Ultrasound diagnostic equipment and probe inspection equipment

Abstract

To favorably separate a reflected signal from unnecessary signals to improve the reliability of inspection of an ultrasonic probe, in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for inspecting the ultrasonic probe.SOLUTION: In one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe and an apparatus main body. The ultrasonic probe includes at least a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in an array and an ultrasonic lens. The apparatus main body inspects the ultrasonic probe by using a reflected signal from an interface between the ultrasonic lens and air, and includes inspection processing part. The inspection processing part sequentially selects an ultrasonic transducer to be inspected from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers one by one, causes the selected ultrasonic transducer to transmit an ultrasonic pulse, and sequentially inspects each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers by acquiring a reflected signal responding to transmission of the ultrasonic pulse from the interface. The inspection processing part sequentially selects the to-be inspected ultrasonic transducers one by one in such a way that any two temporally adjacent transducers are not spatially adjacent but are separated by a predetermined separation distance.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings relate to an ultrasound diagnostic device and a probe inspection device. [Background technology]

[0002] An ultrasound diagnostic device emits ultrasonic pulses or continuous ultrasonic waves generated from a vibration element built into an ultrasound probe into a subject, and converts ultrasonic reflections caused by differences in acoustic impedance of the subject's tissue into electrical signals by the vibration element, thereby non-invasively collecting information about the inside of the subject. Medical examinations using ultrasound diagnostic devices can easily generate and collect medical images such as cross-sectional images and 3D images of the inside of the subject by simply contacting the ultrasound probe with the body surface, and are therefore widely used for morphological and functional diagnosis of organs.

[0003] For accurate diagnosis, proper operation of the ultrasound probe is essential, and for this reason, ultrasound probe inspections have traditionally been performed. Typical inspections of ultrasound probes include periodic inspections, such as annual or biennial inspections. In recent years, there have been moves to make periodic inspections of ultrasound probes mandatory by law.

[0004] A technique for inspecting ultrasonic probes is known that uses the reflected signal from the interface between the ultrasonic lens and air to determine the reception sensitivity of each element of the ultrasonic transducer and the presence or absence of a break. This technique has the advantage of being easy to inspect ultrasonic probes because it does not require inspection tools such as a reflector placed through a medium such as water.

[0005] However, with this technology, unwanted signals caused by multiple reflections within the ultrasonic probe may be superimposed on the reflected signal from the interface, which is the inspection signal, making it difficult to properly separate and extract the reflected signal. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-185129 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] One of the problems to be solved by the embodiments disclosed in this specification and the drawings is to improve the reliability of inspection of an ultrasonic probe in an ultrasonic diagnostic device that uses a reflected signal from the interface between an ultrasonic lens and air to effectively separate the reflected signal from unnecessary signals. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In one embodiment, an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus includes an ultrasonic probe and an apparatus main body. The ultrasonic probe includes at least a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in an array and an ultrasonic lens. The apparatus main body inspects the ultrasonic probe using a reflected signal from the interface between the ultrasonic lens and air, and includes an inspection processing unit that sequentially selects ultrasonic transducers to be inspected one by one from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers, transmits ultrasonic pulses from the selected ultrasonic transducers, and acquires reflected signals from the interface in response to the transmitted ultrasonic pulses to inspect each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers. The inspection processing unit sequentially selects the ultrasonic transducers to be inspected one by one so that two ultrasonic transducers adjacent in time are not adjacent in space but are separated by a predetermined distance. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the schematic structure of a typical probe to be inspected and the concept of the inspection method performed using an ultrasound diagnostic device. [Figure 3] Figure 1 explains the conventional probe inspection method and its challenges. [Figure 4]The second diagram explains the conventional method of probe inspection and its challenges. [Figure 5] 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the arrangement of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a first embodiment. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a probe inspection process in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the selection order of ultrasonic transducers in the conventional probe inspection process and the probe inspection process of the first embodiment in comparison. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing the selection order of ultrasonic transducers and the corresponding received signals of the ultrasonic transducers in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating the effects of the probe inspection method according to the first embodiment in comparison with a conventional probe inspection method. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a probe inspection process in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus according to a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the concept of integration processing in a modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a probe inspection device according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. (First embodiment) 1 is a perspective view showing an example of the appearance of an ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 includes a device main body 10 and an ultrasonic probe 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as the probe 20). The device main body 10 includes a display 110 and a user interface 120 in addition to various circuits (see FIG. 5) housed in a main body case with casters.

[0011] The display 110 displays ultrasound images and various data generated by various circuits in the device main body 10. The display 110 is configured to include, for example, a liquid crystal display panel or an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) panel.

[0012] The user interface 120 is a device that allows the user to input various data and information into the device main body 10 or set various operation modes in the device main body 10 through user operation. The user interface 120 is configured to include, for example, two devices, an operation panel 121 and a touch panel 122 (see FIG. 5).

[0013] The operation panel 121 is equipped with operation devices such as a trackball, various switches, and dials, and the user can input various data and information into the device main body 10 by operating these operation devices.

[0014] On the other hand, the touch panel 122 is a display and input device configured by overlaying a touch screen on a display panel such as a liquid crystal panel. By touching or pressing the touch screen according to the display on the display panel, various data and information can be input to the device main body 10. For example, it is possible to display icons of multiple probes 20 connected to the device main body 10 on the display panel, and select a desired probe 20 by touching these icons on the touch screen.

[0015] As will be described later, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 of the embodiment can inspect the probe 20. The touch panel 122 is configured to receive, for example, a user operation for inspecting the probe and display the results of the probe inspection. The results of the probe inspection may be displayed on the display 110. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic structure of a general probe 20 to be inspected and a concept of an inspection method performed by the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1. As shown in FIG.

[0016] The probe 20 has, in order from the tip (the part that comes into contact with the subject), an ultrasonic lens 220, an acoustic matching layer 210, a plurality of ultrasonic transducers 200 arranged in an array, and a base 230. Inside the base 230, in addition to a backing material provided in contact with the array of ultrasonic transducers 200, electronic circuits and the like are provided for transmitting and receiving signals between a transmitting / receiving circuit 310 (see FIG. 5) of the device main body 10 and the ultrasonic transducers 200.

[0017] 2, when inspecting the probe 20, the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 of the embodiment transmits a transmission pulse with the ultrasonic lens 220 exposed to the air surrounding the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1, and inspects the probe 20 using a reflected signal from the interface between the ultrasonic lens 220 and the air. It is known that the transmission pulse is almost totally reflected at the interface between the ultrasonic lens 220 and the air.

[0018] The probe 20 to be inspected may be a one-dimensional probe (1D probe) in which the ultrasonic transducers 200 are arranged in a row array, or a two-dimensional probe (2D probe) in which the ultrasonic transducers 200 are arranged in a planar array.

[0019] 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating a conventional probe inspection method and its problems. The probe inspection method shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 4 also uses a method of inspecting the probe 20 by utilizing a reflected signal from the interface between the ultrasonic lens 220 and air.

[0020] 3(a) is a structural diagram that schematically shows the tip portion of the probe 20, that is, from the arrangement layer of the ultrasonic transducers 200 to the ultrasonic lens 220. As described above, the probe 20 to be inspected by the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 of the embodiment may be either a 1D probe or a 2D probe, and is not limited by the arrangement dimension of the array. However, for convenience of explanation, the following description will be given assuming that the probe 20 is a 1D probe and that the number of ultrasonic transducers 200 is N.

[0021] The numbers "1," "2," "3," "N," etc. shown at the bottom of the arrangement layer of the ultrasonic vibrators 200 indicate the spatial arrangement order of the ultrasonic vibrators 200, from 1 to N, from left to right in Figure 3(a).

[0022] The inspection of the probe 20 is roughly performed as follows: the ultrasonic transducers 200 are selected one by one, an ultrasonic pulse is transmitted from the selected ultrasonic transducer 200, a reflected signal of the ultrasonic pulse in response to this transmission, i.e., a reflected signal from the interface between the ultrasonic lens 220 and the air, is received by the selected ultrasonic transducer 200, and based on the amplitude information of the received reflected signal, the presence or absence of deterioration of the ultrasonic transducer 200 is determined, and by repeating this process, the presence or absence of deterioration of all the ultrasonic transducers 200 is determined, thereby inspecting the probe 20.

[0023] In Figure 3(a), numbers such as "#1", "#2", "#3", and "#N" immediately below the numbers indicating the spatial arrangement order indicate the temporal selection order of the ultrasonic transducers 200. In the inspection of the conventional probe 20, the ultrasonic transducers 200 to be inspected are selected so that the spatial arrangement order of the ultrasonic transducers 200 and the temporal selection order of the ultrasonic transducers 200 correspond one-to-one. In other words, the ultrasonic transducers 200 to be inspected are selected one by one in order so that two ultrasonic transducers adjacent in time are also adjacent in space.

[0024] 3(b) is a diagram showing, in the time axis direction, a schematic diagram of signals received by each ultrasonic transducer 200 in response to transmission of ultrasonic pulses during inspection. The transmission wave shown on the left side of FIG. 3(b) corresponds to the ultrasonic pulse at the transmission time.

[0025] The transmitted wave emitted from the ultrasonic transducer 200 is totally reflected at the interface between the ultrasonic lens 220 and the air, and is received as a reflected signal by the ultrasonic transducer 200. This reflected signal is called a first echo because it is a signal that is reflected only once at the interface. The time (t) from the transmitted wave to the first echo is determined by the distance (r) of the shortest path between the ultrasonic transducer 200 and the interface and the propagation speed (v) of the ultrasonic wave within the ultrasonic lens 220 and the acoustic matching layer 210 (t=2r / v).

[0026] The primary echo is received by the ultrasonic transducer 200, while a portion of it is reflected by the ultrasonic transducer 200 and travels toward the ultrasonic lens 220, after which it is totally reflected again at the interface and received as a further reflected signal by the ultrasonic transducer 200. This reflected signal is called a secondary echo because it is a signal of the transmitted wave reflected only twice at the interface. The time from the transmitted wave to the secondary echo is twice the time from the transmitted wave to the primary echo.

[0027] In this way, the transmitted wave is reflected two or more times between the ultrasonic transducer 200 and the interface, and reflected signals of multiple echoes such as second and third echoes are received. However, the multiple echoes are attenuated due to the long propagation path, and the amplitude of the third and higher echoes in particular becomes considerably small.

[0028] On the other hand, immediately after the transmission of the transmitted wave, an unwanted signal showing continuous or irregular fluctuations is received. This unwanted signal is thought to be a signal generated when the transmitted wave is reflected by various structures inside the probe 20 and a large number of reflected signals from these various structures are superimposed on one another.

[0029] Typically, the amplitude of unwanted signals is greatest immediately after transmission and decreases over time. If the time interval between ultrasonic pulses, i.e., the pulse repetition interval (PRI), is short, the multiple unwanted signals generated by transmitting multiple consecutive ultrasonic pulses will overlap with each other, resulting in an increase in the amplitude of the unwanted signals.

[0030] To avoid this situation, conventional probe inspection methods set a long pulse repetition period to separate the unwanted signal caused by one transmission wave from the unwanted signal caused by the next transmission wave, i.e., two adjacent unwanted signals, thereby reducing the amount of unwanted signals.

[0031] The reciprocal of the pulse repetition period (PRI) is the pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and setting the pulse repetition period (PRI) to a longer value is equivalent to setting the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) to a lower value.

[0032] On the other hand, in recent years, there has been a trend toward increasing the frequency of ultrasonic signals in order to improve resolution, etc. FIG. 4(a) is a structural diagram that schematically shows the tip portion of a high-frequency compatible probe 20. As the frequency of the ultrasonic signal increases, the propagation loss per unit length of the acoustic matching layer 210 and the ultrasonic lens 220 increases. Therefore, as can be seen from a comparison with FIG. 3(a), in the high-frequency compatible probe 20, the increase in propagation loss is suppressed by reducing the thickness in the propagation direction of the acoustic matching layer 210 and the ultrasonic lens 220.

[0033] In addition, even in this high-frequency compatible probe 20, in the conventional probe inspection method, the ultrasonic vibrators 200 to be inspected are selected so that the spatial arrangement order of the ultrasonic vibrators 200 and the temporal selection order of the ultrasonic vibrators 200 correspond one-to-one.

[0034] 4(b) is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of the signals received by each ultrasonic transducer 200 in the time axis direction during inspection of the high-frequency compatible probe 20. Since the thickness of the acoustic matching layer 210 and the ultrasonic lens 220 in the propagation direction is reduced, the time from transmission of the ultrasonic pulse to reception of the primary echo and secondary echo is also shortened.

[0035] As a result, in the high-frequency compatible probe 20, the primary echo and secondary echo enter an area close to the transmitted wave, i.e., an area where unwanted signals are large. This makes it difficult to detect the primary echo and secondary echo from the unwanted signals, making it impossible to perform highly reliable probe inspection. The ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 according to the embodiment aims to solve this problem.

[0036] 5 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes an apparatus main body 10 and at least one probe 20 connected to the apparatus main body 10.

[0037] The device main body 10 is configured to include a transmitting / receiving circuit 310, a B-mode processing circuit 320, a Doppler processing circuit 330, an image generation circuit 340, a frame memory 350, a control circuit 360, and an inspection processing circuit 300, as well as a user interface 120 equipped with the aforementioned display 110, operation panel 121, and touch panel 122.

[0038] During transmission, the transmission / reception circuit 310 supplies a pulse signal for generating an ultrasonic pulse to each of the many ultrasonic transducers 200 included in the probe 20. On the other hand, during reception, the transmission / reception circuit 310 converts the reception signals output from each ultrasonic transducer 200 of the probe 20 into digital signals, and further performs weighted addition on the digitized reception signals to form a reception beam. Furthermore, the transmission / reception circuit 310 scans the direction of the reception beam based on, for example, a control signal from the control circuit 360. The B-mode processing circuit 320 performs logarithmic detection processing and the like on the beamformed received signals, and generates a B-mode image using information on the scanning direction.

[0039] The Doppler processing circuit 330 performs signal processing such as correlation processing and Fourier transform on the beamformed received signals, and generates a color Doppler mode image or a pulse Doppler mode signal based on the information on the scanning direction.

[0040] The image generating circuitry 340 converts the B-mode image or color Doppler mode image into a display image to be displayed on the display 110, and also performs processing to add various types of auxiliary information to the display image. The frame memory 350 is a recording medium for sequentially recording the above-mentioned display images generated at a predetermined frame rate as frame images.

[0041] The control circuit 360 controls the entire ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1, and also controls the display of the results of the inspection process of the probe 20 on the display 110 and the touch panel 122.

[0042] The inspection processing circuit 300 performs processing related to the inspection of the probe 20. In the ultrasound diagnostic device 1 according to the first embodiment, the inspection processing circuit 300 performs inspection processing of the probe 20 by realizing the functions of a transducer selection function F01, an inspection transmission / reception control function F02, and a determination function F03.

[0043] The inspection processing circuit 300 is a circuit including, for example, a CPU or a dedicated or general-purpose processor. The processor executes various programs stored in a storage circuit (not shown) to realize the above-mentioned functions of the transducer selection function F01, the inspection transmission / reception control function F02, and the determination function F03. The inspection processing circuit 300 may be configured with hardware such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). The above-mentioned various functions can also be realized by such hardware. Furthermore, the inspection processing circuit 300 can also realize various functions by combining software processing by a processor and a program with hardware processing.

[0044] 6 is a flowchart showing an example of probe inspection processing in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment. The probe inspection processing according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to this flowchart and the operation explanatory diagrams shown in FIGS.

[0045] 6, the first ultrasonic transducer 200 to be inspected is selected, and then, in step ST101, an ultrasonic pulse is transmitted from the selected ultrasonic transducer 200.

[0046] Furthermore, in step ST102, a reflected signal from the interface between the ultrasonic lens 220 and the air, for example, a primary echo of the ultrasonic pulse, is extracted from the signal received in response to the transmission of the ultrasonic pulse. Then, amplitude information of the extracted reflected signal is stored in an appropriate memory.

[0047] Then, in step ST103, an ultrasonic transducer 200 that is a predetermined distance D away from the currently selected ultrasonic transducer 200 is selected as the ultrasonic transducer 200 to be inspected next.

[0048] Then, in step ST104, it is determined whether or not all of the ultrasonic transducers 200 have been selected, and the processes from step ST101 to step ST103 are repeated until all of the ultrasonic transducers 200 have been selected. If it is determined that all the ultrasonic transducers 200 have been selected, that is, that transmission and reception from all the ultrasonic transducers 200 have been completed, the process proceeds to step ST105.

[0049] In step ST105, a comprehensive inspection of the probe 20 is performed based on the amplitude information of the reflected signal extracted for each ultrasonic transducer 200. For example, if the ratio of the number of ultrasonic transducers 200 whose reflected signal amplitude is smaller than a predetermined reference value to the total number of ultrasonic transducers 200 exceeds a predetermined ratio, the probe 20 being inspected is determined to be defective.

[0050] In step ST106, the inspection results are output. For example, the inspection results, such as the result of determining whether the probe 20 being inspected is good or bad, or an indicator showing the degree of deterioration, are output to the display 110 of the device main body 10, the touch panel 122, or the like.

[0051] For example, the processing of steps ST100, ST103, and ST104 is performed by the transducer selection function F01 of the inspection processing circuit 300, the processing of steps ST101 and ST102 is performed by the inspection transmission / reception control function F02 of the inspection processing circuit 300, and the processing of steps ST105 and ST106 is performed by the judgment function F03 of the inspection processing circuit 300. The main difference between the conventional probe inspection process and the probe inspection process according to the first embodiment is the process in step ST103.

[0052] 7(a) is the same as FIG. 4(a), and the temporal selection order of the ultrasonic transducers 200 in the conventional probe inspection process is indicated by numbers such as "#1," "#2," etc. As described above, in the conventional probe inspection process, the ultrasonic transducers 200 to be inspected are selected one by one in temporal order according to the spatial arrangement order.

[0053] In contrast, in the probe inspection process according to the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7(b), the spatial arrangement order of the ultrasonic transducers 200 does not match the temporal selection order of the ultrasonic transducers 200 during inspection.

[0054] In the probe inspection process according to the first embodiment, the ultrasonic transducers 200 to be inspected are selected one by one in sequence so that two ultrasonic transducers 200 that are adjacent in time are not adjacent in space but are separated by a predetermined separation distance D. In other words, the ultrasonic transducers 200 are selected so that two ultrasonic transducers 200 to be inspected successively in time are separated by the separation distance D in space.

[0055] Here, the predetermined separation distance D needs to be determined taking into consideration the ultrasonic pulse repetition frequency (PRF) etc., but it is preferable to make it as large as possible from the viewpoint of only the spatial attenuation of unwanted signals. In the example shown in Fig. 7(b), for example, when the interval between adjacent ultrasonic transducers 200 is d and the total number of ultrasonic transducers 200 is N, the separation distance D is set to D = d * (N / 3), that is, about 1 / 3 of the one-dimensional array length (= d * N).

[0056] Fig. 8(a) is the same as Fig. 7(b), and is a diagram showing the selection order of the ultrasonic transducers 200 in the probe inspection process according to the first embodiment. Fig. 8(b) is a diagram schematically showing the received signals of each ultrasonic transducer 200 in the time axis direction when the ultrasonic transducers 200 are selected in the order shown in Fig. 8(a).

[0057] By spatially separating the ultrasonic transducers 200 that transmit continuously, it is possible to attenuate the unwanted signals that overlap across multiple pulse repetition periods (PRIs) not only temporally but also spatially. As a result, as shown in Figure 8(b), it is possible to increase the amplitude ratio of reflected signals such as primary echoes and secondary echoes to the amplitude of the unwanted signals.

[0058] Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 8(b), the reflected signal (e.g., the primary echo) may be extracted using a time gate. By extracting the reflected signal using a time gate, unnecessary signals before and after the time gate can be removed, and therefore, amplitude information of the reflected signal can be obtained with high reliability.

[0059] The thicknesses of the ultrasonic lens 220 and the acoustic matching layer 210 are known, and therefore the distance from the selected ultrasonic transducer 200 to the interface between the ultrasonic lens 220 and the air is also known. The speed at which the ultrasonic signal propagates through the ultrasonic lens 220 and the acoustic matching layer 210 is also known. Therefore, based on these distances and speeds, the delay time from the transmitted wave to the reflected signal (e.g., the first echo) can be calculated, and a time gate can be set based on the calculated delay time. FIG. 9 is a diagram further illustrating the effects of the probe inspection method according to the first embodiment in comparison with a conventional probe inspection method.

[0060] 9(a) is a diagram schematically showing the received signals of each ultrasonic transducer 200 when the conventional probe inspection method is used. As described above, when attempting to inspect a high-frequency compatible probe using the conventional probe inspection method, the position of the reflected signal approaches the transmitted wave, increasing the possibility that the reflected signal will be buried in unnecessary signals, which may make it difficult to detect the reflected signal itself.

[0061] In addition, to prevent unwanted signals from overlapping across multiple repetition periods (PRI), it is necessary to sufficiently attenuate the unwanted signals within one repetition period (PRI), but in conventional probe inspection methods, it is necessary to rely on temporal attenuation, which means that the ultrasonic pulse repetition period (PRI) is set long. In other words, the ultrasonic pulse repetition frequency (PRF) is set low, which results in a long inspection time for the probe 20.

[0062] In contrast to this, in the probe inspection method according to the first embodiment, ultrasonic transducers to be inspected are selected sequentially so that two ultrasonic transducers that are adjacent in time are not adjacent in space but are separated by a predetermined separation distance D. Therefore, the unwanted signals are attenuated not only in time but also spatially according to the separation distance D.

[0063] This results in greater attenuation of unwanted signals than with conventional probe inspection methods, making it easier to detect reflected signals (primary and secondary echoes) from among unwanted signals, even if the time between the transmitted wave and the reflected signal (primary and secondary echo) is short.

[0064] Furthermore, since both temporal and spatial attenuation can be expected, it is possible to sufficiently attenuate unwanted signals within one repetition period (PRI), and even if the repetition period (PRI) is set short, unwanted signals will not be superimposed across multiple repetition periods (PRI). Therefore, in the probe inspection method according to the first embodiment, it is possible to set the repetition period (PRI) short (i.e., it is possible to set the repetition frequency (PRF) high), and it is possible to shorten the inspection time of the probe 20.

[0065] As can be understood from the above explanation, the repetition frequency (PRF) or repetition period (PRI) of the ultrasonic pulse and the spatial attenuation obtained by the separation distance D are related to each other.

[0066] For this reason, for example, the inspection transmission / reception control function F02 of the inspection processing circuit 300 sets the separation distance D according to the ultrasonic pulse repetition frequency (PRF).

[0067] Specifically, the inspection transmission / reception control function F02 sets the separation distance D so that the separation distance D increases as the repetition frequency (PRF) increases (or the repetition period (PRI) decreases).

[0068] In addition, when determining the repetition frequency (PRF), the inspection transmission / reception control function F02 determines the optimal value of the repetition frequency (PRF) based on at least one of the thickness of the ultrasonic lens 220, the material of the ultrasonic lens 220, the thickness of the acoustic matching layer 210, the material of the acoustic matching layer 210, the transmission frequency, and the transmission voltage.

[0069] (Modification of the first embodiment) 10 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an ultrasound diagnostic device 1 according to a modification of the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment (FIG. 5) is that the inspection processing circuit 300 of the modification of the first embodiment has an integration function F04. With regard to other configurations, the modification of the first embodiment is the same as the first embodiment.

[0070] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of probe inspection processing in the ultrasound diagnostic apparatus 1 according to the modified example of the first embodiment. The difference from the first embodiment (FIG. 6) is that the modified example of the first embodiment adds processing of steps ST200, ST201, and ST202. As for other processing, the modified example of the first embodiment is the same as the first embodiment.

[0071] In step ST200, it is determined whether or not integration processing is to be performed. If not, the process proceeds to step ST105, where the same processing as in the first embodiment is performed in step ST105. If integration processing is to be performed, it is determined in step ST201 whether or not a predetermined number of integrations has been reached. If the predetermined number of integrations has not been reached, the process returns to step ST100, and the processing from step ST100 to step ST200 is repeated until the predetermined number of integrations is reached. On the other hand, if the processing from step ST100 to step ST200 has been repeated the predetermined number of integrations, the process proceeds to step ST202, where integration processing is performed.

[0072] The modified example of the first embodiment may be configured on the premise that integration processing is performed, in which case the determination processing in step ST200 and the processing in step ST105 are unnecessary. In step ST202, the reflected signal is integrated for each ultrasonic transducer 200, and the inspection process for the probe 20 is performed using the amplitude information of the integrated reflected signal.

[0073] Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating the concept of integration processing in a modified example of the first embodiment. The top row of Fig. 12 is a diagram illustrating the collection status of the first reflected signal, which is the same as the diagrams (Figs. 8(b) and 9(b)) illustrating the collection status of the received signals of each ultrasonic transducer 200 in the first embodiment. However, while Figs. 8(b) and 9(b) show an example in which a time gate is set for the primary echo, Fig. 12 shows a time gate set for the secondary echo.

[0074] In a modified example of the first embodiment, one cycle is defined as a process of selecting all ultrasonic transducers 200 in the probe 20 one by one and collecting reflected signals, and this process is repeated multiple cycles (i.e., M cycles: M is an integer greater than or equal to 2) from the first to Mth times.

[0075] Then, the reflected signals acquired for each ultrasonic transducer 200 through these multiple cycles are integrated, and the amplitude information of the integrated reflected signals is used to inspect each of the ultrasonic transducers.

[0076] The reflected signal to be integrated may be a primary echo, but it is more effective to extract and integrate any of the multiple echoes such as the secondary echo, tertiary echo, etc. (The secondary echo is shown as an example in Fig. 12.) This is because multiple echoes have the advantage of being less susceptible to the influence of unwanted signals because they are separated in time from the transmitted wave, but have the disadvantage of a low S / N ratio (signal-to-noise ratio) due to their small amplitude.

[0077] Therefore, in a modified example of the first embodiment, by making the reflected signal to be integrated a multi-order echo (e.g., a secondary echo), it becomes possible to use the reflected signal, which is less affected by unnecessary signals and has an improved S / N ratio, as the signal to be inspected, thereby enabling highly reliable probe inspection.

[0078] (Second embodiment) In the first embodiment and the modified example of the first embodiment described above, the ultrasound diagnostic device 1 inspects the probe 20 by itself and displays the inspection results on the display 110 of the ultrasound diagnostic device 1 or the like.

[0079] FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing an alternative configuration in which a probe inspection device 400 according to a second embodiment for inspecting the probe 20 is held as a separate component from the ultrasound diagnostic device 1. In the embodiment shown in FIG.

[0080] The probe inspection device 400 has a transmission / reception circuit 410, an inspection processing circuit 420, and a data transmission circuit 430. The transmission / reception circuit 410 may be the same as the transmission / reception circuit 310 (FIG. 5 or FIG. 10) provided in the ultrasound diagnostic device 1, or may be a simplified circuit having only the functions necessary for probe inspection. The inspection processing circuit 420 is the same as the inspection processing circuit 300 provided in the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

[0081] The data transmission circuit 430 is configured to transmit the inspection results of the probe 20 to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 displays the inspection results of the probe transmitted from the probe inspection device 400 on a display device such as the display 110. The inspection processing circuit and the data transmission circuit of the embodiment are examples of the inspection processing unit and the data transmission unit of the claims, respectively.

[0082] As described above, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic device 1 and the probe inspection device of each embodiment, in an ultrasonic diagnostic device that inspects an ultrasonic probe using a reflected signal from the interface between an ultrasonic lens and air, the reflected signal can be effectively separated from unnecessary signals, thereby improving the reliability of the inspection of the ultrasonic probe.

[0083] Although several embodiments of the present invention have been described, these embodiments are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and spirit of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0084] 1. Ultrasound diagnostic equipment 10. Device body 20 probes 110 Display 120 User Interface 121 Operation Panel 122 Touch Panel 300, 420 Inspection processing circuit 310, 410 Transmitting and receiving circuit 400 Probe Inspection Device 430 Data transmission circuit F01 Transducer selection function F02 Inspection transmission / reception control function F03 Judgment function F04 Integral function

Claims

1. an ultrasonic probe having at least a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in an array and an ultrasonic lens; an apparatus main body for inspecting the ultrasonic probe by using a reflected signal from the interface between the ultrasonic lens and air; The device body includes: Sequentially selecting ultrasonic transducers to be inspected one by one from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; Transmitting an ultrasonic pulse from the selected ultrasonic transducer; acquiring a reflected signal from the interface in response to the transmission of the ultrasonic pulse, and sequentially inspecting each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; an inspection processing unit; The inspection processing unit sequentially selects the ultrasonic transducers to be inspected one by one so that two ultrasonic transducers adjacent in time are not adjacent in space but are separated by a predetermined separation distance. Ultrasound diagnostic equipment.

2. The inspection processing unit setting a time gate for extracting the reflected signal from the ultrasonic pulse reflected once at the interface; sequentially checking each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers using the amplitude information of the reflected signal extracted by the time gate; The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 .

3. The inspection processing unit a time gate is set to extract the reflected signal as a multiple echo resulting from the ultrasonic pulse being reflected two or more times at the interface; sequentially checking each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers using amplitude information of one of the reflected signals among the multiple echoes extracted by the time gate; The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 .

4. The inspection processing unit determines the position of the time gate based on the distance between the selected ultrasonic transducer and the interface.

4. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 2 or 3.

5. The inspection processing unit repeating a process of sequentially selecting and inspecting the ultrasonic transducers one by one from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers for a plurality of cycles; Integrating the reflected signals acquired for each of the ultrasonic transducers through the multiple cycles, and inspecting each of the ultrasonic transducers using amplitude information of the integrated reflected signals. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The inspection processing unit sets the separation distance according to a repetition frequency of the ultrasonic pulse. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 1 .

7. the inspection processing unit sets the separation distance so that the separation distance increases as the repetition frequency increases. The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 6.

8. an acoustic matching layer between the ultrasonic lens and the array of ultrasonic transducers; the inspection processing unit determines an optimal value of the repetition frequency of the ultrasonic pulses based on at least one of the thickness of the ultrasonic lens, the material of the ultrasonic lens, the thickness of the acoustic matching layer, the material of the acoustic matching layer, a transmission frequency, and a transmission voltage; The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A probe inspection device configured to be connectable to an ultrasonic probe having at least a plurality of ultrasonic transducers arranged in an array and an ultrasonic lens, and inspecting the ultrasonic probe using a reflected signal from an interface between the ultrasonic lens and air, Sequentially selecting ultrasonic transducers to be inspected one by one from the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; Transmitting an ultrasonic pulse from the selected ultrasonic transducer; acquiring a reflected signal from the interface in response to the transmission of the ultrasonic pulse, and sequentially inspecting each of the plurality of ultrasonic transducers; an inspection processing unit; The inspection processing unit sequentially selects the ultrasonic transducers to be inspected one by one so that two ultrasonic transducers adjacent in time are not adjacent in space but are separated by a predetermined separation distance. Probe inspection device.

10. Further, a data transmission unit is provided that transmits a diagnosis result of the ultrasound probe to an ultrasound diagnostic device equipped with the ultrasound probe.

10. The probe inspection device of claim 9.

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