate system is a coordinate system represented by a combination of coordinates relative to the scanning direction and coordinates relative to the depth direction. For example, the coordinates in the scanning direction are represented by the number of the ultrasonic beam, and the coordinates in the depth direction are represented by the number of the position in the depth direction.

[0074] Furthermore, in another example, the scanning coordinate system is not a set of discretely defined values ​​such as beamline numbers (hereinafter also referred to as "beam numbers") and depth direction position numbers, but rather a set that can be represented by any combination of coordinates with respect to the scanning direction and any coordinates with respect to the depth direction. For example, when using a convex scanning probe 102, the scanning coordinate system can be a set of coordinates expressed in polar coordinates, i.e., (r, θ). Here, r is any position in the depth direction, i.e., in the direction away from the origin of the convex scanning, and θ is any position in the scanning direction, i.e., in the circumferential direction centered on the origin of the convex scanning.

[0075] The position information conversion unit 130 converts the touch position information on the ultrasonic image represented by the display coordinate system into position information in the scanning coordinate system that is easy to use for controlling the ultrasonic beam.

[0076] The control position setting unit 132 sets the position information in the scanning coordinate system output by the position information conversion unit 130 as the position information used in the control of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, such as control related to the ultrasound beam. Position information related to the control of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 includes, for example, the position of the cursor with the sampling volume, the position of the ROI, and the focusing position of the ultrasound beam. The central control unit 120 controls the transceiver control unit 104 and the like according to the set position information, thus achieving control according to the position specified by the user through touch operation.

[0077] The position information conversion unit 130 and the control position setting unit 132 are implemented, for example, by a processor executing a program that contains the functions of the components described in this specification.

[0078] Next, refer to Figure 2 An example of the processing sequence in this embodiment will be described.

[0079] exist Figure 2 In the sequence, if the user instructs to start ultrasonic image imaging, the central control unit 120 sets a transceiver table (S10) and instructs the transceiver control unit 104 to transmit and receive the ultrasonic beam according to the transceiver table. Thus, the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic beam begins (S12). Furthermore, the transceiver table is a table that maintains control parameters for the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic beam. Among the control parameters maintained in the transceiver table is, for example, the focus depth of the transmitted beam. Furthermore, the transceiver table may contain data on the amount of delay in the transmitted signal to each vibrating element of the vibrating element array, which should be applied to each of the multiple selectable transmission focus depths in order to achieve that transmission focus depth. In the case of a fan-shaped or convex probe, the transceiver table may maintain data on the amount of delay of each vibrating element according to the direction of each transmitted beam (i.e., for example, according to each beam number).

[0080] After transmission and reception begin, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 generates ultrasound images, such as B-mode tomography images, based on the received signals from each vibrating element within the probe 102 and through known signal processing (S16). The generated ultrasound images are displayed on the display unit 118 (S18).

[0081] During the display of an ultrasound image, the central control unit 120 periodically determines, for example, whether there is an input specifying the position coordinates on the ultrasound image (S20). The user can, for example, input the position coordinates on the ultrasound image through touch operation on the touch panel of the display unit 118 (S22). The input position coordinates are coordinates in the display coordinate system.

[0082] When the position coordinates on the ultrasound image are input (the determination result of S20 is "yes"), the position information conversion unit 130 converts the position coordinates into the scanning coordinate system (S24). For example, when using the probe 102 with convex scanning, the coordinates (x, y) in the display coordinate system are converted into coordinates (r, θ) in the scanning coordinate system expressed in polar coordinates. This coordinate conversion can be the inverse transformation from the operating coordinate system to the display coordinate system performed by the DSC112.

[0083] In this case, r can be the number of the position in the beam direction (i.e., the position in the depth direction), and θ can be the number of the beamline. Here, since the selectable depth direction position and beamline position in the control of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 are discrete, sometimes the coordinates (x, y) of the display coordinate system do not perfectly match the position among the available (depth direction position, beamline position) in the scanning coordinate system. In this case, during the coordinate transformation in step S24, the position information transformation unit 130 determines the (depth direction position, beamline position) among the coordinates (x, y) of the display coordinate system that is closest to that coordinate (x, y), and calculates the numbers of these depth direction positions and beamline positions respectively. Then, the position information transformation unit 130 outputs the combination of the calculated depth direction position number and beamline number as the coordinate transformation result.

[0084] In addition, various touch gestures are typically defined for touch input on touch panels. For example, single-finger gestures include tapping, dragging, and swiping, while two-finger gestures include zooming in and zooming out. Furthermore, gestures involving touching the screen simultaneously with three or more fingers are sometimes defined. The operating system running on the central control unit 120 determines the type of the input touch gesture and the coordinates of one or more touch positions representing the gesture's characteristics.

[0085] For example, in the case of a tap, the coordinates of the tapped location are equivalent to "the coordinates of one or more touch locations that represent the gesture characteristics".

[0086] Furthermore, in the case of dragging, for example, the coordinates of the starting point of the drag, the touch position detected periodically afterwards, and the ending point (i.e., the position when the finger last leaves the screen) correspond to "the coordinates of one or more touch positions representing gesture features". Alternatively, only the starting point and ending point of the drag can be set to "the coordinates of one or more touch positions representing gesture features".

[0087] Similarly, when zooming in or out, the two starting points of a simultaneous touch, the two touch positions detected periodically afterward, and the two ending points (the positions where the last two fingers leave the screen) are equivalent to "coordinates of one or more touch positions representing gesture features". Alternatively, only the two starting points and two ending points of the zoom-out operation can be set as "coordinates of one or more touch positions representing gesture features".

[0088] When zooming out, the distance between the two fingertips touching the touch panel simultaneously decreases over time. Conversely, when zooming in, the distance between the two fingertips increases over time.

[0089] The position information conversion unit 130 converts these "coordinates of one or more touch positions representing gesture characteristics" into coordinates in the scan coordinate system. The coordinates in the scan coordinate system, as a result of the coordinate conversion, are then transmitted to the control position setting unit 132.

[0090] Furthermore, the information on the type of touch gesture determined by the central control unit 120 is transmitted to the control position setting unit 132.

[0091] Furthermore, the central control unit 120 can determine that an object (e.g., a cursor or ROI) within a specified error range relative to the user's touch point on the screen becomes the object of this operation. And, if there is no object near the touched point, the central control unit 120 can determine that the touch is a designated focus position.

[0092] Next, the control position setting unit 132 calculates the control position according to the coordinates input from the position information conversion unit 130 and the type of touch gesture input from the central control unit 120 (S26). The control position is the position used to control the transmission or reception of the ultrasonic beam. Examples of control positions include the position of the sampling volume cursor, the position of the ROI, and the focusing position of the ultrasonic beam.

[0093] Regarding the position calculated in step S26, for example, in the case of a cursor, it could be the position of the center point of the cursor. In another example, the positions of the two ends of the cursor could be calculated. Furthermore, for example, in the case of a Region of Interest (ROI), the position calculated in step S26 could be two points that uniquely define the position and size of the ROI (e.g., two points on the diagonal among the four corner points of the ROI). For example, in the case of dragging or scaling operations, the coordinates in the scan coordinate system at the endpoint of a series of operations become the new position coordinates of the object being operated on.

[0094] If the calculation in step S26 is completed, the central control unit 120 causes the transceiver control unit 104 to temporarily stop the transceiver of the ultrasonic beam that was previously performed (S28).

[0095] Next, the control position setting unit 132 sets the position coordinates calculated in step S26 to the control position corresponding to the user's touch operation (S30). For example, if it is determined that the user's touch operation is to specify the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam, the control position setting unit 132 sets the position coordinates to the focus position. Furthermore, if an object such as a cursor or ROI is selected through a touch operation, the calculated position coordinates are set to the new position coordinates of that object. The central control unit 120 restarts the transceiver control unit 104 to transmit and receive ultrasonic waves according to the set control position (S32). An ultrasonic image is constructed according to the restarted transmission and reception and displayed on the display unit 118. In addition, if no position coordinates are input to the touch panel (the determination result of S20 is "No"), it is determined whether the user has indicated the end of the diagnosis (S34). If the end of the diagnosis is not indicated, the process returns to step S16. If the end of the diagnosis is indicated, the central control unit 120 ends. Figure 2 The processing shown.

[0096] Next, refer to Figure 3 A specific example of the processing in step S26 will be explained. Figure 3 In the example shown, step S26 includes sub-steps of steps S260 to S266.

[0097] In step S260, the control position setting unit 132 determines whether the object to be operated on is already selected. If the result of this determination is "no", the coordinates touched by the user are the starting point of the touch gesture. In this case, it is determined whether there is an operable object (e.g., a cursor or ROI) in the vicinity of that coordinate (i.e., within a specified error range) (S262). The coordinates used in this determination can be the conversion result of the position information conversion unit 130, or the coordinates in the display coordinate system before conversion. If the result of the determination in step S262 is "yes", the control position setting unit 132 selects the object located near that coordinate as the object to be operated on (S264).

[0098] Then, the process returns to step S16. At this time, the central control unit 120 can highlight the selected object on the display of the ultrasound image. Then, the central control unit 120 and the control position setting unit 132 continue to detect touch operations such as dragging the selected object. If a touch operation (e.g., dragging) is performed later, the next coordinate transformation result is input from the position information conversion unit 130. At the time of this input, the object has been selected, and the determination result of step S260 is "yes". In this case, the control position setting unit 132 changes the position of the selected object to the coordinates represented by the coordinate transformation result input from the position information conversion unit 130 (S268). Then, the process proceeds to step S30 after step S28, where the coordinates of the coordinate transformation result are set as the new coordinates of the object.

[0099] If the determination result in step S262 is "No", there is no operable object near the location touched by the user. In this case, in one example, the control position setting unit 132 determines that the user's touch operation is the designation of the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam (S266). Then, the process proceeds to step S30 after step S28, where the coordinates of the coordinate transformation result are set as the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam.

[0100] In one example, the number of the depth direction position contained in the coordinate transformation result is set as the new transmission focus depth. Therefore, in the ultrasonic wave transmission and reception restarted in step S32, the focus control of the transmitted ultrasonic beam is performed according to this new setting.

[0101] Furthermore, in another example, focusing on the transmission direction can be performed. In this example, for instance, control can be exercised to increase the density of the transmitted ultrasonic beams near the scanning direction position represented by the beam number included in the coordinate transformation result. Depending on the mode or desired depth, the number of transmitted ultrasonic beams that can be formed in each frame of ultrasonic image, i.e., each scan, is limited. Within this limited number, the density of the beams near the position touched by the user is increased. Alternatively, the number of beams per scan can be maintained by decreasing the density of the beams at positions far from the touch position along the scanning direction. Here, density refers to the number of transmitted ultrasonic beams per unit length along the scanning direction. In this example, in step S30, the control position setting unit 132 sets the position represented by the coordinate transformation result received from the position information conversion unit 130 as the focus position in the scanning direction of the transmitted ultrasonic beams. In step S32, the central control unit 120 sets the beamlines of each transmitted ultrasonic beam to increase the beam density of the transmitted ultrasonic beams near the focal position in the set scanning direction, and instructs the transceiver control unit 104 to form these set beamlines. When setting these beamlines, for example, the beam density at positions far from the focal position can be reduced without changing the number of transmitted ultrasonic beams per scan. Thus, the transceiver control unit 104 controls the vibrating element array within the probe 102 to form these specified beamlines.

[0102] Furthermore, the depth-direction focusing and scanning-direction focusing of the transmitted ultrasonic beam described herein can be performed simultaneously.

[0103] Next, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 This illustrates an example of processing for determining the object to be manipulated based on touch operations. In this example, the manipulation object is determined by considering whether the user's operation on the touch panel is a one-point touch or a two-point touch and the location of the touch. The processing shown in these figures is as follows: [The text then abruptly shifts to a different topic:] ...determining if no selection has been made... Figure 3 The processing under the condition that the object of the operation is not the same (i.e., the condition that the determination result of step S260 is "no"), for example, replacing Figure 3 The processing of steps S262, S264 and S266.

[0104] If the determination result in step S260 is "no", the control position setting unit 132 determines that... Figure 3In step S20, the number of points touched simultaneously is either 1 point or 2 points (S300). If the determination result is "1 point", it is determined whether the cursor of the sampling volume exists near the coordinates of the touched 1 point (S302). If the determination result is "yes", the control position setting unit 132 selects the cursor as the object to be operated (S304). In this case, the control position setting unit 132 determines that the position of the user's operation instruction cursor has moved. Then, the central control unit 120 and the control position setting unit 132 return to Figure 3 In step S16, wait for the cursor to move to its destination via a touch operation.

[0105] If the determination result in step S302 is "No", it is determined whether the coordinates of the touched point 1 are located within or near the ROI (S306). If the determination result is "Yes", the control position setting unit 132 selects the ROI as the object to be operated (S308). In this case, the control position setting unit 132 determines that the user's operation indicates a movement of the entire ROI. Then, the central control unit 120 and the control position setting unit 132 return to... Figure 3 In step S16, wait for the ROI to be moved to a destination indicated by a touch operation.

[0106] Additionally, the cursor or ROI's movement destination can be specified as the endpoint of the drag operation. Furthermore, after the user temporarily leaves the screen after selecting the cursor or ROI as the object of operation, they can specify the movement destination by touching it again.

[0107] If the determination result in step S306 is "No", the control position setting unit 132 determines that the coordinates of the touched point 1 specify the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam (as described in S266).

[0108] If the determination result of step S300 is "2 points", then execute... Figure 5 The steps described in the document. Figure 5 In the example, the control position setting unit 132 determines whether the two endpoints of the sampling volume cursor are located near these two points (S310). If the determination result is "yes", the control position setting unit 132 selects the two endpoints of the cursor as the operation object (S312). After step S312, the process returns to... Figure 3 Step S16. In this case, the user changes the width of the sampling volume by zooming in or out with two fingers that are touching the screen. Furthermore, by dragging and zooming in or out with two fingers, the cursor can be moved and the width changed simultaneously.

[0109] If the determination result of step S310 is "No", the control position setting unit 132 determines whether there are upper and lower edges of the ROI near the two points touched by the user (S314). The upper and lower edges of the ROI are the two ends of the ROI in the depth direction, and are usually edges extending along the scanning direction. For example, in the case of convex operation or sector operation, the upper and lower edges are arcs. If the determination result of step S314 is "Yes", the control position setting unit 132 selects these upper and lower edges as operation objects (S316). After step S316, the process returns to... Figure 3 Step S16. In this case, the user can change the width of the ROI in the depth direction by zooming in or out with two fingers that are touching the screen. Furthermore, by dragging and zooming in or out with two fingers, the user can simultaneously move the ROI and change its width in the depth direction.

[0110] If the determination result in step S314 is "No", the control position setting unit 132 determines whether there are left and right sides of the ROI near the two points touched by the user (S318). The left and right sides of the ROI are the two ends of the ROI with respect to the scanning direction, usually edges extending along the depth direction. If the determination result in step S318 is "Yes", the control position setting unit 132 selects these left and right sides as the operation objects (S320). After step S320, the process returns to... Figure 3 Step S16. In this case, the user can change the width of the ROI in the scanning direction by zooming in or out with two fingers touching the screen. Furthermore, by dragging and zooming in or out with two fingers, the ROI can be moved and its width in the scanning direction changed simultaneously.

[0111] If the determination result in step S318 is "No", the control position setting unit 132 determines whether there are two vertices on the diagonal of the ROI near the two points touched by the user (S322). If the determination result in step S322 is "Yes", the control position setting unit 132 selects these two vertices as the operation objects (S324). After step S324, the process returns to... Figure 3 Step S16. In this case, the user can zoom in or out of the ROI in both the scanning direction and the depth direction by using two fingers to zoom in or out on the screen. Furthermore, by dragging and zooming in or out with two fingers, the user can simultaneously move the ROI and zoom in / out in both directions.

[0112] If the determination result in step S322 is "no", then... Figure 5 In the example, when the operation object is not selected, the process returns to step S16.

[0113] The above describes an example of how the control position setting unit 132 handles 1-point and 2-point touches. For gestures involving simultaneous touches of 3 or more points, the behavior of the control position setting unit 132 can also be defined.

[0114] exist Figure 4 and Figure 5 In the example shown, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 determines the intent of the touch—that is, the type of operation the user wants to perform—based on the number of points the user touches on the ultrasound image displayed on the touch panel or the positional relationship between those points and the object. However, this is only one example. For instance, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 may also display a menu on the screen indicating the type of operation, such as cursor movement or zooming in / out, ROI movement or zooming in / out, or specifying a focus position, from which the user selects the type of operation. In this case, after selecting the type of operation, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 accepts the specification of object movement or zooming in / out, focus position, etc., through tapping, dragging, or zooming operations.

[0115] Figure 6 The image shows an example of changing the position of the cursor 306A by touch operation. Figure 6 The image 300A on the left schematically represents a window displaying an ultrasound image 302A based on a convex scan at a certain point in time. The image 300B on the right schematically represents the image within the same window after the user moves the cursor 306A.

[0116] In this example, PW mode display is also selected, assuming that the blood flow waveform obtained in PW mode is displayed in a PW mode display window (illustration omitted) located outside image 300A. A cursor 306A representing the sampling volume of this PW mode and a beamline 304A setting the sampling volume are displayed on ultrasound image 302A. When the user wants to investigate blood flow in a region different from where the cursor 306A is currently located, they touch the cursor 306A displayed on the touch panel with their fingertip 310. Position 320a indicates the location touched by the fingertip. In the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, since the touched location is near the cursor 306A, it is determined that the cursor 306A is selected as the target. Then, the user drags the touched fingertip to the desired new sampling volume location 320b. The central control unit 120 identifies the position 320b of the endpoint of the dragging operation on the ultrasonic image 302A in the display coordinate system, but the position information conversion unit 130 converts this coordinate into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system. In the scanning coordinate system, its position 320b is represented, for example, by a combination of the beam number and the position number in the depth direction. This representation is suitable for controlling ultrasonic beam scanning. The coordinates of the position 320b thus obtained in the scanning coordinate system are set to the position of the sampling volume after being moved by the control position setting unit 132. As a result, a cursor 306B located at position 320b and a beamline 304B containing the cursor 306B are displayed on the ultrasonic image 302B within the image 300B.

[0117] Next, refer to Figure 7 This illustrates an example of changing the size of an ROI via touch operation. Figure 7 The image 300A on the left schematically represents the image within a window displaying an ultrasound image 302A based on convex scanning at a certain point in time, while the image 300B on the right schematically represents the image within the same window after the user performs an operation to expand ROI 310A in the scanning direction.

[0118] In this example, a color Doppler pattern ROI 310A is displayed on the ultrasound image 302A. When the user wants to expand ROI 310A in the scanning direction, they simultaneously touch the left and right sides of ROI 310A displayed on the touch panel with the fingertips of, for example, the thumb and forefinger of their hand 310. In the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, since the two touched points are located near the left and right sides of ROI 310A, it is determined that ROI 310A is selected as the operation object, and the scan content is magnification or reduction in the scanning direction of ROI 310A. Then, when the user wants to magnify ROI 310A, the two touched fingertips magnify approximately along the scanning direction. The central control unit 120 identifies the positions of the endpoints of the two points of this magnification operation on the ultrasound image 302A using a display coordinate system, but the position information conversion unit 130 converts these coordinates into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system. The coordinates of the two fingertips in the scanning coordinate system, obtained in this way, especially the beam number, are set to the positions of the left and right sides of ROI310A after the operation. Thus, on the ultrasound image 302B within image 300B, ROI310B is displayed magnified in the scanning direction compared to image 300A.

[0119] The above explanation uses the ROI of the color Doppler mode as a representative example. This ROI is set within the B-mode tomographic image, defining the range of transmission and reception of the ultrasound beam used to generate the color Doppler image, and the range from which the color Doppler image is generated based on the received signal obtained through this transmission and reception. However, the ROI of the color Doppler mode is only one example. In display modes other than the color Doppler mode, there are also display modes that define an ROI representing the object's range; the above processing can also be applied to the ROI of these other display modes.

[0120] Furthermore, the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 of this embodiment can accept the enlargement / reduction of the scanning range (i.e., the width with respect to the scanning direction) of the transmitted ultrasound beam for B-mode tomographic images via touch operation. The operation for enlarging / reducing, or the corresponding processing, can be the same as the case of enlarging / reducing the scanning direction with respect to the ROI. For example, if the scanning range is reduced, the number of transmitted ultrasound beams per scan decreases, thus shortening the time required for each scan and thereby increasing the frame rate of the displayed B-mode tomographic images.

[0121] Next, refer to Figure 8 This illustrates an example of changing the size of an ROI via touch operation. Figure 8The ultrasound image 400A on the left schematically represents an ultrasound image of a convex scan at a certain point in time, and the ultrasound image 400B on the right schematically represents an ultrasound image when controlled according to the user's specified transmit focus position. Ultrasound image 400A is an image obtained by controlling the transmit beam with a setting that focuses at a default focus depth in the depth direction and does not focus in the scan direction. The dashed lines 402 extending radially from the origin O of the convex scan represent the beamlines of the transmitted ultrasound beam. Since no focus is performed in the scan direction, the dashed lines 402 representing the beamlines are arranged at equal intervals along the scan direction.

[0122] When a user has a desired location to observe in detail within the ultrasound image 400A, they touch point 420 within that location with their fingertip 410. In the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, the touched point 420 is located within the ultrasound image 400A, and there are no objects such as cursors or ROIs near point 420; therefore, it is determined to be the focus position specified by the user's operation. The position information conversion unit 130 converts the coordinates of point 420 into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system, such as a combination of beam number and depth direction position number. The control position setting unit 132 sets the calculated coordinates in the scanning coordinate system as the focus position of the transmitted beam. For example, the depth direction position number in the coordinate system is set as the focus depth, and the beam number is set as the focus position in the scanning direction. Based on the focus position setting regarding the scanning direction, the central control unit 120 sets, for example, the beamline of the transmitted beam to maximize the density of the transmitted beam at that position, with the density of the transmitted beam decreasing as it moves away from that position in the scanning direction. Then, the transceiver control unit 104 is instructed to transmit the ultrasonic beam according to these settings.

[0123] In the transmission of the ultrasonic beam based on the transceiver control unit 104 according to this instruction, as schematically shown on the ultrasonic image 400B, the depth direction position of the point 420 touched by the user is called the focal depth FD. This example is an example of convex scanning, so the arc passing through point 420 and centered on the origin O is the line of the focal depth FD. Furthermore, the beamline of the transmitted beam (represented by the dashed line 402) is set such that the density is higher as it is closer to point 420 in the scanning direction, and lower as it is farther away from point 420.

[0124] Next, refer to Figure 9 A variation of this embodiment will now be described. In this variation, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is connected to an external device 200, such as a tablet terminal or personal computer. The external device 200 has a built-in display device with a touch panel. Figure 1 In the embodiment shown, the display unit 118 functions as a UI screen. In contrast, in this modified example, the screen of the display device of the external device 200 functions as a UI screen.

[0125] Ultrasonic diagnostic device 100 Figure 1 In addition to the components shown, it also includes a communication I / F (interface) unit 124. The communication I / F unit 124 is an interface for data communication with the external device 200. The data communication between the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 and the external device 200 can be wireless or wired.

[0126] The external device 200 includes a central control unit 202, an operation unit 204, a coordinate conversion unit 206, an application management unit 208, and a communication I / F unit 210.

[0127] The central control unit 202 is a computer that controls the operation of the external device 200. The central control unit 202 includes hardware such as a CPU, memory, and mass storage devices, as well as software such as an operating system. The operation unit 204 is the user interface device for the external device 200.

[0128] In one example, the operation unit 204 includes a touch panel display that shows a screen containing ultrasound images transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 and detects user touches on the screen. The touch panel detects the coordinates of the touch position in the panel's coordinate system. The coordinate transformation unit 206 converts these coordinates into the coordinates of the ultrasound image displayed on the touch panel, i.e., the display coordinate system. This coordinate transformation is implemented, for example, as a function of the operating system. The application management unit 208 manages the execution of applications on the external device 200. Among the executed applications is an application (hereinafter referred to as the "ultrasound application") that handles the processing of the UI of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100. The ultrasound application displays, for example, the ultrasound image input from the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 within a designated window in the UI screen displayed on the touch panel. Furthermore, the ultrasound application transmits the coordinates of the touch position in the display coordinate system output by the coordinate transformation unit 206 based on the user's touch, as well as the commands and parameters input by the user on the UI screen through touch operation, to the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 via the communication I / F unit 210. The communication I / F unit 210 is an interface for data communication with the ultrasound diagnostic device 100.

[0129] In this modified example, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 transmits the generated ultrasound image to the external device 200 via the communication I / F unit 124. The ultrasound image is transmitted, for example, via streaming. The ultrasound application of the external device 200 displays the ultrasound image on a user interface (UI screen) and accepts touch input from the user. If the user touches any location on the ultrasound image on the UI screen, the coordinate transformation unit 206 converts the touch location into coordinates in the display coordinate system of the ultrasound image. The resulting coordinates are then transmitted to the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 via the application management unit 208 and the communication I / F unit 210.

[0130] In the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, the position information conversion unit 130 converts its coordinates into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system. Then, the control position setting unit 132 uses the coordinate conversion result to set the position information for controlling the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100. Then, the central control unit 120 controls the operation of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 100, such as the transmission of ultrasonic waves, according to this setting. This setting and control processing and reference... Figures 2-5 The processing described above is the same.

[0131] The above describes an example of a device that uses a touch panel as the location on the input screen, but the processing described in this embodiment can also be applied to situations where a fixed-point device other than a touch panel (e.g., a mouse) is used.

[0132] In the above description of the embodiments, the width of the ROI or cursor is an example of the range used to generate an ultrasound image, and also an example of the range defining the transmission range of the ultrasound beam for a specific display mode. Furthermore, the position of the cursor and the position where the transmitted beam is focused are examples of the positions used to generate the ultrasound image, and also represent the range defining the transmission position of the ultrasound beam for a specific display mode. Moreover, the ROI or cursor can also be said to define the range of the received signal of the computational object used to generate an image for a specific display mode of the ultrasound diagnostic device.

[0133] Furthermore, the control of depth-direction focusing and scanning-direction focusing of the transmitted ultrasonic beam can also be applied to methods that specify the focus position using a trackball or directional keys. That is, in this method, for example, similar to the conventional method of specifying the cursor position of the sampling volume, the focus position is specified by switching it one stage at a time in the depth direction and / or scanning direction using the trackball or directional keys. For example, pressing the right (or left) directional key once moves the focus position one stage to the right (or left) along the scanning direction from the current position. The amount of focus position movement corresponds to the number of times the right directional key is pressed. The up and down directional keys are used to indicate the depth-direction movement of the focus position. The operation on the trackball is the same. For example, rotating the trackball to the right moves the focus position to the right along the scanning direction by only the amount of rotation. And rotating the trackball downwards moves the focus position only the amount of rotation to the depth direction. Thus, the beam number and depth-direction position number for determining the focus position are specified. The control position setting unit 132 sets the specified depth direction position as the focus depth and sets the specified beam number as the focus position in the scanning direction.

[0134] In this embodiment, each process is executed by any computer. Furthermore, any computer can execute these processes via a processor as hardware, a program as software, or a combination thereof. In this case, the processor is configured to cooperate with the program to execute the various processes in this embodiment and can function as a unit or means in this embodiment. Moreover, the execution order of the processor-based processes is not limited to the order described and can be appropriately varied. Any computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a workstation, or other system capable of executing the processes.

[0135] A processor can be composed of one or more hardware components, and the type of hardware is not limited. For example, a processor can be composed of programmable logic devices such as CPUs (Central Processing Units), MPUs (Micro Processing Units), FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), dedicated circuits for performing specific processes such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), GPUs (Graphics Processing Units), or NPUs (Neural Processing Units). Furthermore, the type of hardware can be a combination of different types of hardware. When multiple hardware components are configured to execute one or more processes of a certain processor, these multiple hardware components can exist in physically separate devices or in the same device. Moreover, in any embodiment, the order of the processor's processes is not limited to the above order and can be appropriately varied. Additionally, the hardware can be composed of circuits composed of semiconductor elements and other circuit components.

[0136] Furthermore, the program can be software such as firmware or microcode. It can also be, for example, a group of program modules, each of which can be implemented by a processor configured to perform its respective function. The program can be program code or multiple code segments stored on one or more non-transitory computer-readable media (e.g., storage media or other storage devices). The program can be divided and stored on multiple non-transitory computer-readable media existing in physically separate devices. Program code or code segments can represent any combination of steps, functions, subroutines, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes or commands, data structures, or program statements. Program code or code segments can be connected to other code segments or hardware circuits by sending and receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic diagnostic device, comprising a processor, The processor performs the following processing: Receive information from a specified point on the ultrasonic image displayed on the screen; The coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasonic image represented by the information are converted into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasonic beam; and The control of the ultrasonic diagnostic device is performed using the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate transformation.

2. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The processor, in the control, sets the range or position used in generating the ultrasonic image based on the coordinates of the specified point after coordinate transformation.

3. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The range or position used in generating the ultrasound image, which is the object of the setting, defines the transmission range or position of the ultrasound beam for a specific display mode of the ultrasound diagnostic device.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The range used in generating the ultrasound image, which is the object of the setting, is defined as the range of the received signal of the computational object used to generate an image of a specific display mode of the ultrasound diagnostic device.

5. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The range used in generating the ultrasonic image, which is the object of the setting, is the sampling volume for pulse Doppler display.

6. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The range used in generating the ultrasound image of the object being defined is the range of color Doppler display, i.e., the Region of Interest (ROI).

7. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The range used in generating the ultrasound image, which is the object of the setting, is the scanning range of the ultrasound beam used for B-mode tomography.

8. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The processor performs the following processing: On the ultrasonic image displayed on the screen, the range used for generating the ultrasonic image is set with the specified point as a reference.

9. The ultrasonic diagnostic device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The processor performs the following processing: Receive information about two points specified on the ultrasonic image displayed on the screen; and If the interval between the two specified points increases or decreases over time, the range is enlarged or reduced.

10. A control method for an ultrasonic diagnostic device, Receive information from a specified point on the ultrasonic image displayed on the screen; The coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasonic image represented by the information are converted into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasonic beam; and The control of the ultrasonic diagnostic device is performed using the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate transformation.

11. A computer-readable, non-transitory recording medium containing a program for causing a computer to perform the following processes: Receive information from a specified point on the ultrasonic image displayed on the screen; The coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasonic image represented by the information are converted into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasonic beam; and The control of the ultrasonic diagnostic device is performed using the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate transformation.

12. A computer program product comprising a program for causing a computer to perform the following processes: Receive information from a specified point on the ultrasonic image displayed on the screen; The coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasonic image represented by the information are converted into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasonic beam; and The control of the ultrasonic diagnostic device is performed using the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate transformation.

Images