Ultrasonic diagnosis system

Abstract

To simplify setting for image quality adjustment of an ultrasonic image in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.SOLUTION: A terminal device 12 receives a preset condition from a user. The preset condition is a predetermined image quality parameter set related to image quality of an ultrasonic image generated by an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10. The terminal device 12 transmits preset information showing the preset condition to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 generates a plurality of pre-images from the ultrasonic image according to the preset condition showing the preset information. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 transmits the plurality of pre-images to the terminal device 12. The terminal device 12 displays the plurality of pre-images to a display. When a pre-image is selected by the user from the plurality of pre-images, the terminal device 12 transmits to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 information on the selected pre-image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to ultrasound diagnostic systems. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes an ultrasound diagnostic device that generates medical information that matches transfer conditions set by a preset content setting unit as subset data and transfers the subset data to an external terminal connected via a communication network. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5931416 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in an ultrasound diagnostic device, it is not always easy for a user to perform settings for adjusting the image quality of an ultrasound image. For example, the settings may vary depending on image quality adjustment parameters, imaging mode, imaging part or region, type of ultrasound probe, user preference, etc. Therefore, it is difficult to perform image quality adjustment settings to meet individual conditions, and the settings are time-consuming.

[0005] An object of the present disclosure is to simplify settings for adjusting the image quality of ultrasound images in an ultrasound diagnostic device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] One aspect of the present disclosure is an ultrasound diagnostic system including a terminal device and an ultrasound diagnostic device, wherein the terminal device includes a reception unit that receives from a user preset conditions, which are a predetermined set of image quality parameters related to the image quality of an ultrasound image generated by the ultrasound diagnostic device, a terminal transmission unit that transmits preset information indicating the preset conditions received by the reception unit to the ultrasound diagnostic device, and a display control unit that displays an image on a display of the terminal device, wherein the ultrasound diagnostic device includes an image generation unit that generates a plurality of pre-images from an ultrasound image according to the preset conditions indicated by the preset information transmitted from the terminal device, and a device transmission unit that transmits the plurality of pre-images to the terminal device, wherein the display control unit displays the plurality of pre-images transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic device on the display as sample images, and the terminal transmission unit transmits information regarding a pre-image selected by the user from the plurality of pre-images displayed on the display to the ultrasound diagnostic device.

[0007] The display control unit may display thumbnail images representing each of the multiple pre-images transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic device on the display as the sample images, and the terminal transmission unit may transmit information regarding the pre-image selected by a user by selecting a thumbnail image to the ultrasound diagnostic device.

[0008] The ultrasound diagnostic system may further include a memory control unit, and the memory control unit may link at least one of history information indicating a history of image quality adjustments made by a user, subject information regarding the subject from which ultrasound was transmitted and received to generate an ultrasound image for generating a pre-image, and diagnostic condition information indicating the diagnostic conditions when the ultrasound image for generating a pre-image was generated, to an image quality parameter set for generating a pre-image selected by the user and store it in a storage device.

[0009] The terminal device may further include an acquisition unit that acquires an image quality parameter set searched for from the storage device using at least one of the history information, the subject information, and the diagnostic condition information, and the display control unit may display, on the display, an ultrasound image whose image quality has been adjusted in accordance with the image quality parameter set acquired by the acquisition unit.

[0010] The terminal device may further include a recommendation unit that identifies an image quality parameter set recommended to the user based on an image quality parameter set for generating a preview image selected by the user and a history of image quality adjustments by the user, and the display control unit may display on the display a preview image whose image quality has been adjusted in accordance with the image quality parameter set recommended to the user.

[0011] The display control unit may cause the display to display information regarding a change in image quality parameter by a user. Effect of the Invention

[0012] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to simplify settings for adjusting the image quality of ultrasound images in an ultrasound diagnostic device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic system according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a terminal device according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a selection screen for selecting a preset condition. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a sample image displayed on a terminal device. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a sample image displayed on a terminal device. [Figure 7]FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a sample image displayed on a terminal device. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a sample image displayed on a terminal device. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing information regarding changes to image quality parameters. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing information regarding changes to image quality parameters. [Figure 14] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing information regarding changes to image quality parameters. [Figure 15] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing information regarding changes to image quality parameters. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] An ultrasound diagnostic system according to an embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ultrasound diagnostic system according to an embodiment.

[0015] The ultrasound diagnostic system includes one or more ultrasound diagnostic devices 10 and one or more terminal devices 12. The ultrasound diagnostic devices 10 and the terminal devices 12 communicate with other devices via a communication path N.

[0016] The communication path N may be established by wireless communication or by wired communication. For example, Wi-Fi (registered trademark) or short-range wireless communication (e.g., Bluetooth (registered trademark) or RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier)) is used as the wireless communication. The communication path N may be a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or the Internet.

[0017] The ultrasound diagnostic device 10 generates ultrasound image data by transmitting and receiving ultrasound using an ultrasound probe. For example, the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 transmits ultrasound into a subject and receives ultrasound reflected from inside the subject, thereby generating ultrasound image data representing tissue inside the subject.

[0018] The terminal device 12 is a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as a "PC"), a tablet PC, a smartphone, a mobile phone, etc. For example, the terminal device 12 is used to set the image quality of ultrasound image data.

[0019] For example, image data generated by the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 is transmitted to the terminal device 12 via the communication path N, and the image is displayed on the terminal device 12. Furthermore, parameters related to image quality input at the terminal device 12 are transmitted to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 via the communication path N. The ultrasound diagnostic device 10 adjusts the image quality of the ultrasound image data according to the parameters transmitted from the terminal device 12.

[0020] An external device (eg, a server) other than the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10 and the terminal device 12 may be included in the ultrasonic diagnostic system and communicate with the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10 and the terminal device 12 via the communication path N.

[0021] The ultrasonic diagnostic device 10 will be described below with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10.

[0022] The ultrasonic probe 14 is a device for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic probe 14 includes, for example, a 1D array transducer. The 1D array transducer is configured by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic transducers one-dimensionally. An ultrasonic beam is formed by the 1D array transducer, and the ultrasonic beam is repeatedly electronically scanned. As a result, a scanning section is formed in the living body for each electronic scan. The scanning section corresponds to a two-dimensional echo data acquisition space. The ultrasonic probe 14 may include a 2D array transducer formed by arranging a plurality of ultrasonic transducers two-dimensionally. When an ultrasonic beam is formed by the 2D array transducer, and the ultrasonic beam is repeatedly electronically scanned, a scanning section is formed as a two-dimensional echo data acquisition space for each electronic scan. When the ultrasonic beam is scanned two-dimensionally, a three-dimensional space is formed as a three-dimensional echo data acquisition space. As a scanning method, a sector scan, a linear scan, a convex scan, or the like is used.

[0023] The transmitting / receiving unit 16 functions as a transmitting beamformer and a receiving beamformer. During transmission, the transmitting / receiving unit 16 supplies a plurality of transmitting signals having a certain delay relationship to a plurality of ultrasonic transducers included in the ultrasonic probe 14. This forms an ultrasonic transmission beam. During reception, a reflected wave (RF signal) from inside the living body is received by the ultrasonic probe 14, and a plurality of receiving signals are output from the ultrasonic probe 14 to the transmitting / receiving unit 16. The transmitting / receiving unit 16 forms a receiving beam by applying a delay-and-add process to the plurality of receiving signals. The data of the receiving beam is output to the image generating unit 18. That is, the transmitting / receiving unit 16 performs a delay process on the receiving signal obtained from each ultrasonic transducer according to the delay process condition for each ultrasonic transducer, and forms a receiving beam by adding the plurality of receiving signals obtained from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The delay process condition is specified by the receiving delay data indicating the delay time. A receiving delay data set (i.e., a set of delay times) corresponding to the plurality of ultrasonic transducers is supplied from the control unit 30.

[0024] The ultrasonic beam (i.e., the transmission beam and the reception beam) is electronically scanned by the operation of the transmission / reception unit 16, thereby forming a scanning cross section. The scanning cross section corresponds to a plurality of beams, and the plurality of beams constitute a reception frame (specifically, an RF signal frame). Each beam is composed of a plurality of echoes aligned in the depth direction. By repeating the electronic scanning of the ultrasonic beam, a plurality of reception frames aligned on the time axis are output from the transmission / reception unit 16 to the image generation unit 18. The plurality of reception frames constitute a reception frame sequence.

[0025] When the ultrasonic beam is electronically scanned two-dimensionally by the action of the transmitting / receiving unit 16, a three-dimensional echo data acquisition space is formed, and volume data is acquired as an echo data collection from the three-dimensional echo data acquisition space. By repeating the electronic scanning of the ultrasonic beam, a plurality of volume data arranged on the time axis is output from the transmitting / receiving unit 16 to the image generating unit 18. A plurality of volume data constitutes a volume data string.

[0026] The image generating unit 18 generates ultrasound image data (e.g., B-mode image data) by applying signal processing such as detection, amplitude compression (e.g., logarithmic compression) and conversion function (coordinate conversion function and interpolation processing function by DSC (digital scan converter)) to the received frame output from the transmitting / receiving unit 16. Hereinafter, image data will be referred to as "image" as appropriate. For example, ultrasound image data will be referred to as "ultrasound image" as appropriate, and B-mode image data will be referred to as "B-mode image" as appropriate. Note that the ultrasound image according to this embodiment is not limited to a B-mode image, and may be any image generated by transmitting and receiving ultrasound. For example, the ultrasound image according to this embodiment may be a color Doppler image, a pulse Doppler image, a strain imaging image, a shear wave elastography image, or the like.

[0027] Furthermore, the image generator 18 changes the image quality of the ultrasound image according to the image quality parameters. The image quality parameters are parameters for changing the image quality of the ultrasound image. For example, the image quality parameters are brightness, contrast, smoothing, adaptive filter, gamma value, sharpness, edge enhancement, gain, frame rate, etc. Of course, these are merely examples of image quality parameters, and parameters other than these may be included in the category of image quality parameters according to this embodiment.

[0028] The image quality parameters may be set in advance or may be specified by a user such as a doctor or a medical technician. For example, when the user specifies the image quality parameters by operating the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 or the terminal device 12, the image generator 18 changes the image quality of the ultrasound image according to the image quality parameters specified by the user.

[0029] An image quality parameter set may be predefined. The image quality parameter set includes a plurality of image quality parameters. For example, image quality parameters such as brightness, contrast, smoothing, adaptive filter, gamma value, sharpness, edge enhancement, gain, and frame rate are predefined, and an image quality parameter set including these image quality parameters is defined.

[0030] Hereinafter, the predetermined image quality parameter set will be referred to as the “preset conditions.” Information indicating the preset conditions will be referred to as the “preset information.” The preset information is information indicating specific values ​​of each image quality parameter included in the predetermined image quality parameters.

[0031] For example, the preset condition information is stored in the storage unit 26 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10, the storage unit 38 of the terminal device 12, or a storage unit of an external device.

[0032] For example, a preset condition is determined for each type of ultrasound image. Specifically, a preset condition for a B-mode image, a preset condition for color Doppler, and a preset condition for Doppler (for example, PW or CW) are determined.

[0033] Furthermore, preset conditions may be defined for each type of ultrasonic probe 14, for each examination region (for example, examination site), or for each user such as a doctor or a medical technician.

[0034] For example, when a user specifies preset conditions by operating the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 or the terminal device 12, the image generator 18 changes the image quality of the ultrasound image according to the preset conditions specified by the user. That is, the image generator 18 changes the image quality of the ultrasound image according to each image quality parameter defined by the preset conditions.

[0035] The display processing unit 20 generates a display image by overlaying the necessary graphic data on the ultrasound image. The display image is output to the display unit 22. One or more images are displayed side by side in a display format according to the display mode.

[0036] The display unit 22 is a display such as a liquid crystal display or an EL display. An ultrasound image such as a B-mode image is displayed on the display unit 22. The display unit 22 may be a device that combines a display and an operation unit 28. For example, a GUI (Graphic User Interface) may be realized by the display unit 22 and the operation unit 28. Also, a user interface such as a touch panel may be realized by the display unit 22 and the operation unit 28.

[0037] The communication unit 24 includes one or more communication interfaces having a communication chip, a communication circuit, etc. The communication unit 24 has a function of transmitting information to other devices and a function of receiving information from other devices. The communication unit 24 may have a wireless communication function or a wired communication function. The communication unit 24 functions as an example of a device transmission unit.

[0038] The storage unit 26 constitutes one or more storage areas for storing data. The storage unit 26 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), various types of memory (for example, RAM, DRAM, ROM, etc.), other storage devices (for example, optical disks, etc.), or a combination thereof.

[0039] The storage unit 26 stores an ultrasound image generated by transmitting and receiving ultrasound, information indicating imaging conditions, parameters related to the image quality of the ultrasound image, information related to the subject (eg, a patient), and the like.

[0040] The operation unit 28 is a device that allows a user to input conditions and commands necessary for imaging to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10. For example, the operation unit 28 is an operation panel, a switch, a button, a keyboard, a mouse, a trackball, a joystick, or the like.

[0041] The control unit 30 controls the operation of each unit of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 .

[0042] The terminal device 12 will be described below with reference to Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the terminal device 12.

[0043] The communication unit 34 includes one or more communication interfaces having a communication chip, a communication circuit, etc. The communication unit 34 has a function of transmitting information to other devices and a function of receiving information from other devices. The communication unit 34 may have a wireless communication function or a wired communication function. The communication unit 34 functions as an example of a terminal transmission unit.

[0044] The UI 36 is a user interface and includes a display and an operation unit. The display is a liquid crystal display or an EL display, etc. The operation unit is a keyboard, a mouse, an input key, an operation panel, etc. The UI 36 may be a UI such as a touch panel that combines a display and an operation unit. When the UI 36 is configured by a touch panel, information input, etc. may be performed by a touchpad operation. For example, the touchpad operation is a tap, a flick, a swipe, a touch and hold, a drag, a pinch in, a pinch out, a scrub, a pull down, a drop, etc.

[0045] The storage unit 38 configures one or more storage areas for storing data. The storage unit 38 is, for example, a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), various types of memory (for example, RAM, DRAM, ROM, etc.), other storage devices (for example, optical disks, etc.), or a combination thereof.

[0046] The control unit 40 controls each unit of the terminal device 12. The control unit 40 also includes a reception unit 42, a display control unit 44, a storage control unit 46, an acquisition unit 48, and a recommendation unit 50.

[0047] The reception unit 42 receives the preset conditions. For example, a plurality of preset conditions are displayed on the display of the UI 36. When the user specifies a preset condition using the UI 36, the reception unit 42 receives the preset condition specified by the user.

[0048] The display control unit 44 causes various types of information to be displayed on the display of the UI 36. For example, the display control unit 44 causes images such as ultrasound images to be displayed on the display.

[0049] The memory control unit 46 stores various types of information in the memory unit 38 and reads various types of information from the memory unit 38 .

[0050] The acquisition unit 48 acquires an image quality parameter set from a storage device. The storage device may be the storage unit 38 of the terminal device 12, the storage unit 26 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10, or a storage unit of an external device. When multiple image quality parameter sets are stored in the storage device and an instruction to search for an image quality parameter set is given, the acquisition unit 48 acquires an image quality parameter set that matches the search conditions from the storage device.

[0051] The recommendation unit 50 specifies an image quality parameter set recommended to the user. The recommendation unit 50 may specify an image quality parameter set recommended to the user based on a history of image quality adjustment, or may specify image quality parameters recommended to the user by using machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), or the like. There is no limitation on the type of machine learning or artificial intelligence used, and any algorithm or model may be used. For example, a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a generative adversarial network (GAN), a linear model, a random forest, decision tree learning, a support vector machine (SVM), an ensemble classifier, or other algorithms may be used. The display control unit 44 adjusts the image quality of the ultrasound image according to the image quality parameter set recommended to the user, and displays the ultrasound image with the adjusted image quality on the display of the UI 36.

[0052] Selection of the preset conditions will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 shows a selection screen 54.

[0053] Selection screen 54 is a screen for selecting a preset condition. Selection screen 54 is displayed on the display of UI 36 of terminal device 12. For example, when a user operates terminal device 12 to give an instruction to set an image quality parameter set, display control unit 44 causes selection screen 54 to be displayed on the display of UI 36. When a user operates terminal device 12 to give an instruction to display selection screen 54, display control unit 44 may cause selection screen 54 to be displayed on the display of UI 36.

[0054] A list of a plurality of preset conditions is displayed on the selection screen 54. Here, as an example, preset conditions are determined for each type of ultrasonic probe 14 and each examination region, and each preset condition is displayed on the selection screen 54.

[0055] For example, the preset conditions α1, α2, α3, ... are preset conditions suitable for an ultrasound probe α, which is a type of ultrasound probe 14. The preset condition α1 is a preset condition suitable for an abdominal examination. The preset condition α2 is a preset condition suitable for a kidney examination. The preset condition α3 is a preset condition suitable for an intestinal examination. In other words, the preset condition α1 is a preset condition suitable for an abdominal examination using the ultrasound probe α. The preset condition α2 is a preset condition suitable for a kidney examination using the ultrasound probe α. The preset condition α3 is a preset condition suitable for an intestinal examination using the ultrasound probe α.

[0056] The same is true for the preset conditions β1, β2, β3, γ1, γ2 ...

[0057] Preset information indicating each preset condition may be stored in advance in the storage unit 38 of the terminal device 12, or in the storage unit 26 of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10. When the preset information is stored in the storage unit 26 of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10, the terminal device 12 acquires the preset information indicating each preset condition from the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10 via the communication path N. The display control unit 44 displays a selection screen 54 showing a list of preset conditions on the display of the UI 36 based on the preset information indicating each preset condition.

[0058] The user can select a preset condition on the selection screen 54. For example, when the selection screen 54 is displayed on a touch panel, the preset condition is selected by a touch operation or the like. In the example shown in Fig. 4, the preset condition α1 is selected by the user as indicated by the reference numeral 56. The accepting unit 42 accepts the preset condition selected by the user.

[0059] The process of setting the image quality parameter set in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 will be described below.

[0060] First, when the user operates terminal device 12 to give an instruction to set an image quality parameter set, display control unit 44 displays selection screen 54 shown in Fig. 4 on the display of UI 36. Note that the initial preset conditions may be determined for each user, or may be preset conditions determined as initial values.

[0061] When the user selects a preset condition on the selection screen 54, the reception unit 42 receives the preset condition selected by the user. As an example, it is assumed here that the preset condition α1 is selected by the user.

[0062] The communication unit 34 of the terminal device 12 transmits preset information indicating the preset condition α1 accepted by the acceptance unit 42 to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 via the communication path N.

[0063] The communication unit 24 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 receives the preset information transmitted from the terminal device 12 via the communication path N. The image generation unit 18 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 generates a plurality of pre-images from the basic ultrasound image according to the preset condition α1 indicated by the preset information.

[0064] The basic ultrasound image may be an ultrasound image generated by actually capturing an image of a subject (e.g., a patient) or may be an ultrasound image generated in advance as a standard sample image. The standard sample image is stored in the storage unit 26 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 or in a storage unit of an external device.

[0065] For example, when an ultrasound image is generated by actually capturing an image of a subject by the ultrasound diagnostic device 10, the image generator 18 generates a basic ultrasound image from a received frame in accordance with the preset condition α1. That is, the image generator 18 generates a basic ultrasound image in accordance with each image quality parameter defined by the preset condition α1. The image generator 18 may generate a basic ultrasound image in real time, or may generate a basic ultrasound image from a received frame stored in the storage unit 26 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10.

[0066] The pre-image is an example of a sample image used to change the image quality parameters. Specifically, the image generating unit 18 generates a plurality of ultrasound images having different image quality parameters from the basic ultrasound image. Each of the plurality of ultrasound images corresponds to a pre-image. For example, the image generating unit 18 generates a plurality of pre-images having different brightnesses by changing the brightness of the basic ultrasound image. Also, the image generating unit 18 generates a plurality of pre-images having different contrasts by changing the contrast of the basic ultrasound image. Also, the image generating unit 18 generates a plurality of pre-images having different sharpnesses by changing the sharpness of the basic ultrasound image. Also, the image generating unit 18 generates a plurality of pre-images having different gamma values ​​by changing the gamma value of the basic ultrasound image. The same applies to other image quality parameters.

[0067] The image generating unit 18 links each pre-image with pre-image identification information for identifying the pre-image. The image generating unit 18 also links each pre-image with information indicating the image quality parameters used to generate the pre-image. For example, a pre-image having a contrast value of "C0" and a brightness value of "B0" is linked with the contrast value "C0" and the brightness value "B0". The same applies to other pre-images and other image quality parameters. For example, the control unit 30 stores the pre-image, in which the pre-image identification information and the information indicating the image quality parameters are linked, in the storage unit 26. As a result, the pre-image identification information and the information indicating the image quality parameters are linked with each other.

[0068] The communication unit 24 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 transmits a plurality of pre-images to the terminal device 12 via the communication path N. Each pre-image is transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 to the terminal device 12 in a state in which pre-image identification information and information indicating image quality parameters are associated with each other.

[0069] The communication unit 34 of the terminal device 12 receives the multiple pre-images transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10. The display control unit 44 causes the display of the UI 36 to display the multiple pre-images as sample images.

[0070] By selecting a pre-image from among the plurality of displayed pre-images, the user can select the image quality parameters used to generate the selected pre-image.

[0071] When a user operates the terminal device 12 to select a pre-image from the multiple pre-images displayed, the communication unit 34 of the terminal device 12 transmits information regarding the pre-image selected by the user to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 via the communication path N.

[0072] The information regarding the pre-image may be information indicating the image quality parameters used to generate the pre-image (i.e., information indicating the image quality parameters associated with the pre-image), may be pre-image identification information of the pre-image (i.e., the pre-image identification information associated with the pre-image), or may be both information indicating the image quality parameters and the pre-image identification information.

[0073] The communication unit 24 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 receives information about the pre-image transmitted from the terminal device 12 via the communication path N.

[0074] The control unit 30 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 sets the image quality parameter set as a new preset condition in the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 based on the information related to the pre-image transmitted from the terminal device 12.

[0075] When the information on the pre-image is information indicating image quality parameters, the control unit 30 generates a new preset condition by changing the image quality parameters included in the preset condition used to generate the basic ultrasound image to the image quality parameters indicated by the information on the pre-image. In the above example, since the preset condition α1 is selected by the user, the control unit 30 generates a new preset condition from the preset condition α1 by changing the image quality parameters included in the preset condition α1 to the image quality parameters indicated by the information on the pre-image. The new preset condition is set in the ultrasound diagnostic device 10.

[0076] When the information on the pre-image is pre-image identification information, the control unit 30 generates new preset conditions by changing the image quality parameters included in the preset conditions used to generate the basic ultrasound image to the image quality parameters associated with the pre-image identification information. The new preset conditions are set in the ultrasound diagnostic device 10.

[0077] Thereafter, the image generator 18 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 generates an ultrasound image according to the new preset conditions that have been set. That is, the image generator 18 adjusts the image quality of the ultrasound image according to each image quality parameter defined in the new preset conditions.

[0078] Hereinafter, a display example of the sample image will be described with reference to Fig. 5 to Fig. 8. Fig. 5 to Fig. 8 show an example of the sample image displayed on the terminal device 12. Here, as an example, the terminal device 12 is a tablet PC or a smartphone. Also, it is assumed that the preset condition α1 is selected by the user.

[0079] 5 to 8, the display control unit 44 of the terminal device 12 forms display areas 58, 60, and 62 on the display of the UI 36. The display areas 58, 60, and 62 are screens on the display of the UI 36.

[0080] The display area 58 is an area where an ultrasound image 64 is displayed. For example, the ultrasound image 64 is transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 to the terminal device 12, and the display control unit 44 displays the ultrasound image 64 in the display area 58. The ultrasound image 64 may be an ultrasound image generated in real time by the ultrasound diagnostic device 10, or may be a standard sample image generated in advance. For example, the ultrasound image 64 is generated according to a preset condition α1 and displayed in the display area 60.

[0081] The display area 60 is an area in which a plurality of preview images are displayed as sample images. For example, the display control unit 44 displays in the display area 60 thumbnail images each representing a plurality of preview images.

[0082] The display area 62 is an area where messages, buttons, etc. are displayed. For example, buttons for selecting pre-images, etc. are displayed in the display area 62.

[0083] In the example shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, a plurality of pre-images with different contrasts and brightnesses are generated, and each pre-image is displayed as a thumbnail image in the display area 60. Specifically, each of pre-images C0B0 to C3B3 is displayed as a thumbnail image in the display area 60. Each of the symbols "C0" to "C3" indicates a contrast, and each of the symbols "B0" to "B3" indicates a brightness. For example, pre-image C0B0 is a pre-image with a contrast of "C0" and a brightness of "B0". The same applies to the other pre-images.

[0084] For example, the image generator 18 generates each of the pre-images C0B0-C3B3 by changing the contrast of the basic ultrasound image to one of contrasts "C0" to "C3" and changing the brightness of the basic ultrasound image to one of brightnesses "B0" to "B3". That is, the image generator 18 generates each of the pre-images C0B0-C3B3 by changing the contrast included in the preset condition α1 to one of contrasts "C0" to "C3" and changing the brightness included in the preset condition α1 to one of brightnesses "B0" to "B3".

[0085] For example, the image generator 18 generates a pre-image C0B0 by changing the contrast of the basic ultrasound image to contrast "C0" and changing the brightness of the basic ultrasound image to brightness "B0". That is, the image generator 18 generates a pre-image C0B0 by changing the contrast included in the preset condition α1 to contrast "C0" and changing the brightness included in the preset condition α1 to brightness "B0". The same applies to the other pre-images.

[0086] In the examples shown in Figs. 7 and 8, a plurality of pre-images with different gamma values ​​and sharpness are generated, and each pre-image is displayed as a thumbnail image in the display area 60. Specifically, each of the pre-images G0S0 to G3S3 is displayed as a thumbnail image in the display area 60. Each of the symbols "G0" to "G3" indicates a gamma value, and each of the symbols "S0" to "S3" indicates a sharpness. For example, the pre-image G0S0 is a pre-image with a gamma value of "G0" and a sharpness of "S0". The same applies to the other pre-images.

[0087] For example, the image generator 18 generates each of the pre-images G0S0 to G3S3 by changing the gamma value of the basic ultrasound image to one of the gamma values ​​"G0" to "G3" and changing the sharpness of the basic ultrasound image to one of the sharpness values ​​"S0" to "S3." That is, the image generator 18 generates each of the pre-images G0S0 to G3S3 by changing the gamma value included in the preset condition α1 to one of the gamma values ​​"G0" to "G3" and changing the sharpness included in the preset condition α1 to one of the sharpness values ​​"S0" to "S3."

[0088] For example, the image generator 18 generates a pre-image G0S0 by changing the gamma value of the basic ultrasound image to a gamma value "G0" and changing the sharpness of the basic ultrasound image to a sharpness "S0". That is, the image generator 18 generates a pre-image G0S0 by changing the gamma value included in the preset condition α1 to a gamma value "G0" and changing the sharpness included in the preset condition α1 to a sharpness "S0". The same applies to the other pre-images.

[0089] For example, each pre-image is an image generated by using multiple image quality parameters that are in a trade-off relationship with each other. To give a specific example, image quality parameters such as contrast, brightness, gamma value, and sharpness are in a trade-off relationship with each other.

[0090] By selecting a preview image on display area 60, the user can select the image quality parameters used to generate the preview image (that is, the image quality parameters associated with the preview image).

[0091] In the example shown in FIG. 6, as indicated by the reference numeral 70, the user selects the preview image C1B1. As a result, the contrast "C1" and the brightness "B1" are selected by the user. When the user selects the preview image C1B1, the display controller 44 may adjust the contrast of the ultrasound image 64 to the contrast "C1" and adjust the brightness of the ultrasound image 64 to the brightness "B1". In this case, the display controller 44 displays the ultrasound image 64 with the adjusted contrast and brightness in the display area 58.

[0092] When a preview image is selected by the user, the display control unit 44 displays an OK button 66 and a Return button 68 in the display area 62. When the OK button 66 is selected by the user, the communication unit 34 of the terminal device 12 transmits information about the preview image selected by the user to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 via the communication path N. When the Return button 68 is selected by the user, the selection of the preview image is canceled.

[0093] When the user selects the pre-image C1B1 and presses the OK button 66, the communication unit 34 of the terminal device 12 transmits information related to the pre-image C1B1 to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 via the communication path N. For example, the communication unit 34 transmits information indicating the contrast "C1" and the brightness "B1" as information related to the pre-image C1B1 to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10. As another example, the communication unit 34 may transmit pre-image identification information of the pre-image C1B1 to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 as information related to the pre-image C1B1.

[0094] The control unit 30 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 generates new preset conditions from the preset conditions α1 by changing the contrast included in the preset conditions α1 to contrast "C1" and changing the brightness included in the preset conditions α1 to brightness "B1". The control unit 30 sets the new preset conditions in the ultrasound diagnostic device 10. Thereafter, the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 generates ultrasound images according to the new preset conditions that have been set.

[0095] In the example shown in FIG. 8, as indicated by the reference numeral 72, the user selects the preview image G3S2. As a result, the gamma value "G3" and the sharpness "S2" are selected by the user. When the user selects the preview image G3S2, the display controller 44 may adjust the gamma value of the ultrasound image 64 to the gamma value "G3" and adjust the sharpness of the ultrasound image 64 to the sharpness "S2". In this case, the display controller 44 displays the ultrasound image 64 with the adjusted gamma value and sharpness in the display area 58.

[0096] When the user selects the preview image G3S2 and presses the OK button 66, the communication unit 34 of the terminal device 12 transmits information about the preview image G3S2 to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 via the communication path N. For example, the communication unit 34 transmits information indicating the gamma value "G3" and the sharpness "S2" as information about the preview image G3S2 to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10. As another example, the communication unit 34 may transmit preview image identification information of the preview image G3S2 to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 as information about the preview image G3S2.

[0097] The control unit 30 of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10 changes the gamma value included in the preset condition α1 to a gamma value of "G3" and changes the sharpness included in the preset condition α1 to a sharpness of "S2," thereby generating new preset conditions from the preset condition α1. The control unit 30 sets the new preset conditions in the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10. Thereafter, the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10 generates ultrasonic images according to the new preset conditions that have been set.

[0098] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, when the pre-image C1B1 is selected and the OK button 66 is pressed, the display control unit 44 displays the pre-images G0S0 to G3S3 in the display area 60 as shown in FIG.

[0099] 6 and 8, when contrast "C1", brightness "B1", gamma value "G3", and sharpness "S2" are selected by the user, the control unit 30 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 generates new preset conditions α1' by changing the image quality parameters included in the preset conditions α1 to the image quality parameters selected by the user. Thereafter, the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 generates ultrasound images according to the new preset conditions α1'.

[0100] For example, an ultrasound image generated according to the new preset condition α1' is transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 to the terminal device 12 and displayed on the display of the UI 36 of the terminal device 12. For example, the ultrasound image is displayed in the display area 58. The user can check whether an ultrasound image having the image quality intended by the user has been generated by referring to the ultrasound image. If an ultrasound image having the image quality intended by the user has been generated, an ultrasound examination is performed using the preset condition α1'. If an ultrasound image having the image quality intended by the user has not been generated, the user redoes or repeats the selection of a pre-image. For example, the selection of a pre-image is repeated until an ultrasound image having the image quality intended by the user is generated.

[0101] The selection of a pre-image, the pressing of the OK button 66 and the pressing of the Return button 68 may be performed by voice instructions.

[0102] As described above, by displaying a plurality of pre-images with different image quality parameters as sample images on the terminal device 12, the user of the terminal device 12 can visually check and select image quality parameters. As a result, the settings for adjusting the image quality of the ultrasound image can be simplified.

[0103] The ultrasound diagnostic system according to this embodiment can be applied in the following manner.

[0104] For example, a doctor applies the ultrasound probe 14 to a patient to perform an ultrasound examination. In this case, a technician of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 (e.g., a technician performing maintenance) operates the terminal device 12 to adjust the image quality parameter set set in the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 so that an ultrasound image having the image quality intended by the doctor is generated. The technician operates the terminal device 12 to select preset conditions and pre-images. For example, the preset conditions and pre-images are selected until an ultrasound image having the image quality intended by the doctor is generated. According to this embodiment, the technician can adjust the image quality parameters set in the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 without directly operating the ultrasound diagnostic device 10. For example, the technician can adjust the image quality parameters without interfering with the operation of the doctor who is directly operating the ultrasound diagnostic device 10.

[0105] Since the image quality parameters can be adjusted using the terminal device 12, the adjustment of the image quality parameters using the terminal device 12 may be performed next to the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 or may be performed at a location other than where the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 is installed. For example, even when an ultrasound examination is actually being performed on a patient, the image quality parameters can be adjusted using the terminal device 12 in a separate room, etc. This protects the privacy of the patient.

[0106] Image quality parameters set in each of multiple ultrasound diagnostic devices 10 may be adjusted by one terminal device 12. Of course, image quality parameters set in one ultrasound diagnostic device 10 may be adjusted by one terminal device 12.

[0107] The processes performed by the memory control unit 46 and the acquisition unit 48 will be described below.

[0108] The memory control unit 46 links at least one of the history information, subject information, and diagnostic condition information with an image quality parameter set for generating a pre-image selected by the user, and stores the linked information in a memory device (hereinafter, for convenience, referred to as a "history memory device").

[0109] The history information is information indicating the history of image quality adjustments made by a user. The history of image quality adjustments is a history of changes made to image quality parameters by a user. For example, the history of image quality adjustments is a history indicating what image quality parameters were changed by the user and to what value, and when. For example, for each image quality parameter, the storage control unit 46 links the value of the image quality parameter before the change (i.e., the image quality parameter before the change), the value of the image quality parameter after the change (i.e., the image quality parameter after the change), information for identifying the user who changed the image quality parameter, and information indicating the date and time when the image quality parameter was changed, and includes them in the history information.

[0110] The image quality adjustment history may be a history of changes to image quality parameter sets made by a user. For example, the image quality adjustment history is a history indicating what image quality parameter sets were changed by the user, and when, and to what values. For example, for each image quality parameter set, the storage control unit 46 links the value of the image quality parameter set before the change (i.e., the image quality parameter set before the change), the value of the image quality parameter set after the change (i.e., the image quality parameter set after the change), information for identifying the user who changed the image quality parameter set, and information indicating the date and time when the image quality parameter set was changed, and includes these in the history information.

[0111] The subject information is information about the subject to which ultrasound is transmitted and received in order to generate an ultrasound image (e.g., a basic ultrasound image) for generating a pre-image. For example, the subject information includes subject identification information (e.g., a patient ID, etc.) for identifying the subject. The subject information may include information indicating the age and sex of the subject. For example, when an ultrasound examination is performed using the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10, the subject information is input to the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 via the operation unit 28 or the communication path N. The input subject information is transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 10 to the terminal device 12 via the communication path N, and the storage control unit 46 accepts the subject information.

[0112] The diagnostic condition information includes information indicating the part to be examined by ultrasound, information indicating the ultrasound imaging mode, information indicating the type of ultrasound probe 14, and the like.

[0113] The image quality parameter set for generating a preview image selected by the user is a preset condition generated by changing the preset condition selected by the user according to the image quality parameters associated with the preview image selected by the user. When the preset condition α1, the preview image C1B1, and the preview image G3S2 are selected by the user, the preset condition α1' is an image quality parameter set for generating the preview image selected by the user. In other words, the preset condition α1' generated by changing the combination of contrast and brightness included in the preset condition α1 to a combination of contrast "C1" and brightness "B1" and changing the combination of gamma value and sharpness to a combination of gamma value "G3" and sharpness "S2" is an image quality parameter set for generating the preview image selected by the user.

[0114] The history storage device may be the storage unit 38 of the terminal device 12, the storage unit 26 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10, or a storage unit included in an external device such as a server. At various facilities such as hospitals, at least one of the history information, subject selection method, and diagnostic condition information may be associated with an image quality parameter set for generating a pre-image selected by a user, and stored in a history storage device included in an external device such as a server.

[0115] For example, at least one of the history information, the subject information, and the diagnostic condition information is predetermined, and the storage controller 46 associates the predetermined information with the image quality parameter set used to generate the preview image selected by the user and stores them in the history storage device. The user may select the information to be stored in the history storage device from the history information, the subject information, and the diagnostic condition information.

[0116] The storage control unit 46 may also link at least one of the history information, the subject information, and the diagnostic condition information with the image quality parameter set used to generate the pre-image selected by the user, and the voice information, and store them in the history storage device. For example, the voice information is generated by collecting voice with a microphone provided in the terminal device 12. For example, when the user speaks when selecting a pre-image, the microphone collects the user's voice, and the storage control unit 46 links the voice information indicating the voice with other information and stores it in the history storage device. In this way, the situation when the pre-image was selected can be grasped later by checking the voice.

[0117] The acquisition unit 48 acquires the image quality parameter set searched from the history storage device using at least one of the history information, the object information, and the diagnostic condition information. The display control unit 44 displays the ultrasound image, the image quality of which has been adjusted according to the image quality parameter set acquired by the acquisition unit 48, on the display of the UI 36.

[0118] For example, the user inputs at least one of the history information, the object information, and the diagnostic condition information as a search key by operating the terminal device 12. The acquisition unit 48 searches for and acquires the image quality parameter set associated with the input search key from the information stored in the history storage device.

[0119] The display control unit 44 adjusts the image quality of the ultrasound image according to the image quality parameter set acquired by the acquisition unit 48, and displays the ultrasound image with the adjusted image quality on the display of the UI 36. For example, an ultrasound image is generated in real time by the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 and transmitted to the terminal device 12. The display control unit 44 adjusts the image quality of the ultrasound image transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 according to the image quality parameter set acquired by the acquisition unit 48. Of course, the display control unit 44 may acquire an ultrasound image stored in the storage unit 26 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10, the storage unit 38 of the terminal device 12, or an external device, and adjust the image quality of the acquired ultrasound image according to the image quality parameter set acquired by the acquisition unit 48. The display control unit 44 displays the ultrasound image with the adjusted image quality on the display of the UI 36.

[0120] For example, if the preset conditions used at other facilities are stored in the history storage device, the user can search for the preset conditions used at other facilities from the history storage device and adjust the image quality of the ultrasound image using the preset conditions. In this way, the user can adjust the image quality of the ultrasound image by referring to the preset conditions used at other facilities. In other words, the image quality parameter set can be shared by multiple users.

[0121] 3, the terminal device 12 includes the storage control unit 46 and the acquisition unit 48, but the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 may also include the storage control unit 46 and the acquisition unit 48. If the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 includes the storage control unit 46 and the acquisition unit 48, the terminal device 12 may not include the storage control unit 46 and the acquisition unit 48. For example, the acquisition unit 48 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 10 may search for an image quality parameter set from a history storage device, and the image generator 18 may adjust the image quality of the ultrasound image in accordance with the searched image quality parameter set. The ultrasound image with the adjusted image quality is displayed on the display unit 22.

[0122] The process performed by the recommendation unit 50 will now be described.

[0123] The recommendation section 50 identifies an image quality parameter set recommended to the user based on the image quality parameter set for generating a preview image selected by the user and the history of image quality adjustments made by the user.

[0124] As described above, history information indicating the history of image quality adjustments made by the user is stored in the history storage device. For example, as shown in Fig. 6 and Fig. 8, when a preview image is selected by the user, the recommendation unit 50 identifies an image quality parameter set recommended to the user based on the image quality parameter set for generating the selected preview image and the history of image quality adjustments indicated by the history information stored in the history storage device. For example, when the image quality parameter set for generating the preview image selected by the user is image quality parameter set A, if there is a history of changing the image quality parameter set from image quality parameter set A to image quality parameter set B, the recommendation unit 50 identifies image quality parameter set B as the image quality parameter set recommended to the user.

[0125] As another example, a learning device may be generated by learning, by machine learning or the like, the history of selection of image quality parameter sets, the history of selection of pre-images, the history of image quality adjustment, diagnostic conditions, and the like. The recommendation unit 50 inputs an image quality parameter set for generating a pre-image selected by the user to the learning device, and acquires, from the learning device, an image quality parameter set as an output corresponding to the input as an image quality parameter recommended to the user. The data of the learning device may be stored in the storage unit 38 of the terminal device 12, may be stored in the storage unit 26 of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10, or may be stored in the storage unit of an external device such as a server.

[0126] The display control unit 44 adjusts the image quality of the ultrasonic image according to the image quality parameter set specified by the recommendation unit 50. The display control unit 44 causes the display of the UI 36 to display the ultrasonic image with the adjusted image quality.

[0127] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11, a specific example of the process by the recommendation unit 50 will be described. FIGS. 9 to 11 show pre-images.

[0128] FIG. 9 shows pre-images C0B0 to C3B3. Although the display area 60 is not shown in FIG. 9, similar to the example shown in FIG. 6, the pre-images C0B0 to C3B3 are displayed in the display area 60 of the terminal device 12. Here, as an example, the pre-image C1B1 is selected by the user.

[0129] For example, the recommendation unit 50 specifies an image quality parameter set recommended to the user based on an image quality parameter set (an image quality parameter set including contrast "C1" and brightness "B1") for generating the pre-image C1B1 and the history of image quality adjustment indicated by the history information stored in the history storage device.

[0130] As another example, the recommendation unit 50 may input an image quality parameter set for generating the pre-image C1B1 to the learning device, and acquire, from the learning device, an image quality parameter set as an output corresponding to the input as an image quality parameter recommended to the user.

[0131] Pre-images C0’Bx and CyB3’ are shown in FIG. 10. The pre-images C0’Bx and CyB3’ are pre-images recommended to the user (i.e., sample images). The pre-images C0’Bx and CyB3’ are pre-images generated according to a set of image quality parameters recommended to the user. That is, the contrast “C0’” and the brightness “B3’” are the image quality parameters recommended to the user.

[0132] Users who have selected a set of image quality parameters including contrast “C1” and brightness “B1” in the past tend to change the contrast to contrast “C0’” and the brightness to “B3’”. For example, a learning device is generated by learning this change history. The recommendation unit 50 identifies a set of image quality parameters recommended to the user by using the learning device.

[0133] The display control unit 44 displays a plurality of pre-images including the pre-images C0’Bx and CyB3’ in the display area 60. FIG. 11 shows an example of the display. Although the display area 60 is not shown in FIG. 11, similar to the example shown in FIG. 6, the display control unit 44 displays the plurality of pre-images shown in FIG. 11 in the display area 60.

[0134] In the example shown in FIG. 11, the display control unit 44 displays the pre-images C0’B0 to C0’B2, C0’B3’ to C3B3’ in the display area 60 instead of the pre-images C0B0 to C0B3, C1B3 to C3B3 (see FIG. 6). Other pre-images are the same as the pre-images shown in FIG. 6.

[0135] In the future, the user selects a pre-image having the contrast and brightness intended by the user from among the plurality of pre-images shown in FIG. 11. By doing so, the user can select a pre-image having the image quality intended by the user from among the plurality of pre-images recommended to the user. That is, the user can select a set of image quality parameters that can generate the image quality intended by the user from among the plurality of sets of image quality parameters recommended to the user.

[0136] The display control unit 44 may cause the UI 36 to display information regarding changes in the image quality parameters made by the user on the display. For example, the display control unit 44 may cause the display to show the image quality parameters before the change and the image quality parameters after the change as information regarding the change in the image quality parameters. As another example, the display control unit 44 may cause the display to show the difference between the image quality parameters before the change and the image quality parameters after the change as information regarding the change in the image quality parameters. The display control unit 44 may cause a list of the image quality parameters to be displayed on the display and may emphasize and display the changed image quality parameters on the display. Further, the display control unit 44 may cause the image quality parameters before the change and the image quality parameters after the change to be displayed on the display in a tabular form or a graph form. Information regarding the change in the image quality parameters may be transmitted from the terminal device 12 to the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10 and may be displayed on the display unit 22 of the ultrasonic diagnostic device 10.

[0137] FIG. 12 shows an example of the display of information regarding the change in the image quality parameters. In the example shown in FIG. 12, the display control unit 44 causes the display to show information regarding the change in the image quality parameters in a tabular form. The table is composed of a column 74 representing the names of the image quality parameters and columns 76, 78 representing the image quality parameters.

[0138] The display control unit 44 displays the changed image quality parameters and the unchanged image quality parameters separately. For example, the display control unit 44 emphasizes and displays the changed image quality parameters by making the color of the display location of the changed image quality parameters different from the color of the display location of the unchanged image quality parameters. In the example shown in FIG. 12, hatching is applied to the locations that are emphasized and displayed.

[0139] Figures 13 and 14 show another display example. In the examples shown in Figures 13 and 14, the display control unit 44 graphs the information regarding the change in the image quality parameters and causes it to be displayed on the display. The values of each image quality parameter are represented by a bar graph. For example, the display control unit 44 creates the graphs respectively shown in Figures 13 and 14 by graphing the values of each image quality parameter shown in Figure 12, and causes each graph to be displayed on the display.

[0140] Figure 15 shows yet another display example. In the example shown in Figure 15, the display control unit 44 lists the information regarding the change in the image quality parameters and causes it to be displayed on the display. For example, the date and time when the image quality parameter was changed, the name of the user who changed the image quality parameter, the inspection area, the name of the image quality parameter, the value of the image quality parameter before the change, the value of the image quality parameter after the change, the reason for the change, and the improvement effect (the effect due to changing the image quality parameter) are included in the list. For example, the display control unit 44 highlights and displays the changed image quality parameter. In the example shown in Figure 15, hatching is applied to the highlighted portions.

[0141] The image generation unit 18, the display processing unit 20, and the control unit 30 can be realized by using hardware resources such as a processor or an electronic circuit, and a device such as a memory may be used as necessary in the realization. Further, the image generation unit 18, the display processing unit 20, and the control unit 30 may be realized by, for example, a computer. That is, all or part of the image generation unit 18, the display processing unit 20, and the control unit 30 may be realized by the cooperation of hardware resources such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory included in the computer, and software (program) that defines the operations of the CPU and the like. The program is stored in the storage unit 26 of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 10 via a recording medium such as a CD or a DVD, or via a communication path such as a network. As another example, the image generation unit 18, the display processing unit 20, and the control unit 30 may be realized by a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or the like. Of course, a GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) or the like may be used. The image generation unit 18, the display processing unit 20, and the control unit 30 may be realized by a single device or by a plurality of devices.

[0142] The reception unit 42, the display control unit 44, the memory control unit 46, the acquisition unit 48, and the recommendation unit 50 can be realized by using hardware resources such as a processor or an electronic circuit. In the realization, devices such as a memory may be used as necessary. Further, the reception unit 42, the display control unit 44, the memory control unit 46, the acquisition unit 48, and the recommendation unit 50 may be realized by a computer, for example. That is, all or part of the reception unit 42, the display control unit 44, the memory control unit 46, the acquisition unit 48, and the recommendation unit 50 may be realized by the cooperation of hardware resources such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory provided in the computer, and software (program) that defines the operations of the CPU and the like. The program is stored in the storage unit 38 of the terminal device 12 via a recording medium such as a CD or a DVD, or via a communication path such as a network. As another example, the reception unit 42, the display control unit 44, the memory control unit 46, the acquisition unit 48, and the recommendation unit 50 may be realized by a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or the like. Of course, a GPU or the like may be used. The reception unit 42, the display control unit 44, the memory control unit 46, the acquisition unit 48, and the recommendation unit 50 may be realized by a single device or by a plurality of devices.

Description of Reference Numerals

[0143] 10 Ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, 12 Terminal device, 42 Reception unit, 44 Display control unit, 46 Memory control unit, 48 Acquisition unit, 50 Recommendation unit.

Claims

1. In an ultrasonic diagnostic system including a terminal device and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, the terminal device includes: a reception unit that receives from a user preset conditions which are a preset parameter set related to the image quality of ultrasonic images generated by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus; a terminal transmission unit that transmits to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus preset information indicating the preset conditions received by the reception unit; a display control unit that causes an image to be displayed on a display of the terminal device; and includes the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes: an image generation unit that generates a plurality of preview images from ultrasonic images according to the preset conditions indicated by the preset information transmitted from the terminal device; a device transmission unit that transmits the plurality of preview images to the terminal device; and includes the display control unit causes the plurality of preview images transmitted from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to be displayed on the display as sample images, the terminal transmission unit transmits to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus information regarding a preview image selected by a user from among the plurality of preview images displayed on the display, An ultrasonic diagnostic system characterized by the above.

2. In the ultrasonic diagnostic system according to Claim 1, the display control unit causes thumbnail images each representing one of the plurality of preview images transmitted from the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to be displayed on the display as the sample images, the terminal transmission unit transmits to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus information regarding a preview image selected by a user by selecting a thumbnail image, An ultrasonic diagnostic system characterized by the above.

3. In the ultrasonic diagnostic system according to Claim 1, further includes a storage control unit, the storage control unit associates at least one of history information indicating a history of image quality adjustment by a user, subject information regarding a subject on which ultrasonic waves were transmitted and received to generate an ultrasonic image for generating a preview image, and diagnostic condition information indicating diagnostic conditions when the ultrasonic image for generating the preview image was generated, with a parameter set of image quality parameters for generating a preview image selected by the user, and stores the same in a storage device, An ultrasonic diagnostic system characterized by the above.

4. In the ultrasonic diagnostic system according to Claim 3, the terminal device further includes an acquisition unit, the acquisition unit acquires a parameter set of image quality parameters retrieved from the storage device using at least one of the history information, the subject information, and the diagnostic condition information, The display control unit causes the display to display an ultrasonic image whose image quality is adjusted according to the set of image quality parameters acquired by the acquisition unit. An ultrasonic diagnostic system characterized by the above. **Claim 5** In the ultrasonic diagnostic system according to claim 3, the terminal device further includes a recommendation unit, the recommendation unit identifies a set of image quality parameters recommended to the user based on a set of image quality parameters for generating a pre-image selected by the user and the history of image quality adjustment by the user, the display control unit causes the display to display a pre-image whose image quality is adjusted according to the set of image quality parameters recommended to the user. An ultrasonic diagnostic system characterized by the above. **Claim 6** In the ultrasonic diagnostic system according to claim 1, the display control unit causes the display to display information regarding changes in image quality parameters made by the user. An ultrasonic diagnostic system characterized by the above.

Images