Ultrasound diagnostic equipment
By converting touch panel coordinates to scanning coordinates, the apparatus facilitates intuitive two-dimensional position control on ultrasound images, addressing the inefficiencies of conventional methods and improving user interaction in ultrasonic diagnostic devices.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- FUJIFILM CORP
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-18
Smart Images
Figure 2026099081000001_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
Background Art
[0002] In conventional ultrasonic diagnostic apparatuses, the position change of an object such as a sample volume in pulsed Doppler display or an ROI (region of interest) in color Doppler display has been performed by operating a trackball or a direction key. This position change has been performed in such a manner that, in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasonic beam, the operation point is moved from the current position in the direction indicated by the trackball or the like by an amount corresponding to the operation amount of the trackball or the like in the direction indicated by the trackball or the like.
[0003] The scanning coordinate system is defined by the depth direction, which is the direction in which the ultrasonic beam travels, and the scanning direction, which is the direction in which the ultrasonic beam is scanned. For example, when the user presses a button for instructing a position change of the sample volume on the operation panel and presses the right (or left) direction key once, the position of the sample volume on the screen moves one step to the right (or left) along the scanning direction from the current position. The movement amount of the sample volume becomes an amount corresponding to the number of times the right direction key is pressed. The up and down direction keys are used to instruct movement in the depth direction. The operation with the trackball is the same. When the trackball is rotated to the right, the sample volume moves from the current position to the right along the scanning direction by an amount corresponding to the amount of the rotation.
[0004] In recent years, apparatuses using a touch panel as a screen for displaying ultrasonic images have become widespread (for example, Patent Document 1). By using a touch panel, the position on the ultrasonic image can be specified more intuitively and easily than with a mouse or a trackball.
[0005] The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 is contrived to facilitate linear input in the vertical or horizontal direction along the side by providing a touch panel region along the four sides of the outer frame of the monitor.
[0006] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 3 has swipe areas on all four sides of the outer periphery of the ultrasound image display area, and changes the setting values of the functions attached to these swipe areas in response to the user's touch operation on these swipe areas.
[0007] The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 4 displays a touch button near a marker indicating a target area in the ultrasound image, and when the user moves the touch button by touch operation, the marker moves accordingly.
[0008] The ultrasound imaging diagnostic device disclosed in Patent Document 5 displays a button near the cursor at the end of the movement when the measurement cursor on the ultrasound image displayed on the touch panel screen is moved by touch operation, instructing the user to confirm the cursor's position at that time.
[0009] The ultrasound imaging apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 6 aligns the vertical coordinates of the touch panel monitor displaying the ultrasound image with the depth coordinates of the ultrasound image, and the horizontal coordinates with the STC gain for adjusting the ultrasound image. When the user touches a desired position on the touch panel with their finger and traces that finger horizontally or diagonally, the apparatus adjusts the STC gain at the finger's contact position in real time.
[0010] Patent Document 7 discloses an ultrasound diagnostic device that changes the focus depth and the position and size of the ROI in response to touch operations on a touch panel. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]
[0011] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-026256 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-207589 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-214650 [Patent Document 4] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2012-019824 [Patent Document 5] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-198810 [Patent Document 6] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2006-296978 [Patent Document 7] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2009-056202 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]
[0012] The method of moving an object from its current position by an amount indicated by the operation of a trackball or similar device has drawbacks in terms of ease of use. For example, consider a case where a user finds a blood vessel on an ultrasound image on the screen and wants to set a sample volume at that vessel. In this case, gradually moving the sample volume from its current position to the location of the blood vessel by rotating the trackball vertically or horizontally would be a cumbersome operation.
[0013] While there are other instances where the position of points or areas (such as sample volume or ROI) used to control ultrasound diagnostic equipment is specified using a trackball or similar device, similar problems can arise in those other cases as well.
[0014] Some conventional devices that display ultrasound images on a touch panel allow users to specify a location within the ultrasound image via touch operation. However, in most cases, this touch operation is used for measurements on the ultrasound image using the specified location (for example, measuring the distance between two points).
[0015] Furthermore, conventional devices that map the vertical position of a touch panel to the depth position of an ultrasound image and the horizontal position to the signal gain value accept position specifications in the depth direction, but do not accept position specifications in two dimensions.
[0016] The present disclosure aims to accept the specification of a two-dimensional position on an ultrasonic image and enable control of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to the specified position.
Means for Solving the Problems
[0017] The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus disclosed in this specification includes a processor, which receives information on a point specified on an ultrasonic image displayed on a screen, converts the coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasonic image indicated by the information into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of an ultrasonic beam, and executes control of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate conversion.
[0018] In one aspect, in the control, the processor sets the range or position used for generating the ultrasonic image based on the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate conversion.
[0019] In particular, the range or position used for generating the ultrasonic image to be set may define the transmission range or transmission position of an ultrasonic beam for a specific display mode of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
[0020] Also, the range used for generating the ultrasonic image to be set may define the range of received signals that are the target of calculation for generating an image in a specific display mode of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.
[0021] The range used for generating the ultrasonic image to be set may be a sample volume for pulsed Doppler display.
[0022] The range used for generating the ultrasonic image to be set may be an ROI that is the range of color Doppler display.
[0023] The range used for generating the ultrasonic image to be set may be the scanning range of an ultrasonic beam for B-mode tomographic image display.
[0024] The processor may set the range used to generate the ultrasound image based on the designated point on the ultrasound image displayed on the screen.
[0025] In one embodiment, the processor receives information on two specified points on the ultrasound image displayed on the screen, and expands or contracts the range when the distance between the two specified points expands or contracts over time.
[0026] The program disclosed in this specification causes a computer to perform the following processes: receive information about a specified point on an ultrasound image displayed on a screen; transform the coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasound image indicated by the information into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasound beam; and use the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate transformation to control the ultrasound diagnostic device. [Effects of the Invention]
[0027] With the configuration described above, it is possible to accept the specification of a two-dimensional position on the ultrasound image and control the ultrasound diagnostic device according to the specified position. [Brief explanation of the drawing]
[0028] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows an example of the processing procedure of the embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure illustrates the detailed steps of step S26 in the procedure shown in Figure 2. [Figure 4] This figure shows a partial example of the process of identifying the target object in response to touch input. [Figure 5] This figure shows the remaining part of an example of the process of identifying the target object in response to touch input. [Figure 6] This diagram illustrates the process of moving the cursor on the sample volume using touch controls. [Figure 7] This diagram illustrates the process of moving the width of an ROI using touch controls. [Figure 8] This diagram illustrates the transmit beam focus in the depth direction and the operating direction. [Figure 9] This block diagram illustrates a modified configuration for displaying ultrasound images on an external device equipped with a touch panel. [Modes for carrying out the invention]
[0029] Figure 1 shows an example of the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure.
[0030] The probe 102 is a device that transmits and receives ultrasonic beams for ultrasound diagnosis. Inside the probe 102 is a vibrating element array, which consists of multiple vibrating elements arranged in a sequence. Each vibrating element performs mutual conversion between electrical signals and ultrasonic signals through the piezoelectric effect. There are several types of probes 102, including linear, sector, and convex types.
[0031] The transmit / receive control unit 104 controls the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves by each vibrating element in 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 transmit / receive control unit 104 forms an ultrasonic transmission beam by controlling the timing of supplying transmission signals to each vibrating element.
[0032] The phase-aligning summer 106 performs phase-aligning summing on the received signals from each vibrating element in the probe 102. This phase-aligning summing process forms a received beam. As a result of the phase-aligning summing process, the phase-aligning summer 106 outputs echo data obtained along the received beam.
[0033] The beam processing unit 108 performs various signal processing on the echo data output by the phase summing unit 106, including gain correction, logarithmic amplification, envelope detection, and filtering. The beam processing unit 108 performs these signal processing processes by using the data memory 110 as working memory. As a result, beam data corresponding to each echo data is formed.
[0034] The Digital Scan Converter (DSC) 112 has coordinate transformation and interpolation functions and forms a display frame, i.e., an ultrasonic 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 coordinate system of beam scanning (hereinafter referred to as the "scanning coordinate system") and consists of multiple data points along the direction of the beam corresponding to the beam data. For example, the DSC 112 plots the signal value of each data point of the beam data at the position of that data point in the display coordinate system, i.e., the coordinate system of the ultrasonic image (generally a Cartesian coordinate system represented by a pair of x and y coordinates). This plotting is performed by writing data to the image memory 114, which holds the signal value of each pixel according to the display coordinate system. Then, the DSC 112 interpolates the values of pixels in the image memory 114 that still have no value after the beam data has been written, from the values of surrounding pixels. Through such coordinate transformation and interpolation, an ultrasonic image such as a B-mode tomography image is formed.
[0035] The image synthesis unit 116 synthesizes various informational images or characters onto the ultrasound image formed by the DSC 112 to form display screen data. The information synthesized onto the ultrasound image includes, for example, ROIs representing the display range of various display modes such as color Doppler mode, and lines indicating the sample volume and the beam where the sample volume is located in pulsed Doppler mode.
[0036] The display unit 118 is a device that displays images and is composed of, for example, a liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel. The display unit 118 displays the display screen data formed by the image synthesis unit 116.
[0037] The central control unit 120 realizes the functions of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 by controlling the operation of each part of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100. The central control unit 120 has, as hardware, a processor such as a CPU or microcontroller, a memory that functions as primary storage, and a large-capacity storage device that functions as secondary storage. The central control unit 120 controls the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 by executing a program stored in the secondary storage.
[0038] The control unit 122 is a device that receives user input for the ultrasound diagnostic device 100. The control unit 122 may be equipped with mechanical input elements such as a keyboard, buttons, switches, and knobs. The control unit 122 may also be equipped with a pointing device such as a trackball or mouse.
[0039] Furthermore, the operation unit 122 may include a touch panel provided on the display screen of the display unit 118. Information on the touch position of the user's finger detected by the touch panel and changes in that touch position is interpreted by the central control unit 120 and used by the ultrasound diagnostic device 100.
[0040] Now, some of the control and processing performed by the central control unit 120 are carried out in a scanning coordinate system. A typical example of control performed in a scanning coordinate system is the control related to the transmission and reception of ultrasonic waves.
[0041] For example, one example of control related to ultrasonic transmission and reception is setting the sample volume for pulsed Doppler mode. Pulse Doppler mode is also called PW (Pulse Wave) mode.
[0042] Traditionally, sample volume settings were performed using a trackball. In the conventional setting method, a beamline for setting was displayed on the B-mode tomography image, and a cursor indicating the sample volume was displayed on that line (see beamline 304A and cursor 306A in Figure 6). The displayed beamline was selected from among several beamlines formed during the scanning of the transmitted ultrasonic beam by the probe 102. For example, these beamlines were assigned sequential numbers in the direction of their arrangement, starting from the beamline at the edge of the scanning range. As the user rotated the trackball horizontally, the number of the selected beamline switched one by one in the direction of rotation. Also, as the user rotated the trackball vertically, the position of the cursor on the selected beamline moved one step in the direction of rotation. Each step of the depth position was assigned sequential numbers, for example, from shallow to deep. For example, upward rotation moved the cursor towards the shallower direction on the beamline, and downward rotation moved the cursor towards the deeper direction. Thus, the conventional method of setting the sample volume using a trackball involved sequentially switching between the beamline number where the cursor was located and the number of the cursor's depth position on that line, one step at a time, according to the rotation of the trackball.
[0043] Furthermore, conventionally, the width of the sample volume was changed by rotating a predetermined knob on the control panel of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, or by pressing a button on the control panel to widen or narrow the cursor width.
[0044] In contrast, in this embodiment, the setting operation for this sample volume is performed by touch operation on the touch panel on the display unit 118. The specific process for this setting will be explained later.
[0045] Another example of control related to ultrasonic transmission and reception is the control of ROI in color Doppler mode. In color Doppler mode, due to the speed limit of forming the transmitted beam, only a portion of the B-mode tomographic image is subject to image formation. The user designates this target area as the ROI. The ROI is determined by the positions of both ends in the scanning direction and depth direction in the scanning coordinate system. For example, ROI310A illustrated in Figure 7 is an example of an ROI when using a convex scanning type probe 102. In the case of convex scanning, the shape of the ultrasonic image 302A is an annular sector, and the color Doppler ROI310A set within it is also an annular sector. The edges of ROI310A along the scanning direction are aligned with one of the beamlines of the ultrasonic beam in the convex scanning. Also, the edges of ROI310A in the depth direction are arcs along the scanning direction.
[0046] Traditionally, the movement of a color Doppler ROI was performed using a trackball. That is, the user would select an ROI on the screen and rotate the trackball, causing the ROI to move in the direction of that rotation, by an amount proportional to the rotation. Thus, conventionally, the ROI moved sequentially in response to the trackball's rotation.
[0047] Furthermore, the size of the ROI was previously changed by rotating a knob for changing the ROI size or by pressing buttons to enlarge or reduce the ROI size.
[0048] The ROI settings for modes other than color Doppler mode were also performed in the same manner as before.
[0049] In contrast, in this embodiment, the setting operation for the ROI is performed by touching the touch panel on the display unit 118. The specific process for this setting will be explained later.
[0050] Another example of the control performed by the central control unit 120 is the process of setting the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam according to the user's specifications. Conventionally, it was common to accept the specification of the focus depth by operating a knob or the like.
[0051] In this embodiment, the focus position is specified by 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 may set the scanning direction position corresponding to the specified focus position as the focus position in the scanning direction. In this case, the central control unit 120 sets the beamline group of the transmitted ultrasonic beam so that the density of the transmitted ultrasonic beam is increased near the set focus position in the scanning direction. At the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam and its vicinity, a finer image can be obtained than at other positions. The user specifies a position of interest within the ultrasonic image, i.e., the point of interest, as the focus position.
[0052] In the following, focusing in the depth direction will be referred to as depth focus, and controlling the transmission of the ultrasonic beam density near the focus position in the scanning direction will be referred to as scanning direction focus.
[0053] Focus control is performed in the scanning coordinate system. The focus position specified on the touch panel is represented in the display coordinate system. In this embodiment, a coordinate transformation is performed from the display coordinate system to the scanning coordinate system in order to connect that focus position to focus control in the scanning coordinate system. The process of setting the focus position involving this coordinate transformation will be explained in detail later.
[0054] In order to reflect touch operations on the touch panel on the display screen in the control of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is equipped with a position information conversion unit 130 and a control position setting unit 132.
[0055] The position information conversion unit 130 converts the position touched by the user on the ultrasound image displayed on the touch panel into coordinates in a coordinate system suitable for controlling the ultrasound diagnostic device 100.
[0056] Here, the position on the ultrasound image is in a display coordinate system, for example, represented by xy coordinates at the pixel level. 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 one window on that display screen (i.e., coordinates in the display coordinate system). These coordinates of the touch position in the display coordinate system are then provided as input to the position information conversion unit 130.
[0057] In contrast, the control of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, for example, the control of the transmitted ultrasound beam, is performed using a scanning coordinate system. The scanning coordinate system is a coordinate system represented by a combination of coordinates in the scanning direction and coordinates in the depth direction. For example, the coordinates in the scanning direction are represented by the ultrasound beam number, and the coordinates in the depth direction are represented by the depth direction position number.
[0058] In another example, the scanning coordinate system may not be a discrete set of values such as the beamline number (hereinafter also called the "beam number") and the depth position number, but rather a combination of arbitrary coordinates in the scanning direction and arbitrary coordinates in the depth direction. For example, when using a convex scanning probe 102, the scanning coordinate system may be a set of coordinates expressed in polar coordinate form, i.e., in the form (r,θ). Here, r is an arbitrary position in the depth direction, i.e., the direction away from the origin of the convex scan, and θ is an arbitrary position in the scanning direction, i.e., the circumferential direction centered on the origin of the convex scan.
[0059] The position information conversion unit 130 converts the touch position information on the ultrasonic image, which is represented in the display coordinate system, into position information in the scanning coordinate system, which is easier to use for controlling the ultrasonic beam.
[0060] The control position setting unit 132 sets the position information in the scanning coordinate system output by the position information conversion unit 130 as position information used for controlling the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, for example, for controlling the ultrasound beam. Position information related to the control of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 includes, for example, the position of the sample volume cursor, the position of the ROI, and the focus position of the ultrasound beam. The central control unit 120 controls the transmit / receive control unit 104, etc., according to the set position information, thereby realizing control according to the position specified by the user via touch operation.
[0061] The position information conversion unit 130 and the control position setting unit 132 are implemented, for example, by executing a program on a processor that describes the functions of these components as described in this specification.
[0062] Next, an example of the processing procedure of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 2.
[0063] In the procedure shown in Figure 2, when the user instructs the start of ultrasound image acquisition, the central control unit 120 sets the transmit / receive table (S10) and instructs the transmit / receive control unit 104 to transmit and receive the ultrasound beam according to the transmit / receive table. This starts the transmission and reception of the ultrasound beam (S12). The transmit / receive table is a table that holds control parameters for the transmission and reception of the ultrasound beam. The control parameters held in the transmit / receive table include, for example, the focus depth of the transmitted beam. The transmit / receive table may also include data on the amount of delay that should be added to the transmission signal of each vibrating element in the vibrating element array in order to achieve each of the multiple selectable transmit focus depths. In the case of sector-type or convex-type probes, the transmit / receive table may also hold data on the amount of delay for each vibrating element for each direction of the transmitted beam (i.e., for example, each beam number).
[0064] After transmission and reception begin, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 constructs an ultrasound image, such as a B-mode tomography image, based on the received signals from each vibrating element in the probe 102 using known signal processing (S16). The constructed ultrasound image is displayed on the display unit 118 (S18).
[0065] While the ultrasound image is being displayed, the central control unit 120 periodically determines, for example, whether or not there is input specifying position coordinates on the ultrasound image (S20). The user can input position coordinates on the ultrasound image, for example, by touching the touch panel of the display unit 118 (S22). The input position coordinates are in the display coordinate system.
[0066] If position coordinates on the ultrasound image are input (the result of the determination in S20 is YES), the position information conversion unit 130 converts those position coordinates to the scanning coordinate system (S24). For example, when using the convex scanning probe 102, the coordinates (x,y) of the display coordinate system are converted to coordinates (r,θ) of the scanning coordinate system, which are expressed in polar coordinate form. This coordinate conversion can be the inverse conversion of the conversion from the operation coordinate system to the display coordinate system performed by the DSC 112.
[0067] In this case, r may be the beam direction position (i.e., depth direction position), and θ may be the beamline number. Here, if the selectable depth direction position and beamline position in the control of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 are discrete, there may be cases where none of the (depth direction position, beamline position) that can be taken in the scanning coordinate system perfectly match the coordinates (x,y) of the display coordinate system. In that case, in the coordinate transformation of step S24, the position information transformation unit 130 identifies the (depth direction position, beamline position) that is closest to the coordinates (x,y) of the display coordinate system, and obtains the numbers of those depth direction position and beamline position, respectively. The position information transformation unit 130 then outputs the pair of the obtained depth direction position number and beamline number as the coordinate transformation result.
[0068] It is common for various touch gestures to be defined for touch input on a touch panel. For example, one-finger gestures include tapping, dragging, and flicking, while two-finger gestures include pinching in and pinching out. In some cases, gestures involving touching the screen with three or more fingers simultaneously may also be defined. The operating system running on the central control unit 120 determines the type of touch gesture that was input and the coordinates of one or more touch positions that represent the characteristics of that gesture.
[0069] For example, in the case of a tap, the tapped coordinates correspond to "the coordinates of one or more touch positions that represent the characteristics of the gesture."
[0070] In the case of dragging, for example, the coordinates of the starting point of the drag, the touch positions detected periodically thereafter, and the ending point (i.e., the position when the finger last leaves the screen) correspond to "coordinates of one or more touch positions that represent the characteristics of the gesture." Alternatively, only the starting and ending points of the drag may be considered "coordinates of one or more touch positions that represent the characteristics of the gesture."
[0071] Similarly, in the case of pinch-in or pinch-out, the two starting points touched simultaneously, the two touch positions detected periodically thereafter, and the two ending points (the positions where the two fingers last left the screen) all correspond to "coordinates of one or more touch positions that characterize the gesture." Alternatively, only the two starting points and two ending points of a pinch operation may be considered "coordinates of one or more touch positions that characterize the gesture."
[0072] In a pinch-in gesture, the distance between the two fingertips touching the touch panel simultaneously decreases over time. Conversely, in a pinch-out gesture, the distance between those two fingertips increases over time.
[0073] The position information conversion unit 130 converts the coordinates of one or more touch positions that represent the characteristics of the gesture into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system. The coordinate information in the scanning coordinate system, which is the result of the coordinate conversion, is passed to the control position setting unit 132.
[0074] Furthermore, the information on the type of touch gesture requested by the central control unit 120 is passed to the control position setting unit 132.
[0075] Furthermore, the central control unit 120 may determine that an object (e.g., a cursor or ROI) that is within a predetermined error range from the starting point of the user's touch on the screen is the object targeted for the current operation. Also, if there is no object near the touched point, the central control unit 120 may determine that the touch is for specifying a focus position.
[0076] 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 for controlling the transmission or reception of the ultrasonic beam. Examples of control positions include the position of the sample volume cursor, the position of the ROI, the focus position of the ultrasonic beam, etc.
[0077] The position calculated in step S26 may be, for example, the position of the center point of a cursor. In another example, the positions of both ends of the cursor may be calculated. In the case of an ROI, for example, the position calculated in step S26 may be two points that uniquely define the position and size of the ROI (for example, two diagonal points among the four corners of the ROI). For example, in the case of drag or pinch-in / pinch-out operations, the coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the endpoint of the series of operations become the new position coordinates of the object being operated on.
[0078] Once the calculation in step S26 is complete, the central control unit 120 temporarily suspends the transmission and reception of the ultrasonic beam that the transmission / reception control unit 104 had been performing (S28).
[0079] Next, the control position setting unit 132 sets the position coordinates calculated in step S26 as the control position corresponding to the user's touch operation (S30). For example, if the user's touch operation is determined to be the specification of the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam, the control position setting unit 132 sets those position coordinates as the focus position. Also, if an object such as a cursor or ROI is selected by the touch operation, the calculated position coordinates are set as the new position coordinates of that object. The central control unit 120 instructs the transmission / reception control unit 104 to resume transmitting and receiving ultrasonic waves according to the set control position (S32). An ultrasonic image is constructed according to the resumed transmission and reception and displayed on the display unit 118. If there is no input of position coordinates to the touch panel (the result of the determination in S20 is NO), it is determined whether the user has instructed the end of the diagnosis (S34). If the end of the diagnosis has not been instructed, the process returns to step S16. If the end of the diagnosis has been instructed, the central control unit 120 terminates the process shown in Figure 2.
[0080] Next, with reference to Figure 3, a specific example of the process in step S26 will be described. In the example shown in Figure 3, step S26 includes the substeps S260 to S266.
[0081] In step S260, the control position setting unit 132 determines whether the object to be operated on has already been 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 those coordinates (i.e., within a predetermined error range from those coordinates) (S262). The coordinates used in this determination may be the 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 an object in the vicinity of those coordinates as the target of operation (S264).
[0082] After this, the process returns to step S16. At this point, the central control unit 120 may highlight the selected object to be operated on the ultrasound image display. The central control unit 120 and the control position setting unit 132 continue to detect touch operations such as dragging on the selected object. After the touch operation (e.g., dragging) continues, the position information conversion unit 130 inputs the next coordinate transformation result. At this input point, the object to be operated on has already been selected, and the determination result in step S260 is YES. In this case, the control position setting unit 132 changes the position of the selected object to be operated on to the coordinates indicated by the coordinate transformation result input from the position information conversion unit 130 (S268). After this, the process proceeds to step S28 and then to step S30, where the coordinates of the coordinate transformation result are set as the new coordinates of the object.
[0083] If the result of 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 specification of the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam (S266). After this, the process proceeds through step S28 to step S30, where the coordinates of the coordinate transformation result are set to the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam.
[0084] In one example, the number of the depth position included in the coordinate transformation result is set as the new transmission focus depth. As a result, in the ultrasound transmission and reception resumed in step S32, the focus control of the transmitted ultrasound beam is performed according to this new setting.
[0085] In another example, transmit focus may be performed for the scanning direction. In this example, for instance, control is performed to increase the density of the transmitted ultrasonic beam near the scanning direction position indicated by the beam number included in the coordinate transformation result. Depending on the mode and the depth to be viewed, the number of transmitted ultrasonic beams that can be formed per ultrasonic image frame, i.e., per scan, is limited. Within that limited number, the density of beams near the position touched by the user is increased. Alternatively, the number of beams per scan may be maintained by decreasing the density of beams at positions far from the touch position along the scanning direction. The density referred to here is 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 indicated by the coordinate transformation result received from the position information conversion unit 130 as the focus position for the transmitted ultrasonic beam in the scanning direction. In step S32, the central control unit 120 sets the beamline of each transmitted ultrasonic beam so that the beam density of the transmitted ultrasonic beam near the set focus position in the scanning direction is increased, and instructs the transmit / receive control unit 104 to form the set beamline. When setting up these beamlines, the number of transmitted ultrasonic beams per scan may not be changed, for example, by reducing the beam density at positions far from the focus position. As a result, the transmit / receive control unit 104 controls the vibrating element array in the probe 102 to form the specified beamlines.
[0086] Furthermore, the depth-direction focusing and scanning-direction focusing of the transmitted ultrasonic beam described here may be performed simultaneously.
[0087] Next, with reference to Figures 4 and 5, an example of a process for identifying the target object in response to a touch operation is shown. In this example, the target object is identified by considering whether the user's operation on the touch panel is a one-point or two-point touch, and the position of the touch. The process shown in those figures is for the case where it is determined that the target object in Figure 3 has not yet been selected (i.e., the result of the determination in step S260 is NO), and is a substitute for steps S262, S264, and S266 in Figure 3, for example.
[0088] If the result of step S260 is NO, the control position setting unit 132 determines whether the number of points touched simultaneously in step S20 of Figure 3 was one or two (S300). If the result of this determination is "one point", it determines whether or not a sample volume cursor exists near the coordinates of that touched point (S302). If the result of this determination is YES, the control position setting unit 132 selects that cursor as the object to be operated on (S304). In this case, the control position setting unit 132 determines that the user's operation instructs the movement of the entire cursor. After that, the central control unit 120 and the control position setting unit 132 return to step S16 of Figure 3 and wait for the destination of the cursor to be instructed by a touch operation.
[0089] If the result of step S302 is NO, it is determined whether the coordinates of the touched point are located within or near the ROI (S306). If the result of this determination is YES, the control position setting unit 132 selects that ROI as the object to be operated on (S308). In this case, the control position setting unit 132 determines that the user's operation instructs the movement of the entire ROI. After that, the central control unit 120 and the control position setting unit 132 return to step S16 in Figure 3 and wait for the destination of the ROI to be instructed by the touch operation.
[0090] The destination of the cursor or ROI can be specified, for example, as the endpoint of a drag operation. Alternatively, the user can select the cursor or ROI as the target of the operation, lift their finger from the screen, and then specify the destination by touching the screen again.
[0091] If the result of step S306 is NO, the control position setting unit 132 determines that the coordinates of the touched point specify the focus position of the transmitted ultrasonic beam (as described in S266).
[0092] If the result of step S300 is "2 points", the steps described in Figure 5 are executed. In the example in Figure 5, the control position setting unit 132 determines whether the endpoints of the sample volume cursor are near those two points (S310). If the result of this determination is YES, the control position setting unit 132 selects the endpoints of the cursor as the target of operation (S312). After step S312, the process returns to step S16 in Figure 3. In this case, the user can change the width of the sample volume by pinching in or pinching out with two fingers touching the screen. It is also possible to move the cursor and change its width at the same time by dragging with two fingers and pinching in or out.
[0093] If the result of step S310 is NO, the control position setting unit 132 determines whether the upper and lower edges of the ROI are 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 generally edges that extend in the scanning direction. For example, in the case of convex operation or sector operation, the upper and lower edges are arcs. If the result of the determination in step S314 is YES, the control position setting unit 132 selects those upper and lower edges as the target of operation (S316). After step S316, the process returns to step S16 in Figure 3. In this case, the user can change the width of the ROI in the depth direction by pinching in or pinching out with the two fingers touching the screen. It is also possible to move the ROI and change its width in the depth direction at the same time by dragging with two fingers and pinching in or pinching out.
[0094] If the result of step S314 is NO, the control position setting unit 132 determines whether the left and right edges of the ROI are near the two points touched by the user (S318). The left and right edges of the ROI are the two ends of the ROI in the scanning direction and are generally the edges that extend in the depth direction. If the result of the determination in step S318 is YES, the control position setting unit 132 selects those left and right edges as the target of operation (S320). After step S320, the process returns to step S16 in Figure 3. In this case, the user can change the width of the ROI in the scanning direction by pinching in or pinching out with the two fingers touching the screen. It is also possible to move the ROI and change the width in the scanning direction at the same time by dragging with two fingers and pinching in or pinching out.
[0095] If the result of 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 result of the determination in step S322 is YES, the control position setting unit 132 selects those two vertices as the target of operation (S324). After step S324, the process returns to step S16 in Figure 3. In this case, the user can enlarge or reduce the ROI in both the scanning direction and the depth direction by pinching in or pinching out with the two fingers touching the screen. It is also possible to move the ROI and enlarge or reduce it in both directions simultaneously by dragging with two fingers and pinching in or pinching out.
[0096] If the result of step S322 is NO, in the example in Figure 5, the process returns to step S16 without selecting an operation target.
[0097] The above describes an example of the processing of the control position setting unit 132, taking into account one-point and two-point touches. The behavior of the control position setting unit 132 can also be defined for gestures that involve touching three or more points simultaneously.
[0098] In the examples shown in Figures 4 and 5, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 determined the intent of the touch, i.e., the type of operation the user wanted to perform, based on the number of points the user touched on the ultrasound image displayed on the touch panel and the positional relationship between those points and the object. However, this is only one example. Alternatively, for example, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 could display a menu on the screen showing types of operations, such as cursor movement and zooming, ROI movement and zooming, and focus position specification, and the user could select the type of operation from that menu. In this case, after the user selects the type of operation, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 would accept input such as object movement, zooming, and focus position specification via tap, drag, pinch, etc.
[0099] Figure 6 shows an example of changing the position of the sample volume cursor 306A by touch operation. Image 300A on the left of Figure 6 schematically shows a window displaying an ultrasound image 302A obtained by convex scanning at a certain point in time. Image 300B on the right schematically shows the image in the same window after the user has moved the cursor 306A.
[0100] In this example, the PW mode display is also selected, and the blood flow waveform obtained in PW mode is displayed in the PW mode display window (not shown) located outside image 300A. On the ultrasound image 302A, a cursor 306A representing the sample volume in PW mode and the beamline 304A to which that sample volume is set are displayed. If the user wants to examine the blood flow in a different area than where the current cursor 306A is located, they touch the cursor 306A displayed on the touch panel with the fingertip of their hand 310. Position 320a represents the position where the fingertip touched. The ultrasound diagnostic device 100 determines that cursor 306A has been selected as the target of operation because the touched position is near cursor 306A. The user then drags the touched fingertip to the position 320b of the new sample volume they desire. The central control unit 120 recognizes the endpoint position 320b of the drag operation on the ultrasound image 302A in the display coordinate system, and the position information conversion unit 130 converts this coordinate into a scan coordinate system. In the scan coordinate system, the position 320b is represented, for example, by a pair of beam number and depth position number. This representation is suitable for controlling ultrasound beam scanning. The coordinates of position 320b obtained in this way in the scan coordinate system are set by the control position setting unit 132 as the position of the moved sample volume. As a result, the cursor 306B located at position 320b and the beamline 304B on which the cursor 306B is located are displayed on the ultrasound image 302B within image 300B.
[0101] Next, with reference to Figure 7, a schematic example of changing the size of the ROI by touch operation is shown. Image 300A on the left of Figure 7 schematically shows the image in the window displaying the ultrasound image 302A obtained by convex scanning at a certain point in time, and image 300B on the right schematically shows the image in the same window after the user has expanded the ROI 310A in the scanning direction.
[0102] In this example, an ROI 310A in color Doppler mode is displayed on the ultrasound image 302A. If the user wants to expand the ROI 310A in the scanning direction, they simultaneously touch the left and right edges of the ROI 310A displayed on the touch panel with the fingertips of their hand 310, for example, their thumb and index finger. The ultrasound diagnostic device 100 determines that the ROI 310A is selected as the target of the operation because the two touched points are near the left and right edges of the ROI 310A, and the scan content is to enlarge or reduce the ROI 310A in the scanning direction. Subsequently, if the user wants to enlarge the ROI 310A, they pinch out with the two touched fingertips roughly in the scanning direction. The central control unit 120 recognizes the positions of the two endpoints of the pinch-out operation on the ultrasound image 302A in the display coordinate system, and the position information conversion unit 130 converts these coordinates into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system. The coordinates of the two fingertips after pinching out, specifically the beam number, obtained in this way, are set as the positions of both the left and right sides of the ROI310A after the operation. As a result, the ultrasound image 302B within image 300B displays an enlarged ROI310B in the scanning direction compared to image 300A.
[0103] The above explanation used the ROI in color Doppler mode as a representative example. This ROI is set within the B-mode tomographic image and defines the range in which the ultrasound beam is transmitted and received for generating the color Doppler image, and the range in which the color Doppler image is generated from the received signal obtained through such transmission and reception. However, the ROI in color Doppler mode is only one example. Other display modes also have ROIs that indicate the target area, and the processing described above can also be applied to the ROIs of these other display modes.
[0104] Furthermore, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 of this embodiment may accept touch operation to enlarge or reduce the scanning range (i.e., width in the scanning direction) of the transmitted ultrasound beam for B-mode tomography. In this case, the operation for enlargement or reduction and the processing corresponding to that operation may be the same as in the case of enlargement or reduction of the scanning direction of the ROI. For example, if the scanning range is narrowed, the number of transmitted ultrasound beams per scan will decrease, so the time required for one scan will be shortened, and consequently the frame rate of the displayed B-mode tomography image can be increased.
[0105] Next, with reference to Figure 8, a schematic example of changing the ROI size by touch operation is shown. The ultrasound image 400A on the left side of Figure 8 schematically shows an ultrasound image obtained by convex scanning at a certain point in time, and the ultrasound image 400B on the right side schematically shows an ultrasound image when controlled according to the transmission focus position specified by the user. Ultrasound image 400A is an image obtained by performing transmission beam control with the setting that the depth direction is focused at the default focus depth, and the scanning direction is not focused. The dashed lines 402 extending radially from the origin O of the convex scanning indicate the beamlines of the transmitted ultrasound beam. Since scanning direction focusing is not performed, the dashed lines 402 indicating the beamlines are arranged at equal intervals along the scanning direction.
[0106] If the user wants to examine a specific area in the ultrasound image 400A in detail, they touch point 420 within that area with the fingertip of their hand 410. The ultrasound diagnostic device 100 determines that the user's operation is to specify a focus position because the touched point 420 is within the ultrasound image 400A and there are no objects such as a cursor or ROI near point 420. The position information conversion unit 130 converts the coordinates of point 420 into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system, for example, a pair of beam number and depth position number. The control position setting unit 132 sets the obtained coordinates in the scanning coordinate system as the focus position of the transmitted beam. For example, the depth position number in those coordinates is set as the focus depth, and the beam number is set as the focus position in the scanning direction. The central control unit 120 sets the beamline of the transmitted beam according to the setting of the focus position in the scanning direction, for example, such that the density of the transmitted beam is maximum at that position, and the density of the transmitted beam decreases as you move away from that position in the scanning direction. The system then instructs the transmit / receive control unit 104 to transmit the ultrasonic beam according to those settings.
[0107] In the transmission of the ultrasonic beam by the transmit / receive control unit 104 in accordance with this instruction, the depth position of the point 420 touched by the user becomes the focus depth FD, as schematically shown on the ultrasonic image 400B. In this example, since it is a convex scan, the arc passing through point 420 and centered at the origin O is the line of the focus depth FD. Furthermore, the beamline of the transmitted beam (shown by the dashed line 402) is set so that the density is higher closer to point 420 and lower further away from point 420 in the scanning direction.
[0108] Next, a modified example of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 9. In this modified example, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 is connected to an external device 200 such as a tablet terminal or a personal computer. The external device 200 has a built-in display device with a touch panel. In the embodiment shown in Figure 1, the display unit 118 functioned as the UI screen, whereas in this modified example, the screen of the display device of the external device 200 takes on the function of the UI screen.
[0109] In addition to the components shown in Figure 1, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 includes a communication interface unit 124. The communication interface unit 124 is an interface for data communication with an external device 200. Data communication between the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 and the external device 200 may be wireless or wired.
[0110] The external device 200 includes a central control unit 202, an operation unit 204, a coordinate transformation unit 206, an application management unit 208, and a communication I / F unit 210.
[0111] 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 device, as well as software such as an operating system. The operation unit 204 is a user interface device for the external device 200.
[0112] In one example, the operation unit 204 is equipped with a touch panel display that displays a screen containing ultrasound images transmitted from the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 and detects user touches on that screen. The touch panel detects the coordinates of the touch position in the panel's coordinate system. The coordinate transformation unit 206 transforms these coordinates into coordinates in the coordinate system 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 OS. The application management unit 208 manages the execution of applications on the external device 200. Among the applications executed is an application that handles processing to become the UI of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 (hereinafter referred to as the "ultrasound app"). The ultrasound app, for example, displays the ultrasound image input from the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 in a predetermined window on the UI screen displayed on the touch panel. The ultrasound app also passes commands and parameters entered by the user through touch operations on the UI screen, such as the coordinates of the touch position in the display coordinate system output by the coordinate transformation unit 206 in response to the user's touch, 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.
[0113] In this modified version, the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 transmits the generated ultrasound image to an external device 200 via the communication I / F unit 124. The ultrasound image is transmitted, for example, by streaming. The ultrasound application on the external device 200 displays the ultrasound image on its UI screen and accepts user touch input to the UI screen. When the user touches any position on the ultrasound image on the UI screen, the coordinate transformation unit 206 converts the touch position into coordinates in the display coordinate system of the ultrasound image. The resulting coordinates are sent to the ultrasound diagnostic device 100 via the application management unit 208 and the communication I / F unit 210.
[0114] In the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, the position information conversion unit 130 converts the 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 ultrasound diagnostic device 100. Then, the central control unit 120 controls the operation of the ultrasound diagnostic device 100, for example, the transmission of ultrasound, according to the setting. This setting and control process is the same as the process of the embodiment described above with reference to Figures 2 to 5.
[0115] The above describes an example using a touch panel as a device for inputting a position on the screen, but the processing of this embodiment described above is also applicable when using a pointing device other than a touch panel (for example, a mouse).
[0116] In the embodiments described above, the ROI and cursor width are examples of ranges used for generating ultrasound images, and are also examples of ranges that define the transmission range of the ultrasound beam for a specific display mode. Similarly, the cursor position and the transmission beam focus position are examples of positions used for generating ultrasound images, and are also ranges that define the transmission position of the ultrasound beam for a specific display mode. Furthermore, the ROI and cursor can be said to define the range of the received signal that is the target of calculations for generating images for a specific display mode of the ultrasound diagnostic device.
[0117] Furthermore, the control of the depth focus and scanning focus of the transmitted ultrasonic beam can also be applied to a method of specifying 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 a sample volume, the focus position is specified by switching it one step at a time in the depth direction and / or scanning direction using a trackball or directional keys. For example, pressing the right (or left) directional key once moves the focus position one step to the right (or left) along the scanning direction from the current position. The amount of movement of the focus position is determined by the number of times the right directional key is pressed. The up and down directional keys are used to indicate movement of the focus position in the depth direction. Operation with a trackball is similar. For example, rotating the trackball to the right moves the focus position to the right along the scanning direction from the current position by an amount corresponding to the amount of rotation. Also, rotating the trackball downward moves the focus position to a deeper position by the amount of rotation. This specifies the beam number that identifies the focus position and the number of the depth position. The control position setting unit 132 sets the specified depth position to the focus depth and sets the specified beam number to the focus position in the scanning direction.
[0118] In this embodiment, each process is executed on any computer. Furthermore, any computer may execute these processes using a processor as hardware, a program as software, or a combination thereof. In that case, the processor is configured to work in cooperation with the program to execute the various processes in this embodiment, and can function as a unit or means in this embodiment. Also, the execution order of the processes by the processor is not limited to the order described and may be changed as appropriate. Any computer may be a general-purpose computer, a computer designed for a specific purpose, a workstation, or any other system capable of executing each process.
[0119] A processor may consist of one or more hardware components, and the type of hardware is not limited. For example, a processor may consist of a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an MPU (Micro Processing Unit), a programmable logic device such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a dedicated circuit for executing a specific process such as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), a GPU (Graphic Processing Unit), or an NPU (Neural Processing Unit). Furthermore, the type of hardware may be a combination of different types of hardware. When multiple hardware components are configured to execute one or more processes of a given processor, these components may reside in physically separate devices or in the same device. Also, in any embodiment, the order of each process performed by the processor is not limited to the order described above and may be changed as appropriate. Hardware is composed of electrical circuits (circuitry) that combine circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.
[0120] Furthermore, the program may be firmware or software such as microcode. Alternatively, the program may be, for example, a set of program modules, each function of which may be implemented by a processor configured to perform its respective function. The program may be program code or multiple code segments stored on one or more non-temporary computer-readable media (e.g., storage media or other storage). The program may be divided and stored on multiple non-temporary computer-readable media located on physically separate devices. Program code or code segments may represent any combination of procedures, functions, subprograms, routines, subroutines, modules, software packages, classes, or instructions, data structures, or program statements. Program code or code segments may be connected to other code segments or hardware circuits by sending and receiving information, data, arguments, parameters, or memory contents. [Explanation of Symbols]
[0121] 100 Ultrasound diagnostic device, 102 Probe, 104 Transmit / receive control unit, 106 Phase aligning / adding unit, 108 Beam processing unit, 110 Data memory, 112 DSC (Digital Scan Converter), 114 Image memory, 116 Image synthesis unit, 118 Display unit, 120 Central control unit, 122 Operation unit, 130 Position information conversion unit, 132 Control position setting unit.
Claims
1. An ultrasound diagnostic device equipped with a processor, The aforementioned processor, The system receives information about a specified point on the ultrasound image displayed on the screen. The coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasonic image shown by the aforementioned information are transformed into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasonic beam. The control of the ultrasound diagnostic device is performed using the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate transformation. Ultrasound diagnostic equipment.
2. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the processor sets the range or position used for generating the ultrasound image in the control based on the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate transformation.
3. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that the range or position used for generating the ultrasound image, which is the subject of the setting, defines the transmission range or transmission position of the ultrasound beam for a specific display mode of the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus.
4. The range used for generating the ultrasound image, which is the subject of the above setting, defines the range of the received signal that is the target of calculation for generating an image of a specific display mode of the ultrasound diagnostic device. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to feature 2.
5. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the range used to generate the ultrasound image that is the target of the setting is a sample volume for pulsed Doppler display.
6. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the range used to generate the ultrasound image that is the target of the setting is an ROI that is the range of color Doppler display.
7. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that the range used to generate the ultrasound image that is the target of the setting is the scanning range of the ultrasound beam for displaying a B-mode tomographic image.
8. The aforementioned processor, On the ultrasound image displayed on the screen, the range used to generate the ultrasound image is set based on the designated point. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to feature 2.
9. The aforementioned processor, The system receives information on two points specified on the ultrasound image displayed on the screen, If the distance between the two specified points expands or contracts over time, the range is expanded or contracted. The ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to feature 2.
10. The system receives information about a specified point on the ultrasound image displayed on the screen. The coordinates of the specified point in the display coordinate system of the ultrasonic image shown by the aforementioned information are transformed into coordinates in the scanning coordinate system of the ultrasonic beam. The control of the ultrasound diagnostic device is performed using the coordinates of the specified point after the coordinate transformation. A program that causes a computer to perform a process.